SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 



Four specimens, 2 c^c^, 2 ??. Tabool, 100 

 miles N. of Kalgan, Mongolia. 



This interesting vole, belonging to the 

 " Stenocranius " group, was described by 

 Mr. Thomas from a single specimen taken by 

 Mr. Anderson in this district in 1907. This 

 vole differs from the following species in the 

 extreme narrowness of its skull. 



I found them comparatively common, 

 but so voracious that many trapped speci- 

 mens were completely destroyed by their 

 companions before I could secure them. 

 They seemed to be nocturnal in their habits. 

 Their burrows usually ran just under the 

 earth's surface for a considerable distance, 

 the broken up earth marking their course as 

 in the case of the excavations of moles and 

 mole rats. They appear to live in colonies 

 much as do the gerbils. 



29. Microtus mandarinus, M.-Edw. 



One specimen, c^. 5 miles S. of T'ai-yiian 



Fu, Shansi. 2,600 ft. 

 It has been found impossible to separate this 

 single specimen from M. mandarinus, though 

 their localities are so far apart. This is 

 evidently a somewhat rare species in Shansi. 

 It is readily distinguishable from any of the 

 following species by its powerfully built 

 skull. In colour it resembles M. Johannes, 

 199 



