in the Collection of the British Museum. 333 



b. Back grizzled, with a ivhife streak along each side from the 

 shonlder to the upper part of the thigh ; with flat channelled 

 spines and black cylindrical tapering bristles. Geosciurus. 



2. Xerus setosus, 



Sciurus dschinschicus, var., Desm. 



Sc. albovittahis, Fischer. 



Sc. setosus, Forster. 



Sc. capensis, Thunb. 



Macroxus albovittahis, Lesson. 



Sc. namaquensis, Lecht. 



Sc. erytkropus, Schinz. 



Sc. albovittatus, Desm. 



Sc. leucoumbrinus, Riipp. Atlas. 



Geosciurus capensis, A. Smith. 



Sc. prmtextus, Wagner. 



Xerus erytkropus, Teram. Esq. 124. 



Fur grey-brown, yellow-and-black-punctulated ; orbits, nose, 

 chin, underside of the body, and streak on sides of the body 

 white ; tail white, with two black bands. 



Hab. West Africa, Senegal (Rendal) : B.M. East Africa, 

 Abyssinia (RiippelFs type of Sc. leucoumbrinus, B.M.). North 

 Africa, Egypt. South Africa (Andrew Smith) : B.M. 



Var. Darker, back punctulated with reddish yellow and black. 

 Hab. West Africa (Whitfield). B.M. 



Prof. Sundevall (in K. Vet. A. Hand. 1842, p. 216) considers 

 Sciurus leucoumbrinus, Riippell, of North-east Africa and Arabia 

 distinct from Sc. setosus of South Africa; the latter has the 

 "ears smaller, scarcely prominent, the hairs longer, thinner, and 

 with a long very fine tip ; the hairs of the tail are black-brown at 

 the base, then white, with a black band and white tip ; the 

 teeth are white in front. In size and every other particular they 

 are similar; but he says the skulls are very different, that of 

 Sc. setosus being the broadest, with the zygomatic arch more 

 curved, the nose short, blunt, and linear, not conical and sub- 

 acute.^' 



The form of the ear in the stuffed specimens depends greatly 

 on the animal-preserver, and the length of the tips of the hair 

 on the state of the specimen. 



The two species may be distinct ; but I am inclined to regard 

 the characters given as only individual peculiarities, though my 

 idea may prove incorrect when a large series from each country 

 can be compared ; skulls, however, are as apt to vary as other 

 parts of the animal, and are only to be depended on when a 

 series can be examined and compared. 



