diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/69577-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/69577-0.txt | 6261 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 6261 deletions
diff --git a/old/69577-0.txt b/old/69577-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0f2268e..0000000 --- a/old/69577-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6261 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. -Beagle [vol. 2 of 5], by Charles Darwin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle [vol. 2 of 5] - Under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., during the years 1832 - to 1836. - -Author: George R. Waterhouse - -Editor: Charles Darwin - -Release Date: December 19, 2022 [eBook #69577] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from - images generously made available by Biodiversity Heritage - Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF -H.M.S. BEAGLE [VOL. 2 OF 5] *** - - - - - - MAMMALIA, - - - Described by - - GEORGE R. WATERHOUSE, ESQ. - CURATOR OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, ETC. ETC. - - WITH - - A NOTICE OF THEIR HABITS AND RANGES, - - BY CHARLES DARWIN, ESQ., M.A., F.R.S. - SECRETARY TO THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. - - ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS COLOURED ENGRAVINGS. - - - - - THE - ZOOLOGY - OF - THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. BEAGLE, - UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN FITZROY, R.N., - DURING THE YEARS - 1832 to 1836. - - - _PUBLISHED WITH THE APPROVAL OF - THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF HER MAJESTY’S TREASURY._ - - - Edited and Superintended by - CHARLES DARWIN, ESQ. M.A. F.R.S. SEC. G.S. - NATURALIST TO THE EXPEDITION. - - - PART II. - MAMMALIA, - BY - GEORGE R. WATERHOUSE, ESQ. - CURATOR OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, ETC. ETC. - - - LONDON: - PUBLISHED BY SMITH, ELDER AND CO. 65, CORNHILL. - MDCCCXXXIX. - - - - - LONDON: - PRINTED BY STEWART AND MURRAY, - OLD BAILEY. - - - - - GEOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. - - BY MR. DARWIN. - - -The object of the present Introduction, is briefly to describe the -principal localities, from which the Zoological specimens, collected -during the voyage of the Beagle, were obtained. At the conclusion of -this work, after each species has been separately examined and -described, it will be more advantageous to incorporate any general -remarks. The Beagle was employed for nearly five years out of England; -of this time a very large proportion was spent in surveying the coasts -of the Southern part of South America, and of the remainder, much was -consumed in making long passages during her circumnavigation of the -globe. Hence nearly the entire collection, especially of the animals -belonging to the higher orders, was procured from this continent; to -which, however, must be added the Galapagos Archipelago, a group of -islands in the Pacific, but not far distant from the American coast. The -localities may be briefly described under the following heads. - -BRAZIL. This country presents an enormous area, supporting the most -luxuriant productions of the intertropical regions. It is composed of -primary formations, and may be considered as being hilly rather than -mountainous. LA PLATA includes the several provinces bordering that -great river;—namely, Buenos Ayres, Banda Oriental, Santa Fé, Entre Rios, -&c. My collections were chiefly made at BUENOS AYRES, at MONTE VIDEO, -the capital of Banda Oriental, and at MALDONADO, a town in the same -province, situated on the northern shore, near the mouth of the estuary -of the Plata. These countries consist either of an undulating surface, -clothed with turf, or of perfectly level plains with enormous beds of -thistles. Except on the banks of the rivers, trees nowhere grow; there -are, however, thickets in some of the valleys, in the more hilly parts -of Banda Oriental. During the winter and spring of this hemisphere, a -considerable quantity of rain falls, and the plains of turf are then -everywhere verdant; but in summer the country assumes a brown and -parched appearance. - -BAHIA BLANCA forms a large bay, in latitude 39° S. on a part of the -coast, which falls within the territory of the province of Buenos Ayres, -but which from its physical conditions would more properly be classed -with Patagonia. The tertiary plains of PATAGONIA, extend from the Strait -of Magellan to the Rio Negro, which is commonly assumed as their -Northern boundary. This space of more than seven hundred miles in -length, and in breadth reaching from the Cordillera to the Atlantic -Ocean, is everywhere characterised by the dreary uniformity of its -landscape. Nearly desert plains, composed of a thick bed of shingle, and -often strewed over with sea-shells, (plainly indicating that the land -has been covered within a recent period by the sea,) are but rarely -interrupted by hills of porphyry, and other crystalline rocks. The -plains support scattered tufts of wiry grass, and stunted bushes; whilst -in the broad flat-bottomed valleys, dwarf thorn-bearing trees, barely -ornamented with the scantiest foliage, sometimes unite into thickets; -and here the few feathered inhabitants of these sterile regions resort. -There is an extreme scarcity of water; and where it is found, especially -if in lakes, it is generally as salt as brine. The sky in summer is -cloudless, and the heat in consequence, considerable; whereas the frosts -of winter are, sometimes, severe. The principal localities visited by -the Beagle, were the RIO NEGRO, in latitude 41° S., PORT DESIRE, PORT -ST. JULIAN, and SANTA CRUZ. At the latter place, a party, under the -command of Captain FitzRoy, followed up the river in boats, to within a -few miles of the Cordillera; and an opportunity was thus afforded of -verifying the nature of the country in its entire breadth. At the Rio -Negro the plains are much more thickly covered with bushes, (chiefly -acacias,) than in any other part of Patagonia. - -TIERRA DEL FUEGO may be supposed to include all the broken land south of -a line joining the opposite mouths of the Strait of Magellan. The land -is mountainous, and may be aptly compared to a lofty chain, partly -submerged in the sea;—bays and channels occupying the position of -valleys. The Eastern side almost exclusively consists of clay-slate; the -Western, of primary, and various plutonic formations. The mountains, -from the water’s edge, to within a short distance of the lower limit of -perpetual snow, are everywhere (excepting on the exposed western shores) -concealed by an impervious forest, the trees of which do not -periodically shed their leaves. On the East coast, the outline of the -land shows that tertiary formations, like those of Patagonia, extend -south of the Strait of Magellan; but with the exception of this part, it -is rare to find even a small space of level ground; and where such -occurs, a thick bed of peat invariably covers the surface. The climate -is of that kind which has been denominated insular: the winters are far -from being excessively cold, whilst the summers are gloomy, boisterous, -and seldom cheered by the rays of the sun. In all seasons, a large -quantity of rain falls. Hence, from the physical conditions of Tierra -del Fuego, all the land animals must live either on the sea-beach, (and -in this class the Aborigines may be included) or within the humid and -entangled forests. - -The FALKLAND ISLANDS are situated in the same latitude as the Eastern -entrance of the Strait of Magellan, and about 270 miles East of it. The -climate is nearly the same as in Tierra del Fuego, but the surface of -the land, instead of being as there, concealed by one great forest, does -not support a single tree. We see on every side a withered and coarse -herbage, with a few low bushes, which spring from the peaty soil of an -undulating moorland. Scattered hills, and a central range of quartz -rock, protrude through formations of clay-slate and sand-stone -(belonging to the Silurian epoch,) which compose the lower country. - -The structure of the west coast of South America, from the Strait of -Magellan northward to latitude 38°, in its greater part, (as far north -as Chiloe) is very similar to that of Tierra del Fuego. The climate -likewise is similar,—being gloomy, boisterous, and extremely humid; and, -consequently, the land is concealed by an almost impenetrable forest. In -the northern part of this region, the temperature of course is -considerably higher than near the Strait of Magellan; but nevertheless -it is much less so, than might have been anticipated from so great a -change in latitude. Hence, although the vegetation of this northern -district presents a marked difference when compared with that of the -southern; yet the zoology in many respects has, like the general aspect -of the landscape, a very uniform character. The specimens were chiefly -collected from the PENINSULA OF TRES MONTES, the CHONOS ARCHIPELAGO -(from latitude 46° to 43° 30′), CHILOE with the adjoining islets, and -VALDIVIA. The contrast between the physical conditions and productions -of the East and West coasts of this part of South America is very -remarkable. On one side of the Cordillera, great heavy clouds are driven -along by the western gales in unbroken sheets, and the indented land is -clothed with thick forests; whilst on the other side of this great -range, a bright sky, with a clear and dry atmosphere, extends over wide -and desolate plains. - -CHILE in the neighbourhood of CONCEPCION (latitude 36° 42′ S.) may be -called a fertile land; for it is diversified with fine woods, pasturage, -and cultivated fields. But towards the more central districts (near -VALPARAISO and SANTIAGO) although by the aid of irrigation, the soil in -the valleys yields a most abundant return, yet the appearance of the -hills, thinly scattered with various kinds of bushes and cylindrical -Opuntias, bespeaks an arid climate. In winter, rain is copious, but -during a long summer of from six to eight months, a shower never -moistens the parched soil. The country has a very alpine character, and -is traversed by several chains of mountains extending parallel to the -Andes. These ranges include between them level basins, which appear once -to have formed the beds of ancient channels and bays, such as those now -intersecting the land further to the south. North of the neighbourhood -of Valparaiso, the climate rapidly becomes more and more arid, and the -land in proportion desert. Beyond the valley of COQUIMBO (latitude 30°.) -it is scarcely habitable, excepting in the valleys of Guasco, Copiapó, -and Paposa, which owe their entire fertility to the system of -irrigation, invented by the aboriginal Indians and followed by the -Spanish colonists. Northward of these places, the absolute desert of -Atacama forms a complete barrier, and eastward, the snow-clad chain of -the Cordillera separates the Zoological province of Chile, from that of -the wide plains which extend on the other side of the Andes. - -The last district which it is at all necessary for me to mention here, -is that of the GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO, situated under the Equator, and -between five and six hundred miles West of the coast of America. These -islands are entirely volcanic in their composition; and on two of them -the volcanic forces have within late years been seen in activity. There -are five principal islands, and several smaller ones: they cover a space -of 2° 10′ in latitude, and 2° 35′ in longitude. The climate, for an -equatorial region, is far from being excessively hot: it is extremely -dry; and although the sky is often clouded, rain seldom falls, excepting -during one short season, and then its quantity is variable. Hence, in -the lower part of these islands, even the more ancient streams of lava -(the recent ones still remaining naked and glossy) are clothed only with -thin and nearly leafless bushes. At an elevation of 1200 feet, and -upwards, the land receives the moisture condensed from the clouds, which -are drifted by the trade wind over this part of the ocean at an -inconsiderable height. In consequence of this, the upper and central -part of each island supports a green and thriving vegetation; but from -some cause, not very easily explained, it is much less frequented, than -the lower and rocky districts are, by the feathered inhabitants of this -archipelago. - -By a reference to the localities here described, it is hoped that the -reader will obtain some general idea of the nature of the different -countries inhabited by the several animals, which will be described in -the following sheets. - -The vertebrate animals in my collection have been presented to the -following museums:—the Mammalia and Birds to the Zoological Society; the -Fishes to the Cambridge Philosophical Society; and the Reptiles, when -described, will be deposited in the British Museum. For the care and -preservation of all these and other specimens, during the long interval -of time between their arrival in this country and my return, I am deeply -indebted to the kindness of the Rev. Professor Henslow of Cambridge. -With respect to the gentlemen, who have undertaken the several -departments of this publication, I hope they will permit me here to -express the great personal obligation which I feel towards them, and -likewise my admiration at the disinterested zeal which has induced them -thus to bestow their time and talents for the good of Science. - - - - - LIST OF PLATES. - - - Plate I. Desmodus D’Orbignyi. - - II. Phyllostoma Grayi. - - III. Vespertilio Chiloensis. - - IV. Canis antarcticus. - - V. —— Magellanicus. - - VI. —— fulvipes. - - VII. —— Azaræ. - - VIII. Felis Yagouaroundi. - - IX. —— Pajeros. - - X. Delphinus Fitz-Royi. - - XI. Mus longicaudatus. - - —— gracilipes. - - XII. —— elegans. - - —— bimaculatus. - - XIII. —— flavescens. - - —— arenicola. - - XIV. —— Magellanicus. - - —— brachiotis. - - XV. —— Renggeri. - - —— obscurus. - - XVI. —— longipilis. - - XVII. —— xanthorhinus. - - —— nasutus. - - XVIII. —— tumidus. - - XIX. —— Braziliensis. - - XX. —— micropus. - - XXI. —— griseo-flavus. - - XXII. —— xanthopygus. - - XXIII. —— Darwinii. - - XXIV. —— Galapagoensis. - - XXV. —— fuscipes. - - XXVI. Reithrodon cuniculoïdes. - - XXVII. —— chinchilloïdes. - - XXVIII. Abrocoma Bennettii. - - XXIX. —— Cuvieri. - - XXX. Didelphis crassicaudata. - - XXXI. —— elegans. - - XXXII. —— brachyura. - - XXXIII. Skulls, and molar teeth of various species of Rodents. - - Fig. 1. _a._ Skull of _Abrocoma Cuvieri_—natural size. - - — 1. _b._ Side view of ditto. - - — 1. _c._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw—outer side. - - — 1. _d._ Lower jaw seen from above. - - — 1. _e._ Molar teeth of the upper jaw magnified. - - — 1. _f._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 2. _a._ Skull of _Reithrodon cuniculoïdes_. - - — 2. _b._ Incisors of the upper jaw magnified. - - — 2. _c._ Molar teeth of the upper jaw magnified. - - — 2. _d._ ditto of the lower jaw. - - — 2. _e._ ditto of upper jaw of a younger specimen. - - — 3. _a._ Portion of a skull of _Mus Braziliensis_. - - — 3. _b._ ditto, view of palate. - - — 3. _c._ Molar teeth of the upper jaw magnified. - - — 3. _d._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 4. _a._ Molar teeth of lower jaw of _Reithrodon typicus_ - magnified. - - — 5. _a._ Molar teeth of the upper jaw of _Mus canescens_. - - — 5. _b._ ditto of under jaw. - - — 5. _c._ Skull of ditto. - - — 5. _d._ Posterior molar of the lower jaw more worn than in 5. - _b._ - - — 6. _a._ Molar teeth of the lower jaw of _Mus longipilis_. - - — 6. _b._ Molar teeth of the upper jaw. - - — 7. _a._ Skull of _Mus nasutus_. - - — 7. _b._ Molar teeth of upper jaw. - - — 7. _c._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 8. _a._ Skull of _Mus Galapagoensis_. - - — 8. _b._ Molar teeth of upper jaw. - - — 8. _c._ ditto of lower jaw. - - XXXIV. Skulls and molar teeth of various species of Rodents, &c. - - Fig. 1. _a._ Skull of _Mus longicaudatus_—natural size. - - — 1. _b._ Molar teeth of upper jaw of ditto. - - — 1. _c._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 1. _d._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw—natural size. - - — 2. _a._ Skull of _Mus elegans_—natural size. - - — 2. _b._ Molar teeth of upper jaw. - - — 2. _c._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 3. _a._ Skull of _Mus bimaculatus_—nat. size. - - — 3. _b._ Molar teeth of upper jaw. - - — 3. _c._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 3. _d._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw—natural size. - - — 4. _a._ Skull of _Mus gracilipes_. - - — 4. _b._ Molar teeth of upper jaw. - - — 4. _c._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 4. _d._ View of the under side of the tarsus. - - — 5. _a._ First and second molar teeth of upper jaw of _Mus - flavescens_. - - — 5. _b._ Two posterior molar teeth of the lower jaw of ditto. - - — 6. _a._ Molar teeth of the upper jaw of _Mus Magellanicus_. - - — 6. _b._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 7. _a._ Skull of _Mus arenicola_. - - — 7. _b._ Molar teeth of upper jaw. - - — 7. _c._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 7. _d._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw. - - — 8. _a._ Molar teeth of upper jaw of _Mus brachiotis_. - - — 8. _b._ Two posterior molars of lower jaw. - - — 9. _a._ Molar teeth of upper jaw of _Mus obscurus_. - - — 9. _b._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 10. _a._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw of _Mus nasutus_. - - — 11. _a._ Molar teeth of lower jaw of _Mus tumidus_. - - — 12. _a._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw of _Mus Braziliensis_. - - — 13. _a._ Molar teeth of upper jaw of _Mus micropus_. - - — 13. _b._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 14. _a._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw of _Mus Galapagoensis_. - - — 15. _a._ Molar teeth of upper jaw of _Mus griseo-flavus_. - - — 15. _b._ ditto of lower. - - — 16. _a._ Molar teeth of upper jaw of _Mus xanthopygus_. - - — 16. _b._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 17. _a._ Molar teeth of upper jaw of _Mus Darwinii_. - - — 17. _b._ ditto of lower. - - — 18. _a._ Molar teeth of upper jaw of _Mus Gouldii_. - - — 18. _b._ ditto of lower. - - — 19. _a._ Molar teeth of upper jaw of _Mus insularis_. - - — 19. _b._ ditto of lower jaw. - - — 19. _c._ Portion of ramus of lower jaw. - - — 20. _a._ Skull of _Reithrodon chinchilloïdes_—natural size. - - — 20. _b._ ditto, viewed from beneath. - - — 20. _c._ ditto, side view. - - — 20. _d._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw—natural size. - - — 20. _e._ Molar teeth of upper jaw. - - — 20. _f._ ditto of lower. - - — 21. _a._ Skull of _Reithrodon cuniculoïdes_, viewed from beneath. - - — 21. _b._ ditto, side view of fore part. - - — 21. _c._ _Ramus_ of lower pair. - - — 22. _a._ Hinder part of ramus of lower jaw of _Abrocoma - Bennettii_. - - — 23. _a._ Skull of _Abrocoma Cuvieri_, viewed from beneath. - - — 23. _b._ Lower jaw of ditto, viewed from beneath. - - — 23. _c._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw, inner side. - - — 24. _a._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw of _Octodon Cumingii_, inner side. - - — 25. _a._ Skull of _Didelphis crassicaudata_. - - — 25. _b._ ditto, viewed from beneath. - - — 25. _c._ Side view of fore part of skull. - - — 25. _d._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw, outer side. - - XXXV. Skulls of various animals. - - Fig. 1. _a._ Skull of _Desmodus D’Orbignyi_. - - — 1. _b._ ditto, viewed from beneath. - - — 1. _c._ ditto, side view. - - — 1. _d._ Front view of the incisors, and canines of upper jaw - magnified. - - — 1. _e._ Side view of do. and the molar teeth. - - — 1. _f._ Front view of incisors and canines of lower jaw, - magnified. - - — 1. _g._ Side view of ditto, and molar teeth. - - — 2. _a._ Skull of _Phyllostoma Grayi_. - - — 2. _b._ Side view of ditto. - - — 2. _c._ } Front view of incisors of upper and - - — 2. _d._ } lower jaws magnified. - - — 3. _a._ Skull of _Vespertilio Chiloensis_. - - — 3. _b._ Side view of ditto. - - — 3. _c._ Front view of upper and lower incisors magnified. - - — 4. _a._ Skull of _Lutra Platensis_. - - — 4. _b._ Under view of ditto. - - — 4. _c._ Side view of fore part of ditto. - - — 4. _d._ Upper view of lower jaw of ditto. - - — 5. _a._ Skull of _Didelphis elegans_. - - — 5. _b._ Under view of ditto.[1] - - — 5. _c._ Side view ditto. - - — 5. _d._ _Ramus_ of lower jaw, outer side. - - — 5. _e._ The same, viewed from above, and magnified. - - - - - INDEX TO THE SPECIES. - - - Page - Abrocoma Bennettii 85 - —— Cuvieri 86 - Auchenia Llama 26 - Canis antarcticus 7 - —— Azaræ 14 - —— fulvipes 12 - —— Magellanicus 10 - Cavia Cobaia 89 - —— Patachonica 89 - Cervus campestris 29 - Ctenomys Braziliensis 79 - Dasypus hybridus 92 - —— minutus 93 - Delphinus Fitz-Royi 25 - Desmodus D’Orbignyi 1 - Didelphis Azaræ 93 - —— brachyura 97 - —— crassicaudata 94 - —— elegans 95 - Dysopes nasutus 6 - Felis domesticus 20 - —— Pajeros 18 - —— Yagouaroundi 16 - Gallictis vittata 21 - Hydrochœrus Capybara 91 - Kerodon Kingii 88 - Lagostomus trichodactylus 88 - Lepus Magellanicus 92 - Lutra Chilensis 22 - —— Platensis 21 - Mus arenicola 48 - —— bimaculatus 43 - —— brachiotis 49 - —— Braziliensis 58 - Mus canescens 54 - —— Darwinii 64 - —— decumanus 31 - —— —— var. Maurus 33 - —— elegans 41 - —— flavescens 46 - —— fuscipes 66 - —— Galapagoensis 65 - —— Gouldii 67 - —— gracilipes 45 - —— griseo-flavus 62 - —— Jacobiæ 34 - —— longicaudatus 39 - —— longipilis 55 - —— Magellanicus 47 - —— micropus 61 - —— Musculus 38 - —— nasutus 56 - —— obscurus 52 - —— Rattus var. Insularis 35 - —— Renggeri 5 - —— tumidus 57 - —— xanthopygus 63 - —— xanthorhinus 53 - Myopotamus Coypus 78 - Octodon Cumingii 82 - Phyllostoma Grayi 3 - —— perspicillatum 4 - Poephagomys ater 82 - Reithrodon chinchilloïdes 72 - —— cuniculoïdes 69 - —— typicus 71 - Vespertilio Chiloensis 5 - - - - - LONDON: - PRINTED BY STEWART AND MURRAY, - OLD BAILEY. - - - - - MAMMALIA, - - - Described by - - GEORGE R. WATERHOUSE, ESQ. - CURATOR OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, ETC. ETC. - - WITH - - A NOTICE OF THEIR HABITS AND RANGES, - - BY CHARLES DARWIN, ESQ. M.A. F.G.S. &c. - CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. - - - - - MAMMALIA. - - - - - FAMILY—PHYLLOSTOMIDÆ. - - - DESMODUS D’ORBIGNYI. - PLATE I. Natural size. Skull, teeth, &c. Pl. XXXV., figs. 1. - - _D. pilis nitidis adpressis; corpore suprà fusco, pilis ad basin - albis; gulâ abdomineque cinerescenti-albis; nasûs prosthemate - parvulo bifido._ - - DESCRIPTION.—The fur of this Bat is glossy and has a silk-like - appearance; that on the top of the head, sides of the face, and - the whole of the upper parts of the body, is of a deep brown - colour; all the hairs on these parts, however, are white at the - base. The flanks, interfemoral membrane, and the arms, are also - covered on their upper side with brown hairs. On the lower part of - the sides of the face, and the whole of the under parts of the - body, the hairs are of an ashy-white colour. The membrane of the - wing is brownish. The ears are of moderate size, and somewhat - pointed; externally they are covered with minute brown hairs, and - internally with white. The tragus is also covered with white - hairs; it is of a narrow form, pointed at the tip, and has a small - acute process in the middle of the outer margin. The nose-leaf is - pierced by the nostrils, which diverge posteriorly, and is so - deeply cleft on its hinder margin, that it may be compared to two - small leaflets joined side by side near their bases. These - leaflets, unlike the nose-leaf of the Phyllostomina, lie - horizontally on the nose to which they are attached throughout, a - slight ridge only indicating their margin. Around the posterior - part of the nose-leaf there is a considerable naked space, in - which two small hollows are observable, situated one on each side, - and close to the nose-leaf; and, at a short distance behind the - nose-leaf, this naked membrane is slightly elevated, and forms a - transverse fleshy tubercle. - - In. Lines. - Length of head and body 3 3 - interfemoral membrane 0 3½ - the antibrachium 2 2 - thumb (claw included) 0 8 - tibia 0 10 - tarsus (claw included) 0 8⅓ - ear 0 4 - tragus 0 3 - nose-leaf 0 2¼ - Expanse the wings - of 12 8 - - - Habitat, Coquimbo, Chile. (_May._) - - -“The Vampire Bat,” says Mr. Darwin in his MS. notes upon the present -species, “is often the cause of much trouble, by biting the horses on -their withers. The injury is generally not so much owing to the loss of -blood, as to the inflammation which the pressure of the saddle -afterwards produces. The whole circumstance has lately been doubted in -England; I was therefore fortunate in being present when one was -actually caught on a horse’s back. We were bivouacking late one evening -near Coquimbo, in Chile, when my servant, noticing that one of the -horses was very restive, went to see what was the matter, and fancying -he could distinguish something, suddenly put his hand on the beast’s -withers, and secured the Vampire. In the morning, the spot where the -bite had been inflicted was easily distinguished from being slightly -swollen and bloody. The third day afterwards we rode the horse, without -any ill effects.” - -Before the introduction of the domesticated quadrupeds, this Vampire Bat -probably preyed on the guanaco, or vicugna, for these, together with the -puma, and man, were the only terrestrial mammalia of large size, which -formerly inhabited the northern part of Chile. This species must be -unknown, or very uncommon in Central Chile, since Molina, who lived in -that part, says (Compendio de la Historia del Reyno de Chile, vol. i. p. -301,) “that no blood-sucking species is found in this province.” - -It is interesting to find that the structure of this animal is in -perfect accordance with the habits as above detailed by Mr. Darwin. -Among other points, the total absence of true molars, and consequent -want of the power of masticating food, is the most remarkable. On the -other hand we find the canines and incisors perfectly fitted for -inflicting a wound such as described, while the small size of the -interfemoral membrane (giving freedom to the motions of the legs,) -together with the unusually large size of the thumb and claw, would -enable this Bat, as I should imagine, to fix itself with great security -to the body of the horse. - -I have named this species after M. d’Orbigny, who has added so much to -our information on the zoological productions of South America. The -_Edostoma cinerea_[2] of that author has evidently a close affinity to -the animal here described, and differs chiefly (judging from the drawing -published in his work) in the larger size of the ears, in having the -nose-leaf free, and the surrounding membrane free and elevated. - -As M. d’Orbigny has not yet published the character of his genus -_Edostoma_, his figure is my only guide, and in this figure I find the -dentition agreeing both with that of the present species, and that of -the genus _Desmodus_ of Prince Maximilian,—as would appear from the -published descriptions, and figure given by M. de Blainville[3].—The -points of distinction between M. d’Orbigny’s animal and the species here -described, are not, in my opinion, of sufficient importance to -constitute generic characters, I have, therefore, retained the name of -Desmodus. - -It is desireable perhaps to separate the Blood-sucking Bats from the -Insectivorous species, and place them between the latter group and the -_Pteropina_, (with which they agree in the large size of the thumb and -the rudimentary interfemoral membrane,) under a sectional name, which I -propose to call _Hæmatophilini_. - - - 1. PHYLLOSTOMA GRAYI. - PLATE II. - - _P. fusco-cinereum; nasûs prosthemate lanceolato; auribus mediocribus, - trago basin versus extùs unidentato; caudâ gracillimâ, brevi, et - membranâ interfemorali inclusâ; verrucâ complanatâ ad apicem menti, - verrucis parvulis circumdatâ._ - - DESCRIPTION.—This Phyllostoma agrees with the species described by Mr. - J. Gray[4] under the name of Childreni, in having on the lower lip - “an half ovate group of crowded warts,” but is of a much smaller - size, and differs also in colour. - - The number of teeth are as follows:—incisors ⁴⁄₄; canines ²⁄₂; molars - 5⁵⁄₅–5 = 32. The intermediate pair of incisors of the upper jaw - are large, compressed, and have their apices rounded; the lateral - pair are so minute, that they are scarcely visible without the - assistance of a lens: the four incisors of the lower jaw, are - somewhat crowded, the intermediate pair are slightly larger than - the lateral; they are all deeply notched, and broad at the apex. - The cerebral portion of the skull is much arched and the anterior - portion is depressed. The zygomatic arch is imperfect; see Pl. 35. - figs. 2. The nose-leaf is lanceolate, and of moderate size: the - ears are also of moderate size; they are rounded at the tip and - emarginated on their exterior edge: the tragus is elongated, and - suddenly attenuated towards the apex; the outer margin is deeply - notched towards the base, and very obscurely crenulated above this - notch. The interfemoral membrane is of moderate extent, and - emarginated posteriorly. The tail, which is very slender, is - entirely enclosed by the interfemoral membrane, and the visible - portion appears to consist of but two joints, which together, - measure about two and a half lines in length. The basal half of - the thumb is enclosed in membrane. The fur is soft and rather - long. The general tint of the upper and under parts of the body is - brownish-ash; the hairs on the neck and on the whole of the back - are grey at the base, then white, or nearly so, brownish-ash near - the tip, and whitish at the tip. On the belly the hairs are nearly - of an uniform brown-ash colour, their apices only being whitish. - The ears, nose-leaf, and membrane of the wings, are of a - sooty-black hue. - - In. Lines. - Length of head and body 2 0 - antibrachium 1 4⅓ - thumb (claw included) 0 5½ - tibia 0 7 - ear 0 7 - nose-leaf 0 3⅓ - Expanse the wings - of 10 0 - - - Habitat, Pernambuco, Brazil. (_August._) - - -“This species appeared to be common at Pernambuco (five degrees north of -Bahia). Upon entering an old lime-kiln in the middle of the day, I -disturbed a considerable number of them: they did not seem to be much -incommoded by the light, and their habitation was much less dark than -that usually frequented as a sleeping place by these animals.” D. - -I have named this species after Mr. John Gray, the author of several -extensive memoirs on the order to which it belongs, and to whom I am -indebted for valuable assistance whilst comparing this and other species -with those contained in the collection of the British Museum. - - - 2. PHYLLOSTOMA PERSPICILLATUM. - -I find in Mr. Darwin’s collection, a bat agreeing with the description -of M. Geoffroy Saint Hilaire,[5] under the above name, with the -exception of a slight difference in the dimensions; I will, therefore, -add those of the present specimen, which is a female. It may be -observed, that in the animal before me, the tragus of the ear is -pointed, and not bifid at the apex, as represented in plate xi of the -work quoted. - - In. Lines. - Length of head and body 4 0 - antibrachium 2 7 - nose-leaf 0 5 - ear 0 8½ - tragus 0 3 - tibia 1 0 - Expansion the wings - of 16 8 - -“This bat was caught at Bahia, (latitude 13° S.) on the coast of Brazil, -in consequence of its having flown into a room where there was a light. -I scarcely ever saw an animal so tenacious of life.” D. - - - - - FAMILY—VESPERTILIONIDÆ. - - - VESPERTILIO CHILOENSIS. - PLATE III. - - _V. fuscus: auribus mediocribus; trago elongato, angusto, apicem - versus attenuato; fronte concavo; rostro obtuso; caudâ ad apicem - extremum liberâ._ - - DESCRIPTION.