SCIURUS. 



SciurtêS, 



Fur soft. Ears ^) well developed. Claws curved. Fourth 

 toe the longest. Palate short, not extending further back- 

 wards than the hind-most molars. Jugalia compressed. Tail 

 generally cylindrical ^). 



Although the hairs , contrary to what obtains in the 

 genus Xei'us , are circular in circumference and never chan- 

 nelled , there are however varying degrees in the softness 

 of the fur. Certain Sciuri are rough to the touch in con- 

 sequence of several bristle-like hairs being interspersed among 

 the soft ones. This is especially the case in the largest 

 species. Other species have the fur as soft and dense as 

 possible; and this is especially to be found in the smallest 

 species. In the majority there is no trace of peculiar colo- 

 red stripes or streaks on the body, others present very 

 distinct longitudinal stripes of a whitish or blackish color 

 ornating the back or sides of the body. Some species have 

 the under-parts of the body sparingly covered with hairs , 

 in other species those parts are quite as hairy as the upper 

 parts. 



As to coloration the different specimens of a given spe- 

 cies are apt to vary , sometimes even in a very high degree , 

 as will be obvious from the descriptions. About forty 

 species of this genus have been described by the different 

 authors as living in Africa. I refer them to sixteen species. 



One species, Sciurus getulus, has been met with only in 

 N. W. Africa, nine are exclusively inhabitants of W. Africa , 

 four exclusively of E. Africa, whereas only two species, 



i) In my descriptions I give no measures of the ears , as they have no im- 

 portance at all if taken from dried skins. 



2) The form (^cylindrical or distichous, depressed) of the tail is a very 

 good characteristic for distinguishing species , but it can rarely be properly 

 applied to the study of mounted specimens. As only a small number of squir- 

 rels have as yet been preserved in spirits, I prefer to leave this characteristic 

 out of consideration in my descriptions of the species of this Genus. The spe- 

 cies of the Genus Xerus always present the tail distichous. 



Notes from tlie I-ieyden IMuseum, Vol. IV. 



