MUS NANUS, Gould.
Little Rat.
Mus nanus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part xxv. p. 242.
Jib-beetch, Aborigines of Moore's River in Western Australia.
The Mus nanus is a very diminutive Rat, with coarse hair and a somewhat short tail; it is even smaller in size than the Mus Gouldi and M. gracilicaudus, but is more nearly allied to the latter than to any other. Three or four specimens, all of the same size, are contained in the collection at the British Museum, and there are others in the Derby Museum at Liverpool; some of these were collected by Mr. Gilbert on the banks of Moore's River, and the others on the Victoria plains in Western Australia.
Head, all the upper surface, flanks, outer sides of the limbs, and hairs clothing the tail brown, with numerous interspersed fine black hairs; under surface greyish white, becoming much lighter, and forming a conspicuous patch immediately beneath the tail; whiskers black; feet light brown; base of the whole of the fur bluish grey.
| inches. | |
| Length from the nose to the base of the tail | 4 |
| „ of the tail | 3¼ |
| „ „ fore-arm | ½ |
| „ „ tarsus and toes | ¾ |
The figures are of the natural size.
