loa 



CANADA RAT. 



Mus Bursarius. ilf, cinereus, cauda tereti brevi subnuda, gems 



saccatiSi unguibus palmar urn maximis fossoriis. 

 Ash-coloured Rat, with short nearly naked tail, pouched checks, 



and the claws of the fore-feet very large, and formed for bur-^ 



rowing in the ground. 

 Mus Bursarius. Lin. Trans: vol. ^,p, 22^, pL 8. 



This, which is a species but lately discovered, 

 seems to be the most remarkable of all the pouched 

 rats for the proportional size of the receptacles. 

 It is a native of Canada, and the individual here 

 figured was taken by some Indians in the year 

 1798, and afterwards presented to the lady of 

 Governor Prescot. It is about the size of a brown 

 or Norway rat, and is of a pale greyish-brown 

 colour, rather lighter beneath : the length to the 

 tail is about nine inches, and that of the tail, 

 which is but slightly covered with hair, about 

 two inches : the legs are short ; the fore-feet 

 strong, and well adapted for burrowing in the 

 ground, having five claws, of which the three 

 middle ones are very large and long ; the interior 

 much smaller, and the exterior very small, with a 

 large tubercle or elbow beneath it. The claws on 

 the hind-feet are comparatively very small, but 

 the two middle are larger than the rest, and the 

 interior one is scarce visible : the teeth are ex- 

 tremely strong, particularly the lower pair, which 

 are much longer than the upper : the ears are 

 very small. This species is described in the 5th 



