OCR Text |
Show 550 MR. O. THOMAS ON T H E [May 3, After describing these differences, Mr. Blanford himself says: - "It is, however, by no means improbable that M. erythronotus {21. arianus) is merely a local race of M. sylvaticus; and, with a good series of specimens from various localities, the two might be found to pass into each other." On the whole I think that M. arianus will be found to represent a short-footed eastern variety of M. sylvaticus worthy of a varietal name, but not distinct enough to merit specific separation. De Filippi's "Mus sylvaticus, L." is no doubt this short-footed form, and not the true European M. sylvaticus. This species is really a Palaearctic and not an Oriental form. It only just crosses the extreme northern limits of our region, the only Indian locality for it being Gilgit, North Cashmere, where Dr. Scully obtained several specimens. 15. MUS NTTIDULUS. Mus nitidulus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxviii. p. 294 (1859). HaB. Schwe Gyen, Sitang It., Pegu (Berdmore); Darjiling {Blanford) ; Sikhim, " mountains 4500 feet" (Argent). Fur long, sometimes spiny, dark slate-colour for nine tenths of its length, then yellowish grey, with the extreme tips black. Tail slightly longer than the head and body, brown above and white below. Hind foot much longer than in M. urBanus, exceeding the distance between the muzzle and the ear, as in true M. sylvaticus, L. (see p. 549). Skull with the front edge of the outer wall of the infraorbital foramen strongly slanting1 (Plate LI. fig. 8), all the other Indian species, when adult, having this edge perpendicular, or even curving beyond its base. Caecum short, 0*52 inch in length. The following are the dimensions of our only spirit-specimen, an adult female, in which, however, I cannot make out the number of mammae :-Head and body 3*0, tail 3*58, hind foot *80, forearm and hand *88, ear-conch length *50, nose to ear '77. This species, to which I refer two of our Indian Mice, was described by Blyth from Pegu ; he did not mention the peculiarity of the wall of the infraorbital foramen ; but the description of the external characters agrees very closely. Our two specimens of this species present another example of the uselessness, as a specific character, of the presence or absence of spines in the fur-one of them, the specimen measured, having its fur rather soft, and almost entirely spineless, while the other has its fur nearly wholly composed of spines, quite as much as in average specimens of Leggada platythrix. 16. MUS METTADA, Gl*. *Golunda meltada, Gray, Charlesw. Mag. N . H. i. p. 586 (1837). *Mus lanuginosus, Ell. Madr. Journ. Lit. Sci. x. p. 212 (1839). J This same peculiarity in M. blanfordi was found to be due to immaturity: but in this species it appears to be an adult character, as both of the above-mentioned specimens are not only full-grown, but even aged, their teeth being quite worn clown. e |