RODENTIA—SCIURINAE—TAMIAS STRIATUS. 293 
a simple curve, the rest in a double curve, (the central portion folded backward,) all of the 
latter five interrupted in the middle, except the first. Whiskers arranged in five rows parallel 
with the top of the head, each with about five whiskered hairs, although, in the upper and 
lower rows, some of the hairs are inconspicuous, being short and white, instead of long and 
black like the rest. The eye is rather large, the iris measuring three lines; its centre is just 
midway between the tip of the nose and the posterior margin of the ear. The ear is quite large, 
narrow, and high, though rounded at the summit. It is coated with short hairs on both sides, 
except about the meatus and on the portions covered by overlapping. 
The anterior extremities have four well developed fingers with claws. The first finger or 
thumb is seen as a small basal tubercle covered by a broad, flat nail. The third and fourth 
fingers are longest and nearly equal, (the former rather the longer.) The claw of the second 
reaches nearly to the base of that of the third ; that of the fifth half way between the ultimate 
and penultimate articulations of the fourth. The palms are entirely smooth and naked, with 
five large and broad depressed callosities: three about equal at the bases of the 2d and 3d, 3d 
and 4th, 4th and Sth fingers, respectively, and two occupying the entire posterior part of the 
palm. These latter are much the longest, and nearly equal. On the hind feet, the three 
central toes are longest ; the claw of the first reaches to the end of the toe of the fifth, and to 
the penultimate articulation of the second ; the claw of the fifth reaches to the base of the fourth 
claw. The soles are densely hairy from the heel to within one-fourth of the ends of the meta- 
tarsals, naked on the remaining portion. There are four large tubercles situated on the end 
of the metatarsus, between the bases of the toes. There is a slight naked web between all the 
fingers and toes at their bases. 
The tail, including the terminal hairs, is about as long as the body, exclusive of the head. 
It is cylindrical at the base, but soon becomes depressed and flattened beneath, slightly rounded 
above ; its average width is about three-quarters of an inch, or the distance between the highest 
lateral stripes on either side of the back. 
The fur is moderately soft, intermingled with many scattered longer hairs. There are some 
long whisker-like hairs in a tuft projecting from the posterior edge of the arm just above the 
wrist. 
Color.—There are five distinct black stripes on the body, one dorsal and two on each side. 
The latter are in pairs, quite close to each other, with the space between them a little wider 
than the stripes and nearly pure white; the upper lateral stripe is separated from its fellow on 
the opposite side by about the width of the head. None of these stripes extend on to the ramp 
or behind the line of the groin, except very obsoletely, the space posterior to this line consti- 
tuting the region of the rump, being nearly uniform dark chestnut brown, a little lighter on 
the thighs. Anteriorly these stripes extend to the line of the axillae, the lower dark one 
shorter than the rest ; the central one reaches to between the shoulders. All the dark lines 
are bordered by a suffusion of quite uniform chestnut brown, which extends a little beyond 
them and forms a continuation of the dorsal stripe to the top of the head, which is of nearly the 
same uniform color, mixed with black hairs. The remaining space between the stripes and on 
the shoulders is occupied by annulated hairs of gray, yellowish and black. The eyelids are 
pure white, their naked edges and canthi black. The two light stripes and three dark ones on 
the face of Tamias are here indicated very obscurely by a lightening of the prevailing yellowish 
brown of the side of the head in line with the eyelids, and a darker shade below the lower eyelid 
and extending under the ear. The whole sides of the body and limbs are of a light yellowish 
