Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon Part 59

According to Dr. A. Barclay (quoted by Dr. Anderson) the holes of this rat do not run deep, but ramify horizontally just below the surface of the ground. It throws out a mound of earth at the exit of the hole.

NO. 324. NESOKIA SCULLYI.

_Scully's Field-Rat_.

NATIVE NAME.--_Mughi_, Turki.

HABITAT.--Kashgaria at Sanju, south-east of Yarkand.

DESCRIPTION.--Light rufescent brown above, dirty white beneath; fur fine and silky, blackish-grey at the base, and for two-thirds, the last third of the longer hairs being fawn colour; face earthy brown; whiskers black, tipped with white; ears very short, semi-nude; feet and claws flesh-coloured; tail naked, with a few scattered fine short hairs.

SIZE.--Head and body, 6.6 inches; tail, 5.2 inches.

NO. 325. NESOKIA PROVIDENS.

_The Southern India Field-Rat_ (_Jerdon's No. 172_).

NATIVE NAMES.--_Kok_, Canarese; _Golatta-koku_, Telegu of the Yanadees; _Yea-kwet_ (?) Burmese.

HABITAT.--Southern India and Ceylon, probably Burmah, as one species is mentioned there by Blyth.

DESCRIPTION.--Head short and truncated, with a deep muzzle; ears nearly round, semi-nude, spa.r.s.ely covered with minute hairs; eyes moderately large, half-way between snout and ear; feet largish; claws short and stout; tail nearly equalling length of head and body, semi-nude, ringed, and with short brown bristly hairs round the margin of the annuli; whiskers full and long; colour of the fur--which is harsh and long, as in the rest of the genus, and of the usual three kinds--is a brown, mixed with a tinge of fawn; the under-parts are whitish, with a yellowish tinge; the nose, ears, and feet are dark flesh-coloured or brownish, and the feet are covered with short brown hair. The incisors are orange yellow; the claws yellowish.

Sir Walter Elliot states that a variety found in red soil is much redder in colour than that inhabiting the black land. The skull is considerably smaller, according to Dr. Anderson, than that of the Bengal _Nesokia_, _N. Blythiana_, of the same age, from which it is also distinguished by its more outwardly arched malar process of the maxillary, by its considerably smaller teeth and long but less open anterior palatine foramina. The brain case is also relatively shorter and more globular than that of _Nesokia Blythiana_.

SIZE.--Head and body, about 7 inches; tail, 6-1/2 inches.

The habits of this rat are similar to those of the Bengal species, to which I will allude further on, and it has the same way of taking to water when pursued.

Jerdon says that this rat is most destructive to tea-trees, biting the roots just below the surface, more, he believes, because they happen to come in the way of their burrows than to feed on them.

Sir Walter Elliot writes: "In its habits it is solitary, fierce, living secluded in s.p.a.cious burrows, in which it stores up large quant.i.ties of grain during the harvest, and when that is consumed lives upon the _huryale_ gra.s.s and other roots. The female produces from eight to ten at a birth, which she sends out of her burrow as soon as they are able to provide for themselves. When irritated it utters a low grunting cry, like the bandicoot. The race of people known by the name of Wuddurs, or tank-diggers, capture this animal in great numbers as an article of food, and during the harvest they plunder their earths of the grain stored up for their winter consumption, which in favourable localities they find in such quant.i.ties as to subsist almost entirely upon it during that season of the year. A single burrow will sometimes yield as much as half a seer (1 lb.) of grain, containing even whole ears of jowaree (_Holchus sorghum_)." Sir Walter Elliot goes on to give a most interesting account of the construction of the burrows of this animal.

NO. 326. NESOKIA BLYTHIANA.

_The Bengal Field-Rat_.

NATIVE NAME.--_Yenkrai_, Bengalee.

HABITAT.--From Ghazipur in the North-west to Eastern Bengal and Cachar. Very common about Calcutta.

DESCRIPTION.--Fur coa.r.s.e as in the genus, profusely intermixed with long piles, more numerous on the lumbar and sacral regions, which project a long way beyond the ordinary pelage. The general colour a dark brown with yellowish hairs intermingled, which give a somewhat rufous tinge, paler beneath. Nose, ears, and feet flesh-coloured; tail naked, ringed, and spa.r.s.ely covered with short bristly hairs at the margin of the rings; feet moderately large; claws short and stout; eyes moderately large, placed a little nearer to the ear than to the snout; ears rounded, semi-nude, covered with a fine down; whiskers black; incisor teeth rich orange, but generally white towards their tips.

The female has eight pairs of mammae.

SIZE.--Head and body, 8-1/4 inches; tail, 6-1/2 inches.

I have already alluded to the distinguis.h.i.+ng features of the skull of this species, as compared with _Nesokia providens_. From the skull of _N. Hardwickii_ it differs in its considerably narrower incisors and smaller and more irregularly laminated molars, and by its long and open anterior palatine foramina. It has also a more arched skull (_Anderson_).

