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Show 1886.] THE HUME COLLECTION. 63 much more forward than usual. Molars very small in proportion to the size of the animal, their pattern as usual. Measurements. Head and body 174 mm.; tail 172; hind foot 36 ; fore arm and hand 44 ; ear (above crown) 16 ; heel to front of last foot-pad 17"4. Skull. Bregma to tip of nasals 35*0 ; greatest breadth 21*5; nasals, length 16"0 ; interorbital breadth 7'0 ; length of face 2 T 8; palate, length 22#4 ; incisors to m1 14*1 ; palatine foramina 7'8 ; molar series 6*1; anterior zygoma-root 4 7 ; lower jaw, bone only, 25*1 ; to incisor tips 30*6. This species is allied to Mus blanfordi, Thos., and Mus con-fucianus, M.-Edw., but differs from both by its clear grey colour, without any trace of yellow in it, by its shorter tail, forwardly directed and paler-coloured incisors, longer palate, and smaller molars. 16. Mus HUMEI, sp. n.1 (Plate V.) a-f 2c?and 4 $ . Moirang, 23/3/81. The collection contains six specimens of this striking new species, which I have much pleasure in dedicating to the donor of the present magnificent addition to the National Collection of mammals. General colour above exceedingly like that of Golunda ellioti, Gr., viz. coarsely grizzled grey, lightest on the head and gradually turning to deep rufous on the rump, the tips of the great majority of the hairs being white or yellowish white on the head and fore quarters, and gradually becoming rich rufous on the hind quarters, their bases in all cases deep slaty-blue. The other hairs are black throughout, and form the black element in the general grizzling. Sides like the fore quarters. Belly yellow or orange, mixed with the slate of the hair-bases ; no black-tipped hairs below. The inner sides of the thighs and all round the base of the tail rich rufous. The fur throughout is soft, and unmixed with flattened or spinous bristles. Feet grizzled yellowish white. Ears thinly covered outside with black hairs, and inside with black and yellow or red ones; an indistinct tuft of orange-tipped hairs in front of the basal notch. Tail well haired, but not pencilled, markedly bicolor, the hairs black above and white below, but the scales, even of the lower side, are uniformly brown. Ears large and evenly rounded, with a small projection in the middle of their inner margins ; laid forward they reach to the posterior corner of the eye. Tail about as long as the body without the head. Fifth front toe unusually short, its claw barely reaching to the bottom of the division between the 2nd and 3rd toes, giving the foot, at first sight, the appearance of being only provided with three toes. Fifth hind toe reaching just to the base of the fourth. Foot-pads 5-6. Mammae 8, 2 pectoral and 2 inguinal pairs. Skull, both in size and shape, almost identical with that of Golunda ellioti2, Gr., with the two following exceptions:-(1) The front 1 Preliminary diagnosis published Ann. Mag. N. H. (5) xvii. p. 84, Jan. 1886 2 Figured by Blanford, J. A. S. B. xlv. pi. x. (1876). |
