470 Mr. 0. Thomas on a new Chinese Mole. 



Talim leptura. 



Fur, as usual, soft and velvety, with slate-coloured bases and 

 shining coppery tips. Eyes apparently covered by the integu- 

 ment. Tail short and slender, barely half as long as the skull, 

 thinly clothed with white hairs. Muzzle broad ; teeth large and 

 powerful. Dental formula as in T. leucura, Blyth*, viz. I. f , 

 C. I, P.M. I, M.|t. Third upper premolar very strong 

 and trenchant, twice as large as in T. leucura. In the lower 

 jaw tlie second and third premolars are equal in size, very 

 small, pressed closely together, and placed with their long 

 axes at right angles to the direction of the jaw, thus differing 

 from T. leucura, in which they are placed nearly longitudi- 

 nally ; the fourth is well developed, about three times the size 

 of the two preceding it. Molars with numerous well-deve- 

 loped sharp-pointed cusps. 



Dimensiotis. 



inclies. 



Head and body (about) 5-0 



Tail 0-G 



Fore foot, length, with claws 0'85 



,. breadth 0(5 



Ilind'foot, length 08 



Skull, length l-;35 



„ greatest breadth 0'7 



Palate, length 0-57 



,, breadth, including molars 0-43 



Length of lower jaw 0-89 



With regard to the affinities of this species, it would seem 

 to be somewhat intermediate between ScaptocMrus moschatus 

 and Taljya leucura, possessing the same dental formula as the 

 latter, while the shape both of the muzzle and of the teeth in 

 section is exactly as in the former. The structure of the 

 teeth of ScajJtocMrus would, however, appear to be somewhat 

 different from what is found in Talpa leptura, as Prof. 

 Milne-Edwards has kindly informed me that the peculiar 

 flat character of the molars, described in the ' Eecherches ' 

 from a single specimen, has been also found in two others 



• J. A. S. B. xix. p. 215, pi. iv. fig. 1 (1850). 



t By an unfortunate misprint in the dental formula, the premolars of 

 Scaptu'chints moschatus were described as being | or |, according to the 

 manner of determining the lower canine ; but, as is clearly shown by 

 the figure and description, these numbers, if the molars be counted as 

 |-, as is done by Prof. Milne-Edwards, ought to be f or -| respectively. 

 As, however, there appears to be no doubt that the formula for Talpa, 

 with regard both to the incisors and molars, given by Prof. Owen (Odon- 

 tography, i. p. 41 G, 1840) is correct, the true number of premolars pos- 

 sessed by Scajitochims will be |. 



