234 M 
cles remained on the fkull when I examined it; but, as 
far as I could judge from this ftate, the conformation 
more nearly approaches that of the rat, M. deeumanus, 
than that of the beaver; particularly in the fmallnefs of 
the cranium, in the conftru&ion of the anterior part of 
the zygomatic arch, and in the remarkable procefs of the 
lower jaw. For thefe reafons I have referred it to the ge¬ 
nus Mus; but fome more fkilful hand may hereafter de- 
fignate it with greater propriety. Though nearly allied 
to both, it certainly differs generically from either the 
rat or beaver, and, in the hind feet, from, I think, all 
other mammalia.” 
Mr. Burrow affigns to this compound animal the fol¬ 
lowing fpecific characters: Tail middle-length, round, 
fcaly, hoary underneath ; feet palmate. The length of 
the body was 21 inches, of the tail 8|. The colour grey- 
ifli-brown above, yellowilh beneath ; hair fhort and thick; 
ears round and naked; eyes fmall; upper front teeth an 
inch long, lower 1^; feet five-toed. In addition to the 
above characters it may be remarked, that the nofe is 
furrounded with whitifli hair: that there are a few ftiff 
briftles at the bafe of each claw; that the thumb is ex¬ 
tremely fhort, and the claw thick ; that the length of the 
middle claw of the fore-foot is one inch, and that of the 
metatarfus three inches. The perfon who firft poftefied 
the animal in this country Fates that he bought it on¬ 
board a Flip from the Braids: Mr. Burrow had afterwards 
frequent opportunities of obferving it, and of making a 
drawing while it was alive at Exeter ’Change. It died 
fuddenly, and without any apparent caufej and is now 
in the collection of Mr. Bullock. 
2. Mus coypus, the coypu, or otter-rat: with flightly- 
compreffed hairy tail of middling length, and webbed 
hind feet. The firft defcriber of this animal was Molina, 
who informs us that it is an inhabitant of the waters of 
Chili; that it has the general appearance of an otter, 
being of the fame fize and colour; but that in its teeth 
it agrees with the rat tribe. The feet are each furnilhed 
with five toes; thofe of the hind feet being connected by 
a web : the ears are rounded, the nofe longifh and co vered 
with whilkers, and the tail thick and flattifh on the fides. 
This animal lives occafionally on land as well as water; 
fometimes frequenting houfes, and is eafdy tamed. The 
female produces five or fix young at a birth. 
3. Mus z.ibethicus, the fnufk-rat: with long comprefied 
lanceolate tail, and unwebbed feet. In the Memoirs of 
the French Academy of Sciences for the year 1725, there 
is a complete and excellent defcription of th-is animal by 
Monf. Sarrazin, at that time king’s phylician at Quebec. 
It is from the above defcription that Buffon has drawn 
up the major part of his own account, and indeed it does 
not appear pofiible to add any thing material to what Sar¬ 
razin has delivered. This.animal is of the fize of a fmall 
rabbit, and is extremely common in Canada. Its head 
is fliorff, like that of a water-rat; the eyes large; the ears 
very fhort, rounded, and covered internally as well as 
externally with hair. It has, like the reft of this tribe, 
four very ftrong cutting teeth, of which thofe in the 
lower jaw are near an inch long; thofe in the upper fome- 
what fhorter: the fur on the whole body is foft and gloffy, 
and beneath is a fine fur, or thick down, as in the beaver: 
the toes on all the feet are limple, or without membranes, 
and are covered with hair. The tail is nearly as long as 
the body; and is of the fame form with that of the Sorex 
mofchatus, or mufk-fhrew, being laterally comprelTed; it 
is nearly naked, and covered with fmall fcales intermixed 
with fcattered hairs. The general colour of the animal is 
a reddifh brown, of the tail afh-colour. In its general ap¬ 
pearance this animal greatly refembles the beaver, except 
in fize, and in the form of its tail. It has alfo fimilar in- 
ftiribts and difpofitions ; living in a focial ftate in the 
winter, in curiouliy-conftruited huts or cabins, built 
near the edge of fome lake or river: thefe huts are about 
two feet and a half or three feet in diameter, plaftered 
with great neatnefs in the infide, and covered externally 
u s. 
