214 J. Anderson — 0)i the Suh-Oenus Nesokia. [No. 4, 



XX. — On Arvlcola indica, Grai/, and its relations to tJie Suh- Genus 

 Nesokia, with a description of the species o/" Nesokia. — By J. Ander- 

 son", M. D., Superintendent of the Indian Museum, and Professor of 

 Comparative Anatomy, Medical College. 



(Read 4tli Dec. 1878.) 

 (With Plates XIII and XIV.) 



In Gray and Hardwicke's Illustrations of Indian Zoology there is a 

 representation o£ a rodent,* " The Indian Field-Mouse," Arvicola indica, 

 Gray, bearing the date 1st May, 1829. This drawing is unaccompanied 

 by any information regarding the locality from whence the animal was 

 obtained. It represents a rat with a short bluff head ; with moderately- 

 sized, semi-nude ears ; sparsely clad feet with rather long claws, and a naked 

 tail shorter than the length of the body and head. The eye is figured 

 large. The general colour is a pale sandy brown, with interspersed longer 

 hairs. 



In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1835, p. 108, it is 

 recorded that Dr. Gray on exhibiting some rats and mice collected by Mr., 

 now Sir Walter, Elliot, in the Southern Mahratta country, took occasion to 

 point out that the so-called Arvicola indica was really a true Mus. In 1837t 

 Dr. Gray in referring to the Genus 3Ius, as understood by him, stated that 

 *' the Mus giganteus, Hardwicke, may be regarded as the type, to which 

 may be added the two following new Indian species which have the tail 

 shorter than the body and the fur with scattered bristles," and these species 

 were 3Ius rufescens. Gray, (House-rat), and Mus hole. The latter he con- 

 sidered to be identical with Arvicola indica. Dr. Gray, holding this 

 view regarding the identity of the animal figured in the 111. Ind. Zool. 

 with that of the rat sent by Elliot from Madras, under the Canarese name of 

 Kok, re-named it, adopting the native name, JcoJc, for the species. The Mus 

 hole, afterwards described by Elliot as Mus providens, appears to me, how- 

 ever, to be distinct from the animal originally figured as A. indica. 



In the same contribution. Dr. Gray described a rodent with " the 

 cutting teeth, large, smooth, yellow and flat in front" under the name of 

 Mus hardwickii. He compared it to Mus Tcok, that is, to the Madras rat 

 which, he stated, it very much resembled, " but the skull is much wider and 

 stronger and rather larger, and the cutting teeth are nearly twice as wide 

 and are flat in front. The grinders are very little larger than those of that 

 species." 



* Vol. I, Plate XI, Mamm. 1832. 



t Mag. Nat. Hist. (Charles worth) Vol. I, 1837, p. 585. 



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