banded yellow and black, the latter being the predominant hue, and the tip is black.
The colours tend to an obscure arrangement in broad rings of yellow and black, but
frequently many, of the hairs are yellow-tipped, which hides this grouping of the
colours. The tail is slightly shorter than the body. The ears are moderately large,
with the basal hairs behind palish ; their tips are rounded, and their backs are
clad with silky hairs which project but little, if at all, beyond their margins ; but
intermixed with these are longer black hairs which extend beyond the tips, but they
are so few as to be apt to be overlooked. The measurements of the type specimen
are, from the muzzle to the root of the tail 5*75 ; length of the tail 5 inches. The
type has all the characters of a young squirrel, and it so closely resembles S. chvnensis,
Gray, that it might be an immature example of that species. Müller and Schlegel
referred a number of small squirrels of this type to S. modestus ; those from
Malacca and Sumatra correspond in size and other particulars to the foregoing example
of 8. tenuis, but, in some specimens from Borneo, the upper parts are darker,
and the under parts are more richly coloured, being washed with yellowish-orange.
This species is also evidently closely allied to S. phil/ppensis, Waterhouse, but
the type of the latter is in such a bad state of preservation that its characters
cannot now be well determined.
Blyth considered S. tenuis as identical with S. modestus, M. and S., and
was inclined to regard it as the 8. annulatus, Desmarest;1 but as the latter is
described as having the tail longer than the body, it does not seem likely that it is
8. tenuis. The locality from whence 8. annulatus was procured is also unknown.
The type of this species was from Singapore, but squirrels of its kind have been
found in the Malayan peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
S c iu r u s m u r in u s , Müller & Schlegel.
Seiurus murinus, Müller und Schlegel, Yerhandl. Nat. Gesch. 1889-44, p. 87,
Sciurus murinus, Temminck, Esqu. Zool. de Gainé, 1853, p. 252.
This is a small species, distinguished by the sombre character of its colouring
which is nearly uniform throughout.
The upper parts are dark brown, very finely speckled with rich yellow. The
under parts are dark grey, slightly washed with yellowish, but the grey is generally
so dark that there is no line of separation between the colours of the two surfaces.
The tail is of the same colour as the body, but the hairs are more closely annulated,
and the hairs at the tip are long and blackish. The ears are of moderate size and
rounded, but not pencilled.
Inches.
Length from muzzle to root of tail , 4*30
„ of tail without hair 3*75
« „ with hair . . . . . . . . . 5*75
There are three examples of this species in the Leyden Museum, all from the
Celebes.
! Desmarest, Mammalogie, p. 338.
S c iu r u s e x i l i s , S. Muller.
Scmrus exilis, S. Müller, Tydschrift voor Nat. Gesch. 1888-89, vol. v. p. 148* Müller und
Sohlegel, Verhandl. Natur Gesch. 1889-44 p. 87 et p. 97, pi. xv. figs. 4 6 ; Wagner, Sehreher,
Saugeth. Suppl. vol. ni. 1848, p. 208 ; Schinz, Syn. Mamm. vol. ii. 1845 p 41
Macroxus exilis, Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. xx. 1867, p. 282.
In the Leyden Museum there are fire small squirrels the bodies of which vary
from 2-75 to 3-20 inches ; and the tails, without the hair, are about 220 inches
They axe squirrels about the size of S. melmuMs. The type in the Leyden Museum
is said to be an adult, and it certainly has not the characters of a young ..ni™.]
although it is so very small. The general colour of the upper parts may te
described as olive-brown, but the head, and the back especially over the. neck and
shoulders, are more or less suffused with reddish, which, however, is not very
prominent nor contrasting much with the general colour. The muzzle is yellowish
and there is a similar ring round the eye, but the sides of the face from the moustache
backwards, and the sides of the neck, resemble the sides of the body. The
limbs also axe concolorous with the body. The under parts axe whitish or dusky,
suffused, more or less, with rufous, and on the scrotum of the male, with bright
orange. The hairs of the tail have a broad basal orange band succeeded by a broad
black band which is tipped with yellowish ; the under surface of the tail being
rather brightly washed with orange. The ears' axe of moderate size and rounded
and clad with very short hairs. The whiskers are black; nearly one-half of thé
sole of the hind foot is clad.
The iris is brown; and the upper incisors are very pale yellow ; the lower pair
axe nearly white. The skull is much arched behind; the facial portion is very
broad at the base, becoming pointed towards the front, and moderately long.
This species has been found in Malacca, Sumatra, and Borneo.
S c iu r u s p a l m a r u m , L hm E e u s .
Ecureuil pabniste, Brisson, Regn. Anim. 1756, p, 158, No. 10
l e palmiste, BufEon, Hist. Nat. vol. x. 1768, p. 181, pi. 126.
Palm squirrel, Pennant, Syn. Quad. 1771, p. 287 ; Hist. Quad. 1793, voi ii p 149
S cw rmja hmnm , Linn. Syst. Nat. 1776, 12th ed. p. 86; Gmelin, 13th 'ed. ibid 1788 u 149-
Erziehen, Syst. Eeg. Ann. 1777 (in part), p. 423; Zimmermann, Geograph Gesch. voi S i m
p. 343; Boddaert, Elench. Animal, 1785, p. 119; Schieber, Säugeth. vol. iv. 1792 p.' 80S nl’
220 (fig. Buffon) ; Shaw, Geni. Zool. vol. ii. pt. i. 1801 (in part), p. 146 • Leach' var 3 7nnl
. Misceli, vol. i, 1814 (addenda e t corrig, p. 187). * * ' 5
tM n u p a h u n m , Desmarest, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. vol. x. 1817, p. 106; Mamm 1820 J f e w
ü H 5 1 H B Diofc des So- Nat- g l 1 1 I « » , p. 247; Desmoulins, Diet Class'
H H | B P - Horsfield,Zool. Besch. Java; Cat. Mamm. E. Ind. Co's Mus'
B ( Mamm. 1829, p. 858; Waterhouse, Charlesworth's Mag' Nat'
H is t 1887, vol. >■ p .4 9 6 ; Ogfiby, Boyle's HI, Him. Bot, Mem. Mamm. 1840, p, 18; Wagner'
Beitr. zur Saugeth Bhuna von Kaschmir (Hugel Beise), 1842, p. 573; Wagner, Schieber
Saugeth. Suppl. vol. m. 1843, p. 204; Gray, Hand-List Mamm. B. M. 18 48, p. 14 1; Schinz'
I 2