Bornean and Sumatran Mammals. 249 



Funambulus niobe, sp. n. 



Closely allied to F. insignis, and, like that species, with 

 three black lines running down the back from shoulders to 

 rump, but the general colour is a uniform dark olivaceous 

 brown, the hairs brown, finely ringed subterminally with 

 yellow. This brown colour extends quite uniformly over 

 the whole upper surface, the head, back (both between the 

 lines and outside them), flanks, and uppersides of both fore 

 and hind limbs being of one uniform tint. No lighter line 

 round eye. Edge of ear black. Top of fingers and toes also 

 black. Under surface and inner sides of limbs dirty smoky 

 yellowish, the hairs smoky grey for their basal halves, dull 

 yellowish terminally, the resulting colour being very different 

 from that found in F, insignis. Tail-hairs ringed with black 

 and yellow. 



Skull with rather a more slender muzzle and a flatter frontal 

 region than F. insignis. 



Dimensions of the type (an adult female in skin) : — 

 Head and body 205 millim. ; tail imperfect; hind foot 44. 

 Skull: greatest breadth 27 - 5; nasals 16x 5'9; interorbital 

 breadth 12*8; tip to tip of postorbital processes 21; inter- 

 temporal breadth 155; palate length from henselion 21*5; 

 diastema (to p.*) 13*8 ; length of upper tooth-series (exclud- 

 ing^. 3 ) 7. Lower jaw : condyle to incisor-tip 35. 

 Jiab. Pajo, Sumatra. Collected by Mr. Carl Bock. 

 Type B.M. no. 79. 6. 28. 9. 



The single specimen on which this species is based has 

 hitherto been considered, though with doubt, as a variety of 

 F. insignis; but while the general darkening of the body- 

 colour might alone be thought of merely subspeeific value, 

 the entire difference in the coloration of the under surface 

 makes me think that intergrades are not likely to occur, and 

 I am therefore compelled to make it a distinct species. 



For the information of workers in the East to whom all 

 the literature may not be accessible it may be noted that, by 

 the recent splitting up of iSciurus into several genera, the 

 species mentioned under that name in Hose's ' Mammals of 

 Borneo ' fall into the restricted genera as follows : — S. epkip- 

 pnum is a Ratufa; the species from hippurus to tenuis (except 

 Everetti) remain in Sciurus; laticaudatus, ffosei, Everetti, and 

 insignis come into Funambulus] while the pygmy squirrels 

 (nielanotis, exilis, and Whiteheadi) take the generic name of 

 Nannosciurus. 



In the same way, of the Indian squirrels — taking Blanford'a 

 4 .Mammals of India ' as a standard — u Sciurus " bicolor. 



