well-defined, black band. The ears are large and rounded, and their external surface
is well clad, the hairs projecting nearly half an inch beyond their apical margins,
The whiskers are jet black.
Inches.
Length of body along curve of back . , » ? • • '8 *„75
| of tail ' 8 50 *
^ „ with hair.........................................................................................
This species occurs in Malacca.
M. A. M.-Edwards has included this squirrel among the dorsally lmeated
species under the name S. bilmeatm, Temminck, but there is no such squirrel
described in Lee Esquisses de Zoologie, Sdurm bbmmulatue, Temmmck, is not
dorsally lineated, and derives its name from its tail ending in white and black.
SCIUB.US ERYTHB.2ETJS, Pallas.
H M r a t e , Nov. * . Quad, e Glir. ord.
vol ii 1780, p. 842; Boddaart, Bleach. Aaimal, vol. i . 1785, Gme™’ J™ 1- s J f ’
M W 148; Pennant, Quad. vol. ii. 1792, p. 143; Sehreber, Sangeth. vol |
I m p. 782, Shaw Genl. Zool. vol. | pt. i. 1801, p, 182; Horfd. Zool. Beech. Java,
124; D e l o i n a , Diet. C l » . d'Hiet. Nat. vol. vi. 1824, p. 74; Lesson, Man. de Zoo.
1827, p. 287; Kscher, Syn. Mamm. 1829, p. 361; Blyth, Joum As. Soc.
1842, p. 970; ibid. vol. zvi. 1847, p. 872; Cat. Manun. As. Son. Mne. 1868, p. 102
Wagner, Schieher, Sangeth. Suppl.vol»iii. 1848, p. 218; Gray, Hand-Liet Mamm, B. M, 1843,
S a v L ^ o g a d e r , Blyth, Jonm. Aa. Soc. Beng. vol. i i. 1842, p. 970; ibid- vol. vxiv. p. 478
(note): Cat. Mamm. As. Soc. Mus. 1868, p. 102. * o
S cimL Jyth ram, Gray, Han d -lia t Mamm. B. M. 1848, p. 142; Blyth, Jonm. Aa. Soc. Beng.
? S c h H H ' Wagler, Ahhand. Mnnehen, Akad. vol. ii.; Sohinz, Syn. Mamm, vol.».
1845, p. 20. .
Scinrus rujwenter, Blyth, Jonm. As. Soc. Beng. yol. xvi. 1847, p. 871.
Myth, Jonm. Aa. Soo. vol. rriv . 1855, p. 478 (note); Walker, Cal. Jonm. Nat.
B m M B and Mag. Nat. 9 H S B |
M a cm s punctatissimiu, Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. zx. 1867, p. ,
Pallas, in his description of new species of rodents in 1778, described a sqmrrel
under the name of S. erythrcevs. This animal has long been a puzzle to zoologists
from the characters he assigned to it. His type specimen, he states distinctly, came
from India. The description given by him so agrees with the squirrels which hav
been indicated as 5'. erythrogaster and S. castaneoventri* that Ms term erythrau*
has not infrequently been applied to them, although there has been prevmlmg a
general misapprehension regarding its characters; the chief pomt of difficulty hemg
the existence in Pallas’ specimen of a black line along the upper surface of the
tail Blyth, with his usual quick perception of specific characters, referred a specimen
from the hills of lower Assam to S. erythram, Pallas, and it appears to
mu that he was correct in so doing. In his enumeration of the characters of
sciUBitrs, 237
this Assam form, be remarks of the young,—a fact which I have also observed,—that
it not unfrequentiy has a black area on the tail at some little distance from its base,
the black passing more or less upwards and forming a dark, mesial line, as described
by Fallas. This squirrel of Blyth’s appears to be no other than the young of his
8. erythrogaster which came from nearly the same locality, viz., from Munipore—
a statement which I make after carefully comparing the types.
Blyth1 describes 8. erythrogaster as being of the size of the British squirrel, or
,a little larger, and having a much longer tail. The entire upper surface is glistening,
. deep reddish-black, minutely grizzled with light fulvous or yellowish-brown, each
hair having thus two annulations; the whole under parts from the throat, and
the inside of the limbs, rather dark, hut not intense, reddish-maroon; feet black,
with little trace of annulation; the fulvous predominating most about the head;
tail similar to the back from the basal third, then gradually less grizzled, and the
terminal half black, almost without grizzling, moderately bushy; whiskers black;
ears not pencilled. Length nine or ten inches; the tail without its hair as much
more and with it upwards of two inches additional; tarsus to the end of the
claw of longest toe, two inches and a quarter.
Blyth® described another squirrel from the Khasia hills and the mountains of
Lower Assam, under the name of 8. erythrceus, Pallas. M'Clelland and Horsfield,
however, considered it to be 8. hippu/rus, Is, Geoff., hut it is duller and more
bleached above, the ferruginous hue of the belly contrasting abruptly with the sides
of the body, whereas in 8. hippu/rus the sides are so rufous that the contrast is much
less decided; moreover, 8. hippurus does not appear to extend so far north. The
ears are bright rufous, and the terminal two-thirds or more of the tail are nearly of
the same colour as the belly, the tip generally being paler, There is also more
or less rufous about the muzzle, extending sometimes wholly or partly over the
crown, and the end of the tail is occasionally blackish. Gray’s var. b from Bhutan
is undoubtedly the species.
The specimens in the British Museum referred by Dr. Gray first to 8. erythrceus,
Pallas, and afterwards to 8. erythrogaster, Blyth, are all distinguished by
having the under parts uniformly rich maroon-chestnut, without any tendency to
form a mesial ventral line, but occasionally a punctulated ventral line is developed
in this species. The rufous extends over the chest and throat in all except a
specimen said to be from Bhutan, in which the throat and chest are grizzled like
the sides of the neck. This specimen, however, has the peculiarity noticed by
Blyth, that the chin and face, between and anterior to the eyes, is not rufous,
neither are the ears. The feet in all are dark blackish-brown. The upper fur is
rich, dark olive-brown in the majority; hut in two specimens, one from the Garo
bills and another from Samagooting, Assam, the fur is pale olive-brown, whereas
the typical squirrels from Munipore are always much darker. The tail is subject to
considerable variation in its colouring, but even in squirrels in which it is brilliant
Vol. ! § (1842), No. 130, p. 970. '? Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1855, vol. xvi. p. 473.