in the Collection of the British Museum. 325 



getulus, and Sc. flavivittatus (which he misnames S. flavivittis) 

 with the earless ground-squirrels called Xerus by Ehreuberg, 

 though they all have well-developed ears, soft fur, and are as 

 arboreal in their habits as the squirrels of Europe. 



Compiling zoologists, who only have the descriptions of other 

 authors to work from, are apt to make such mistakes and refer a 

 species to the wrong group, or to combine very different species 

 as synonyms; but it is surprising that M. Temminck, with the 

 specimens before him, should have done so. 



I believe, as well as I can make out the very general descrip- 

 tions he gives of the species, that some of those which he has 

 described as new are the species which were described with more 

 detail by Dr. Smith and Mr. Ogilby, which he failed to recog- 

 nize ; he has thus encumbered the list with " doubles emplois," 

 which he so constantly accuses his contemporaries of doing. 



Some of the African Squirrels are di-stributed over the whole 

 of Africa. Thus we have Sc. annulatus from the north to the 

 south and from the west to the east of that continent ; and it is 

 the same with other species. 



The young specimens are coloured like the adult. 



The African Squirrels, especially those found in the tropical re- 

 gions, have the fur much brighter and more vivid at some seasons 

 of the year than at others, and the fur of the males is generally 

 brighter than that of the females ; but there is little fear of 

 these being mistaken for specific diflferences, except by such 

 zoologists as are in the habit of describing allied species from 

 single specimens and on very slight characters. 



I. Cheek-pouches )i07ie ; body covered with soft fur consisting of 

 elongated more or less rigid haii-s and a soft under-fur. Ears 

 ovate, loell developed. Arboreal. Tree-Squirrels. 



2. SCIURUS. 



Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1867, xx. p. 271. 

 * Fur one-coloured ; tail annulated. 



1. Sciurus minutus, Du Chaillu, Boston Journ. 1860, vii. p. 366; 

 Travels, p. 453, t. 



Size of a small mouse. Fur soft, olive-grey, yellow-washed ; 

 hairs mouse- coloured, with yellow tips : chin, throat, and under- 

 side pale yellow-grey ; tail like back, but obscurely black- 

 ringed; hairs yellow, with subterminal black band and yellowish 

 tip. Ears rounded, covered with soft hair forming a tuft and 

 fringe. 



Hub. West Africa (Du Chaillu). Type in B.M. 



