408 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV x 



liaj. Syn. quad., p. 216. 



Clus. Exot. p. 112. 



Johnst. Quadr., p. 105. 



Eus. Nieremb. Fig., p. 172. 



Pili corporis ex rufo et nigro variegantur : pili caudoe supra ex nigro 

 et flavicante, infra vero sunt ex flavo rufe, cum duabus tceniis longi- 

 tudinalibus in utroque latere liigris, altera toenia etiam longitudinali 

 albicante utrinque teiminatis : tres sunt, insuper in dorso, secundum 

 ipsius longitudinem, tcenioe flavicantes, in utroque scilicet latere una, 

 alter in medio dorso. 



Habitat — Asia, Africa, et America.." 

 There is a mark against this species which, as explained in his preface, 

 means a species " quam propriis oculis examinare mihi fiat concessum." 



There are three points in this description to which I would call 

 attention, viz. : — 



1. For the first time 6 pale dorsal stripes are mentioned. 



2. The rufous band along the midrib of the tail below is distinctly 

 mentioned. 



3. No mention is made of the three-toed fore-feet. 



In 1766 was published the XII edition of Linne's " Systema 

 Naturae " (S. palmarum is not mentioned in the X edition). The notice 

 of this species (Lib. 1, p. 86) is as follows : — 



Sciurus palmarum. 



S. subgriseus, striis tribus flavicantibus, caudaque albo nigroque 

 lineata. 



Sciurus coloris ex rufo et niffro mixti, lineis in dorso flavicantibus. 

 Briss : Quad : p. 1 56. 



Mustela africana. Clus : Exot : p. 112. Raj : Quad : p. 216. 



Habitat — America, Asia, Africa. 



Cauda disticha erecta non abumbrans Pedes 4-5. Auricula? rotunda?." 



In the absence of any specific indication in his own description the 

 fact that Linne quotes Brisson as his authority establishes the form with 

 3 pale dorsal stripes and a rufous band under the tail as the typical 

 palmarum, L. 



The puzzling point is where did Linne get his character " Pedes 

 4-5 " ? for none of his authorities mention it. The only place he could 

 have found it was Vol. X of Buffon's ' Histoire Naturelle ' which was 

 published in 1763. J extract from it a description of" Le Palmiste." 



