32 



Records of the Indian Museum. 



[Vol. Ill, 



The four lots were received on separate occasions ; the members 

 of every brood must have been nearly of the same age except those 

 of brood E. D. L. which are considerably older. The average tail 

 percentage of the fifteen members contained in batches D. I. G. 

 and F. E. M. together is 78-8. The broods E. D. L. and S. M. P. 

 show values well below this average. 



It might be thought that this was evidence of two separate 

 races of mettada in the Punjab. However, an examination of the 

 measurements of the fifteen adults does not confirm this idea. 

 The peculiarities shown by the broods E. D. L. and S. ^I. P. are 

 probably due to f amih^ likeness. 



Colour. — All the specimens closely resemble one another in 

 colour, the fur is about 15 mm. long and very soft, like prepared 

 sealskin, the basal three-fourths of each hair is of a very dark slate- 

 colour, the remainder being fawn-coloured, sometimes of reddish 

 tint. Some hairs project beyond the majority and have black 

 tips. 



The tails are variable in colour, they are always lighter below 

 than above, but whereas some are pure white below and scantily 

 pigmented on the upper surface, others are lightly pigmented below 

 and nearly black above. 



Skull. — The principal measurements of the skull are shown 

 above. The great length of the palatine foramen, and the 

 antero-posterior curvature of the upper surface are the principal 

 characteristics. 



Habits. — It must be mentioned that Dav^^s found these field 

 rats in dwelling-houses on two separate occasions. 



Captain l?)avys's o])erations extended beyond Amritsar into the 

 Lahore, JuUuudur and Lyallpur districts: in the foregoing descrip- 

 tion the collection has been treated as a whole. 



The measurements of the Lyallpur rats are shown separately 

 in the diagram, text-fig. 3. Unfortunately we have not as yet been 

 able to deal with a large collection of Gerbillus , Goalunda and 

 shrews which have also been received from Amritsar. 



