402 Capt. P. J. Begbie on the Natural History 



Sciurusbadjingy Gmel. (syn. Sciurus flavus, Penn.) The Plan- 

 tain Squirrel. Colour throughout pale yellow. Size the same as 

 the last; gentle and easy tamed. This species is considered by 

 Mr. Stark not to be well established^ and he therefore merely 

 mentions the name without including it in his classilication. As 

 however I procured a live specimen in the interior of the penin- 

 sula, and kept it for some weeks, I have restored it to its proper 

 place in the catalogue. 



Besides the above, there are three or four varieties of flying 

 squirrels, viz. the Pteromys petaurista of Desm., or Sciurus petau- 

 rista of Gmelin and Pallas, about seventeen inches long ; the P. 

 nitidus of Desm., which is a slight variety of the preceding ; the 

 P. sagitta of the same author, or Sciurus sagitta of Gmelin ; the 

 Javan flying squirrel, six inches long, &c. 



MusjavanuSfDesm.. (syn. Muspilorides, Linn .) The Musk Cavy. 

 Body above tawny, beneath white. Tail long, scaly, truncate. 

 Nine inches long, tail four inches. The cavy grunts something- 

 like a hog, and from the looseness and toughness of its skin, and 

 the length of its fore-teeth, which are cuneiform, makes a vigorous 

 resistance when attacked by even three or four dogs. These 

 teeth are about an inch long, and fully as much is imbedded in 

 the jaw. When removed from the socket, the shape of the tooth 

 is about a third of a circle. They are harmless and inoffensive, 

 living principally upon the bamboo, which they cut down with 

 great rapidity, and are known to the Malays by a name signi- 

 fying Bamboo Rat. 



Manis crassicaudata, Geoff, (syn. M. macroura, Desm.; M.pen- 

 tadactyla, Linn.) Short-tailed Manis. This animal is about two 

 feet long, and has the body covered with imbricate triangular 

 scales ; those on the back form eleven longitudinal and parallel 

 rows. The tail shorter than the body. The manis erects its 

 scales when irritated, and defends itself when attacked by rolling 

 up its body into the form of a ball, presenting a defence on every 

 side by means of its pointed scales. 



The Manis javanicus of Desm. differs principally from the 

 foregoing in being only two-thirds of the size, and having seven- 

 teen rows of longitudinal scales on the back. 



Elephas indicus (syn. Elephas maximus, Linn.). The Asiatic 

 Elephant. This animal inhabits the forests of the Malayan pe- 

 ninsula in considerable numbers. 



Sus habyrussiay Linu. The Wild Hog. The name of this spe- 

 cies is derived from two Malay words, viz. habiy hog, and rusa^ 

 wild. It is very abundant throughout the peninsula ; but its 

 tusks are smaller, and its disposition less ferocious, than those of 

 the wild hog of continental India. It can be shot on foot with 



