810 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON [NoV. 3, 



Indian Rats and Mice given by Mr. Oldfield Thomas, P. Z. S. 1881, 

 p. 525 : — 



inches. incites. 



Head and body 3'4 35 



Tail from anus 2 '9 3 



Hind foot 0-72 0-7 



Fore arm and hand O'SS 087 



Ear-conch, length (outside) .... 0"58 0*63 



Muzzle to auditory meatus — 1 



Both skulls are much broken ; that of the male has been extracted, 

 and measures an inch in length from the occiput to the anterior 

 termination of the premaxillaries, 0"15 across the frontals where 

 narrowest between the orbits ; the length of the row of upper molars 

 is 0'2, of the lower molars 0"17. The skull closely approaches in 

 form to that of Mus mettada, except that it is more convex above. 

 The dentition of the two species appears to me quite similar except 

 in size. 



Mus gleadowi is indeed in many respects a miniature of Mus 

 mvttada. It has the same form of hind foot, with the hinder foot- 

 pads wanting, though the deficiency appears carried furtlier in the new 

 species, judging by the specimens sent, in which only four pads are 

 present, than it usually is in M. mettada, in which five is the usual 

 number, though but four are often found. The small number of 

 pads on the hind feet distinguish these two forms from all other 

 Indian species of Mus, which have six, all well developed. 



From M. mettada the present species is distinguished by its much 

 smaller size, and especially by its very small feet and tarsi — the 

 latter being much longer in proportion to their diameter than in 

 M. mettada — by the colour being very much lighter, sandy brown 

 with a slight greyish tinge above, and pure white below, and by 

 having only six mammae instead of eight. The eyes, too, appear 

 proportionally much larger in lU. gleadowi. 



6. On the Specific Characters and Structure of certain New- 

 Zealand Earthworms. By Frank E. Beddard^ M.A., 

 E.R.S.E., F.Z.S., Prosector to the Society. 



[Eeceived October 1, 1885.] 



(Plates LII. & LIU.) 



I have lately received through the kindness of Prof. T. J. Parker, 

 ofOtago University, Dunedin, New Zealand, a number of excellently 

 preserved Earthworms collected in the neighbourhood of that town. 

 The specimensproved to belong to three distinct species, all apparently 

 referable to Perrier's genus Acantliodrilus. I have been able to study 



