6 
tlKVl■^TA CTIILEIVA TtK HÍ-.TOItI,\ NATtJRAI. 
DESCRIPTION OF R NEW RODENT ( ) 
FROM CENTRAL CHILI 
BY 
DOHN A. W0LFF60HN, C. h. Z. G. 
Quite a number of years ago I have noticed that skins of 
what are known in the fur trade as "chinchilla rats" are fre- 
quently offered for sale as true chinchilla skins. Many fruitless 
attempts were made to obtain a complete specimen from dealers 
and others. From what could be learnt from such skins, I had 
little doubt that they would be found to belong to an "abrocoma", 
but only when Mr. Walter Goodfellow, F. Z. S. showed me, 
in 1912, an incomplete skin given to him by Lady Murray in 
Vallenar, did my hopes of obtaining the species revive. I am 
now under a great obligation to Sir John Murray who was 
kind enough to send me a live specimen of an adult male of 
the new species which I venture to name in his honour, 
Abrocoma Murray i , sp. n. 
Size and form as in A. Bennettii. Fur much longer 
and silkier. General colour silvery grey washed with pale 
yellow. On back and head, also surface of arms and legs, 
hairs slaty grey for four fifths of their length, the terminal fifth 
pale yellow, on muzzle base slaty grey for half the length, 
tips pale grey. Fur slightly shorter on under side of body, base 
of hairs slaty grey, tips pure white, giving the silvery appear- 
ance of chinchilla skins. On the region between throat and 
(*) Juntamoiite con la descripción del roedor, que aquí put)licamos, 
nuestro amigo el señor Wolffsohn nos ha remitido un ejemplar de un 
Acaro del género Ixodes (parásito en dicho roedor) que, por creerlo nue- 
vo, lo remitiremos en breve al sabio especialista Dr. Laliille, para su 
descripción. — La Redacción. 
