378 ME. OLDFIELD THOMAS ON MAMMALS 



The plateau itself, as will be seen by Mr. Whitehead's notes below, is of extremely 

 small size, but in spite of this fact he obtained there specimens of the following 

 remarkable series of animals : — 



Crocidura grayi. 



Felis domestica (feral) . 



ParadootwUs philippinensis. 



Celcenomys silaceus. New genus and species. 



Chrutomys whiteheadi. New genus and species. 



Rhynchomys soricoides. New genus and species. 



Phlceomys pallidus. 



Mus everetti. 



Mus luzonicus. New species. 



Mus decumanus (feral). 



Mies chrysocomus. 



Mus ephippium negrinus. 



Batomys granti. New genus and species. 



Carpomys melanurus and C. phmurus. New genus and two new species. 



Crateromys schadenbergi. 



In addition to these, Crunomys fallax, a new genus and species, was obtained in the 

 district of Isabella, east of Monte Data. 



Therefore no less than six new genera and eight new species were discovered in the 

 island, a proportion of novelty that has perhaps never been equalled in the history of 

 Mammal-collecting. 



Besides these new forms, Mr. Whitehead discovered a new genus and species of Bat 

 in Mindoro and several additional species of Bats and Rodents in that and other 

 islands. 



What are the true affinities of the isolated fauna of Luzon is a question that is 

 not easy to answer, for the representative forms are mostly so peculiar as to render 

 their zoological relationships more or less doubtful. On the whole, the connections, 

 such as they are, seem to be partly with Celebes and partly with the Australian region. 

 Thus Rhynchomys seems to have its nearest ally (Echiothrix) in Celebes ; Mus chryso- 

 comus is actually a Celebean species ; while Chrotomys, Celcenomys, and Crunomys 

 belong to a subfamily, the Hydromyinse, hitherto known only from Australia and New 

 Guinea. Finally. Crateromys seems to have its nearest ally in Lenomys from Celebes, 

 and in another new genus not yet described that occurs in New Guinea. 



On the other hand, Phlceomys is so isolated that I can make no suggestions as to 

 what is its nearest ally, and Carpomys and Batomys belong to a group of arboreal 

 genera scattered over the oriental part of the East Indian Archipelago. This group 

 of genera may possibly either have a definite alliance one to the other, independent 



