SHORT NOTES. 137 



Short Notes. 



On the Occurrence of Mus. surifer, G. S. Miller, 

 in Perak. 



In the Proceeding's of the Biological Society of Washing- 

 ton, vol. xiii, April 21, 1900, Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, of the U. S. 

 National Museum, describes no less than seven new species of 

 Rats collected in 1899 by Dr. W. L. Abbott in the mountains of 

 Trong, a small Siamese State on the west side of the Peninsula, 

 about 500 miles north of Singapore. 



This paper should not be overlooked by students of the 

 smaller Malayan mammals, and Mr. Miller would probably 

 kindly supply any one interested in the subject with a copy on 

 application. The new rats described are Mus vociferans, M. 

 ferreocanus, M. validvs, M. cremoriventer, M. asper, M. pellax, 

 and M. surifer. I am able to record the last of these new 

 species from the Larut Hills, Perak, and it is probable that at 

 least some of the others follow the main range down the Pen- 

 insula. Mvs. surifer was obtained by Dr. Abbott in February 

 1899. I first met with it in February 1898, catching a single 

 example in a steel trap near the Hut, Maxwell's Hill. Un- 

 fortunately the hinder portion of the specimen had been eaten 

 by some small carnivorous creature, and, after noting its 

 appearance I threw it away. Last year on revisiting the hills 

 I remembered this rat and succeeded in trapping a specimen 

 alive. It was a charmingly pretty and fearless little creature, 

 quite tame from the time of capture, and I was overruled by 

 feminine influence into keeping it alive, with the result that it 

 escaped eventually in Kwala Lumpur ! At the same time I got a 

 very damaged specimen from same coolies, and sent it in spirit to 

 Mr. Oldfield Thomas, who identified it as the newly described 

 M. surifer. 



Mr. Miller's paper above referred to is a good example of 

 the exceedingly thorough and careful work of the new school 

 of American mammalogists. 



A. L. Butler, F. Z. S. 

 4th July, 1901 Khartoum, Soudan. 



