MUS BANDICOTA. 



193 



The genus, as here restricted, comprises the house rats and mice, and 

 some field rats of more or less alUed form, and the various species may be 

 grouped together according to their size and habit. 



1st Group. Eats more or less allied to the common brown rat, Mus 

 decumams, h.—Chiih&, IL.—Telka, Tel.— ZZZe, Gm.—KalM, Lepch.— 

 Pitsi, Bhot. 



174. Mus bandicota. 



Bechstein. — Blyth, Cat. p. 112. — M. giganteus, Haedwicke, Lin. 

 Trans. VIII. t. 18. — M. malaharicm, Shaw. — M. nermrivagus, Hodgson. 

 — M. perchal, Shaw ? — M. setifer, Horsfield, fid. Blyth. — Elliot, Cat. 

 30.— Indiir, Sansc. — Ghaus or Ghus, H. and Mahr.— /Ana or Ikara, 

 Beng. — Heggin, Can. — Pandi Icohu, Tel. i. «., the pig-rat, whence the 

 word Bandicoot is derived. 



The Bandicoot-eat. 



Descr. — Dark dusky olive-brown color above, with some black bristly 

 hairs intermixed ; beneath lighter mixed with gray. 



Length of a large individual, head and body, 15 inches ; tail 13 ; weight 

 3 fcs. Hardwicke's specimen figured was, head and body 13^ ; tail 13. 

 Average siae in Bengal, head and body lOf inches ; tail 8|. Hodgson 

 gives dimensions of nemorivagus as, snout to rump 12; tail 9^ ; weight 20 

 oz. 



The incisors are dark olive-green at the base, becoming yellow at the 

 extremities. The molars have strong alveolar processes ; the anterior 

 (praemolar) is divided into three portions by transverse ridges of enamel, 

 the middle ones into two, and the posterior ones only partially so. They 

 become quite tubercular when old. The tail is scaly, with a few scattered, 

 short, adpressed, bristly hairs. The female has twelve teats. 



This weU known rat is found throughout India, also in Ceylon, and 

 many parts of Malayana, the M. setifer of Horsfield being identical with 

 this species, according to information lately received from Mr. Blyth. It 

 appears to be more abundant in the south of India and Ceylon than in 

 the north ; and Mr. Blyth states it to be rare in Calcutta. In the fort at 

 Madras it is exceedingly numerous, living during the day in drains, and 

 entering houses at night. During my residence in Port St. -George, I 

 killed a great many in my own house, some of which were of large size and 



2 c 



