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Show 534 MR. O. THOMAS ON THE [May 3, M. nemoralis, Blyth \ J. A. S. B. xx. p. 168 (1851). *M. kandianus & *M. tetragonurus, Kel. J. As. Soc. Ceylon (1851). M. ceylonus, Kel. Prodr. Faun. Zeyl. p. 61 (juv.) (1852). M. robustulus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxviii. p. 294 (1859), fide Blanford, J. A.S. B. xlvii. p. 165 (1878). IM. infralineatus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxii. p. 348 (1863) (juv.). t(Eucha?tomys2 rufescens, Gray," Fitzinger, SB. Ak. Wien. lvi. i. p. 74 (1867). Specific Characters.-Fur harsh, sometimes mixed with fine spines. Colour varying from dark rufous-grey to bright reddish fulvous ; belly sometimes quite white, sometimes no lighter than the back. Feet nearly always white. Tail longer than the head and body, scarcely lighter below than above. Ears large; laid forward they reach quite to, or even beyond the eye. Foot-pads 5-6, well-defined. Mammse 10, 11, or 12, normally three pectoral and three inguinal pairs; but one or both of the posterior pectoral pair are often absent. The length of the head and body (in spirit) varies from 5 to 7, the tail from 6 to 9, and hind foot from 1*2 to 1*5 inches; these, however, are the extreme limit. For detailed measurements see below. Varietal Characters.-Typical variety. Dark rufous-grey above, white below. Size large, over 6 inches ; tail much longer than the head and body, more noticeably paler below than in the other varieties. Soles of feet nearly always white (in spirit). Variety nitidus. Fur finer and rather more rufous, often mixed with numerous spines. Belly sometimes pure sharply-defined white, sometimes almost as dark as the upperside, the tips of the hairs, however, being nearly always white. Size about the 6ame as in typical alexandrinus. Tail generally only a little longer than the head and body, seldom exceeding them by more than one inch ; stretched skins therefore often have the tail even shorter than the trunk. Soles of feet often quite black. Variety rufescens. Body small and slender, only just over 5 inches in length. Tail much longer than the head and body. Colour dull rufous, generally but little paler below ; fur coarse and spinous. This variety is much more arboreal than the others. I can find no differences whatever between the skulls of these three varieties. Their general characters are too well-known to need any detailed description; the dimensions of a specimen of var. rufescens will be found below under Mus blanfordi3. The remarkable variation in the length of the nasal bones presented by this species is referred to below4. 1 Blyth, op. cit. xxxiv. p. 192 (1865), says that this is the same as M. brunneus, Hodgs., which is a Mus decumanus; his description, however, agrees much better with this form, and a specimen sent as M. nemoralis by Dr. Anderson is certainly a Mies rufescens. 2 A genus (!), composed of a ridiculous mixture of species of Mus, Nesokia, and Leggada which have no special affinity with each other whatever. 3 Vide p. 541. 4 Vide p. 536. |