398 Mr. O. Thomas on some 



Emhallonura nigrescens , Gray. 



(J . 53 ; ? . 52. Gira River ( W. Stalker). 

 The small size of these specimens confirms the recent 

 separation * of E. n. solomo7iis from the typical form. 



Mus ringens^ Peters & Doria. 



c? . 0, 5. 



" Native name ' Kura.' "—C. A. W. M. 



This is the Papuan representative of Mus terrce-regincBf 

 Alst., with which it may have to be united when enough 

 material exists to justify the expression of a definite opinion. 

 Both may be distinguished from their allies by the yellow 

 mottling of the tail. 



Mus mordax, sp. n. 



? . 16. 14th November, 1903. Type.— BM. no. 4. 8. 3. 1. 



'' Native name ' Kaisi.^ "—G. A. IV. M. 



Closely allied to Mas prcetor^ Thos., of which it appears to 

 be the Papuan representative. Fur coarse, harsh, and spinous, 

 with many longer bristles intermixed. General colour above 

 of the same coarsely grizzled bistre-brown as in praetor^ 

 becoming rather more tawny on the rump. Under suiface 

 soiled clay-colour, the bases of the hairs dull slaty. Ears 

 short, uuitormly dark brown. Upper suiface of hands and 

 feet brown. Tail coarsely scaled, 9-10 scales to the cm.; 

 dark brown throughout ; its numerous hairs rather over one 

 scale in length. Mamma 2 — 2 = 8. 



Skull broad, rounded, smoother and less heavily ridged 

 than in ftrator ; supraorbital edges square, faintly beaded, 

 the beading forming a distinct postorbital projection. In 

 prator the supraorbital ridges are evenly divergent, without 

 postorbital projections, and are more strongly developed on 

 the parietals. Palatal foramina parallel-sided, not or scarcely 

 more widely open in the middle than at the posterior end, 

 reaching back to the level of the front edge of m^. In pnetor 

 the loramina are widely open at their middle, narrowing to 

 sharp points behind as well as in front. Incisors unusually 

 broad, smooth, and rounded in front, not specially deep antero- 

 posteriorly. Below they are equally thick and their roots are 

 carried up nearer to the corouoid notch than is the case in 

 31. prcetor. 



Dimensions of the type : — 



Head and body 190 mm. ; tail 136 ; hind foot (s. u.) 32. 



* Ann. & Mag. N. H. (7) xiv. p. 200 (1904). 



