1875.] inhabiting tlie Himalaya, Tibet, and t7ie adjoining regions. 117 



10-g- inches.* Dr. Anderson concludes that Mr. Hodgson had never seen an 

 adult of A. Hemachalanus and that he drew up his description from immature 

 specimens. I do not think this view is probable. Hodgson was care- 

 less in matters of nomenclature, as many naturalists were in his time, but 

 he collected largely and studied the animals he described carefully, as is 

 shewn by the minuteness of his descriptions. I scarcely think, had the 

 specimens he described been half grown that he would have overlooked the 

 evident immaturity of the skulls, which he must have extracted, for he 

 describes the teeth. Moreover, I think Dr. Anderson must have overlooked 

 Mr. Hodgson's remark that he had kept some of the smaller marmots alive 

 for months, one of them for over a year and a quarter. Surely he would 

 have noted their growth during that period. I cannot say how long a 

 marmot may be in attaining its full growth, but if it requires more than a 

 year, it differs greatly in this respect from most rodents. 



There are also, I think, some important differences between the colour- 

 ation of Hodgson's A. Hemachalanus and the Kashmir marmot. The for- 

 mer is described as having the general colour " dark grey with a rufescent 

 tinge which is rusty and almost ochreous red on the sides of the head, 

 ears and limbs, especially in summer. Bridge of nose and last inch of tail 

 dusky brown." In the latter the general colour is more yellow, the whole 

 lower parts and the limbs are ferruginous (there appears to be much varia- 

 tion, perhaps sexual, in the colour of the upper parts), the bridge of the 

 nose is not dark, but the tip is, and at least 3 inches at the end of the tail 

 are black. 



It is true that Dr. Anderson mentions his having obtained skins pur- 

 chased at Darjiling which were undistinguishable from the Ladak marmot.-^ 

 It is probable that these skins had been brought from upper Sikkim, or 

 Tibet, but if so, and if they are correctly identified, the only conclusion I 

 can come to is that these must be three species of marmots in the Himalayas 

 of Sikkim and Nepal. 



A. Tataricus I am unable satisfactorily to identify. The reference in 

 Wiegmann's ' Archiv'J runs thus " A supplementary description of the large 

 Indian Marmot has appeared by Dr. Jameson, who has applied to it the 

 name of Arctomys Tataricus (Inst. p. 381)." The work referred to is 



* The length of the tail in the Ladak specimen is without the hair at the end. 

 In Mr. Hodgson's measurement the hair is, I think, included, although its inclusion is 

 not specified, because it is comprised in the corresponding measurement of the tail of 

 A. Himalayanns on the same page. 



f Mr. Wood-Mason has had search made for these skins, but owing to so many of 

 the Museum specimens having been packed away pending their transfer to the new 

 building, it has not been possible to find them. 



% 1848, Pt. 2, p. 155. 



