316 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



variety of this Yole (i.e. Evotomys glareolus). They certainly are not 

 either of the other two British Voles; they are the common Bank 

 Yole, a^ local variety of it or a new species to this country." 



Mr. Drane " always took these Yoles about farm buildings 

 or within them, where one would not expect to find Yoles." When 

 traps were set a few hundred yards away, he never took the Yoles but 

 only Wood Mice, Mus sylvaticus. 



The predilection of the Skomer Yoles for the neighbourhood of 

 houses is corroborated by Dr. Mills, who wrote that he usually caught 

 them in the heaps of turnips stored up for winter, and that the turnips 

 are their food. 



The following is a description of the "■ Skomer Yole," which I 

 propose to name 



Evotomys skomerensis, sp. nov.^: — 



General Characters. — Size large ; skull of adidts, about 25 mm. 

 in greatest length ; total length, averaging about 165 mm. ; 

 hindfoot, averaging 18 mm.; ratio of tail vertebrae to total length, 

 33 ; skulls strong, (for Evotomys) angular and ridged for muscular 

 attachment ; the zygomata rather heavy. Colour deep and moderately 

 bright. Skull of the same type as that of E. nageri (I have no skulls 

 of either E. norvegicus or E. vasconiae for comparison) with which it 

 agrees in size, angular appearance, and general massiveness, but is, on 

 the average, slightly smaller. 



The skull of an adult male presents the following dimensions (in 

 mm.) : — Greatest length, 25 ; basilar length, 22*5 ; palatal length, 12 ; 

 length of palatal foramina, 4*5 ; zygomatic breadth, 14; breadth of 

 brain-case above zygomata, 11*75; length of molar series (both 

 upper and lower), 6 ; length of nasals along middle line, 8. 



Colour. — Above between bright " cinnamon-riifous" and "madder- 

 brown,"^ the general appearance being due to the subterminal bands 

 of the hairs, about 2 mm. in breadth. The hidden (and major) 

 portions of these hairs are "slate-black" and the tips black. Face, 

 sides of head, and flanks becoming gradually deficient in rufous, and 

 running through light "hazel" or " vinaceous-cinnamon " to a didl 

 greyish-bufi. Bump and upper side of the sharply bi-coloured tail, 

 " mummy -brown.'' Under side of body and tail, with the legs and 

 feet, white (the hidden portion of the hairs again near " slate-black"), 



1 I thus accord this form full specific rank in order to secure uniformity with 

 Mr. Miller's treatment. (See footnote No. 2, p. 318.) 



^ Names of colours in inverted commas are taken from Mr. Rohert Ridgeway's 

 " Nomenclatare of Colours," 1886. 



I 



