23 



SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF THE MAMMAL SURVEY. 

 BY Oldfield Thomas, F. R. S. 



No. VII. 



(Published by 'permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.^ 



Mr. Shoi'tridge's magnificent collection from Mount Popa and 

 other parts of Central Bnrma has now been received at the National 

 Mnsenm, and pending the retnrn to London of Mr. Wronghton, 

 who will, I hope, give a detailed report on it, I propose to give notes 

 and descriptions of snch things in it as appear to need special 

 attention. 



Menetes bekdmorei and its subspecies. 



The Popa collection contains a series of specimens of a particularly 

 beautiful Menetes, and on laying out the whole available material 

 of the group, I find that there appear to be five recognizable forms, 

 which may provisionally be considered as subspecies of M. berdmorei. 



It should be premised that the presence or absence of the main 

 lateral black stripes does riot appear to be a racial, but, as in many 

 forms of Tamiops, a seasonal character, for January and early 

 February specimens, at least of subsp. constdaris, are quite without 

 them, while they become developed in specimens taken at other 

 times of the year. Whether this is equally the case in the other 

 subspecies our material does not enable me to state. It is however 

 possible that since, even in the fully striped phase, consvlaris, has 

 the least amount of striping, so it has also alone developed (or 

 retained) a seasonal suppression of the stripes, and that other forms 

 have them all the year round. January specimens of the Mt. Popa 

 and other forms would therefore be particularly interesting. 



The five subspecies may be diagnosed as follows : — 



1. Median dorsal black line and upper lateral ones present, 

 though not very conspicuous. Undersurface strongly washed with 

 buffy. M. berdmorei herd/morei. 



Rangoon, Martaban and neighbouring parts of Tenasserim. 



2. Like berdmorei in having inconspicuous median dorsal, and 

 upper lateral blackish lines, but the undersurface white or whitish. 



M. i. mouhoti, Gray. (Syn. Sciurus pyrrocephalus, M. Edw.J 

 Siam south of Bangkok, Camboja, Cochin-China. 



3. Median dorsal and upper lateral dark streaks prominent, all 

 the markings very strongly defined, the main dark lateral band 

 broad and glossy black ; an additional blackish streak edging the 

 belly ; general body colour clear grizzled olive, undersurface and 

 tips of tail hairs pure white. M. b. decoratus, subsp. n. 



Mount Popa, dry zone of Burma. 



