76 



SECOND YABKAND MISSION. 



winter fur ; and as Dr. Stoliczka mentions in his diary that he obtained a Lagomys with the 

 fur very ragged on the 6th of J une at Duba, and as this specimen agrees well with 

 Dr. Giinther's description of the type of L. macrotis, obtained by Captain Biddulph at the 

 same spot, I have no hesitation in concluding that the skin without a label is from Duba. 

 It is the only skin in the whole collection which presents the appearance of having been killed 

 when just losing its long winter fur. Duba is a camping ground at an elevation of 10,440 

 feet on the north side of the Kuenlun, on the road from Yarkand to Yangi Diwan and the 

 Karakoram pass vid Kugiar. 



Although I felt very doutful about it, I referred this skin to L. auritus until I saw Dr. 

 Giinther's description, which is evidently taken from a specimen in better condition. It 

 runs thus : 



Fur very soft and long, especially on the hind part of the back ; general hue of the upper parts pale buff 

 yellow, whitish on the sides and underneath ; a small white patch behind the ear ; feet pure white ; chin white ■ 

 the hairs of the moustaches white, but some of them black. Apparently no glandular patch below the ear. 

 Ears very large, well covered with hairs. Soles of the feet covered with short hairs, leaving the pads of the 



toes quite bare. 



Inches. 



Total length 8 



Length of ear . . . . . . . . . . . 1 £ 



Length of tarsus, including nails ........ If 



In the specimen collected by Dr. Stoliczka, the long hair on the back is leaden-blaok at 

 the base and for the greater portion of its length, then dirty white, the ends being buff, and 

 a few hairs having black tips. But the new short fur which is growing between the patches 

 of the long hair is brownish, precisely as in L. auritus. I am strongly disposed to suspect, 

 indeed, that L. auritus is the summer, L. macrotis the winter garb of the. same species ; but 

 there are one or two differences which require explanation. The feet appear larger in 

 L. macrotis, and the pads of the toes are black, whilst in L. auritus they are pale coloured : 

 in the former the long hair of the forehead is lead black at the base, in the latter pale grey. 

 The feet and lower parts generally are white in L. macrotis, buffy white in L. auritus ; but 

 this may be seasonal. 



The skulls are very similar. Prom the imperfect skull extracted from the skin of the 

 specimen referred to L. macrotis, I take the following measurements : — 





Metre. 



Inches. 



Total breadth across zygomatic arches .... 



•02 



0-81 



Length of nasal bones ...... 



•016 



0-63 



Width of do. behind ....... 



•005 



0-2 



Do. do. in front ....... 



•01 55 



0-22 



Do. of frontal bones between orbits .... 



•005 



0-2 



Longitudinal diameter of orbit ...... 



•012 



0'48 



Transverse diameter of do. ...... 



•01 



0-39 



Length of palatine opening ...... 



•013 



0-54 



Antero-posterior diameter of bony palate behind palatine 









■002 



0-07 



Width of palate between last pair of molars 



•009 



0-35 



Length of 5 upper molars taken together .... 



•009 



0-35 



Length of lower jaw from angle to symphysis 



■03 



\'% 



Height of do, . . . , . . . 



•017 



0-7 



