of the Central Region of Nepal. 267 



3. Mus brunnemculuSj mihi_, Lesser Brown Rat of Nepal.— ^ 

 Closely resembling the last but considerably smaller, as proved 

 by numberless specimens ; above rusty brown, below rusty. Ex- 

 tremities pale. Snout to vent 8^ inches ; tail 9 ; head 2^ ; ears 1 ; 

 palma — ?; planta — ? ; weight 9 to 10 oz. 



4. Mus rattoideSj mihi, Black Rat of Nepal. — As similar to 

 the black rat of Europe as the foregoing is to our brown rat, and 

 bearing in Nepal the same relation the one to the other as in 

 Europe. Above dusky or blackish brown, below dusky hoary. 

 Limbs dark ; fingers pale ; tail decidedly longer than the body and 

 head ; long piles sufficiently numerous. Snout to vent 7^ inches ; 

 tail 8| ; head 1 J ; ears ^ ; palma |f ; planta 1| ; weight 5 to 7 oz. 



5. Mus niviventer, mihi, a House-Rat. — Proportions and cha- 

 racters of the last, but tail rather shorter and long piles of the 

 pelage rarer. Size less. Above blackish brown, shaded with ru- 

 fous ; below entirely pure white, tail and all. Snout to vent 5^^ 

 inches ; tail 6 ; weight 4 to 5 oz. Of rare occurrence. 



6. Mus nitidus, mihi. — Distinguished for its smooth coat or 

 pelage, wherein the long hairy piles are almost wholly wanting. 

 Is a house- rat like the foregoing, but much rarer, and frequents 

 the mountains rather than the valleys. Structure nearest to rat- 

 toides, and colour very similar to that, or dusky brown above and 

 dusky hoary below. Long piles y^^ths of an inch long ; basally 

 hoary, apically black. Short piles cinereous below, with pale 

 rufous tips. Snout to vent 6^ inches ; tail 7^ ; head 1||- ; ears f ; 

 palma (with nail as before) |^ ; weight 3^ oz. 



7. Mus ? Pyctoris, mihi. — Tenants the woods only. Charac- 

 terized by its bluff face with short thick muzzle, and by its short 

 tail, one-third short of the length of the animal. Pelage of two 

 sorts, with the long piles sufficiently abundant. Colours of rat- 

 toides or dusky brown, with a very vague rufous tinge. Below 

 fulvescent ; long hairs all black ; rest with hoary bases and black 

 points. Inner vest mostly dusky. Snout to vent 7 inches ; tail 

 4i^ ; head IJ; ears yj; palma f ; planta \\. 



8. Mus"^ Myothrix mihi. — Tenants the woods solely. Re- 

 markable for its soft mouse-like pelage, and for its tail covered 

 with hairs, so as to conceal the annulated skin nearly. Dwells 

 in burrows under roots of trees, but not gregariously. Fur soft, 

 short, and of one kind only. Colours clear ; above dull fawn, 

 below fulvescent. The piles above are dusky at their roots, black 

 in their centres, and red at their tips. The tail is still shorter 

 than in Pyctoris, being not two-thirds of the length of the ani^ 

 mal. Snout to rump 6 inches; tail 3|; head 1^; ears \^; palma 

 /^; planta lyV 



9. Mus ? hydrophilus, mihi, Small Water-Rat of Nepal. — 

 Dwells in holes on the margins of ponds and rivers. Characterized 



U2 



