SCIENTIFIC RESULTS FROM THE MAMMAL SURVEY. 727 



length, to back of bnllae, 37*2 ; condylo-basal length, 33"5 ; zygo- 

 matic breadth, 21*3; interorbital breadth, 6-8 ; bi-meatal breadth, 

 19-5; palatal foramina, 6-1 ; diagonal length of bullee, 13; back 

 of bulli© to front of meatal swelling, 8-8; upper molar series, 5-5. 



An old male sknll with closed basal suture has a median length 

 of 38-5. 



Habit : — Hilly region to the north-west and west of the Indian 

 Desert. Type from Kohat, North- West Frontier, 1,000- 

 1,700', Other specimens from Attock, Khelat-i-Ghilzai, Afgha- 

 nistan, and Baluchistan, (Wad and Dasht in the far south-west). 



Type: — Young adult Female (basilar suture not closed). B. M. 

 No. 7.6. 8. 7. Original number 31. Collected 23rd February 

 1907. and presented by Capt. C. H. T. Whitehead. 



^.—CHANGE OF COAT IN THE COMMON PALM 

 SQUIRREL— AN APPEAL. 



By R. C. Wroughton, F.z.s. 



In connection with the identification of two series of the three- 

 striped jungle squirrel, obtained by Capt. P. Gosse, R.a.m.c, I 

 have again examined all the available material of the (southern) 

 three-striped Palm-Sqiiirrel, as distinguished from the (northern) 

 five-striped Banyan-Squirrel. Unfortunately though the total 

 number of specimens is considerable, it is composed of series 

 representing only one season of the year for each locality. 



These squirrels may be divided into three groups, viz : — (1) the 

 squirrels (palmarum.^ living commensal with man ; (2) those 

 species living wild in the jungle in localities of comparatively 

 heavy rainfall (tristriatus, ivroughtoni, numarius) ; and finally (3) 

 those living in the more arid country of the Dekhan (rohertsoni). 



In all these forms there appears to be a seasonal chang(5 of coat, 

 very much marked in fristriatus, &c., less so in palmarum., and 

 little more than indicated in rohertsoni. 



In tristriatus the new coat of the year is assumed about 

 December-January, by the shedding of the old coat and its com- 

 plete renewal, i.e., by a " moult." In this coat the general ground 

 colour (some shade of " grizzle ") extends over the whole upper 

 surface of the body ; broken only by the darker saddle-mark, never 

 more than brown in colour, which in its turn carries the three 

 longitudinal buffy stripes. 



With the end of February or the beginning of March the first 

 indication of modification of the coat begin to appear, usually, but 

 by no means always, commencing by the formation of black 

 patches, in the saddle mark, upon the shoulders, which spread back- 

 wards, until, some time between July and November, the whole 

 of the back is black with white stripes, while, as a secondary detail. 



