No.r.m ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR MAMMALS— MILLER. 765 
MUS ANDAMANENSIS Blyth. 
Mtis {Leggadal) andamansis Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, XXIX, 1860, 
p. 103. (Port Blair, South Andaman Island.) 
Blyth first mentioned the Andaman rat in 1859^ as a species "not of 
recent introduction," to the islands. The following year specimens 
taken by Captain Hodge, then in command of the guard ship Sesostn's at 
Port Blair, enabled him to name and describe the animal. Though 
occasionally alluded to during the course of the next few ^^ears*^ 3fus 
audrnnanensis has reiuained a ver}" imperfectly known animal, and since 
1891^ has been generally regarded as identical with J/k.s rattus. 
Dr. Abbott secured eight specimens at MacPherson Strait, South 
Andaman Island. These show that the species is quite distinct from 
Mus rattm^ Mus alexandrliius^ or any other known rat. It may be 
characterized as follows: 
In size and external appearance much like the form of Mui^ alexan- 
dri?im, occurring in Trong, Lower Siam, and on Nankauri Island, 
Nicobars, but fur often, though not invariably, more spinous, and light 
color (pale cream buff) of under parts sharply contrasted with brown of 
sides. Tail slightl}^ longer than head and body. Skull similar to that 
of J/ns alexandrmus, but feefh noticeably larger. 
There is considerable variation in the quality of the fur. In six of 
the specimens the spines are larger and much more conspicuous than 
in 3fus alexafidrmus, but in the others they are exactly as in the 
mainland animal. Color as in Malayan 3fus alexandrinus, except that 
there is a distinct line of demarcation between the pale cream but! of 
the belly and the yellowish brown of the sides. As shown by the 
table of measurements (page 772), the tail is usually a little longer than 
the head and body. The single exception (No. 111823) is so striking 
that the specimen suggests at first sight a distinct species; but in all 
characters, except the greatly elongated tail, it agrees with the others 
from the same locality. 
MUS PULLIVENTER, new species. 
Type.—KAxAt male (skin and skull). No. 111790, U.S.N.M. Col- 
lected on Great Nicobar Island, Nicobars, March 12, 1901, by Dr. W. L. 
Abbott. Original number, 927. 
Characters. — A rat of somewhat less bulk than 3ius flehiUs., but with 
smaller hind foot and shorter tail, the length of latter considerably less 
than that of head and body. Fur densely spinous, but the bristles 
even more slender than in 3Im jiehUk. Color brown throughout, the 
belly not distinctly paler than sides, skull slender, with dorsal profile 
iJourn. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, XXVIII, p. 27. 
^ Blyth, Appendix to Mouat's Adventures and Researches among the Andaman 
Islanders, 1863, p. 354. 
^Blanford, The Fauna of British India, Mamm., p. 406. 
