P t e r o m y s e l e g a n s , Temminck.
Pteromys elegansf Temm. Coup d’ceil, Faune des ìles de la Sonde et de Fempire du Japon. Introduction,
Faun, du Japon. 1886, p. s ii.; Miiller und Schlegel,Verhandl.Natur. Gesch. 1889-44, pp. 107,
112, tab. 16, figs. 1 (skull), 2 ,8; Is. Geoff. St.-Hil. Mamm. Yoy. Jacquemont, 1842-48, p. 65 ;
Wagner, Schreher, Säugeth. Suppl. vol. iii. 1848, p. 228; Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. vol.
xvi. 1847, p. 865; ibid. vol. xxviii. 1859, p. 277; Schinz, Syn. Mamm. vol. ii. 1845, p. 52 ;
Giebel, Odontogr. p. 45, tab. 20, fig. 7 ; Säugeth. vol. ii. p. 641.
Ptffromys jmnctatus, Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. xviii. 1846, p. 211 ; Blyth, Jourp. As.
Sog. Beng. vol. xxviii. 1859, p. 277.
This flying squirrel was incidentally described by Temminck in his Introduction
to the Fauna Japonica, and had been overlooked by naturalists until Is. Geoff.
St.-Hilaire directed attention to it. I t was discovered in tbe Island of Nusa Kambang,
and when Temminck wrote was unknown in tbe Island of Java, but I now observe
a number of specimens in the Leyden Museum marked as coming from the latter
island.
I t resembles P. nitidus in size and proportions, but is distinguished from it by
the dorsal region, from the vertex to the root of the tail, and the sides, excluding
the wing-membrane, being a mixture of greyish and blackish-purple, depending on
the presence of a multitude of almost white hairs which are either generally interspersed
among the dark hairs, or grouped together in spots. When these whitish or
grey hairs are arranged in groups the animals constitute the P . punctatus, Gray.
The parts surrounding the dorsal region are deep rich maroon-chestnut, as are also
the fore limbs, thighs, and rump. The grey hairs frequently extend as spots on
to the vertex, while in others they stop short on the nape, but the blackish-purple
of the back, as a rule, which forms the ground colour, occasionally passes into
chestnut on the front part of the head, the bases of the hair being a pale violet-grey,
the sides of the face before and below the ears being also of the same colour, and,
underneath the eye, the hairs are tipped with rich chestnut. The under parts are
pale, but rich rufous-chestnut, darker on the under surface of the limbs and on the
external half of the parachute. The base of the tail is somewhat contracted and is
dusky chestnut, passing into black throughout the rest of its extent. The bushy,
erect hairs that clothe the outer portion of the tarsus are pale violet-grey in some,
and the carpal cartilage is bordered by the same colour. The ears are moderately
large, and longer than broad, diminishing towards the tip and terminating in a
rounded point. Their insides are clad with moderately long, but so Very flue hairs,
that they have a semi-nude appearance. Their outsides are covered with a few small
hairs which become more numerous on the fore margin. The under surface of the
fore feet, with the exception of the two proximal pads, is bald, while on the sole, of
the hind foot the bare area is narrowed posteriorly. The hair around the eyes is
generally black, and there are some small irregular spots on the toes, especially on
the hind feet, but frequently the feet are altogether black.
The skull of the species differs only from that of S. nitidus in being somewhat
smaller.
The species occurs in Nusa Kambang, Java, and Malacca, and from the last
of these localities was obtained that spotted example which was described by
Dr. Gray as P . pimctatus. I have examined both types.' This species measures—
Inches.
Body, muzzle to vent . . . . -. . . . . . 1 4 ‘50
Tail . . . . . . ................................................. . 16*75
P t e r o m y s n i t i d u s , Desmarest.
Sciuruspetav/rista, Pallas ( $ ), Miscell. Zool. 1766, p. 5.6,
The Sailing Squirrel, Pennant, Quad, (in part), 1781, 3rd ed. vol. ii. p. 151, Nq. 349.
L ’ Ecwreuil éclant, Is. Geoff. St.-Hil. Coll. Mus. d'Hist. Nat.
Pteromys nitidus, Desmarest, Nouv. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. vol. xxvii. 1818, p. 408; Lesson, Man. de
Mamm. 1827, p. 241; Is. Geoff. St.-Hil. Diet. Class. 1828, vol. xiv. p., 181 ; Yoy. dans Finde,
Jacquemont Zool. 1844, p. 65; Desmarest, Mamm. 182Q, p. 342; -Fischer, Syn. Mamm.
1829, p. 868 ; Gray, Charlesworth’s Mag.. Nat. Hist, (new series), vol. i. 1887, p. 584; List
Mamm. B. M. 1848, p. 134; Miiller und Schlegel, Verhandl. 1839-44, pp. 107 &112,; Schreb.
Säugeth. Wagner, Suppl. vol. iv. 1843, p. 221, pi. 224c ; Schinz, Syn. Mamm. vol. ii. 1845,.
• p. 5 0 ; Blyth, Joum. As. Soc. Beng'. vol. xvi.. 1847, p. 866; ibid. 1859, vol. xxviii. p. 277;
Cat. Mamm. As. Soc. Beng. Mus. 1863, p. 96 ; Brandt, Mem. Acad. St. Petersb. 6th ser. vol.
vii. 1850, p. 298 ; Zelebor, Säugeth. Novara, 1868, p. 25 ; Horsfield, Cat. Mamm. E. Ind. Co/s
Mus. 1851, p. 162.
Pteromys grandis, Swinhoe, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1862, p. 358, pi. xlv. ; ibid. 1870, p. 634.
The colour of this animal may be described as a deep rich maroon-chestnut,
inclining to black on the upper parts, the hairs being black-tipped on the back. On
the base of the tail, which is bushy, the black tips are longer, and the chestnut portion
of the hair becomes an obscure blackish chestnut, so that the tail, throughout by far
the greater part of its length, is black, from the prevalence of the black tips and the
dark underlying colour. The feet are concolorous with the body which presents
no trace of grizzling. The under parts are rich red-chestnut, liable, however, to
become paler, and the chin is blackish.
I have compared Swinhoe’s examples of P . grandis with a Javan example of
this species, and I cannot detect any external character by which to distinguish
the one from the other, and a specimen of P . nitidus from Java in the Paris
Museum might stand as P. grandis, as the tail, instead of being black-tipped as in
the generality of specimens of P . nitidus, is nearly wholly black, as in P . grandis.
The skull of the type of P. grandis is in the British Museum, and is not quite so
large as the skull figured by Brandt, than which it has less occipital and zygomatic
breadth, being at the same time an altogether smaller skull, but it has the same
broad muzzle as P. nitidus, and the other differences are so slight that they do not
suffice to separate the Formosan from the Javan animal, more especially when the
identity of their peripheral characters are taken into consideration. Moreover, a
skull of P . nitidus in the National Collection, from Sumatra, agrees with Brandt’s
figure in every respect, while another and smaller skull from the same locality
differs from the figure in question in the same way that the skull of P. grandis does.