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



Type: — A skin and skull from Dharwar (B. M. 44.9.15.2), col- 

 lected by Sir W. Elliot. 



Gray's name rufescens may be conveniently employed for all 

 those dark bellied Indian rats which seem to be intimately connected 

 with one or other of the Indian wild races of E. rathts. Such rats 

 are characterized by having a more or less rufous or ochreous dor- 

 sal coloration ; rough haired bellies, w-hich usually show a more or 

 less evident rusty tinge or bloom ; external propoz-tions and skulls 

 agreeing more or less closely with those of the wild races. 



The series collected in the Central Provinces and in Kathiawar 

 have already been described (pp. 77 and 83) ; they form the best 

 examples of a close connection between the dark bellied and the 

 wild forms of rattus in a given locality. In other districts, as in 

 Kuroaon or in the Koyna Valley, the dark bellied rats, although 

 clearly of Indian origin, seem to have little or no connection with 

 the wild stock living in their immediate vicinity. In still other 

 places, as Gwalior and Cutch, where there is no wild race extant, 

 the rats appear to be more modified, either as the result of longer 

 domestication, or of contact with rats from other regions. It is 

 noteworthy that specimens collected at Dharwar, the type locality 

 of rufescens, by Mr. Hudson in 1907 and more recently for 

 the Mammal Survey by Mr. Shortridge, can no longer be 

 considered typical ; like those from Gwalior, these specimens are 

 obvioiisly modified to a greater extent than is the type of 

 rufescens. 



The following are the external measurements of the dark bellied 

 rats (other than those from the Central Provinces and Kathiawar, 

 which have been dealt with above at pp. 77 and 83) mentioned 

 in the tables of skull measurements : — 



Coonoor, Nilgiri Hills ; collected bv R. C. Wroughton 

 (B. M. 98-3-5) :— 



•23 c?, 13 Dec. 1897 156—185—32—21 = 100-119-20-5-13-5. 

 Dorsal colour much as in i?. r. tvroughtoni ; belly with slight 

 rusty tinge ; fur soft ; feet dusky. 



Southern and Eastern Mysore ; collected by G. C. Shortridge : — 

 Seringapatam (B. M. 13.4.11)— 



•92 ^ , 17 Oct. 1912 178— 208— 31— 2l=l00-117-17-4-ll-8 4|oz. 

 •96 2,17 „ „ 168— 213— 32— 23=100-127-19-1-13-7 3| „ 

 Bellies with more or less evident rnsty tinge; feet dusky. 12 

 mammaB. 

 Bangalore. 



•83 d , 3 Sept. 1912 178— 220— 34^23=l00-124-l9-l-l2-9 4f oz. 

 ■88 $,9 „ „ 169— 219— 34— 22=100-130-20-1-13 



12 mammte. 



