Vol. XVI, pp. 99-102 June 25, 1903 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



GENERAL NOTES. . 



The proper name of the Redwood Chickaree. 



In the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washing-ton (Vol. XI, 

 pp. 281-282, December 30, 1897), I described as a new subspecies a form 

 of Sciurus {Tamiasciurus) douglasi, that inhabits the costal strip of 

 northern California west of the Coast Range, calling it Sciurus hudson- 

 icus orarius. A few months later Dr. J. A. Allen published a review of 

 the subgenus Tamiasciurus* and to my astonishment substituted Audu- 

 bon's and Bachman's name, Sciurus mollipilosus for this animal. 



As I cannot agree with Dr. Allen on this point of synonymy, it seems 

 well to point out why, in my opinion, the animal in question should be 

 known by my name and not that of Audubon and Bachman. 



Sciurus mollipilosus was first described by Audubon and Bachman in 

 the Proc. Acad, of Nat. Sci., Phila., October, 1841, p. 102, from speci- 

 mens said to have come from the "Northern parts of California." A 

 little later the species was figured and again described in Quad, of N. 

 Am., Vol. I, pp. 157-158, pi. XIX, by the same authors who changed the 

 locality to "The northern part of California near the Pacific Ocean." 

 The figure and both descriptions indicate an animal very rusty brown 

 above and grayish below, the underparts being said to be "cinereous, 

 lightly tinged in some places with rufous." The tail was described as 

 "brown, twice annulated with black; a few of the hairs are tipped with 

 gray." None of these characters agree in the least with the colors of 

 the Redwood Chickaree, which is very dark and distinctly olivaceous 

 above, without reddish brown shades, except sometimes a little at base 

 of tail and on rump, and varies in color below from pale ochraceous-buff 



*Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist,, X, pp. 249-298, July 22, 189S. 



26— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. Vol. XVI, 1903. (99) 