—In size and colouring, this Bat very closely resembles - the _Vespertilio Pipistrellus_ of Europe; the wings, however, are - considerably broader in proportion; the antibrachium, tibia, and - tail, are each of them longer; the tragus of the ear is also - longer, and narrower. - - The muzzle is short and obtuse, and furnished on each side with - numerous hairs, which, when compared with those of other parts, - are of a more harsh nature. The nose is naked at the apex. The - forehead is concave. The ears are narrow, and somewhat pointed, - emarginated externally, and have about four transverse rugæ: the - tragus is elongated, narrow, and pointed, and has the outer margin - very obscurely crenulated. On the chin there is a small wart, from - which spring several stiffish hairs. The tail is about equal to - the body in length, and has the extreme tip free. The fur is - moderately long, and of an uniform rich brown colour, and extends - on to the base of the interfemoral membrane above and below; the - remainder of this membrane is bare, and, together with that of the - wings, of a black colour. - - In. Lines. - Length of the head and body 1 8 - the tail 1 3½ - Expanse the wings - of 8 3 - Length of the ear 0 5½ - the tragus 0 3⅓ - the antibrachium 1 5½ - the thumb (claw included) 0 2½ - the tibia 0 6¾ - - - Habitat, Chiloe. (_January._) - - -“This specimen was given me by Lieut. Sulivan, who obtained it amongst -the islets on the Eastern side of Chiloe. It is not, I believe, common, -nor do the humid and impervious forests of that island appear a -congenial habitation for members of this family. It must, however, be -observed, that even in Tierra del Fuego, where the climate is still less -hospitable, and where the number of insects is surprisingly small, I saw -one of these animals on the wing.” D. - - - - - FAMILY—NOCTILIONIDÆ. - - - DYSOPES NASUTUS. - - Molossus nasutus _Spix_, Simiarum et Vespertilionum. Braziliensium - species novæ. Nyctinomus Braziliensis.—_Geoffroy_, Annales des - Sciences Naturelles, tom. i. p. 337. pl. 22. - -Of this species I find three specimens in Mr. Darwin’s collection—“It is -remarkable,” says Mr. Darwin, “for its wide geographical range. I -obtained specimens at Maldonado, on the northern bank of the Plata, -where it was exceedingly numerous in the attics of old houses, and -likewise at Valparaiso in Chile. Molina (vol. i. p. 301.) says another -species is found in Chile, of the same size and figure, but of a more -orange (_naranjado_) colour.” - -Upon comparing the dimensions of several specimens of this species with -those given by Temminck in his “Monographie sur le Genre Molosse,” I -find that they vary very considerably; I shall therefore be adding some -little to the history of the species, by giving the dimensions of those -now before me, together with the sexes of the specimens measured, and -their localities. In all these specimens there is a series of pointed -tubercles along the upper margin of the ears, a character which M. -Temminck has omitted to notice. They vary slightly in the intensity of -their colouring, but among those brought from Chile I do not perceive -any agreeing with that species, or variety, mentioned by Molina as -approaching to an orange colour. All the specimens whose dimensions are -here given, are preserved in spirit. Two of them are from Maldonado -brought by Mr. Darwin; three were collected in Hayti by Mr. J. Hearne, -and one is from Chile, whence it was brought by Mr. H. Cuming. - - From Chile. Hayti. Hayti. - ♀ ♀ ♂ - In. Lines. In. Lines. In. Lines. - Length of head and body 2 3 1 11 2 0 - of tail 1 1½ 1 2 1 2 - of free portion of ditto 0 6½ 0 5 0 6½ - Expanse of wings 10 3 9 3 9 8 - Length of antibrachium 1 7 1 6 1 6½ - of ears 0 5 0 4½ 0 4¾ - Width of ditto 0 7 0 6 0 6 - Length from nose to eye 0 3½ 0 3 0 3¾ - - Hayti. Maldonado. Maldonado. - ♂ ♀ ♀ - In. Lines. In. Lines. In. Lines. - Length of head and body 2 0½ 2 6 2 6 - of tail 1 1½ 1 1 1 2 - of free portion of ditto 0 5⅓ 0 8¾ 0 8½ - Expanse of wings 9 0 10 6 10 2 - Length of antibrachium 1 6 1 8 1 9 - of ears 0 4½ 0 5⅛ 0 5½ - Width of ditto 0 6 0 7 0 7 - Length from nose to eye 0 3 0 3½ 0 3½ - -In all the specimens examined by me, there are two incisors in the upper -jaw, and four in the lower, they would therefore, according to M. -Temminck, be adult. - - - - - FAMILY—CARNIVORA. - - - 1. CANIS ANTARCTICUS. - PLATE IV. - - Antarctic Wolf, _Pennant_, History of Quadrupeds, vol. i. p. 257. sp. - 165. - - Canis Antarcticus, _Shaw_, Gen. Zool. vol. i. pt. 2. p. 331. - - ——, _Desm._ Mamm. p. 199. - - _C. suprà sordidè fulvescenti-brunneus, pilis ad apicem nigris; - lateribus, corporeque subtùs, sordidè flavescenti-fuscis; capite, - auribusque extùs, fusco nigroque adspersis; artubus - flavescenti-fulvis; labiis, gulâ, abdomine imo, femoribusque intùs, - sordidè albis; caudâ ad basin concolore cum corpore, deìn nigrâ, - apice albo._ - - DESCRIPTION.—This animal is considerably larger than the common fox, - (_Canis Vulpes_, Auct.) and stouter in its proportions, and, in - fact, appears to be intermediate between the ordinary foxes and - the wolves. The tail is much smaller and less bushy than in the - former animals. The contour of the head is wolf-like; the legs, - however, are shorter than in the true wolves; and the tail is - white at the apex, a character common in the foxes. - - The fur of the Antarctic Fox is moderately long, and the under fur is - not very abundant, especially as compared with that of the C. - _magellanicus_. This under fur is of a pale brown colour; the - apical portion of each hair is yellowish; the longer hairs are - black at the apex, brown at the base, and annulated with white - towards the apex. In many of these hairs the subapical pale ring - is wanting. On the chest and belly the hairs are of a pale dirty - yellow colour, gray-white at the base, and black at the apex. On - the hinder part of the belly the hairs are almost of an uniform - dirty white. The space around the angle of the mouth, the upper - lip, and the whole of the throat, are white. The chin is - brown-white, or brownish. The basal half of the tail is of the - same colour as the body, and the hairs are of the same texture; on - the apical half of the tail they are of a harsher or less woolly - nature, of a black colour at the apex, and brownish at the base; - those at the extreme point are totally white. The legs are almost - of an uniform fulvous colour; the feet are of a somewhat paler - hue; the hairs on the under side of the hinder feet are brownish, - and the external and posterior parts of the tibiæ are suffused - with the same tint. The hairs on the head are grizzled with black - and fulvous; the former of these colours is somewhat conspicuous, - excepting in the region of the eyes, where the fulvous or - yellowish tint prevails. The muzzle is scarcely of so dark a hue - as the crown of the head. The ears are furnished internally with - long white hairs, externally the hairs are yellowish, with their - apices black; the latter colour is more conspicuous towards the - tip of the ear. The sides of the neck near the ear are of a rich - fulvous hue. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 36 0 - from tip of nose to ear 7 3 - of tail (hair included) 13 0 - of ear 2 9 - Height of body at shoulders 15 0 - - - Habitat, Falkland Islands. - - -Three specimens of this animal were brought to England by Capt. FitzRoy; -from one of which, the above drawing and description has been made. The -earliest notice I can find of this animal is by Pernety,[6] during -Bougainville’s voyage, which was undertaken in 1764, for the purpose of -colonizing these islands. The strange familiarity of its manner seems to -have excited the fears of some of the seamen in Commodore Byron’s voyage -(in 1765) in rather a ludicrous manner. Byron says that seals were not -the only dangerous animals that they found, “for the master having been -sent out one day to sound the coast upon the south shore, reported at -his return that four creatures of great fierceness, resembling wolves, -ran up to their bellies in the water to attack the people in his boat, -and that as they happened to have no fire-arms with them, they had -immediately put the boat off in deep water.” Byron adds that, “When any -of these creatures got sight of our people, though at ever so great a -distance, they ran directly at them; and no less than five of them were -killed this day. They were always called wolves by the ship’s company, -but, except in their size, and the shape of the tail, I think they bore -a greater resemblance to a fox. They are as big as a middle-sized -mastiff, and their fangs are remarkably long and sharp. There are great -numbers of them upon this coast, though it is not perhaps easy to guess -how they first came hither; for these islands are at least one hundred -leagues distant from the main. They burrow in the ground like a fox, and -we have frequently seen pieces of seals which they have mangled, and the -skins of penguins lie scattered about the mouths of their holes. To get -rid of these creatures, our people set fire to the grass, so that the -country was in a blaze as far as the eye could reach, for several days, -and we could see them running in great numbers to seek other quarters.” - -“The habits of these animals remain nearly the same to the present day, -although their numbers have been greatly decreased by the singular -facility with which they are destroyed. I was assured by several of the -Spanish countrymen, who are employed in hunting the cattle which have -run wild on these islands, that they have repeatedly killed them by -means of a knife held in one hand, and a piece of meat to tempt them to -approach, in the other. They range over the whole island, but perhaps -are most numerous near the coast; in the inland parts they must subsist -almost exclusively on the upland geese, (_Anser leucopterus_,) which, -from fear of them, like the eider-ducks of Iceland, build only on the -small outlying islets. These wolves do not go in packs; they wander -about by day, but more commonly in the evening; they burrow holes; are -generally very silent, excepting during the breeding season, when they -utter cries, which were described to me as resembling those of the -_Canis Azaræ_. Spaniards and half-caste Indians, from several districts -of the southern portions of South America, have visited these islands, -and they all declare that the wolf is not found on the mainland; the -sealers likewise say it does not occur on Georgia, Sandwich Land, or the -other islands in the Antarctic ocean. I entertain, therefore, no doubt, -that the _Canis antarcticus_ is peculiar to this archipelago. It is -found both on East and West Falkland, as might have been inferred from -the accounts given by Bougainville and Byron, who visited different -islands;—I state this particularly, because the contrary has been -asserted. I was assured by Mr. Low, an intelligent sealer, who has long -frequented these islands, that the wolves of West Falkland are -invariably smaller and of a redder colour than those from the Eastern -island; and this account was corroborated by the officers of the -Adventure, employed in surveying the archipelago. Mr. Gray, of the -British Museum, had the kindness to compare in my presence the specimens -deposited there by Captain Fitzroy, but he could not detect any -essential difference between them. The number of these animals during -the last fifty years must have been greatly reduced; already they are -entirely banished from that half of East Falkland which lies East of the -head of St. Salvador Bay and Berkeley Sound; and it cannot, I think, be -doubted, that as these islands are now becoming colonized, before the -paper is decayed on which this animal has been figured, it will be -ranked amongst those species which have perished from the face of the -earth.”—D. - - - 2. CANIS MAGELLANICUS. - PLATE V. - - Canis Magellanicus, _Gray_, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London, part iv. 1836, p. 88. - Vulpes Magellanica, _Gray_, Magazine of Natural History, New Series, - 1837, vol. i. p. 578. - - _C. suprà albo nigroque variegatus; lateribus fulvescente fuscoque - lavatis; capite fusco-flavo et albescente adsperso; rostro supernè - obscuriore; auribus, artubusque extùs flavescenti-rufis; corpore - subtùs sordidè flavescenti-albo; pectore fulvo lavato; mento - fuscescente; caudâ fulvescenti-fuscâ, pilis ad apicem nigris, subtùs - pallidiore; plagâ supernè prope basin caudæ, hujusque apice nigris._ - - DESCRIPTION.—This species is considerably larger than the European - fox; its form is more bulky, the limbs are shorter and stouter in - proportion, the ears are smaller and the tail is more bushy. The - fur is long, thick, and loose. The under fur is very long, - abundant, and of a woolly texture. The back is mottled with black - and white, the former of these colours being predominant; the - hairs on this part are gray at the base, there is then a - considerable space of a pale, or whitish brown colour; next - follows a broad white ring, beyond which the hairs are black. On - the sides of the body the hairs are coloured in the same way, - excepting that the white portion is more extended, and is followed - by a rich yellow-brown, shaded into black as it approaches the - apex of each hair. Hence the general hue of the sides of the body - is paler than that of the back, the brown and white tints being - the more conspicuous. The hairs of the head are annulated with - white, and fulvous, and are black at the tip; the two former - colours are most conspicuous. The chin is brownish. The lower part - of the cheeks, the throat, and the under parts of the body, are of - a dirty yellowish white colour, inclining to buff in certain - parts, especially on the lower part of the neck and chest. The - limbs are of a rich deep fulvous, or yellowish rust colour - externally; the feet and inner sides of the legs are of a paler - hue. On the hinder legs externally, above the heel, is a patch of - bright rust colour; such is also the colour of the ears - externally, and likewise of that portion of the neck behind the - ears. Internally the ears are furnished with long yellowish white - hairs. The tail is long and very bushy; at its base the hairs are - rusty white, towards the middle they are of a paleish rust colour, - and at the apex they are black; there is also a black patch on the - upper part towards the base. The hairs of the tail beneath are - almost entirely of an uniform rusty white colour, those on the - upper side are all tipped with black. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 31 0 - to base of ear 6 9 - of tail (hair included) 17 0 - of ear 2 0 - Height of body at the shoulders 14 6 - - - Habitat, Chile. (_June._) - - -“This animal was first brought to Europe by Captain Philip P. King, who -obtained it at Port Famine in Tierra del Fuego, where it is common. My -specimen was obtained in the valley of Copiapó in the northern part of -Chile. The Magellanic fox, therefore, has a range on the western coast -of at least 1600 miles, from the humid and entangled forests of Tierra -del Fuego, to the almost absolutely desert country of northern Chile. In -La Plata, on the Atlantic side of the continent, I believe it is not -found.[7] It is mentioned by Molina in his account of the animals of -Chile,[8] under the name of Culpeu, which he supposes to be derived from -the Indian word “culpem,” signifying madness; for this animal, when it -sees a man, runs towards him, and standing at the distance of a few -yards, looks at him attentively. He adds, although great numbers are -killed, they do not leave off this habit. Molina states that he has -repeatedly been a witness of this, and I received nearly similar -accounts from several of the inhabitants of Chile: yet I must observe, -that the people of the farm-house, where my specimen was killed (after -it, together with its female, had destroyed nearly two hundred fowls) -bitterly complained of its craftiness. From this bold curiosity in the -disposition of the Culpeu, Molina thought that it was the same animal as -that described by Byron at the Falkland Islands, but we now know that -they are different. The Culpeu burrows holes under ground, often wanders -about by day, is very strong and fleet. When riding one day in the -valley of Copiapó, accompanied by a half-bred greyhound, I happened to -come across one of these foxes; and although the ground was, in the -first part of the chase, level, it soon entirely distanced its pursuer. -Whilst running, it barked so like a dog, that until it had run some way -a-head of the greyhound, I could not tell from which animal the noise -proceeded. After the Culpeu had reached the mountains, it made a sudden -bend from its course, and returned in a nearly parallel line, but at the -base of a steep cliff of rock; it then quietly seated itself on its -haunches, and seemed to listen with much satisfaction to the dog, which -was running the scent on the mountain side, above its head.”—D. - - - 3. CANIS FULVIPES. - PLATE VI. - - Canis fulvipes, _Martin_, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London, 1837, p. 11. - - _C. suprà niger, albo adspersus, capite lateribusque fuscis, sordidè - albo nigroque adspersis; rostro superiore, mentoque - fusco-nigricantibus; gulâ, labiis superioribus, femoribusque ad - partem anteriorem, sordidè albis; pectore abdomineque - fuscescentibus; auribus externè rufo-castaneis; brachiis internè, - tarsis, digitisque fuscescenti-fulvis; artubus posticis extùs supra - calcem fusco-nigrescentibus; caudæ colore ad basin ut in corpore, - apice nigro._ - - DESCRIPTION.—This species is considerably less than the common - European fox, (_Canis Vulpes_, Auct.) its weight probably would - scarcely exceed half that of the latter animal. The form of the - body is stout, the limbs are short and rather slender; the head is - also short, and the muzzle is pointed; the ears are of moderate - size. The tail is about equal to half the whole length of the - body, head included; and compared with that of ordinary foxes, is - much less bushy, especially at the base. The general hue of this - animal is very dark; the fur is rather short, and harsh to the - touch; the under fur is abundant, and of a woolly texture. On the - back, all the hairs are of a deep brown colour, annulated with - white near the apex, and black at the apex. When the fur is in its - ordinary position, the brown colour is not seen, and the black and - white produce a grizzled appearance; the black colour, however, - predominates. On the sides of the body each hair is grayish at the - base, then pale brown, near the apex annulated with white, and at - the apex black: the three last mentioned colours are exhibited in - about equal proportions (the fur being in its natural position) - over the haunches and shoulders, but between these two parts, the - brown and white colours are the more conspicuous. The hairs of the - head are coloured in the same way as those of the sides of the - body, excepting that the brown portion of each hair, is replaced - by rusty brown, which gives a rufous hue to this part. The muzzle - and chin are of a sooty brown colour. A dirty white patch is - observable on each side of the muzzle at the apex, and this colour - is extended along the margin of the upper lip on to the lower part - of the cheeks, and over the whole of the throat; all the hairs in - these parts (with the exception of those on the lips) being of a - deep brownish gray colour, with their apical portions only, white. - The ears are covered internally with long yellowish white hairs; - towards, and on the margin of the ears externally, the hairs are - of a buff colour, on the remaining portion of the ears, and on the - sides of the neck, they are of a reddish chestnut hue. The hairs - of the under parts of the body are brown, those near the hinder - legs, and between them, are of a dirty white colour at the apex; - towards the rump they are of a yellowish brown colour. The hairs - of the tail are brown, black at the apex, and annulated with white - near the apex; on the apical portion the hairs are black, and - brown at the base. The fore legs are of a brown colour externally, - internally they are of a brownish fulvous hue; such is also the - colour of the feet. The fore part of the posterior legs is - whitish, and there is a large blackish patch on the outer side, - and extending around the posterior part, above the heel. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 24 0 - to base of ear 0 4¾ - of tail (hair included) 10 0 - of ear 2 3½ - Height of body at the shoulders 10 6 - - - Habitat, Chiloe. (_December._) - - -“I killed this animal on the sea-beach, at the southern point of the -island; it is considered extremely rare in the northern and inhabited -districts. Molina mentions this fox, which he falsely considered as the -_C. lagopus_, under the name of the _Payne Gurú_, and he adds, that in -the Archipelago of Chiloe, it is found of a black colour. From this -circumstance I am induced to believe that the species is confined to -these islands.”—D. - - - 4. CANIS AZARÆ. - PLATE VII. - - Canis Azaræ, _Pr. Maximilian_, Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte - Braziliens, vol. ii. p. 338. - - Agouarachay, _Azara_, Essais sur l’histoire naturelle des Quadrupèdes - de la Province du Paraguay, tom. i. p. 317. - - _C. suprà albo nigroque variegatus; lateribus cinerescentibus; capite, - auribus externè, artubusque, cinereo-cinnamominis; mento nigro; - tibiis externis ad basin nigro lavatis; caudâ albescente, suprà - nigro variegatâ, ad apicem nigrâ; spatio pone angulos oris, gutture, - corporeque subtùs albescentibus; fasciis duabus griscescentibus in - pectore plus minusve distinctis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Compared with the common fox (_Canis Vulpes_, Auct.), the - present animal is rather smaller, and of a more slender form. Its - limbs are a little longer in proportion; the ears are not so - broad. The tail is not quite so bushy, neither is it so long; the - fur is much longer, and of a harsher nature. - - The predominant colours of the body are black and white; the limbs are - of a fulvous hue externally. The hairs on the under part of the - feet are dirty brown; the fore part of the anterior legs, and the - feet, are of a buff colour; on the former, the hairs are more or - less distinctly tipped with black, which produces a grizzled - appearance. The inner side of the fore legs is of an uniform pale - buff colour; the hinder part of these legs, the fore part of the - posterior legs, and the inner side of the thighs, are white. On - the outer side of the hinder legs, at some little distance above - the heel, is a large blackish patch. The under parts of the body - are of a dirty white hue, arising from the hairs being dusky or - brownish at the base, and tipped with white, as on the fore part - of the belly, or of a pale buff colour at the base, as towards the - rump. The edge of the upper lip, the throat, neck, and chest, are - white; a broad grayish band extends across the latter, and another - of a paler hue crosses the lower part of the neck. The chin is - black, and this colour is extended backwards around the angle of - the mouth. The upper part of the head is of a pale yellow-brown - colour, each hair being annulated with white near the apex. The - ears are furnished with white hairs internally, and externally - they are of a yellowish brown colour, tipped with black; at the - base of the ears, and the portion of the neck on each side nearest - to them, the hairs are of an uniform buff colour. The hairs of the - moustaches are long and stiff, and of a black colour. The hairs of - the back, which are very long, are brown at the base, very pale - towards the skin, and of a deep brown in the opposite direction; - each hair is then white, and at the apex black. The tail is - whitish, mottled with black; the apical portion is black, and - there is a patch of the same colour towards the base on the upper - side. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 27 6 - to base of ear 5 9 - of tail (hair included) 14 6 - of ear 3 2 - Height of body at the shoulders 14 0 - - - Habitat, La Plata, Patagonia, and Chile. - - -The black and white portions of the hairs on the back produce in that -part a mottled appearance, and in the specimen from which the above -description is taken, these two colours are about equal in proportion. -In another specimen now before me, the black colour predominates on the -back. The fur in the younger animals of this species is not so long nor -so harsh, and the upper parts are grizzled with black and white; that is -to say, these two colours do not form patches of considerable extent as -in the adults; the general colouring is also somewhat paler. The chin is -brown-black or brown, instead of black, and the upper band, or that, -which in the adult extends across the upper part of the neck, is -interrupted in the middle; in fact, is only traceable on the _sides_ of -the neck. - -Azara, in his description of the Agouarachay, says, the muzzle, as far -back as the eyes, is blackish; whereas, in all the specimens examined by -me, the muzzle is of the same colour as the other parts of the head, or -_very_ nearly so. In other respects his description agrees with the -animal described by me, and _not_ with the _Canis cinereo-argentatus_, -which Desmarest and Lesson suppose to be the Agouarachay of Azara. In -Fischer’s “_Synopsis Mammalium_” the _Canis Azaræ_ is described as -having the tip of the tail white; whereas it is black, not only in the -five specimens which have come under my notice, but also in those in the -collection of Prince Maximilian[9] (who was the original describer) and -in the Paris Museum. - -“This animal has a wide range; Prince Maximilian brought specimens from -Brazil; and it is common in La Plata, Chile, the whole of Patagonia, -even to the shores of the Strait of Magellan; and a fox, which lives on -the small islands not far from Cape Horn, probably belongs to this -species. This animal generally frequents desert places; I saw many in -the valley of the Despoblado, a branch of that of Copiapó, where there -is no fresh water, and where, with the exception of some small rodents, -(the constant inhabitants of sterile regions) scarcely any other animal -could exist. I saw also very many of these foxes wandering about by day -(although Azara says they are nocturnal in Paraguay) on the plains of -Santa Cruz, where various kinds of mice are abundant, and likewise -around the Sierra Ventana. In the course of one day’s ride in this -latter neighbourhood, (not far from Bahia Blanca, lat. 39° S.) I should -think I saw between thirty and forty. They generally were wandering at -no great distance from their burrows; but, as they are not very swift -animals, our dogs caught two. Azara states that in Paraguay this fox, -which he calls the Agourá-chay, inhabits thick woods, and that it makes -a great nest or pile of straw, to lie on; but that near Buenos Ayres it -uses the holes of the Bizcacha. Further southward, where the Bizcacha is -not found, it certainly excavates its own burrow.[10] In Chile these -foxes are very destructive to the vineyards, from the quantity of grapes -they consume; so that boys are generally kept in the vintage season with -bells and other means to frighten them away. Azara states, that in -Paraguay they likewise eat fruit and sugarcane. By the same authority it -is said, that the Agourá-chay, when taken young, is easily -domesticated.”—D. - - - 1. FELIS YAGOUAROUNDI. - PLATE VIII. - - Felis Yagouaroundi, _Desmarest_, Mammologie, p. 230. - - Yagouaroundi, _Azara_, Essais sur l’histoire Naturelle des Quadrupèdes - de la Province du Paraguay, tom. i. p. 171. - - Felis Darwinii, _Martin_, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London, 1837, p. 3. - - _F. vellere brevi, adpresso, purpurascenti-fusco; pilis flavescente - annulatis; pedibus nigro lavatis; caudâ longissimâ; auribus - parvulis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—The fur is rather harsh, short, and somewhat adpressed: - the under fur is of a pale grayish brown colour; the hairs which - constitute the chief clothing of the animal, are black, annulated - with brownish yellow, or in some parts, yellow-white, each hair - having about three or four rings. The black and pale colours are - about equal in proportion, and their mixture produces a deep brown - tint, which is almost uniform throughout the body and limbs. On - the head the yellowish colour predominates over the black, - excepting on the tip of the muzzle, and thence back to the eye, - where the hairs are of a brownish black colour. On the throat the - hairs are brown. The underside of the tarsus is black, and on the - outer side of the fore foot there is a black mark which extends - upwards on to the wrist. The tail is long and bushy; towards and - on the base, the hairs are annulated with black and yellow, like - those of the body; but beyond this they are of a more uniform - colour, each hair being brown at the base, and gradually shaded - into black towards the tip. The ears are small and rounded, and - covered with hairs of the same colour as those on the head. The - claws are of a large size, and white colour; the toes are united - for a considerable portion of their length by the interdigital - membrane. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 25 0 - to base of ear 3 6 - of tail (hairs included) 19 0 - of ear 1 0 - Height of body at shoulders 12 0 - - - Habitat, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (_May._) - - -“This cat was given me by an old Portuguese priest, who had hunted it -down in a thick forest with a small pack of dogs, after a severe chase. -It was killed near the Gavia mountain, at the distance of a few miles -only from Rio de Janeiro, where it was considered uncommon.” D. Although -small, compared with the Puma, (_Felis concolor_, Auct.), this cat, in -its slender lengthened body, small head, long tail, and stout limbs, -decidedly evinces an affinity to that species. According to the -dimensions of the Yagouaroundi given by Azara, Desmarest, and Temminck, -it appears that the tail is considerably shorter in proportion in the -specimens examined by those naturalists, than in the present individual, -and the difference was such, as to induce Mr. Martin to believe that the -latter was a distinct species; he accordingly proposed for it the -specific name of _Darwinii_. At the time that Mr. Martin described the -specimen alluded to, I was also inclined to believe it was a distinct -species. I mention this because I am afraid my opinion had a slight -share in influencing Mr. Martin’s determination. I have since seen many -specimens, and upon comparing their dimensions, I find that the -proportionate length of the tail varies more than is usual in other -species of cats, and that the difference in the length in this member is -not combined with any other distinguishing character. In colouring there -is also a considerable variation, some specimens being almost black, and -having the hairs but obscurely annulated with white; in others, the -hairs are more distinctly annulated, and the head assumes a grayish hue. -Others again, are brown, or black brown, having the hairs annulated with -yellow. The following are the dimensions of two specimens in the Paris -museum, and those given by the authors above alluded to.[11] - - _Paris M._ _Paris M._ _Desmarest._ _Temminck._ _Azara._ - In. Lines. In. Lines. In. Lines. In. Lines. In. Lines. - Length from - nose - to - root - of - tail 30 6 28 0 23 0 30 0 36 9 - of - tail 24 0 17 0 13 9 22 0 13 9 - - - 2. FELIS PAJEROS. - PLATE IX. - - Chat Pampa, _Azara_, Essais sur l’histoire Naturelle des Quadrupèdes - du Paraguay. Traduct. Franç. tom. 1. p. 179. - - Felis Pajeros, _Desmarest_, Mammologie, p. 231. - - _F. vellere longissimo, flavescenti-griseo, fasciis flavescenti-fuscis - indistinctè et sublongitudinalitèr notato; pedibus annulis latis - nigris; abdomine maculis magnis nigris; mento albo; caudâ brevi; - auribus mediocribus, ad apicem externum nigris._ - - DESCRIPTION.