52 sciuRus. 



N. i. Aguimp. Thunberg and Smuts. 



Hab. Namaqua-laud (Thuuberg and Lichtensteia), Masi- 

 likats-land, Lattaku (Verreaux), Griqua-Iand (Staib) and 

 southwards the whole Cape-colony (v. Horstock , v. Ludwig , 

 Krebs, Smith, etc.) 



Kerr tells us that it lives near the Mountains of Snee- 

 berg, 800 miles north from the Cape of Good Hope. It 

 never climbs trees , but burrows in the ground , forming 

 a warm nest, with a round hole, in which it lodges, 

 closing up the orifice. It feeds on bulbous roots , especially 

 potatoes; it is very tame and never offers to bite, walks 

 often on its hind feet, frequently lies on its belly, and 

 often flirts up the tail. Thunberg very pithily describes 

 the harshness of the hairs : „pili caudae longi , molles ; 

 „corporis vero duriores, sic ut, dum baculo castigatur, 

 „sonus edatur fere ut in Hystrice." 



Mounted specimens in the Leyden Museum : 



1. Adult female, Cape of Good Hope. — 2. Half grown 

 female, Cape of Good Hope, v. Horstock. 



3. Skull of N*^. 1.-4. Skull of N». 2. 



Recapitulation, 



S ciurus. 



Mounted 

 skins. Spirits. Skel. Skulls. 



Sciurus stangeri. — West Africa (Liberia 



Ogobai-river) 11 7 



„ ebii. — West Africa (Gold- coast 



— Ovenga-river) 2 2 



„ aubinnii; — West Africa (Liberia 



— Gold-coast) 6 3 



rufo-brachiatus. — West Africa 



(Liberia — Angola) .... 18 6 



„ palliatus. — East Africa (Galla- 

 land — Natal), 

 mutabilis. — East Africa (Boror 



— Zambesi valley). 



37 18" 



Notes trom the Ijeyden IMiiseum, "Vol. IV. 



