SciuropterapAayrei, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. vol. xxviii. 1859, p. 278; ibid. vol. xliv. 1875,
p. 35; Cat. Mamm. As. Soc. Mus. 1863, p. 97.
This species, which is a little larger than P . genibarbis, is recognised by the rich,
uniform rufous-brown colour of the fur of the upper parts and tail, the latter being
bright rusty beneath, bushy and distichous. The margin of the membrane and the
sides of the face below the eye are reddish-yellow, and the dorsal surface of the
parachute dark brown. On the upper surface of the body each hair is grey at the
base; and the interspersed longer hairs which are numerous, are bright brown
or reddish-yellow at their apices. The fur is dense and woolly. On the under
parts and inside of the limbs the hairs are yellowish-white and not grey at
their bases. Cheek-bristles absent.
Inches.
Body............................................................................................. 9-00
T a i l ...........................................................................................................................825
Animals from the Island of Banka appear to be paler than those from Java and
the Malayan peninsula. The foregoing are the localities of its known distribution
along with Tenasserim and Cambodja. The P. aurantiacus, Wagner, appears to be
an immature animal from the Island of Banka; and the P. phayrei of Tenasserim,
which Blyth at first regarded as P. sagitta, but afterwards as akin to P. horsfieldii,
is also apparently an example of this species.
P t e r o m y s s p a d ic e t j s ,1 Blyth.
Sciuroptera spadicea, Blyth, Joum. As. Soc. Beng. vol. xvi. 1847, p, 867, pi. xxxvi. fig. 1; ibid.
vol. xxviii. 1859, p. 278.
Sciwropterus spadiceus, Blyth, Cat. Mamm. As. Soc. Mus. 1863, p. 97 ; Joum. As. Soc. Beng. vol.
xliv. 1875, p. 35, ex. no. -
This is a small species of a bright ferruginous bay colour on the upper surface,
the under parts being woolly and dull white, with the membrane, limbs and tail
dusky; the last third of the tail being pale rufous, inclining to pale yellowish-
white.
Inches.
Length of body . . . . . . . . . . . 5*00
,, t a i l ............................................. . . . . 4*25
I t is only known by Blyth’s description of three specimens from Arracan.
1 In the British Museum, there is a small flying squirrel from Cambodja, which appears to he closely allied to
P . spadiceus-, from which, however, it apparently only differs in having a white tip to its tail. The upper surface
of the head and hack is rufous brown, the parachute being dull blackish-brown washed with rufous on its inner
half, but not externally. The sides of the face and below the eye and moustache are white, tipped with rttfous.
Chin, throat, sides of neck, and chest are pure white, passing into pale yellowish, almost ermine white, so to speak, on
the belly. On the under surface of the parachute the bases of the hairs are grey, hut they are broadly tipped with
white, and on the rest of the under parts they are wholly white. The tail is distichous and pale yellowish-brown
at its base, passing into brownish-black in the rest of its extent, except at the tip, which is white. Length of the body
and head 4 inches, tail 3 f inches long.
P t e r o m y s g e n i b a r b i s , Horsfield.
Pteromys genibarbis, Horsfield, Resch. in Java, 1824 (plate); Cat. Mamm. E. Ind. Co.’s Mus. 1851,
p. 163; Cantor, Joum. As. Soc. Beng. vol. xv. 1846, p. 253; Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng.
vol. xxviii. 1859, p. 278; Temm. Monog. vol. i. Tab. Method. 1827, p. 27 (in part); Fischer,
Syn. Mamm. 1829, p. 363 (in part); Wagner, Schreber, Saugeth. Suppl. vol. iii. 1843,
p. 224; Schinz, Syn. Mamm. vol. ii. 1845, p. 51.
Pteromys sagitta, Temm. Tab. Method, (in part), Mamm. Monog. vol. i. 1827, p. 27; Lesson,
Man. de Zool. 1827, p. 242 (in part); Muller und Schleg. Verhandl. 1839-44, pp. 109 & 113
(in part).
This species, which is of small size, is represented in the India Museum, London,
by the type. I t is distinguished from all other flying squirrels by the series of
bristles or vibrissse disposed on the cheeks in a radiated manner. The head is short,
ovate, laterally compressed and attenuated to a short obtuse muzzle which projects
beyond the lower jaw. The lobe of the ear at its base has a thick tuft of silky
ha.ir of a white colour. The tail is distichous, and equals in length nearly two-thirds
of the body of the animal.
The general colour is grey above and white beneath, the upper surface of the
head being purely grey. On the neck, the back, and the tail, the colour has a
brownish tint, inclining to tawny. The anterior and middle parts of the membrane
are sooty-brown diversified with greyish hairs.
Inches.
Length of body and head . . . . . . . . . 8*9
„ of tail . . • • . * . . . . 5*0
Eound rarely in the eastern extremity of Java.
P t e r o m y s l e p id t j s , Horsfield.1
Sciwropterus lepidus, Horsfd. Zool. Resch. Java, plate, 1 8 2 4 ; Cat. Mamm. E. Ind. Co/s Mus. 1 8 5 1 ,
p. 1 6 3 ; Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. vol. xxviii. 1 8 5 9 , p. 2 7 8 .
Pteromys genibarbis, 0. lepidus, Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 1 8 2 9 , p. 8 6 8 .
Pteromys lepidus, Wagner, Schreber, Saugeth. Suppl. vol. iii. 1 8 4 3 (in part), p. 2 2 6 ; Schinz, Syn.
Mamm. vol. ii. 1 8 4 5 , p. 5 1 .
Pteromys {Sciwropterus) sagitta, Lesson, Man. de Zool. 1 8 2 7 , p. 2 4 2 .
Pteromys sagitta, Temm. Monogr. Mamm. vol. i. Tab. Method, p. xxvii. 1 8 2 7 (in part) ; Müller und
Schlegel, Verhandl. 1 8 3 9 - 4 4 , pp. 1 0 9 , 1 1 3 (in part). ,
11 have not been able to reconcile any of the above small flying squirrels with the S. sagitta, Linn., hut I here
give the principal references to S. sagitta which was described from a Javan specimen—
Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. 1776, p. 88; Erxleben, Syst. An. 1777, p. 439; Fallas, Nov. Sp. Ghr. 1778, p. 353 ;
Boddaert, Elenoh. Anim. 1785, p. 120 ; Gmelin, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1788, p. 154 ; Schreber, Saugeth. vol. iv. 1792,
p. 817, pi. 224 ; Shaw, Genl. Zool. vol. ii. pt. i. 1801, p. 158 (in part) ; Cuvier, Règne Anim. vol. i. 1817,
p. 207;
Desmarest, Nouv. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. vol. xxvii. 1818, p. 403 ; Mamm. 1820, p. 342 ; F. Cuv. Diet, des Sc. Nat.
vol. xxviii. 1827, p. 141 ; Temminok, Tab, Meth. Monogr. Mamm. vol. i. 1827, p. 27 (in part) ; Lesson
Man. de Mamm. (in part), 1827, p. 242 ; Is. Geoff. St.-Hilaire, Diet. Class d’Hist. Nat. vol. xxi. 1828, p. 152 ;
Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 1829, p. 363 (in part) ; Müller und Schlegel, Verhandl. 1839-44, p. 109 (in part) ; Schinz,
Syn. Mamm. vol. ii. 1845, p. 50.