1878.] J. Anderspn — On the Suh-Q-enus Nesokia. 231 



hlytliianus, but these bones appear to be subject to considerable variation in 

 this group, and, in the female skull, they are much narrower than in the 

 skull of the male. 



In Sind, there is a field rat which corresponds in its general character 

 to this species. The skull of a female from Khipra, Thar and Parkar 

 District, Sind, has all the characters of the female from Ghazipur with 

 exactly similar nasals. 



A very closely allied, if not identical rat to this, is found at Srinagar, 

 Kashmir, and of which the Indian Museum has one example collected by 

 Dr. Stoliczka. 



Its skull exactly agrees with the skull of the male (see figure), except 

 that its nasals are a little narrower. This Kashmir rat is a dark sandy 

 brown above, with long black piles, especially on the lower portion of the 

 back ; the under surface of the animal being yellowish with an intermixture 

 of dusky. The fur is coarse, resembling that of this species, of which the 

 Kashmir rat is probably a local race. 



This rat appears also to occur in the Purneah District, and in the 

 Indian Museum there is a skull of a rat, marked Cachar, seemingly closely 

 allied to this form . 



^rd Section 

 Mus (Nesokia) elliotanijs, n. s. 

 Head short and deep ; muzzle deep and broad ; eye half way between ear 

 and nose, moderately large ; ears not large, rounded sparsely covered with 

 short hairs. Feet large and well developed with strong claws and sparsely 

 clad. Tail sparsely covered wdth short bristles on the margins of the 

 annuli, and nearly equalling the length of the body and head. 



Pelage coarse, with moderately long piles, most numerous on the back 

 and over the rump. Vibrissas moderately long. 



General colour above, brown with intermixed yellowish or pale brown 

 hairs, producing much the same colour as in M. (JST.) hlytliianus, paler on 

 the sides and passing into greyish on the under parts. Nose and feet flesh- 

 coloured. Ears dark brown, tail blackish. 



Measurements of 4 specimens. 



Calcutta. Purneah. Calcutta. Purneah. 

 (J <r ? juv. 2 juv. 



Length of body and head,... 10"-50 9''-85 8" 25 6"-95 



„ of tail, 5"-80* 9"-70 7'HO G" 90 



„ of hind foot, 2"-28 2"-28 2"-04 r-83 



Height of ear, r-12 V'm 0"-95 T'-OS 



The skull of this species approaches in size the dimensions of the skull 

 of such rats as M. (iV".) giganteus, but in form it resembles the skull of 



* Imperfect. 

 28 



