SCIENTIFIC RESULTS FROM THE MAMMAL SURVEY, 83 



of the fact that the degree of individual variation observable in 

 narbadcB is far higher than that which we observed in arboreus. 



As regards the relation oi' narbadw with arhoreus, a companson 

 of the typical white bellied series with those from Bihar and Orisaa 

 shows clearly that, while in both races old animals have a bright 

 yellow-brown dorsal coloration and younger rats a greyer or less 

 yellow one, the race from the Central Pi-ovinces is, on the average, 

 one with colder dorsal tints. These colder tints are coupled with 

 a greater tendency of the long black hairs to arrange themselves 

 in a mid-dorsal stripe. These differences seem to have a geogra- 

 phical value. The smaller size and less modilied condition of the 

 skull in na^boAicB, correlated as they appear to be with weaker 

 temporal muscle-?, are still more striking characters — although, in 

 part, they may be reti'ogressions. There seems thus to be ample 

 justification for establishing R. r. na.rbadce as a subspecies distinct 

 from arbor eus. 



±v' 



alius rattus girensis, subsp. n. 



1913. Epimys rufescens, var, with white uaderparts. Ryley, 

 Report No. 10. Kathiawar, J. Bom. Nat. TFLH. Soc, XXI, p, 

 481, 1913, Epimys rufescens. Ryley, he. cit. (in part). 



Type :— A female (B. M. No. 13-S-8-12.3 ; Origin.-d No. 1866), 

 collected atSasan, Junagadh, on 6th November 1912, by l\Ir. C. 

 A. Crump for the Mammal Survey ; presented to the National 

 Collection by the Bombay Natural History Society. 



Distribution : — Southern Kathiawar ; abu7idant at the edge of 

 the Gir Forest near Sasan, where it leads a natural outdoor life. 



Material Examined : — 26 (14 cJ , 12 $ ) from Sa^an (400') ; 1 

 ( c^ ) from Keshod (300') ; and 2 ( j and 5 ) from Talala (200'). 

 Total 29 (16 (^ , 13 $ ) ; all collected for the Mammal Surrey by 

 Mr. C. A. Crump. Those since presented to the British Museum 

 are registered under the serial number lo-S'8. — 



Lescription : — In this form the fur is rather short and han^h, but 

 usually not spiny. The g'^neral colour of the back is a cold drab, 

 much like that of the duller coloured specimens of war/^ac/ce, darken- 

 ed along the mid-dorsal line by a greater or less number of long 

 black hairs : individuals, however, present the usual range of 

 variation in dorsal colou" from mixtures of yellowish-brown and 

 black to others in which the yellouish-brown is more or less com- 

 pletely replaced by grey. The belly is of a pure but dull white 

 and it is sharply contrasted alonir a perfectly resnlar line -with the 

 dark grey flanks ; the ventral hnirs are usually white from the tips 

 to the basis. The feet are usua'ly lio-ht above, their colour varying 

 between a dirty white and a light yellowish-brown, with occasion- 

 ally faint dusky mai'kings. 