—The Pampas cat is about equal in size to the common wild - cat of Europe (_Felis Catus_, Linn.). It is however of a stouter - form than that animal, the head is smaller, and the tail is - shorter. - - The most remarkable character in this species consists in the great - length of the fur,—the longer hairs on the back measuring upwards - of three inches, and those on the hinder part of the back, are - from four and a half, to four and three quarter inches in length. - The general colour of the fur is pale yellow-gray. Numerous - irregular yellow, or sometimes brown stripes run in an oblique - manner from the back along the sides of the body. On each side of - the face there are two stripes of a yellowish or cinnamon colour: - these stripes commence near the eye, extend backwards and - downwards over the cheeks, on the hinder part of which they join - and form a single line, which encircles the lower part of the - throat. The tip of the muzzle and the chin are white, and there is - a spot in front of the eye, and a line beneath the eye, of the - same colour: the belly and the inner side and hinder part of the - fore legs are also white. An irregular black line runs across the - lower part of the chest and extends over the base of the fore legs - externally, and above this line there are two other transverse - dark markings on the chest, which are more or less defined. On the - fore legs there are three broad black bands, two of which encircle - the leg, and on the posterior legs there are about five black - bands externally, and some irregular dark spots internally. The - feet are yellowish, and the underside of the tarsus is of a - slightly deeper hue. On the belly there are numerous large - irregular black spots. The ears are of moderate size, furnished - internally with long white hairs; externally, the ears are of the - same colour as the head, excepting at the apex where the hairs are - black and form a slight tuft. The tail is short, somewhat bushy, - and devoid of dark rings or spots—the hairs are in fact coloured - as those of the back of the animal. On the upper part of the body - each hair is brown at the base, then yellow, and at the apex, - black. On the hinder part of the back the hairs are almost black - at the base, and on the sides of the body each hair is gray at the - base; there is then a considerable space of yellowish white - colour; towards the apex they are white, and at the apex black. - The greater number of the hairs of the moustaches are white. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 26 0 - to base of ear 3 6 - of tail (fur included) 11 0 - of ear 1 11 - Height of body at shoulders 13 0 - - - Habitat, Santa Cruz, Patagonia, (_April_,) and Bahia Blanca, - (_August_). - - -The markings in this animal vary slightly in intensity; those on the -body are generally indistinct, but the black rings on the legs are -always very conspicuous. - -“This animal takes its name from ‘paja,’ the Spanish word for straw, -from its habit of frequenting reeds. It is common over the whole of the -great plains, which compose the eastern side of the southern part of -America. According to Azara, it extends northward as far as latitude -30°, and to the south, I have reason to believe, from the accounts I -have received, that it is found near the Strait of Magellan, which would -give it a range of nearly 1400 miles, in a north and south line. One of -my specimens was obtained, in 50° south, at Santa Cruz: it was met with -in a valley, where a few thickets were growing. When disturbed, it did -not run away, but drew itself up, and hissed. My other specimen was -half-grown, and was killed in the end of August, at Bahia Blanca.”—D. - - - 3. FELIS DOMESTICA. - - Felis domestica, _Brisson_, Reg. Anim. p. 264. - -I find in Mr. Darwin’s collection a cat, the colouring and proportions -of which, convince me that its origin is from the domestic cat, as -however it was shot in a wild state far from any house, a description -may, perhaps, prove useful. Its general colour is deep gray, and the -body is adorned with numerous irregular narrow black bands; there is a -broad black mark, formed of confluent spots, along the middle of the -back, which commences a little behind the shoulders; a considerable -space around the angles of the mouth, the chin, throat, central portion -of the chest, fore feet, toes of the hinder feet, and the posterior -portion of the belly, are white; a black line extends backwards from the -posterior angle of the eye, on to the cheeks; thence, across the throat, -there are two lines: the space between the eye is chiefly occupied with -white hairs: the tail is slender, and tapers towards the apex; the basal -half is gray with black rings, and the apical half is black, excepting -the extreme point, which is white: the tarsus is black beneath: the legs -are of a deep gray colour, banded with black externally. - -To the dimensions I will add those of a domestic cat which in colour and -markings very closely resembles the animal above described. I may add -that I have chosen a cat rather above the ordinary size for my -comparison, yet it will be seen that the wild cat has the advantage in -bulk. - - Wild Cat. Domestic Cat. - In. Lines. In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 22 0 19 0 - of tail 12 3 11 6 - of tarsus 5 1 4 7 - of ear 1 11 - Height at shoulders 11 3 - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_May._) - - -“This animal was killed amongst some thickets on a rocky hill a few -miles from Maldonado. It appeared, when dead, much larger and stronger -than any domestic cat I ever saw, and it was described to me as having -been exceedingly fierce. I mention this because M. Temminck supposes -that the domesticated varieties of all animals are of larger size, than -the wild stock from which they are descended.”—D.[12] - - - GALLICTIS VITTATA. - - Gallictis vittata, _Bell_, Zoological Journal, vol. ii. p. 551–2. - - ——, „ Proceedings of the Zoological Society, for April, 1837, p. 39. - - Gulo vittatus, _Desmarest_, Mamm. p. 175. - -“This animal is not uncommon at Maldonado, where it is called “_Huron_” -or thief, from the ravages it commits on eggs and poultry. Shortly after -being killed this specimen weighed 1 lb. 8 oz. (Imp. weight).”—D. - - - 1. LUTRA PLATENSIS. - - - _L. vellere nitido, adpresso, intensè fusco; corpore subtùs - pallidiore; gutture ad latera, et subtùs, pallidè fusco; - mento rostrique apice sordidè flavescenti-albis; pedibus - nigrescenti-fuscis; pilis caudæ supernè brevioribus, adpressis, - illis ad caudæ latera longioribus et fimbriam efficientibus._ - - DESCRIPTION.—This Otter is about equal in size to the common European - species (_Lutra vulgaris_, Auct.): its fur is short, glossy, and - adpressed; the under fur is tolerably abundant and of a silky - nature. The general colouring of the ordinary fur is deep brown, - and that of the under fur is very pale brown, deeper externally. - The tint of the under parts of the body is paler than the upper, - and may be described as brown, that of the throat, sides and under - part of the neck, pale brown; and, on the tip of the muzzle and - chin, dirty yellowish white. The hairs of the moustaches are - brownish-white; the ears are covered with short deep brown hairs, - those towards the tip are paler. The hairs covering the feet above - are short, and of a very deep brown colour. The tail is tolerably - long, thick at the base, whence it gradually tapers to the apex. - The hairs on the base of the tail resemble those of the body, but - on the remaining portion, they are short, glossy, and very closely - applied to the skin both on the upper and under surface, whereas - those on the sides are longer, and form a kind of fringe. The tip - of the muzzle and the soles of the feet are naked, with the - exception of the hinder half of the tarsus. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 28 0 - of tail 18 0 - - - Habitat, La Plata, (_July_.) - - -The La Plata Otter in its general colouring is of a somewhat deeper hue -than the European species, the cheeks and throat instead of being nearly -white are of a pale brown colour; the tail is longer in proportion, and -tapers more gradually; the tip of the muzzle is naked, but the hairless -portion is less than in that species, the boundary line between the -naked part and the hair of the top of the muzzle forming almost a -semicircle; the retiring extremities of this line touch the posterior -angle of the nostril on each side, whereas in the common otter the -boundary line of the hair of the muzzle is of a ｗ-like form. The skull -is figured in Plate 35, figs. 4, _a_, _b_, _c_, and _d_, and is compared -with that of _L. Chilensis_ in the next description. - -“This specimen was killed by some fishermen a few miles from Maldonado, -near the mouth of the estuary of the Plata, where the water is quite -salt. I am not, however, by any means sure that it may not be a -fresh-water species, which had wandered from its proper station; in the -same manner as not unfrequently is the case with the _Hydrochærus -Capybara_. I am indebted to Mr. Chaffers, the master of the Beagle, for -having kindly presented me with this specimen.”—D. - - - 2. LUTRA CHILENSIS. - - Lutra Chilensis, _Bennett_, Proceedings of the Committee of Science - and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London for 1832, p. 1. - - _L. fusca; vellere mediocri, laxo et sub-extante; mento, gulâ, et - faciei lateribus, pallidè fuscis; pedibus saturatè fuscis; corporis - pilis ad apicem pallidè fuscis; caudá mediocri; rostri apice calvo._ - - DESCRIPTION.—This species scarcely equals a full grown European otter - in size. It is of a brown colour throughout; the cheeks, chin, and - throat, being slightly paler, and the feet of a deeper tint, than - the other parts. The fur is moderately long, rather harsh to the - touch, and semi-erect: the under fur is abundant, and of a soft - and silk nature. The hairs of the ordinary fur are deep brown, but - tipped with a very pale brown colour. The hairs of the tail, like - those of the body, are harsh and semi-erect; towards the apex, - those on the upper and under part are in a slight degree shorter - than those at the sides, and lie closer to the skin; these - differences, however, are not very apparent on the upper side, - though distinct on the under. The feet are naked beneath, with the - exception of the posterior half of the tarsus. The hair of the - muzzle extends only down to the posterior angle of the nostrils, - where it terminates in a straight line, leaving the tip of the - muzzle naked. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 31 0 - of tail 14 3 - - - Habitat, Chonos Archipelago, (_January._.) - - -The Chile Otter was originally described by Mr. Bennett from a specimen -presented to the Zoological Society by Mr. Cuming, but as this specimen -is a young animal, scarcely half-grown, it does not present some of the -characters of the species in so marked a manner as the adult. I have, -therefore, availed myself of an adult specimen in Mr. Darwin’s -collection, to draw up the above description. - -Compared with the Common Otter (_Lutra vulgaris_, Auct.) the most -striking difference consists in the character of the fur: the hairs -instead of being adpressed as in that species, are here semi-erect, and -appear as if they had been clipped at the extremity. The fur is of a -deeper colour, but has a slightly grizzled appearance, owing to the tip -of each hair being of a much paler colour than the remaining part. - -In the young animal described by Mr. Bennett, (which in weight was -probably not more than one-third of that of the present animal) the -hairs of the body are of an uniform deep brown colour; hence, if I am -right in considering Mr. Darwin’s animal as the same species, it would -appear that the grizzled character of the fur is dependent on age. - -The semi-erect fur will also serve to distinguish the present species -from the _Lutra Platensis_; the fur is likewise longer, the tail is -shorter, and the feet are smaller in proportion. The most important -distinctions, however, are furnished by the skulls; I will, therefore, -compare them. - -The skull of _L. Chilensis_ compared with that of _L. Platensis_, (Plate -35, figs. 4.) when viewed from above, presents but little difference in -general form; it is, however, smaller in all its proportions, and the -zygomatic arch is a little less convex: the palate is proportionately -shorter; the tympanic bullæ are much smaller, less elevated, and wider -apart, in which respect there is a greater approximation to the skull of -_L. vulgaris_ than to that of _L. Platensis_; but here, the tympanic -bullæ are larger than in _L. Chilensis_. Both in _L. Chilensis_ and -_Platensis_, the sub-orbital foramina are kidney-shaped, the emarginated -portion being downwards, whilst in _L. vulgaris_ they approach somewhat -to a triangular figure, the apex being external. In _L. Chilensis_, -however, this foramen is comparatively larger than in _L. Platensis_, -and the outer portion of the foramen forms the segment of a larger -circle than the inner one, whilst in _L. Platensis_ both portions are -equal. - -The principal difference in the dentition of the La Plata and the Chile -otters, consists in the comparatively smaller size of the posterior -molars, both of the upper and lower jaws, of the latter species. In the -upper jaw, the “carnassière” has its inner lobe, approaching somewhat to -a triangular form, whereas in _L. Platensis_ it is broader and almost -semicircular. In the lower jaw, the last molar but one has the inner -lobe much smaller than the middle outer lobe, whilst in _L. Platensis_ -these two lobes are of nearly equal size and elevation. Other points of -dissimilarity will be perceived in the annexed table of admeasurements. - - _L. _L. - Chilensis._ Platensis._ - In. Lines. In. Lines. - Whole length of skull 3 9¾ 4 2½ - Greatest width 2 6⅓ 2 10⅓ - Width of skull from the apex of one mastoid - process to the opposite 2 3¼ 2 8¼ - Length of palate 1 6 1 10 - Breadth of palate between the posterior molars 7¾ 7¾ - Length from last molar to posterior margin of - palate 3⅓ 5½ - from base of canine to hinder part of - last molar 11⅔ 1 1⅓ - of carnassière 5 5⅔ - Width of do. 5 6¼ - Length of last molar 2¾ 3½ - Width of do. 4⅓ 5⅔ - Length of ramus of lower jaw 2 4½ 2 8¾ - from canine to hinder portion of last - molar (lower jaw) 1 2¼ 1 4¼ - of last molar but one (lower jaw) 5¾ 6⅔ - Width of do. 2⅔ 3½ - -“These animals are exceedingly common amongst the innumerable channels -and bays, which form the Chonos Archipelago. They may generally be seen -quietly swimming, with their heads just out of water, amidst the great -entangled beds of kelp, which abound on this coast. They burrow in the -ground, within the forest, just above the rocky shore, and I was told, -that they sometimes roam about the woods. This otter does not, by any -means, live exclusively on fish. One was shot whilst running to its hole -with a large volute-shell in its mouth; another (I believe the same -species) was seen in Tierra del Fuego devouring a cuttle fish. But in -the Chonos Archipelago, perhaps the chief food of this animal, as well -as of the immense herds of great seals, and flocks of terns and -cormorants, is a red coloured crab (belonging to the family _Macrouri_) -of the size of a prawn, which swims near the surface in such dense -bodies, that the water appears of a red colour. This specimen weighed -nine pounds and a half.”—D. - - - - - FAMILY-DELPHINIDÆ. - - - DELPHINUS FITZ-ROYI. - PLATE X. - - _D. suprà niger; capitis corporisque lateribus, corporeque subtùs - niveis; caudâ, pedibus, labioque inferiore, nigris; fasciis - latis duabus per latus utrumque obliquè excurrentibus, - nigréscenti-cinereis, hujusque coloris fasciâ, utrinque ab - angulo oris ad pedem tendente._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Upper parts of the body black, under parts pure white, - the two blended into each other by gray: extremity of snout, a - ring round the eye, the edge of the under lip, and the tail fin, - black; dorsal and pectoral fins dark gray; a broad gray mark - extends from the angle of the mouth to the pectoral fin; above - which, the white runs through the eye and is blended into gray - over the eye; two broad deep gray bands are extended in an oblique - manner along each side of the body, running from the back - downwards and backwards; iris of eye dark brown. Body anteriorly - somewhat depressed, posteriorly compressed; head conical, arched - above; the lower lip projecting beyond the upper; eye placed above - and behind, but near the angle of the mouth; breathing vent - situated in the same line as the eyes—supposing a circle to be - taken round the head. Teeth slightly curved, and conical; in the - upper jaw twenty-eight in number on each side, and in the lower, - twenty-seven. - - Ft. In. Lines. - Total length (measuring along the curve of back) 5 4 0 - Length from tip of - muzzle to vent 3 10 9 - to dorsal fin 2 6 5 - to pectoral 1 4 5 - to eye 0 9 9 - to breathing aperture - (following curve of head) 0 10 7 - to angle of mouth 0 7 9 - of dorsal fin along the anterior margin 1 0 5 - Height of do. 0 6 4 - Length of pectoral, along anterior margin 1 2 8 - Width of tail 1 4 5 - Girth of - body before dorsal fin 3 0 6 - before pectoral fin 2 8 2 - before tail fin 0 7 8 - of head over the eyes 2 0 0 - - - Habitat, coast of Patagonia, Lat. 42° 30′, (_April_.) - - -This species, which I have taken the liberty of naming after Captain -FitzRoy, the Commander of the Beagle, approaches in some respects to the -_Delphinus superciliosus_ of the “Voyage de la Coquille,” but that -animal does not possess the oblique dark-gray bands on the sides of the -body; it likewise wants the gray mark which extends from the angle of -the mouth to the pectoral fins. In the figure the under lip of the _D. -superciliosus_ is represented as almost white, whereas in the present -species it is black: judging from the figures, there is likewise -considerable difference in the form. The figure which illustrates this -description agrees with the dimensions, which were carefully taken by -Mr. Darwin immediately after the animal was captured, and hence is -correct. - -“This porpoise, which was a female, was harpooned from the Beagle in the -Bay of St. Joseph, out of several, in a large troop, which were sporting -round the ship. I am indebted to Captain FitzRoy for having made an -excellent coloured drawing of it, when fresh killed, from which the -accompanying lithograph has been taken.”—D. - - - - - FAMILY—CAMELIDÆ. - - - AUCHENIA LLAMA. _Desmarest._ - - Guanaco of the aborigines of Chile. - -“The Guanaco abounds over the whole of the temperate parts of South -America, from the wooded islands of Tierra del Fuego, through Patagonia, -the hilly parts of La Plata, Chile, even to the Cordillera of Peru. I -saw several of these animals in Navarin Island, forty miles north of -Cape Horn; the Guanaco, therefore, has, with the exception of a fox and -mouse, inhabitants of the same island, the most southern range of all -American quadrupeds. Although preferring an elevated site, it yields in -this respect to its near relative the Vicuña. On the plains of Southern -Patagonia, we saw them in greater numbers than in any other part. -Generally they go in small herds, from half a dozen to thirty together; -but on the banks of the Santa Cruz, we saw one herd, which must have -contained at least five hundred. On the northern shores of the Strait of -Magellan they are also very numerous. The Guanacoes are generally wild -and extremely wary: Mr. Stokes told me, that he one day in Patagonia saw -through a glass a herd of these beasts, which evidently had been -frightened, and were running away at full speed, although their distance -was so great that they could not be distinguished by the naked eye. - -“The sportsman frequently receives the first intimation of their -presence, by hearing from a long distance their peculiar shrill neighing -note of alarm. If he then looks attentively, he will, perhaps, see the -herd standing in a line on the side of some distant hill. On -approaching, a few more squeals are given, and then off they set, at an -apparently slow but really quick canter, along some narrow beaten track -to a neighbouring hill. If, however, by chance he should abruptly meet a -single animal, or several together, they will generally stand -motionless, and intently gaze at him;—then, perhaps, move on a few -yards, turn round, and look again. What is the cause of this difference -in their shiness? Do they mistake a man in the distance for their chief -enemy the puma? Or does curiosity overcome their timidity? That they are -curious is certain, for if a person lies on the ground, and plays -strange antics, such as throwing up his feet in the air, they will -almost always approach by degrees to reconnoitre him. It is an artifice -that was repeatedly practised with success by the sportsman of the -Beagle, and it had moreover the advantage of allowing several shots to -be fired, which were all taken as parts of the performance. On the -mountains of Tierra del Fuego, and in other places, I have more than -once seen a Guanaco on being approached, not only neigh and squeal, but -prance and leap about in the most ridiculous manner, apparently in -defiance, as a challenge. These animals are very easily domesticated, -and I have seen some in this state near the houses in northern -Patagonia, although at large on their native plains. They are, when thus -kept, very bold, and readily attack a man, by striking him from behind -with both knees. It is asserted, that the motive for these attacks is -jealousy on account of their females. The wild Guanacoes, however, have -no idea of defence; and even a single dog will secure one of these large -animals, till the huntsman can come up. In many of their habits they are -like sheep in a flock. Thus when they see men approaching in several -directions on horseback, they soon become bewildered, and know not which -way to run. This circumstance greatly facilitates the Indian method of -hunting, for they are thus easily driven to a central point, and are -encompassed. - -“The Guanacoes readily take to the water; several times at Port Valdes -they were seen swimming from island to island. Byron, in his voyage, -says he saw them drinking salt water. Some of our officers likewise saw -a herd apparently drinking the briny fluid from a Salina near Cape -Blanco; and in several parts of the country, if they do not drink salt -water, I believe they drink none at all. In the middle of the day, they -frequently roll in the dust, in saucer-shaped hollows. The males often -fight together; one day two passed quite close to me, squealing and -trying to bite each other; and several were shot with their hides deeply -scored. Herds appear sometimes to set out on exploring parties: at Bahia -Blanca, where within thirty miles of the coast these animals are -extremely scarce, I one day saw the tracks of thirty or forty, which had -come in a direct line to a muddy salt water creek. They then must have -perceived, that they were approaching the sea, for they had wheeled with -the regularity of cavalry, and had returned back in as straight a line, -as they had advanced. The Guanacoes have one singular habit, the motive -of which is to me quite inexplicable, namely, that on successive days -they drop their dung on one defined heap. I saw one of these heaps, -which was eight feet in diameter, and necessarily was composed of a -large quantity. Frezier remarks on this habit as common to the Guanaco -as well as to the Llama;[13] he says it is very useful to the Indians, -who use the dung for fuel, and are thus saved the trouble of collecting -it. - -“The Guanacoes appear to have favourite spots for dying in. On the banks -of the Santa Cruz, the ground was actually white with bones in certain -circumscribed spaces, which generally were bushy and all near the river. -On one such spot I counted between ten and twenty heads. I particularly -examined the bones; they did not appear, as some scattered ones which I -had seen, gnawed or broken as if dragged together by a beast of prey. -The animals in most cases, must have crawled, before dying, beneath and -amongst the bushes. Mr. Bynoe informs me, that during the last voyage, -he observed the same circumstances on the banks of the Rio Gallegos. I -do not at all understand the reason of this; but I may add, that the -Guanacoes which were wounded on the plains near the Santa Cruz -invariably walked towards the river. This quadruped seems particularly -liable to contain in its stomach bezoar stones. The Indians who trade at -the Rio Negro, bring great numbers to sell as Remedios or quack -medicines; and I saw one old man with a box quite full of them, large -and small.”—D. - - - - - FAMILY-CERVIDÆ. - - - CERVUS CAMPESTRIS. - - Cervus campestris, _F. Cuvier_, in Dict. des Sc. Nat. VII. p. 484. - - ——, Cuvier Oss. Foss. IV. p. 51. Pl. 3. f. 46.[14] - - Guazuti, _Azara_, “Natural History of the Quadrupeds of Paraguay.” W. - P. Hunter’s translation, vol. i. p. 135. - - ——, French translation, vol. i. p. 77. - -Besides skins of this species of stag, I find, in Mr. Darwin’s -collection, three pairs of horns, which, together with a pair belonging -to one of the skins, constitute a sufficiently complete series to -illustrate the different forms which these appendages assume, as the -animal increases in size. - -[Illustration] - -The above four sketches, which are all drawn to the same scale, will -help to convey a clear idea of the forms, and relative proportions, of -these horns. - -The most simple horn (fig. 1.) consists of a _beam_, eight and a half -inches long, which is slightly arched outwards and considerably -compressed about two and a half inches from the apex. At one inch from -the base there is a small brow antler which projects forwards and -upwards. - -In the next horn, (fig. 2.) there is the same small brow antler, but -there is a single small _snag_, about equal in size to the brow antler, -which is directed backwards and upwards, and is situated at three and a -quarter inches from the apex of the beam. The total length of the beam -is eight inches, measured in a straight line. - -The third pair of horns, (fig. 3.) which must have belonged to an animal -considerably older than either of the preceding pairs, exhibits a large -brow antler, in length exceeding half that of the beam: here the -posterior snag is also large, and is directed backwards and upwards, -whilst the apical portion of the beam is directed forward about as much -as the snag is directed backwards. The total length of this horn is -eleven and a half inches, measured in a straight line. - -The last figure (No. 4.) represents the horn of one of the specimens of -which an entire skin was brought over. This horn differs only from the -last in being slightly larger, and in having two additional small snags, -one springing from the under side, and near the apex, of the brow -antler, and the other springing from the hinder part, and near the apex -of the great posterior snag. - -“The Spaniards say they can distinguish how old a deer is by the number -of the branches on the horns. They affirmed that the specimen, of which -figure 4 represents one of the horns, was nine years old. It certainly -was a very old one, as all its teeth were decayed. This specimen was -killed at Maldonado, in the middle of June; another specimen was killed -at Bahia Blanca, (about three hundred and sixty miles southward,) in the -month of October, with the hairy skin on the horns: there were others, -however, whose horns were free from skin. At this time of the year, many -of the does had just kidded. I was informed, by the Spaniards, that this -deer sheds its horns every year. - -“The _Cervus campestris_ is exceedingly abundant throughout the -countries bordering the Plata. It is found in Northern Patagonia as far -south as the Rio Negro, (Lat. 41°); but, further southward, none were -seen by the officers employed in surveying the coast. It appears to -prefer a hilly country; I saw very many small herds, containing from -five to seven animals each, near the Sierra Ventana, and among the hills -north of Maldonado. If a person, crawling close along the ground, slowly -advances towards a herd, the deer frequently approach, out of curiosity, -to reconnoitre him. I have by this means killed, from one spot, three -out of the same herd. Although thus so tame and inquisitive, yet, when -approached on horseback, they are exceedingly wary. In this country -nobody goes on foot, and the deer knows man as its enemy, only when he -is mounted, and armed with the bolas. At Bahia Blanca, a recent -establishment in Northern Patagonia, I was surprised to find how little -the deer cared for the noise of a gun: one day, I fired ten times, from -within eighty yards, at one animal, and it was much more startled at the -ball cutting up the ground, than at the report. - -“The most curious fact, with respect to this animal, is the -overpoweringly strong and offensive odour which proceeds from the buck. -It is quite indescribable: several times, whilst skinning the specimen, -which is now mounted at the Zoological Museum, I was almost overcome by -nausea. I tied up the skin in a silk pocket-handkerchief, and so carried -it home: this handkerchief, after being well washed, I continually used, -and it was, of course, as repeatedly washed; yet every time, when first -unfolded, for a space of one year and seven months, I distinctly -perceived the odour. This appears an astonishing instance of the -permanence of some matter, which in its nature, nevertheless, must be -most subtile and volatile. Frequently, when passing at the distance of -half a mile to leeward of a herd, I have perceived the whole air tainted -with the effluvium. I believe the smell from the buck is most powerful -at the period when its horns are perfect, or free from the hairy skin. -When in this state the meat is, of course, quite uneatable; but the -Spaniards assert, that if buried for some time in fresh earth, the taint -is removed. These deer generally weigh about sixty or seventy -pounds.”—D. - - - - - FAMILY—MURIDÆ. - - - 1. MUS DECUMANUS. - Mus decumanus, _Auctorum_. - -In the extensive collection of Rodent animals brought home by Mr. -Darwin, I find several specimens of the above named species, that is to -say, animals which resemble the European specimens of _Mus Decumanus_ in -all those characters which are the least liable to variation in -individuals of the same species, such as the proportions which the -various parts of the animal bear to each other: they differ, however, -somewhat in colouring. - -Buenos Ayres, Maldonado, Valparaiso, East Falkland Island, and Keeling -Island, are each, it appears, infested with the common European rat. I -have now before me two specimens from East Falkland Island, and one -specimen from each of the other localities, and among these I find none -equal in size to the largest European specimens: as regards the -colouring, the Buenos Ayres specimen differs only from the English -specimens of _Mus Decumanus_, in having the upper parts of a richer and -deeper hue, owing to the tips of the shorter hairs being of a deep -yellow instead of pale yellow, and in having a rusty tint over the -haunches. - -Mr. Darwin found this variety “common about houses in the country around -Buenos Ayres.” - -In the Maldonado variety, the shorter hairs of the upper parts of the -body are of a rusty yellow colour at the apex, in other respects it -resembles the British variety. The rusty yellow colour of the tips of -the hairs produces a general reddish hue, which is the more conspicuous, -when the animal is placed near an English specimen. “Was caught in a -house, at Maldonado. I saw a specimen of the common gray English, or -Norway rat, lying dead in the streets, and it certainly had a very -different appearance from these red rats. The latter, I saw crawling -about the hedges in the interior provinces at Santa Fé, and likewise in -the forest of the island of Chiloe. This latter fact, however, is a -strong argument against its being aboriginal, since I did not find even -one undoubted American species, out of the many which I collected, -inhabiting both sides of the Cordillera.”