412 MtiBID.I. 



longer than the head aud body. Mammae 8 : 2 pairs pectoral, 

 2 inguiual. Planta short. Earsl arge. Skull nearly flat above ; 

 nose elongate, anterior border of maxillary zygomatic process 

 convex below, concave but not deeply emarginate above ; bullse 

 small. 



Colour above bright rufous-brown, darker on the back than on 

 the sides, lower parts white, the colours sharply divided. Basal 

 three-fourths of dorsal hair slaty grey, tips dull orange, the spines 

 whitish with long black tips ; ventral hair white throughout. 

 Tail distinctly bicoloured throughout, dusky above, white below, 

 the two colours contrasting strongly. Feet, as a rule, white, but 

 the dark colour of the tarsus sometimes extends to the base of the 

 digits. 



Dimensions. Head and body of an adult female o"5 inches, 

 tail 7, hind foot 1-2, ear from orifice 0*75. Of another the head 

 and body measured 5-4, tail 8-5. Basal length of a skull V'S, 

 extreme length 1*5. 



Distribution. Eastern Himalayas at elevations of from 4000 to 

 7000 feet, Khasi hills, Tenasserim (Fea), Java, and perhaps 

 Formosa {M. coxinr/i)- probably a hill-species everywhere. The 

 AVestern Himalayan specimens mentioned by Jerdon are referred 

 by Thomas, probably with justice, to another species. 



280. Mus niveiventer. The ivhite-helUed Rat. 



Mus (Rattus) niviventer, Ilochjson, J. A. >S. B. v, p. 234 (1836) ; 



Blytli^ J. A. S. B. xxviii, p. 29o, xxxii, p. 342. 

 Mus uiviveuter, Jerdon, Mam. p. 200; Thomas, P. Z. S. 1881, 



p. 540. 



Fur of moderate length, sometimes thickly mixed with flattened 

 spines, sometimes without spines. Tail a little longer than the 

 head and body, with the hair towards the tip rather longer aud 

 thicker than elseAvhere. Skull very similar to that of 31. jerdoni. 



Colour dull brown above, with more or less of a greyish tinge, 

 sides a little paler than the back, lower parts white, the colours 

 sharply divided on the sides. Basal two-thirds or more of the 

 dorsal fur leaden grey, spines whitish, terminal portion of hairs 

 isabelline (whity browu), the spines with long black tips. Feet 

 whitish. Tail distinctly bicoloured, the upper surface dark brown, 

 lower whitish or white. 



Dimensions. Head and body 5*2.5 inches, tail 6, hind foot 0'92 ; 

 extreme length of skull about 1-3. Blyth gives larger dimensions 

 for specimens from Mussooree. 



Distribution. Himalayas from Simla to Katmandu in Nepal. 

 Jerdon adds Darjiling, but he possibly mistook spineless specimens 

 of M. jerdoni for the present form. 



Besides being much greyer in colour, the present species is 

 distinguished from J/, jerdoni by having a comparatively shorter 

 tail. 



