290 'Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 3« 



Of Muridce two species are sent. A flat skin of the common Mus 

 flavescens, Gray ; and two ditto, sent as the ' Black Rat/ but not 

 affined to M. rattus, L. : so far as can be judged, they resemble M. 

 indicus in size and proportions, including length of tail ; but the coat is 

 different both in texture and colouring. In M. indicus the pelage is 

 coarse and harsh, of an ordinary rat- brown colour, and quite devoid of 

 gloss. In the Malabar animal sent, the pelage is soft and glossy, and 

 very dark in colour — almost black on the face. On the back the hairs are 

 ashy-black with slight ruddy-brown tips ; on the sides and under-parts 

 those tips are more extended and yellowish. Whiskers black. Perhaps 

 only a dark southern variety of M. indicus.* 



they hollow out little cavities filling them with leaves and moss. The hill-people 

 called them the c Pepper Eat,' from their destroying large quantities of ripe 

 pepper ( Piper nigrum). A ngely and jack fruit (Artocarpus incisa and integrifo- 

 lia) are much subject to their ravages. Large numbers of the Sliunda palm \_Eo- 

 rassus ?] are found in the hills and toddy is collected from them : these Dormice 

 eat through the covering of the pot as suspended, and enjoy themselves. Two 

 were brought to me in the pots half-drowned. I procured in one morning six- 

 teen specimens. The method employed in obtaining them was to tie long bam- 

 boos (with their little branches left on them to climb by) to the trees, and when 

 the hole was reached the man cut the entrance large enough to admit his hand, 

 and took out the nest with the animals rolled up in it, put the whole into a bag 

 made of bark and brought it down. They actually reached the bottom some- 

 times without being disturbed ; it was very wet cold weather, and they may have 

 been somewhat torpid ; but I started a large brown Eat at the foot of one of 

 the trees, which ran up the stem into a hole, and four Dormice were out in a 

 minute from it, apparently in terror of their lai'ger friend. There were no traces 

 of any hoarding in any of the holes, but the soft bark of the trees was a good 

 deal gnawed in places. I had two of these Dormice alive for some time, but as 

 they bit and gnawed at everything intended to keep them in durance, I was ob- 

 liged to kill both. I noticed that when their tails were elevated the hairs were 

 perfectly erect like a bottle-brush. I prepared you twelve skins with the skull 

 in each of them complete, and two complete skeletons ; but the latter were lost 

 with the box containing them in crossing a stream, the cooly being carried off 

 his legs. I hope before long to replace this loss. The skins I will send you 

 shortly by banghy." 



* Mr. Baker since writes — " This species replaces on the hills the Mus provid- 

 ens or indicus of Mr. Elliot (I think), for that is very common on the plains 

 but is not found in the hills, though the habits of both are precisely as describ- 

 ed by Mr, Elliot." 



