LEGGADA. 341 
This species, according to Dr. Anderson, frequents the villages and 
houses of the Kakhyens. He obtained it at Ponsee. 
We now come to an interesting little group of mice, of which the 
hairs are mixed with flat spines, which form the genus Legvada of 
Gray, a term taken from the Wuddur name for the next species. 
GENUS LEGGADA. 
CHARACTERISTICS.—Molars high, with somewhat convex crowns ; 
the cross ridges of the upper grinders deeply three-lobed ; the front one 
with an additional lunate lobe at the base of its front edge; fur fine, 
mixed with numerous spines somewhat flattened. 
No. 374. LEGGADA PLATYTHRIX. 
The Brown Spiny Mouse (Jerdon’s No. 194). 
NaTivE Names.—Zeggade and Kal-yelka, of Wuddurs ; Gieli-gadu, 
Telegu, of Yanadees ; Aad/-z/ez, Canarese. 
HapitTat.—Southern India. 
DESCRIPTION.—Sandy brown or light brown fawn above, white under- 
neath, with a band of pale fawn separating the two colours. 
The fur mixed with flat transparent spines, smaller beneath ; head 
long ; muzzle pointed ; ears rather large, oblong, rounded, about half an 
inch in length. 
SizE.—Head and body, 3} inches ; tail, 24 inches. 
The following description has been given by Sir Walter Elliot and 
reproduced in Jerdon’s ‘Mammals’: ‘“‘ The Leggade lives entirely in the 
red gravelly soil in a burrow of moderate depth, generally on the side of 
a bank. When the animal is inside the entrance is closed with small 
pebbles, a quantity of which is collected outside, by which its retreat may 
always be known. The burrow leads to a chamber in which is 
collected a bed of small pebbles on which it sits, the thick close 
hair of the belly protecting it from the cold and asperity of such a seat. 
Its food appears to be vegetable. In its habits it is monogamous and 
nocturnal. 
“In one earth which I opened, and which did not seem to have been 
originally constructed by the animal, I found two pairs, one of which were 
adults, the other young ones about three-parts grown. The mouth of 
the earth was very large, and completely blocked up with small stones ; 
the passage gradually widening into a large cavity, from the roof of 
which some other passages appeared to proceed, but there was only one 
communication with the surface, viz. the entrance. ‘The old pair were 
seated on a bed of pebbles, near which, on a higher level, was another 
collection of stoneS probably intended for a drier retreat; the young 
