334 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVII. 



fading effect of the Shaiba desert sun on an already pale specimen of 

 G. aureus. These would therefore all be referable to C. aureus aureus. One 

 of Ingoldby's specimens from Baghdad has no duplicates among any of 

 these. The ground colour here is bright fox-red with black tips to the 

 longer hairs in sufficient numbers over the loins to create the appearance 

 of a black patch. This bright colouring is identical with several specimens 

 from Khotz near Trebizond, and one from Greece. Here we have strong 

 evidence of a dark raca coming to Mesopotamia from Armenia and meeting 

 the paler C. aureus from the Persian Gulf. At Sheikh Saad Garden in 

 1917 considerale raids were being made by jackals on the fields of melon 

 and vegetable marrow grown for the troops. When the order was given for 

 their destruction the men killed over sixty jackals in a few weeks. 



Buxton remarks " abundunt everywhere. Destroys broad beans by 

 rolling in them in spring, trampling patches quite flat. Eats cucumbers. 

 Litters of cubs, seen under bushes as soon as they can walk." 

 19. VuLPBS PERSiCA, Blanf. 



1875. Vulpes persica, Blanford, A. M. N. H., XVI., p. 310. 



Persian Desert Fox. Arabic Huseinee. 



1. Legait Livesey, 20-4-17. 



4. Purchased at Busra Shortridge, 26-2-16. 

 1. Ahwaz Ludlow, 4-7-17. 



1. Shatt-al-Adhaim Pitman, Nov. 1917. 



These small foxes are grey on the sides merging into fox-red towards 

 the centre of the back and on the legs and forehead. The throat and un- 

 derparts contain portions of mauve grey. 



Livesey's specimen from Legait is a very pale example with the fore- 

 head, flanks and brush almost silvery white, touched here and there with 

 chestnut. The tips of the ears and centre of the neck and back are 

 chestnut brown. This would seem to be a case of partial albinism, as 

 there are cases of similar colouring among a series of V. leucopus from 

 Sind. 



The long brush becomes white tipped with age. 



They are plentiful in the desert mounds formed by the ruins of the 

 irrigation canals of the ancients. In these their earths are found, but 

 they more often lie in the open. Their footmarks can be seen round the 

 holes of Jerboas and Ger bills on which they largely prey. I once approached 

 to within a few feet of one — intent on digging out these small rodents. The 

 Arabs course them with greyhounds and sell the skins in the markets. 

 These skins are often called ' bizoon el chowl ' which might be misleading as 

 literally it means ' cat of the desert.' 



This fox would appear from the specimens to hand to belong to the 

 leucopus group, and there is little doubt it is Blanford's V, persica. 



V. leucopus is found along the Sind, Punjaub frontier, while Blanford 

 gives the habitat of V. persica as Persia around Isfahan. 

 20. Maktes poina, Erxl. 



1777. Maries (Mustela) foina, Erxleben, Syst. Regn. Anim. I, p. 458, 

 Beech Marten. 



1. Push-ti-koh. Napier, July 1917 . 



The Beech Marten keeps to considerable elevations in the mountains 

 and is not likely to be met with in the plains of Mesopotamia, but it 

 contributes to the interest of the paper to include specimens obtained just 

 over the Persian border. Unfortunately there is no skull and the skin has 

 the appearance of a bazaar purchase which would account for the exact 

 locality not being given. 



