PERCHAL RAT. 55 



cinereous brown ; the ears thin^ nearly bare, and 

 rounded ; the snout rather long ; the fore feet 

 shaped like those of the Norway rat, with four 

 toes^ and a claw in place of a fifth : the hind feet 

 have five toes, of which the two exterior are con- 

 siderably shorter than the rest : the tail is above 

 eleven inches in length. This species is said to 

 be very common about the coasts of the Malabar 

 country. At Pondicherry it is frequent, infest- 

 ing houses like the brown rat. Its voice is said 

 to resemble the grunting of a pig. 



PERCHAL RAT. 



Mus PerchaK M.fusco-ferrugineus, subtus cinereus, pedibus pos* 



terioribus majoribus. 

 Ferruginous brown Rat, with the hind legs larger than the fore. 

 Le Rat Perchal. Buff, suppL 7. p, 276. pL 69. 



This species is a native of India, and in its ge- 

 neral appearance resembles the Norway rat, but 

 is of a longer shape, with a thicker and shorter 

 tail in proportion. It is of a deep subferruginous 

 brown above, and of a greyish cast beneath : the 

 hind legs are larger than the fore : the ears naked 

 and rounded, and the nose rather blunt. This 

 Rat is said to be very numerous about Pondi- 

 cherry, infesting houses in the same manner as 

 the rats of Europe. It seems to have been first 

 described by Mons. Sonnerat, and is evidently 

 allied to the Bandicote rat. Both species are said 

 to be occasionally eaten by the natives. 



