A HANDSOME LIVERY. 187 
skips from rock to rock, or darts along a fallen 
tree, the stripes assume a ribbon-like appearance, 
uvlike any animal’s coat I ever saw. 
Two broad stripes of jet-black mark each side 
of the animal, and extend from the shoulders to 
the thighs; between each pair of stripes is a line 
of equal width, of a yellowish-white. The medium 
region of the back is a rich grey; chestnut-brown, 
mottled with yellow and black, colours half the 
thighs, and extends over the hips, shading away 
into the grey on the back. The tail is rather 
short, but very brushy ; the under-surface, coloured 
a bright yellow-brown, is margined with a much 
lighter tint of the same colour. Above the tail 
is grey, like the back. Length about seven inches; 
tail four inches without the terminating hairs. 
It feeds principally on young grass and the 
juicy stalks of succulent plants; extending from 
the holes or clefts where they reside, trails beaten 
like footpaths lead in the direction of the favourite 
herbage. It is a most active and watchful 
squirrel: at the slightest noise it bounds with as- 
| tonishing speed, and takes leaps almost equal to 
those of the flying-squirrel to reach its hole, 
uttering as it runsa low plaintive whistle. Con- 
spicuous as this squirrel’s coloration appears when 
viewed apart from its habitat, nevertheless, it 
