17i Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



J/«.s' 7iiyrieauda, Thos. 

 (P.Z.S. 1882, p. 266, pi. xiv, fig. 1.) 



There are two examples of this arboreal rat in our collection, and a 

 third has been sent to the British Museum. One of them, a female, 

 was brought to me alive, with four young. They were taken from a 

 ti'ee as it was being chopped down. I kept the mother alive for about 

 a fortnight, but the young ones died within one or two days. 8he was 

 extre)nely shy, and would sit in the corner of the cage huddled up, 

 almost like a ball, with the fur standing on em], and as soon as any- 

 bo<ly went near would run off into the dark compartment, utt.ering a 

 sharp little squeak. The second example was shot by Mr. !Meiniell 

 in a thorn ti'ee {Acacia horrida) just after sunset, and its stoinach 

 contained gum. 



It is interesting to get these further examples of so rare a rodent. 

 The only other specimen obtained in South Africa is the type collected 

 nearly thirty years ago by C. J. Andersson in Damaraland and preserved 

 in the British Museum. Thei'e are also examples obtained from Angola 

 in the Lisbon Museum. 



The two examples in the Bhodesia Museum have the tails longer 

 thaii the head and body ; while the hands and feet are not pure white, 

 for the brown colouration of the outer sides of the limbs is extended 

 doAvn the middle of the upper sifles of both the hands and the feet. 



Measurements in mm. taken in the flesh: — 



The mammary fornuda is 1, 2 = 6, i.e. one ptiir of thoracic and two 

 pairs of abdominal mamin;e. 



Mux microdon, Pete)"s. 



(Rfisc Mossamb. S(iui/ef/i. yi. 149, pi. xxx\-, figs. •'>, 6, pi. xxxvi, fig 1, 



1852). 



The British Museum has recently received topotypes of this species 

 obtained at Tette on the Zambesi by Mr. C. D. Rudd's collector, and 

 Messrs. Thomas and Wroughton have pointed out''* that it can readily 

 be distinguished fi-om J/?i.s concha, with which it had been supposed to 

 be synonymous, by its tail being about the same length as the head and 

 V)ody, wher(?as in Mirs concha it is considerably shorter. 



This rat is extremely connnon near Bulawayo, and it habitually 

 <?nters houses at night for food. 



The aveiage measurements in mm. taken in the fiesh of four Bula- 

 wayo skins are as follows : — 



Head and body, 124 ; tail, 1095 ; hind foot, 22 ; ear, 19. 



*See J'.X.S., Utos, p. 



