MAMMALIA. 



55 



to its breadth than in the skulls taken from the Panjah skins, and so is the foramen magnum. 

 The opening of the posterior nares in the English skull, too, is much narrower, the breadth 

 being less than that of the anterior molar, whilst in the Panjah skull the breadth exceeds that 

 of the molar considerably ; and in the European species the hinder upper molar is much 

 smaller, being only about a. fourth of the size of the second molar, whereas in the Panjah 

 skulls the third molar is fully half the size of the second. In the lower jaw also the posterior 

 molar is comparatively smaller in the skull of the English mouse, but the difference is less 

 than in the upper molars. 



No specimens of Mus erythronotus z obtained by me in Northern Persia, are available 

 for comparison, those destined for the Indian Museum having apparently been mislaid, but 

 the resemblance of the Wakhan skins and skulls to the figure and description is so close, that 

 the two are probaby identical. The only difference I can detect is that in typical Mus erythro- 

 notus the tail is of the same length as the head and body together, as it is in M. sylvaticus ; 

 whereas in the Wakhan mouse the tail appears to be a little shorter, in the proportion of 7 to S. 

 This alone is insufficient for specific distinction. It is; however, by no means improbable 

 that Mus erythronotus is merely a local race of M. sylvaticus, and with a good series of 

 specimens from various localities, the two might be found to pass into each other. The Mus 

 sylvaticus, var. major, of Radde 1 is probably allied to the present form. 



The following is a description of the Kashghar and Panjah long-tailed field-mouse : — 



General colour hair-brown above, becoming rufous in some specimens on the sides, white 

 below, the two colours sharply divided and the line of division running back from the nostrils, 

 so that the upper lip and part of the cheeks are white. Tail brown above and white below ; 

 feet white. The fur of the upper parts is long and soft (0"4 inch long on the middle of the 

 back) at least three-fourths of the length blackish- grey, the tips mostly yellowish brown, 

 but mixed with numerous slightly longer hairs which are black ; these black-tipped hairs 

 disappear on the sides : head above the same colour as the back. "Whiskers rather longer 

 than the head, the upper black, lower white ; ears oval, thinly clad inside and out with 

 short hairs, which are brown, except on the posterior margin, where they are whitish. Eeet 

 clothed with white hair above : the thumb has a small claw. Tail covered below and on the 

 sides with whitish hairs, longer than in M. pachycercus, the hairs on the upper surface being 

 brown in general, but partly white in some specimens. 



In skins the head and body measure about 4 inches, tail 3|. The following measure- 

 ments are noted by Dr. Stoliczka on the label of one of the Panjah specimens : — 



Inches. 



Length of head and body ......... 4 



Ditto of tail 3-5 



Ditto of head 1-15 



Distance from snout to eye . . . . . . . . 05 



Ditto from snout to ear . . . . . . . . 1* 



Length of ear from front base ......... 0"65 



Ditto ditto measured from behind ....... 0"58 



Width of ear .' . . 0'5 



Length of fore-foot ........... 0"4 



Ditto of hind-foot 0-9 



Iris brown, soles of feet fleshy white, reddish at the base. 



! Reisen, i, p. 103, PI. V, fig. 3, 4. 



