Mrs BAxmcoTA. 193 



The genus, as bere restricted, comprises the house-rats and mice, and 

 some field-rats of move or less allied form, and. the various species may 

 be groiiped together according to their size and habit. 



1st Group. Rats more or less allied to the common brown rat, Mus 

 decumanv.s, L. — Chuhd, H. — Yelka, Tel. — llli, Can. — KaUoJc, Lepch. — 

 Pit6-i, Bhot. 



174. Mus bandicota, 



Bechstein. — Blyth, Cat. p. 112. — J/, giganteus, Hardwicke, Lin. 

 Trans. VIII. t. 18. — J/, malaharicus, Shaw. — 2£. nemorlvagus, HoDCt- 

 SON. — J/, perclml, Shaw ? — M. seti/er, Horsfield, fid. Blyth. — ^Elliot, 

 Cat. 30. — Indiir, Sansc. — Ghoiis or Gh(s, H. and Mahr. — Ikria or Ikara, 

 Beng. — Ueggin, Can. — Pandi kokii, Tel., i. e. the pig-nit, whence the 

 word Bandicoot is derived. 



The Baxdicoot-rat. 



Descr. — Dark dusky olive-brown colour above, with some black bristly 

 hairs intei-mixed ; beneath lighter, mixed with gi'ay. 



Length of a large individual, head and body 15 inches ; tail 13 ; weight 

 31b, Hardwicke's specimen figured was, head and body 13|^; tail 13. 

 Average size in Bengal, head and body lOf inches ; tail 8|. Hodgson 

 gives dimensions oi nenioi'ivagus as, snout to I'ump 12 ; tail 9 J ; weight 

 20 oz. 



The incisors are dark olive-green at the base, becoming yellow at the 

 exti'emities. The molars have strong alveolar processes ; the anterior 

 (prsemolar) is divided into three portions by transverse ridges of enamel, 

 the middle ones into two, and the postei-ior ones only partially so. They 

 become quite tubercular when old. The tail is scaly, with a few scat- 

 tered, short, adpressed, bristly hail's. The female has twelve teats. 



This well-known rat is found throughout India, also in Ceylon, and 

 many parts of Malayana, the M. setifer of Horsfield being identical with 

 this species. According to information lately received from Mr. Blyth, it 

 appears to be more abundant in the south of India and Ceylon than in 

 the north ; and ]Mi\ Blyth states it to be rare in Calcutta. In the fort at 

 I\Iadi-as it is exceedingly numerous, living during the day in drains, and 

 entering houses at night. During my residence in Fort St. George, I 

 killed a great many in my own house, some of which were of large size, and 



o 



