6 D. 31. A. Bate — Rodoit Eonainsfrom Crete. 



and that in fact it agrees in this respect with Cricetonujs. In spite of 

 the sirnihvrity in size the Cretan mohtrs are at once distinguishable 

 from those of Cricetomi/s by tlie presence in the latter of two extra 

 tubercles on the outer border of both m. - and m. -r. 



Although not very worn there is no sign in the Cretan specimen of 

 the third anterior cusp in m. 7 which seems to persist for a considerable 

 time in the examples of Rhagamys from Sardinia and Corsica which 

 I have examined. This extra anterior tubercle is given by Dr. Forsyth 

 Major' as one of the characteristics of R. orthodon, in which it agrees 

 with the group of mice including Apodemtis sylvaticus, and differs 

 from that containing Epimys and Mus rmisculus. The paired tubercles 

 appear to be somewhat further apart in M. catreus than in R. ortliodon. 



A small piece of very hard breccia from another Cretan cave-deposit 

 contains an imperfect left innominate bone believed to be that of the 

 species to which belong the molars described above. The inner 

 surface of the acetabular region is exposed, and, although only partially 

 preserved, it is evident that it must have belonged to a Murine of 

 considerably stouter proportions than E. deaananns. Further, the 

 iliac crest springs from the ilium very close to its acetabular end, 

 much more so than is the case in E. decui)ta)ius, and in this agreeing 

 with Cricetomys, although the whole specimen is somewhat less robust 

 than in the latter. Cricetomys, it will be remembered, is a recent 

 genus distributed over the whole of inter- tropical Africa, but, so far as 

 1 am aware, has not been obtained in a fossil state. 



Other rodent remains found in the Pleistocene cave-deposits of 

 Crete include those of an Acomys, still found in the island, and also 

 of Epimys rattus. This last is of more interest than might at first be 

 supposed, not only as indicating coexistence with Mus catreus, but 

 also because at the present day rats are found only in the towns 

 and A'illages. In Cyprus a brown form of E. rattus is extremely 

 common, both close to human habitations and in the countrj-, and it is 

 a significant fact that there is no weasel or stoat in that island. 

 In Crete, on the other hand, a large weasel occurs,^ consequently the 

 finding of the fossil remains of a rat raises the question as to whether 

 this rodent roamed over the island until its radius was checked and 

 circumscribed by the comparatively late inti'oduction of the weasel, by 

 which it has been supplanted. 



It vaax be of interest to note that one of the characteristics of the 

 plentifully distributed Cretan field-mouse ^ of the present day is that 

 in size it is inferior to other Mediterranean forms. 



Remains of the Ifyoxus found by Spratt and identified by Falconer 

 were not met with by me. 



^ "Eodents of W. Mediterranean": Geol. Mag., n.s., Dec. V, Vol. II, 

 p. 503, 1905. 



2 Proc. Zool. Soc, vol. ii, pp. 319-20, 1905. 



■' " A. sylvaticus creticus, Miller " : Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. Vlli, vol. vi, 

 p. 460, November, 1910. 



