214 Mr. 0. Thomas on 



XXII. — On Mammals from the Province of San Juan, 

 Western Argentina. By Oldfield Thomas. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



The Museum has now received from Sr. E. Budin three 

 small collections o£ Mammals from places in the Province of 

 San Juan, and these may well be combined to form one 

 general list. 



Tlie three localities are as follows : — 



Canada Honda, about 50 km. S. of San Juan City. 

 Altitude about 500 m. 



Pedernal, about 60 km. S.W. of San Juan, and 30 W. of 

 Canada Honda. Altitude about. 1200 m. 



Sierra Tontal, a north and south range of mountains some 

 60 km. W. of San Juan. Collection made at Los Sombreros, 

 an estancia at about 2700 m. altitude, and 35 km. N.W. of 

 Pedernal. 



All three collections contained specimens of interest, but 

 the Sierra Tontal proved much the richest locality, examples 

 being obtained there of several mountain forms, such as 

 Lagidium and Abrocomaj neither of which had been previously 

 recorded from the province. 



The present series forms the first contribution that the 

 Museum has ever received from San. Juan, and is therefore 

 of proportionate value. Sr. Budin is much to be commended 

 for the excellent collection he has made, and, as usual, for 

 the admirable manner in which the skins are prepared. 



A new huron and a second species of the recently 

 described genus Octomys are the most notable discoveries 

 made. 



On the other hand, the almost complete absence of Muridae 

 is most remarkable, the family l)eiiig only represented by 

 Phyllotis, Oraomys, and He&i:)eromys, and the two latter 

 being very rare. Sr. Budin draws especial attention to the 

 entire absence of Akodon, a genus whose members are 

 generally the very commonest of the mammals in almost 

 every other locality in South America, from Colombia to 

 Cape Horn, their abundance in many places amounting to a 

 plague. 



1. Felis sah'narum, Thos. 



$ . 1255. Canada Honda. 



