222 J. Anderson — On the Suh-Oenus Nesokia. [No. 4, 



harsh. The pelage, as in the other species, consists of three kinds o£ hairs, 

 short under-lying fur, and ordinary hairs, intermixed among which, espe- 

 cially on the dorsal and sacral regions, are numerous long black hairs which 

 project a long way beyond the fur, as in 3f. (H.) hlythianus* but not to 

 the same extent. The general colour of the animal on the upper parts is 

 sandy brown or fawn, paler on the sides, and dusky grey with a tinge of 

 yellowish rufous on the under-surface. The muzzle, feet and tail are flesh- 

 coloured, and the ears are of the same colour but somewhat darker. 



Mr. Blanfordf has pointed out that M. (iV^.) hardwichii is a much 

 larger animal than M. (W.) huttoni. The measurements of the largest 

 male, M. (iV.) huttoni, mentioned by him are as follows, taken from the fresh 

 animal, viz. : — 



Length of body and head, 7" 



Length of tail, 4" 6 



Length of hind foot, r6 



whereas the largest male, out of an extensive series of this rat in alcohol, 

 collected by the late Mr. Andrew Anderson at Fatehgarh, gives the follow- 

 ing dimensions : 



Length of body and head, 7''*85 



„ of tail, 4"-60 



„ of hind foot, r-27 



Besides differing in size these species would appear also to differ in 

 the relative proportions of the tail and the feet, the latter being somewhat 

 larger in M. {N.) huttoni, than in M. (JSf.) hardwickii. The 31. (JSf.) 

 griffithi of Horsfield in its proportion agrees with this species. If two 

 female examples of the two species from the same localities are compared, 

 we have similar results, thus — 



M. (N) huttoni. M. {N.) hardwichii. 



9 ? 



Length of body and head, 6-50 6"-45 



„ of tail, 4-55 4'M5 



„ of hind foot, 1-43 l"-25 



I am indebted to Dr. Dobson for having compared the foregoing male 

 specimen from Fatehgarh with the type in the British Museum, with 

 which he pronounces it to agree. 



The skulls, however, are remarkably alike and the only differences I 



can detect are, that the molar teeth of animals by their other characters 



referable to M. (J^.) huttoni, are somewhat larger than those of M. (iV^.) 



hardwickii, the anterior palatine foramina of the latter being a little shorter 



* These piles are not shown in the figure of , the species in the Zoology of Persia. 



t Zool. of Persia, p. 59. 



