Page:The mammals of Australia Gould vol 3.djvu/93

 Gould.

Greyish-white Mouse.

Mus albocinereus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p. 78.

Noo-jee, Aborigines of Perth, Western Australia.

Jup-pert, Aborigines of Moore's River in the interior of Western Australia.

yet we have only seen this pretty little Mouse from Western Australia, where it inhabits the sandy districts bordering the sea-shore, particularly those at the back of the sand-hills near the beach a few miles to the northward of Fremantle; in such situations it forms burrows nearly three feet beneath the surface, with two or more openings, one of which is apparently used for no other purpose than that of bringing out the sand, when it becomes necessary to extend the burrow, and this hole is in general nearly filled up by the sand rolling down from the heap. I regret to say that the above meagre account is all that is yet known respecting it; at present its range appears to be very restricted, but future research will doubtless prove that it extends over all parts of Western Australia, wherever suitable localities occur. The remarkable similarity of the colouring of many animals to that of the soil they inhabit, has often been noticed, and the present is another instance of this curious law, which doubtless tends much to enable these little defenceless animals to elude the attacks of their natural enemies; for no two objects so dissimilar in character can be more alike in hue than are the fur of the Mus albocinereus and the sandy districts of Western Australia.

This Mouse is rather larger than the Common Mouse of Europe (Mus musculus), and its body is considerably stouter in proportion; the head is large; the ears moderate, or perhaps they may be described as rather small; the tail is nearly equal to the head and body in length; the tarsi are very slender: the fur is very long and very soft, and its general hue is pale ashy grey; on the hinder part of the back is a slight brownish tint, produced by a very fine and indistinct pencilling of dusky or pale greyish yellow; the lower part of the sides of the body and the whole of the under parts are white, but not quite pure, having a faint greyish hue; the head is grey-white, pencilled with black; the sides of the muzzle white; the ears are well-clothed with minute greyish white hairs; the feet are white, and if we except some scattered blackish hairs on the upper surface, the tail is also white.

The figures are of the natural size.