1(S78.] W. T. Blanford — On some Mammals from Tenasserion, 151 



skins which I have examined. The extent of the white varies so much that 

 it is not at all improbable that specimens wholly white or wholly black may 

 occur. The fine woolly under fur is dusky olivaceous at the base, brown at 

 the tips on the upper parts, ashy with brownish ends beneath. The terminal 

 portion of the tail is compressed, and in some specimens partially or wholly 

 white in colour, and the under surface of the tail is thinly clad through- 

 out with scattered short bristles, about a quarter of an inch long. These 

 bristles are wanting on the upper part of the tail, which has very much 

 shorter scattered hairs. The small scales covering the tail are indistinctly 

 arranged in rings, and subimbricate ; on the lower surface the scales are 

 convex and distinctly imbricate, the bristles arising from the interstices. 

 Thus the under surface of the tail is very rough and may probably be of 

 use to the animal in climbing. 



The characters of the tail just mentioned do not appear to have been 

 noticed in the published descriptions of Gymnura^ all of which are probably 

 copied from that by Horsfield and Vigors. Another important difference 

 from the original account is to be found in the claws of the specimens 

 before me not being retractile. In the original description* the retractili- 

 ty of the claws is mentioned, both in the Latin characters and in the Eng- 

 lish note pointing out the distinctions between Qymnura and Tupaia. It 

 is possible that the Tenasserim animal differs from that found in Sumatra, 

 but the distinction between retractile and non-retractile claws would in all 

 probability be of generic importance, and it is difficult to conceive that two 

 genera of inseetivora, so closely resembling each other in their very peculiar 

 external characters, and yet differing in so important a detail, should inhabit 

 two regions of which the fauna is, for the most part, identical. At the 

 same time it is possible that I am mistaken in referring the Tenasserim 

 animal to Gymnura rajfflesi. 



The following are the dimensions of the female specimen in spirit — 



inches. 



Length from nose to anus, 12 



„ of tail, 8'5 



„ of ear from orifice, 0-94 



,, of tarsus and hind foot (claws not included), 2*15 



The stuffed specimen is nearly the same, except that the tail is rather 

 longer. The dimensions given by Horsfield and Vigors for an adult are 

 rather more ; — head and body 14<*25 inches, tail 10"5, whilst the tarsus is 

 stated to be only 2 inches long, but the difference is trifling. 



Mr. Davison informs me that Qymnura is purely nocturnal in its 

 habits, and lives under the roots of trees. It has a peculiar and most offen- 

 sive smell, not musky, but rather alliaceous, resembling decomposed cooked 



* Zool. Jour., HI, p. 248. 



