12 
fur like that on the head, and which is of a black colour, forming a | 
portion of the dark ring before mentioned ; and on the hinder margin 
of the ear, at the base, is a fringe of pale yellowish hairs. ‘The upper 
surface of the head is of a paler hue than the upper parts of the body, 2 
which are of a pale ash-colour, slightly tinted with yellowish ; the 
upper surface of the lateral membrane is blackish, and so is the ante- 
rior portion of the fore-arm and region cf the wrist; a dusky tint is 
also observable on the posterior part of the hind-leg. 
Mus penicittatus. Mus griseo-fuscus, vellere fere ut in M. de- 
cumano ; corpore subtis pedibusque albis flavo lavatis ; auribus 
mediocribus, postice subemarginatis ; caudd corpore capiteque paulo 
longiore, gracili, dimidid apicali pilis longis nigris vestitd. 
une. lin. 
Longitudo ab apice rostri ad caude basin.... 7 3 
——————— COU. cei ivccrercccsacs 79 
ab apice rostri ad basin auris ..... 1 54 
tarsi digitorumque...... 2.2.0.5. Lind as 
GUIS Ls scala ey wants sts mb 0 73 
Hab. Port Essington. 
This species of Rat is rather less than the Mus decumanus ; in the 
character of its fur it nearly resembles that animal, but the hairs are » 
rather more adpressed ; the colouring of the upper parts of the body 
also nearly resembles that of M. decumanus; there is, however, a 
rusty tint in the region of the occiput and on the back of the neck. 
Around the angle of the mouth, the chin, throat, and all the under 
parts of the body, as well as the feet and inner side of the legs, are 
white, with a faint yellow tint, which might be described as cream- 
colour ; and the hairs on these parts are of an uniform colour to the 
roots, excepting on the chest, where they are grey next the skin. The 
tail is long and slender, sparingly clothed at the base with minute 
bristly hairs, as in most species of the genus ; but about the middle of 
the tail the hairs assume a black colour, and are longer, and towards 
the apex they soon attain a considerable length, measuring at and 
near the tip half an inch or more. The ears are narrower than 
usual, somewhat pointed, and slightly emarginated behind ; they are 
sparingly clothed with minute hairs. 
Mus uirsutus. Mus vellere hirsuto, corpore supra fuscescente 
pilis nigris crebré commiatis, subtis fulvescens, fusco rufoque 
tincto ; auribus mediocribus ; caudd longd pilis nigris, aliquanto 
longis, vestitd ; dimidid apicali pilis longioribus, his ad apicem 
caude rufescentibus. 
Of this large and curious Rat, Mr. Gould regretted that he did 
not possess a perfect skin; the somewhat mutilated skin which he 
exhibited, together with a perfect skeleton, however, displayed cha- 
racters very distinct from other species of Mus. Compared with the 
known species of that genus, he observed it approached most nearly 
to the Mus giganteus of Hardwicke ; it is equal in size to that animal, 
and has the same coarse shaggy fur, but is readily distinguished by 
its well-clothed tail, the hairs on this part being much longer than 
