730 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 7. 



cheeks, sides of neck and of body, and the inner side and most of the 

 fore-part of the limbs, white ; with a few blackish tips intermixed on the 

 sides of the body, though insufficient to affect the white appearance at a 

 little distance : shoulder and haunch, with most of the outside of the 

 limbs nearly to the mid-joint, a mixed black and white, with the under- 

 fur whitish-isabelline : on the face, middle of back, upper-part of tail, and 

 hind-part of the outer side of the fore-limbs, a light fulvous hue prevails, 

 slightly mingled with black and white upon the back, where the under-fur 

 is pale slaty : tail mostly pale, except towards the base above, and largely 

 tipped with white : lower parts pale nigrescent (in old males probably 

 much darker, with increased admixture of black upon the limbs ; so that, 

 upon inspection of this specimen, it is easy to comprehend the varieties of 

 colour mentioned by Elphinstone) : ears black posteriorly ; and larger 

 than in V. bengalensis : the fur soft and fine, as in V. montanus and 

 V. pusillus ; altogether dissimilar from that of V. bengalensis. The 

 skull, as compared with that of bengalensis, has the muzzle distinctly 

 narrower ; and the lower jaw is weaker, with much narrower coronal 

 process. We have vainly tried to identify this Fox with any named 

 species.* 



* The following is the series of Indian and Tibetan Foxes now in the Museum 

 of the Society. 



1. V. nipalensis (et flavescens), Gray: V. montanus apud Hodgson, passim. 

 Described in /. A. 8. XI, 589. The common large Fox of Tibet, rarer S. of the 

 snows, and believed by Mr. Hodgson to be V. montanus until we shewed him the 

 identical specimen upon which the latter was founded by the late Mr. Pearson. 

 In Dr. Gray's printed catalogue of the specimens presented by Mr. Hodgson to 

 the British Museum, V. montanus apud Hodgson is identified with V. flavescens, 

 Gray ; but it differs much from the small Afghanistan Fox which we have hitherto 

 referred to V. flavescens (vide J. A. 8. XIV, 314). This handsome species is 

 of the size of V. vulgaris and V. montanus, but has much finer, longer, and 

 denser fur, of a prevailing bright light yellowish-fulvous colour, with correspond- 

 ingly superb brush, and the black ears strongly contrasting. The Society's speci- 

 mens are from beyond the snows. 



2. V. montanus, Pearson : V. himalaicus, Ogilby. Like the British V. vul- 

 garis, but always much less rufous, paler and more hoary ; specimens varying, 

 however, a good deal in colour. Common in the N. W. Himalaya, as about Simla 

 and Masuri ; and the larger Fox of Afghanistan was thought to be identical with 

 it by the late Mr. Griffith. 



3. V. pusillus, nobis. The small Fox of the Punjab Salt Range. Nearly 

 resembles the last, except in being a much smaller animal. 



4. V. Griffith n, nobis, ». *. The ordinary small Fox of Afghanistan (vide 



