1095.] ON MAMMALS FROM PERSIA AND ARMENIA. 519 



4. On a Collection of Mammals from Persia and Armenia 

 presented to the British Museum by Col. A. C. Bail ward. 

 By Oldfield Thomas, F.R.S., F.Z.S.* 



[Received October 27, 1905.] 

 (Plate XYI.t) 



The National Museum owes to Col. A. C. Bail ward a most 

 interesting collection of small mammals from Persia and Ai'menia, 

 obtained during the past summer on his way home from India to 

 England. Before starting he applied to the Society's Secretary 

 for advice on the subject, and Dr. Mitchell suggested his taking 

 with him someone trained to collect mammals and birds. By 

 good foi'tune Mr. R. B. Woosnam, one of our ablest collectors, 

 who had already done good work in South Africa, was able to go 

 with Col. Bailward, and the specimens now described were all 

 trapped and skinned by him. 



Considering that the expedition was primarily a shooting-trip, 

 that it never stayed more than a day or two in any place, 

 and that the painty rode something like 20 or 30 miles every 

 day, the number of mammals obtained— about 70 — is a credit to 

 Mr. Woosnam, who also collected about 380 birds. 



About 31 species are represented in the Mammal collection, 

 of which I have described five as new. Of these by far the 

 most interesting is the beautiful large-eared mouse described as 

 Calomyscus baihvardi, which forms a new genus entirely vnilike 

 anything hitherto known from the Old Woi-ld, but allied to the 

 North- American Pei'omyscus. 



Col. Bailward 's party entered Persia at the head of the Persian 

 Gulf, beginning work at Ahwaz, on the Karun River. From 

 there they travelled north- east wai-d across the Bachtiari mountains 

 to Isfahan, and it was in this region that the majority of the 

 novelties were obtained. From Isfahan they went westwards to 

 Kermanshah, and thence by way of Lake Van, Erzeroum, and 

 Baibort to Trebizond. 



While the Armenian specimens obtained during the trip are 

 most valuable, their interest is dwarfed by that of the series from 

 Persia, for from the region travelled by Col. Bailward the only 

 mammals that have ever been collected were those obtained in 

 1870-72 by the late Dr. W. T. Blanford, and described in his 

 work on Eastern Persia J, the few collected and described by 

 de Filippi §, and a small series obtained in 1902 by Mr. H. F. 

 Witherby. Fi'om the character of the present collection it is 



* [The complete account of the new species described in this communication 

 appears here ; but since the names and preliminary diagnoses were published in the 

 'Abstract,' such species are distinguished by the name being underlined. — Editoe.] 



t For explanation of the Plate, see p. 527. 



j 'Eastern Persia,' Zoology and Geology (1876). 



§ ' Viaggio in Persia,' p. 342 (1865). 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1905, Yol. II. No. XXXY. 35 



