236 Mammals of Eastern Asia 
length of the head and body. The nipple count is high for 
Squirrels — 4, 5, or 6 pairs (Ellerman). 
The Old World Ground Squirrels that must here be discussed 
are all members of the subgeneric group Citellus, and further- 
more are members of only two species groups, the citellus group 
and the eversmanni group. Old World Citellus has its headquar- 
ters in eastern Europe and western and central Asia. 
The Ground Squirrels of the citellus group have the soles of 
the feet hairy, the tail varying in length from one-fifth to one- 
third of the head and body, and the interorbital region of the 
head (between the eyes) narrow; those of the eversmanni 
group also have hairy soles, but the tail from one-third to one- 
half of the head and body, and the space between the eyes broad. 
The Eversmann Ground Squirrels, Citellus eversmanni, 
with headquarters in western Siberia, have several representa- 
tive forms on the eastern coast of the Asiatic continent, C. e. 
stejnegeri from Kamchatka, C. e. leucostictus from the 
Okhotsk River and Gichiga region, C. e. transbaikalicus, C. e. 
menzbieri from the Amur River, and C. e. buxtoni from east 
Siberia. 
The color is a blend of black and light gray, with a tendency 
to form pale spots or speckles on the entire middle area of the 
back. The crown of the head and the back of the neck are 
buffy gray; the tail basally is colored like the body; terminally 
the longer, more tufted hairs are a mixture of black, buffy, and 
some white. The lips and throat are white, the underparts buff 
with the bases of the hairs gray-brown. The winter pelage is 
much paler. The length of the head and body is from 8 to 9% 
inches, of the tail from 4 to 4% inches, of the hind foot 1% to 
2 inches. The ear is only % inch high. 
These Ground Squirrels occur in large colonies, often located 
in grassy valleys between patches of forest. 
The Dahurian Ground Squirrel, Citellus dauricus, typically 
from the Dahurian region of Transbaikalia, is represented near 
