OCR Text |
Show 1881.] INDIAN SPECIES OF MUS. 533 this Rat is only a southern offshoot of that form of Mus rattus commonly known as M. alexandrinus. In India we find three just distinguishable varieties of it:-(1) the true M. alexandrinus, found in Cashmere, and the whole north-west region of India; (2) the form confined to the Nepalese district, here termed var. nitidus, Hodgs.; and (3) the well-known M. rufescens, Gr., found in the whole of continental India except the north-western part, and also in Burmah. The following is the Indian synonymy of this species and its two varieties ; but it is very possible that some of the names are put under the wrong varieties, as these are not very sharply separated from each other. 6. MUS ALEXANDRINUS. a. Typical variety. M. alexandrinus, Geoff. Desc. de 1'Egypte, Hist. Nat. ii. p. 733, Atl. pi. v. fig. 1 (1812). *M. asiaticus, Gray, Charlesw. Mag. N. H. (2) i. p. 585 (1837). "M. arboreus, Buch. Ham."1 Horsf. Cat. Mus. E.I. C. p. 141 (in part) (1851). IM. crassipes, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxviii. p. 295 (juv.) (1859). b. Var. nitidus. *M. nitidus, Hodgs. Ann. & Mag. N . H. xv. p. 267 (1845). *M. pyctoris, Hodgs. I.e. (1845). ?M. rattoides, Hodgs.2 I. c. (1845). M. horeites, Hodgs. I. c. p. 268 (juv.) (1845). *M. cequicaudalis, Hodgs. op. cit. (2) iii. p. 203 (1849); Horsf. Cat. M a m m . Mus. E.I. C. p. 144 (1851). c. Var. rufescens. M. indicus, Geoff., Desm. M a m m . ii. p. 299 (nee Bechstein3, 1800) (1822). *M. rufescens, Gray, Charlesw. Mag. N. H. (2) i. p. 585 (1837). *M. flavescens, Ell. Madr. Journ. Lit. Sci. x. p. 214 (1839) (nee Waterh. P. Z. S. 1837, p. 19). M. decumanoides, Hodgs.4 J. A. S. B. x. p. 915 (sine descr.) (in part) (1841). *M. brunneusculus, Hodgs. Ann. & Mag. N. H. xv. p. 267 (1845). 1 The drawing and description, but not the specimen (B), which is M. 2 Or the true Mus rattus; more probably a black-bellied individual of this 3 See under M. (Nesokia) bandicota, p. 528. 4 Never described ; afterwards divided by Hodgson into M. brunneus and brunneusculus. |