On neio Australian Small Mammals. 491 



adult pelage. Under surface, from lips and chin to anus, 

 inner sides of limbs, and whole of hands and feet pure snowy 

 white, the hairs white to their roots, except just on the chest, 

 where they have slaty bases. Ears of medium length, grej. 

 Tail longer than the head and body, sharply bicolor, bUickish 

 above, pure white below. 



Skull as compared with that of 3/. s. arianus, Blanf., rather 

 smaller, and with decidedly smaller teeth. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in the flesli) : — 



Head and body 93 millim. ; tail 102 j hind foot 21 ; ear 16. 



Skull : greatest lengtii 25"5 ; basilar length 19"6 j inter- 

 orbital breadth 3-8; palate lengtii 11 ; palatal foramina 4-8: 

 length of upper molar series 3*2. 



Bab. Near Sheoul, Fars, Persia. Altitude 5200 feet. 



Ti/pe. Male, young adult. B.M. no. 2. 10. 1. 14. Col- 

 lected 15th May, 1902, and presented by Harry F. Witherby, 

 Esq. 



This is evidently a desert form of the Mas sylvaticus 

 group, its snowy-white belly distinguishing it from every 

 described race. Its nearest geographical ally, M. s. arianus, 

 Blanf., from Kohrud, N. of Isfahan, has also markedly larger 

 teeth. 



I have named this pretty mouse in honour of Mr. Witherby, 

 to whom the National Museum owes examples of several 

 interestino- Persian mammals. 



LXVI. — Two new Australian Small Mammals. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



Musferculinus, sp. n. 



An insular form of the West-Australian M. nanus, Gould. 



Size about as in M. nanus. General colour pale greyish 

 brown, paler than in M. nanus ; head darker brown than the 

 back. Ears rather short, laid forward in a spirit-specimen 

 they only just reach to the posterior canthus of the eye. 

 Upper surface of hands and feet dull greyish white ; fifth 

 hind toe short, reaching without claw barely to the base of 

 the fourth ; external metatarsal pad of soles almost or quite 

 obsolete ; internal metatarsal oval. Tail rather shorter than 

 the head and body, very finely scaled (14-15 rings to the 

 centimetre), finely haired, brown above, dull white below. 



Skull about as in M. nanus. 



