1909. J R. H. IvivOYD : The Races of Indian Rats, 35 



house rats of India, so far as they have been examined, cannot 

 easily be separated into distinct races, although in some districts 

 they are of purer breed or less variable than in others. The greater 

 racial separation among hill rats appears to be a necessary effect 

 of their environment, which, by causing isolation, must encourage 

 pure or inbreeding and lead to the establishment of dominant 

 races. Apart from racial distinctions hill rats as a whole show 

 certain characters. Their fur is long, fine and plentiful, and 

 combines to form a warmer coat than that of the lowland rat. 

 Moreover the tail of the hill rat is comparatively short. This is 

 equally true of the rats of Kashmir, Naini Tal, Darjiling and 

 Katmandu. Mus jerdoni is a rat which has an unusually long tail 

 and spiny fur and seems an exception to the rule, but it is not the 

 common rat of Darjiling at the present day ; it is probably an 

 inhabitant of the low slopes of the Eastern Himalayas. 



The differences between the highland and lowland rats seem 

 to be of the same nature as the differences between the races of 

 mankind which are similarly situated. It is certain that racial dis- 

 tinctions are more frequent and more clearly defined among hillsmen 

 than among plainsmen ; it is hardly less certain that men of the 

 various hill tribes of the Himalayas show collectively certain pecu- 

 liarities. They are generally of shorter stature and stouter limb 

 than the men of the plains. 



Himalayan rats have been received from vSrinagar, Simla, 

 Naini Tal, Darjiling and Nepal. They present some interesting 

 biological problems, the solution of which will require a wider 

 investigation than has been carried out at present. 



Kashmir. 



We have received from Dr. Mitra of Srinagar the skins of ten 

 rats caught in that district. One of these is a mole-rat of the 

 genus Gunomys. The others belong to the Mus rattus group. 



Ksh. I— 



Includes eight rats which were taken from a well-marked race. 

 Although measurements of the freshly killed rats were not 

 recorded, there is no doubt that the tails of all of them must 

 have been shorter than is usual among the members of the Mus 

 rattus group. When the dried tails are turned forwards and laid 

 along the back, their tips do not reach the level of the ears. 

 When the dried skins of lowland rats are examined in this way, 

 they commonly reach the tip of the snout or beyond. There is 

 little doubt that the tails of these Kashmiri rats were hardly 

 as long as the combined length of the head and body. 



In all the under parts are pure white. The dorsal fur, 

 though somewhat variable in colour, is dull reddish grey. The 

 component hairs are long, slender and very plentiful, and form 

 a warmer coat than is found on lowland rats. Spines are 



