KODENTIA SCIUEDAE SCIURUS ABEETI. 



115 



FAM. SCIUIIIDAE. 



SCIURUS ABERTI, Woodhouse. 

 Tuft-eared Squirrel. 



ticiurus dorsalis, WOODH., Pr. A. N. Sc. Phil., vi, June, 1852, 110 (name p re-occupied). 



Sciitrvs aberti, WOODHOUSE, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phil, vi, Dec., 1852, 220; Sitgreave's Ztifii 

 Expeil., 1853, 53, mammals, pi. vi. AUD. & BACH., Q. N. A., iii, 185-1, 2G2, 

 pi. 153, f. 1. BAIRD, Mamm. N. A., 1857, 2G7. COUES, Am. Nat., i, 18G7, 

 355. COUES, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pbila., 18G7, 134. ALLEN, Proc. Bost. 

 Soc., xvi, 1874, p. . 



Sciurus castanotus, BAIRD, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1855, 332 (typographical error 

 for castanonotus). 



Kciurus castanonotus, BD., Mainm. N. A., 1857, 2GG. BD., Mex. B. Surv., ii, 1859, 

 mammals, 35, pi. 5. 



A fine specimen of this species of squirrel was obtained on the expe- 

 dition of 1872 on the southern slope of Bill Williams' Mountain. Several 

 others were secured, always in hilly districts. It was found to be very com- 

 mon in New Mexico and Arizona, and numerous specimens were secured 

 during the expeditions of 1873 and 1874. One specimen was taken in North- 

 western Colorado, which is probably its most northern limit. 



Specimens. 



These specimens are particularly interesting 1 , as they demonstrate a 

 hitherto unrecognized range of variation of the species. A part of them 

 have no trace of the dorsal chestnut stripe, usually conspicuous. In this 

 state, they are curiously similar to Sciurus fossor, though, of course, distin- 

 guishable by the tufted ears, dark lateral stripe, and other characters. The 

 amount of tufting of the ears is very variable, however ; the tufts being 



