1859.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 289 



and coarser than in Myoxus, straight, and arranged distichously, so that 

 the hairy tail is flat as in Sciuroptera, and its lower surface is equally 

 well clad with the upper. The whiskers are very long, some of them 

 reaching to the middle of the body ; and the soft frizzled fur of the lower- 

 parts resembles that on the under-parts of Myoxus glis, only mingled 

 (except towards the throat and vent) with rudimentary spines. I can 

 detect only two pairs of (abdominal) mammae. 



Pl. lasiurus, nobis, n. s. Size nearly that of Myoxus glis ; but the 

 head smaller and shorter : a female measuring 6 in. or nearly so to base 

 of tail, the tail (vertebras) 3| in., or to end of hair 1| in. more : ear-conch 

 (posteriorly) § in., ovoid, and all but naked : hind-foot to heel 1 in. : 

 longest whiskers 2\ in., becoming exceedingly fine towards the extremity. 

 General colour above (that of the tips of the spines) a somewhat light 

 rufescent-brown, similar to that of the spines — as distinguished from the 

 quills — of various Porcupines, only less intense ; the thin slightly frizzled 

 under-fur being paler. The spines are f in. long, like stiffish thin la- 

 mina? of baleen or 'whale-bone;' they gradually taper to a sharp point 

 from the middle, and abruptly at the extreme base or point of attach- 

 ment ; being white, excepting at the tips which constitute the surface. 

 On the forehead and crown, where the hair is very full (as before de- 

 scribed), the colour is more rufescent than otherwise ; whiskers chiefly 

 black ; and the lower-parts are dull or subdued white. The hairs on the 

 tail are much darker than the body-colour, and may be described as infus- 

 cated, except at the tip of the tail where they are dull white throughout 

 their length, forming a conspicuous pale tail-tip. 



" I was ignorant of the existence of this animal," remarks Mr. Baker, 

 " till about a year ago, when I found it in a range of hills about 3000 ft. 

 high. It lives in the clefts of the rocks and hollow trees, is said to hoard 

 ears of grain and roots, seldom comes into the native huts, and in that 

 particular neighbourhood the hill-men tell me they are very numerous. I 

 know they are to be found in the rocky mountains of Travancore, but I 

 never met with them in the plains. I have some hundreds of these hill 

 people baptized Christians, and shall have no difficulty in procuring you 

 specimens, including one preserved in spirit."* 



* In a letter received as the above was going to press, Mr. Baker has favored 

 us with a notice of the habits of this species, which helps to confirm the pro- 

 priety of its allocation among the Dormice. He remarks — " I have been spend- 

 ing the last three weeks in the ghats, and among other things had a great hunt 

 for the new spiny Dormice. They are most abundant, I find, in the elevated 

 vales and ravines, living only in the magnificent old trees there found, in which 



2 B 



