_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.