CS JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



m 



the country, or even from abroad ; and lastly', many are doubtless to 

 be regarded as the mixed descendants of both native and imported 

 stocks. 



1, Rattus rattus tistce, subsp. n, 



1916. Ejnmys nt/escews, variety with white underparte, Wrough- 

 ton, Report No. 23, Sikkim and Bengal Terai, /. Bombay Nat. 

 Hist. Soc, Vol. xxiv, p. 489 (in part). 



Type.— A female (B. M. No. 17-7-2-13 ; Original No. 398) 

 collected at Pashok, Sikkim, by N. A. Baptista on 16th July 1915; 

 pi'esentedto the National Collection by the Bombay Nat. His. Soc. 



Distribution. — Sikkim. 



Material examintd. —122 (60 d" j 62 $ ), from Pashok (3,500') ; 

 14 r7 c? , 7 $ ), from Narbong (2,000') ; 7 (3 cJ , 4 $ ), from Rongli 

 (2,700') ; 1 J from Gopaldhara (4,720') ; 3 (1 j , 2 $ ) from 

 Batasia, Tonglu (6,000') ; 3 (1 c? , 2 5 ) from Gangtok (6,000') ; 

 and 4 (Z ^,2 § ) from Sedonchen (6,500'). Total 154 (75 6 

 79 $)._ 



Description. — The/ttr is soft and thick, without spines on the 

 back ; and not particularly long on the underparts. In the typical 

 series from l*ashok the backs are dark olive-brow ai and very uniform 

 in colour. The ventral colouration is of two types ; in about a 

 third of the specimens from the type locality the ventral hairs have 

 slaty bases and light tips and in these specimens a suffusion of 

 bnfi', recalling what is seen in many forms of Apodemus, is some- 

 times presf^nt. forming a median thoracic stripe and occasionally 

 even a pectoral collar, in many other specimens, however, the 

 ventral hairs are white from their tips to their bases ; while in 

 others pui-e white and slaty -based hairs occur together in variable 

 proportions. The mammary formula of females appears to be con- 

 stantly 2-3=^10. 



The following are the collector's measurements * of those speci- 

 mens from Pashok whose skulls wei'e specially investigated ventral 

 hairs : — 



145—168—31—21 slaty bases. 



161_194_32_22 slaty bases. 



160—183—33—23 slaty bases. 



] 58—180—32—23 intermediate. 



1 5 ()_1 80—3 1 —2 2 intermediate. 



153_180— 30— 22 pure white. 



155_19G_32— 21 do. type. 



135_169— 32— 21 slaty bases. 



14,()_ —32— 22 pure white. 



] 38— —31—2 1 slaty bases. 



* Tnese dimensions are:— (0 Head and body. (2) Tail, without terminal 

 hair. (3) Hiudfoot, without claws, {ij Ear from base. 



