SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA IO3 



seum) , labeled ' Mexique ' is dark rusty red on chest and middle of belly. 

 A half-grown specimen from Catemaco, Vera Cruz, has the middle of 

 back darker than usual, the chin dingy white, rest of underparts deep 

 rusty fulvous, and the usual white tips of hairs at end of tail replaced 

 by rusty fulvous. A specimen from Ocuilapa, Chiapas, has the under- 

 parts, outside of thighs and hind feet washed with ferruginous. One 

 from west-central Vera Cruz has the underparts plumbeous gray with 

 a faint whitish wash. Specimens from the region of the type locality 

 usually have the outside of fore legs and fore feet finely grizzled dark 

 gray, contrasting with back, but in those from farther south the color 

 of the back usually extends over this area. 



Measurements. — Average of 5 adults from vicinity of type locality : 

 total length 3S4; tail vertebrae 182.4; hind foot 54.4. Average of 

 five specimens from just below Las Vigas, Vera Cruz : total length 

 393,9; tail vertebrae 173.4; hind foot 57.5. 



Cranial characters. — Premolars \. Skull (pi. I. fig. 4) in general 

 like that of 6". hoffmanni but proportionally more slender and other- 

 wise distinguished by the small upper premolar and longer audital 

 bullae. Skulls from Jico and Las Vigas, Vera Cruz, are sometimes 

 larger than ordinary specimens of S. hoffmanni but the differences in 

 proportion remain the same. Four adult skulls from the vicinity of 

 the type locality average : basal length 42.5 ; palatal length 21.6; in- 

 terorbital breadth 15.2; zygomatic breadth 28. 6; length of upper 

 molar series 9.2. 



General ?zotes. — Macroxus tephrogaster is unquestionably a syn- 

 onym of Sciurus deppei. In the original description of JM. tephro- 

 gaster Gray mentions specimens from Mexico (Salle), Guatemala, 

 Bogota and Honduras. Mr. Thomas writes that the Salle specimen 

 from Mexico (B. M. 56. 8. i. 11) may be taken as the type, since it 

 agrees exactly with Gray's description. A nearly typical specimen of kS. 

 deppei from Jico, Vera Cruz (no. 54,981, U. S. National Museum) 

 was sent Mr. Thomas, who writes that it " matches the type of teph- 

 rogaster diixA may be accepted as typical." This proves beyond ques- 

 tion that S. tephrogaster is a synonym of 6". deppei. Mr. Thomas 

 also writes that the type of Macroxus tceniurus Gray described from 

 Guatemala, differs from a specimen of 6". deppei (no. 63671, U. S. 

 Nat. Museum) from Motzorongo, Vera Cruz, only in having the chest 

 and belly washed with yellow — merely a matter of individual variation. 



Habits. — This species lives in dense humid forests and passes 

 much of its time seeking food on the ground. It is quiet and not often 

 heard, though now and then one will chatter and scold at an intruder. 



