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Show 388 MR. J. L. BONHOTE ON THE [Nov. 28, Skull (of type). Greatest length 37 mm.; basilar length 27 ; palatal length 15; diastema 9-5 ; incisive foramina 7 ; length of nasals 14; interorbital breadth 6 ; greatest breadth of brain-case 14 ; length of molar series (alveoli) 6. Type. B.M. 89.11.1.16. 3 ad. Collected on the 24th April, 1898, at Kuatun, N.W. Fokien, by Mr. J. D. La Touche. Habitat. Kuatun. The Museum also contains a specimen indistinguishable from the type from the Ngau-tchi-lea Mts., Hainan. This species is evidently the representative of the true Mas jercloni, although it is more spiny than the other members of that subgroup hitherto described. Its nearest ally is Mus rapit, mihi, from Borneo, to which it bears a very close resemblance. From Mus confucianus it may be easily distinguished by its blight coloration, the absence of any white tip to the tail, and also the very much shorter hairs with which the tail is clothed. I have called this species from its Chinese name " Huang mao shu," meaning yellow-haired rat. Mus LING. Mus confucianus A. M.-E., O. Tlios. P.Z.S. 1898, p. 773 (partim). Mus ling Bonh. Abstr. P.Z. S. No. 23, p. 19, Dec. 5, 1905. Size smaller and paler, otherwise closely resembling Mus huang. The amount of spininess varies considerably, some individuals being very thickly beset, while in others the fur is uniformly soft. The tail is covered with short hairs and bicoloured as the Mus huang, but in the young and in some adult individuals we find a tendency to a unicolorous tail. The general colour is fulvous (ochraceous-buff, Ridgw.). Skull. Except for its smaller size, the skull does not differ markedly from that of Mus huang. The ridges referred to in that species may be traced as far back as the posterior margin of the parietal, but are not so strongly marked. Several skulls, however, are intermediate in size between those of this species and those of Mus huang, but this Rat may in all cases be distinguished externally by its paler colour and shorter tail; while in no case does any single measurement overlap that of the smallest M. huang. Dimensions (of type from skin). Head and body 132 mm. ; tail 157 ; hind foot 27 ; ear 15. Skull (of type). Greatest length 33 111111.; basilar length 25 ; palatal length l4 ; diastema 8*5 ; incisive foramina 5'5 ; length of nasals 12; zygomatic breadth 14; interorbital breadth 5*5; greatest breadth of brain-case 14 ; length of molar series (alveoli) 5*5.T ype. B.M. 98.3.7.8. Collected by Mr. C. B. Rickett in December 1897, at Ching Fen Ling, N.W. Fokien. Habitat. Ching Fen Ling, N.W. Fokien ; it also occurs at Kuatun in the same province. This species is the representative of the cremoriventer subgroup. |