| OCR Text |
Show 1881.] DR. J. SCULLY ON THE MAMMALS OF GILGIT. 205 and outhouses. The Gilgit Rat is not separable from the so-called M. rufescens of Calcutta or M. robustus (Blyth) of Burma; and it also agrees in all essential characters with M. alexandrinus (Geoff.). A specimen of M. alexandrinus from Algeria, in the British Museum, only differs from one of m y Gilgit specimens in having rather harsher fur. 22. Mus ARIANUS, Blanford. Mus arianus, W . T. Blanford, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1881, vii. p. 162. Mus erythronotus, W . T. Blanford, Zoology of Persia, 1876, p. 54, pi. v. f. 3 ; J. A. S. B. ii. 1879, p. 97, nee Temminck. This long-tailed Field-Mouse, which is closely allied to M. sylva-ticus (Linn.), is fairly common in the Gilgit district at elevations of from 5000 to 10,000 feet. It is found on grassy downs in the vicinity of forests, and about hedges in cultivated ground. In the beginning of winter, after a few heavy falls of snow on the hills, this Mouse often enters houses at night, and is then very bold and troublesome. 23. CRICETUS PH.EUS, Pallas. Cricetus pha?us, Pallas, Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. i. p. 163 (1811); Blanford, J. A. S. B. 1879, ii. p. 96. This Hamster is found in the Gilgit district at elevations of 5000 to about 9000 feet. It is common in summer about pasture-grounds and on the outskirts of pine-forests ; and it very commonly enters shepherd's huts, where, indeed, most of m y specimens were captured. 24. CRICETUS FULVUS, Blanf. Cricetus fulvus, Blanford, J. A. S. B. 1875, ii. p. 108 ; ibid. 1879, p. 97. This form occurs in the same localities as the preceding species, and has the same habits ; its young are born during the first week in March. Gilgit specimens of this Hamster agree in dimensions with typical examples from Eastern Turkestan ; but the colour of the upper parts is greyer and less tinged with yellow. 25. CRICETUS ISABELLINUS, De Fil. Cricetus isabellinus, De Filippi, Viaggio in Persia, 1865, p. 344. Two specimens of a Hamster captured in the Nultar valley in July, at an elevation of about 9000 feet, agree well with D e Filippi's description of C. isabellinus. The length of the head and body in m y specimens, measured in the flesh, was 5-35 and 5-25, while the type measured 5-9 ; but D e Filippi no doubt took his measurement from a skin, and the skin of the smaller of m y two specimens now measures 6 inches. This form seems to m e only to differ from C. fulvus in size; and I believe that both C. fulvus and C. isabellinus must be regarded as merely subspecies of C. pha?us. |
