MU8. 417 



nearly naked, considerably shorter than the head and body. Ear 

 moderate, rounded, thinly clad. Feet small ; planta narrow, the 

 proximal pair of plantar pads small, close together and near the 

 next pair, so that all the pads are more distally situated than in 

 M. musculus. Mammae 10 : 3 pairs pectoral, 2 inguinal. 



Skull more depressed than in M. musculus and occipital region 

 flatter. Lower portion of infraorbital foramen more open, and 

 anterior border of maxillary zygoma-root usually convex to the base. 

 First upper molar sometimes with an additional anterior cusp and 

 often with an elongate anterior spur with or without a cusp. In 

 some cases both cusp and spur are wanting. 



Colour above varying from pale sandy to dark greyish brown, 

 below white. Basal half or more of dorsal fur dark grey, tips 

 brown, a few longer hairs with black terminations intermixed on 

 the rump. Underfur on lower parts sometimes grey. Tail paler 

 below. 



Dimensions. Head and body 2'4 to about 3 inches, tail 2-1 to 

 2-7. A male in spirit measured : head and body 2'8, tail 2*45, ear 

 0-4, hind foot 0-65. Extreme length of a skull 075. 



Distribution. The Peninsula of India and Ceylon generally. Not 

 recorded from the Indus valley (except from Karachi) or the 

 Himalayas. I have specimens from Ajmere and from Fatehgarh, 

 N.W.P. Blyth's Burmese locality for Mus beavani is, I think, 

 probably due to some mistake, but a specimen was obtained at 

 Bhamo by Mr. Fea. 



Habits. Common in fields, living in small burrows, often under 

 roots or stones ; found also in gardens, in woods, and sometimes in 

 houses. Jerdon states that a little heap of stones is generally 

 found near the hole of this mouse. Usually only a pair of M. buduga 

 are found in one burrow. This species was found in houses by 

 Kelaart and by Jerdon, for the description, under M. darjilingensis 

 (Mam. p. 205), of a house-mouse found by the latter at Jalna and 

 Nagpur clearly refers to the present form. 



Gray's name booduga was perhaps derived by some complicated 

 process from Uiurlca. 



288. Mus cervicolor. The fawn-coloured Mouse. 



Mus cervicolor, Hodgson, A. M. N. H. xv, p. 268 (1845) ; Blyth, 

 J. A. S. B. xxxii, p. 349; id. Cat. p. 119; Jerdon, Mam. p. 206; 

 Thomas, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 547, 1886, p. 65. 



Mus strophiatus, Hodgson, ibid. ; Bhjth, J. A. S. B. xxxii, p. 349. 



Mus cumcularis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiv (1855), p. 721, xxxii, p. 348; 

 id. Cat. p. 119. 



Fur soft, spineless. Ears large, extending to the eye when laid 

 forward. This mouse is similar in other details of structure to Mus 

 buduga. 



Colour dark fawn or moderately pale rufescent brown to darker 

 brown above, white below ; underfur dark grey throughout, longer 

 black terminations mixed with the light brown tips of the dorsal 

 fur. Tail the same colour throughout. 



