No. 5. — 1850.] MAMMALS OF CEYLON. 32? 



Mus Nuwaka, n. sp., nobis. 

 ■ Fur very soft, above of a deep yellow olive brown colour, 

 beneath yellowish gray ; hair of the upper part of the 

 head and body of lead colour, with some longer silky black 

 ones, both tipped golden yellow ; hair of lower part of a 

 lighter lead colour ; tail shorter than the body, tapering, 

 scaly, and covered with adpressed hairs ; superior surface 

 brown, and inferior light yellow ; feet yellow brown ; 

 soles nearly bald, blackish ; claws purplish ; rudimentary 

 thumb clawless ; four tubercles to the soles of the fore feet 

 and four tubercles to the hind soles ; incisors yellow, upper 

 ones grooved in the middle. 



Length of head and body ... 3 J inches. 



Length of tail 2\ „ 



This small rat is found in pairs in the black soil of 

 Nuwara Eliya, especially in the potato fields. 



Mus COFF.EUS, n. sp., nobis. 



Fur thick, stiff above yellow, mixed with brown ; 

 beneath, yellow gray or tawny ; face rough ; whiskers 

 short, thin, black, a few gray ; hairs of upper parts 

 flattened, ashy gray, and tipped yellow ; some thinner and 

 longer ones also tipped yellow, with subterminal black 

 band ; under fur soft, and of a light lead colour ; ears 

 moderate, subovate, villious, yellow ferruginous ; tail 

 round and taperiag ; upper surface dark brown, lower 

 yellow-gray ; cutting teeth yellow ; upper incisors grooved^ 

 as in the last. 



Length of head and body ... 4 J inches. 



Tail ... ... 4 



The above description is from dried specimens. This is 

 the rat which is so troublesome to coffee estates in some 

 seasons of the year, when probably from scarcity of their 

 ordinary food they cut and eat the coffee berries and buds. 

 Both this and the Mus nuwara, I am inclined to think, are 



