964 MR. OLDFIELD THOMAS ON' [DeC. 15^ 



in the sense that I use that term, i^epresenting here a different 

 one from further east, all the others being what I should term 

 locally modified subspecies. 



Besides these modified subspecies of the coast forms, there ai'e 

 of course several interesting new species in the collection, notably 

 the beautiful little desert Hamster which I have named after the 

 Duchess of Bedford, and the curious Vole MicrotAis inez. In all 

 twelve new forms are described in the present paper (see footnote 

 p. 963). 



So far Mr. Andei'son has made magnificent use of the Duke of 

 Bedford's generosity, the amount and completeness of his collections 

 already almost equalling those made during the Rudd exploration 

 of S. Africa, and the results obtained being equally epoch-making 

 both for our knowledge of Eastern Asian Mammalia, and for the 

 improvement of our National Museum. Jaj^an, from Saghalien to 

 Yaku-shima, Tsu-shima, Koi'ea, and Quelpart, and the cliief areas 

 of North-eastern China, have now all been visited in turn, and 

 such collections made as to multiply a hundredfold our know- 

 ledge of the mammals of the region and to form a really sound 

 basis for further work on the subject. 



jSTo such complete and systematic survey has evei' been made in 

 Eastern Asia before, and for this fine sei-vice to Science zoologists 

 have to thank the generosit}^ of our President. 



Mr. Anderson gives me tlie following note on the characteristics 

 of Shan-si and Shen-si, the two provinces dealt with in the- 

 present paper : — 



" The provinces of Shan-si and Shen-si are c^uite different in 

 character. The former may be briefly described as a mountainous 

 country with occasional large upland plains. Some peaks in 

 Shan-si rise above 10,000 ft., and are massive rocky mountains- 

 with only a comparatively thin coating of loess soil. "Where the- 

 loess figures mostl}^ is in the plains, of Avhich that of Tai-Yuen-Fu, 

 that of TaTung-fu, and that of Hsiu-clou are the best examples. 

 The streams of Shan-si flow only in the rainy season, with the ex- 

 ception of the larger rivers. Northern Shen-si, on the other hand, 

 is a region of loess hills of almost uniform height ; the skyline of 

 Shen-si, seen from the mountains of its eastern neighbour, is a 

 straight line declining very gradually as it passes from north to- 

 south. The portion of Shen-si visited appears indeed like an 

 extension of the plateau of which Ordos is part, only this extension 

 has been cut into by a great many joerennial streams, a process 

 which is now taking place in southern Ordos." 



1. Mtotis sp. 



cT. 1875. Pao-teh-chow, Shan-si. 3500'. 



A very old specimen with worn teeth. Related to M. mystacinus^ 

 '• Bats were very rare throughout the area visited, this being 

 the only one seen." — M. P. A. 



