98 THE GROWTH OF GROUPS 



The drawings are of the natural size but were made 

 from dried specimens. The accompanying figures 

 represent the measurements of the length of the head 

 and body together and of the hind foot in the same 

 individuals. 



It is interesting to note from the taxonomic point of 

 view that the single character of foot length seems to be 

 enough to justify the placing of these sports in the genus 

 Bandicota. Both Gunomys varius and Bandicota nemo- 

 rivaga are large bristly rats of much the same size and 

 appearance, having much the same proportionate length 

 of tail and quality of fur. The proportionate size of the 

 hind feet is the most striking difference between them, 

 but in this respect the sports resemble Bandicota. They 

 could not have been derived from that genus, for it does 

 not occur in Rangoon. Moreover, the skull type of the 

 sports is nearer to Gunomys than to Bandicota. This can 

 be seen in the illustration, Fig. 5, which shows the three 

 types. An important point of resemblance between the 

 sport and Gunomys, in which they both differ from 

 Bandicota is the distance between two boney points 

 projecting from the junction of the front and inner 

 margin of the orbits. In Bandicota these two points 

 are much closer together. As regards the hinder part 

 of the skull, however, the sport is more like Bandicota, 

 since in both the occipital surface is vertical, so that the 

 condyles cannot be seen when the skull is viewed directly 

 from above. It may seem to those unacquainted with 

 taxonomic zoology that such points are too small to be 

 of much significance, but it is just such points as these 

 that are used by taxonomists as generic and specific 

 characters, and we wish to know how it is that such 



