Horváth Géza (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 23. (Budapest 1926)

Ognev, S. I.: A systematic review of the mammals of Russia

Kooban plains and at the northern border of the Tersky district. With the latter form I am inclined to class the fox, procured in the section of Kisliarsk (near to the Malaya Areshovka) and also near to the station Prochladnaya of the Tersky district. It is also worth noticing, that in the low-lands of the rivers Kooban and Terek one meets with yet another form of an extremely handsome fox. With this one I class No. 3692 cf, procured the 7/1, 1917 by I. I. MIESIAZEV in the lower parts of the river Soulak, and belonging to the coll. of the Zoological Museum of the Moscow University. This fox is a white-bellied one, distinctive by its unusually bright fiery-rusty-red tint of the fur, which becomes more intensively red on the back, and paler and brighter at the sides. On the lower part of the back a complete absence of the whitish-silvery pattern. The top of the head is of an even reddish colouring. The tail is red at its upper basis and further of a yellow rusty-grey with a blackish admixture at the ends of the hair. The paws are reddish, with a narrow, blackish design at the front. I have studied a specimen, similar to the just described one belonging to the Zoolog. Museum of the Academy of Sciences (No. 8774 9 X, 1912). This fox was procured by TH. D. PLESKE 25 miles from the station Krymskaya in the estate Psiff, in the low-lands of the Kooban district. As to their general type these foxes remind the most coloured and bright central Russian white-bellied ones. To my great regret, I had no craneological material at my reach. The only skull of a cf from the valley of the river Soulak (No. 3692) was a comparatively small one : General length of skull 144; condylo-basal length 139*1; zygomatic breadth 77*1; utmost breadth of skull 46*7; length of brain-case 60*6; length of facial part 62*9; utmost height of skull 49*1; length of upper row of teeth 65*1. Thus, I come to the conclusion, that among the northern foxes one meets with the following forms : 1. In the mountains — F. v. caucasica — large foxes with a tendency to greyishness of the fur. These grey specimens are most frequent on the principal mountain range. In the mountains of the Kooban district is, perhaps, frequent a particular redder form. 2. In the low-lands of the rivers Kooban, Terek and Soulak, dwells apparantly a very bright coloured fox with a small skull. It is probably a special form (natio). 3. In the steppes of the Cis-Caucasus dwells probably the V. v. stepensis BEAUNEE. I shall conclude by noting, that N. J. DINNICK, and after him K. A.