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Show 274 MESSRS. DANFORD AND ALSTON ON [Mar. 20, buted throughout the country. It was even met with on the barren plateau of the interior. . , An imperfect skin brought home is extremely pale in colour and long in the fur, that of the lower parts being light smoky grey ; and these characters were constant in all the individuals which Danford observed. It very much resembles the type of Vulpes flavescens, Gray1, originally stated to be from Persia, with which Canon Tristram doubtfully identified the Fox of Northern Palestine. But Gray subsequently identified his species with Indian specimens, and there appear to be doubts as to the locality of the type2. With the imperfect material at our command, we think it safest for the present to regard the Fox of Asia Minor as a pale long-haired race of C. vulpes. 13. * M E L E S T A X U S (Schreb.). Porsook. Appears to be not uncommon among the mountains. Specimens were obtained at Zebil in the Taurus; the fur of one brought home is as pale-coloured as that of the Persian Badger separated by Mr. Blanford as M. canescens3. Its skull also agrees with that of his type specimen in having two lateral ridges on the hinder part of the palate ; but in other respects it rather resembles European examples, and the last upper molar is even broader than in many of the latter, measuring *o0 X *58 in. At present, therefore, we cannot help regarding the claim of M. canescens to specific distinction with grave suspicion. "The Ratel" is mentioned by Ainsworth as an inhabitant of the Taurus, and a species of Ratelus is said by Schmarda to be found in Mesopotamia; but Mr. Blanford has suggested a possible confusion with the somewhat similarly coloured Badger. [ICTONYX ZORILLA (Thunb.). W e introduce this species on the authority of Mr. Keith Abbott, who sent home a specimen which had been forwarded to him alive from the neighbourhood of Erzeroom, where he states it is called Gheurjen. Mr. Bennett says that this example scarcely differed from a North-African specimen. As far as we are aware, this is the only record of the existence of the Zorille in Asia Minor ; and it has not yet been found in Palestine.] 14. *MARTES FOINA (Linn.). Samsar. Tolerably common among the mountains. The skins are in great request, and cost considerably more than in England. Some specimens were obtained in the Taurus; and Ainsworth mentions it as inhabiting the Chamku Bel and Kara Bel mountains. His " Sable " is probably either this species or M. abietum. 15. *MUSTELA VULGARIS, Linn. A specimen, shot on the 28th March among the debris of stones 1 Ann. & Mag. Nat, Hist. xi. (1843), p. 118. 2 Cat. Carn. &c. Mamm. (1869), p. 203. Cf. Blanford torn. cit. p. 40. 3 Ann. &Mag. Nat. Hist. xvi. (1875), p. 310; Eastern Persia, ii. pl. iii. |