principally in the British Museum* 585 



Tail broad, rather tapering, fulvous, with black tips to the hairs at the 

 base ; black at the end. The feet broad ; front thumb rudimentary. 

 The outer edge of the hind feet with a broad tuft of hair ; the soles of 

 the hind feet with a small oblong tubercle on the middle of the outer 

 side, a tubercle in front, and with two unequal ones on the hinder part 

 of the inner side. Length, 12 in. ; tail, 1 1 in. j hind soles ; 2 in. 



Inhabits India. — Colonel Cobb. Brit. Museum. 

 -Mt/s. This numerous genus may be divided into three, by the form of 

 the crowns of the grinders. In the true rats (Mus Gray) y the grinders, 

 when perfect, have a high and convex crown ; and the ridges of the 

 crown of the upper one are slightly three-lobed. Mus gigantea Hard- 

 wicke may be regarded as the type, to which may be added the two fol- 

 lowing new Indian species, which have the tail shorter than the body, 

 and the fur with scattered bristles : — 

 •-Mus rufcscens {House Rat). Fur pale brown ; beneath, yellowish grey. Un- 

 der fur lead-coloured, with numerous slender brown bristles, marked 

 with a deep central channel, ending in a black hair point ; of the chin 

 and under sides, softer, with whitish slender bristles. Tail nearly as 

 long as the body, with rather small square scales, and very short hairs. 

 Feet brown ; claws white, covered with white hairs. Length of the 

 body and head, 6| in. ; tail, 5f in. ; hind foot, l£in.; to base of thumb, 

 9 lines. 



The teeth of this species are rather deeply lobed, and somewhat in- 

 termediate between Mus and Golunde. 

 Mus K6k (Arvicola indica Gray Jllust. Lid. Zool.). Fur pale brown, 

 with interspersed black tips ; sides paler. Chin, and beneath, greyish. 

 Feet pale brown. Ears rounded, slightly hairy. Whiskers as long as 

 the head. The under fur lead-coloured. The brown-tipped longer 

 hairs rather rigid, slender, fusiform, flattened, with a longitudinal 

 groove; black, often with a subterminal black band. Forehead with 

 some silvery hairs. Thumb of fore feet rudimentary, with a short thick 

 claw ; rest of claws conical, curved. The three middle toes equal, 

 and longest; the little toe and thumb subequal. Tail thick, shorter 

 than the body, scaly, with short scattered hairs. Length of body 

 (dry), 9i in.; tail, 4| in.; hind feet,lf in.; from heel to base of thumb, 

 7i lines." 



Inhabits India. Brit. Museum. 

 Mus Hardwickii. Above, yellow brown. Hairs of back lead-coloured, 

 with thicker yellow-l*rown, or dark brown tips ; some of those of the back, 

 and especially the rump, much longer, and bristle-like. Cheeks and 

 sides rather paler. The chin and under parts with short whitish-tipped 

 lead-coloured hairs. Tail as long as the body, naked, scaly. The 

 cutting teeth large, smooth, yellow, and flat in front. The thumb of the 

 fore feet small, clawed. 



Inhabits India. Gardens. Brit. Museum. 



Very much like Mus K6k,but the skull is much wider and stronger, 

 and rather larger; and the cutting teeth are nearly twice as wide, and are 

 flat in front. The grinders are very little larger than those of that 

 species. 

 Mus asiaticus. Pale brown, blackish, varied. Ears large, nakedish. Cheeks, 

 chin, and beneath, greyish. Whiskers elongate, black. Tail as long as the 

 body and head, with short adpressed black hairs, longer and more abun- 

 dant near the tip. Cutting teeth smooth, and yellow in front. Thumb 

 of fore feet quite rudimentary, slightly clawed. Sole of hind feet bald 

 to the heel, with six tubercles ; outer hinder largest. Heel narrow, one 

 third the length of the foot. The ball of the outer toes rather less than 

 half the distance from the front of the foot. 



Inhabits India. Brit. Museum. 



