NESOKIA HABDWICKEr. 191 



species. Blyth in addition writes me, that the fur of this specimen is dense, 

 shortish, and of uniform length. On the whole I see no reason against 

 these two being considered identical. Hardwickei is stated to inhabit 

 India, gardens ; and Huttoni occurs " south of Bahawulpore ; and is abun- 

 dant in Afghanistan, throwing up the mould after the manner of the mole. 

 In the gardens and along the sides of water-courses in the fields at Kan- 

 dahar, their earth heaps are abundant. It feeds on herbs and seeds, and 

 burrows in the ground beneath hedge-rows and bushes, as well as along 

 the banks and ditches. Its nest is deep-seated, and it constructs so many 

 false galleries immediately below the surface, that it is difficult to find the 

 true passage to its retreat, which dips down suddenly from about the 

 middle of the labyrinth above."* 



Nesohia Griffithii, Horsfleld, also from Afghanistan, ought to be closely 

 allied to this, but it is said to have the cutting teeth nearly white ; but they 

 are represented to be as in Huttoni, large, flat anteriorly, and broad ; tail 

 nearly naked, short ; ears moderately large ; thumb of fore-feet very min- 

 ute ; fur soft and silky ; above dusky chesnut-brown with streaks of a 

 plumbeous tint, chin, chest and under parts of a lighter tint, passing into 

 grayish-leaden color on the abdomen. Length of specimen 6 inches ; tail 3 ; 

 but the " body probably stretched and tail shrunk." Blyth in a copy of his 

 Memoir forwarded to me, puts this as " probably young of N'. indica," but 

 it appears to me just as likely N. Hardwickei vel Huttoni. Closely allied 

 to this species must be Hodgson's Mus ? hydrophilus, olim Arvicola, now 

 Nesohia hydropUla, Gray. Hodgson described his species (which, however, 

 was evidently a young one) as characterized by its small ears, hardly above 

 one-third the length of the head, also by its short tail, and by a pelage 

 that is short and fine ; above dusky-brown, below and limbs nearly white ; 

 long piles inconspicuous. Length, head and body 3^ inches ; tail 2| ; 

 palm A; planta §ths. Gray, describing a specimen in the British Museum 

 says, "gray-brown, beneath whitish ; fur very soft, with rather elongated, 

 very slender, soft longer hairs, ears moderate, rounded ; whiskers black at 

 base, slender ; front cutting teeth broad, yellow ; grinders very large ; 

 hind-feet large (1^ inch), but length of animal not recorded. This 

 measurement corresponds to the dimensions of the foot of M. macropus. 



Hodgson calls this the small water-rat of Nepal, dwelling in holes on 

 the margins of ponds and rivers. His M? macropus, he calls the large 

 water-rat, "like the last, but twice as large, distinguished by the largeness 



* Hntton, .Tonrnal Asiatic Society. 



