110 W. T. Blanford— On tie Tales (Arvicola) of the [No. 2, 



and soft, dark slaty at the base, with isabelline (pale fulvous) tips. The 

 molars have the following characters : — 



Upper molar I, 5 spaces, 3 external and 3 internal angles. 



>> 



„ II, 4 



V 



3 



M 



>, 



2 



5> 



„ HI, 4 



)> 



4 



n 



,» 



3 



)W< 



by molar I, 7 



V 



4 



>, 



>t 



5 





„ II, 5 

 ,, HI, 3 





3 

 2 





», 



3 

 3 



The two hinder external angles of the third upper molar are ill-deve- 

 loped, and very possibly the last disappears in some cases ; the last space 

 is formed by the two last outer and the last inner angle. 



It will be seen that the number of the spaces in the third upper and 

 lower molars is not precisely the same, although the number of angles 

 coincides. But the precise number of spaces in these two teeth is not of 

 much importance, and may even vary with age. 



The type was collected by W. Griffith in Afghanistan, and until the 

 skull was examined was not known to be an Arvicola. The exact locality 

 is of course doubtful. 



Section III. Neodon\ 



The first upper molar has 3 external and 4 internal angles ; the second 

 3, both inside and out. The first lower molar has 5 or 6 internal and 5 

 external angles. 



8. Arvicola sikimensis. (Teeth, Plate I, fig. A.) 

 " Neodon sikimensis, Hodgson" Horsfield, Ann. Sf Mag. Nat. Hist. Ser. 



2, Vol. Ill, p. 203 (1849) ; id. Cat. Mamm. Mus. E. I. Co. pp. 14-5, 



146 (1851) ; id. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 401 ; Gray, Cat. Spec. Mamm. Sfc. 



Nepal and Tibet, Brit. Mus. 2nd edit. (18G3), No. 117, p. 11 ; Blgtk, 



Cat. Mamm. As. Soc. (1863), No. 311, p. 125 ; Jerdon, Mamm. Ind. 



(1867), No. 203, p. 217 ; W. Blanf. Scientific Bes. Second Yarkand 



Mission, Mammalia, pp. 41, note, 42 (1879). 

 Arvicola thricolis (thricotis), Hodgson, Cat. Spec. Mamm. Sfc. Nepal and 



Tibet, Brit. Mus. 2nd edit. No. 116, p. 10 (not described). 

 Arvicola nigrescens, Hodgson, torn. cit. p. 11, (undescribed). 

 Bicunedens perfuscus, Hodgson, torn. cit. p. 11, (undescribed). 

 Phalchua of Nepalese ; Cheek yu, Kiranti ; Sing phuchi, Tibetan (teste 



Hodgson) . 



Colour above yellowish brown, almost golden brown, a dark brown 

 minutely interspersed with yellow* ; below slaty grey, slightly washed with 

 fulvous. Tail the same colour as the back ; feet brown above. 



* This is the colour in two specimens before me — one a dry skin, the other pre- 

 served in spirit. Horsfield, however, whose description was copied by Jerdon, de- 



