| OCR Text |
Show 1900.] MUS SYLVATICUS A N D ITS ALLIES. 405 Pattedyr, p. 99, pi. i. (1834); nee A. Dehne, W. E. de Winton et aliorum (vide sub 31. s. wintoni). Type locality. Upsala, Sweden. Nomenclature and Synonymy. Melchior's 31. fiavicollis must stand as a synonym of 31. s. typicus, since I find that the Mice of Hillerod, in Zealand (an almost topotypical locality for the former name), belong to the latter form, as shown by a collection made there by Mr. Oldfield Thomas. This is unfortunate, since the name fiavicollis had, on the initiative of Mr. de Winton, been applied to its British representative, for which, therefore, a new name must now be instituted. Distinguishing Characteristics. A greyish Mouse, with rather dark central dorsal region, resembling the subspecies wintoni in size, but slightly smaller, and with the white of the underside far less pure, the chest-band less prominent, and a slight tendency to display a washing of yellowish colour on the underside. Distribution. Parts of Denmark, Norway, Sweden (I have seen specimens from Laaland, Denmark; Bergen, Norway, and Upsala, Sweden), and, possibly, the southern shores of the Baltic. Specimens from Brunswick, Germany, are intermediate between this and other subspecies. General Remarks. Linnaeus may possibly not have had an adult before him when he wrote his original description of 31us sglvaticus, which runs as follows :-" M . cauda mediocri, palmis tetradactylis, plantis pentadactylis, corpore griseo pilis nigris, abdomine albiclo." This would apply very well to a not quite mature animal. At all events the Long-tailed Field-mice of the localities given above are distinguishable from those of other parts of Europe. In size they are intermediate, being not so large as 31. s. wintoni, but larger than 31. s. intermedins from Ireland, England, and the neighbouring continental areas. The Mice of Brunswick seem to connect this subspecies and the larger 31. s. wintoni and M. s. princeps. A series obtained there by Mr. J. A. Loring are smaller and less bright than other specimens which I have seen, notably a set procured by myself in 1894. It is through the courtesy of Mr. G. S. Miller, Junior, who sent me over two specimens collected by Mr. J. A. Loring at Upsala, that I am enabled to know- definitely what the Mouse which Linnseus described is really like. It seems to be a reduced and dulled edition of 31. s. wintoni. I strongly suspect, however, the existence of two subspecies in the Scandinavian Peninsula, but the material at m y disposal is not yet sufficient for their proper differentiation. The skins which I have examined suggest the inference that those from Bergen are redder on the flanks, darker on the central dorsal line, and yellower beneath than those from Upsala, which latter agree with skins from Meiningen, Germany, and are not so red on the flanks, nor so dark on the central dorsal line ; all the Scandinavian and Meinin-o- en specimens possess a breast-band or spot, and in two or three individuals there is a wash of yellow- continued right along the P R O C ZOOL. Soc-1900, No. X X V I I . 27 |
