SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 65 



squirrels. It frequents low scrubby forests and raids cornfields when 

 the ears are maturing. 



Specitnens examitied. — Fifty-four : from Huilotepec (near Tehuan- 

 tepec City), Tequisistlan, Colotepec, Puerto Angel, Santa Efigenia, 

 Oaxaca ; Calera, Tonala, Tuxtla, Chiapas ; Nenton, Guatemala. 



SCIURUS SOCIALIS COCOS Nelson. Acapulco Squirrel. 



Sciurus aureogaster I. Geoffroy, Voy. de la Venus, Zoology, Atlas, pi. 10, 

 1846; text, pp. 156-163, 1855 (specimen with white under surface figured 

 in pi. 10 of Atlas). Not 5 aureogaster Y . Cuvier, 1829. 



Sciurus socialis COCOS Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xii, pp. 155-156, 

 June 3, 1898. 



Type locality. — Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. Type no. 7o^44 

 U. S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. 



Distribution. — Arid tropical lowlands of the Pacific coast from 

 Acapulco, Guerrero, south to Jamiltepec, Oaxaca (below 1500 ft.). 



Characters. — Nape and rump patches distinct, dark rufous brown ; 

 back and feet grayish white ; underparts white, buffy, or ferruginous. 

 Pelage thin ; hairs on back coarse and stiff ; under fur thin and short. 

 Tail long, narrow, and heavily washed with white. Teats i a. f i. \. 



Color. — Nape and rump patches varying from rusty rufous to deep 

 chestnut rufous lightly washed with black ; anterior extension of nape 

 patch along sides of head enclosing bases of ears and eyes, usually 

 rather paler or yellower ; ears like nape ; top of nose and fore crown 

 pale iron gray ; rest of upperparts, including outside of legs and feet, 

 grayish white — latter sometimes creamy white; underparts varying 

 from pure white to pale creamy buff, rufous buffy or rich dark fer- 

 ruginous; tail above black, heavily washed with white, with rufous 

 basal color sometimes showing through ; tail below, with median area 

 varying from rufous buffy to rich dark ferruginous, bordered with black 

 and edged with white, the white extending also over all of under sur- 

 face as an overlying wash. Hairs of back black, with long white 

 tips,usually intermixed with others having broad rusty sub-basal rings. 



Variation. — In the series of 33 specimens, all but seven fall within 

 the limits of variation already given. The exceptions are described 

 below. An adult female from Acapulco (Jan. 10) has the usual dark 

 rufous nape and rump patches, the former extending over ears and 

 down to eyes ; top of nose and front part of crown clear iron gray ; rest 

 of upperparts, including feet and legs white, with a reddish suffusion 

 along back; underparts pale creamy buff; tail above black heavily 

 washed with white ; underside of tail obscurely black and rufous heav- 



