NdTKS (i\ AI'SriiAMAN MAMMALS runl'cini iN. 119 



to provide atleqiiiiti' loom witlmiit ('xpo>iiio flicni to (lie wciitlicr. This 

 choice of Kliellei' was pidl>ably duo to the lact that the Mallee sciuh in 

 this locality did not provide any lai'ge liidiiiof places, or the i-ock foi'ination 

 anv caves. The restinji" places were piohahly chosen at random, there 

 heiiio- nothino; to indicate that they weve I'esfularlv iidiabited. 



Family iMURID^K. 



Kl'lMYS ASSIMIIJS, (,'iinliL 



As stated by Mi-. I'ldgar R. Waite, very few of our native rats liave 

 been described by other than exteriml characters and a revision of tlie 

 Australian Mnridse is so greatly needed that any effort towards tlie 

 completion of specific desci iptions will be welcomed. To this end Mr. 

 Waite published liis " Extended description of ^fl(t< fusrliies, Waterlionse,"^^ 

 and with liis excellent example before me 1 venture to supply additions to 

 our knowledge of the cliaracters and range of /'>'y*/»///.< ua^iiiillix, Gould. 



Di'.-<i'rijitiii,i. — Fur long, soft and extremely thick; on the back it is 

 an admixture of slate-colonred fur tipped witli light brown and longer 

 hairs which are brightly iridescent in sunlight ; the bases of the long 

 hairs are light greenish-grey to the length of the fur, and the remaining 

 portions ai'e either wholly black or tipped with pale brown. The light 

 brown tips of tlie fur and the black and brown of the longer hairs produce 

 the " ligiit brown pencilled with black" effect described by authors. The 

 sides are lighter, merging into the greyish-buff under surface which is 

 produced by the lighter slate-colour of the basal fur with its dull white 

 ti[)S. Feet covered with tine, silvery-white hairs. 



Ears larger than those of fn.-'cipps! ; laid forward they i^each to, or a 

 little beyond the posterior margin of the eye; pinna thin, covered sparsely 

 but evenly with light biown hairs externally, and silvery to light bi-own 

 hairs internally. Comparative measurements of twenty-four specimens 

 show the tail to be extremely variable in length ; in measurements of fresh 

 specimens, taken from the rump at a point where the tail can be bent 

 upwards, to its tip, three specimens have it from 1-S mm. shorter than 

 the head and body, while in twenty-one specimens it is from 1-26 mm. 

 longer than the head and body; it is sparsely but evenly covered with 

 short hairs wliich are dark brown with lighter tips and are generally 

 longer than two scales but not concealing them. 



,S7.-»//. — Rounded compared with I'J. iiorct'<iinis but not so stout as 

 fuscipes, the nasal region appearing more slender than in the latter species. 

 Supraorbital ridge not veiy marked and not forming a pronounced ridge. 

 The anterior palatina foramina extend backwards to the centre of the first 

 cusp of the first molar. Intei'pavietal comparatively longer than that of 

 fuscipes, its length being generally about half its breadth. Though, 

 when comparing skulls of ussiiuiJis riu] fii.-^ci')ies, the stouter appearance of 

 the latter is quite obvious, a comprehensive series of comparative 



:• Waite- -Kpc. Austr. Mus..iii.. liloo, p. lito, fio-s. 1-4. 



