MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS SCIUItUS. 379 



of Natural History and his having been the discoverer of the 

 present species, fully entitle him to a much higher tribute 

 than the above dedication. 



Characters. — A little less than Sciurus niger ; ears shorter ; incisors 

 broader: larger than the little brown squirrel. Tail the length of the bo- 

 dy ; fur very coarse, glossy and harsh to the touch ; colour above black, 

 beneath brownish. Dental formula: Incisors |; Canines §§; Molars ff; — 

 20. 



The specimen from which I describe contained the above 

 number of teeth. If the small anterior molar in the upper 

 jaw existed in the young, which I suspect to be the case in 

 all our species, it is deciduous, and we are warranted in ar- 

 ranging this species among those which have permanently 

 but twenty teeth. The head is narrower than that of Sciurus 

 niger. In the upper jaw the anterior molar is triangular in 

 shape, crowned with three blunt tubercles ; the rest are quad- 

 rangular, with excavated crowns. 



The body is thinner than that of the Sciurus niger, and the 

 ears, which are triangular in shape, are much shorter ; they 

 are covered on both surfaces with short adpressed hairs, pre- 

 senting none of the tuft-like appearances on the outer surface 

 possessed by several of our other species. Whiskers longer 

 than the head, extending to the shoulders. The fur on the 

 back is the coarsest of all our species, with the exception of 

 that of the fox squirrel {Sciurus vulpinus), black and very 

 glossy. 



Colour. — The incisors, as is the case with nearly all the 

 species of this genus, are of a deep orange colour ; whiskers 

 black ; the back, whole of the upper parts, limbs externally, 

 and feet, are black, with a faint tinge of brown ; many of 

 the hairs are obscurely annulated with yellowish white. — 

 The whole under surface, as well as the inner sides of the 

 thighs and legs, brownish. Most of the hairs are greyish 

 white at the base, and the remaining portion is annulated with 

 black and yellow ; in certain parts, however, the hairs are 

 chiefly of a brown colour. The chin is black, with the ex- 

 treme tip whitish ; tip of the muzzle brownish. Tail black ; 

 when viewed from beneath, the hairs exhibit deep yellow an- 

 nulations : most of the hairs are brownish towards the tip. 



There are black varieties of Sciurus leucotis, having the 

 hairs obscurely annulated ; but the present species may be 

 distinguished by its much shorter ears, which are well cloth- 

 ed with hair. The tarsus is shorter in proportion, and the 

 coarseness of fur will prove a sufficient mark of distinction. 



