318 MISS D. M. A. BATE ON THE [Nov. 14, 



tendency towards a sandy colouring ; this is especially noticeable 

 in a skin from Zoulla (B.M. 69.10.24.9.), in which the trans- 

 verse doi-sal bai's are much broken up, causing a somewhat 

 ^'spotty" appearance. 



In the specimens from Crete the proximal portion of the fur is 

 decidedly dark over almost the entire body ; this feature is hardly 

 noticeable in those from Abyssinia, and is not so strongly marked 

 in the examples examined from Egypt. The increased richness 

 in colour of the Cretan race is no doubt chiefly due to climatic 

 influences : a still further divergence in this particular direction 

 is exemplified by the wild cat, F. o. sarda Lataste, from the more 

 westerly island of Sardinia. 



Hybrids between F. o. agrius and the domestic cat of the island 

 appear to be not uncommon, and this can easily be accounted for 

 by the fact that formerly small villages were often totally deserted 

 for a considerable time, or possibly entirely, during the insur- 

 rections which occur so frequently in Crete, when the cats, as 

 well as the villagers, are forced to take to a life in the hills. 

 Skins of these hybrids, which are generally of large size like the 

 true wild race, may often be seen hanging up in the bazaars at 

 Khania and Candia. 



F. 0. agrms was recorded by Raulin* as F. catiis. 



7. Meles meles mediterraneus Barr.-Ham. t 



Only two immature specimens of this Badger were obtained ; 

 these came from an earth in a rocky mound, on the crown of 

 which is perched one of the several monasteries of the Lassethe 

 Plain. 



The local name for the Badger is "Arkalos" {(ipKciXos) ; it is 

 plentiful in the island, and is killed in some numbers by the 

 natives, the richer of whom use the skins for saddle-cloths and 

 for making into pvu'ses &c. 



8. Mustela foina bunites}, subsp. n. 



Five skins of the Cretan Beech-Marten were obtained, and 

 have been carefully compared with those of M. f. leucolachnea 

 Blanf., fi'om Turkestan, with which two specimens from Crete, 

 already in the British Museum collection, were formerly iden- 

 tified §. However, the examples from these two localities are 

 fovmd to diflfer considerably and to be easily distinguishable ; 

 therefore it is proposed that the island form be known by the 

 above-given subspecific name. 



In length and woolliness of coat M. f. bimites is intermediate 

 between the typical M. foina and AJ . f. leucolachnea, though in 

 genei-al appearance it most closely i-esembles the latter. From 

 this it differs in its much duller and more uniform colouring, 



* Op. cit. vol. ii. p. 1033. 



t Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 7, vol. iv. pp. 383-4. 



X From (SoDfirJys, a dweller on hills. 



§ Ann. Mas. Nat. Hist. ser. 7, vol. iv. Nov. 1899, p. 313. 



