72 RATS AND MICE. 



three thousand up to ten thousand feet. It is of a rich brown colour, 

 with a tail as long or longer than its body. 



The fieldmice are divided into two sub-species, Apodeinns agrarhis 

 palUdior and Apodemus agraiius corcoe. The latter is found in Shan- 

 tung and Chihli, the former in the provinces westward. These mice 

 are like A. speciosus m colour, but have shorter tails and ears, and 

 are distinguished by a black line down the middle of the back. They 

 occur in the open plains and on hilltops, where there is some sort 

 of small cover. In Kansu a third species, Apodemus jergxi^soni, is 

 found. It resembles the field mouse in proportions and colour, 

 but is without any trace of the dark median dorsal line. 



The fourth genus Micromys is represented by but one species, 

 namely Micromys, minutus, -which is found in Southern Shensi. This 

 pretty little mouse is commonly known as the harvest-mouse, and is 

 much the smallest of all the mice. In passing it may be mentioned 

 that A. agrarhis and A. speciosus were originally consigned to the 

 genus Micromys. 



Our last group, the molerats, is an extremely interesting one. 

 It is represented in North China by at least six species of peculiar 

 mole-like rodents. Molerats live underground where they excavate 

 ■extensive burrows in their search for the roots and bulbs, upon which 

 they subsist. They have soft thick fur like that of the mole, en- 

 ormously developed front feet and claws for digging, rudimentary 

 eyes, and no external ears. Their tails are hairless and extremely 

 sensitive. They have blunt flat noses, very powerful teeth, and 

 heavy skulls. In short, they are built for digging in the close-packed 

 and dry soil of North China. They do considerable damage to crops, 

 and in some districts are relentlessly hunted by the Chinese farm- 

 ers in an endeavour to exterminate them. 



The generic name of this group of rodents is Myospalax, and 

 as already stated, contains some six species in North China, namely 

 M: fontanieri, M. fontanus, M. cans^is, M. psilurus, M. smithii and 

 M. rothschildi. 



Of these the two first were at first confused with one another, 

 but later M. fontanus was described as a distinct species from speci- 

 mens secured by Anderson and myself in Western Shansi. M. 

 fontanieri's true habitat is in the neighbourhood of Peking. In colour 

 M. fontanus is of a fine slate-grey. It is a very large rodent, with a 

 heavy well-ridged skull. There is almost invariably a white diamona- 

 shaped patch on the forehead. 



