RESULTS FROM THE MAMMAL SURVEY. 427 



A second species from Nepal was named and described under the 

 name niviventer, bj Hodgson, in 1836. In the Kumaon Collection 

 we received specimens of this rat which agreed well with Hodgson's 

 type, in all these the underside was entirely pure white. We 

 have now, in this Sikkim Collection, a series of a rat which, while 

 closely resembling niviventer in most characters differs in having a 

 dark area on the middle of the back, from forehead to tail, and m 

 having a collar, which is extended in the median line, the whole 

 length of the abdomen, of the same colour as the back. I ?,dd 

 below a description of this animal under the name Mpimys lepclia. 



Finally Mr. Crump obtained a series of a small rat which I 

 believe to be undescribed and I add a description of it under the 

 name Epimys eha. 



The following key may help in discriminating between the 

 members of this group of Nepal-Sikkim rats. I may note here 

 that we have received in oiir Collections from Bui'ma some indi- 

 viduals of this group which are recorded in the reports as Ejnmt/i^ 

 jerdoni, but from what I have said above it is evident that they have 

 been wrongly labelled. I would have included them in this review 

 of the group were it not that there is a species, cinnammneiis, named 

 by Blyth from Shwe-gyen, of which we have no specimen for 

 reference : — 



Key. 



A. — General colour above " ochraceous.'" 

 a. Larger, head and body, 



130-140, skull, 36. 



Under surface pure 



white JE. fulvescsns, Gray. 



h. Smaller, head and body, 



110-115, skull, 32. 



Under surface greyish, 



individual hairs slate 



with white tips E. eha, sp. n. 



B. — General colour above greyish brown, "hair brown." 



a. Under surface pure white... E. niviventer, Hodgson. 



b. Dark gorget and median 



streak on abdomen ... E. lepclia, sp. n. 



Eptimys eha, sp. n. 



A rather small species of the fidvescens group, recognisable 

 among all the other species of the group by the black ' spectacles ' 

 round the eyes and the long close hair of the under surface, the 

 individual hairs being slate coloured with short white tips, giving 

 a general grey effect. 

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