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rather paler. Each spine is surrounded by about 24 to 28 longitudinal grooves, the ridges between the grooves being closely tuberculate.

The following are measurements of the specimen in spirit, an adult female. Males are probably rather larger. The length, owing to contraction, is somewhat less than that of a fresh specimen would be—

Length from nose to anus,

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The skull of the same specimen is rather narrower than that of E. collaris, and has a longer muzzle. The following are measurements :

Length from occipital plane to end of premaxillaries,
Ditto from lower margin of foramen magnum to ditto,
Ditto of bony palate from opening of posterior nares,
Breadth across zygomatic arches,...

Breadth of frontal region between orbits,
Ditto nasal bones,

Length of nasal suture,...

Ditto of mandible,

Height, of ditto about,...

...

600

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XX.—On Arvicola indica, Gray, and its relations to the Sub-Genus Nesokia, with a description of the species of Nesokia.-By J. ANDERSON, M. D., Superintendent of the Indian Museum, and Professor of Comparative Anatomy, Medical College.

(Read 4th Dec. 1878.)

(With Plates XIII and XIV.)

In Gray and Hardwicke's Illustrations of Indian Zoology there is a representation of a rodent,* "The Indian Field-Mouse," Arvicola indica, Gray, bearing the date 1st May, 1829. This drawing is unaccompanied by any information regarding the locality from whence the animal was obtained. It represents a rat with a short bluff head; 'with moderatelysized, semi-nude ears; sparsely clad feet with rather long claws, and a naked tail shorter than the length of the body and head. The eye is figured large. The general colour is a pale sandy brown, with interspersed longer hairs.

In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1835, p. 108, it is recorded that Dr. Gray on exhibiting some rats and mice collected by Mr., now Sir Walter, Elliot, in the Southern Mahratta country, took occasion to point out that the so-called Arvicola indica was really a true Mus. In 1837† Dr. Gray in referring to the Genus Mus, as understood by him, stated that "the Mus giganteus, Hardwicke, may be regarded as the type, to which may be added the two following new Indian species which have the tail shorter than the body and the fur with scattered bristles," and these species were Mus rufescens, Gray, (House-rat), and Mus kok. The latter he considered to be identical with Arvicola indica. Dr. Gray, holding this view regarding the identity of the animal figured in the Ill. Ind. Zool. with that of the rat sent by Elliot from Madras, under the Canarese name of Kok, re-named it, adopting the native name, kok, for the species. The Mus kok, afterwards described by Elliot as Mus providens, appears to me, however, to be distinct from the animal originally figured as A. indica.

In the same contribution, Dr. Gray described a rodent with "the cutting teeth, large, smooth, yellow and flat in front" under the name of Mus hardwickii. He compared it to Mus kok, that is, to the Madras rat which, he stated, it very much resembled, "but the skull is much wider and stronger and rather larger, and the cutting teeth are nearly twice as wide and are flat in front. The grinders are very little larger than those of that species."

* Vol. I, Plate XI, Mamm. 1832.

+ Mag. Nat. Hist. (Charlesworth) Vol. I, 1837, p. 585.

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