55 



ON PSEUDOMYS HIGGINSI. 



By 



Clive Lord, F.L.S., 



Curator oi the Tasmanian Museum. 



(Read 10th July, 1922.) 



Since Higgins and Petterd described (1882, pp. 171-176, 

 and 1883, pp. 181-18G, 195-198) several species, the Tas- 

 manian Rodcntia have not had much attention paid to them. 

 Recently I obtained a series of specimens, and certain of 

 these appear worthy of a further note; particularly so as 

 Higgins and Petterd's types were not preserved and the 

 validity of several of the species which they created has not 

 been maintained. The examination of some specimens of 

 P. higginsi, originally described as Mus leiicopus by Higgins 

 and Petterd (1882, p. 174), led me to forward a typical one 

 to Mr. Oldfield Thomas, of the British Museum, for com- 

 parison with those sent to that institution by Mr. Petterd. 

 Upon examination, Mr. Oldfield Thomas states that the 

 specimen forwai'ded was no doubt P. higginsi. In view of 

 the foregoing, the following is of interest. In the list of 

 measurements given with the description of the type, Higgins 

 and Petterd (1882, p. 174) gave the following: — 



"Length from tip of nose to root of tail 5:i inches 



"Length of tail 3!i inches" 



In a later publication (1883, page 186) Higgins and 

 Petterd stated that the measurements of the type specimen 

 were 33 inches for both the body and the tail, so it is difficult 

 to know exactly what the type (which was not preserved) did 

 measure; more especially as in the type description they 

 refer to the tail as being long. In the later description 

 reference is made to the fact that further specimens of the 

 species have been secured, and the measurements of same 

 were: — 



"From tip of nose to root of tail 5i inches 



"Length of tail 6:J inches" 



The specimens that I have recently examined generally 

 agree with the above as regai'ds size, the length from tip 

 of nose to root of tail averaging 5-5/8 inches and the tail 

 6-7/8 inches. 



Upon the strength of the type description the vernacular 

 description of "Short-tailed mouse" was given to this species. 