—D. - -The specimen from Valparaiso very closely resembles that from Maldonado; -it is, perhaps, a little less red. “Common about the houses in the town -of Valparaiso.” - -The two specimens from East Falkland are of a brighter hue, and have -less gray in their colouring, than in the European variety of the common -rat. “One of them was caught in a Bay, which is sometimes frequented by -shipping, but which is distant thirty or forty miles from any -habitation. These rats have spread, not only over the whole of East and -West Falkland, but even on some of the outlying islets. When the cold, -wet, and gloomy nature of the climate is considered, it is surprising -that these animals should be able to find food to live on.”—D. - -The general hue of the Keeling Island specimen, is deep brown, the -longer hairs of the upper parts of the body being, as usual, black; but -the shorter hairs, instead of having the pale yellow tint which we -observe in the European, (or, rather, British) specimens of _Mus -Decumanus_, are of a deep, rusty yellow. The most remarkable difference, -however, consists in the colouring of the under parts being of a -yellowish tint, and, towards the root of the tail, of a very distinct -buff yellow: the feet are brownish. - -“This rat is exceedingly numerous on some of the low coral islets -forming the margin of the Lagoon of Keeling Island, in the Indian Ocean. -The climate is dry and hot. The rats are known to have come in a vessel -from the Mauritius, which was wrecked on one of the islets, which is now -called Rat Island. They appeared stunted in their growth, and many of -them were mangy. They are supposed to live chiefly on cocoa-nuts, and -any animal matter the sea may chance to throw up. They have not any -fresh water; but the milk of the cocoa-nut would supply its place.”—D. - -The principal dimensions of the above animals are as follows:— - - Specimen - from - Buenos - Ayres Maldonado. Valparaiso. - In. Lines. In. Lines. In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 9 9 9 3 8 6 - of tail Imperfect 6 0 6 6 - of tarsus 1 7 1 7 1 7 - - East East Keeling - Falkland. Falkland. Island. - In. Lines. In. Lines. In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 8 9 9 0 8 3 - of tail Imperfect 6 0 6 6 - of tarsus 1 7 1 7 1 7 - -Upon comparing the skull of the Valparaiso variety with that of a -British specimen of _Mus decumanus_, I could perceive no difference. A -skull from West Falkland did not differ, neither did the dentition of -the Keeling Island specimen above noticed. A perfect specimen of this -last I have not had an opportunity of examining. - - - 2. MUS (DECUMANUS _var._ ?) MAURUS. - - Mus maurus, _Waterh._ in Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London, for February, 1837, p. 20. - - _M. pilis suprà purpurescenti-nigris; subtùs plumbeis; auribus - parvulis, pallidè fuscis: caudâ corpus ferè æquante._ - - DESCRIPTION.—The character of the fur of this animal nearly resembles - that of _Mus decumanus_; it is, however, of a harsher nature: the - general colour of the upper parts and sides of the body is - purple-black, arising from the longest hairs being of this colour, - and likewise the tips of those which are next in length; the - latter, however, excepting at the tip, are white, and this white - is not entirely hidden, even when the hairs are in their ordinary - position: on the head the hairs assume a brownish hue, and are - tolerably uniform: the limbs, and under parts of the body, are of - a deep gray colour, with a faint purple-brown wash: the under fur - is gray: the ears are small, of a brown-white, or very pale brown - colour, and furnished with minute brown hairs: the small, - scattered, bristly hairs of the tail are of an uniform brownish - black colour. The hairs of the moustaches are black at the base, - and grayish at the apex. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 11 3 - of tail 7 6 - of tarsus 1 8 - of ear 0 6¼ - from nose to ear 2 2 - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_.) - - -This rat is very closely allied to _Mus decumanus_, and I think may -possibly prove an extraordinary local variety of that animal. Having but -one skin, and no skull, I am unable to satisfy myself on this point. Its -size, as will be seen by the admeasurements, exceeds that of the common -rat, or, rather, it exceeds ordinary specimens of that animal, for I -have seen _some_ which were equal to it. - -“It was killed near Maldonado, where it frequented holes in the sand -hillocks near the shore. It is likewise found on the island of Guritti. -If ships are ever infested with these monstrous rats, the -above-mentioned localities are very likely places to have received -colonies by such means. An old male weighed fifteen ounces and three -quarters. The ears of this rat, when alive, were of a pale colour, which -made a singular contrast with the black fur of its body.”—D. - - - 3. MUS JACOBIÆ. - - Mus decumanoïdes,[15] _Waterh._ in “Catalogue of the Mammalia - preserved in the Museum of the Zoological Society of London.” - - _M. suprà fuscus, griseo-lavatus, subtùs albus: pedum pilis sordidè - albis; caudâ corpore cum capite paulò longiore; auribus mediocribus: - pilis perlongis in dorso crebrè inter cæteros commixtis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—The general tint of the upper parts of this rat, is - grayish brown, (very nearly resembling that of _Mus decumanus_); - the longest hairs, which on the hinder portion of the back are one - inch and a half in length, are black; the ordinary hairs are black - at the apex, there is then, on each hair, a considerable space - occupied by pale yellow, and the remaining, or basal portion, is - grayish white; the under fur is gray: the hairs of the chin, - throat, and under parts of the body, are white, and without any - gray colour at the roots: the feet are covered with dirty grayish - hairs: the tail, which is slender, is very sparingly furnished - with minute black hairs, both above and beneath: the ears are of - moderate size, of a brownish flesh-colour, and, to the naked eye, - appear to be destitute of hair. The hairs of the moustaches are - most of them black at the base, and grayish at the apex. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 7 6 - of tail 7 6 - of tarsus 1 4¼ - of ear 0 7½ - from nose to ear 1 7½ - - - Habitat, James Island, Galapagos Archipelago, Pacific Ocean, - (_October_.) - - -This species is scarcely equal in size to a full grown common black rat, -(_Mus Rattus_), the head is rather shorter in proportion, the tarsi are -smaller, and the tail is longer. In the character of the fur, and length -of the hairs, it _very_ closely resembles that species: the ears are -larger than in _M. decumanus_, and about equal to those of _M. Rattus_. -In having the hairs of the under parts of the body of an uniform colour, -(i. e. not gray at the base,) it resembles the _Mus Tectorum_ of Savi; -but the large size of that animal, the greater length of the fur, and -its colouring, all serve to distinguish it from the present species, -which I may here observe, is truly an old world form, and very distinct -from another species, also from the Galapagos, which is hereafter -described. - -“It is very common in James Island, but is not found on all the islands, -if on any other in the Archipelago. Although its appearance is so like -that of the common rat, yet its habits appear to be rather different: it -is less carnivorous, and does not appear to be so strongly attached to -the habitations of man. This island was frequented, about one hundred -and fifty years since, by the vessels belonging to the Bucaniers; so -that the common rat might easily have been transported here. And if a -very peculiar climate, a volcanic soil, and strange food, can together -produce a race, or strongly marked variety, there is every probability -of such change having taken place in this case.”—D. - - - 4. MUS (RATTUS _var._?) INSULARIS. - - _M. suprà grisescenti, colore subtùs dilutiore; tarsis - purpureo-nigris: caudâ corpus cum capite æquante: auribus - mediocribus: vellere molli._ - - DESCRIPTION.—No. 1. The general colour of this animal is what might be - termed black, there is, however, an obscure purple-brown hue on - the upper parts of the body, and the sides and under parts have a - grayish tint, the hairs covering the feet above are of an uniform - deep purple-brown, almost black. All the hairs of the body are - gray at the base: the hairs of the moustaches are long and - numerous, and of a black colour, having one or two white hairs - intermixed: the ears are of moderate size, and very sparingly - furnished with minute dark hairs: the tail is long and slender, - and has small, scattered, bristly hairs, of a brown-black colour. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 7 0 - of tail 6 6 - of tarsus 1 3½ - of ear 0 7 - from nose to ear 1 6 - - No. 2. Hairs along the centre of the back chiefly black, and but - obscurely annulated, near the apex, with deep yellow: towards the - sides of the body, and over the haunches, the hairs are more - distinctly annulated, and on the sides of the body they are of a - pale yellow at the apex: on the under parts the hairs are gray, - tipped with dirty yellowish white: the feet are of the same deep - purple-brown hue as in the specimen first described. - - Habitat, Ascension Island, Atlantic Ocean, (_July_.) - -These two animals not only differ in the colour of the fur, one being of -a grizzled brownish colour, and the other black, but there is a -considerable difference in the texture of the fur. In the black -specimen, the fur is very soft and glossy, and the long hairs, which are -abundant, are very slender. In the brown specimen, the fur is of a -harsher nature, the long hairs are not so abundant, but longer, and less -slender. On the other hand, they agree in size, dentition, the length of -the head, tarsus, and ears, and differ but in a trifling degree (about -three lines,) in the length of the tail. - -Upon comparing the Ascension Island specimens with _M. Rattus_, I find -that, although in size they are about one-third less, yet the teeth -precisely agree, not only in form, but in size. The relative proportions -of the head, ears, and tarsi, also agree. Besides the general colouring -of the fur, they both differ in having the hairs of the feet uniformly -purple-black, those in _Mus Rattus_ being much paler, and even whitish, -on the toes. In the character of the fur, there is much difference. The -long silky hairs, which are so conspicuous in _Mus Rattus_, are -replaced, in the black specimen, by hairs which are scarcely to be -distinguished from the ordinary fur; and in the other specimen, although -rather longer and more distinct, they are short, compared with those of -the black rat. - -“The specimen which has a black, and glossy fur, frequents the short -coarse grass near the summit of the island, where the common mouse -likewise occurs. It is often seen running about by day, and was found in -numbers, when the island was first colonized by the English, a few years -since. The other, and browner coloured variety, lives in the out-houses -near the sea-beach, and feeds chiefly on the offal of the turtles, -slaughtered for the daily food of the inhabitants. If the settlement -were destroyed, I feel no doubt that this latter variety would be -compelled to migrate from the coast. Did it originally descend from the -summit? and, in the case just supposed, would it retreat there? and, if -so, would its black colour return? It must, however, be observed, that -the two localities are separated from each other by a space, some miles -in width, of bare lava and ashes. Does the summit of Ascension, an -island so immensely remote from any continent, and the summit itself -surrounded by a broad fringe of desert volcanic soil, possess a small -quadruped, peculiar to itself? Or, more probably, has this new species -been brought, by some ship, from some unknown quarter of the world? Or, -I am again tempted to ask, as I did in the case of the Galapagos rat, -has the common English species been changed, by its new habitation, into -a strongly marked variety?”—D. - -Mr. Darwin seems to have foreseen the difficult problem which these two -rats have furnished, and although I have spent much time in studying the -Muridæ, I must confess I have been exceedingly puzzled by the animals in -question. It appears as if the brown, and black rats, (_M. decumanus_, -and _M. Rattus_,) and likewise the common mouse, (_M. Musculus_,)[16] -all of which follow man in his peregrinations, and which, to a certain -degree, are dependent upon man, and may therefore be termed -semi-domestic animals; like _really_ domestic animals, are subject to a -greater degree of variation than those species which hold themselves -aloof from him. - -Upon the whole then I have determined to describe the two Ascension -Island specimens as one species, and as varieties of the _Mus Rattus_, -but with a mark of doubt, since I do not possess sufficient materials -for a rigorous examination, having, in fact, but one skin of each -variety, and neither skull nor skeleton. I have also applied the name of -_insularis_, to designate this variety or species, whichever it may be, -for, supposing it be not a distinct species, it is so marked a variety, -that a name for it is desirable. - - - 5. MUS MUSCULUS. - - Mus Musculus, _Auctorum_. - -Of this species, there are six specimens in Mr. Darwin’s collection; two -were found “living in the short grass, near the summit of the Island of -Ascension, where the climate is temperate.”—D. Two others were procured -“on a small, stony, and arid island, near Porto Praya, the capital of -St. Jago, in the Cape de Verde Islands,—climate very hot and dry. -Excepting during the rainy season, which is of short duration, these -little animals can never taste fresh water, nor does the island afford -any succulent plant.”—D. A specimen was also procured “on a grassy -cliff, on East Falkland Island, at the distance of a mile from any -habitation. It is singular that so delicate an animal should be able to -subsist under the cold, and extremely humid climate, of the Falkland -Islands, and on its unproductive soil.”—D. These specimens are all of -them rather less than full grown individuals of the same species -procured in England; in other respects, they do not differ. - -The sixth specimen, which is from Maldonado, is considerably less than -British specimens of the common mouse, and is of a richer and brighter -colour, the head is smaller, the muzzle shorter in proportion, whilst -the tarsi are even longer than in a large specimen of _M. Musculus_. -These points of dissimilarity induced me to believe it was a distinct -species, and to apply to it the specific name of _brevirostris_.[17] -Upon re-examination, with the advantage of more experience, and -consequently a better knowledge of the characters of these animals, I -have changed my opinion. The teeth indicate that it is not an adult -specimen, and agree perfectly with those of _M. Musculus_, both in form -and size. “Common in the houses of the town of Maldonado, and its habits -are similar to those of _Mus Musculus_.”—D. - - - 6. MUS LONGICAUDATUS. - PLATE XI. - - Mus longicaudatus, _Bennett_, Proceedings of the Committee of Science - and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London for January, - 1832, p. 2. - - _M. pallidè flavescenti-fuscus; corpore subtùs albo, levitèr flavo - lavato; pedibus albis; tarsis permagnis; caudâ perlongâ; auribus - parvulis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur long and soft; general colour pale yellow-brown, the - hairs of the ordinary fur being fulvous near the apex, and the - longer hairs brown. On the sides of the body, cheeks, and external - side of limbs, the fulvous hue prevails. The inner side of the - limbs and the under parts of the body are white, but have an - indistinct yellowish hue. All the hairs of the body are of a deep - gray colour at the base. The ears are small, well clothed with - hairs; those on the inner side are chiefly yellow; externally, on - the fore part they are brown, and posteriorly whitish. The feet - are of a flesh-colour, and furnished above with white hairs; the - tarsi are but sparingly provided with minute hairs on the upper - side, and are naked beneath: they are of unusually large size. The - fore feet are of moderate[18] size, and furnished with a very - large carpal tubercle. The tail is very nearly double the length - of the body, if the latter be measured in a straight line; it is - of a brownish flesh-colour above, paler beneath, and sparingly - furnished with minute bristly hairs; those on the upper surface - being brown, and on the under side white. The hairs of the - moustaches are long, of a black colour, and grayish at the apex. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 3 9 - of tail 5 3 - from nose to ear 0 10½ - of tarsus (claws included) 1 1 - of ear 0 4 - - - Habitat, Chile. - - -The most conspicuous characters of the present species consist in the -immense length of the tail, and the great size of the hinder feet.[19] -It is about equal in size to _Mus Musculus_; its form, however, is -somewhat stouter; in colour it is much paler and brighter. The head is -larger in proportion; the ears are smaller, and more densely clothed -with hair; the fore feet are rather larger, and the fleshy tubercle on -the under side of the wrist is also larger. The thumb nail is flattened, -and rounded at the tip, as in _Mus Musculus_, but is longer, and more -distinct than in that animal. - -The skull of _M. longicaudatus_, (Plate 34, Fig. 1,) is considerably -larger than that of the common mouse, but in form scarcely differs from -it; its upper surface is rather more convex, and the interparietal bone -proportionately less. The length of the skull is 1 inch; breadth, 6½ -lines; distance between the forepart of the incisor, and the first molar -of the upper jaw, 3½ lines. The dentition is figured in Plate 34, Figs. -1. _b_ and 1. _c_. - -The above account is drawn up from the same specimen as that from which -Mr. Bennett took his description, and which was brought from Chile by -Mr. Cuming, who states that the animal in question lives in trees, and -constructs its nest with grass. - -In Mr. Darwin’s collection, I find an animal which agrees in all the -more important characters with the one above described, but differs in -being of a deeper colour, (approaching more nearly, in this respect, to -the common mouse,) and in having the tail a trifle shorter. The skull is -about ¾ of a line shorter, but its proportions agree precisely: the -proportions of the feet, and the general form of the animal, also agree. -This specimen is likewise from Chile, (Lat 37° 40′,) and, according to -Mr. Darwin, “overran the wooded country south of Concepcion, in swarms -of infinite numbers. Captain FitzRoy, on his return from visiting the -wreck of H. M. S. Challenger, had the kindness to bring me this -specimen. So destructive was this little animal, that it even gnawed -through the paper of the cartridges belonging to the people who were -wrecked.”—D. - - - MUS ELEGANS. - PLATE XII. - - Mus elegans, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 19. - - Eligmodontia typus, _F. Cuvier_, Annales des Sciences Naturelles for - March 1837. Tom. 7. p. 169. Pl. 5. - - _M. suprà flavus, vellere pilis fuscescentibus adsperso, his ad - latera, et prope oculos rarioribus; pilis pone aurem utramque, - labiis, corpore subtùs, pedibusque niveis; auribus magnis; caudâ - capite corporeque paulo longiore; tarsis longis subtùs pilis - obsitis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur very long and soft; general colour of the upper parts - of the body pale brownish yellow; the lower portion of the cheeks, - and the under parts of the body pure white: the hairs of the - ordinary fur of the back are gray at the base, pale ochre near the - apex, and brown at the apex; the longer hairs are brownish. On the - sides of the body where the longer hairs are less numerous, the - pale ochre colour prevails; the hairs on this part as on the back - are deep gray at the base, but at a short distance from the apex - they are white; nearer the tip shaded into yellow, and at the tip - brownish: the limbs externally are of a pale yellow colour. The - hairs of the throat and chest are pure white to the root, those on - the belly are obscurely tinted with gray at the root. The feet are - of a pale flesh-colour, and furnished with white hairs; the fore - feet are of moderate size; the thumb nail is small and rounded, - and the carpal tubercle is covered with hairs; the tarsi are long, - and the white hairs extend over the whole of the under parts; the - under side of the toes, however, are but sparingly furnished. - There appears to be but one large tubercle on the under side of - the tarsus, and this, which is situated near the base of the toes, - is thickly covered with silvery-white hairs. The tail is long, - pale brown above, and pale flesh-colour beneath; above, it is - furnished with minute brown hairs, and on the under side with - white hairs. The ears are rather large, of a pale flesh-colour, - tolerably well clothed with hairs, which are of a pale yellow - colour on the inner side, and white on the outer side—excepting on - the fore part, where they are brown. A small tuft of white hairs - springs from the base of the ear posteriorly. The hairs of the - moustaches are moderate; black at the base, and grayish at the - apex. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 3 7 - of tail 3 9 - from nose to ear 1 0 - of tarsus 0 10 - of ear 0 6 - - - Habitat, Bahia Blanca, (_September_.) - - -Upon comparing the skull (Pl. 34, fig. 2, _a._) of _M. elegans_ with -that of _M. Musculus_, the most evident points of distinction consist in -the greater proportionate length of the nasal and frontal bones, and the -slenderness of the zygomatic arch in the former animal. Length of skull -11 lines, width 6 lines, distance between front molar and outer side of -incisors of upper jaw 3⅜ lines, length of nasal bones 4⅜ lines. - -The dentition is figured in Pl. 34, figs. 2. _b_, and 2. _c_. - -“Whilst bivouacking one night on shore, amongst some sand hillocks, this -mouse, with its tail singed, leapt out of a bush which was placed on the -fire. Its hind legs appeared long in proportion to the front, and it did -not appear to be very active in endeavouring to make its escape.”—D. - -_Mus elegans_ is about equal in size to _M. Musculus_; the head is -larger in proportion than in the latter, the ears are slightly larger, -the tail is longer, and so are the tarsi. The large ears, long tail, and -comparatively large size of the feet, combined with the greater size of -the animal itself, will render it easy to distinguish this species from -_M. gracilipes_ and _M. bimaculatus_. From the last mentioned animal it -moreover differs in having the head larger in proportion, the fur -longer, and the colouring of the upper parts of the body somewhat -darker. The white fur is almost confined to the under parts of the body, -and there is but a small tuft of white hairs behind the ears, whereas in -_M. bimaculatus_, the white fur extends considerably on the sides of the -body, the outer side of the limbs are white, and there is a large and -conspicuous white spot behind each ear. - -In _M. elegans_ the whole sole of the tarsus and the carpal tubercles -are covered with hair. In _Mus bimaculatus_ the hinder _half_ of the -tarsus only is covered with hair, and in _M. gracilipes_ both the hinder -half is covered, and there are some scattered hairs extending almost to -the two tubercles, which are situated at the base of the longer toes. - -The genus _Eligmodontia_ of M. F. Cuvier, founded upon a species of -mouse from Buenos Ayres, possesses nearly the same characters as the -subgenus _Calomys_, established by me in the Proceedings of the -Zoological Society for February 1837, and which included the animal -above described, and two other species (_M. bimaculatus_ and _M. -gracilipes_). M. Cuvier’s genus is distinguished by there being only one -large tubercle on the under side of the tarsus, and in having the carpal -pad covered with hair as well as the pad of the tarsus. In these -characters our present animal agrees, as it does also in size and in the -relative proportions of the tail and tarsus, circumstances which induce -me to believe they are identical. - -In _M. bimaculatus_ and _M. gracilipes_ there are six naked tubercles on -the under side of the tarsus, and the carpal pad is also naked. In -having, however, the tarsus hairy beneath,[20] in dentition and in -colouring, they agree so closely with _M. elegans_ that I think they -cannot be separated generically. - - - MUS BIMACULATUS. - PLATE XII. - - Mus bimaculatus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 18. - - _M. vellere pallidè ochraceo, pilis nigricantibus adsperso, his ad - latera rarioribus; rostri lateribus, notá magná pone aurem utramque, - artubus, corporeque subtùs niveis; auribus mediocribus; caudâ, quoad - longitudinem, corpus fere æquante; tarsis ad calcem pilis - argenteo-candidis obsitis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Upper parts of the body of a very pale ochre colour, the - longer hairs, however, are black, and at the apex grayish, and - where they are numerous, as on the back and upper surface of the - head, they give greater depth to the colouring; the cheeks and - sides of the body are of an almost uniform pale, but bright - yellow; the sides of the muzzle, the lower half of the cheeks, the - lower portion also of the sides of the body, and the whole of the - under parts, are pure white—each hair being uniform in colour to - the root, and not, as is usually the case, _gray_ at the root. - There is likewise a large patch of pure white hairs behind each - ear. The feet and tail are of a pale flesh-colour, and furnished - with white hairs, with the exception of those on the upper surface - of the latter, which are pale brown. The ears are also pale - flesh-colour, clothed internally with yellow hairs; externally on - the fore part, the hairs are brownish, and on the hinder part, - white—they are rather large, and so are the feet. The tail is - about equal to the body in length. The hairs of the moustaches are - numerous and slender, and most of them are black at the base, and - gray at the apex. The hinder half of the tarsus beneath is covered - with minute silvery-white hairs; beside the ordinary tubercles, - the anterior portion of the sole of the foot and the base of the - toes beneath, are crowded with small rounded warts, which are much - more numerous and conspicuous than in the common mouse. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 3 1 - of tail 1 11 - from nose to eye 0 4½ - from nose to base of ear 0 8¾ - of tarsus (claws included) 0 8 - of ear 0 4½ - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_.) - - -The skull of this animal, is rather shorter and broader than that of -_Mus Musculus_, the upper surface is more arched, the zygomatic arch is -much more slender, and the nasal bones are rather broader. In the -convexity of the upper surface, and the slenderness of the zygomatic -arch, this skull very nearly resembles that of _M. gracilipes_; this -latter, however, has the zygomatic arch more convex, projecting more -suddenly on the anterior part, and the interparietal bone smaller. -Length of skull 10 lines, width 5½, length of nasal bones 4 lines, -distance between the outer side of the incisors, of the upper jaw, and -the first molar 2⅞ lines. See Plate 34, fig. 3. _a_. - -The dentition is figured in Plate 34, figs. 3. _b_ and _c_. - -This mouse is rather less than _M. Musculus_, the tail is much shorter -in proportion, the fur is longer and softer, and the ears are more -distinctly clothed with hair. - -The pale and delicate yellow colour of the upper parts of the body, and -the pure white of the under parts, renders the present species -conspicuous amongst its congeners. I may further remark that the white -colour which in the Muridæ (when it occurs) is usually confined to the -under part of the body, or extends but slightly on the sides, is in the -present animal extended considerably on the sides of the body, and -occupies an equal portion with the yellow of the upper parts. The name -_bimaculatus_ is applied to this animal on account of the two -conspicuous white patches, which are situated behind the ears. - -In affinity as well as in appearance it most nearly approaches to _Mus -gracilipes_ and _M. elegans_; with no other species of the genus _Mus_, -here described, can it be confounded, since these only have the tarsus -hairy beneath. - -The principal points of distinction between the present animal and _Mus -elegans_, are noticed in the account of that species. - -“This mouse, when alive, had a very elegant appearance. A countryman, -who brought it me, found six of them living together in one burrow.”—D. - - - MUS GRACILIPES. - PLATE XI. - - Mus gracilipes, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London, for February 1837, p. 19. - - _M. suprà flavo-lavatus; pilis pone aurem utramque, labiis, corporeque - subtùs, albis; pedibus parvulis, gracilibus, carneis, suprà et ad - calcem pilis albis tectis; caudâ gracili, pilis albis instructâ, - quoad longitudinem corpus ferè æquante; auribus mediocribus; vellere - mediocri et molli, pilis omnibus ad basin plumbeis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—General colour very pale yellowish brown, a tint produced - by the admixture of black and pale fawn colour; the hairs of the - ordinary fur being of the latter tint near the apex, and dusky at - the apex, whilst the longer hairs are black. The feet, tail, under - parts of the body and the sides of the muzzle, are pure white. All - the hairs of the body, (which are soft, and of moderate length), - are deep gray at the base. The ears are of moderate size, well - clothed with hairs, of which those on the inner side are - yellowish, and those on the outer, are brown on the anterior part, - and white on the posterior. A small tuft of white hairs springs - from the neck immediately behind the ears; this tuft is hidden - when the ears are folded back. The tail is slender and short, - (being not quite equal to the body in length) of a pale - flesh-colour, and sparingly furnished with minute white hairs. The - feet are very small and slender, and the naked parts are of a pale - flesh-colour. The sole of the foot is covered with hairs; the toes - beneath, and the tubercles (which are as in _Mus Musculus_), - however, are naked. The hairs of the moustaches are of moderate - length, and of a blackish colour, some of them, however, are - grayish white. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 2 10 - of tail 1 7 - from nose to eye 0 4⅓ - from nose to ear 0 8¼ - of tarsus (claws included) 0 6½ - of ear 0 4¼ - - - Habitat, Bahia Blanca, (_September_.) - - -This species slightly exceeds the harvest mouse (_Mus messorius_) in -size, its ears are considerably larger in proportion, and the tail is -shorter. Compared with the common mouse (_Mus Musculus_) it is smaller, -the tail is more slender, and shorter, and the feet are likewise more -slender and proportionately much smaller; the ears are more distinctly -clothed with hairs. - -The principal points of distinction between this and the two preceding -species are pointed out in the account of _M. elegans_. - -Upon comparing the skull of _M. gracilipes_ (Pl. 34, fig. 4. _a_.) with -that of _Mus Musculus_, the most striking differences consist in its -shorter and broader form, the upper surface being more arched, the -interparietal bone has a relatively smaller antero-posterior diameter, -the occipital region is more convex, and continued more gently and -gradually into the upper region of the skull. The zygomatic arch, which -is unusually slender, is more dilated (especially on the anterior part) -thus giving a squareness to the general form. The nasal bones are not so -much attenuated posteriorly. The length of the skull is 8⅞ lines, the -greatest width is 5⅛ lines, and the distance between the outer side of -the incisors and the front molar is 2¾ lines. - -The dentition is figured in Plate 34, figs. 4. _b_ and 4. _c_. - -“This specimen was given me by Mr. Bynoe, the surgeon of the Beagle, who -caught it amongst some long dry grass.”