NOTE UPON JIUS TOMFSOjVI, RAMSAY. 



By Allan H. McCulloch, Zoologist. 



Mus fomj)soni, Ramsay, Proc. Linn. 8oc. N. S. Wales, ^■i., 1881, 

 p. 763. 



The Trustees liave received through the repeated good offices of 

 Mr. C. F. Bolton, of Wagga Wagga, N. S. Wales, a fine series of 

 rats under the name Mus fomjmnii, Ramsay, together with notes 

 upon their habits and colouration. It includes eight males, half 

 of which are black and tlie others grey, and six females, four 

 black and two grey. Also six young about 70 mm. in length 

 taken from a nest, all black in colour. 



A comparison of both skins and skulls of these specimens, 

 which agree very well with Dr. E. P. Ramsay's description, with 

 those of J/, raftvs, Linn., shows that J/, tompsoni is a synonym of 

 the latter, a conclusion borne out by the similar habits of the two 

 species. 



The Wagga Wagga rats are found about grocers' stores and in 

 stables ; a nest containing five young, whicli was dislodged in a 

 stable, was arranged in a scooped-out hole under the brick 

 flooring, having walls of straw and leaves, followed by a layer of 

 fine sliredded bark, and an inner lining of wool, feathers and 

 down. 



Mr. K. H. Bennett gave an account^ of the migrations of this 

 species in the western portion of New South Wales, from which 

 it would appear that it swarmed into this State from Western 

 Queensland and was at the time spreading southwards and east- 

 wards. Examples are in tlie Australian Museum collection from 

 Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania ( M. variahiJiti, H. 

 and P.). 



1 Eennett— Prcc. Linn. Soc. iS". S. Wales, (2), ii., 188f?, p. 44'J 



