176 Description of a new species of Himalayan Mole. [No. 2. 



Description of a new species of Himalayan Mole, 

 Talpa Macrura.—By B. H. Hodgson, Esq. 



In preparing a set of skius and sculls for despatch to Europe I 

 find a marked species of Mole which has not been I think described, 

 and which differs from the ordinary Himalayan one by being a third 

 smaller yet haviug a tail five times as long. The following is its 

 summary description. 



Tip of snout to base of tail, 4 inches. Head li inches. Tail and 

 hair, 1£ inches, tail only, ly 1 ^ inches, palma and nails, § inch, planta 

 and nails, J inch. 



Its colour is deep slaty blue, with canescent gloss, iridescent 

 when wet. 



The tail is cylindric and pretty well covered with soft hair which 

 extends a little beyond its tip. As I called the other Micrura, 

 so I name this one Macrura. 



Moles are very abundant in the Himalaya, the deep bed of black 

 vegetable mould, every where prevailing (so long as its protecting 

 cover of forest and brush-wood is not cleared off), affording a plenti- 

 ful supply of those earth-worms which constitute the Mole's chief 

 food. 



The abundance of Moles therefore gives a distinct clue to the 

 surface character of this gigantic system of mountains, or rather to 

 the Indian slope of it, and most especially to the central or normal 

 region. 



