A HANDSOME LI VERY. 187 



skips from rock to rock, or darts along a fallen 

 tree, the stripes assume a ribbon-like appearance, 

 unlike any animal's coat I ever saw. 



Two broad stripes of jet-black mark each side 

 of the animal, and extend from the shoulders to 

 the thighs; between each pair of stripes is a line 

 of equal width, of a yellowish-white. The medium 

 region of the back is a rich grey ; chestnut-brown, 

 mottled with yellow and black, colours half the 

 thighs, and extends over the hips, shading away 

 into the grey on the back. The tail is rather 

 short, but very brushy; the under-surface, coloured 

 a bright yellow-brown, is margined with a much 

 lighter tint of the same colour. Above the tail 

 is grey, like the back. Length about seven inches ; 

 tail four inches without the terminating hairs. 



It feeds principally on young grass and the 

 juicy stalks of succulent plants; extending from 

 the holes or clefts where they reside, trails beaten 

 like footpaths lead in the direction of the favourite 

 herbage. It is a most active and watchful 

 squirrel : at the slightest noise it bounds with as- 

 tonishing speed, and takes leaps almost equal to 

 those of the flying-squirrel to reach its hole, 

 uttering as it runs a low plaintive whistle. Con- 

 spicuous as this squirrel's coloration appears when 

 viewed apart from its habitat, nevertheless, it 



