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Show 32 ZOOLOGY OF TilE VOYAGE OF TilE BEAGLE. Mr. Darwin found this variety " common about houses in the country around Buenos Ayres.'' In the Maldonado variety, the shorter hairs of the upper parts of tlte body are of a rusty yellow colour at the apex, in other respects it resembles the British variety. The rusty yellow colour of the tips of the hairs produces a general reddish hue, which is the more conspicuous, when the animal is placed ncar an English specimen. "Was caught in a house, at Maldonado. I saw a specimen of the common gray English, or Norway rat, lying dead in the streets, and it certainly had a very different appearance from these red rats. The latter, I saw crawling about the heuges in the interior provinces at Santa Fe, and likewise in the forest of the island of Chiloe. This latter fact, however, is a strong argument against its being aboriginal, since I did not find even one undoubted American species, out of the many which I collected, inhabiting both sides of the Cor-dillera.''- D. The specimen from Valparaiso very closely resembles that from Maldonado; it is, perhaps, a little less red. "Common about the houses in the town of Valpa· raiso." The two specimens from East Falkland are of a brighter hue, and have les gray in their colouring, than in the European variety of the common rat. " One of them was caught in a Bay, which is sometimes frequented by shipping, but which is distant thirty or forty miles from any habitation. These rats have spreau, not only over the whole of East and West Falkland, but even on some of the outlying islets. When the cold, wet, and gloomy nature of the climate is con idered, it is surprising that these animals hould be able to find food to Jive on.''-D. The general hue of the Keeling Island specimen, is deep brown, the longer hairs of the upper parts of the body being, as usual, black; but the shorter hairs, instead of having the pale yellow tint which we observe in the European, (or, mther, British) specimens of Mus Decmnanus, are of a deep, rusty yellow. The most remarkable difference, however, consists in the colouring of the unuer parts being of a yellowish tint, and, towards the root of the tail, of a very distinct buff yellow: the feet are brownish. "This rat is exceedingly numerous on some of the low coral islets forming the margin of the Lagoon of Keeling Island, in the Indian Ocean. The climate is dry and hot. The rats are known to have come in a vessel from the Mauritius, which was wrecked on one of the islets, which is now called Rat Island. They appeared stunted in their growth, and many of them were mangy. They are supposed to live chiefly on cocoa-nuts, and any animal matter the sea may chance to throw up. They have not any fresh-water ; but the milk of the cocoa-nut would supply its place."-D. .MAMMALIA. 33 The principal dimensions of the abo ve anu. nals are as follows:- Specimen from Buenos .1yres llfaiJonado. ]. tl f In. Lines. I L .eng I rom tl ose to root of tail . D 9 n. incs. Vnlparaiso. Easl Falkland. Easl Falkl.and. I<celing I sland ~n. Li~cs. In. Lines. In. Lines. In. Lines. . of tail D 3 · · · Imperfect G 0 8 9 9 0 8 3 of tarsus . . . . . . 1 7 G G Imperfect a 0 G 6 7 ,7 1 7 7 I 7 Upon comparing the skull of th . . . specimen of Mus decumanus I could e Val.paratso vanety with that of a British Falkland did not differ, ncitiler did th~~·ceJ:~ no difference .. A skuH from West above noticed. A I)erfect s . f' e?titwn of the Keelmg Island specimen exanu·m .n g. pec,.1 men o this last I 1l ave not h a d an opportunity of 2. Mus ( DECUMANus vm·. ?) MAunus. lvius maurus, Watar!t. in Proceedings of tho Zoo!o gJ.C a 1 So ci.O ty of London, for February 1837 20 M ·z· . ' 'P· · . p~ ts supdt purpurescenli-nig1·is; sub tits plumbeis . cauda c01pus jere mquaute. ' auribus parvulis, pallidejuscis: DESCRIPTION. - The character of the fur of this anim llfus dec1tmauus. it is ho . f' h < al nearly resembles that of ' ' wever, o a arshcr nature· ti . the upper parts and sides of' tl b d . . le general colour of . JC o Y IS purple-black .· · f hau·s beinO' of this colo d 1.k . , ausmg. rom the longest b ur, an J 'ewr e the t' f th . length; the latter ho,"'evcr e t' h tps o ose whiCh are next in . ' • , xcep mg at t e tip h' . . IS not entirely hidden h . ' ~re w Ite, and this white on the head th I . . , even w en tl~e han·s are m their ordinary position : . e laus assume a browmsh hue and are tol . bl . lunbs, and under parts of tl b d . . , eta y umform: the purple-brown wash: the dJe. f o. !· me of a deep gl'3y colour, with a faint white or· ve . un er m IS gray : the ears are small, of a brownth ' 1Y pale brown colour, and furnished with minute brown ha· . co~o:~allT:~a~tc:~d, ~ristly hairs of the tail are of an uniform brownish-bl~csk tl 1e apex. . aus o the moustaches are black at the base , and . · h c grayrs at Length from nose to root of tail of tail of tarsus ; In. Lines. 11 3 7 6 8 Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (June.) F In. Lines. Length of oar 0 6;1- from nose to oar . 2 2 |
