54 Expedition to the 



and, among others, an undescribed mus, which has receiv- 

 ed, from Mr. Ord, the name of floridanus.* Upon the speci- 

 men, which was a male, was a dilated, glabrous, ventral line, 

 2 1-4 inches long. This species is well known in some 

 districts, under the name of large hairy tailed rat, and is by 

 no means rare in Florida. It is as large as the ordinary stature 

 of the Norway rat, and is equally troublesome. The con- 

 tents of its stomach were entirely vegetable ; consisting of 

 the green bark of trees, and the young shoots of plants. 

 Their nests are large, and are composed of a great quantity 

 of brush. Dr. Baldwin had rarely been able to join in the 

 excursions on shore. Plants were, however, collected and 

 brought to him on board the boat, where he spent much of 

 his time in the examination of such as were interesting or 

 new.f 



A few rods above our anchoring ground, were two graves, 

 supposed to be those of Indians. One of them was quite re- 



* Genus Mus. L. 



M. Floridanus. Ord. Say. Body, robust; back plumbeous; sides, sacrum, 

 and origin of the tail, ferrugineus-yellowish;yW plumbeous near its base; all 

 beneath white; tail hairy, above brown, as long as the body; head plum- 

 beous, intermixed with gray, gradually attenuated to the nose; ears large, 

 prominent, patulous, obtusely rounded, naked or furnished with obsolete, 

 sparse hairs behind, and on the margin within; eyes moderate prominent, 

 whiskers, some black, and some white bristles, elongated, longest surpas- 

 ingthe tips of the ears, arranged insixloogitudinalseiies; superior labia, and 

 those of the angles of the mouth, folded into the mouth, and hairy wiihin; 

 legs, subequal, robust; anterior legs with a few white projecting setae 

 near the foot behind; feet white; toes annulate beneath, with impressed 

 lines, intermediate ones equal; exterior ones equal; shorter thumb minute: 

 palm with five tuberculous prominences, of which the anterior ones are 

 placed triangularly, and the others transversely; nails concealed by the 

 hairs; posterior feet, inner toe shortest, 2d, 3d, and 4th, subequal, the 3d 

 slightly longest, all beoeath annulated; nails concealed by the hairs; palm 

 with 6 tubercles, of which the 3 posterior ones are distant from each other. 

 Entire length, from nose to tip of tail, 16 inches nearly; taill inches — ear 

 rather more than 9-1 Oth of an inch long, greatest breadth 1 inch. From tip 

 of nose to anterior canthus of the eye 1 1-20 inches. Length of the eye 

 nearly 2-5. 



f Near the mouth of the Merameg were collected the Rudbeckia hirta, 

 and R. purpurea, a small white flowering species of Houstonia, the Galium 

 tinctorium Smyrnium aureum? a phlox, a new species of potentilla, a 

 conyza, thetrifolium reflcxum, a beautiful aira, the campuuula-perfoliata, 

 diospyros virginiana, rhus glabra, and many others. Dr. Baldwin's MS. 

 notes. 



