﻿72 
  

  

  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  NOTES 
  AND 
  QUEEIES. 
  

  

  MAMMALIA. 
  

   Hairless 
  Rat. 
  — 
  I 
  have 
  recently 
  had 
  in 
  my 
  possession 
  a 
  stuffed 
  

   specimen 
  of 
  a 
  hairless 
  Kat 
  (Mus 
  rattus, 
  male). 
  It 
  was 
  kindly 
  lent 
  to 
  

   me 
  for 
  inspection 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Ernest 
  Lowe, 
  the 
  Curator 
  of 
  the 
  Plymouth 
  

   Museum 
  and 
  Art 
  Gallery.* 
  

  

  The 
  Eat 
  was 
  caught 
  alive 
  in 
  October, 
  1898, 
  in 
  the 
  victualling 
  yard 
  

   of 
  the 
  Ordnance 
  Store 
  Department 
  at 
  Stonehouse, 
  Devenport. 
  At 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  its 
  capture 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  long 
  woolly 
  hairs, 
  

   besides 
  the 
  whiskers. 
  When 
  the 
  animal 
  was 
  at 
  rest 
  the 
  skin 
  appeared 
  

   all 
  creased 
  and 
  wrinkled, 
  but 
  in 
  active 
  movements 
  the 
  folds 
  disappeared. 
  

   The 
  Rat 
  measured 
  7 
  in. 
  from 
  the 
  muzzle 
  to 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  tail, 
  taken 
  

   along 
  the 
  contour. 
  The 
  tail, 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  perfect, 
  measured 
  6f 
  in. 
  

   in 
  length. 
  The 
  ambit, 
  behind 
  the 
  scapulars, 
  5£ 
  in. 
  Skin 
  granulated, 
  

   dirty 
  brown. 
  Hind 
  feet 
  webbed 
  to 
  half 
  length 
  of 
  first 
  phalanx. 
  Tail 
  

   hairless 
  ; 
  scutella? 
  cycloid, 
  encircling, 
  but 
  somewhat 
  widely 
  separated, 
  

   and 
  attached 
  all 
  round. 
  Ears 
  also 
  quite 
  nude. 
  The 
  loss 
  of 
  hair 
  is 
  

   attributable 
  to 
  disease. 
  — 
  T. 
  Edward 
  Belcher 
  (24, 
  Clapham 
  Road). 
  

  

  [For 
  another 
  record 
  of 
  a 
  hairless 
  Rat 
  (M. 
  decumanus), 
  cf. 
  ' 
  Zoologist 
  ' 
  

   (1903), 
  p. 
  454.— 
  Ed.] 
  

  

  :;: 
  Mr. 
  Lowe 
  tells 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  transverse 
  folds 
  of 
  skin 
  across 
  the 
  shoulders 
  

   are 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  taxidermist 
  ; 
  there 
  were 
  folds, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  further 
  

   back, 
  and 
  not 
  transverse. 
  

  

  