on the opposite side of the palm. The thumb is of sufficient length to be of use in grasping,
and its upper phalanx is closely covered by a smooth rounded nail. As in the marmots, the
second toe is the longest, the third is a little shorter, the first is about two lines shorter than
the second, and the fourth or last is scarcely shorter than the first, being considerably longer
than the thumb. The claws are large 'and very much compressed, so that their edges are in.
contact Beneath nearly their whole length. They are slightly arched above and nearly
straight below. The hind-feet are more slender than the fore ones, and the claws are about
one-half smaller, rather more arched, and less compressed, their edges separating beneath so
as to form a narrow oblong groove towards their points. The soles are longer than the
palms, and are naked to the heel. They are furnished with four callous eminences situated
at the roots of the toes, and two placed further back, all more conspicuous than those on the
hind-feet of the American spermophiles. The innermost and outermost toe are nearly equal
in length, and are shorter than the three Others.
Fur.—The quality of the fur is very much like that of a rabbit when out of season. It
consists of a close short fur, four or five lines long, mixed with longer hairs. The latter are
most numerous about the sides of the neck and fore-part of the back. They are scattered
over the posterior part of the back and beliy, and are numerous on thé shoulders and thighs.
The sides and upper part of the nose are covered with short fur, and the fur on all the feet
is short.
Colour.—Incisors yellow; claws white. Thé general hue of the hack is intermediate
between umber and chestnut browns, without any tendéncy towards a rufous hue, and it is
Tendered darker by most of the long scattered hairs on that part being black. The belly iS
grayish, or clove-brown, and many of the long hairs there, and on the sides, are tipped with
white. The nose is clothed with short hairs, nearly of the colour of the back; the lips are
whitish, and there is a pretty large spot of purè white On the throat. Thé position of the
mammcB in the female is indicated by brown circular marks. Thé fur has no lustre on its
surface, and little beauty; that on the back, when blown aside, exhibits a grayish-black
shining colour, from the roots to the brownish tips.
D im e n s io n s
O f a fu ll-g row n sp e c im e n .
Inches'.
L e n g th o f h e a d a n d bo d y . , 14
c ' t a i l ' * . . . 0
, , f rom th e elb ow to th e w ristf jo in t 2
t h e w r is t j o in t t o th e e n d o f th e
m id d le -d aw ’ . . , 1
„ o f th u m b i, • . . 0
„ m id d le to e . 0
, , m id d le -c law . . . 0
. , , f rom th e k n e e - jo in t to th e h e e l 2
„ h e e l to th e tip o f th e m id d le
c law . . . . . 2
„ o f m id d le h in d to é a n d c law . 0
0
6
0
93662
IT
9
In ch e s.
Dimensions of the scull o f same specimen.
B r e a d th o f t h e scu ll, m e a su re d f rom th e o u tsid
e o f o n e z y g om a tic a r c h to th e o u ts id e o f
th e o th e r , p o s te rio rly . . 2
L e n g th o f th e o rb it . < . 1
W id th o f d itto , p o s te rio rly * 1
Sm a lle st d is ta n c e b e tw e e n th e o rb its , m e a su re d
a cro ss th e f ro n ta l b o n e . . 0
W i d th o f th e p a la te . . 0
L e n g th o f th e n a s a l b o n es t 1
G r e a te s t b r e a d th o f e a c h n a s a l b o n e . 0
40
O'
3
31
3
R e f e r e n c e s t o P l a t e x v i i i C.
F ig . 7 , 8 , 10. D if f e r e n t v iew s o f th e a n te r io r h a l f o f th e I F ig . 1 1 . U p p e r m o la r to o th .
s k u ll ( n a t. siz e .) — 12, 13. V iew s o f th e u p p e r su rfa c e o f th e fo re -fe e t.
_ 9 . L ow e r ja w w ith o n e co n d y le b ro k e n off. I — 14. So le o f th e h in d - f e e t.
Amongst Mr. Douglas’s specimens, there is a young one, with more white hairs
interspersed through its fur, and some differences in the form of its scull, which
seem to point it out as a second species. The breadth of its frontal boné, between
the orbits, where least, is six lines, being twice the breadth of the same bone in
A. leporina. Its nasal bones are as broad as in the latter, but are three lines
shorter. The dentition is perfectly the same in both, but in the young specimen
there is a new set of grinders in the lower jaw, which have, destroyed the greater
part of the bodies of the old grinders, leaving merely a long process before, another
behind, in each socket, resembling fangs. The specimen is not sufficiently perfect
to enable me to give its characters as a distinct species, but I have little doubt of
its being so.
Since the account of this genus was published in the Zoological Journal, Mr.
Douglas has placed in my hands an Indian blanket or robe, formed by sewing the
skins of the sewellel together. The robe contains twenty-seven skins, which havé
been selected when the fur was in prime order. In all of them the long hairs
are so numerous as to hide the wool or down at their roots, and their points havé
a very high lustre. The general colour of the surface of the fur is between
chestnut and umber browns, lighter, and with more lustre on the sides. Some of
the skins, which are in the best order, have the longer hairs on the back of the
head, and between the shoulders almost black. It is probable, however, that
these are the skins of two species of sewellels, in the robé, and that one of them
wants the white mark on the throat. The down of all the skins of the robe has a
shining blackish-gray colour.