881.] INDIAN SPECIES OF MUS. 531 



into transverse laminas as in Nesokia. PoUex truncated, with a 

 short nail, all the other digits with sharp compressed claws. 



To Mus as thus strictly limited I refer 12 of the species of 

 Muridae that have as yet been found within our limits ; but there 

 can be no doubt that several more species either hitherto undescribed, 

 or only known from Assam and Burmah, will yet be found in Sikhim 

 and the surrounding region. On the other hand, it seems impro- 

 bable that there are many more species to be recorded from the 

 peninsula of India, though the discovery of such a distinct form as 

 Mus blanfordi shows that this region is not as yet absolutely worked 

 out. 



The following synopsis will, I hope, be of use to persons wishing 

 to determine specimens of this difficult group ; but it will as a rule be 

 necessary for those who consult it to examine properly preserved 

 spirit or fresh specimens, as the characters used are not such as 

 can be easily made out on dried skins. Wherever stress is laid on 

 the proportion of any part to the head and body, it must be re- 

 membered that fresh specimens always have the trunk distinctly 

 larger in proportion to the extremities than those preserved in spirit, 

 and that all my measurements are of necessity from the latter. 

 It will therefore sometimes happen that in a fresh specimen the 

 tail is slightly shorter than the head and body when I have here 

 stated it to be longer ; but a reference to the detailed descriptions will 

 always obviate any difficulty this may cause. 



I. Hind feet with 6 well-defined foot-pads. 

 A. Large, 4^ to 9 inches ; last hind foot-pad 

 elongated. — Rats. 



a. Whole of tail covered with short hairs ; 



upperside of tail dark-coloured. 8-12 

 mammte. 

 a. Tail dark above and below. 



a'. Tail shorter than head and body ; 



10-12 mammce ; hind footrS-lT. 1. M. deeumanus, p. 532. 

 h'. Tail longer than head and body. 

 a". Anterior edge of zygoma-root 

 with a strongly marked rounded 

 angle above. 10-12 mammte; 



hind foot r2-l-45 2. M. alexandrinus, ^p. 52&. 



b". Anterior edge of zygoma-root 

 nearly perpendicular ; hind foot 



•95-105 3. M.fulvescens,]p. 537. 



fi. Tail sharply bicolor, dark above and 

 wliite below. 8 mammas. 

 c'. Back bright rufous ; tail much lon- 

 ger than head and body ; hind foot 



10-ri5 4. M.jerdoni, p. 537. 



d'. Back yellowish grey ; tail barely 

 longer than head and body ; hind 

 foot 10 5. M. niveiventer, 540. 



b. Distal third of tail with longer hairs, 



white above and below. 6 mamm». 

 e'. Hind foot 1-2-1 -35 6. M. blanfordi,^. ?>\\. 



