Part 73 (2/2)
The first specimen was sent to England by Dr. Royle, in whose honour Mr. Ogilby named it. It was obtained not far from Simla. It lives in rocky ground or amongst loose stones in burrows, and is the tailless rat described by Turner in his 'Journey to Thibet,' which had perforated the banks of a lake by its holes.
NO. 419. LAGOMYS CURZONIAE.
_Curzon's Pika_.
HABITAT.--The higher ranges of the Himalayas, from 14,000 to 19,000 feet. It has been found northerly in Ladakh, and easterly in Sikim.
DESCRIPTION.--Pale buff above, tinged with rufous, the sides being more rufescent; head, as far back as the ears, decidedly rufescent; ears large and oval; sides of head and nose dirty fulvous white; under-parts white, with a faint yellow tinge; limbs and soles of feet white; whiskers, some black, some white; fur long, fine and silky.
SIZE.--About 7 inches to 8 inches.
NO. 420. LAGOMYS LADACENSIS.
_The Ladak Pika_.
NATIVE NAMES.--_Zabra_, _Karin_, or _Phisekarin_, Ladakhi.
HABITAT.--High plateaux of Ladakh.
DESCRIPTION.--”General hue of the upper body pale buff, fulvous, with a very slight rufous tint, and tipped with dark brown; below whitish with translucent dusky blue.”--_Stoliczka_, quoted by Blanford.
SIZE.--From 7 inches to 9 inches.
It is as yet doubtful whether this is not identical with the last.
Mr. Blanford has separated it, and Dr. Gunther, agreeing with him, named this species _L. Ladacensis_; but the skull characteristics of _L. Curzoniae_ have not as yet been compared with this, and the separation has been made on external characters only.
NO. 421. LAGOMYS AURITUS.
_The Large-eared Pika_.
HABITAT.--Lukong, on the Pankong lake.
DESCRIPTION.--General colour above smoky or wood brown; the head, shoulders and rump rather paler and more rufous; lower parts whitish, with the dark basal portion of the hair showing through; fur very soft, moderately long; ears large, round, clothed rather thinly inside near the margin with whitish-brown hairs, and outside with much longer hairs of the same colour; whiskers fine and long, the upper dark brown, the lower white; feet whitish. (_See_ Blanford's 'Sc. Res. Second Yarkand Mission,' p. 75, plate vi. fig. 2.)
SIZE.--About 8 inches.
NO. 422. LAGOMYS MACROTIS.
This seems to be a doubtful species; it may probably prove to be the same as the last, the skulls being similar. Mr. Blanford remarks: ”I am strongly disposed to suspect, indeed, that _L. auritus_ is the summer _L. macrotis_, the winter garb of the same species; but there are one or two differences which require explanation. The feet appear larger in _L. macrotis_, and the pads of the toes are black, whilst in _L. auritus_ they are pale coloured. In the former the long hair of the forehead is lead black at the base, in the latter, pale grey; the feet and lower parts generally are white in _L. macrotis_, buffy white in _L. auritus_, but this may be seasonable.”
NO. 423. LAGOMYS GRISEUS.
_The Grey Pika_.
HABITAT.--Yarkand, Kuenlun range, south of Sunju pa.s.s.
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