1881.] INDIAN SPECIES OF MUS. 533 



this Rat is only a southern offshoot of that form of Mus rattus com- 

 monly known as M. alexandrinus . In India we find three just dis- 

 tinguishable varieties of it: — (1) the true M. alexandrinus, foand. 

 in Cashmere, and the whole north-west region of India ; (2) the 

 form confined to the Nepalese district, here termed var. nitidus, 

 Hodgs. ; and (3) the well-known M. rufescens, Gr., found in the 

 whole of continental India except the north-western part, and also 

 in Burmah. 



The following is the Indian synonymy of this species and its two 

 varieties ; but it is very possible that some of the names are put 

 under the wrong varieties, as these are not very sharply separated 

 from each other. 



6. Mus ALEXANDRINUS. 



a. Typical variety. 



M. alexandrinus, Geoff. Desc. de I'Egypte, Hist. Nat. ii. p. 733, 

 Atl. pi. V. fig. 1 (1812). 



*M. asiaticus, Gray, Charlesw. Mag. N. H. (2) i. p. 585 

 (1837). 



'•31. arboreus, Buch. Ham."> Horsf. Cat. Mus. E.I. C. p. 141 (in 

 part) (1851). 



1M. crassipes, Blyth, J, A. S. B. xxviii. p. 295 (juv.) (1859). 



b. Var. nitidus. 



*M. nitidus, Hodgs. Ann. & Mag. N. H. xv. p. 267 (1845). 

 *M. pyctoris, Hodgs. I.e. (1845). 

 ?Af. rattoides, Hodgs.^ I. c. (1845). 

 M. horeites, Hodgs. I.e. p. 268 (juv.) (1845). 

 *M. ccquicaudalis, Hodgs. op. cit. (2) iii. p. 203 (1849); Horsf. 

 Cat. Mamm. Mus. E.I. C. p. 144 (1851). 



c. Var. rufescens. 



M. indicus, Geoff., Desm. Mamm. ii. p. 299 (nee Bechstein', 1800) 

 (1822). 



*M. rufescens, Gray, Charlesw. Mag. N. H. (2) i. p. 585 

 (1837). 



*M.flavescens, Ell. Madr. Journ. Lit. Sci. x. p. 214 (1839) (nee 

 Waterh. P. Z. S. 1837, p. 19). 



M. decumanoides, Hodgs.^ J. A. S. B. x. p. 915 (sine descr.) (in 

 part) (1841). 



*M. brunneusculus, Hodgs. Ann, & Mag. N. H. xv. p. 267 

 (1845). 



^ The drawing and description, but not the specimen (B), which is M. decu- 

 manus. 



2 Or the true Mus rattus ; more probably a black-bellied individual of this 

 variety. 



^ See under M. (Nesokia) bandicota, p. 528. 



■* Never described ; afterwards divided by Hodgson into M. hrtmneus and 

 brunneusculus. 



