MAMMALIA, 
25 
16. C. (Ytjlpes) sp. 
1, Skin without skull purchased at Kashghar. 
There is one skin purchased, like the others, in the Kashghar bazar, which differs from all 
the rest in being smaller and very much darker in colour. The difference in size is especially 
shown by the smaller feet. The dark colour is due partly to the prevalence of black tips to 
the fur, partly to the dark under-fur being more conspicuous, owing to the longer piles being 
fewer in proportion, and having shorter tips. It is probable that this is a different fox, but 
it is possible that it may be a young animal, for young foxes are sometimes much more dusky 
in colour than adults. It does not agree with the description of V. ferrilatus 1 to which Dr. 
Stoliczka at first sight thought it might be referred. 
The general colour may be described as rufous iron-grey, grizzled with white tips to the 
hairs. The under-fur is dusky ashy-grey near the body, passing into chocolate-brown towards 
the extremities; the longer hairs are more or less rufous, white beyond the ends of the woolly 
under-fur, the tips of a large proportion being black; the upper surface of the head, middle 
of the back and a band along the tail are more rufous, there being comparatively few black 
hairs on the face except in a blackish patch on each side in front of the eye. The region 
below the eyes is brighter rufous, and the upper lip is whitish. The exterior surface of the 
legs are blackish with some rufous, and very short white tips to the hairs, the interior sur¬ 
face light-brown. The hairs below the feet and the tarsi are dull brown. The soles of the 
feet are much covered with hair as in V. flavescens. The ears are black outside except 
near the base. The hair of the tail is pale grey at the base, then tawny with black tips. 
The end of the tail is white. 
In the process of preserving the skin, nearly all the hair has been removed from the 
inside of the ears ; but one small tuft, which is black, remains in the middle of one ear. In 
V. flavescens all the hair inside the ears is pale isabelline. This difference tends to 
show that the small dark skin may belong to a distinct and undescribed species. It is useless, 
however, to give a name to a single imperfect specimen. 
The foxes of Western Turkestan, according to Severtzoff, are C. vulpes, C. melanotus, and 
C. corsac. Hitherto neither of these has been found in Eastern Turkestan, unless C. fla¬ 
vescens be a mere variety of C. vulpes . 
Family — M USTELLTJyE. 
17. Meles, sp. nov. 
1 flat skin (witkout skull or feet) purchased at Kashghar. 
I am unable to refer this skin to any known species. It differs in the colouration of the 
face from M. taxus , M. canescensf Jf. leueuraf and M. leptorhynchusf in all of which the 
white mark down the middle of the face extends to the nape, whereas in the Kashghar skin the 
light portion of the face terminates abruptly in front of the ears. It differs from M. anahmuC 
1 J. A. S. B., 1842, xi, p. 278. 
2 W. Blanf., Eastern Persia, ii, p. 44, PL III. The distinction of this species from M. taxus is shown to be doubtful by 
Mr. Alston, P. Z. S., 1877, p. 274. 
3 Taxidea leucura, Hodgs., J. A. S. B., 1847, xvi, p. 763, PL XXIX, XXX, XXXI: Meles leucurus, Gray, Cat. Cam. &c. 
Mam. B. M., 1869, p. 126. 
4 Milne-Edwards, Eecherches pour servir a l’Histoire Naturelle des Mammiferes, p. 190, Pl. XXV. 
5 Temm. et Schleg., Fauna Japon., Mam., p. 30, Pl. VI. 
G 
