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THE MAMMALS OF EGYPT. 
AIERIONES. 
Meriones, Illiger, Prod. Syst. Mamm. 1811, p. 82. 
Form robust, hind legs and feet not greatly elongated, metatarsal pads very small; 
skull angular and strong; incisors grooved; molars with simple V-shaped infoldings of 
the enamel of the outer and inner sides meeting in the middle line, forming three 
lozenge-shaped subequal divisions in the first molar and two in the second, the last 
molar simple and pillar-like. 
Meriones shawi, Duvern. 
“ Jird,” Shaw, Travels, 1738, p. 248. 
Meriones shawii, Rozet, Voy. Reg. Alger, 1833, i. p. 243 (sine descr.). 
“ Gerhille indeterminee,” E. Cuv. Trans. Zool. Soc. ii. 1838, p. 143 (nota), pi. xxvi. figs. 1-5. 
Meriones shawi, Duvern. Lemons d’Anat. Comp. iv. 2® part. p. 456 ; id. Mem. Soc. Strasb. 1842, 
hi. p. 22, pis. 1 et 2 ; Lataste, Le Natur. 1882, p. 107; id. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1884, p. 94, pi. vii.; 
id. Act. Soc. Linn. Bord. 1885, p. 266 (sep. p. 144) ; id. Expl. Tunis. 1887, p. 27. 
Meriones robustus, A. Wagn., Mor. Wagner, Reisen Reg. Algier, iii. 1841, p. 61 (nec M. robustus, 
Cretzschm.). 
Meriones melanurus, Riipp. Mus. Senckenb. iii. 1845, p. 95, pi. 7. fig. 3. 
Meriones crassus, Sundev. K. Vet.-Ak. Handl. (1842) 1843, p. 233, pi. ii. fig. 4 (cranium). 
Meriones sellysii, Pomel, C. R, Ac. Sc. xlii. 1856, p. 654. 
Gerbillus shawi, Anderson, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1892, p. 10; de Winton, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1897, p. 958. 
In addition to the given synonymy there are a number of names which have been 
bestowed on slightly modified forms of this animal. In the first place, Levaillant gave 
five names to specimens from Tunisia collected by the French expedition commanded 
by Capt Loche. These specific names are Oerbillus guynni, richardi, savvii, schoushceii, 
and renaultii. We are informed by Lataste that the last two forms are of the type with 
large auditory bullae. In the second place, when attempting to classify the Gerbils, 
chiefly in ‘ Le Naturaliste ’ for the year 1882, and when writing a little later on the 
mammals of Barbary and Tunisia, Lataste gave several additional names to forms of 
this animal, entirely ignoring the names given by Levaillant. This was a very simple 
way out of a difficulty, for it is impossible to distinguish the various forms by means 
of Levaillant’s descriptions; but there is no doubt that, in the interest of science, the 
existing names should have been employed and fixed with a more complete diagnosis 
on particular forms. 
The names given by Lataste were Meriones albipes, gcetiilus, ausiensis, trouessarti, 
and crassibulla-, the last two belong to the group with large bullae. 
