158 



Mammalogy of the Himalayas. 



of thef'.e animals, in this part of the globe, to the introduction of European 

 conquerors, as is well ascertained to have been the case in America* and 

 Australia, since they are confined to the mountains, and altogether unknown 

 in the Plains of India, except perhaps in some of the largest seaports. They 

 must consequently have travelled south to reach their present habitat ; 

 and, no doubt, exist in Thibet, Tartary, and other intermediate countries, 

 where the climate is suitable, as far as Northern Asia, from which at least 

 one of the species (M". decumanus) is said to have been originally intro- 

 duced into Europe. Besides these, Mr. Hodgson describes two other 

 species (J^Ius niviventur and M. nemorivagus) as peculiar to the Hima- 

 layas ; and I have received a Rat from Dr. Royle, which in the dried 

 state of the specimen I cannot distinguish from the common Em'opean 

 Campagnol (J ry?coZ« vaZg-am), a fact the more interesting from this 

 genus being confined to the temperate and colder regions of the Old 

 World. The Bandicoot, or great Rat of the Plains {M. giganteus) does 

 not exist in Nepal ;t but various kinds of Field Mice, of what precise 

 species is not mentioned, are stated to be sufficiently common. J The 

 Porcupine {Rystrix cristata var. leucarns, Sykes) is found in Kemaon,§ 

 and the lower and central regions of Nepal.]! 



Mr. Hodgson^mentions two species of Hares as inhabiting Nepal. One 

 he calls the common small species (probably the black-necked Hare of 

 F. Cuvier, ' Lepiis nigricollis' ), which, he says, is confined to the Tura'i ; 

 the other, which he considers a new species, as large as the common 

 English Hare and nearly resembling it, inhabits the higher and colder 

 parts of the mountains. This is probably the red-tailed Hare of M. Isidore 

 Geoffroy St. Hilaire,** (X. rujicaudatus)^ of which Dr. Royle obtained a 

 specimen at Hurdwar (?) and which, he informs me, is very common in 

 the Doon and in the neighbourhood of Delhi. As M. Is. Geoffroy's 

 short description of this species is necessarily imperfect, from the muti- 

 lated state of the only skin which he had an opportunity of examining, 

 the following more detailed account will not be unacceptable to the 

 scientific Zoologist :— ■ 



The skin obtained by Dr. Royle is that of a full-grown female ; it is in 

 perfect condition, and measures one foot ten inches from the nose to the 

 origin of the tail : the ears are about five inches in length, and the tail 

 four inches. The face, back and sides are regularly brindled, or varie- 



* Proc. Zool,Soc.,ii. 98. 

 + Asiat. Res., xvi, 153. % Richardson Faun, Bor. Araer., i, 140-1. 



? Journ. Asiat. Soc, v. 234. Ij Proc. Zool. Soc, ii, 97, 98, 



^ Traill in Asiat. Res., xvi. 153. ** Diet. Class., ix. 381. 



