igoy.] Dr. Hossack: The Rais of Calcutta. 43 



with the posterior line curved sHghtly backwards. It may have a prominent project- 

 ing point anteriorly, flanked by a smaller forward projection on each side. It may, 

 again, be roughly hexagonal, with a slight projection forward from the anterior side. 



Teeth. — ^These require little description. The incisors are very broad, deep orange 

 in colour, both upper and lower. The upper molar series is ii'85 mm. x 3 mm. or 

 expressed in percentages 18-69 X511, proportionately smaller than in smaller and 

 more typical Nesokiœ. The laminae are slightly more sinuous, though markedly 

 transverse ; the enamel pattern is very clear. Only two of eight specimens showed 

 inside extra laminae or cusps on the second and third upper molar, while none of the 

 lower molars showed any trace at all, except the young skull already described in 

 connection with the Kilakarai rat. The lower molars in this show very distinctly 

 supplementary mesial laminae, vide fig. 41. 



NOTE ON A NEW VARIETY OF NESOKIA FROM JAGDISPUR, 



BIHAR, WITH SOME REMARKS ON THE PRESENT 



CLASSIFICATION OF NESOKIA. 



There were recently sent to the Museum for examination by Captain King, I. M.S., 



from Jagdispur, Bihar, a couple of female rats which manifestly are very closely allied 



to the form N. hardwickii but which agree in character with none of the described 



varieties, being very sharply separated by the length of the anterior palatine foramina. 



As will be seen from the description, they have all the external characters of N. hard 



wickii, but instead of the very small fotamina almost completely closed, and only 117 



per cent, of the skull in length (13 '6 in N . huttoni), have them no less than 223 per cent. 



of the skull in length and comparatively open in front though closed to a slit behind. 



The large foot and general characters of the fur and dimensions generally agree with 



those of the variety huttoni, but instead of a very short tail (67 'S per cent.), the tail is 



comparatively long (91 '8 per cent.), while the ear instead of 7-5 is 11 -6 per cent. 



Judging from the skulls neither rat is full grown ; the cranial measurements given in 



table are taken from the skull of No. 8102, that of No. 8099 being too damaged to 



measure accurately. 



Length of head 



and body. Tail. Hind foot. Ear. 



No. 8102 Ind. Mus. 14-5 13-5 34 17 



No. 8099 do. 16 14-5 3-4 1-85 



The bluff arvicoline aspect is well marked. The fur is long and fine in both 

 specimens, intermediate between the rather harsher fur of typical N . hardwickii and the 

 silky fur of high-living A^. huttoni. The smaller skin is rather dark, brown above and 

 hoary in the belly. The feet are covered with fine hair of greyish-brown, but the 

 inside of the dorsum is white. The tail is almost naked, black, finely and regularly 

 ringed. There are no long piles. The sienna tips on the back are not sufficient to 

 lighten the colour but only give the effect of a dark rich brown, and so again on the 

 belly the tendency is more to grey than white. 



