NO. 1976. TREESHREWS: FAMILY TUPAIID^—LYON. 3 



made by the writer. Measurements of the skull followed by ± 

 indicate that the measurement is onl}?" approximate owing to damage 

 to the skull. Hindfoot measurements followed by ± are also only 

 approxunatc. In the tables of measurements the specimens in the 

 United States National Museum will be recognized by simple cata- 

 logue numbers, as 104362, without qualifying initials or footnotes; 

 those in the British Museum by the well-known separation of these 

 numbers into sections by means of periods, as 99. 6. 12.3; specimens 

 in other museums will be found designated by appropriate and self- 

 explanatory initial letters or by footnotes, 



HISTORICAL ACCOUNT. 



The earliest published account of treeslirews is that of Ellis,^ one 

 of the surgeons of Captain Cook's expedition. On Tuesday or 

 Wednesday, 25th or 26th of January, 1780, *Ellis remarks: ''Our 

 sportsmen * * * having seen only a few monkies, squirrels, 

 and a cock and hen, the latter of which they shot. According to 

 Linnaeus this island is their native place." The island referred to is 

 Pulo Condore, off the coast of Cochin China. The squirrels men- 

 tioned in the account are not squirrels, but Tupaias. One of them 

 was evidently shot. A rough but very accurate sketch of the animal 

 was made by EUis and a Latin diagnosis of it written in his journal. 

 This description of the animal was published by Gray in 1860.^ 

 Through the courtesy of the officials of the British Museum a repro- 

 duction of a photograph of Ellis's drawing is here printed. There 

 can be no doubt from Ellis's picture or description that his squirrels 

 were Tupaias (pi. 1). 



Tupaias as such were first brought to the attention of the world 

 by M. Diard, a French naturalist, at one time an assistant of Sir 

 Thomas Stamford Raffles, in November, 1820, under the designation 

 of Sorex glis} 



Six months later. May, 1821, the genus Twpaia was first proposed 

 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles,* and the species ferruginea and 

 tana described, the latter in the present paper being made the type 

 of a nev/ genus. 



Specimens of Tupaias had been seen by Europeans several years 

 earlier, and one even sent to Europe. Geoff roy ^ remarks: 



The discovery of this remarkable group of Insectivores has been attributed to both 

 M. Diard and Sir Raffles. The fact is that it belongs to neither of these celebrated 

 travelers, but to Leschenault de la Tour, who had sent in 1807 to the Museum of 

 Paris an individual of the species which has since been called Tupaiajavanica. Never- 

 theless it is only since 1820 that the attention of naturalists has been called to Tupaias, 

 and that these animals have really entered the domain of science. 



1 Voyage by Capt. Cook and Capt. Gierke in sMps Resolution and Discovery, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 

 1780, vol. 2, 1782, p. 340. 

 - 2 Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 3, vol. 5, 1860, p. 71. 



8 Asiatic Journ. Month. Reg., vol. 10, p. 478, November, 1820. 



* Trans. Linn. See. London, vol. 13, p. 256, May, 1821. 



* Belanger, Voyage aux Indes-Orientales, Zoologie, p. 104, 1835. 