This animal, which is included in Jerdon's _Nesokia Indica_, is very generally distributed over Lower Bengal. In the neighbourhood of Calcutta, Alipore for instance, it is abundant, and is a great nuisance in gardens. It burrows in tortuous directions, only a few inches below the ground, there being no definite plan, some being more complicated than others--the princ.i.p.al pa.s.sage leading to a chamber containing a nest of leaves and gra.s.s. I have been told by natives that large quant.i.ties of grain are stored by these rats. When I first heard of its aquatic powers, I was led to believe that it was a species of vole, and was particularly desirous to get one, not being aware of any true water-rat in India. However, the reports of the natives have been confirmed by what Sir Walter Elliot states regarding the habits of _N. providens_, and by Dr. Anderson, who made several experiments with these rats in captivity. He says: "To test this aquatic power, I had two rats placed in a large wire birdcage, and the cage partially submerged; if the rats, when in those circ.u.mstances, were much annoyed, they immediately dived to the bottom of the cage, where they could be observed running about under water. I also had them removed from the cage, and let loose in the large sheet of water in the Zoological Gardens, between the two iron bridges. When let loose at the bank, and an attempt was made to catch them, they immediately dived; and the stronger of the two did not appear at the surface for some time, when it was observed at a considerable distance from the bank making for the opposite side."

In confinement these rats are not engaging pets; they show a considerable amount of surliness and ferocity. I have noticed that on approaching the bars of the cage, one would grind its teeth, put back its ears, and fly at you with a grunt.

NO. 327. NESOKIA BARCLAYIANA.

_Barclay's Field-Rat_.

HABITAT.--Northern India, the North-west and some parts of Bengal (Purneah) and a.s.sam.

DESCRIPTION.--General colour brownish; under surface silvery grey; feet and muzzle flesh-colour; tail nearly black; claws h.o.r.n.y white; a white band from the nose through the eye; muzzle short and bluff; forehead slightly arched; tail exceeding the length of the trunk, but not equal to head and body, ringed, and spa.r.s.ely clad; fur coa.r.s.e; piles moderately long.

SIZE.--Head and body, about 8-3/4 inches; tail, 7-1/4 inches.

This rat was first discovered by Dr. Arthur Barclay at Goona in Central India, and apparently it appears to be identical with specimens collected at Srinagar in Kashmir, in the Purneah district, and in Cachar.

The next two have usually been cla.s.sed as true _Mus_, and the latter is to be found in Jerdon; but, from the breadth of the incisors and the lamination of the molars, which are less sinuous and relatively larger than in _Mus_, and from other characteristics of the skull, they are nearer allied to _Nesokia_ than to the true rats.

NO. 328. MUS (NESOKIA) ELLIOTa.n.u.s.

_Elliot's Field-Rat_.

HABITAT.--Bengal, a.s.sam, Khasia hills.

DESCRIPTION.--This rat is thus described by Dr. Anderson. It is the nearest approach in size to the bandicoot: "Head short and deep; muzzle deep and broad; eye half-way between ear and nose, moderately large; ears not large, rounded, spa.r.s.ely covered with short hairs; feet large and well developed, with strong claws, and spa.r.s.ely clad; tail spa.r.s.ely covered with short bristles on the margins of the annuli, and nearly equalling the length of the body and head. Pelage coa.r.s.e, with moderately large piles, most numerous on the back; vibrissae moderately long.

"General colour, above brown, with intermixed yellowish or pale brown hairs producing much the same colour as in _M. (N.) Blythia.n.u.s_; paler on the sides, and pa.s.sing into greyish on the under-parts; nose and feet flesh-coloured; ears dark brown; tail blackish" ('J. A. S. B.' 1878, vol. xlvii; pt. ii. p. 231).

NO. 329. MUS (NESOKIA) GIGANTEUS.

_The Bandicoot_ (_Jerdon's No. 174_).

NATIVE NAMES.--_Indur_, Sanscrit; _Ghunse_, Hindi; _Ikria_, Bengali; _Heggin_, Canarese; _Pandi-koku_, i.e. pig-rat, Telegu; _Oora-meyoo_, Singhalese.

HABITAT.--Throughout India; also in Ceylon.

DESCRIPTION.--Fur coa.r.s.e, consisting of the three kinds, of which the coa.r.s.er piles are very long, and almost hide the general pelage on the lumbar and dorsal regions. These piles are almost absent on the head, neck, and sides; general colour earthy brown, with yellowish hairs intermixed; the piles blackish-brown; under-parts dusky brown, mixed with grey; limbs brownish; nose, inside of ear and feet flesh-coloured; tail black, ringed, and spa.r.s.ely haired.

The female has twelve mammae.

SIZE.--Head and body, from 12 to 15 inches; tail, from 11 to 13.

Weight, about 3 lbs.

This is a well known rat, but it is not common in Calcutta, although supposed to be so. People frequently mistake very large specimens of the common brown house-rat (_Mus dec.u.ma.n.u.s_) for this animal, which, Blyth remarks, is rare here. Jerdon states that it is common in the fort of Madras, where he killed many, some of large size. When a.s.sailed it grunts like a pig, hence its Telegu name _Pandi-koku_, from which the word bandicoot is derived. McMaster states that the bandicoot, though so formidable in appearance, does not show so good a fight as an ordinary English rat, being a sluggish and cowardly animal; and though, from its size and weight, it takes a good deal of worrying, it seldom does much in self defence, and any moderately good dog can kill it with ease. It is however a most destructive animal, doing much damage to granaries, gardens, and even poultry-yards. In some parts of the country, as for instance Fort St. George in Madras, Government used to pay a reward of one anna for every bandicoot killed within the walls.

SUB-FAMILY CRICETINAE.

CHARACTER.--Molars tuberculate; infra-orbital opening sub-typical, not much narrowed below, and the perpendicular plate little developed; large internal cheek pouches.--_Alston_.