Mrs. 419 



on the side of a bank. When the animal is inside the entrance is 

 closed with small pebbles, a quantity of which are collected out- 

 side, by \\hich its retreat may always be known. The burrow leads 

 to a chamber in \\ hich is collected a bed of small pebbles on which 

 it sits. Its food appears to be vegetable. In its habits it is 

 monogamous and nocturnal." 



The genus Ler/f/ada of Gray, classed apart from 3Ius by Jerdon 

 and some others, was founded on JIus huclwja, but the present 

 species, which was included, is more characteristic. The only 

 important distinction is the form of the anterior upper molar, 

 and that is variable, there being, in Mus haduga, a complete pas- 

 sage to the ordinary murine form of the tooth. 



290. Mus mettada. The metad Rat, or soft-furred Field-Rai. 



Golunda meltada, Gray, Charlesioorth' s Mag. N. H.\, p. 686 (1837) 

 Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxii, p. 352 ; Jerdon, Mam. p. 213. 



Mus mettade and M. lauuginosus, Elliot, Mad. Jour. L. S. x, 

 pp. 208, 212. 



Mus mettada, Blanford, J. A. S. B. xlvi, pt. 2, p. 290, pi. i ; Thomas, 

 P. Z. S. 1881, p. 550 ; IF. Sclater, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 530. 



Mettiid, Mettanyandu, Wadari. 



Fur dense, fine aud soft, without spines. Tail about the same length 

 as the head and body or rather less, not pencilled. Ears rounded, 

 moderately large, very thinly clad with short hair. Planta with 4 

 or 5 pads only. Mammfe 8 : 2 pairs pectoral, 2 inguinal. Skull 

 convex above, anterior palatine foramiua long. 



Colour above dark greyish brown (earthy browai), paler on the 

 sides, and white below. Basal three fourths or more of the dorsal 

 fur leaden black ; tips light brown, mixed on the back with 

 numerous rather longer black terminations. Basal portion of fur 

 on lower parts very dark grey. Feet whitish. Hairs on tail 

 dark brown above, white below. 



Dimensions of a male in spirit : head and body 5 inches, tail 4*2, 

 ear from orifice 0'75, hind foot 1-05 ; extreme length of skull 1-38, 

 basal length 1*2, zygomatic breadth 0'63. 



Disirihution. Found in sevei-al parts of the Peninsula of India — 

 Eta\\ah aud Banda, Ahmednagar, Dharwar, Cuddapah, Anaimalai 

 hills, and various other parts of the Madras Presidency. 

 Mr. Murray has obtained this species in 8ind. Tlie Ceylon 

 specimens mentioned by Blyth (J. A. S. B. xx, p. 167) were, 

 however, wrongly identified. 



Habits. These have been described by Sir W. Elliot, who says : — 

 " The Mettade lives entirely in cultivated fields, in pairs or small 

 societies of five or six, making a very slight and rude hole in the 

 root of a bush, or merely harbouring among the heaps of stones 

 thrown together in fields, in the deserted burrow of the kok, or 

 contenting itself with the deep cracks and fissures formed in the 

 black soil duriug the hot months. Great numbers perish annually, 

 when these collapse and fill up at the commencement of the rains. 



