1908.] MAMMALS FKOM NORTIIERX CIIIXA. 971, 



Ilab. Mongolian Plateau. Type from Taboul, about 100 miles 

 X.VV. of Kalgan. Alt. 5000'. 



.7'v/i^e. Young adult male. B.M. Ko. 8.O.5.5. Original number 

 1499. Collected by M. P. Anderson, 1 August 1907, and presented 

 by the Duke of Bedford, K.G. 



The difference in general colour between VAnhratus and^ 

 mongolicus might have been thought to be seasonal in its nature 

 as both Mr. Campbell's and Mr. Anderson's specimens of the 

 former were collected in July and August, and the present seiies 

 in April and May. But some of the latter have already got their 

 summer pelage on the crown, while Mr. Swinhoe's topotypica 

 example of mongolicus was killed in Sej^tember. 



From the region inhabited by Biichner's two species, C. cdas- 

 chanicus and C. nhscurus, the Mongolian plateau is sej^ai'ated by 

 the western parts of the range of C. mongolicits. 



" Fairl}- common. Usually living in valley-bottoms, or in 

 stretches of plain where more or less grass exists. 



" Chinese name, ' Sa-hsu' = Sand-rat." — M. P. A. 



13. Merioxes auceps Thos. 



<5. 1670, 1675, 1676, 1677. 1678, 1684, 1685, 1693, 1695. 

 $ . 1679, 1683, 1694, 1701, 1702. Yen-an-fu, Shen-si. 3000'. 

 S. 1736, 1737. Ordos Desert, N. of Ching-pien, 8han-si, 



^77, 1881, 1882. Pao-teh-chow, Shan-si. 



12 miles I^.W. of Ko-lan-chow, Shan-si. 



6000'. 



This handsome species, one of the discoveries of the present 

 exploration, was described in my previous paper fiom a single 

 specimen, so that this good series is very welcome. The skins are 

 on the whole very uniform, with the exception that the tail is 

 sometimes white below, prominently bicolor, and sometimes whoUv 

 ochraceous, all intermediate stages between the two being present. 



It is possible that Milne-Edwards may have mixed up some 

 specimens of M. auceps in his account of M. psmnmop)hilus, as the 

 two species are so similar ; but I have taken as representing his 

 species the example uncpiestionably belonging to the smaller fo<^m, 

 which he sent to the British Museum in 1867. 



" One of the commonest mammals of North China. At Yen-an- 

 fu they were abundant, burrowing in the farm fields ; in the 

 grassland north of Ching-pien they were also plentiful, but here 

 they lived in the grassy plains, or in the bushy areas along the 

 edges of the plains. This rodent was not found at Yu-lin-fu,, 

 and was comparatively rare near Ko-lan-chow, while at Ning-wu- 

 fu I did not see them. 



" Chinese name, ' Hwang-hsu ' = Yellow rat." — M. P. A. 



4900' 







6- 



'l878. 



1880. $. li 



3500'. 







$. 



1917, 



1958. Mts. 



7000', 







6. 



1960. 



Ning-wu-fu 



