1881.] W. T. Blanford— On Myospalax fuscicapillus, Bhjth. 121 



Length from base of incisors to posterior termination of palate 09 *023 

 Breadth of bony palate between front lobes of anterior molars 013 *0035 



Length of lower jaw from angle to symphysis 112 '028 



Height of ditto to end of coronoid process OG *015 



Length of row of lower molars 0-32 *00S 



The occipital plane slopes backwards. The upper surface of the skull 

 is rounded and slopes away more rapidly at the sides than in Ellobius 

 ta7j)inus or in Arvicola, the sagittal crest is strong posteriorly, but sinks 

 down in front. The nasals are nearly of the shape of a wine bottle with 

 concave sides, the posterior termination is not pointed but truncated by 

 the irregular zigzag suture, the outer margins are straight and nearly 

 parallel for a short distance from the posterior end, then convex, and again 

 in front slightly concave. The premaxillse extend further back than usual 

 on the upper surface of the skull, and terminate posteriorly in points some 

 distance behind both the end of the nasals and the origin of the zygomatic 

 process of the maxilla. The zygomatic arch is very high in the middle and 

 presents the peculiarity of the maxillar and squamosal processes meeting 

 along the lower edge and forming a suture ; the malar, a high but short 

 bone, does not extend to the lower margin, nearly two-thirds of the length 

 of which is composed of the maxillar process. The infraorbital foramen is 

 large, triangular when received from the front, not produced in the form 

 of a narrow slit below, and about one and a half times as high as broad. 



The anterior palatine foramina are very small and narrow, the poste- 

 rior palatine foramina are numerous, relatively large, and situated in two 

 deep grooves, occupying the greater part of the palate posteriorly. The 

 opening of posterior nares is very narrow, much narrower than each of the 

 broad pterygoid fossae. 



Teeth. The incisors are long and project forward considerably in both 

 jaws, those in the upper jaw are of moderate breadth and flat in front ; 

 lower incisors narrower, and rounded in front. They are nearly white in 

 both jaws. 



The row of upper molars is very slightly curved ; all the teeth are of 

 nearly equal breadth. The first upper molar has 3 external and 3 internal 

 angles, the internal (those to the right in the figure) being rather anterior 

 to the external. The slope from the hinder angle on each side to the pos- 

 terior extremity of the tooth is concave, especially on the external side. 

 The second tooth has 3 subequal angles outside and terminates posteriorly 

 in a rudimentary angle in contact with the hinder molars ; on the inside 

 there are 3 angles first a small angle, then a larger one, there being no dis- 

 tinct re-entering angle between the two, the re-entering angles between the 

 second and third inner angles, and between the last and the first of the 

 hinder tooth are square, not pointed. The third tooth has 3 outer and 2 



