BANDICOOT-RAT

bandicoot-rat, the anglo-indian name for a large rat (_nesocia bandicota_), inhabiting india and ceylon, which measures from 12 to 15 in. to the root of the tail, while the tail itself measures from 11 to 13 in. the name is said to be a corruption of the telegu _pandi-koku_. it differs from typical rats of the genus _mus_ by its broader incisors, and the less distinct cusps on the molars. other species of the genus are found from palestine to formosa, as well as in central asia. the typical species frequents villages, towns and cultivated grounds all over india and ceylon, but is specially common in the south of the peninsula. (see rodentia.)