46 Osgood — Unrecognized and Misapplied Names. 



In general terms, it nuiy be ssaid, therefore, tliut it is probable that the 

 type of S. rufiventer came from some locality between southern Illinois 

 and central Tennessee. In any event, the type of S. rujivenler agrees so 

 closely with the Mississippi Valley form of fox squirrel as to justify the 

 application of the name to it. 



Sciurus niger texianus Bachman. 



Schirux (I'xianus Bacliman, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, pp. 8G-87, 1838. 

 The essential part of the original description of this form is as follows : 

 "Sciurus iexianus. Texian Squirrel. This name is proposed by Dr. 

 Bachman for an apparently undescribed species which he saw in the mu- 

 seum at Paris. It is said to have been received from Mexico. In the 

 museums of Berlin and Zurich, he also found what he conceives to be 

 the same species ; and in the British Museum there is a specimen obtained 

 at Texas by Mr. Douglas, agreeing with the others in almost every partic- 

 ular. * * * The Texian Squirrel is about the size of the Fox Squirrel. 

 On the upper surface there is a mixture of black and yellow, and on the 

 under parts deep yeUoif. The under sides of the limbs, and also the parts 

 of the body contiguous, are whitish. Fore-legs, externally, and the feet, 

 rich yellow : ears, on both surfaces, yellow, with interspersed tchite hairs: 

 nose and lips brownish whiie: hairs of tail, rich rusty-yellow at base, with 

 a broad, black space near the extremity, and finally tipped with yellow. 



DIMENSIONS. 



in. lines. 



"Length of body 13 6 



Tail to end of hair 15 



Tarsus , 3 



Height of ears to end of fur Q>1" 



This description is published with the report of the meeting of the 

 Zoological Society of London for August 14, 1838, which opens with the 

 following paragraph : " A series of skins, belonging to species of the genus 

 Sciurus, including, with one or two exceptions, all which are known to 

 inhabit North America, were upon the table ; and the Rev. Dr. Bachman, 

 of S. Carolina, brought them severally before the notice of the members. 

 " Five of the species exhibited were new, and for these he proposed the 

 specific names of texianus, lanuginosus, fuligiiwsus, suhauratus, audulxmi, 

 and richardsoni." 



Dr. Allen (Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XVI, pp. H;G-ir)7,1902) has called 

 attention to the name texianus and proposes to adopt it for the small, pale 

 fox squirrel (Wmi^js) of west-central Texas. But, as noted by Bailey (N. 

 Am. Fauna, No. 25, p. 77, footnote, 1905), Bachman's description is not ap- 

 plicable to this form. Of the specimens mentioned by Bachman, I have 

 lately examined the one in the Paris Museum and the one in the British 

 Museum and am convinced the latter should be considered the type. It 

 agrees perfectly with the description, which was doubtless prepared as 

 well as published in London, and, moreover, it must be the specimen ex- 

 hibited at the meeting of the Zoological Society in the report of which the 

 name was proposed. 



