998 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



This most interesting species, which I have named in honour of 

 its captor, is remarkable for its striking i^esemblaiice to the local 

 race of Leggada platythrix, an example of which was taken at the 

 same time and place by Mr. Priestley. Before their skulls were 

 examined, the two animals would have been supposed to belong to 

 one species, had it not been that the unusual mammary formula of 

 the Pyromys showed clearly on the skin. 



In working out the generic position of this pecular animal it has 

 become evident that, although the unwieldy genus Epimys cannot 

 yet be satisfactorily broken up into natural groups, certain peri- 

 pheral species may, as a preliminary, be separated from it. Such 

 are the species that have been called " Mus ' ? mettada, (more strict- 

 ly meltada ) gleadowi and humei, no one of which should be in a 

 genus whose type is so essentially different an animal as the Black 

 Rat ( Epimys rattus, L.) 



The following are the chief characters of the groups I propose 

 to form : — 



MILLARDIA,* g. n. 



Sole pads 4 or 5, the fifth pad of Epimys always, and the sixth 

 generally, suppressed. Fifth hind toe short, not reaching to base 

 of fourth. Tail of medium length. Mammas 2 — 2=8. 



Skull generally as in Epimys. Palatal foramina very long. 

 Posterior nasal opening of average breadth, close behind m'~. 



Molars decidedly brachyodont, broad. 



Type. — Millardia meltada (Golunda meltada, Gray. Mus mettada 

 auct.) Other species, listoni, Wrought, .and comberi, Wrought. 



The most essential character of this genus is the suppression, 

 total or partial, of the posterior sole pads, the structure of the 

 posterior palatal regions remaining still as in Epimys, 



GRYPOMYS, g. ii. 



Sole pads four only, the fifth and sixth suppressed. Fifth hind 

 toe short, not reaching to base of fourth. Tail rather short. 

 Mammas 1 — 2=6. 



* Named in honour of Mr. W. S. Millard, to whose enthusiastic help, in connec- 

 tion with the Bombay Natural History Society, so much of the recent progress of 

 Indian Zoology is due. 



