426 On European Dormice. 



Total 



Head and Hind length of 



body. Tail. foot. Eur. ekulL 



nun. mm. mm. mm. mm. 

 0. Siena. B.M. £8. 10. 2. 12. 



Aug. 19, 1898. {Brogi.) . . 187 130 28 23 41 

 $. Siena. B.M. 98. 10. 2. 13. 



Aug. 23, 1898. (Brof/i.) .. 1G0 151 28 21 

 $. B.M. 98. 10. 2. 14. Aug. 25, 



1898. {Brogi-) 18 ° 153 32 23 4 



$. Siena. B.M. 08. 10. 2. 15. 



Aug. 26, 1898. (Brogi) .. 174 1G0 37* 20 42 



$ (juv.). Siena. B.M. 98. 10. 2. 16. 



'Sept. 1, 1808. (Brogi.).... 124 110 83 20 



Glis (/lis. 

 $. Germany. July 27, 1895. 



{R. Schuchardt.) 170 130 80 



$. Germany. Aug. 18, 1898. 



IB. Schuchardt.) 140 120 205 .. 



$>. Ekenkrug, near Magdeburg, 



German v. July 27, 1895. 



{Dr. Wolterstorff.) 156 137 30 .. 88 



The type (Brit. Mus. coll. no. 98. 10. 2. 14) is a female 

 and one of Cav. Brogi's Siena specimens. 



While working - at the above species J found it necessary to 

 consider what interpretation should be placed on Rafinesque's 

 descriptions of two small mammals from Sicily, which he 

 named t Musculus frugivorus and Musculus dichrurus. The 

 former is too large to be a mouse, having a length of 

 15 inches ; its cylindrical tail and Rafinesque's remark that 

 it is " uii vrai rat " seem to .-'amp it as almost certainly some 

 form of Mus alexandrinus. 



The description of Musculus dichrurus, however, does not 

 quite fit any known mammal of Sicily, nor can 1 follow 

 Lesson J, who evidently had in his mind a dormouse of some 

 kind when he renamed it as Myoxus siculcr. It, however, 

 we ignore Rafinesque's remark, " il tombe en le*thargie 

 durant I'hyver," on which point he may have been wrongly 

 informed, we may without greatly stretching our imagination 

 identify Musculus dichrurus with Mus sylvaticus. 



* Probably a mistake for 27 mm., which is more nearly the measure- 

 ment of the foot in the dried skin. 



+ 'Precis des decouyertes et travaux Somiologiojues,' 1814, p. 13. 



X ' Manuel de Mainmalogie, on Histoire JNaturelle des Mammiferes,' 

 1827. p. 274. 



