NESOKIA INDICA. 189 



earth like a mole-hill, on removing which the main shaft of the burrow 

 was followed along the side of the grassy bant at a depth of about 1 or 1-^ 

 foot. From this a descending branch went still deeper to a small round 

 chamber, lined with roots, and just large enough to contain the animal. 

 From the chamber a small gallery ran quite round it, terminatuig on either 

 side in the main shaft at the entrance of the chamber, and the passage 

 then continued down to the bottom of the bank and opened into the plain. 

 Near the upper entrance and above the passage to the chamber was an- 

 other small branch which terminated suddenly, and contained excrement. 

 But these burrows are by no means on an uniform plan. Another occu- 

 pied by an adult female was likewise examined in the same neighbourhood. 

 It was much more extensive, and covered a space of about 15 feet in length 

 by about 8 in breadth, also in a grassy mound, of which it occupied both 

 sides. Six entrances were observed (and there may have been many 

 more), each covered with bare earth. The deepest part of the burrow 

 near the chamber was about 3 feet from the surface ; the chamber raised 

 a little above the shaft, which terminated abruptly, and was continu- 

 ed from the upper part of the chamber. The chamber itself was lined 

 with roots of grass and bark of the date tree. The branching galleries, 

 of which there were six, from the principal shaft, appeared to have been 

 excavated in search of food, 



" A variety found in the red soil is much redder in color than the 

 common hole of the black land. Another variety is said to frequent the 

 banks of nullahs and to take the water when pursued, but the specimens I 

 have seen differed in no respect from the common kind (of which they 

 appeared to be young individuals) except in size." 



I have seen many burrows of this rat in all localities, but especially in 

 pasture and meadow land on the Neelgherries and elsewhere, much more 

 extensive than those recorded by Mr. Elliot, not unfrequently covering a 

 space nearly 15 to 20 yards in diameter, and covered with huge mounds 

 of the earth thrown out, forming unsightly heaps in a grassy compound, 

 or on a hill side. This rat is occasionally destructive to tea trees, biting 

 the roots just below the surface; more, I believe, because they come in the 

 way of their burrows, then to feed on them. In the Government Tea 

 Garden near Dehra, many trees are destroyed by these rats, and the Super- 

 intendent is obliged to keep some men employed to dig them out whenever 

 they betray their presence by the rat-hills of loose earth. Several that I 

 procured from Dr. Jameson were of a very large sbe, and corresponded 



