239 



EAST INDIAN OR THREE-STRIPED SQUIRREL. 



Sciunis tristriatKS. 



French : Eciireuil des Indes. German : Ost-indisclies 



Feb. 



This small Squirrel is about 5 inches long, not includ- 

 ing the tail, which measures 3 inches. It inhabits East 

 India and Ceylon, and, as would be expected of an 

 animal living in so warm a climate, its skin is of little 

 or no value, barely fetching a few shillings per hundred 

 when imported. The colour of the back is brown, 

 divided by three long longitudinal white stripes ; the 

 belly is light brown. The hair is harsh, short, and 

 coarse. The tail is covered w'ith harsh hairs of five 

 different shades, yellow-brown at the base, then black, 

 then white, another band of black, finishing with white 

 at the tip of the tail. A few hundred skins are occa- 

 sionally sent to this country. 



AMERICAN GREY SQUIRREL. 



SciKvus cinereus. 



The American Grey Squirrel is as large as the 

 European and Siberian Squirrel, to which it is probal)ly 

 closely allied. The fur, however, is coarse, and of a light 

 or deep grey colour, not the characteristic blue of the 

 Siberian variety. The belly is slightly red. The tail is 

 bushy and grizzly. It is rarely met with in commerce, 

 although living animals are often to be seen in the 

 Zoological Gardens. The black variety is by no means 

 uncommon, and is at times imported. It inhabits a 

 small portion of the Dominion of Canada, where it is 

 sparingly distributed. 



