Page:The mammals of Australia Gould vol 3.djvu/101

 MUS DELICATULUS, Gould.

Delicate-coloured Mouse.

Mus delicatulus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part x. p. 13.—Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. x. p. 406.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 112.

Mo-lyne-be, Aborigines of Port Essington.

The contour and general colouring of this, the smallest and most beautiful species of Mus yet discovered in the great country of Australia, strongly remind one of the pretty little harvest mouse, Mus messorius, of our own islands. It is a native of Port Essington, where it was discovered by the late Mr. Gilbert, and all we know respecting it is comprised in the following brief notice of it in his Journal:—

"I only met with this species on one occasion, on the Native Companion plains near Point Smith, at the entrance of the harbour, when I found four in a hole which ran along a few inches below the surface for about five feet in a zigzag manner, and terminated in a circular space, wherein was a nest of fine dried grass, in which I captured them."

Two specimens of this little animal are in the collection at the British Museum. Mr. Gray states that I had attached the MS. name of albirostris to them; but that appellation not having been published, the term delicatulus, under which the animal was certainly described in the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society," is the one retained.

The fur is soft and short; that on the upper parts of the body is of a pale yellow-brown; the sides are of a delicate yellow tint; and the lower part of the sides of the muzzle, chin, throat, under surface and feet are pure white; on the throat and along the mesial line of the abdomen, the hairs are of a uniform colour to the base; ears small; feet delicate; tail slender, and nearly as long as the head and body.

The figures are of the natural size.