—D. - - - MUS FLAVESCENS. - PLATE XIII. - - Mus flavescens, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London, for February 1837, p. 19. - - _M. suprà colore cinnamomeo, lateribus capitis, corporisque, æquè ac - pectore, auratis; gulâ abdomineque flavescenti-albis: pedibus - sordidè albis: auribus mediocribus rotundatis, pilis flavis obsitis: - caudâ, corpore, capiteque longiore, suprà fuscâ, subtùs sordidè - albá: tarsis longis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur long and moderately soft; general colour of the upper - parts bright brownish yellow; on the sides of the head and body - bright yellow; towards the rump of a deeper hue, and inclining to - orange; under parts pale yellow, or yellow-white; chest yellow. - The fur both of the upper and under parts of the body deep - plumbeous at the base. Feet flesh-colour, covered above with white - hairs: tarsi long, naked beneath. Ears small, tolerably well - clothed with hairs; those on the inner side yellow, but many of - them blackish at the base; on the outer side, the hairs are - blackish on the fore part and yellow on the hinder part. The hairs - of the ordinary fur of the back are of a deep rich yellow colour - at the tip, and the longer hairs are blackish. The tail is long, - deep brown above and whitish beneath, the hairs of the moustaches - are rather short and slender, and of a brownish colour. Thumb nail - small and rounded. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 3 9 - of tail 4 1½ - from nose to ear 1 0 - of tarsus 1 0½ - of ear 0 4½ - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_.) - - -This species is slightly larger than the common mouse; the head is -rather larger in proportion; the ears are rather smaller and more -distinctly clothed with hair; the tail and tarsi are much longer in -proportion. Its bright yellow colouring and proportions distinguish it -from any of the species described in this work. Of this animal I do not -possess the skull, nor of the teeth do I possess more than the first and -second molars of the upper jaw, and the second and last of the lower -jaw. These are figured in Plate 34, figs. 5. _a_, and 5. _b_. - - - MUS MAGELLANICUS. - PLATE XIV. - - Mus Magellanicus, _Bennett_, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for December 1835, p. 191. - - _M. suprà fuscus, subtùs cinerescenti-albus, pallidè flavo lavatus; - auribus mediocribus pilis fuscis obsitis; caudâ corpus caputque - æquante; tarsis longis, pilis sordidè albis obsitis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur very long and moderately soft, general colour deep - brown; the hairs of the ordinary fur are gray, tipped with - yellowish brown; the longer hairs are black; the sides of the body - are yellowish; the under parts are gray-white with a faint - yellowish tint, each hair being gray tipped with yellowish white. - The ears are rather small, well clothed with hairs; those on the - inner side are blackish tipped with yellow, and on the outer side - they are blackish on the fore part and dusky on the hinder part. - The fore feet are of moderate size, the thumb nail is short and - rounded; the tarsi are rather long; both fore and hinder feet are - of a brownish colour, and covered above with dirty gray hairs. The - tail rather exceeds the head and body in length; it is brown above - and dirty white beneath. The hairs of the moustaches are numerous - and long, of a brownish colour at the apex and black at the base. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 4 3 - of tail 4 2 - from nose to ear 1 0½ - of tarsus 1 1 - of ear 0 5 - - - Habitat, Port Famine, Strait of Magellan. - - -This mouse is larger than _Mus Musculus_; the tail is rather longer in -proportion; the tarsi much longer; the ears are not quite so large in -proportion to the head, (which greatly exceeds that of _Mus Musculus_ in -size,) and they are densely clothed with hair. The fur is longer. In -colour, the animal here described is rather darker than the common -mouse. I have one specimen however before me which _very nearly_ agrees -in this respect. - -The dentition is figured in Plate 34, figs. 6, _a._ and 6, _b_. - -From the attention which Mr. Darwin bestowed upon the Muridæ of the -southern parts of South America, I presume his collection affords -materials for a tolerably complete monograph of the species of that -portion of the globe. The species above described, however, does not -occur in Mr. Darwin s collection, but is here introduced in order to -make the work more complete, and that I might more clearly point out the -distinctions which exist between it and other species here described, -the account given by Mr. Bennett in the Proceedings being very short. - - - MUS ARENICOLA. - PLATE XIII. - - Mus arenicola, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London, for February 1837, p. 18. - - _M. suprà fuscus, subtùs cinerescenti-albus, pallidè flavo tinctus; - auribus mediocribus rotundatis, pilis flavis fuscisque obsitis; - caudâ quoad longitudinem corpus æquante; pedibus cinerescenti-albis: - tarsis mediocribus._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur long, moderately soft; general colour deep brown; - sides of the body with a very obscure yellowish hue; under parts - dirty gray with a faint yellow tint. All the fur deep gray at the - base; the hairs of the upper part of the body obscurely annulated - with yellowish brown near the apex, and dusky at the apex; the - longer hairs are black. Feet brownish, covered above with - brown-white hairs; tarsi short. Tail short, blackish above, - brown-white beneath. Ears small, well clothed with hairs; those on - the inner side are yellow at the apex and gray at the base; on the - outer side they are of a brownish colour, and on the fore part - blackish. The hairs of the moustaches are short and slender, and - of a brownish colour. The head is large. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 4 3 - of tail 2 9 - from nose to ear 1 0 - of tarsus (claws included) 0 10 - of ear 0 4½ - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_.) - - -This species is rather larger than the common mouse; its head is -proportionately larger, the ears are smaller, the tail considerably -shorter, and the fur longer, and in colouring it is a little darker. In -size and colour it resembles _M. Magellanicus_, but the shorter tail and -tarsi, and the smaller size of the ears will serve to distinguish it. - -The skull of _Mus arenicola_, Plate 34. fig. 7, _a_, is rather larger -than that of _Mus Musculus_, the nasal portion is broader, the -interparietal bone is much smaller, especially in antero-posterior -extent; the zygomatic arches are more slender, and the incisive foramina -are broader. The horizontal ramus of the lower jaw (Pl. 34. fig. 7, -_d._) is rather less curved, the coronoid process is more elongated, and -the condyloid is narrower and also larger. The length of the skull is 11 -lines and a half; the width is 6½ lines. The molars of the upper jaw are -figured in plate 34 fig. 7, _b._ and those of the under jaw, fig. 7, -_c_. - -“This specimen was caught on the open grassy plain, by a trap baited -with a piece of bird; it is, however, very abundant in the sand hillocks -near the coast of the Plata.”—D. - - - 13. MUS BRACHIOTIS. - PLATE XIV. - - Mus brachiotis, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 17. - - _M. suprà obscurè fuscus, subtùs obscurè griseo tinctus; pedibus - griseo-fuscis; auribus parvulis; caudâ quoad longitudinem, corpus - ferè æquante: vellere longo et molli._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur soft, very long, and dense; ears very small; general - colour brown: the hairs of the upper parts, and sides of the head - and body are of a deep gray at the base, black at the apex, and - narrowly annulated with deep yellow near the apex; on the throat - and belly they are of a paler gray at the base, and grayish white - at the apex. The ears are well clothed with brown hairs both - within and without, and are for the most part hidden by the long - fur of the head. The hairs covering the upper side of the feet are - of a palish ashy-brown colour, and the fleshy portion appears to - have been brown. The tail is well clothed with hairs, so that the - scales are scarcely visible; on the upper side of the tail the - hairs are brownish black, and on the under side, they are dirty - white. The incisors are very slender; those of the upper jaw are - of a very pale yellow colour, and those of the lower are white, or - nearly so. The muzzle is slender, and pointed. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 4 9 - of tail 2 8 - from nose to base of ears 1 2 - of tarsus (claws included) 0 11 - of ear 0 3 - - - Habitat, Chonos Archipelago, (_December_.) - - -This mouse is considerably larger than _Mus Musculus_, and the great -length and density of its fur, causes it to appear much stouter in its -proportions; its colouring is darker, the tips of the hairs being much -more narrowly annulated with yellow than in that species. The very small -size of the ears will serve to distinguish the present animal from its -congeners—_Mus longipilis_, _M. Renggeri_, _M. arenicola_, &c. - -The molar teeth of the upper jaw are figured in Plate 34. fig. 8, _a_; -and fig. 8, _b_, represents the middle and last molars of the lower jaw. - -“Inhabited a very small island, covered with thick forest, in the -central part of the Chonos Archipelago.”—D. - -A mouse obtained on the islets adjoining the east coast of Chiloe (where -Mr. Darwin says it was common) differs from the above in being a little -smaller, the tail is rather longer, and the ears are a trifle larger. In -the feet, claws, colouring and character of the fur it agrees, and -likewise in the pale colour and slenderness of the incisors. Its -dimensions are as follows:— - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 4 0 - of tail 3 0 - of tarsus (claws included) 0 10 - from nose to ear 0 10½ - of ear 0 4 - -I have not the means of satisfying myself whether this be a distinct -species or not; but I think it is not. - -“The nature of the country where this specimen was procured is nearly -the same as in that part of the Chonos Archipelago, 150 miles to the -south, where the first was obtained.” D. - - - 14. MUS RENGGERI. - PLATE XV.—Fig. 1. - -Mus olivaceus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of -London, for February 1838, p. 16. - - _M. corpore suprà subolivaceo, subtùs cinerescente; auribus - mediocribus, rotundatis, pills parvulis fuscescentibus obsitis; - caudâ corpore breviore, pilosâ, suprà fuscâ subtùs albescente; - pedibus pilis fuscescentibus tectis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur moderate; ears moderate; tail shorter than the body; - general colour gray washed with yellow; under parts grayish white. - On the upper parts and sides of the head and body the hairs are - gray, broadly annulated with yellow near the apex, and dusky at - the apex; the mixture producing a yellowish gray tint, approaching - somewhat towards olive:—the hairs on the under parts of the body - and throat are deep gray at the base, and white at the apex; the - hairs of the feet are brownish-white. The tail is tolerably well - clothed with hairs; those on the upper surface are brown, and - those on the under are dirty white. The ears are well clothed, - both externally and internally, with hairs of the same colour as - those on the upper parts of the body. The hairs of the moustaches - are for the most part whitish, and black at the base. The upper - incisors are pale yellow, and the lower incisors are yellowish - white. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to the root of tail 5 1 - of tail 2 8 - from nose to base of ears 1 2 - of tarsus (claws included) 0 11 - of ear. 0 5 - - - Habitat, Valparaiso (_August and September_,) Coquimbo (_May_.) - - -Subsequent to the description of this species, under the name of _M. -olivaceus_ in the Zoological Society’s Proceedings, I have imagined that -perhaps that name might mislead as regards the colouring of the -animal;—it certainly has a slight olive hue, but it is not very evident. -I have therefore changed the name, and substituted that of the author of -the “Naturgeschichte der Säugethiere von Paraguay,” &c. - -In the collection there are three specimens of the present species; in -one of these the hairs of the upper part and sides of the body are -annulated with yellowish white, instead of yellow; hence the general hue -of these parts is nearly gray. - -_Mus Renggeri_ is larger than _Mus Musculus_, and much stouter in its -proportions; the fur is shorter, much less dense, and less soft than in -_Mus brachiotis_. - -“It inhabits dry stony places, where only a few thickets grow.”—D. - - - 15. MUS OBSCURUS. - PLATE XV.—Fig. 2. - - Mus obscurus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 16. - - _M. suprà fusco-nigrescens, subtùs flavescens; pedibus obscurè fuscis; - unguibus longiusculis; auribus mediocribus; caudâ corpore breviore, - suprà nigrescente, subtùs sordidè albâ; vellere mediocri, molli._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Head large; ears moderate; tail shorter than the body; - fur rather long and glossy; the general hue of that of the upper - parts and sides of the head and body is blackish brown, and that - of the under parts is dirty yellowish white. The hairs on the - upper parts are of a deep lead colour at the base, black at the - apex, and narrowly annulated with dark yellow near the apex; those - of the throat and belly are lead colour at the base and yellowish - at the tip; the chin is white: around the eye, and on the lower - part of the cheeks a deep yellow tint prevails. The ears are well - clothed with hairs both externally and internally, and these are - for the most part of a deep brown colour, as are also the hairs - which cover the feet. The tail is well clothed with hairs, those - on the upper surface are black, and those on the under are dirty - white. Both upper and lower incisors are yellow, but the lower are - paler than the upper. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 5 3 - of tail 2 7 - from nose to ears 1 2½ - of tarsus (claws included) 0 11½ - of ear 0 4 - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_.) - - -The present species, like the foregoing, is much stouter than the common -mouse (_Mus Musculus_), its colour is much darker. In possessing a -glossy fur it differs from most of its congeners; its head is also -proportionately larger, and the incisors are much stronger. - -The molars of the upper jaw are figured in plate 34, fig. 9, _a_,—and -fig. 9, _b_, represents those of the under jaw. - -“Very abundant in gardens and hedges, far from houses; and was easily -caught in traps baited either with cheese or meat.”—D. - - - 16. MUS XANTHORHINUS. - PLATE XVII.—Fig. 1. - - Mus xanthorhinus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London, for January 1837, p. 17. - - _M. suprà fuscus flavo lavatus; subtùs albus; rhinario flavo; auribus - parvulis, intùs pilis flavis obsitis; mystacibus longis, canis, ad - basin nigrescentibus: caudâ corpore breviore, suprà fuscâ, ad latera - flavescente, subtùs sordidè albâ: pedibus anticis, tarsisque flavis, - digitis albis: vellere longo, molli._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur moderately long and loose; ears rather small; tail - shorter than the body; general colour gray washed with yellow, the - yellow colour prevailing, especially on the sides of the body; - muzzle, inner side of ears, and tarsus, of a rich yellow colour; - toes, chin, throat, under parts of body, and rump, white; all the - fur deep gray at the base; the hairs on the upper parts and sides - of the body broadly annulated near the apex with rich yellow, and - at the apex dusky; on the under parts of the body the hairs are - broadly tipped with white. Tail rather sparingly furnished with - hair, that on the upper surface brown, on the sides yellow, and on - the under surface whitish. The hairs of the moustaches are - white—some of them dusky at the base. The incisor teeth are rather - slender, and of a pale yellow colour. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 3 6 - of tail 1 7½ - from nose to ear 0 10 - of tarsus (claws included) 0 9 - of ear 0 3¾ - - - Habitat, Hardy Peninsula, Tierra del Fuego, (_February_.) - - -The white, which is usually confined to the under parts of the body, in -this species extends slightly on the sides of the body, and the lower -portion of the cheeks. - -“This species was caught on the mountains, thickly covered with peat, of -Hardy Peninsula, which forms the extreme southern point of Tierra del -Fuego.”—D. - - - 17. MUS CANESCENS. - - Mus canescens, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February, 1837, p. 17. - - _M. suprà canescens, subtùs albus; oculis flavido cinctis; auribus - parvulis, pilis pallidè flavis et plumbeis obsitis; mystacibus - mediocribus, canis, ad basin nigricantibus; caudâ vix corpore - breviore, suprà fusco-nigrâ, subtùs sordidè albâ; pedibus anticis - tarsisque flavescentibus._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur moderately long and loose; ears small; tail nearly - equal to the body in length: general colour gray, with a wash of - very pale yellow; chin, throat, and under parts of the body, - white. Tail tolerably well clothed with hairs, those on the upper - surface brown, and those on the under, whitish; on the sides are - some yellowish hairs. Ears with yellow hairs on the inner side; - tarsi pale yellow, toes white; muzzle and around the eye - yellowish. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 3 6[21] - of tail 2 1 - from nose to ear 1 1 - of tarsus (claws included) 0 9½ - of ear 0 4 - - - Habitat, Santa Cruz and Port Desire, (_December_.) - - -“Very common in long dry grass in the valleys of Port Desire.”—D. - -The skull is figured in Plate 33, fig. 5, _c_. Fig. 5, _a._ represents -the molars of the upper jaw; fig. 5, _b._ those of the under jaw, and -fig. 5, _d._ represents the posterior molar of the under jaw when more -worn. - -It was with some hesitation that I described this as a distinct species -in the Society’s Proceedings. I have now re-examined the specimens, and -still am unable to satisfy myself whether they are varieties of _Mus -xanthorhinus_ or not. Both of _Mus canescens_ and of _Mus xanthorhinus_, -I have before me what I imagine to be an adult and a young specimen. The -adult and the young of _M. xanthorhinus_ agree in being of a _yellowish -brown_ colour, and in having the muzzle and tarsi deep yellow; both -specimens of _Mus canescens_ are of a _gray_ colour, with an indistinct -yellow wash, the muzzle and tarsi being tinted with yellow, as in _M. -xanthorhinus_. Besides this difference in tint, which, perhaps, is -unimportant, _M. canescens_ differs from _M. xanthorhinus_ in having the -head larger, the tail rather longer, and the fur less soft. The -specimens of this animal are both from Patagonia; one of the specimens -of _Mus xanthorhinus_ was brought by Mr. Darwin from Terra del Fuego; -and as the other formed part of Captain King’s collection, it in all -probability came from the same locality. As I only possess one skull, I -cannot speak with certainty as regards the size of the head; the -difference, however, in the stuffed specimens is considerable, and it is -strange that each of the pairs should agree so perfectly, supposing the -difference to be the work of the stuffer’s hands. - - - 18. MUS LONGIPILIS. - PLATE XVI. - - Mus longipilis, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 16. - - _M. suprà obscurè griseus, flavo lavatus; subtùs griseus; pedibus - fuscis, unguibus longiusculis; auribus mediocribus; caudâ corpore - breviore, suprà nigrescente, subtùs fuscescente; rhinario - sub-producto: vellere longissimo, molli._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Fur very soft and silky, and extremely long—the ordinary - fur of the back measuring nearly three quarters of an inch, and - the longer hairs one inch in length; ears moderate; tail nearly as - long as the body; muzzle much pointed; general colour gray, washed - with yellow, the under parts pale gray, or grayish white; feet - brown; ears and tail well clothed; the hairs on the inner side of - the ears are chiefly of a yellow colour, those on the upper - surface of the tail are brown-black, those on the under part are - dirty white; the hairs of the back are deep gray at the base, - broadly annulated with yellow near the apex, and dusky at the - apex; the longer hairs are grayish black; the hairs of the - moustaches are dusky at the base, and whitish beyond that part; - the claws are long, and but slightly curved; the incisors are - slender; those on the upper jaw are yellow, and those of the under - yellow-white. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 5 4 - of tail 3 4 - from nose to ear 1 2 - of tarsus (claws included) 1 0½ - of ear 0 6½ - - - Habitat, Coquimbo, Chile, (_May_.) - - -This mouse is remarkable for the great length and softness of its fur, -even among the species here described, most of which have very loose, -long and soft fur. - -The molars of the upper jaw are figured in Plate 33, fig. 6, _b._—molars -of the lower jaw, fig. 6, _a_. - -“Inhabits dry stony places, which character of country is general in -this part of Chile.”—D. - - - 19. MUS NASUTUS. - PLATE XVII.—Fig. 2. - - Mus nasutus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 16. - - _M. suprà obscurè flavescenti-fuscus, ad latera fulvescens; subtùs - obscurè fulvo tinctus: pedibus pilis obscurè fuscis tectis; unguibus - longis; auribus mediocribus; caudâ corpore breviore, suprà fuscá, - subtùs sordidè albâ: rhinario producto._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Muzzle very long and pointed, ears small, tail shorter - than the body, claws long and but slightly arched; inner, - rudimentary toe of the fore foot furnished with a pointed claw; - fur moderate, and slightly glossy: general colour yellowish brown, - of the sides of the body yellow, of the under parts pale yellow; - the chin, throat and chest whitish: feet brown; ears well clothed - with hairs, those on the inner side are most of them yellow, but - some are black. All the fur is of a deep lead colour at the base; - the hairs on the upper parts and sides of the head and body are - broadly annulated with deep golden yellow near the apex, and - blackish at the apex; on the upper parts long brownish black hairs - are thickly interspersed with the ordinary fur, but on the side of - the body they are less numerous, hence on this part the yellow - tint prevails; on the under parts of the body the hairs are - broadly tipped with pale yellow, and in parts with white: the tail - is but sparingly clothed with hairs, those on the upper surface - are of a dark brown colour, and those on the under are pale brown. - The incisors are very slender and of a very pale yellow colour. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 5 2 - of tail 2 8 - from nose to ear 1 3 - of tarsus (claws included) 1 0½ - of ear 0 5 - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_.) - - -The specific name _nasutus_ has been applied to this mouse on account of -its elongated and slender muzzle[22], the tip of which extends nearly 4 -lines beyond the upper pair of incisors: the rudimentary toe of the fore -foot, instead of having the usual rounded nail, has a short pointed -claw. Its fur is not so soft, nor yet so long as in many of the -preceding species, and there is a greater admixture of yellow in its -colouring. The claws appear to be adapted to burrowing. - -The skull (which is not quite perfect) is figured in Plate 33, fig. 7, -_a_, its length is 1 in. 3 lines. Fig. 7, _b_, represents the molars of -the upper jaw, and fig. 7, _c_, those of the under jaw. The lower jaw, -which is of a very slender and elongated form, is figured in Plate 34, -fig. 10, _a_. - -“Was caught in a small thicket on an open grassy plain, by a trap baited -with a piece of bird. This mouse when alive possesses a marked character -in the extreme acumination of its nose.”—D. - - - 20. MUS TUMIDUS. - PLATE XVIII. - - Mus tumidus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 15. - - _M. brunneus, nigro lavatus; rostro ad apicem, labiis, mento, gulâ, - pectore, abdomineque albis; naso suprà nigrescente; auribus - mediocribus rotundatis; corpore crasso; caudâ capite corporeque - breviore, pilis nigricantibus, subtùs albescentibus prope basin, - vestitâ; artubus pedibusque grisescentibus; vellere longo, molli; - unguibus longis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Body stout; head large; tail nearly as long as the head - and body; inner toe of the fore foot with a distinct, pointed - claw; claws rather large, those of the fore feet but slightly - arched. Fur rather long, and moderately soft; general tint of the - upper parts of the body, brown, of the sides of the head and body, - grayish, but with a yellow wash; the lower part of the sides of - the body and of the cheeks, the tip of the muzzle, and the whole - of the under parts, white; feet dirty white; ears densely clothed - with short hairs, those on the inner side chiefly of an ashy-brown - colour, and those on the outer side dusky; the hairs of the back - are of a deep lead colour at the base, black at the tip, and - annulated with yellow near the tip; the longer hairs, which are - thickly interspersed, are totally black; on the under parts of the - body the hairs are gray at the base, and broadly tipped with - white; the upper surface of the muzzle is blackish; the moustaches - are black; the incisors are yellow. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to the root of tail 6 9 - of tail 5 4 - from nose to ears 1 8 - of tarsus (claws included) 1 6 - of ear 0 7 - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata (_June_.) - - -This species is about the size of _Mus Rattus_, but is stouter in its -proportions; as in _Mus nasutus_, the thumb is furnished with a pointed -claw. The molars of the lower jaw are figured in Plate 34, fig. 11, _a_. - -“This rat was caught in so wet a place amongst the flags bordering a -lake, that it must certainly be partly aquatic in its habits.”—D. - - - 21. MUS BRAZILIENSIS. - PLATE XIX. - - Rat du Brézil, _Geoff._ - - _M. suprà fuscus fulvo lavatus; lateribus capitis corporisque æquè ac - abdomine auratis; gulâ pectoreque albis; pedibus pilis sordidè - flavis tectis; auribus parvulis; caudâ caput corpusque ferè æquante; - vellere longo, molli._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Head somewhat arched, and rather short; ears small; tail - about equal in length to the head and body, measured in a straight - line; tarsi large. Fur long, and rather soft; general colour deep - golden yellow: on the upper surface of the head and the back, long - glossy black hairs are thickly interspersed, and produce, with the - admixture of the deep golden colour of the ordinary fur, a dark - brown tint; chin, throat, chest, and rump, white; the hairs - covering the upper surface of the feet are of a dirty yellowish - white colour, and on the toes nearly white: ears densely clothed - with longish hairs, those on the inner side chiefly of a deep - golden colour, and those on the outer side brownish; the ears are - partially hidden by the long fur of the head; tail sparingly - clothed with hairs, above brown, and beneath brownish-white: the - fur of the back is of a deep gray colour at the base, annulated - with deep golden yellow near the apex, and blackish at the apex; - the longer hairs are black; the hairs of the belly are pale gray - at the base, and broadly tipped with golden yellow colour; the - white hairs on the throat, chest, and rump are of an uniform - colour—not tinted with gray at the root;—the hairs of the - moustaches are black: the incisors of the upper jaw are of a deep - orange colour, and those of the lower jaw are yellow: the thumb - nail is truncated. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 8 6 - of tail 7 9 - from nose to ear 1 8 - of tarsus 2 0 - of ear 0 6½ - - - Habitat, Bahia Blanca, (_September_.) - - -This species is nearly equal in size to the common rat (_Mus -decumanus_). Of its skull[23] I possess but the anterior portion (see -Pl. 33. fig. 3, _a._ and 3, _b._): it appears to have been about the -same size as that of _M. decumanus_, its proportions, however, are -different: the nasal portion is broader and shorter, the ant-orbital -outlet is rather smaller; the plate, forming the anterior root of the -zygomatic arch, and which protects this outlet, has its anterior edge -distinctly emarginated, and not nearly straight as in _M. -decumanus_,—the zygomatic arch is stouter, the space between the orbits -is narrower, the palate is more contracted, the incisors are much -broader, less deep from front to back, and have the anterior surface -more convex; the molar teeth are larger; the lower jaw (see Plate 34. -fig. 12, _a._) when compared with that of _Mus decumanus_ also offers -many points of dissimilarity; the principal differences consist in its -greater strength, the comparatively large size and breadth of the -articular surface of the condyles, the upright position of the coronoid -process—a perpendicular line dropt from the apex of which would touch -the posterior part of the last molar—and the great extent of the -_symphysis menti_. In the form of the incisors, the more contracted -palate, the great extent of the _symphysis menti_, and in fact in most -of the points of dissimilarity, between the skull of the present animal -and that of _Mus decumanus_, here pointed out, it will be perceived, -there is an approach made to the _Arvicolidæ_. - -The dimensions of the skull (so far as an imperfect specimen will allow -of their being taken) are as follows:— - - In. Lines. - Distance between front of incisors, (upper jaw) and the - first molar tooth 0 8 - Longitudinal extent of the three molars on either side, - taken together 0 4¼ - Length of nasal bones 0 7¼ - —— of incisive _foramina_ 0 4¼ - Width between orbits 0 2½ - Length of _ramus_ of lower jaw 1 1¼ - -Fig. 3, _c_, Plate 33, represents the molar teeth of the upper jaw. Fig. -3, _d_, those of the upper jaw. - -“This rat was caught at Bahia Blanca where the plains of Patagonia begin -to blend into the more fertile region of the Pampas. It lived in holes -amongst the tussocks of rushes, on the borders of a small, still, brook; -in its manner of diving and aquatic habits it closely resembled the -English water-rat, (_Arvicola amphibia_.)”