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



The following measurements are (1) those given by Hodgson,* appa- 

 rently from a fresh specimen, (2) from an adult female specimen in 

 spirits : — 



(1) (2) 



in. in. 



Length of head and body from nose to vent 4*75 4 



Tail from vent (hair at end not included) 1*75 16 



Height of ear from orifice 0-5 



Breadth of ear , 0*35 



Length of fore foot (palma), without claws 0*44 0'35 



„ of hind foot and tarsus, without claws 0*75 072 



There are 6 teats according to Hodgson, but 8 in his MS. notes, In 



the specimen before me I find two pairs on the breast, both postaxillar ; 



the inguinal mammae appear undeveloped, and cannot be distinctly traced. 



The true number must be 8 at least. 



Incisors deep orange. The following are the characters of the molar 



teeth : — 



Upper molar I, 5 



spaces, 



3 



external and 4 internal angles. 



•>•> » II? 5 



5> 



3 



jj 



a 



3 



?> >? 



„ HI, 6 



>> 



3 



j> 



)> 



4 



V » 



Lower molar I, 9 



5) 



5 



» 



» 



6 



>> >> 



» » II? 5 



JJ 



3 



j> 



>f 



3 



>} )7 



„ HI, 3 



*> 



3 



>> 



>> 



3 



>> 55 



The hindmost inner angle of the first upper molar is much smaller 

 than the others, and does not enclose a distinguishable space. The hind- 

 most inner angles of the second and third upper molars are also smaller 

 than the other angles of those teeth, and the enclosed spaces are not dis- 

 tinctly separate from those preceding. In the first lower molar the second 

 space is imperfectly separated from the third, and the third from the fourth. 



This species has hitherto only been found in Sikkim, at elevations of 

 from 7000 to 10,000 feet. It inhabits forests, and, according to Hodgson, 

 breeds in fallen trees. 



Amongst the original drawings of Nepalese and Sikkim Mammalia 

 presented to the Zoological Society of London by Mr. Hodgson, there are 

 figures of Neodon sihimensis and Arvicola thrieotis, the name thricolis of 

 the British Museum catalogue being manifestly a misprint. These sheets, 

 like those bearing other drawings in the same collection, are covered with 

 MS. notes on habits and structure, visceral anatomy, &c, showing what a 

 very large number of important observations Mr. Hodgson had accumu- 

 lated. It may be added that when these drawings were made, the anatomy 

 of allied European forms was very imperfectly known, but that, since fuller 

 * Horsficld, from Hodgson's MS., P. Z. S. 1856, p. 401. 



