Octobek, 1841.] 99 



Dimensions 



Length of head and body, 4 inch. 3 lines. 



Length of tail, 3 " 1 " 



Length of head, 1 " 3 " 

 Length of ear posteriorly, 3 " 



Tarsus including nail, 9 " 



In symmetry of form and brightness of colour, this is the prettiest spe- 

 cies of Mas inhabiting our country. It is at the same time a great climber. 

 We have only observed it in a state of nature in three instances, in the oak 

 forests of South Carolina. It ran up the tall trees with great agility, and 

 on one occasion concealed itself in a hole, (which apparently contained its 

 nest,) at least thirty feet from the ground. The specimen we have descri- 

 bed was shot from the extreme branches of an oak in the dusk of the even- 

 ing where it was busily engaged among the acorns. It is a rare species in 

 Carolina, but appears to be more common in Georgia, as we received from 

 Maj. Le Conte, three specimens obtained in the latter State. 



Note. We have arranged this species under the sub-genus of Mr. Water- 

 house, proposed in the Zoological Society of London, Feb. 17th, 1837. (See 

 Transactions.) It is thus characterized. "Subgenus Calomys (from K*aoc 

 beautiful, and Mus.) Fur moderate, soft. Tarsus almost entirely clothed 

 beneath with hair. Front molar with three indentations of enamel on the 

 inner side, and two on the outer ; and the last molar with one on each 

 side. The type, Mus (calomys,) bimaculatus. Two other species have 

 been described from South America. Mus (calomys) elegans and graci- 

 lipes." 



Arctomys fiaviventer Yellow-bellied Marmot. 



Arctomys (fiaviventer.) Corpore supra flaveo subalbicante et nigro ; 

 capitis apice maximum in partem nigro ; corpore subtus flavo aureo ; baccis 

 flavis, quoad nasi orbiculum, labia et mentum albo ; pedibus fuscis ; cauda 

 ex atro fusca. Pilis omnibus ex fusco-flavo marginatis. 



Yellow bellied Marmot. 



Upper parts, grizzled yellowish white and black ; crown of the head 

 chiefly black ; under parts, deep yellow ; sides of the muzzle, yellow ; point 

 of the nose, tips and chin, white; feet, brownish yellow; tail blackish- 

 brown, all of the hair tipt with brownish yellow. 



The fur on the back is greyish-black at the base ; on each hair there is 

 then a considerable space occupied by dirty yellowish-white, which is 

 gradually shaded towards the apex through brown into black ; tips of the 

 hairs yellowish-white ; hairs of the belly, greyish-black at the base ; hairs 

 of feet, many of them blackish at base ; cheeks, grizzled black and white ; 

 the former colour prevailing: a rusty brown patch on the throat, borders 

 the white hairs of the chin; whiskers moderate black; feet entirely naked 

 beneath. 



This species is closely allied to the Arctomys empetra, which exists in 

 the northern part of our continent; but the feet are yellow, instead of 

 black, as in that animal; and the belly is yellow, instead of deep rusty- 

 red; aud the colouring of the hairs on the back consists of yellowish- 

 white and black, instead of rusty brown, black and white. The head is 

 narrower, the toes are smaller, and claws only half the length of the Arcto- 

 mys empetra. 



Dimensions 



From point of nose to root of tail, 16 inch. lines. 

 Tail to end of fur, 

 Heel to point of nail, 

 Height of ear, posteriorly, 

 Point of nose to ear, 



15 



