October, 1841.] 101 



Dimensions 



Length of the head and body, 10 inch. lines. 



Do. tail, 13 " 



From shoulder to point of nose, 3 " 10 " 

 Tarsus, 2 " 5 " 



Height of ear, posteriorly, " 6 " 



The specimen was received from California, and has the appearance, from 

 its thin covering of hair, nearly destitute of the soft fur usually found in 

 the squirrel, of being a native of a warm climate. 



Remarks. This species differs widely from all the other varieties and 

 species of Black Squirrel in our country. It is destitute of the white nose 

 and ears of Sc. capistratus ; it has shorter and coarser hair than Sc. niger, 

 with none of the white tnfts invariably found in that species; and has a 

 smaller body, although a much longer tail, than Se. Auduboni, with none 

 of the white, yellow and brown annulations in the hair, which characterize 

 that species. 



Scixtrvb ferniginiventris. Rust-bellied Squirrel. 



S. (/erruginiventris.) Vellere supra ex albo-cinereo vario, subtus rufo ; 

 armis fuscis. 



Rust-bellied Squirrel. 



Light grey above, reddish-brown on the shoulders; beneath, bright 

 rufous. 



Form. This species, which is a little smaller than the Carolina Grey 

 Squirrel, possesses great symmetry of form, and, in shape, resembles the 

 latter species. The ears on both surfaces are thinly clothed with hair ; tail 

 longer than the body. 



Colour Teeth yellow; nails brown ; point of nose and whiskers, black; 



ears, on the outer edges, tinged with brown; within, grey; behind the 

 ears, on the neck, a line of soiled white. On the upper surface, the head, 

 neck, back and tail are light grey, formed by hairs which are light plum- 

 beous, from the roots to near the tips, where they have white and black 

 annulations; from the outer surface of the fore legs, there is a reddish- 

 brown wash, which extends over the shoulders, and nearly meets on the 

 back, gradually fading into the colours of the back and neck. The hairs 

 of the tail are black at the roots, then yellowish, then a broad line of black, 

 tipt with white. The feet, on the upper surface, are grizzled with white 

 and black. The sides of the face and chin are light grey. The whole of 

 the remainder of the under surface of the body, including a line around 

 the eyes, the throat and inner surface of the legs, is of an uniform bright 

 rufous colour. 



Dimensions 



Length of head and body, 



Do. tail, 



Height of ear, posteriorly, 

 Length of tarsus, 



Habitat. California. 



Scidrcs leporinus. Hare-like Squirrel. 



S. (leporinus.) Cauda, crapa maximeque disticha; vellere supra ex cine- 

 ereo-fusca ; subtus albo. 



Tail broad, and very distichous ; dark greyish-brown above, white be- 

 neath. 



Form. Intermediate in size between Sc. cinereous and Sc. leucotis ; ears 

 moderate, thinly covered with very short hairs on both surfaces ; tail 

 longer than the body. 



Colour. Teeth orange; whiskers black; nose dark brown; ears light 

 brown. Above the ears, a tuft of soft, cottony-like fur. The hairs on the 

 back, which are short, are cinereous at the roots, then light brown, tipt 

 with brown and black, giving it so much the colour of the English Hare, 

 that we concluded to borrow from it our specific name. On the sides, the 



