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Show 80 MR. G. E. H. BARRETT-HAMILTpN ON [Feb. 7, with which everyone is familiar. The upper surface is not of the typical smoky musculus tint, but of a sepia-brown with a grizzled appearance, due to many of the hairs being tipped with rufous. The lower parts of the hairs are exactly of the same shade as in Mus sylvaticus, for a dark specimen of which, at a casual glance from above, the animal might almost 'be mistaken. All these mice-even the very young ones-agree in presenting similar characters, and altogether are quite the most distinct local form of Mus musculus which 1 have ever examined. In form and proportions these mice are well-developed large House-Mice, ouly differing in this respect from ordinary mice in being above the average size. The dimensions of the series which I have been able to examine are as follows (in millimetres) : - Head Hind and body. Tail. foot. Ear. $pSkinTTS^CkTing: S ? i ) 90 85 17 14 1 G. E. H. B.-H. uo. 534) J 2 (spirit) „ „ 88 81 15 12 j. 1898. 90 88 78 87 85 81 79 84 2 ,, , „ 78 79 15 12-5 $ „ 84 16-5 13 J f Brit. Mus. Coll. nos. 94.7. 16. 2 (spirit), suckling 83 78 18 13 2 & 3, presented by Mr. P „ , 85 85 17-5 13 J; St T ee|? Elliott through + " " [ Mr. J. E. Harting. ( Brit. Mus. Coll. no. 96.8.6.1, S (juv.) (spirit) 75 65 16 10 | presented by the Kelvin-grove Museum. 2 (spirit), very young ... 52 52 14 10 1898. f Brit. Mus. Coll. nos. 94.7.16 - „ „ ... 65 67 15 10 _ ., „ ... 53 60 16 10-5 2 & 3 (duplicate), presented by Mr. J. Steele Elliott through Mr. J. E. Harting The arrangement of the mammae is as in Mus musculus, there being 10 pairs in all, of which three are pectoral and two inguinal. The skulls and dentition of these mice are in general appearance and size very musculus-like in character, but the triangular narrowing of the internal opening for the nostrils is even more strongly marked than in "ordinary specimens of Mus musculus. All the St. Kilda skulls possess this peculiar narrowed palate, a character which I can only find in one out of over fifty specimens of Mus musculus-like Mice in the British Museum collection, and that one is a specimen of the subspecies Mus musculus jalapce Allen and Chapman, from Mexico. The greatest lengths of four skulls from St. Kilda are 22, 22-5, 23, and 23 millimetres. It is obvious that, according to the custom of modern naturalists, these two forms of Mice need new names, which I therefore propose to give, leaving the question as to the exact status of the two new forms to be decided when we are in possession of a fuller knowledge of the other species or subspecies of Mice of the musculus- or sylvaticus-Mke groups. As to the desirability of bestowing names |
