414 ■ BURMA, ITS PEOPLE AXD PRODUCTIONS. 



yellow, tlie sides rather paler. The fur on the hack, as in several allied species of 

 squirrel, is of two kinds, the tiner and shorter hairs heing dark leaden colour at the 

 base, pale yellowish grey at the tips, and ahout a quarter of an inch lung in the 

 middle of the back, the longer hairs are coarser, about half an inch long, and black 

 with a pale yellow ring near the end, the tijjs being black. As usiuil the longer hairs 

 arc most abundant near the middle of the back, less so on the sides. Forehead 

 rufous mixed with black, tlie sides of the head are dark ferruginous above, paler 

 below, shading otf gradually into the colour of the face and throat. Ears rounded, 

 covered thinly inside and out with short hairs ; a little patch of silky white hair 

 behind each ear is concealed by the ear conch when the ears are laid back. Whiskers 

 black. The hairs of the lower parts are dark grey at the base, white at the ends, 

 thei-e is a tinge of rufous on the fore neck and throat in some specimens. Fore limbs 

 yellowish olive outside, like the sides, whitish inside, hind limbs also whitish within, 

 but more rufous outside. Tail clad above with black hairs, haviug a white ring near, 

 but not at their base, and wliite tips, so as to produce a very beautiful hoary appear- 

 ance, lower surface of the tail chestnut, the longer hairs on the sides with black and 

 white tips. 



None of the other Burmese or Himalayan squirrels resemble the present form, 

 nor am I acquainted with any Malay species with similar colouration. The nearest 

 approach is perhaps made by ij. Pfnnji, found at Sechuen in China. This species has 

 a yellow spot behind the car, the lower surface of the tail is ferruginous, and the 

 belly white, but it wants the ferruginous checks, it has no white tips to the hairs in 

 the upper surface of the tail, aud it is more rufous above, the latter character being, 

 however, of little or no importance. 



The Himalayan Sciiirus hkriah also possesses, I find, the small whitish tuft 

 behind tlie ear, though less developed than in S. rnfigniis; the colouriug of the lower 

 parts and tail are, however, conspicuously distinct in the two forms. The presence 

 of the white spot in S. lokriah affords an excellent character lor distinguishing this 

 species from S. lukrioides. 



S. PYGERTTHBUs, Is. Geoffr. St.-Hilaire. 



Back and basal third of tail dark olive-gi'oy. The rest of the tail nnged 

 yellowish and black, and black-tipped. The under parts yellowish. The feet either 

 yellowish or like the upper parts. The hairs of the back are banded dark and yellow. 



Pegu and Upper Burma, where the colouration is jjaler than in the Southern form. 



S. PnAYEEi, Blyth. 

 S. hypcrydirus, Blyth. 



Resembles S, pi/grrythrus above, but lower parts are rich orange red, which 

 extends beneath the tail. Mr. Blanford remarks: "Tins species, as noticed by Blyth, 

 is only known to occur west of the Sidween. It is not, so far as 1 am aware, found 

 west of the Sittoung ; in the Irrawaddy Valley in I'egu, it appears to be replaced by 

 S. pygerythniH, wliilst further north, around Ava, it is represented by the closely 

 allied S. lilunfnrdi, into which it doubtless passes. S. Phuyrei, Jlr. Davison tells me, 

 is found north as far as I'ah-Khyoung at the southern extremity of Ivarcn-ni (the 

 country of the lU^d Karens). 



" The following are dimensions of a female from Thaton : 



"Length— head and body 9-6; tail ll-2 = 20-8 inches." 



S. Blanfordi, Blyth. 



Fur above grey, finely punctulated with black and grey. Tail grey, black- 

 tipped. Hands and feet yellow. Below pale orange-yellow. 

 Toung-ngoo and Upper Burma. 



S. GoEDONI, And. 



Upper surface and a narrow line along the sides grizzled olive-brown or greyish. 

 The chin and sides of throat paler. The chest, belly, and inside of limlis are either 

 pale yellow or orange-yellow. The ears arc faintly pencilled. End of tail blackish 

 with yellow tip. 



Head and body 9 inches ; tail 7 inches. 



Upper ]5ui'ma. 



