Mr. J. Scully on Mammals from Afghanistan. 381 



in the large series of V. montana which I collected in Gilgit, 

 and to that species I accordingly refer them. 

 1,2. Afghan Turkestan. 



5. Spermophilus bacfrtanus, sp. nov. 



Ear-conch rudimentary, soles of hind feet densely haired, 

 tail short, not longer than hind foot ; hair on body harsh, very 

 short, unicolorous. 



Head and body (from skin) 9*5 inches; tail 1*5, with hairs 

 at end included 2*2 ; fore foot without claws 1*25 ; hind foot 

 without claws 2'25. On the head and whole body above and 

 below the hair is very short, harsh, closely adpressed, and of 

 the same colour throughout from base to tip. Upper parts 

 nearly uniform pale fawn, the head slightly darker and more 

 brown, and the rump more tinged with rufous ; a pale isabel- 

 line band from nostril to eye. Tail like the rump, with a 

 black subterminal ring and pale fulvous tip. Edges of lips, 

 chin, throat, and whole lower surface, including inner aspect 

 of limbs, creamy white. Outer aspect of limbs bright ful- 

 vous ; upper surface of fore and hind feet pale isabelline, 

 below to root of digits covered with creamy white hairs. The 

 outer toe has a long pencil of whitish hair on its under sur- 

 face which exceeds the tip of the claw by about half an inch. 

 The vibrissse are long, fine, and mostly brown, and a pencil 

 of long glistening white hairs grows below the chin. The 

 claws are black, with pale horny tips. There are three pairs 

 of mammae. The skull is imperfect behind, and its total 

 length cannot be given ; the posterior end of the nasals 

 extends further back than the termination of the premaxillse: — 



in. 



Greatest breadth of zygoma 1-3 



Breadth of brain-case behind postorbital processes 0'78 



Length of nasals 0'8 



Breadth of nasals behind 0*2 



„ of nasals in front 0-26 



Premolar to symphysis of premaxillse 0'6 



Posterior margin of palate to incisors 0-98 



Breadth of palate between p™- 2 0'27 



Length of mandible, condyle to symphysis 1'3 



From the characters already given for this souslik it couH 

 not be referred to any species of Sperniophilus belonging to 

 the section in which the hind feet are not haired below, e. g. 

 S. fulvus, S. rufescens, 8. erythrogenys^ S. brevicauda, S'. 

 mugosartcus, S. concolor, or S. musicus. Of the section 

 having well-haired soles S. Eversmanni and allies are also 



