The Hiftory °f ANIMALS, 
S l 7 
Mus cauda longa fubnuda, corpore fufco cinerefcente. 
The brownijh-grey Mus y with a long and almojl 5C|)£ 
naked tail. 
This is a quadruped too well known to need a long defcription 3 it greatly refembles 
the common moufe in form, but is at leaft five times as large 3 it’s colour is a dulky 
brown, with a greater or lefler admixture of grey: the head is large at the bafe, co¬ 
nic, and fharp at the fnout3 the eyes are fmall and bright5 the legs moderately long: 
the tail is very long and flender 3 it is divided into more than a hundred and fifty an¬ 
nular joints, as it were 3 it is of a bluer colour than the reft of the body, and is almoft 
naked j the hairs on it being very few, and fet at diftances. 
This is too common in all parts of the world. The writers on animals have all de« 
fcribed it. Gefner calls it Mus domefticus major 5 Ray, Mus domefticus major five 
Rattus 3 Jonfton, fimply and improperly, Glis. 
Mus cauda lo?iga villofa , auribus brevibus. 
The Jhort-eared Mus y with a Jhort hairy tail. 
♦ 4* 
This is nearly of the fize of the common rat, and much refembles it in it’s general 
form : the head is large 3 the fnout fharp 5 the eyes black and prominent, and the ears 
roundifh and naked, compofed of a very thin bluifii membrane, and fo (hort, that 
they are entirely buried under the down or fur of the head: the back is of a very 
deep dufky brown, approaching to black ; the fides are fomewhat paler 3 the belly is 
of a pale brown, with an admixture of grey : the tail is not more than of half the 
length of the body, and is hairy as the body 3 the teeth are yellowifli. 
I faw two or three of thefe fome years fince in Yorkfhire, but they are not common 
there 5 in fome of the northern parts of Europe they are frequent, and very mis¬ 
chievous. Few of the authors who have written on quadrupeds have mentioned it, 
Linnasus fays it is common in Sweden. 
Mus cauda longa corpore nigro flavefcente. 
The yellowijh-black Mus y with a long tail. 
This has more of the appearance of the common moufe than of the rat, but it is 
confiderably larger than that, though much fmaller than the other: the\head is ob¬ 
long, fiiarp at the fnout, and large at the bafe; the eyes are fmall, but prominent; 
the ears are fiiort, broad, and naked : the back is of a dulky colour, approaching to 
black, but it has fome tinge of reddilh-yellow in it 3 the belly is white : "th$ 
tail is long, and has fome hairs on it; they are black on the upper furface, and white 
on the under : the legs are longer, and more flender than in the common kinds. 
We have this in houfes, and in the fields. Ray calls it Mus domefticus medius 5 
the other writers have not named it. 
Mus cauda longa nudiufcula y ventre fubalbido. 
The Mus y with a long and almojl naked tail\ 
and a white belly . 
This is much fmaller than the preceding kinds: the head is fmall and fiiort 3 the 
eyes are large, and very prominent: the ears are fiiort and naked 3 the back is of a 
deep bluifti-brown, and the belly is whitifti. 
It is common every-where in houfes and in fields. Authors call it Mus domefticus 
vulgaris, and Mus domefticus minor. 
6 
Mus 
