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" THE PALE WEASEL" OF BLANFOKD'S "MAMMALIA ' 

 AND A NEW HIMALAYAN VOLE. 



BY 



E. C. Weoughton. 



Capt. Whitehead has recently presented to the National 

 Collection two specimens of a weasel taken by him in the Upper 

 Sutlej Valley. On comparing these with other weasels in the 

 collection it appears that they, together with a specimen taken by 

 Dr. T. Gr. Longstaff which evidently is the same form, differ from 

 any other described. Indian weasel. 



Blanford in his Mammalia (No. 84, p. 168) adopts the name 

 alpinus (it has been definitely agreed to restrict the generic name 

 Putorius to the Polecats, using Mustela for the Stoats and Weasels) 

 for the pale weasel of Nepal, Sikhim and adjoining Thibet, which 

 Hodgson gave the name of temon. Alpinus was originally de- 

 scribed from the Altai Mountains ; and specimens from that locality 

 show that it is a distinctly larger and stouter animal than temon, 

 judging by the skulls, for unfortunately no specimens with reliable 

 body measurements are available. In colour alpina is much paler, 

 above than temon, and fades gradually to cream buff on the belly, 

 in temon the contrast between the two shades is more sudden, 

 though not in all specimens, showing a defined line of demarcation. 

 In the specimens from the Upper Sutlej Valley and Ladak the pale 

 yellowish white of the belly is quite sharply demarcated from the 

 colour of the back and flanks, and this last is much nearer to that 

 of the pale alpina than to that of the darker temon. 



Under the circumstances, it is clear that the name alpina must 

 be restricted to the northern Mongal-Siberian form, that temon 

 must be revived for the Nepal Sikhim species, and that a new 

 name is required for Capt. Whitehead's specimens. I propose to 

 call them — 



Mustela longstaffi,, sp. n. 



A weasel of the alpina type with a stout skull, showing* little 

 sagittal crest in the male and a large swollen brain case. 



Fur short and close (8-10 mm. on back). General colour above 

 a pale shade of ' clay colour,' below pale yellowish white. Head 