—D. - -When at Paris I examined what I believe to be the original _Mus -Braziliensis_, since the specimen was labelled “_Rat de Brazil St. -Hilaire, 1818_.” It agrees perfectly with the present animal excepting -in being rather smaller, the length from the nose to the tail being 7 -inches and 4 lines—the length of the tail is 7 inches 9 lines, and that -of the tarsus is 1 inch 11 lines; this difference in the length of the -body may arise from difference of age, or even of sex. In the Paris -Museum I saw what appeared to me to be a variety of the same species in -which the under parts of the body are white. - -I have been minute in my description of the _Mus Braziliensis_, since it -is confounded by Desmarest, Fischer and Lesson with the _Rat troisieme_ -or _Rat Angouya_ of Azara, which I believe to be a very different -animal. The description given by the authors just mentioned are taken -from Azara, who gives the following characters to distinguish the _Rat -Angouya_: “Du museau à la queue, et sur les côtés du corps tout est -brun-cannelle, parceque les poils ont une petite pointe cannelle; puis, -ils sont obscurs et enfin blanc vers las peau. Toute la partie -inférieure de l’animal est blanchâtre, plus claire sous la tête, et plus -foncée entre les jambes de devant; le pelage est doux, très-serr, et le -poil, qui est à la racine de l’oreille, cache le conduit de celle-ci.” - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail (English measure) 6 0 - of tail 6 6½ - of ears 0 9¾ - of tarsus (the claws included) 1 3¼ - -It appears from this description that the _Mus Angouya_ is a smaller -animal, and differs both in colouring and proportions from the _Mus -Braziliensis_. Brandt has figured and described a rat under the name of -_Mus Angouya_, which in many respects agrees better with Azara’s -description; there are, however, discrepancies in the dimensions. - - - 22. MUS MICROPUS. - PLATE XX. - - Mus micropus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 17. - - _M. suprà fuscus; subtùs cinerescenti-albus, pallidè flavo tinctus; - pedibus pilis sordidè albis tectis, antipedibus parvulis; auribus - parvulis; caudâ, quoad longitudinem, corpus ferè æquante, suprâ - fuscâ, subtùs sordidè albâ._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Form stout, ears rather small, tail nearly equal to the - body in length, fur very long and moderately soft, general colour - of the upper parts of head and body, brown; of the sides of the - body grayish, faintly washed with yellow, of the under parts - grayish white, faintly tinted with yellow; hair covering the upper - surface of the feet dirty white; on the tarsus there is a very - slight yellow tint; ears well clothed with hairs, those on the - inner side chiefly of a yellow colour; tail above, dusky brown; - beneath dirty white: hairs of moustaches black at the base and - grayish at the apex; incisors pale yellow: hairs of the back deep - gray at the base, annulated with brownish yellow near the apex, - and dusky at the apex; longer hairs dusky black; hairs of the - belly deep gray at the base and broadly tipped with yellowish - white. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 6 0 - of tail 3 8 - from nose to ear 1 4 - of tarsus (claws included) 1 0¾ - of ear 0 6 - - - Habitat, Santa Cruz, Patagonia, (_April_.) - - -The molars of the upper jaw are figured in Plate 34, fig. 13, _a_, and -those of the lower jaw, fig. 13, _b_. - -“Caught in the interior plains of Patagonia in lat. 50°, near the banks -of the Santa Cruz.”—D. - - - 23. MUS GRISEO-FLAVUS. - PLATE XXI. - - Mus griseo-flavus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 28. - - _M. suprà griseus flavo-lavatus, ad latera flavus, subtùs albus; - pedibus albis; auribus magnis et ferè nudis; caudâ caput corpusque - ferè æquante, suprà fusco-nigricante, subtùs albâ; vellere longo, - molli._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Ears large; tail rather shorter than the head and body - taken together; tarsi slender, and moderately long; fur long and - very soft; general tint of the upper parts of head and body - grayish, washed with brownish yellow; on the sides of the body a - palish yellow tint prevails; feet, chin, throat, and under parts - of body pure white; tail rather sparingly clothed with hairs, - those on the apical portion rather long, and forming a slight - pencil at the tip; on the upper side and at the tip of the tail - the hairs are brown, on the under side they are dirty white; the - ears are very sparingly clothed with minute brownish yellow hairs - internally; externally, on the fore part, the hairs are rather - longer and of a brown colour; the upper incisors are orange, and - the lower incisors are yellow; the hairs of the moustaches are - long, and of a black colour; the hairs of the back are deep gray - at the base, brownish at the tip, and annulated with pale brownish - yellow near the tip; the longer hairs are brown; the hairs of the - belly are white externally, and gray at the base; on the throat - the hairs are white to the root. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 6 8 - of tail 5 6 - from nose to ear 1 4½ - of tarsus (claws included) 1 2½ - of ear 0 8 - - - Habitat, Northern Patagonia (_August_.) - - -The molars of the upper jaw are figured in Plate 34, fig. 15, _a_, and -those of the lower jaw, fig. 15, _b_. - -“Inhabits the dry gravelly plain, bordering the Rio Negro.”—D. - - - 24. MUS XANTHOPYGUS. - PLATE XXII. - - Mus xanthopygus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 28. - - _M. suprà pallidè brunneus flavo-lavatus, ad latera flavescens, subtùs - albus; capite griscescente; natibus flavis; pedibus albis; auribus - majusculis pilis, albis et flavis intermixtis obsitis; caudâ quoad - longitudinem, corpus ferè æquante, suprà nigricante, subtùs albâ; - vellere longo et molli; mystacibus perlongis albescentibus, ad basin - nigris._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Ears rather large, tail rather longer than the body, - tarsi moderately long and somewhat slender: fur long and very - soft: prevailing tint pale yellow; on the back there is a brownish - hue owing to the long hairs, which are thickly interspersed with - ordinary fur, being of that colour: in the region of the tail the - hairs are of a rich yellow colour; the tip of the muzzle is white, - the feet, chin, throat and the whole under parts of the body are - white; on the chest and belly a faint yellowish hue is observable: - the tail is well clothed with tolerably long hairs, those on the - apical portion are the longer, on the upper side of the tail they - are of a brown colour, and on the under side they are pure white: - the ears are well clothed with tolerably long hairs, those on the - inner side are of a pale yellowish colour, externally on the fore - part they are brown, and on the hinder part they are yellowish - white: the hairs of the moustaches are numerous and very long; - some of them are white, but the greater portion are brownish black - at the base and whitish at the apex: the upper incisors are - yellow, and the lower are yellow-white: the hairs of the ordinary - fur on the back are gray at the base, brownish at the tip, and - very pale yellow near the tip: the hairs on the belly are gray at - the base and white externally. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 5 3 - of tail 3 10 - from nose to ear 1 3 - of tarsus (claws included) 1 1 - of ear 0 7 - -There are three specimens of the present species in Mr. Darwin’s -collection; two of them were caught when shedding their fur, and having -lost the longer black hairs, have the upper parts of the body of a paler -colour; their general tint is very pale, and may be described as gray, -with a wash of pale yellow. - -This species is closely allied to the last, but differs in being rather -smaller, in having smaller ears which are well clothed with hair, and -not sparingly furnished as in _Mus griseo-flavus_, and in having a -shorter tail which, like the ears, is more densely clothed with hairs; -in the structure of the molar teeth there also differences which will be -better understood by comparing the drawings. Fig. 16, _a_, Plate 34, -represents the molars of the upper jaw, and 16, _b_, those of the lower -jaw. - -“Extremely abundant in the coarse grass and thickets in the ravines at -Port Desire and Santa Cruz: was caught in a trap baited with cheese.”—D. - - - 25. MUS DARWINII. - PLATE XXIII. - - Mus Darwinii, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 28. - - _M. suprà pilis pallidè cinnamomeis et nigrescentibus intermixtis; - ante oculos cinerascentibus; genis, lateribus corporis, et caudâ - prope basin, pallidè cinnamomeis; partibus inferioribus pedibusque - albis; auribus permagnis; caudâ caput corpusque ferè æquante, suprà - fusco-nigricante, subtùs albâ._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Form robust; ears immensely large; tail nearly equal in - length to the head and body taken together; fore feet very small; - tarsi moderate; fur very long and soft; general tint of the upper - parts pale cinnamon yellow; on the rump a richer yellow hue - prevails, and on the back there is a brownish tint, owing to the - interspersed long hairs being of that colour; the upper surface of - the head is grayish; the cheeks, like the sides of the body, are - of a delicate yellow colour, faintly clouded with brown; the sides - of the muzzle, lower part of the cheeks and sides of the body, and - the whole under parts, are pure white; the feet and tail are also - white, if we except the upper surface of the latter, which is dark - brown; the yellow tint of the sides of the body is extended - downwards on the outer side of the fore legs and on the back of - the hinder legs; the ears are but sparingly furnished with hair, - excepting on the fore part, externally, where they are of a - brownish colour; the minute hairs which cover the remaining parts - of the ear are very pale; the tail is well clothed with hairs; the - hairs of the moustaches are numerous and very long; they are for - the most part blackish at the base, and gray at the apex; the - incisors are rather slender, the upper pair are an orange colour, - and the lower, yellow; the hairs of the ordinary fur of the back - are gray at the base, broadly annulated with pale cinnamon yellow - near the apex, and brownish at the apex; the hairs of the belly - are deep gray at the base, and white externally, those on the - throat are pale gray at the base. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 6 0 - of tail 4 9 - from nose to ear 1 4½ - of tarsus (claws included) 1 1½ - of ear 0 11¾ - Width of ear 1 0½[24] - - - Habitat, Coquimbo, Chile, (_May_.) - - -This species is evidently allied to the two preceding; and perhaps the -“Rat quatrieme, ou Rat oreillard” of Azara, (_Mus auritas_, Desm.) will -form one of this little group. The molar teeth of the upper jaw are -figured in Plate 34, fig. 17, _a_—those of the lower jaw, fig. 17, _b_. - -“Inhabits dry stony places.”—D. - - - 26. MUS GALAPAGOENSIS. - PLATE XXIV. - - _M. suprà fuscus, flavo-lavatus, ad latera flavescens, subtùs albus: - pedibus pilis sordidè albis tectis: auribus mediocribus; caudâ, - quoad longitudinem, caput corpusque ferè æquante: vellere longo._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Ears moderate, slightly pointed; tarsi moderate; tail - slender, nearly as long as the head and body; fur long, and not - very soft; upper parts of the body of a brownish hue, a tint - produced by the admixture of black and palish yellow hairs; on the - sides of the body the longer black hairs are less abundant, and - the prevailing colour is yellow; under parts of the body white, - with a very faint yellow tint; feet furnished above with dirty - white hairs; ears rather sparingly clothed with hairs, those on - the inner side of a yellow colour, and those on the outer side - dusky; tail above brown, and beneath whitish; the hairs of the - moustaches black; the incisors deep yellow; the hairs on the back - are deep gray at the base, broadly annulated with palish yellow - near the apex, and blackish at the apex; the longer hairs black; - on the belly the hairs are gray at the base, and broadly tipped - with yellowish white. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 6 0 - of tail 4 9 - from nose to ear 1 3¾ - of tarsus (claws included) 1 2 - of ear 0 7 - - - Habitat, Chatham Island, Galapagos Archipelago, Pacific Ocean, - (_October_.) - - -This species is less than _Mus Rattus_. The upper parts of the body have -a slightly variegated appearance. - -The skull of _Mus Galapagoensis_ (Plate 33, fig. 8, _a_,) is rather -smaller than that of _M. Rattus_, the nasal portion is proportionately -longer, the cranial shorter, and the interparietal bone is smaller, -especially in antero-posterior extent; its length is 15 lines, and its -breadth is 8⅛ lines. The lower jaw is figured in Plate 34, fig. 14, _a_. -Fig. 8, _b_, of Plate 33, represents the molars of the upper jaw, and -fig. 8, _c_, those of the lower jaw. - -“This mouse or rat is abundant in Chatham Island, one of the Galapagos -Archipelago. I could not find it on any other island of the group. It -frequents the bushes, which sparingly cover the rugged streams of -basaltic lava, near the coast, where there is no fresh water, and where -the land is extremely sterile.”—D. - - - 27. MUS FUSCIPES. - PLATE XXV. - - _M. suprà fusco-nigrescens, subtùs griseus; pedibus fuscis; auribus - mediocribus, caudâ, quoad longitudinem, caput corpusque ferè - æquante: vellere longissimo, molli._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Form stout; ears moderate; tail equal to the body in - length; tarsi moderate; fur very long. General tint of the upper - part and sides of the head and body blackish brown with an - admixture of gray; of the under parts grayish white; feet brown, - the hairs grayish at the tip: tail black and but sparingly clothed - with short bristly hairs: ears rather sparingly clothed with - hairs, which are for the most part of a brownish gray colour. The - ordinary fur of the back is about ¾ of an inch in length and very - soft—of a deep gray colour, broadly annulated with brownish yellow - near the tip and blackish at the tip: the longer hairs which are - black, measure upwards of 1¼ inches in length. The upper incisors - are of an orange colour and the lower are black. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 6 6 - of tail 4 3 - from nose to ear 1 6 - of ear 0 6½ - of tarsus (claws included) 1 1 - - - Habitat, Australia, King George’s Sound, (_March_.) - - -Mammalia not belonging to the order _Marsupiata_ are rare in the -Continent of Australia. Besides the Dog, we are acquainted with none -excepting a few species of Rodents, and these all belong to the family -_Muridæ_. - -The present animal adds one to the limited number already known: in the -Museum of the Zoological Society there is another species, the -characters of which I will point out in the next description. - -_Mus fuscipes_ is remarkable for the great length and softness of its -fur, and the brown colour of its feet: it is rather less than _Mus -Rattus_, and of a stouter form. Not having had an opportunity of -examining the molar teeth and the cranium of this animal, I cannot be -positive that it is a species of the genus _Mus_; in external characters -and the form of the incisor teeth, however, it agrees perfectly with the -animals of that genus. - -“This animal was caught in a trap baited with cheese, amongst the bushes -at King George’s Sound.”—D. - - - 28. MUS GOULDII. - - _M. vellere longo, molli, ochraceo, pilis nigricantibus adsperso, his - ad latera rarioribus: corpore subtùs, pedibusque albis: auribus - majusculis: caudâ, capite corporeque paulo breviore._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Ears rather large and slightly pointed, tarsi slender and - tolerably long; tail about equal in length to the body and half - the head; fur long and soft; general colour pale ochreous yellow; - on the back there are numerous long black hairs interspersed with - the ordinary fur, which gives a darker hue and somewhat variegated - appearance to that part; feet, chin, throat, and the whole under - parts of the body white; ears brown, sparingly clothed with minute - yellow hairs, both externally (excepting on the forepart, where - they are brownish) and internally; tail brownish above, and - yellowish white beneath; the hairs of the moustaches long, and of - a brown colour; upper incisors deep orange, lower incisors yellow; - claws white. The hair of the back is of a deep lead colour at the - base, pale ochre near the apex, and dusky at the apex; the longer - hairs are black; the hairs of the belly are deep gray at the base - and broadly tipped with white. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 4 8 - of tail 3 6 - from nose to ear 1 0½ - of tarsus (claws included) 1 0½ - of ear 0 7 - - VAR. β.—General colour of the fur pale ochreous yellow, the feet, - under side of the tail and the whole of the under parts, as well - as the lower portion of the sides of the body, white; hairs of the - back palish gray at the base, those of the belly indistinctly - tinted with very pale gray at the roots; ears and moustaches pale - brown. - - - Habitat, New South Wales. - - -This species is about half-way between _Mus Rattus_ and _Mus musculus_ -in size, and is remarkable for its delicate colouring. The molar teeth -are figured in Plate 34; fig. 18. _a_, represents the molars of the -upper jaw, and fig. 18. _b_, those of the lower. - - - - - GENUS—REITHRODON.[25] - - - _Dentes primores ²⁄₂; inferioribus acutis, gracilibus, et anticè - lævibus; superioribus gracilibus, anticè longitudinalitèr sulcatis._ - - _Molares utrinque ³⁄₃ radicati; primo maximo, ultimo minimo: primo - superiore plicas vitreas duas externè et internè alternatìm - exhibente; secundo, et tertio, plicas duas externè, internè unam: - primo inferiore plicas vitreas tres externè, duas internè; secundo, - plicas duas externè, unam internè; tertio unam externè et internè, - exhibentibus._ - - _Artus inæquales: antipedes 4–dactyli, cum pollice exiguo: pedes - postici 5–dactyli, digitis externis et internis brevissimis._ - - _Ungues parvuli et debiles. Tarsi subtùs pilosi._ - - _Cauda mediocris, pilis brevibus adpressis instructa._ - - _Caput magnum, fronte convexo: oculis magnis: auribus mediocribus._ - -The present genus according to my views belongs to the family _Muridæ_. -The modifications of structure which have led me to separate it from the -genus _Mus_ are as follows: - - _External characters._—The most conspicuous points of distinction - between the external characters of _Reithrodon_ and _Mus_ (if we - regard _M. rattus_, _M. decumanus_ or _M. musculus_ as typical - examples of that genus,) consist in the arched form of the head, the - large size of the eyes, the stout form of the body, and the upper - incisors being grooved. The ears, tail and feet are more densely - clothed with hairs, and the tarsus is covered with hair beneath,—at - least the hinder portion. - - _Cranium._—The skulls of the species of the present genus differ from - those of the species of _Mus_ in being proportionately shorter and - broader, and more arched; the facial portion of the skull is larger, - compared with the cranial, the space between the orbits is narrower, - and the orbits are larger; the palate is narrower and the incisive - foramina are more elongated and larger. The pterygoids approximate - anteriorly, so that the posterior _nares_ are greatly contracted. As - in the genus _Mus_ the anterior root of the zygomatic arch is - directed upwards from the plane of the palate, and forwards in the - form of a thin plate, protecting an opening behind, which leads into - the nasal cavity, and also forming the outer boundary both of the - ant-orbital foramen, and a second opening whose outlet is directed - upwards. This thin plate, however, is narrower than is usually found - in the genus _Mus_. The most striking differences observable in the - lower jaw consist in the smaller size of the coronoid process, and - its being curved outwards; the condyloid process is narrower, and - the angle of the jaw, or descending ramus, approaches more nearly to - a quadrate form—the posterior edge of the jaw is more deeply - emarginated. - - _Dentition._—The incisors are narrow and compressed as in the genus - _Mus_, but they are less deep from front to back; those of the upper - jaw (Plate 33. fig 2. _b._) have each a distinct longitudinal - groove, which is situated nearer to the outer than to the inner edge - of the tooth. Close to the inner edge of each of these teeth an - indistinct second longitudinal groove may be seen by means of a - lens. The lower incisors are nearly equal in width to the upper. - - The crowns of the molar teeth in the young _Reithrodon_ are higher - than in _Mus_, and they are rootless; in the adult animal, however, - they possess distinct roots. The folds of enamel form sigmoid - flexures, are closely approximated to each other, and those of the - opposite sides of the tooth meet. - - - 1. REITHRODON CUNICULOÏDES. - PLATE XXVI. - - Reithrodon cuniculoïdes, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological - Society of London for February 1837, p. 30. - - _R. suprà griseus, flavo-lavatus, pilis nigris intermixtis; abdomine - guláque pallidè flavis; natibus albis; pedibus albis; auribus - mediocribus, intùs pilis flavis, extùs pilis pallidè flavis, - obsitis; pone aures, notâ magnâ albescenti-flavâ; caudâ corpore - breviore, suprà pallidè fuscâ, subtùs albâ._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Head rather large and arched; ears moderate; tail nearly - as long as the body; tarsi rather long; fur long and very soft. - General tint of the upper parts of the body grayish brown, with a - considerable admixture of yellow; of the sides of the body grayish - tinted with yellow; the lower portion of the cheeks, and the lower - half of the sides of the body are of a delicate yellow colour; the - under parts of the head and body are yellowish white; the fore - part of the thighs is whitish; the rump, feet, and tail are white, - excepting the upper surface of the latter, which is brown; behind - each ear there is a patch of yellowish white hairs. The ears are - tolerably well clothed with hairs; those on the inner side are for - the most part of a yellow colour, but towards the posterior margin - they are brown; externally, the hairs are also yellow, excepting - on the fore part, where they are dusky brown. The hairs of the - moustaches are very long and numerous; black at the base, and - grayish at the apex. The feet are well clothed with hairs which - cover and nearly hide the claws; the under side of the tarsus is - clothed with grayish brown hairs. The tail is well clothed with - tolerably long hairs which completely hide the scales. The hairs - on the back are of a deep gray colour at the base, broadly - annulated with yellow near the apex, and dusky at the apex: the - longer hairs are black: on the throat and belly the hairs are deep - gray at the base, and broadly tipped with pale yellow—towards the - cheeks and sides of the body with a deeper yellow. The incisors - are yellow. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 6 5 - of tail 3 3½ - from nose to ear 1 4 - of tarsus (claws included) 1 4¼ - of ear 0 7 - - - Habitat, Patagonia, (_April and January_). - - -In the arched form of the head this little animal bears considerable -resemblance to a young rabbit, a resemblance which has struck almost all -who have seen it, I have therefore applied to it the specific name -_Cuniculoïdes_. The skull is figured in Plate 33, fig. 2. _a._, its -dimensions are as follows:— - - In. Lines. - Total length 1 4 - Width 0 10 - Length of nasal bones 0 7 - of incisive foramina 0 4¾ - Distance between the outer surface of the incisors and the - front molar upper jaw 0 5 - Longitudinal extent of the three molars of the upper jaw 0 3¾ - Length of a ramus of the lower jaw, without the incisor 0 9¾ - -The molar teeth of the upper jaw are figured in Plate 33, fig. 2, _c._ -and 2, _e_; of the lower jaw, fig. 2, _d_. Fig. 2, _b_, represents the -incisors of the upper jaw magnified. Fig. 21, _a_, Plate 34, represents -the skull, viewed from beneath, fig. 21, _b_, is the side view of the -same, and fig. 21, _c_, is the lower jaw. - -“Specimens were procured at Port Desire, St. Julian, and Santa Cruz; at -this latter place they were caught in numbers, (in traps baited with -cheese,) both near the coast and on the interior plains. A specimen from -Santa Cruz weighed 1336 grains. In the early part of January, there were -young individuals at Port St. Julian.”—D. - - - 2. REITHRODON TYPICUS. - - Reithrodon typicus, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society - of London for February 1837, p. 30. - - _R. vellere suprà pilis flavescenti-fuscis et nigrescentibus - intermixtis composito; regione circa oculos, genis, lateribusque - corporis auratis, pilis pallidè fuscis intermixtis; partibus - inferioribus auratis; rhinario ad latera flavescenti-albo; auribus - magnis, intùs pilis flavis, extùs flavis et fuscis, indutis; caudâ - suprà pallidè fuscâ, subtùs sordidè albâ; pedibus albis._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Ears large; tarsi moderate; fur moderately long; general - tint of the upper parts brown—of the upper surface of the head - blackish; on the cheeks and flanks a rich yellow tint prevails; - the under parts of the head and body are bright yellow; the feet - are white; the tail is brownish above and dirty white beneath. The - ears are tolerably well clothed with hairs, and these are of a - yellowish colour, excepting on the fore part, externally, where - they are brown; the tarsi are covered beneath with grayish brown - hairs; the hairs of the moustaches are numerous and moderately - long, black at the base and grayish at the apex. The hairs of the - back are deep gray at the base, broadly annulated with yellow near - the apex, and black at the apex; on the upper surface of the head - the hairs are very narrowly annulated with yellow, hence a - blackish hue prevails. The longer hairs on the back are black; the - hairs of the throat and belly are gray at the base, and broadly - tipped with yellow. The incisors are yellow. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 6 0 - of tail ?[26] - from nose to ear 1 4½ - of tarsus (claws included) 1 2½ - of ear 0 8½ - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_). - - -This species is of a darker colour than the last, its ears are much -larger and the tarsi are shorter. It has the same rabbit-like -appearance. The molar teeth of the lower jaw are figured in Plate 33, -fig. 4, _a_. - -“This mouse, when alive, from its very large eyes and ears, had a -singular appearance, somewhat resembling that of a little rabbit. It -frequents small thickets in the open grassy savannahs near Maldonado, -and was caught with facility by means of traps baited with cheese.”—D. - - - 3. REITHRODON CHINCHILLOIDES. - PLATE XXVII. - - _R. vellere longissimo et mollissimo; corpore suprà et ad latera - cinereo, flavescenti-fusco lavato, subtùs flavescenti-albo; caudâ - corpore breviore, suprà fuscâ, subtùs albâ: auribus parvulis: tarsis - mediocribus._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Ears small; tail shorter than the body; tarsus moderate; - fur long and extremely soft. General hue of the upper parts of the - head and body ashy-brown; the lower part of the cheeks and sides - of the body are of a delicate yellow colour; the under parts of - the head and body and the rump are cream colour. The ears are - blackish;[27] the tail is tolerably well clothed with longish - hairs, which are, however, not so thickly set as to hide the - scales—on the upper side they are blackish brown; on the sides and - beneath they are white. The feet are white. All the fur is of a - deep gray colour at the base; the hairs of the back are of a very - pale yellow colour (almost white) near the tip, and brown at the - tip; the longer hairs are black at the apex. The incisors are - yellow; the hairs of the moustaches are numerous and very - long—some of them are whitish, and others are black at the root, - and gray at the apex. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 5 0 - of tail 2 4 - from nose to ear 1 2 - of tarsus (claws included) 1 0 - of ear 0 5½ - - - Habitat, South shore of the Strait of Magellan, near the Eastern - entrance. - - -This little animal was preserved in spirit, and has since been mounted, -it is probable, therefore, that the colours have been slightly changed. -It is of a smaller size than either of the preceding species. Its fur is -long, extremely soft, and somewhat resembles that of the Chinchilla. The -ears are smaller, and the tail is shorter, and less densely clothed with -hairs than in _Reithrodon cuniculoides_. The skull (see Plate 43, fig. -20, _a_, 20, _b_, and 20, _c_,) differs in many respects from that of -the species last mentioned. It is of a smaller size, the nasal portion -is proportionately shorter and narrower, the incisive foramina are -shorter; the pterygoid processes do not approximate so nearly at their -base, and the pterygoid fossæ are very shallow, whereas in _R. -cuniculoides_ they are deep. In the skull of the animal just mentioned -there are two distinct longitudinal grooves on the palate, which extend -backwards from the incisive foramina, and terminate in two rather large -and deep excavations: these excavations are in the palatine bone, and -situated between the last molar teeth; they are separated from each -other by a narrow, longitudinal, elevated ridge; a narrow ridge also -separates them from the pterygoid fossæ. At the bottom of each of these -hollows are several minute foramina, and in front of them there are two -larger longitudinal foramina. In _R. chinchilloides_, the longitudinal -grooves on the palate and the posterior hollows are shallow, and -consequently much less distinct; the pterygoid fossæ are very nearly on -the same plane as the palate, and are indicated only by a very slight -depression. The incisor teeth are broader than in _R. chinchilloides_, -and the molar teeth are proportionately smaller. The thin plate which -forms the anterior root of the zygomatic arch is deeply emarginated in -front in _R. cuniculoides_ (see Plate 34, fig. 21, _b._); but in _R. -chinchilloides_, the anterior margin of this plate is nearly straight, -(see Plate 34, fig. 20, _c._) - -In the form of the lower jaw of the two animals under consideration -there are differences which will be more clearly understood upon -comparing the figures. I will therefore merely notice one remarkable -character which is found in _R. cuniculoides_, and that is, that the -condyloid process is rather deeply concave on the inner side, a -character which does not exist in _R. chinchilloides_, nor do I -recollect having observed it in any other Rodent. - -The principal dimensions of the skull of _R. chinchilloides_, are as -follows:— - - In. Lines. - Total length 1 2 - Width 0 8½ - Length of nasal bones 0 6⅓ - of incisive foramina 0 4 - Distance between the outer surface of the incisors and the - first molar tooth, upper jaw 0 4½ - Longitudinal extent of the three molars of the upper jaw, - taken together 0 2¾ - Length of a ramus of the lower jaw without the incisor 0 8 - -_General Observations upon the foregoing Species of Muridæ._ - -In the foregoing descriptions I have endeavoured to convey an idea of -the characters of the species of mice submitted to me for examination -and description, by Mr. Darwin: there are, however, some points upon -which I have been silent in my descriptions. I allude to the characters -observable in the dentition. I have omitted to notice the various -modifications in the structure of the molar teeth, because I found it -would lengthen the descriptions to no good purpose, inasmuch as of -almost all the species I have made outlines of the molars, which will -convey a more clear idea than any verbal description can do. - -Upon an inspection of the Plates, it will be seen, that by far the -greater portion of the teeth figured, may be referred to one particular -type of form or pattern, and that this pattern does not agree with that -observed in the molars of _Mus Rattus_, _M. decumanus_, or _M. -musculus_, whilst these three species agree essentially with each other. - -In the young Black Rat (_Mus Rattus_), before the teeth are worn, the -two anterior molar teeth, on either side of the upper jaw, present three -longitudinal rows of tubercles, a central series of larger tubercles, -and on each side of these, a row of smaller ones. The front molar has -three of the larger tubercles arranged along the middle of the tooth; -three smaller ones on the outer side, and two, on the inner side. The -second molars have two central tubercles, two outer, and two inner ones. -The posterior molar is nearly round, the body of the tooth consists of -three principal tubercles, and one small tubercle, situated on the inner -and anterior portion of the tooth. - -The corresponding teeth in the young of _Mus bimaculatus_ present a very -different appearance; the molars, instead of having three longitudinal -rows of tubercles, have only two. An idea of the appearance of these -teeth may be formed by removing the inner row of tubercles from the -molars of _Mus rattus_. We should then have, as in _Mus bimaculatus_, -molars of a narrower form, the first tooth presenting six tubercles, the -second, four; and the posterior tooth devoid of the small inner lobe; -the opposing tubercles of each tooth, however, in _M. bimaculatus_, are -of equal size. - -The molars of the lower jaw of _Mus bimaculatus_ agree with those of _M. -Rattus_ as to the number of tubercles which they possess; they are, -however, proportionately longer and narrower, and, when a little worn, -these teeth, as well as those of the upper jaw, differ considerably from -those of _M. Rattus_. In the last named animal, when the molars are -slightly worn, the ridges of enamel run completely across the tooth, as -in Figs. 18 and 19, Plate 34. Such is not the case in _M. bimaculatus_ -at any age. As soon as the molar teeth are worn, the folds of enamel -penetrate the body of the tooth on each side, and those of one side -alternate with those of the other,—in fact, they very nearly resemble -those of the _Hamsters_ (_Cricetus_). - -I have selected the molar teeth of _Mus Rattus_ and _M. bimaculatus_ for -comparison, since I happened to possess specimens displaying both the -young and adult states of each. But had I selected, on the one hand, -almost any of the species brought from South America by Mr. Darwin, and, -on the other hand, the _Mus musculus_ or _M. decumanus_, I should have -had to point out the same distinctions—the former agreeing in dentition -with _M. bimaculatus_, and the latter with _M. Rattus_. - -The differences pointed out, between the molar teeth of _Mus Rattus_ and -those of _M. bimaculatus_, I cannot but consider as important, since all -the Old World species of _Mus_ which I have yet had an opportunity of -examining (and they are numerous) agree essentially with the former, -whilst the only _Mus_ from S. America (excepting _M. Musculus_ and _M. -decumanus_, which are carried in ships to all parts of the world) in -which I have as yet found molar teeth like those of _M. Rattus_, is the -_Mus Maurus_, and this it has been stated is possibly a variety of _M. -decumanus_. - -Although as yet I have not met with species in the Old World possessing -the characters of the South American _Muridæ_, among those of North -America, several have come under my observation. The _Mus leucopus_, -_Symidon hispidum_, and the species of _Neotoma_ certainly belong to the -same group,[28] as does also the species of the Galapagos Islands, -described in this work under the name _Galapagoensis_. - -These considerations have induced me to separate the South American mice -from those of the Old World,—or rather from that group of which _M. -decumanus_ may be regarded as the type,—and to place them, together with -such North American species as agree with them in dentition, in a new -genus bearing the name _Hesperomys_.