Mammals from Northern Persia. 201 



cliaracters were alone used by de Filippi to distinguish his 

 variety. 



Tlie skull so extracted proves fortunately to be perfect, 

 and is therefore a great improvement on the broken skull on 

 which he based his statement that the osteological characters 

 of the Persian vole were absolutely the same as those of 

 Arvicola amphihius. But tiie statement itself needs practi- 

 cally no modification, for this typical skull has no special 

 peculiarities, and in particular has the normal angular molars 

 found in European water-voles in general. It tlierefore 

 precisely agrees with Mr. Woosnam's specimen no. 110 from 

 the low-lying shores of the Caspian Sea, a region through 

 which de Filippi also passed; and I am disposed to believe, 

 therefore, that though tliat author first saw animals of this 

 group at Sultanieii, which is on the plateau south of tiie 

 Elburz, the actual specimen he brouglit iiome and described 

 was from the lower and more northern region. Moreover, in 

 Sj)eaking of them at Sultanieh, he says tbey were abundant 

 then and onwards to the end of his time in Persia, a state- 

 ment tliat covers the Caspian as well as the Elburz region. 

 Actual Sultanieh specimens may hereafter upset this con- 

 clusion ; but in any case I feel compelled to distinguish the 

 round-toothed forms as a different subspecies, to which all 

 the specimens as yet certainly known to come from the 

 plateau belong. 



13. Microtus terrestris armenius, subsp. n. 



c^ . 123. Elburz Mts., near Demavend. Alt. 9000'. 



[(^.16,17. Van, Armenia. Alt. 5000'. Presented by 

 Major W. H. Williams, R.A.] 



" Shot in a small stream." — R. B. W. 



" Dug out of hole by stream."— IF. //. W. 



External characters quite as in M. t. persiciis, except that 

 the general tone is slightly greyer and the ears are rather 

 shorter. 



Skull essentially as in that animal, though the brain-case 

 is, perhaps, a little longer in proportion to its breadth and 

 the nasals incline to be more expanded anteriorly. 



Molars with quite the same {)attern as in the lowland 

 form, but all the enamel-bound spaces, instead of being 

 sharply angular externally and iiiterually, are rounded, often 

 almost circular, so that there are no real angles, external or 

 internal, either above or below, the teeth having therefore a 

 very peculiar and characteristic appearance, quite unlike that 

 found in normal water-voles. 



Ann. tt J/ay. .V. Hist. Ser. 7. To/, xx. 14 



