FAMILY MURID-*. 
8? 
scales beneath. Soles with five tubercles. Hind legs 1 *2 in length; the internal toe shortest, 
and the middle toe slightly longer than the adjacent one on each side ; near their bases, the 
nails are slightly tinged with brown: all the toes have transverse scales on the under side. 
Soles with five distinct tubercles, and another minute one opposite the internal toe. Tail 
moderate, cylindrical, enlarged at the root, scaly, with rather sparse supine hairs, some of 
which extend slightly beyond the vertebrae. The whole body covered with an exceedingly 
long and fine fur, standing half an inch high along the back, and slightly less on other parts 
of the body. On the legs the hairs are short, adpressed beneath, and extend beyond the nails. 
Teeth. These correspond very well with the dentition assigned by Fred. Cuvier to the 
Campagnols, (Dents des Mammiferes, p. 155,) with the following variations : The second 
molar of the upper jaw is composed of five triangles, the posterior space being the largest, 
elongated and sinuous. In the lower jaw, the incisors are not as much rounded on their ante¬ 
rior surfaces, are more slender, and twice the length of those above. In the first molar are 
three internal triangles, of which the posterior is largest; in the second are an anterior, an 
external, two internal, and a posterior transverse space; the last molar has three irregular 
spaces, the posterior being the largest, transverse and almost semilunate. All are so closely 
united, that a casual observer would be led to suppose that there were many more teeth than 
actually exist. In the broad and dilated processes of the lower jaw, almost concealing the 
teeth, and in the position and shape of the triangular spaces on the crowns of the teeth, we 
have a representation in miniature of similar parts in the Fiber zibethicus already described. 
Color. Above brownish grey, slightly darker on the back, approaching nearly in color to 
the Brown Rat. This color passes into slaty grey, on the chin, cheeks and abdomen ; the 
base of the fur, on every part of the body, dark plumbeous. Feet dark brown above, cine¬ 
reous beneath. Nose flesh-colored. Tail brownish above, lighter beneath, with a few hairs 
fulvous at their base. 
Length of head and body,. 5’0. 
Ditto of tail,... 1 ‘9. 
In another specimen the dimensions were, 
Length of head and body,.. 3'9. 
Ditto of tail (vertebra),. 1 • 4. 
Ditto ditto (including fur),_ 1 ’6. 
This species affords another example of the great difficulty of determining whether it has 
been previously described. A distinguished American naturalist is disposed to refer it to the 
xanthognathus of Leach, (Zool. Miscell. Vol. 1. pi. 26.) It wants, however, the fulvous 
cheeks, and the ears well covered with hair, attributed to that species by Richardson. Upon 
the suggestion that it might possibly be the pensylvanicus of Ord and Harlan, it was shown 
to both those gentlemen, who pronounced it to be totally distinct. We are inclined to believe 
it to be the Meadow-mouse of Pennant, as cited above. His account, concise as it is, agrees 