[29] - -Whether this group be confined to the Western hemisphere or not, I will -not venture to say, but I think I may safely affirm that that portion of -the globe is their chief metropolis. - -The species of the genus _Hesperomys_, which depart most from the -type—whose dentition is least like figs. 5, _a_, and 5, _b_, Plate 33., -or 6, _a_, and 6, _b_, of the same Plate—recede still farther from the -genus _Mus_, and approach more nearly (as regards the dentition) to the -_Arvicolidæ_. Among the species here described I may mention as -examples, _M. griseo-flavus_, _M. zanthopygus_, and _M. Darwinii_;—see -the molar teeth figured in Plate 34. figs. 15, 16, and 17,—and among the -North American species, those constituting the genus _Neotoma_. The -latter make by far the nearest approach to the _Arvicolidæ_ of any which -have yet come under my observation, not only in the dentition, but in -the form of the skull and the large size of the coronoid process of the -lower jaw; there is, nevertheless, a tolerably well marked line of -distinction between the crania of the _Arvicolidæ_ and _Neotoma_. - -The skulls of the animals belonging to the genera _Castor_, _Ondatra_, -_Arvicola_, _Spalax_, and _Geomys_, which constitute the principal -groups of the family _Arvicolidæ_, when compared with those of the -family _Muridæ_, present, among others, the following distinctive -characters. - -The temporal _fossæ_ are always much contracted posteriorly, by the -great anterior and lateral development of the temporal bones; the plane -of the intermolar portion of the palate is below the level of the -anterior portion; the coronoid process of the lower jaw is very large, -the articular portion of the condyloid process is proportionately broad; -the descending ramus, or posterior coronoid process, is so situated that -its upper portion terminates considerably above the level of the crowns -of the molars; this same process is generally[30] directed outwards from -the plane of the horizontal ramus. The incisor teeth of the _Arvicolidæ_ -differ from those of the _Muridæ_ in being proportionately broader and -less deep from front to back—they are not laterally compressed as in -_Mus_. The molar teeth are rootless,[31] and the folds of enamel are the -same throughout the whole length of the tooth; whereas in _Mus_ they -enter less and less deeply into the body of the tooth as we recede from -the crown, and towards the base of the visible portion (the tooth being -in its socket) the indentations of the enamel are obliterated. - -Now in the species of _Hesperomys_, the molar teeth are always rooted, -and in the form of the skull and the lower jaw they agree with the -_Muridæ_, and do not present the characters above pointed out as -distinguishing the _Arvicolidæ_, and as regards the cranium and lower -jaw, it is only in the genus _Neotoma_ that any approach is evinced. - -Of the various groups of the order _Rodentia_ found in South America, -the _Sciuridæ_, so far as I am aware, are chiefly confined to the more -northern parts, and do not occur in the most southern; the _Myoxidæ_, -_Gerboidæ_, and _Arvicolidæ_ are wanting. The species of the family -_Muridæ_ belong to different sections to those of the Old World. Of the -_Leporidæ_ I am acquainted only with one well established species—the -_Lepus Braziliensis_, which however is not found “in tota America -Australi,” as Fischer says, there being no Hare yet found in the more -southern parts, where the _Cavies_ and _Chinchillas_ appear to take -their place. The remaining South American Rodents—certain species of -_Hystricidæ_, the genera, _Echimys_, _Dasyprocta_, _Cælogenys_ and -_Myopotamus_, together with the _Octodontidæ_ and _Chinchillidæ_, all -possess a peculiar form of skull and of the lower jaw, (more or less -approaching to figs. 1, Plate 33, and figs. 23, Plate 34.) which I have -described in the “Magazine of Natural History,” for February 1839, and -which is rarely found in the North American, or Old World Rodents. In -enumerating the above groups, I omitted the _Caviidæ_, because in the -form of the lower jaw they differ somewhat from the rest—they possess, -in fact, a form of lower jaw peculiar to themselves; but in the -Chinchillas[32] the transitions between one form and the other are -found. - -The South American _Muridæ_, which form the chief part of Mr. Darwin’s -collection, were none of them procured further north than latitude 30°, -with the exception of those from the Galapagos Archipelago. The species -occur at the following localities. - - WEST COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA. - - GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO. - - Mus Jacobiæ. - —— Galapagoensis. - - COQUIMBO. - - Mus longipilis. - —— Renggeri. - —— Darwinii. - - VALPARAISO. - - Mus Renggeri. - —— _decumanus_. - - CONCEPCION. - - Mus longicaudatus. - - CHILOE AND CHONOS ARCHIPELAGO. - - Mus brachiotis. - - - - EAST COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA. - - MALDONADO. - - Mus _decumanus_. - —— maurus. - —— _Musculus_. - —— tumidus. - —— nasutus. - —— obscurus. - —— arenicola. - —— bimaculatus. - —— flavescens. - Reithrodon typicus. - - BUENOS AYRES. - - —— Mus _decumanus_. - - BAHIA BLANCA. - - Mus Braziliensis. - —— elegans. - —— gracilipes. - - RIO NEGRO. - - Mus griseo-flavus. - - PORT DESIRE. - - Mus canescens. - - ST. JULIAN. - - Reithrodon cuniculoïdes. - —— xanthopygus. - Reithrodon cuniculoïdes. - - SANTA CRUZ. - - Mus canescens. - —— micropus. - —— xanthopygus. - Reithrodon cuniculoïdes. - - FALKLAND ISLANDS. - - Mus _decumanus_. - —— _Musculus_. - - STRAITS OF MAGELLAN. - - Mus xanthorhinus. - —— Magellanicus. - Reithrodon chinchilloïdes. - - - - - SECTION—HYSTRICINA. - FAMILY— ——? - - - MYOPOTAMUS COYPUS. - Myopotamus Coypus, _Auct._ - -“This animal, in Chile, is known by the name of “Coypu;” at Buenos -Ayres, where an extensive trade is carried on with their skins, they are -improperly called ‘nutrias,’ or otters. In Paraguay, according to Azara, -their Indian name is ‘guiya.’ On the east side of the continent they -range from Lat. 24° (Azara) to the Rio Chupat in 43° 20′;—distance of -1160 miles. This latter river is 170 miles south of the Rio Negro, and -the intervening space consists of level, extremely arid, and almost -desert plains, with no water, or at most one or two small wells. As the -Coypu is supposed never to leave the banks of the rivers, and being, -from its web-feet and general form of body, badly adapted for travelling -on land, its occurrence in this river is a case, like so many others in -the geographical distribution of animals, of very difficult explanation. -The same remark is indeed applicable, but with less force, to its -existence in the Rio Negro. On the west coast, it is found from the -valleys of central Chile (Lat. 33) to 48° S., or perhaps even somewhat -farther, but not in Tierra del Fuego. So that, on the Atlantic side of -the continent, the plains of Patagonia check its range southward, as, on -the Pacific side, the deserts of Chile do to the north. Its range, -including both sides, is from 24° to 48°, or 1440 miles. In the Chonos -Archipelago these animals, instead of inhabiting fresh water, live -exclusively in the bays and channels which extend between the -innumerable small islets of that group. They make their burrows within -the forest, a little way above the rocky beaches. I believe it is far -from being a common occurrence, that the same species of any animal -should haunt indifferently fresh water, and that of the open sea. We -shall see that the Capybara is sometimes found on the islands near the -mouth of the Plata; but these cannot be considered as their habitual -station in the same manner as the channels in the Chonos Archipelago are -to the Coypu. The inhabitants of Chiloe, who sometimes visit this -Archipelago for the purpose of fishing, state that these animals do not -live solely on vegetable matter, as is the case with those inhabiting -rivers, but that they sometimes eat shell-fish. The Coypu is said to be -a bold animal, and to fight fiercely with the dogs employed in chasing -it. Its flesh when cooked is white and good to eat. An old female -procured (January) amongst these islands, weighed between ten and eleven -pounds.” D. - - - - - FAMILY—OCTODONTIDÆ. - - - CTENOMYS BRAZILIENSIS. - - Ctenomys Braziliensis, _De Blainville_, Bulletin de la Société - Philomatique, June 1836, p. 62. - - - Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_.) - - -“This animal is known by the name of Tucutuco. I have given an account -of its habits in my journal, but I shall here repeat it for the sake of -keeping together my observations on the less known animals. The Tucutuco -is exceedingly abundant in the neighbourhood of Maldonado, but it is -difficult to be procured, and still more difficult to be seen, when at -liberty. Azara,[33] who has given an account of its habits, with which -every thing I saw perfectly agrees, states that he never was able to -catch more than one, although they are so extremely common. The Tucutuco -lives almost entirely under ground, and prefers a sandy soil with a -gentle inclination; but it sometimes frequents damp places, even on the -borders of lakes. The burrows are said not to be deep, but of great -length. They are seldom open; the earth being thrown up at the mouth -into hillocks not quite so large as those made by the mole. Considerable -tracts of country are completely undermined by these animals. They -appear, to a certain degree, to be gregarious; for the man who procured -my specimens had caught six together, and he said this was a common -occurrence. They are nocturnal in their habits; and their principal food -is afforded by the roots of plants, which is the object of their -extensive and superficial burrows. In the stomach of one which I opened -I could only distinguish, amidst a yellowish green soft mass, a few -vegetable fibres. Azara states that they lay up magazines of food within -their burrows. - -“The Tucutuco is universally known by a very peculiar noise, which it -makes when beneath the ground. A person, the first time he hears it, is -much surprised, for it is not easy to tell whence it comes, nor is it -possible to guess what kind of creature utters it. The noise consists in -a short, but not rough, nasal grunt, which is repeated about four times -in quick succession; the first grunt is not so loud, but a little -longer, and more distinct than the three following: the musical time of -the whole is constant, as often as it is uttered. The name Tucutuco is -given in imitation of the sound. In all times of the day, where this -animal is abundant, the noise may be heard, and sometimes directly -beneath one’s feet. When kept in a room, the Tucutucos move both slowly -and clumsily, which appears owing to the outward action of their hind -legs; and they are likewise quite incapable of jumping even the smallest -vertical height. Mr. Reid, who dissected a specimen which I brought home -in spirits, informs me that the socket of the thigh-bone is not attached -by a ligamentum teres; and this explains, in a satisfactory manner, the -awkward movements of their hinder extremities. Their teeth are of a -bright wax yellow, and are never covered by the lips: they are not -adapted to gnaw holes or cut wood. When eating any thing, for instance -biscuit, they rested on their hind legs and held the piece in their fore -paws; they appeared also to wish to drag it into some corner. They were -very stupid in making any attempt to escape; when angry or frightened, -they uttered the Tucutuco. Of those I kept alive, several, even the -first day, were quite tame, not attempting to bite or to run away; -others were a little wilder. The man who caught them asserted that very -many are invariably found blind. A specimen which I preserved in spirits -was in this state; Mr. Reid considers it to be the effect of -inflammation in the nictitating membrane. When the animal was alive, I -placed my finger within half an inch of its head, but not the slightest -notice was taken of it: it made its way, however, about the room nearly -as well as the others. Considering the subterranean habits of the -Tucutuco, the blindness, though so frequent, cannot be a very serious -evil; yet it appears strange that any animal should possess an organ -constantly subject to injury. The mole, whose habits in nearly every -respect, excepting in the kind of food, are so similar, has an extremely -small and protected eye, which, although possessing a limited vision, at -once seems adapted to its manner of life. - -“Several species probably will be found to exist south of the Plata. At -Bahia Blanca (Lat. 39°) an animal burrows under ground in the same -manner as the _C. Braziliensis_, and its noise is of the same general -character, but instead of being double and repeated twice at short -intervals, it is single and is uttered either at equal intervals, or in -an accelerating order. I was assured by the inhabitants that these -animals are of various colours, and, therefore, I presume that the two -kinds of noises proceeded from two species. However this may be, they -are extraordinarily numerous: many square leagues of country between the -Sierras Ventana and Guetru-heigue are so completely undermined by their -burrows, that horses in passing over the plain, sink, almost every step, -fetlock deep. At the Rio Negro (Lat. 41°) some closely allied (or same?) -species utters a noise, which is repeated only twice, instead of three -or four times as with the La Plata kind. The sound is, moreover, louder -and more sonorous; and so closely resembles that made in cutting down a -small tree with an axe, that I have occasionally remained in doubt for -some time to which cause to attribute it. Where the plains of Patagonia -are very gravelly (as at Port Desire and St. Julian) the Ctenomys, I -believe, does not occur; but at Cape Negro, in the Strait of Magellan, -where the soil is damper and more sandy, the whole plain is studded with -the little hillocks, thrown up by this destructive animal. It occurs -likewise south of the Strait, on the eastern side of Tierra del Fuego, -where the land is level. Captain King brought home a specimen from the -northern side of the Strait, which Mr. Bennett[34] has called _C. -Magellanicus_: it is of a different colour from the _C. Braziliensis_. I -unfortunately did not make any note regarding the noise of this southern -species: but the circumstance of its existence rather corroborates my -belief in there being several other kinds in the neighbourhood of the -Rio Negro and Bahia Blanca. Otherwise we must believe that the same -animal utters different kinds of noises, in different districts; a fact -which I should feel much inclined to doubt. - -“Azara[35] says that the Tucutuco may he ‘found every where; provided -that the soil be pure sand, and the situation not subject to be -overflowed. As these conditions are fulfilled only in certain spots, -their warrens are far separated from each other, even sometimes more -than twenty-five leagues, without it being possible to conceive how -these animals have been able to pass from one place to another.’ The -difficulty, I think, is much overstated; for, as I have said, the -burrows of the Tucutuco are sometimes made in very damp places, near -lakes; so that they certainly might pass over almost any kind of -country. But if the _C. Braziliensis_ and _C. Magellanicus_ be -considered as one species, as some French authors are inclined to do, -then the difficulty will be increased in a very remarkable manner, as we -shall be obliged to transport the Tucutuco over wide plains of shingle, -and across many great rivers, and an arm of the sea.”—D. - - - POEPHAGOMYS ATER. - - Poephagomys ater, _F. Cuvier_, Annales des Sciences Naturelles, 2d - series, Zoologie, tom. 1. p. 321. June, 1834. - - - Chile, (_September_.) - - -“This animal is generally scarce, but in certain districts, I believe, -of an alpine character, it is abundant. It excavates very extensive -superficial burrows, no doubt, for the purpose of feeding on the roots -of plants, as in the case of the _Ctenomys Braziliensis_, the habits of -which have just been described. Horses passing over districts frequented -by these animals, sink fetlock deep through the turf. I procured my -specimen from Valparaiso, where the country-people called it -‘Cururo.’”—D. - - - OCTODON CUMINGII. - - Octodon Cumingii, _Bennett_, Proc. of Committee of Science and - Correspondence of the Zool. Soc. for 1832, p. 46. - - —— —— Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, vol. ii. p. - 81. Pl. 16. - - Dendrobius Degus, _Meyen_. Acta Academiæ, c. 1. c. Naturæ Curiosorum, - xvi. p. 610. Pl. 44, 1833. - - - Valparaiso, Chile, (_October_.) - - -These little animals are exceedingly numerous in the central parts of -Chile. They frequent by hundreds the hedge-rows and thickets, where they -make burrows close together, leading one into another. They feed by day -in a fearless manner; and are very destructive to fields of young corn; -when disturbed, they all run together towards their burrows in the same -manner that rabbits in England do when feeding outside a covert. When -running they carry their tails high up, more like squirrels than rats; -and they often remain seated on their haunches, like the former animals. -According to Molina[36] they lay up a store of food for the winter, but -do not become dormant. The Octodon is the “degu” of that author: he says -that the Indians in past times used to eat them with much relish. These -animals appear to be very subject to be piebald and albinos; as if -partly under the influence of domestication. - - - - - GENUS—ABROCOMA.[37] - - - _Dentes primores ²⁄₂ acuti, eradicati, anticè læves: molares utrinque - ⁴⁄₄ subæquales, illis maxillæ superioris in areas duas transversales - ob plicas vitreas acutè indentatus divisis; plicis utriusque lateris - vix æquè profundis; illis mandibulæ inferioris in tres partes - divisis, plicis vitreis his internè, semel externè indentatis, areâ - primâ sagittæ cuspidem fingente, cæteris acutè triangularibus._ - - _Artus subæquales._ - - _Antipedes 4–dactyli, externo brevissimo, intermediis longissimis et - ferè æqualibus._ - - _Pedes postici 5–dactyli; digito interno brevissimo. Ungues breves et - debiles, illo digiti secundi lato et lamellari; omnibus setis - rigidis obtectis._ - - _Caput mediocre, auribus magnis, membranaceis; oculis mediocribus._ - - _Cauda breviuscula._ - - _Vellus perlongum, et molle._ - -The genus _Abrocoma_ is evidently allied on the one hand to the genera -_Octodon_, _Poephagomys_, and _Ctenomys_, and on the other to the family -_Chinchillidæ_. The four genera just mentioned possess so many -characters in common, that it would be well to unite them, and the name -_Octodontidæ_ may be used to designate the group. - -The _Octodontidæ_ appear to bear the same relations to _Echimys_, as the -_Arvicolæ_ do to the _Muridæ_. - -In the _Octodontidæ_ the skull is rather short, the inter-orbital space -is broad; the ant-orbital passage is large; the zygomatic arch is thrown -out horizontally from the plane of the palate; the malar bone is broad -and somewhat compressed, and throws up a small post-orbital process; the -glenoid cavity of the temporal bone is narrow; the palate is contracted, -and deeply notched posteriorly, the portion which lies between the molar -teeth descends below the level of the anterior portion; the incisive -foramina are wide: the body of the anterior and posterior sphenoids is -very narrow, and the foramina on either side of them are large: the -occipital condyles are very narrow, widely separated, and the articular -surface is nearly vertical.[38] The descending _ramus_ of the lower jaw -springs from the outer side of the alveolar portion, and terminates in a -point, more or less acute. - -The incisors of the upper and lower jaws are of the same width: the -molars are ⁴⁄₄=⁴⁄₄, rootless. - -In external characters the species of the present group vary -considerably. The toes are ⁵⁄₅ or ⅘. The claws of the hind feet are -covered by strong, curved bristly hairs. - -The principal points of distinction in the external characters of the -four genera under consideration, may be thus expressed. - - † TOES ⁵⁄₅. - - A. Fore feet formed for burrowing—strong and armed with - large claws; tail short. - _a._ Ears minute, incisors very broad _Ctenomys_. - _b._ Ears small, incisors broad _Poephagomys_. - - B. Fore feet weak; claws small; incisors narrow; ears - large. - _a._ Tail with the apical portion furnished with long - hair _Octodon_. - - - †† TOES ⅘. - - _b._ Tail furnished throughout with short adpressed - hairs _Abrocoma_. - -It is not only in the comparatively small size and weakness of the fore -feet that _Abrocoma_ approaches more nearly to _Octodon_; but it agrees -in having the soles, both of the fore and hind feet (which are devoid of -hair), covered with minute round fleshy tubercles (see the under side of -the tarsus figured in Plate 28.) - -In _Octodon_, however, the toes have on their under side transverse -incisions, as the _Muridæ_, and many other Rodents; a character not -found in _Abrocoma_. Here the underside of the toes, like the sole of -the foot, is covered with minute tubercles. - -Though in the form of the skull _Abrocoma Cuvieri_[39] agrees most -nearly with that of _Octodon_; it differs in having the anterior portion -narrower and rather larger, compared to the part devoted to the -protection of the brain; the zygomatic arch is shorter, the incisive -foramina are longer, the body of the anterior sphenoid is narrower, and -the auditory bullæ are larger. The principal differences observable in -the form of the lower jaw of _Abrocoma_, when compared with that of -_Octodon_, consists in the coronoid process being smaller, the condyloid -narrower from front to back; the descending _ramus_ more deeply -emarginated posteriorly, and the angle longer and more attenuated. - -In those characters in which the skull of _Abrocoma_ departs from that -of _Octodon_, it approaches nearer to _Chinchilla_. In the peculiar form -and large size of the ears, in the extreme softness of the fur, in the -greater development of the pads on the under side of the toes, and in -the possession of only four toes to the fore feet, there are other -points of resemblance between _Abrocoma_ and _Chinchilla_. In the -Chinchilla as well as in _Octodon_ and _Abrocoma_, we find the toe -corresponding to the second (counting from the inner side) furnished -with a broad hollow nail;[40] there are also stiff bristly hairs -covering this nail as in the _Octodontidæ_. - -The extreme softness of the fur of the animals about to be described, -suggested for them the generic name of _Abrocoma_. The fur consists of -hairs of two lengths, and the longer hairs are so extremely slender that -they might almost be compared to the web of the spider. The specific -names applied are those of the distinguished naturalists who first made -us acquainted with the two genera, _Octodon_ and _Poephagomys_. - - - 1. ABROCOMA BENNETTII. - PLATE XVIII. - - Abrocoma Bennettii, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society - of London, for February 1837, p. 31. - - _A. corpore suprà griseo, ad latera pallidiore et pallidè cervino - lavato, subtùs albescenti-cervino; gulâ albescenti-griseâ; pedibus - sordidè albis: auribus amplis, ad marginem posticum rectis, extùs ad - bases vellere, sicùt in corpore, obsitis: caudâ corpore breviore, ad - basin crassiusculâ, pilis brevibus incumbentibus vestitâ._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Form stout; ears large, with the posterior margin - straight; fore feet rather small, tarsus short; tail rather - shorter than the body, thick at the base; fur long and extremely - soft, and silk-like. General colour pale grayish brown, with a - slight yellow wash; the upper part of the head and the back dusky - brown; under parts of the body very pale yellowish brown, - inclining to white; chin and throat whitish; feet dirty white; - tail well clothed with hairs, which are closely adpressed, brown - above, and of a very pale brown beneath at the base, darker - towards the apex. The hairs of the moustaches are numerous, long, - rather slender, and of a brownish colour. The ears are brown, - furnished externally at the base with fur resembling that of the - body; the remaining parts (both external and internal) are beset - with long and extremely slender brown hairs, which project - considerably beyond the margin of the ear. The ordinary fur on the - back is about ten lines in length, but thickly interspersed with - this fur, are longer hairs which are so delicate that they may - almost be compared to the spiders’ thread. Both on the upper and - under side of the body the fur is deep gray at the base. The - incisors are yellow. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 9 9 - of tail 5 0 - from nose to ear 1 11 - of tarsus (claws included) 1 4 - of ear 0 10 - Width of ear 1 0½ - - - Habitat, Chile, (_August_.) - - -“This animal was caught amongst some thickets in a valley on the flanks -of the Cordillera, near Aconcagua. On the elevated plain, near the town -of Santa Rosa, in front of the same part of the Andes, I saw two others, -which were crawling up an acacia tree, with so much facility, that this -practice must be, I should think, habitual with them.”—D. - - - 2. ABROCOMA CUVIERI. - PLATE XXIX. - - Abrocoma Cuvieri, _Waterh._, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for February 1837, p. 32. - - _Ab. suprà grisea, levitèr ochraceo lavata; abdomine gulâque - albescenti-griseis; pedibus sordidè albis; auribus amplis, ad - marginem posticum distinctè emarginatis; caudâ corpore multò - breviore, et nigrescente._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Ears large; tail considerably shorter than the body; fur - extremely soft; general colour gray faintly washed with yellow; - under parts of the body grayish white; feet dirty white; tail - dusky, paler beneath at the base: the ears are large, distinctly - emarginated behind, and appear to be almost naked, but, upon close - examination, long and extremely fine hairs may be observed. All - the fur is gray at the base; the hairs of the moustaches are - numerous and very long, those nearest the mouth are white, the - others are black at the base and grayish beyond. The incisors are - of a palish yellow colour. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to the root of tail 6 6 - of tail 2 10 - from nose to ear 1 4 - of tarsi (claws included) 1 1 - of ear 0 7 - Width of ear 0 7½ - - - Habitat, Chile, (_September_.) - - -This species is about one-third the size of the last, it differs -moreover in being gray instead of brown, and in having the posterior -margin of the ear emarginated; the tail is also rather shorter in -proportion. - -The skull[41] is figured in Plate 33, fig. 1, _a_, and 1, _b_; and fig. -23, _a_, Plate 34. Its length is 1 inch, 4½ lines; width 9¼ lines; -length of nasal bones 6 lines; distance between fore part of incisors -and the front molar (upper jaw) 5 lines; longitudinal extent of the -three molars of upper jaw 3 lines; length of auditory bullæ 5¾ lines; -length of _ramus_ of lower jaw (see Plate 33, fig. 1, _c_,), without -incisors, 11½ lines. Fig. 23, _c_, Plate 34, represents the inner side -of a _ramus_ of the lower jaw: fig. 1, _d_, Plate 33, is the lower jaw -seen from above: fig. 23, _b_, Plate 34, is the same seen from beneath. -This view is given to show the position of the descending ramus of the -lower jaw—that it springs from the outer side of the alveolar portion, -as in a great portion of the South American Rodents, such as -_Dasyprocta_, _Myopotamus_, _Echimys_, _Chinchilla_, and also in that -genus found in the West Indian islands, _Capromys_. Fig. 1, _e_, Plate -33, represents the molar teeth of the upper jaw, and fig. 1, _f_, those -of the lower. - -“This species is abundant on the dry hills, partly covered with bushes, -near Valparaiso.”—D. - - - - - FAMILY—CHINCHILLIDÆ. - - - LAGOSTOMUS TRICHODACTYLUS. - - Lagostomus trichodactylus, _Brooks_, Transactions of the Linnean - Society, vol. xvi. p. 95, Pl. 9. - - La Vizcache, _Azara_, Essais sur l’Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupedes - de la Province du Paraguay, vol. ii. p. 41. Trad. Franc. - - Vischacha, _Moyen_, Acta Academiæ, _c. l. c._ Naturæ Curiosorum, Tom. - xvi. pars 2, p. 584. - - - Habitat, La Plata. - - -“I will not repeat what I have said about the habits of this animal in -my Journal, as it is merely a corroboration of Azara’s account. -According to that author, the Bizcacha is not found north of 30°; and -its southern limit occurs in the neighbourhood of the Rio Negro in 41°. -Where the plains are gravelly, it is not abundant, but (differently from -the _Cavia Patagonica_,) it prefers an argillaceous and sandy formation, -such as that near Buenos Ayres. The Bizcacha abounds over the whole -Pampas, even to the neighbourhood of Mendoza, and there it is replaced -in the Cordillera by an Alpine species. Of the latter animal, I saw one -seated on a pinnacle at a great height, but I could not obtain a -specimen of it. Azara[42] has remarked that the Bizcacha, fortunately -for the inhabitants of Banda Oriental, is not found to the eastward of -the Rio Uruguay; and what makes the case more remarkable is, that -although thus bounded by one river, it has crossed the broader barrier -of the Parana, and is numerous in the province of Entre Rios. I was -assured by a man, whose veracity I can perfectly trust, that these -animals, quasi canes, post coitum adnexi sunt.”