with a kind of bafket-work, of rufhes, &c. interlaced to¬ 
gether fo as to form a compaft and fecure guard, im¬ 
permeable by water. During the winter thefe receptacles 
are generally covered with feveral feet of fnow, and the 
animals reiide in them without being incommoded by it, 
feveral families commonly inhabiting each cabin. It is 
added, that the infides of the receptacles are furnilhed 
with a feries of fteps, to prevent them from being injured 
by inundations. Thefe animals do not lay up a ftock of 
provifions like the beaver, but form fubterraneous paf- 
fages beneath and round their cabins, to give themfelves 
an opportunity of procuring occafional fupplies of roots, 
herbage, &c. According to Monf. Sarrazin, the animal 
is particularly calculated by nature for its fubterraneous 
habits; having a great mul'cular force in its fkin, which 
enables it to contract its body occafionally into a fmall 
volume: it has alfo a great fupplenefs in the falfe ribs, 
which eafily admit of contraction, fo that it is enabled to 
pafs through holes impervious to much fmaller animals 
than itfelf. During the fummer thefe creatures wander 
about in pairs, feeding voracioufly on herbs and roots. 
Their odour, which refembles that of mufk, is fo ftrbng as 
to be perceived at a confiderable diftance ; and the fkin, 
when taken from the body, ftill retains the fcent; this 
mufky odour is owing to a whitifli fluid depofited in cer¬ 
tain glands fituated near the origin of the tail. They 
walk and run in an awkward manner, like the beaver; 
but they cannot fwim fo readily as that animal, their feet 
being unfurnifhed with webs. The females produce their 
young towards the beginning of fummer, and have five 
or fix at a time; thefe, if taken early, are eafdy tamed, 
and become very fportive; and it is remarkable that the 
tail, which in the full-grown animal is as long as the 
body, is at that period very fhort. The fur of this fpecies 
is greatly efteemed as a commercial article, refembling 
that of the beaver. Linnaeus, in the twelfth edition of 
the Syltema Naturae, ranked the animal under the genus 
Caftor; and Mr.' Pennant has followed his example. 
Schreber, however, confiders it as belonging in ft rift pro¬ 
priety to the prefent genus. 
II. Tail round, naked. 
4. Mus pilorides, themufkrcavy: whitifh, with longifh, 
fcaly, obtufely-truncated, tail. This fpecies is found in 
India, and the Indian iflands; and in fize nearly equals 
the Guinea-pig. Its colour is whitifh, with a caft of gre)'- 
ferruginous on the back, and of cinereous on the abdo¬ 
men : the tail is longifh, nearly naked, fcaly, and obtufe 
at the extremity. It burrows like a rabbit; and fmells 
lb ftrong of mufk, that its retreat may be traced by the 
perfume. 
( 3 . The Caftor cauda linear) tercti of Brown, is a variety 
of this. It inhabits the American iflands, and feems'to 
differ from the above in being of a darker colour on the 
back, and in having a much fhorter tail. Perhaps it may 
be a diftinCf fpecies fbut the hiftory'of both feems at prefent 
not fufficiently clear to enable us to determine this point. 
5. Mus caraco, the caraco-rat: grey,-with long fcaly', 
fomewhat-obtufe taii, and (lightly femipalmated hind feet. 
The caraco, firft deferibed by Dr. Pallas, fo extremely re¬ 
fembles the Norway rat, that at firft fight it might be 
miftaken for that animal; but, on an accurate furvey, it 
will be found that the head is rather longer and fharp.er 
in proportion; the upper jaw much longer than the 
lower, and the lip very much divided; the teeth are not 
fo ftrong, and the tail is cohfiderably fhorter. This fpe¬ 
cies abounds in the eaftern parts of Siberia, frequenting 
the banks of rivers, and Avimming very readily,To that 
it may be confidered as in a manner amphibious. Dr. 
Pallas fuppofes this fpecies to have migrated from the 
fouthern parts of China. The length of the caraco is fix 
inches, and of the tail four and a half or rather more. Ir.s 
colour is fimilar to that of the common rat. 
6. Mus Americanus, the American rat. This is fuppofed 
by Mr. Pennant to be the fame with the preceding, or a 
variety 
