316 
GREENLAND LEMMING. 
ward under the claws, and have no resemblance to the large, compressed, 
horny, under portions of the claws ol the Hudsons Lay Lemming. 
The claws are long, strong, curved moderately downwards, and inclining 
inwards. Soles of the hind-feet hairy, and the hairs project beyond the 
claws. The liind-feet have five toes, of which the three middle ones are 
nearly of a length. The hind-claws are slightly arched, narrow, but not 
sharp at the points ; they are thin, hollowed out underneath, and calcu- 
lated to throw back the earth which has been loosened by the fore-claws 
COLOUR. 
The general colour of the upper parts of the body and of the head is 
dark greyish brown, arising from an intimate mixture of hairs tipped with 
yellowish-grey and black ; the black tips are the longest, and, predomi- 
nating down the centre of the back, produce a distinct stripe. The ven- 
tral aspect of the throat, neck, and body, exclusive, of some rusty mark- 
ings before the shoulders, is of an unmixed yellowish-grey colour, which 
unites with the darker colour of the back by an even line running on a 
level with the tail and inferior part of the cheek. The fur both on the 
back and underneath presents, when blown aside, a deep blackish-grey 
colour from the tips to the roots. The tail is of the same colour as the 
body at the root, but the part which projects beyond the fur of the rump 
is only a pencil of stiff white hairs. 
The above is copied, with some alterations, from Richardson’s descrip- 
tion, which was drawn up from a male, killed August 22, m Repulse bay. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Inches. Lines. 
Length of head and body, 
° Q 
“ “ tail, J 
u “ fore-leg from palm to the axilla, - - 1 f 
“ “ longest fore-claw, - 
“ “ palm of middle-claw, - 
“ “ whiskers, 
HABITS. 
We refer our readers to the Fauna Boreali Americana lor some inter- 
esting general remarks on the Lemmings, comparing those of the Ameri- 
can continent with European species. We know nothing of the habits 
of this one. 
