THE MUSEUM 



A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Research in Natural Science. 



Vol. V 



ALBION. N. Y., JULY 15, 1S99 



No. 9 



_THE MUSEUM. 



A Monthly Magazine devoted to Ornithology, 



Oology, Mollusca, Echinodermata, 



Mineralogy and Allied 



Sciences. 



Walter F. Webb, Editor and Manager 

 Albion, N. Y. 



Correspondence and Items of Interest on above top- 

 ics, as well as notes on the various Museums of the 

 World— views from same, discoveries relative to the 

 bandling and keeping of Natural History material, 

 descriptive habits of various species, are solicited 

 from all. 



Make .articles as brief as pos.slble and as free from 

 technical terms as the subjects will allow. All letters 

 will be promptly answered. 



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Revision of the Chickarees or 



North American Red 



Squirrels. 



{Coniinuation of Review of the Sciur- 

 iis lioufflasii Group. ) 



In the interior forms the tail is 

 fringed with pure white — broadly so 

 in californicus, more narrowly in cas- 

 cadcusis — and with yellow or yellow- 

 ish in the central coast form ' dou^- 

 lasii . There is, however, much va- 

 riation in this respect, both individual 

 and geographical, the fringe of the tail 

 being occasionally decidedly yellowish 

 white rather than yellow at localities 

 on the coast, and again yellosvish 

 white instead of white at some local- 

 ities in and east of the Cascades; while 



over quite a belt about midway be- 

 tween the west base of the Cascades 

 and the coast, the tail fringe averages 

 yellowish white rather than either yel- 

 low or white, this belt being occupied 

 by intergrades between douglnsii and 

 cascadcnsis. In large series from 

 points on the coast, usually about one 

 specimen in ten has the tail fringed 

 with white. 



.S' (i. cascadensis is really little 

 more than a vast assemblage of inter- 

 grades between the interior {califomi- 

 ctts) and coast (doiiglasii) forms, as a 

 whole much nearer douglasii than 

 californicus. The examination of 

 much further material will be neces- 

 sary to determine whether or not it is 

 a sufticiently stable and distinct 

 enough form to warrant permanent 

 recognition. 



It may here be noted that there is 

 a marked tendency to albinism on the 

 ventral surface in the whole .*>. doug- 

 lasii group, less pronounced, how- 

 ever, in califoyyiicus. owing to its un- 

 der surface, than in the other 

 forms. This is manifested in the 

 presence of a white spot in the a.xil- 

 lary region, varying in different speci- 

 mens from a few white hairs to a 

 large area of white. 



It is more frequent at some local- 

 ities than at others; thus in British 

 Columbia, at Port Moody, in a series 

 of 17 species, only two are thus mark- 

 ed, and none in i 5 from New West- 

 minster, while out of 22 from Agas- 

 siz, Sumas, Mt. Lehman, etc., one in 

 three have more or less white in the 

 a.xillary region. In Washington (var- 

 ious localities) only about one in 

 twelve is thus marked. In 98 speci- 

 mens from various localities in Oregon 

 22 are marked with white and three 

 out of 1 5 from the coast of Northern 



