210 MURINJ3. 



Gen. PLATACANTHOMYS, Blyth. 



o o 



Char. Molars ; equal in size, except the last upper one, which is 



3 3 



smaller than the rest, surrounded with enamel, with three or four trans- 

 verse folds ; incisors smooth, compressed ; muzzle acute ; eafs moderate, 

 nude ; tail hairy, the hairs arranged distichously ; whiskers very long ; 

 upper parts densely covered with sharp flat spines, mixed with an exceed- 

 ingly delicate thin undercoat ; a few spines also on the lower part, but 

 smaller and finer ; hallux nailless. Blyth states that the rodential 

 tusks are quite those of Myoxus, and that its whole habit is myoxine. 

 Professor Peters, too, says the resemblance of this genus to the dormouse 

 at first sight is very striking, principally on account of the long-haired 

 tail ; but in other respects, in its smaller eyes, very thin ears, and the 

 well-developed, although very short, thumb of the fore-foot, it more 

 approaches several murine genera of tropical India. The peculiarities 

 of the skull in which it' deviates from the murine type are, according 

 to Peters, the small and narrow foramina incisiva, formed only by the 

 intermaxillary bones, the imperfect perforate palate, and the very short 

 coronoid process of the lower jaw. 



198. Platacanthomys lasiurus. 

 BLYTH, Proc. As. Soc. Gale. 1859, Cat. p. 109. 



THE LONG-TAILED SPINY MOUSE. 



Descr. General colour a somewhat light rufescent-brown ; under fur 

 paler. On the forehead and crown, where the hair is very full, the 

 colour is more rufescent ; whiskers chiefly black ; lower part dull or 

 subdued white. The hairs on the tail darker than the body-colour, 

 infuscated, except at the tip of the tail, where they are dull white, 

 forming a conspicuous pale tail-tip. 



Length of one, head a$d body G inches ; tail 3, 1| more to the end 

 of the hair ; ear posteriorly ^, ovoid and all but naked ; hind-foot 1. 



This very interesting addition to the Fauna of Southern India was 

 found by Rev. Mr. Baker in the hill-ranges of the Western Ghats of 

 South Malabar, and also in Cochin and Travancore. " I was ignorant of 

 the existence of this animal," says Mr. Baker, " till about a year ago, 

 when I found it in a range of hills about 3,000 feet high. It lives in 



