456 On Collections. 



placing a little straw beneath the baskets from which the bittern 

 dripped ; the salt required for such purposes should be coarse-grained, 

 but pure, and if procurable by so simple a means, would cost little, and 

 might be supplied to fishermen under certain stipulations. 



The specimens of fish I have been obliged to throw away, had they 

 been skinned, they would have arrived perfectly safe and pure ; instruc- 

 tions to do this might be sent to Mr. Blundell, from whom valuable 

 specimens for the Honorable Court's Museum might be obtained. 



1st September, 1841. J. M'Clelland. 



On Collections. 



We have been favoured by Captain McLeod, Assistant 

 Commissioner, Tenasserim Provinces, with, an inspection of 

 a small collection of Animals from Moulmein, intended to be 

 presented to Lord Auckland. 



The first of these animals, the Pwe, is a species of Bamboo 

 Rat, belonging to the genus Rhizomys of Mr. Gray, which 

 may be distinguished as follows : — Rhizomys Cinereus. Dark 

 grey above, silvery grey below ; cheeks greyish or reddish 

 yellow. Length about 20 in. from the snout to the extremi- 

 ty of the tail ; circumference of the body about 9| inches ; body 

 entirely clothed with a scanty coarse grey hair. Yellowish 

 grey on the face ; throat and lower parts of the body silvery 

 grey, back dark grey, which colour is extended over the top 

 and crown of the head to a point between the eyes. Tail 

 nakedj and equal to about half the length of the body. The 

 limbs are short, the feet are equal to half the length of the 

 limbs, the toes long, and armed with strong nails. There are 

 four toes to each fore-foot, and five to each hind-foot. 



Mr. Gray gives the following characters of this curious 

 genus : — e ^Incisors - 2 long and exposed, molar | -|, subcylin- 

 dric, with oblique transverse ridges on the crown, head large 

 with small eyes and small naked ears, body heavy, with short 

 limbs, five toes to each foot, tail naked, of medium size/' — 

 Capt. McLeod remarks, that " the Pwe is an animal rarely 



