NESOKIA IKDICA. 189 



earth like a mole-hill, on removing which the main shaft of the bun-ow 

 was followed along the side of the grassy bank at a depth of about 1 or 1 J 

 feet. From this a descending branch went still deeper to a small round 

 chamber, lined with roots, and just lai'ge enough to contain the animal. 

 From the chamber a small gallery ran quite round it, terminating on 

 either -side in the main shaft at the entrance of the chamber, and the 

 passage then continued down to the bottom of the bank and opened into 

 the plain. Near the upper entrance and above the passage to the chamber 

 was another small bi-anch, which terminated suddenly, and contained 

 excrement. But these bun^ows are by no means on an uniform plan. 

 Another occupied by an adult female was likewise examined in the same 

 neighbourhood. It was much more extensive, and covered a space of 

 about 15 feet in length by about 8 in breadth, also in a grassy mound, of 

 which it occupied both sides. Six entrances were observed (and there 

 may have been many more), each covered with bare earth. The deepest 

 part of the burrow near the chamber was about 3 feet from the surface ; 

 the chamber raised a little above the shaft, which terminated abruptly, 

 and was continued from the upper part of the chamber. The chamber 

 itself was lined with roots of gi'ass and bark of the date-tree, The 

 branching galleries, of which there were six, from the principal shaft, 

 appeared to have been excavated in search of food. 



" A variety found in the red soil is much redder in colour than the 

 common hok of the black land. Another variety Ls said to frequent the 

 banks of nullahs and to take the water when pursued, but the specimens 

 I have seen differed in no respect from the common kind (of which they 

 appeared to be young individuals) except in size." 



I have seen many burrows of this rat in all localities, but especially in 

 pasture and meadow land on the Neelgherries and elsewhere, much more 

 extensive than those recorded by ]Mr, Elliot, not unfrequently covering a 

 space nearly 15 to 20 yards in diameter, and covered with huge mounds 

 of the earth thrown out, forming unsightly heaps in a grassy compound, 

 or on a hill side. This rat is occasionally destructive to tea-trees, biting 

 the roots just below the surface; more, I believe, because they come in 

 the way of their burrows, than to feed on them. In the Government 

 Tea-garden near Dehra, many trees are destroyed by these rats, and the 

 superintendent is obliged to keep some men employed to dig them out 

 whenever they betray their presence by the rat-hills of loose earth. 

 Several that I procured from Dr. Jameson were of a very large size, 



