344 MR. OLDFIELD THOMAS ON THE 



Horsfield, after describing the species fVoni Fiiilaysoii's notes, (Infinite- 

 ly' p)aces, in accordance witn the custom of his time, tlie words 

 ' '■ iMuseuni of tlie East India Company" as the collection in whicii the 

 original of his name was preserved. 



Later on, in liis Catalogue of that very iMuseum, we have : — 



'■ Srinrtis ihdai/nom, Horsfield. 



ITab. Siam. 



A. From ('>. Finlayson's Collection." 



No one accustomed to dealing with the older collections would 

 refuse to admit that this specimen A, the only one in the Museum said 

 originally to contain the anim il described, should be regarded as the 

 type. Tiie word " Siani," wlic'ther used by Ilorstield or Anderson 

 would of course, as pointed out by Robinson, have been of general 

 applicatiiui, and would have inclnded a little coastal island like Si- 

 chang. 



The British ^Museum now contains both this type specimen, 

 received with tin- India Museum Collections iu 1879, and one from 

 Si-chang given by the Exit India Company about 1830, which was 

 also obtained by Finlayson, and referred to by Anderson. The former's 

 Museum number is 7^.1 1.21.. ">21., and the latter's, 71. a. 



Supposing these specimens to represent the two quite distinct 

 forms concerned, both ll)binsjn and Ivloss estimate ver}' lightly Ander- 

 sjm's statement that "these two specinidns are exactly alike", and 

 give reasons e.^plaining iiow he might hive cime to suidi a con- 

 clusion. 



P.ut in this case Anderson is absolutely right. Tiiey (ire exactly 

 alike, being both referable to the small island S(|uirrel, and not to that 

 of the maiidand. 



Tiiat the specimen he called the typs bdonged to the insular 

 form was of course evident from Wrougliton's nuasurements ot its 

 skull, but that it was ri<ihUii called the type I claim firstly from Hors- 

 field's "Museum of the E ist India Company" fallowing the descrip- 

 tion, this specimen being then and alwaj's the only example there 

 preserved, and secondly, if that is not considered sufllcient, and Ander- 

 son is called in as a first I'eviser, then his words '"The type of N. 



.JOIKN, NAT. HIST. .SOC. .SI.VM 



