On Collections. 457 



seen, and is found in the more hilly parts of the country. I do 

 not know whether Heifer had one in his collection. I saw one 

 at Zummi in 1837, exactly like the present specimen, it was 

 perfectly tame. There are two species, the other is smaller, 

 its fur like that of a mole; both burrow very rapidly. The 

 Burmans eat the animal when they can catch it. It spends 

 the day time in holes, and lives on the roots of the bamboo 

 generally, but towards night-fall comes out and amuses itself 

 by cutting the bamboo down, which it does very expeditious- 

 ly. It does not take to the water at all." 



Sir Stamford Raffles describes a species of Bamboo Rat 

 found in Sumatra by Colonel Farquhar as follows : — " The 

 body is about seventeen inches in length, ten inches in circum- 

 ference, and the height at the shoulder about five. The tail 

 is six inches long, tapering to a blunt point, naked and scaly. 

 The body is covered with rough greyish hair, brownish on the 

 back. The head round and lighter coloured. Incisors large, 

 two in each jaw. Eyes small, ears naked, fore-feet four 

 toed, hind-feet with a short fifth toe/' It may be doubted 

 whether this be the animal described by Mr. Gray as R. 

 Sumatrensis ; particularly as he refers to a specimen in the 

 Museum at Leyden, as well as to a drawing in the Museum 

 of the Asiatic Society, presented by Colonel Farquhar. The 

 drawing in question appears to have been mislaid, a circum- 

 stance the more to be regretted, as several species of this 

 genus now appear to belong to continental India, and it would 

 be desirable to have the means of comparing these with such 

 information as may have been previously collected on the 

 subject. A species has recently been characterised by Mr. 

 Hodgson, as an inhabitant of Nepal,* and two if not three, 

 are contained in a Zoological collection of much interest, re- 

 cently made in Assam by Mr. H. Walker, and which is 

 now under that gentleman's investigation. 



Another animal contained in this collection, is the Bentu- 



* Bhizomys Badhis, Hodgson. Cal. Jour, of Nat. History, 1841. 



