14 



SECOND YARKAND MISSION. 



Order INSECTIVOEA. 

 Family — EBINA CEIDM. 

 7. Erinaceus albultjs. PI. I, fig. 2, and PL la, fig. 1. 



Erinaceus albiventris, Wagner, apttd Henderson, Lahore to Yarkand, p. 113, nec Wagner. 

 Erinaceus (Hemiec/iinns) albulus, Stoliczka, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1872, xli, 

 Pt. 2, p. 226. 



? E. auritus, Prejevalski, Pet. Mitt. Erg. Hgt. No. 53, p. 9. 

 Ewpa, Turki of Yarkand. 



1 (skin) Karghalik, south of Yarkand ; 2, 3, 4 (skins) ; 5 (skeleton) Yarkand ; 6, 7 (skins) Yangihissar ; 8 

 (skin) Jigda, north of Kaskghar. 



The type of this species was obtained by Dr. Henderson when accompanying the first 

 Yarkand Expedition, and presented to the Indian Museum, Calcutta. This specimen was 

 obtained a little north of Sanju. The following is Dr. Stoliczka's original description of the 

 species (I. c.) : — 



" Snout very long and pointed, ears moderate, ovate at tip ; spines irregularly placed, 

 much as in pictus, 1 but comparatively longer and thicker ; each of them is dusky at the base, 

 then up to half its length purely white, followed by a blackish-brown ring, its breadth being 

 only about one-fifth of the total length, tip largely white and rather abruptly pointed, the 

 result being a prevalence of white colour on the upper surface of the body. There is no per- 

 ceptible nude space between the ears, and the spines begin immediately on the hind neck, 

 and the largest on the back are fully one inch long. Each spine is surrounded by 24 to 26 

 fine longitudinal furrows, separated by minutely tuberculated ridges, scarcely wider than the 

 furrows. The tail is almost as short as in pictus. 



" Head entirely rufescent above and at the sides, except the upper mandible towards the 

 angle of the mouth, this being white ; base of ears also white, as well as the entire under- 

 side, which is thickly set with long hairs passing into a slight rufescent shade on the sides 

 of the belly. Ears, lower portions of front and hind feet, and tail dusky-brownish, being 

 thickly intermixed with short white hairs ; moustache brown, whitish towards the tip. Claws 

 strong, five on each foot, very pale-brownish. 



" The only specimen measures very nearly seven inches; the ear slightly exceeds one inch ; 

 distance from tip of snout to the angle of the mouth not quite one ; to the ear slightly more 

 than one and a half inches. Dr. Henderson gives the locality 'Langur near Sanju, Yarkand,' 

 and the native name ' Jceepa.' 2 



"The only known form to which the present species is closely allied is E. lybicus, 

 Ehrenb., which has similarly grooved and similarly coloured spines, but they are decidedly 

 shorter, and the colouration of the other parts of the body is different." 



1 E. pictus is a species described from Cutch by Dr. Stoliczka. It is very closely allied to E. micropus, of which it may not 

 be more than a variety, but it appears always to possess a malar bone, which is wanting in the skull of E. micropus. Anderson, 

 J. A. S. B., 1878, xlvii, Pt. 2, p. 201. 



s This is a misreading or misprint : the name is 'kirpa.' 



