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Show 530 MR. O. THOMAS ON T H E [May 3, To Dr. Anderson belongs the credit of having perceived that there are two species of Bandicoot in India, all previous authors having confused this form with the true M. bandicota, Bechst. Hodgson's description of M. nemorivagus, however, was such that Dr. Anderson naturally could not tell that his M. (N.) elliotanus was identical with it. There can, however, be no doubt that it is the same, as the skull of the type of Hodgson's species exactly matches that of one of the Khasi-Hill specimens mentioned by Dr. _ Anderson, and since presented to us by Mr. Blanford, and also quite agrees with the figure which accompanies the description of M. {N.) elliotanus1. Formosan individuals of this species received from Mr. Swinhoe are quite similar to our specimens from the typical locality "We thus get another instance of the affinity of the fauna of Formosa to that of the Himalayan region2. The specimen described as Nesokia hydrophila by Dr. Gray, in his Catalogue of Hodgson's collection, is the actual type of Mus ma-cropus, Hodgs. The cause of the mistake was that Hodgson's two species M. hydrophilus and M. macropus are figured side by side in Hodgson's drawings, and that in the British Museum duplicate copy the plate was accidentally marked as " Mus hydrophilus et junior," Gray therefore describing the specimen representing the adult form. In the original drawings, belonging to the Zoological Society, however, the two figures are named in accordance with Hodgson's published descriptions. This type specimen of M. macropus is most undoubtedly a Nesokia, and, I believe, will turn out to be a young specimen of the present species, the skull agreeing very fairly, though it is considerably smaller. I am quite unable to say what the true M. hydrophilus, Hodgs.3, is. It is said to be a small species, only 3| inches long, with a tail only 2f in length. W e have received no specimens of it from Mr. Hodgson ; but I would suggest that it might be some species of Arvicola, as the proportions are similar to those found in that genus, and Hodgson on his drawing calls it Arvicola ? hydrophilus, though he afterwards described it as a Mus. It seems possible, as Mr. Blanford has suggested4, that M. (Nesokia) nemorivagus will yet turn out to be identical with the true Mus setifer, Horsf. Judging from the distribution of certain other species, it is quite probable that the Bandicoot of Java should be the same as that found in Nepal and Formosa; but merely from Horsfield's description, and without seeing Javan specimens, it is impossible to decide this question at present. Subgenus Mus (restricted). Mus, Linn. Syst. Nat. (12) i. p. 79 (1766). Incisors narrow, smooth in front. Molars tubercular, not divided * Dr. Anderson has sent us an immature specimen of his N. elliotanus, which quite confirms m y identification. 2 See below, under M.jerdoni, p. 539. 3 Ann. & Mag. N. H. xv. p. 267, 1845. 4 Zool. Yark. Exp. M a m m . p. 47, 1879. |