540 MURIDAZE—APODEMUS 
IME03 (Sib VOID INET ID) MOSS: 
APODEMUS HIRTENSTS, Barrett-Hamilton. 
1899. MUS HIRTENSIS, G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton, Proc. Zool. Soc., London, 1899, 
81, pl. ix., fig. 1, reprinted in Anm. Scott. Nat. Hist., 1899, 129; described from 
St Kilda: type specimen No. 94.7.16.1 of British Museum collection, Barrett- 
Hamilton, 4mm. Scott. Nat. fist., 1906, 1. ; (Apodemus) Miller, Catalogue, 825, 1912. 
1900. MUS SYLVATICUS HIRTENSIS, G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton, Proc. Zool. Soc., 
London, 1900, 404; Johnston; Millais ; Trouessart. 
Distribution and history :—This field mouse is only known from 
St Kilda, upon which mice of some sort have been long known 
to exist (Seton, St Az/da, Past and Present, 1878, 132); it inhabits the 
main island—Hirta—and the adjacent islets, Soay and Dun. Steele 
Elliott, in an account of a visit to St Kilda given at a meeting of the 
Birmingham Nat. Hist. and Philosophical Society on 13th November 
1894 (Proceedings, April 1895, 135; and Zoologis¢, 1895, 282), mentioned 
the occurrence of a peculiar field mouse on the island. Unfortunately 
he secured only one specimen—‘ by far the most interesting of all my 
captures”—which was placed in spirit and forwarded to Harting. It 
was thought advisable to wait for further specimens before deciding on 
the status of this animal; but, for some reason, Harting failed to record 
the capture in the Zoologést. In January 1895 de Winton mentioned 
(Ann. Scott. Nat. Hest., 1895, 53) the occurrence of “The Wood-Mouse 
(Mus sylvaticus)” on St Kilda, Later, when de Winton described his 
Mus hebridensis (Zoologist, October 1895, 369), Steele Elliott, not 
suspecting the possibility that Azrfensis and hebridenses might be 
distinct, wrote (Journ. czt., 1895, 426, and 1896, 76) claiming priority for 
the discovery. De Winton at once pointed out (Journ. cit., 1895, 446) 
that bis own description of Aebridens’s was not applicable to the mouse 
taken by Steele Elliott at St Kilda. In 1898 Barrett-Hamilton’s interest 
was awakened by the remarkable appearance of Steele Elliott’s mouse, 
and he induced Henry Evans to land on St Kilda and trap further speci- 
mens. On the material so obtained Barrett-Hamilton based his JZus 
hirtensts. The habits of this mouse have been described by J. Waterston 
(Ann. Scott. Nat. Hzst., 1905, 199), and Eagle Clarke’s recent work has 
greatly extended our-knowledge of it (/owrz. cit., June 1914, 124). 
Description :—A. /urtensis is a large mouse with long feet and 
rather short ears, distinguished from its closest ally, A. hedrzdensis, by 
its larger size, relatively longer ears, occasionally darker ventral colora- 
tion, and considerably larger skull. 
The colour of the back and flanks is nearly as in sy/vaticus ; the 
under-surface is sometimes heavily washed with buff or yellowish-brown, 
which tint merges laterally in that of the flanks, so that there is no well- 
defined line of demarcation. It seems, however, that this is not the 
1 Barrett-Hamilton, Ann. Scott. Nat. Hist., 1906, 1. 
