HAPALOTIS MURINUS, Gowda.

Murine Hapalotis.

Hapalotis murinus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part xi. p. 78, and 1851, p. 127.

 

Tue large size of its ears, the peculiar softness of its fur, and the whiteness and length of the hinder feet of
this animal induced me some years ago to characterize it under the generic name of Hapadotis rather than
that of Mus, and I still adhere to the opinion I then formed, that it must not be associated with the true
Rats. The original specimen from which my description was taken was procured by Mr. Gilbert on the
plains bordering the rivers Namoi and Gwydyr, where the natives informed him it was very abundant.
Mr. Strange subsequently sent me examples from the neighbourhood of Lake Albert in South Australia,
which, although of somewhat larger size, are, I believe, identical. He states that he found them in families
on the edge of the small dry salt-water lagoons of the plains, and that they did not appear to go far from
their habitations.

Fur remarkably soft and delicate, and of a slate-grey tint next the skin; on the upper surface and the
sides of the body the exposed portions of the hairs are of a delicate ochreous yellow, with a considerable
admixture of black, the points of the hairs being of that colour ; ears tolerably well clothed with small hairs
of a white hue, excepting on the fore part of the outer surface, where they assume a dusky greyish tint ;
under surface buffy white ; tail moderately clothed with hairs, but not so thickly as to hide the scales; on
the upper surface some of these hairs are white and others blackish, on the sides and under surface of the
tail they are pure white; whiskers black at the root, greyish at the point ; hands and feet buffy white.

The figures represent the two sexes of the size of life.