( 223 ) 



which is cliaracteristic of the species, but is not shown in the figure. The brown 

 mc'tapodials of the jihite are apparently incorrect, as judged by Peters's statement 

 " manibns jiedibusque albis." 



6. Conilurus penicillatus (Jonhl. 



c? 13(13, 13C5, 1360, 1371, 1373, 1375, 1377, 13bl, 1389, 13i)l, 1394, 1395, 

 1399, 1400, 1408, 1400, 1412, 1425, 1427, 1487. ? 1301, 1364, 1307, 1309, 1374, 

 1370, 1378, 1379, 1380, 1383, 1384, 1385, 1387, 1392, 1393, 1397, 1398, 1426, 1507, 

 1508. South Alligator River. 



"Caught in long grass on jilain iluriiig day." "Caught in hollow tree." — 

 J. T. T. 



About one-third of these sjiecimens have the terminal inch or more of the tail 

 prominently contrasted pure white. There are no intermediate specimens, and it 

 would be natural to suppose that the white-tailed form was specifically difterent 

 from the black-tailed one, but in all other respects, in size, colour, and skull- 

 characters, the two agree so precisely that in the absence of any evidence as to their 

 local segregation, I am compelled to follow Dr. Collett's example and place them 

 all under one heading. 



Gray's Hapalotis hemileucurus t would appear to represent the white-tipj)ed 

 form. 



0. Mu8 tunneyi spec. nov. 



? 085. Mary River ; and two unlabelled specimens. 



A medium-sized rat, with a short tail and whitish belly. 



Size rather less than in Mus rattus. Form stout and strong. Fur thin, not 

 spinous ; hairs of back about 9-10 mm. in length ; a certain number of longer piles, 

 about double this length, present on the posterior back. General colour above 

 uniform sandy buffy, rather darker along the dorsal area, clearer along the sides ; 

 the slaty bases of the hairs showing through. Undersnrface white, or creamy white, 

 the hairs white to their bases ; line of demarcation on sides not strongly defined. 

 Head like body. Ears rather short ; pale brown, not contrasting with the general 

 colour. Outer side of limbs like body, inner like belly ; upper surface of hands and 

 feet white. Tail short, hardly longer than the body without the head, fairly well 

 haired, its rings of scales about 10 to the centimetre ; dark brown above, scarcefv 

 lighter below. 



Skull broad and stoutly built, almost suggesting that of a small Nesokia. 

 Muzzle short, nasals not hiding the incisors from above. Interorbital region 

 narrow, its edges with a well-defined ujiturned bead which is continued back across 

 the parietals, where it is evenly convex outwards, to the outer corners of the inter- 

 parietal. Palatal foramina not widely open, extending back to the level of the 

 anterior lamina of »«' ; hinder edge of palate level with the back of m^. Bullae 

 unusually large and swollen, evenly rounded. Molars broad, with well-defined 

 tubercles ; ?h- with a large antero-interual sujiplementary cusp, and a rudimentary 

 antero-external one ; m^ with a large antero-internal one. 



Dimensions of the type, measured in skin: Head and body, 150; tail, 105; 

 hindfoot, s.u., 30; ear, 18 mm. 



Skull, greatest length 30; basilar length, 31 ; greatest breadth, 20-3; nasal 

 length, 123; interorbital breadth, 5-2; greatest divergence of parietal ridges, 13-5; 



• P. Z. S. 1857. p. 243. 



