No. 387 Arvicola Stoliczkanus. — The Yarkand Vole
Habitat.—Yarkand.
Description.—“Bright ferruginous brown above, pure white beneath; fur soft, rather woolly, 0·5 to 0·6 inch long on the middle of the back, the basal portion throughout both head and body being dark leaden grey; this is the case on the back for about three-quarters of the length of the hairs; the remaining quarter is rufous white, tipped with darker rufous, whilst numerous rather longer hairs are dark rufous-brown at the ends; rather a sharp line divides the rufous of the back from the white belly; upper part of the head the same colour as the back; upper whiskers dark brown, lower, including the longest, white; ears small, rounded, hairy, completely concealed by the fur, with rather short bright rufous hair near the margin inside; and covered outside with longer and paler hair; feet small, the thumb of the fore-foot quite rudimentary and clawless; remaining claws long, compressed, sharply pointed, but much concealed by the long white hairs which cover the upper part of the foot, sales naked; tarsus hairy below, a few hairs between the pads of the toes; tail short, apparently about a quarter the length of the body and head together, covered with stiff fulvescent white hair, which extends about half an inch beyond the end.”—W. T. Blanford, ‘Sc. Res. of Second Yarkand Mission,’ p. 43.
Size.—Head and body, about 4 inches; tail, with hair, 1½.
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