—D. - - - - - FAMILY—CAVIIDÆ. - - - KERODON KINGII. - - Kerodon Kingii, _Bennett_, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of - London for 1835, p. 190. - - - Habitat, Patagonia. - - -“The Kerodon is common at intervals along the coast of Patagonia, from -the Rio Negro (Lat. 41°) to the Strait of Magellan. It is very tame, and -commonly feeds by day: it is said to bring forth two young ones at a -birth. At the Rio Negro it frequents in great numbers the bottoms of old -hedges: at Port Desire it lives beneath the ruins of the old Spanish -buildings. One old male killed there weighed 3530 grains. At the Strait -of Magellan, I have seen amongst the Patagonian Indians, cloaks for -small children made with the skins of this little animal; and the Jesuit -Falkner says, that the people of one of the southern tribes, take their -name from the number of these animals which inhabit their country. The -Spaniards and half-civilized Indians, call the Kerodon, ‘conejos,’ or -rabbit; and thus the mistake has arisen, that rabbits are found in the -neighbourhood of the Strait of Magellan.”—D. - - - 1. CAVIA COBAIA. - Cavia Cobaia, _Auct._ - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_.) - - -“This animal, known by the name of Aperea, is exceedingly common in the -neighbourhood of the several towns which stand on the banks of the Rio -Plata. It frequents different kinds of stations,—such as hedge-rows made -of the Agave and Opuntia, or sand hillocks, or again, marshy places -covered with aquatic plants;—the latter appearing to be its favourite -haunt. Where the soil is dry, it makes a burrow; but where otherwise, it -lives concealed amidst the herbage. These animals generally come out to -feed in the evening, and are then tame; but if the day be gloomy, they -make their appearance in the morning. They are said to be very injurious -to young trees. An old male killed at Maldonado, weighed 1 lb. 3 oz. In -all the specimens I saw there, (during June, or winter,) I observed, -that the hair was attached to the skin less firmly than in any other -animal I remember to have seen.”—D. - - - 2. CAVIA PATACHONICA. - - Cavia Patachonica, _Shaw_, General Zoology, vol. ii., part 1, p. 226. - - Dasyprocta Patachonica, _Desmarest_, Mamm. p. 358, Sp. 574. - - Dolichotis —— —— —— —— in Note, p. 359–360 - - Chloromys Patachonicus, _Lesson_, Manuel de Mammalogie, p. 301. - - Lièvre Pampa, _Azara_, Essais sur l’Histoire Naturelle des Quad. de la - Province du Paraguay. French Translation, vol. ii. p. 51. - -In the form of the cranium, and in the structure of the teeth, this -animal possesses all the characters of the Cavies (_Caviidæ_).[43] - - - Habitat, Patagonia. - - -“This animal is found only where the country has rather a desert -character. It is a common feature in the landscape of Patagonia, to see -in the distance two or three of these Cavies hopping one after another -in a straight line over the gravelly plains, thinly clothed by a few -thorny bushes and a withered herbage. Near the coast of the Atlantic, -the northern limit of this species is formed by the Sierra Tapalguen, in -latitude 37° 30′, where the plains rather suddenly become greener and -more humid. The limit certainly depends on this change, since near -Mendoza, (33° 30′.) four degrees further northward, where the country is -very sterile, this animal again occurs. Azara erroneously supposed that -its northern range was only 35°.[44] It is not clear on what -circumstances its limit southward between Ports Desire and St. Julian -(about 48° 30′.) depends; for there is in that part no change in the -features of the country. It is, moreover, a singular circumstance, that -although the Cavy was not seen at Port St. Julian during our voyage, yet -Capt. Wood, in 1670, speaks of them as being numerous there. What cause -can have altered, in a wide, uninhabited, and rarely visited country, -the range of an animal like this? - -“Azara states,[45] that the Cavy never excavates its own burrow, but -uses that of the Bizcacha. Wherever this animal is present, without -doubt this is true; but on the sandy plains of Bahia Blanca, where the -Bizcacha is not found, the Spaniards maintain that the Cavy is its own -workman. The same thing occurs with the little owls of the Pampas -(_Noctua cunicularia_), which have been described by travellers as -standing like sentinels at the mouths of almost every burrow; for in -Banda Oriental, owing to the absence of the Bizcacha, these birds are -obliged to hollow out their own habitations. Azara says, also, that this -Cavy, except when pressed by danger, does not enter its burrow; on this -point I must again differ from that high authority. At Bahia Blanca I -have repeatedly seen two or three of these animals sitting on their -haunches by the mouths of their holes, which they quietly entered as I -passed by at a distance. Daily, in the neighbourhood of these spots, the -Cavies were abundant: but differently from most burrowing animals, they -wander, commonly two or three together, to miles or leagues from their -home; nor do I know whether they return at night. The Cavy feeds and -roams about by day; is shy and watchful; seldom squats after the manner -of a hare; cannot run very fast, and, therefore, is frequently caught by -a couple of dogs, even of mixed breed. Its manner of running more -resembles that of a rabbit than of a hare. The Cavy generally produces -two young ones at a birth, which are brought forth within the burrow. -The flesh, when cooked, is very white; it is, however, rather tasteless -and dry. Full grown animals weigh between twenty and twenty-six -pounds.”—D. - - - HYDROCHŒRUS CAPYBARA. - Hydrochœrus Capybara, _Auct._ - -“These animals are common wherever there are large rivers or lakes, over -that part of the South American Continent which lies between the Orinoco -and the Plata, a distance of nearly 1400 miles. They are not generally -supposed to extend south of the Plata; but as there is a Laguna -Carpincho (the latter being the provincial name of the Capybara) high up -the Salado, I presume they have sometimes been seen there. Azara does -not believe they ever frequent salt water; but I shot one in the Bay of -Monte Video; and several were seen by the officers of the Beagle on the -Island of Guritti, off Maldonado, where the water is very nearly as salt -as in the sea. The one I shot, at Monte Video, was an old female; it -measured from tip of snout to end of stump-like tail, 3 feet 8½ inches, -and in girth 3 feet 2 inches. She weighed 98 pounds. I opened the -stomachs of a couple, which I killed near a lake at Maldonado, and found -them distended with a thin yellowish green fluid, in which not more than -a trace of a vegetable fibre could be distinguished: it is in accordance -with this fact, that a part of the œsophagus is so narrow, as I am -informed by Mr. Owen, that scarcely anything larger than a crow-quill -can be passed down it. The shape of the dung of these animals is a short -straight cylinder, rounded at the extremities; when dried and burnt, it -affords a pleasant smell like that from cedar wood. These animals do not -burrow holes, but live amongst the thickets, or beds of rushes near -rivers and lakes. At Maldonado they often may be seen during the day, -seated on the grassy plain in small groups of three and four, at the -distance of a few yards from the border of the lake, which they -frequent. I must refer the reader for a few more details respecting -their habits, to my Journal of Researches.—D.” - - - - - SECTION—LEPORINA. - - - - - FAMILY—LEPORIDÆ. - - - LEPUS MAGELLANICUS. - - Lepus Magellanicus, _Lesson et Garnot_, Zoologie du Voyage autour du - Monde de la Corvette, La Coquille. - -“A black variety of the domesticated species, which was turned out on -these islands by the earlier colonists, has been considered, but with -some hesitation, by M. Lesson, as a distinct species. He has called it -_Lepus Magellanicus_, and has given the following specific -character,—‘_Pilis omnino atro-violaceis, albis passim sparsis: -auriculis fuscis, capite brevioribus; maculâ albâ naso, interstitio -narium, menti, gulæ, frontique._’[46] In the specimens preserved on -board the Beagle, the form and position of the white marks neither agree -with M. Lesson’s description, nor with each other. In one there is a -broad white patch on one side of the head, and another on one of the -hinder thighs. The Spaniards employed in hunting wild cattle, (who are -all excellent practical observers) assured me, that the black rabbits -were only varieties of the common gray kind, and they gave the following -reasons for thinking so;—namely, that the two sorts did not live apart; -that the black one had not a different range from the other; that the -two bred freely together, and that they produced piebald offspring. As -the rabbits extend their range very slowly, (not having yet crossed the -central range,) the Spaniards have sometimes carried a few and turned -them out in different parts of the island, and thus they have -ascertained that the black and gray kinds breed together freely. -Bougainville, moreover, who visited the part of the island, where the -black variety is now most common, distinctly states, in his voyage round -the world, that no animal, excepting the great wolf-like fox inhabited -these islands. M. Lesson supposes that the _Lepus Magellanicus_ is found -near the Strait of Magellan; but I inquired of the Indians, who live -there, and they knew of no other ‘conejos’ or rabbits, except the -_Kerodon Kingii_, which no doubt is the animal alluded to by the early -voyagers.”—D. - - - 1. DASYPUS HYBRIDUS. - Dasypus hybridus, _Auct._ - -“This species seems to prefer rocky and slightly undulating ground, and -hence is common in Banda Oriental and Entre Rios. Azara says it is found -from 26° 30′, to at least 41° south; but, I was assured, perhaps -incorrectly, that the Sierra Tapalguen (37° 30′), where the nature of -the country becomes slightly different, is its southern limit. The _D. -villosus_, _minutus_, and _mataco_, are found at Bahia Blanca, in -latitude 39°. I was also assured that these three species, together with -the _D. hybridus_, frequent the plains near Mendoza, in latitude 33° to -34°.”—D. - - - 2. DASYPUS MINUTUS. - Dasypus minutus, _Auct._ - -“The northern limit of this species on the Atlantic side of the -continent, is (as I was told by the inhabitants) near the southern one -of the _D. hybridus_, namely, 37° 30′. It is extremely abundant on the -arid plains near the Sierra Ventana, and likewise in the neighbourhood -of the Rio Negro. This species has a range considerably further -southward than any other: I obtained specimens at Port Desire, where, -however, it is far from common, and at Santa Cruz (in latitude 50°) I -saw its tesselated covering lying on the ground. At Bahia Blanca, I -found in the stomach of this armadillo, coleoptera, larvæ, roots of -plants, and even a small snake of the genus Amphisbæna. All the species, -excepting one, wander about by day. At Bahia Blanca, during a morning’s -ride, three or four of the _D. minutus_ generally were met with; but, in -order to secure them, it was necessary to jump off one’s horse as -quickly as possible, otherwise, they would have disappeared by burrowing -in the sandy soil. This species often endeavours to escape detection by -squatting close to the ground, and remaining motionless.”—D. - - - 1. DIDELPHIS AZARÆ. - Didelphis Azaræ, _Auct._ - -“This species is said to inhabit burrows: it is nocturnal, and is very -destructive to poultry. The body after death possesses a very offensive -odour. My specimen was procured at Maldonado.”—D. - - - 2. DIDELPHIS CRASSICAUDATA. - PLATE XXX. - - Didelphis crassicaudata, _Desmarest_, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. 2d Ed. - ix. p. 425. - - —— —— Mammalogie, p. 257, Species 393. - - Microuré troisième, ou Macrouré à grosse queue, _Azara_, Essais sur - l’Histoire Nat. des Quad. de la Province de Paraguay, vol. i. p. 284. - - _D. capite brevi; auribus parvis; colore corporis fuscescenti-flavo - subtùs pallidiore; infra oculos flavescente; caudâ crassâ, caput - corpusque, quoad longitudinem, ferè æquante; ad basin corporis - colore tinctâ, dein nigra, ad apicem albâ._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Head short; ears small, the posterior edge emarginated - near the base, distinctly furnished with hairs; tail slightly - exceeding the body in length, very thick at the base; tarsi small; - fur moderately long, slightly harsh, and somewhat adpressed (much - less woolly than in most Opossums): general tint brownish yellow, - under parts paler; anterior angle of the eye and muzzle brown, the - tip of the chin, and also the tip of the muzzle on either side - whitish; on the cheeks, a little below the eyes, is a patch of - yellow which extends round the angle of the mouth: about one-third - of the tail is covered with fur of the same colour and character - as that on the body; beyond this the tail is black, excepting a - small portion, about one inch in length, at the apex, which is - white; and the hairs are short, closely adpressed, and scarcely - hide the scales which are beneath: the fore portion of each foot - is brown: the hairs covering the ears on the outer side are - brownish, and those on the inner side of the ear are yellow, but - towards the outer margin they are brown. The hairs of the back - have the basal half gray, and the apical half ochreous, - terminating in yellowish brown; on the belly and underside of - neck, the hairs are ochreous, faintly tinted with gray at the - base. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to root of tail 1 3 - of tail 10 3 - from nose to ear 2 1½ - of tarsus 1 5½ - of ear 0 6 - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_). - - -The species described by Azara, under the name _Macrouré à grosse -queue_, agrees so perfectly with the present animal, that I have no -hesitation in referring it to the _Didelphis crassicaudata_ of -Desmarest, which is founded upon Azara’s description. - -The head of the _Didelphis crassicaudata_ is shorter and less pointed -than in most other Opossums; the ears are unusually small, and the tail -is very thick. In the character of the fur also, this species differs -from most others, the hairs being rather short and somewhat adpressed; -and the soft under fur being very scanty. Upon separating the fur on the -back and sides of the body, numerous young hairs were visible in the -specimen from which the above description is taken, and these were of a -bright rusty red tint; the colouring of the animal therefore would, in -all probability, have been very different after a short time, had it not -been killed. Those observed by Azara varied considerably in their -colouring. The skull is figured in Plate 34. figs. 25. Fig. _d_ -represents a _ramus_ of the lower jaw. - - In. Lines. - Length of the skull 2 4 - Width 1 3 - Length of nasal bones 0 9½ - —— of palate 1 2¾ - Width of palate between the posterior molars 0 5 - Distance between forepart of front incisors and forepart of - canine 2 0¾ - Distance between forepart of canine and hinder part of last - molar 1 0 - Length of _ramus_ of lower jaw (incisors not included) 1 10½ - -“This specimen was caught at Maldonado: it weighed 14½ oz.”—D. - - - 3. DIDELPHIS ELEGANS. - PLATE XXXI. - - _D. vellere longo et molli, corpore suprà cinereo-fuscescente lavalo; - pedibus corporeque subtùs albis, oculis nigra circumdatis, - interspatio cinerescente; auribus magnis fuscescentibus; caudá, - capite et corpore, paulo breviore._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Muzzle slender and pointed; ears large; tail rather - shorter than the head and body taken together; fur long and very - soft: general tint of the upper parts of the head and body ashy - gray washed with brown; on the sides of the body, especially near - the shoulders, a faint yellowish tint is observable; the lower - part of the cheeks, the throat, under parts of the body and the - feet, are white, with an indistinct yellowish tint; the eyes are - encircled with brownish black, which tint is extended forwards on - to the sides of the muzzle; the upper surface of the muzzle and - the inter-orbital space is pale. The tail is furnished throughout - with minute decumbent hairs, excepting a small naked space at the - tip beneath, of about one line in length; on the upper surface - they are brown, and on the under, they are whitish. The fur of the - upper and under parts of the body is deep gray at the base; on the - lower part of the cheeks, chin, and on the mesial line of the - throat and chest, the hairs are uniform—not gray at the base. The - ears are brown, and to the naked eye, appear naked. - - In. Lines. - length from nose to root of tail 4 6 - of tail 4 4 - of tarsus (claws included) 0 7½ - from nose to ear 1 1½ - of ear 0 7¼ - width of ear 0 7½ - - - Habitat, Valparaiso, Chile, (_October_.) - - -This little Opossum, which is the only species I am acquainted with from -the west side of the Cordillera, was exhibited at one of the scientific -meetings of the Zoological Society, and its characters were pointed out -by Mr. James Reid, who proposed for it the specific name of -_hortensis_,[47] a name which was given from the circumstance that in -Mr. Darwin’s notes it is stated that a small Opossum was found in a -garden at Maldonado. These notes however refer to the _Didelphis -brachyura_. The skull of this animal is figured in Plate 35. Fig. 5, -_a_, represents the upper side; 5, _b_, the under side; and 5, _c_, is -the side view. Fig. 5, _d_, is the lower jaw, and 5, _e_, is the same -magnified. The length of the skull is 14½ lines; width, 8 lines; length -of palate, 7¼ lines; inter-orbital space, 2½ lines; length of _ramus_ of -lower jaw, 10½ lines. In the palate are two long openings which commence -opposite the posterior false molar, and terminate opposite the hinder -portion of the penultimate true molar: the incisive foramina are nearly -one line in length. On the posterior portion of the palate there are -four other foramina, one on each side near the posterior molar, and one -on either side the mesial line, behind the large palatine openings above -mentioned. - -“These little animals frequent the thickets growing on the rocky hills, -near Valparaiso. They are exceedingly numerous, and are easily caught in -traps baited either with cheese or meat. The tail appeared to be -scarcely at all used as a prehensile organ; they are able to run up -trees, with some degree of facility. I could distinguish in their -stomachs the larvæ of beetles.”—D. - - - 4. DIDELPHIS BRACHYURA. - PLATE XXII. - - Didelphis brachyura, _Auct._ - - _D. vellere brevi, corporis suprà cinereo, flavo lavato; lateribus - capitis, corporisque, et partibus inferioribus rufescenti-flavis, - gulâ et abdomine pallidioribus; caudâ brevi._ - - DESCRIPTION.—Head large; canine teeth very large; ears rather small; - tail short; rather more than half the length of the body; fur - short and crisp; the back and upper surface of the head ashy gray, - grizzled with yellowish white; the sides of the head and body, and - under parts rusty yellow, rather paler on the belly than on other - parts, and of a deeper hue on the rump and cheeks; the eye is - encircled with rusty yellow; feet yellowish; tail clothed with - short stiff hairs, and exhibiting scales, brownish above, and - dirty yellowish white beneath—a small naked space beneath, at the - tip, of about two lines in length. Fur of the back grayish at the - base, that on the belly uniform; ears clothed with minute - yellowish white hairs. - - In. Lines. - Length from nose to the root of tail 6 0 - from nose to ears 1 6 - of tail 2 8 - of tarsus (claws included) 0 8¾ - of ear 0 3¾ - - - Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (_June_.) - - -Never having seen a good figure of this animal, I have thought it -desirable to introduce it in the plates of this work. - -The _Didelphis brachyura_ is closely allied to the _D. tricolor_ of -authors, but in that species the upper parts of the body are nearly -black; the sides of the head and body are of a deep rusty red tint, and -the under parts are almost white. - -“Was caught by some boys digging in a garden. Its intestines were full -of the remains of insects, chiefly ants and others of the Hemipterous -order.”—D. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 1._ - - _Desmodus D’Orbignyi._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 2._ - - _Phyllostoma Grayi._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia. Pl. 3._ - - _Vespertilio Chiloensis._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 4._ - - _Canis antarcticus._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia. Pl. 5._ - - _Canis Magellanicus._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 6._ - - _Canis fulvipes._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 7._ - - _Canis Azaræ._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 8._ - - _Felis Yagouaroundi._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 9._ - - _Felis Pajeros._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 10._ - - _Delphinus Fitz-Royi._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 11._ - - _Mus longicaudatus._ _Mus gracilipes._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 12._ - - _Mus bimaculatus._ _Mus elegans._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 13._ - - _Mus flavescens._ _Mus arenicola._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 14._ - - _Mus brachiotis._ _Mus Magellanicus._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 15._ - - _1 Mus Renggeri._ - - _2 —— obscurus._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia. Pl. 16._ - - _Mus longipilis._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 17._ - - _Fig. 1 Mus xanthorhinus._ _2 Mus nasutus._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 18._ - - _Mus tumidus._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia. Pl. 19._ - - _Mus Braziliensis._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 20._ - - _Mus micropus._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 21._ - - _Mus griseo-flavus._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 22._ - - _Mus xanthopygus._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 23._ - - _Mus Darwinii._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 24._ - - _Mus Galapagoensis._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 25._ - - _Mus fuscipes._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 26._ - - _Reithrodon Cuniculcides._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 27._ - - _Reithrodon Chinchilloides._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 28._ - - _Abrocoma Bennettii._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 29._ - - _Abrocoma Cuvieri._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 30._ - - _Didelphis crassicaudata._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 31._ - - _Didelphis elegans._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 32._ - - _Didelphis brachyura._ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Plate 33._ - - _G.R. Waterhouse. & C.M. Curtis_ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Plate 34._ - - _G.R. Waterhouse_ _J. Swaine_ -] - -[Illustration: - - _Mammalia Pl. 35._ - - _Drawn by C. H. Curtis._ -] - ------ - -Footnote 1: - - The palatine foramina are accidentally omitted—see description. - -Footnote 2: - - Voy. Amer. Merid. t. 8. - -Footnote 3: - - See his memoir “Sur quelques anomalies du système dentaire dans les - mammifères,” published in the “Annales Françaises et Etrangères - d’Anatomie et de Physiologie,” No. 6, pl. IX. fig. 2. - -Footnote 4: - - Magazine of Zoology and Botany, No. 12. - -Footnote 5: - - “Annales des Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle,” tom. xv. p. 176. - -Footnote 6: - - Journal Historique d’un Voyage fait aux Iles Malouines, tom. ii. p. - 459. - -Footnote 7: - - Azara has not described this animal, which circumstance alone would - render it probable that it is not an inhabitant of Paraguay or La - Plata. The two Foxes mentioned by him are the Aguará-guaza, (_Canis - jubatus_, Auct.) a very large kind of fox (a strangely exaggerated - description of this animal is given by Falkner) of which I could not - obtain a specimen; and the Aguará-chay, or _Canis Azaræ_. - -Footnote 8: - - Molina, Compendio de la Historia del Reyno de Chile, vol. i. p. 330 - and 332. - -Footnote 9: - - I am indebted to Mr. Ogilby, who visited the Prince’s collection, for - a description from the specimens of _C. Azaræ_ therein preserved. In - this description the tip of the tail is said to be black. - -Footnote 10: - - Considering the great difference of climate and other conditions - between the hot and wooded country of Paraguay, and the desolate - plains of Patagonia, one is led to suspect that the _Canis Azaræ_ of - La Plata and Patagonia, which wanders about by day, and inhabits - burrows instead of heaps of straw, may turn out to be a different - species from the Agouará-chay of Azara, which is nocturnal in its - habits, and lives in thick coverts. - -Footnote 11: - - In measuring the species of Mammalia, I almost invariably, when - wishing to give the length, measure from the tip of the nose _along - the curve of the back_ to the root of the tail. In the Ruminantia of - course this plan is not desirable, but in other Mammals I have found - it most convenient. If we take a Cat, for instance, and curve the body - in whatever way we please, we find the length (taken in the way just - mentioned) always the same. Whereas, if we take a straight line (as - many naturalists do) the length will vary according to the position of - the animal. - -Footnote 12: - - I must refer the reader to my journal for some account of the habits - of the jaguar and puma, which being well known animals, and the facts - that I mention having little scientific interest, I have not thought - it worth while to repeat them here. - -Footnote 13: - - D’Orbigny says, (vol. ii. p. 69,) that all the species of the genus - have this habit. - -Footnote 14: - - Figures 47 and 48 of M. Cuvier’s work represent horns so unlike either - of those brought over by Mr. Darwin, that I cannot help suspecting - they belong to some other species of stag. - -Footnote 15: - - The MS. name of _M. decumanoïdes_, which I had applied to this animal, - has been changed, in consequence of my having seen a different - species, with the same name attached, in the museum of the India - House. - -Footnote 16: - - The great Bandicoot rat of India, (_Mus giganteus_, of Hardwicke,) - ought, perhaps, to be added to the species above enumerated; and I - strongly suspect several catalogued species will prove but varieties - of this animal. - -Footnote 17: - - See Proceedings of the Zoological Society for February 14th, 1837, p. - 19. - -Footnote 18: - - As I shall have occasion to use the terms _moderate_, _long_, _short_, - _large_, &c. it may be well to state that I take the common mouse, - (_Mus Musculus_,) as my standard of comparison. The ears, feet, tail, - length of the fur, general proportions, &c. are in that animal what I - term moderate. - -Footnote 19: - - A long tarsus is generally accompanied by a proportionately long tail. - I presume that those Mice which have long tarsi are in the habit of - making great leaps, and that in these leaps, the tail serves to steady - and balance the body. - -Footnote 20: - - In _Mus leucopus_ of North America the tarsus is hairy beneath, and in - the character of the teeth this animal also agrees with the species - above mentioned. - -Footnote 21: - - The dimensions given in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society were - taken from a younger specimen than those here described, and there is - an error in the length of the tail there given, which should be 1–10 - instead of 2—10. - -Footnote 22: - - In _Mus longipilis_ and _M. brachiotis_ may be perceived an approach - to this elongated form of the muzzle. - -Footnote 23: - - I am sorry to say the artist has not drawn this skull with his usual - fidelity, a circumstance which I did not perceive until it was too - late to make any alteration: it is too large, and the incisors are - represented as projecting forwards too much; they are in the original - so nearly at right angles with the upper surface of the skull that but - a very small portion of them is seen, when it is viewed, as - represented at fig. 3, _a_. - -Footnote 24: - - It is not easy to measure the _width_ of the ears in these animals: - upon measuring with a thread over the curve of the outer side I have - found the width of the ears of the present animal to be as above - given,—the dimension slightly exceeding that stated in the Proceedings - of the Zool. Soc. - -Footnote 25: - - Ρειθρος, a channel; Οδον, a tooth. - -Footnote 26: - - The tail is imperfect. - -Footnote 27: - - They are naked, but I suspect the hair has been rubbed off. - -Footnote 28: - - I am acquainted with seven North American Species of _Muridæ_, all of - which possess the dentition of _Hesperomys_. - -Footnote 29: - - Ἐσπερος, West, and Μυς. - -Footnote 30: - - I am acquainted with only one exception, and that is in the genus - _Castor_. In the genus _Ondatra_, the descending ramus is but slightly - twisted outwards, but in all the other _Arvicolidæ_, whose crania I - have examined, it is remarkably so, and in the genera _Spalax_ and - _Geomys_, where this character is carried to the extreme, the - descending ramus projects from the alveolus of the long inferior - incisors, in the form of a rounded and almost horizontal plate. - -Footnote 31: - - In aged individuals of some of the species of _Arvicolidæ_, the molar - teeth possess short roots. In a skull of _Ondatra_ now before me I - find all the molars divided at the base into two portions, which in - all probability would have formed solid roots had the animal lived - longer. - -Footnote 32: - - See Proceedings of the Zoological Society for April 9th, 1839, p. 61. - -Footnote 33: - - Azara’s Voyages dans l’Amerique Meridionale, vol. i. p. 324. - -Footnote 34: - - Transactions of the Zoological Society, vol. ii. p. 84. - -Footnote 35: - - Azara Voyage dans l’Amerique Meridionale, vol. i. p. 324. - -Footnote 36: - - Compendio de la Hist. Nat. del Reyno de Chile, vol. i. p. 343. - -Footnote 37: - - Ἁβρος, soft; Κομη, hair. - -Footnote 38: - - There is a wide difference between the present animals and the - _Arvicolidæ_ in the form of the occipital condyles: the same - difference is also observable between _Echimys_ and _Mus_. The - _Octodontidæ_ in fact have the same form of condyles as the - Chinchillas and Cavies. In this and many other characters the last - mentioned animals evince an affinity to the _Leporidæ_. - -Footnote 39: - - I have not had an opportunity of examining the skull of _Abrocoma - Bennettii_. - -Footnote 40: - - This nail no doubt is used to cleanse the fur, and the bristly hairs - may also assist in the operation; the two small toes of the Kangaroo’s - hind foot are used for the same purpose. - -Footnote 41: - - The skull is, unfortunately, imperfect, the hinder portion is injured, - and the arches which enclosed the ant-orbital openings are broken. - -Footnote 42: - - Azara ‘Voyages dans l’Amerique Meridionale,’ vol. i. p. 316. - -Footnote 43: - - See Proceedings of the Zoological Society for April, 1839, p. 61. - -Footnote 44: - - Azara, Voyage dans l’Amérique Méridionale, vol. i. p. 318. - -Footnote 45: - - Azara, Quadrupeds of Paraguay. - -Footnote 46: - - Voyage de La Coquille. Partie Zoologique, vol. i. p. 168. - -Footnote 47: - - See Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for January, 1837, - p. 4.; its characters were not published. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in - spelling. - 2. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF -H.M.S. BEAGLE [VOL. 2 OF 5] *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |