709 



SCIURID.E. 



SCIURID.E. 



710 



of black, one beneath the other: size of the Common Squirrel. 

 (Pennant.) It is a native of the north of Africa, especially Barbary, 

 where it lives in trees, preferring those of the Palm tribe. 



S. Cepapi. Ochrey-yellow above, slightly marbled with blackish- 

 brown ; sides of the body and feet ochrey-yellow ; upper lip, super- 

 ciliary stripe, and lower parts of the body white, belly tinged with 

 yellow ; tail distichous, ochrey-yellow varied with blackish-brown ; 

 ears short, with obtuse apices, the external margin notched near the 

 point ; eyes brown. Figure slender. Head small. Legs long. Tail 

 depressed, narrow, slightly distichous, and pointed at its extremity. 

 The tints vary in different specimens. Length 14 inches 9 lines, the 

 tail being 7 inches long. Female resembling the male in colour and 

 size. (Smith.) It is a native of South Africa. 



Dr. Smith, who named this species, and has described and figured 

 it in his ' Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa,' observed it 

 for the first time upon the immediate banks of the Limpopo River, 

 in about 24 20' S. lat. It was occasionally discovered upon the 

 ground, but more frequently upon trees ; and when it happened to be 

 surprised in the former situation, it invariably endeavoured to reach 

 the latter, and, if successful, either attempted to conceal itself in the 

 forks of the branches, or in holes, if any existed, in the trunks or 

 other parts. Its flight, when on the ground, was effected with amazing 

 rapidity, and the perpendicular ascent of the tree was accomplished 

 with equal facility. Dr. Smith concludes by stating that it feeds by 

 day, and, according to the natives, also by night, and that in all 

 the specimens he obtained the stomachs were fully distended with 

 berries, &c. 



Macroxus. Frontal bones very much depressed : nasal bones but 

 little elongated ; >. deep depression between the cranium and the face. 

 Tail round. No cheek-pouches. The species are natives of Sumatra, 

 India, Africa, and South America. 



Anisonyx. Teeth like those of the squirrels. No cheek-pouches. 

 All the feet with five toes ; the two internal toes of the anterior feet 

 very short. Claws very long. Tail distichous. A genus, considered 

 as not certain, established by M. Rafinesque for the reception of 

 animals approximating to the Squirrels and the Marmots, from which 

 they differ in the number and form of the toes. The species are 

 natives of Columbia. 



Pteromyi. Posterior part of the nasal bones a little convex ; the 

 frontal bones strongly depressed in their middle and rising slightly 

 afterwards ; the posterior parts of the head do not begin sensibly to 

 curve downwards before the middle of the parietal bones ; cerebral 

 cavity small, only half the length of the head. The species are 

 natives of Asia, the Moluccas, the Philippine Islands, and Java. 



P. Sabriniu, Tar. &. alfrinut, Rocky Mountain Flying-Squirrel. 

 Yellowish brown above ; tail flat, longer than the body, blackish-gray ; 

 flying membrane with a straight border. Length 14 inches 3 lines; 



Rooky Mountain Flylnfj Sqnirrcl (Pttromyi nl/n'nut), or Plcromys Sabritnu, 

 var. II. (Richardson, ' Fauna-Borwtli-Amcricana.') 



of which the tail, including fur, measures 6 inches 3 lines. This is 

 the P. alpinus of Richardson. 



Sir John Richardson observes that this animal was discovered by 

 Mr. Drummond, on the Rocky Mountains, living in dense pine-forests, 

 and seldom venturing from its retreats, except in the night. He had 

 received specimens of it from the head of the Elk River, and also 

 from the south branch of the Mackenzie. It approaches, he says, 

 nearer to the P. volans of Siberia in the colour of its fur than to P. 

 Sabrinus, but it has much resemblance to the latter in its form. It is, 

 he adds, entirely destitute of any rounded process of the flying mem- 

 brane behind the fore leg, and when its skull is compared with that 

 of P. Sabrinus, the frontal bone between the orbits appears narrower. 

 The size of its limbs and tail is also greater. 



The habits of these animals are well described by Mr. Bennett in 

 his account of another species. " The group to which this attractive 

 little animal belongs," says Mr. Bennett, in his description of the 

 American Pteromys Yolucella, " are principally distinguished from tha 

 Common Squirrels by what is usually termed their flying membrane. 

 This apparatus consists of a folding of the skin along either side so 

 as to form broad lateral expansions, supported anteriorly and pos- 

 teriorly by the limbs between which they are extended, and by 

 peculiar bony processes arising from the feet. These expansions are 

 not naked and membranous, like those of the Bats, but are actual 

 continuations of the skin, clothed externally by a dense fur similar 

 to that which invests every other part of the body. Neither do they 

 serve, like the flying membranes of many of the Bats, the purposes of 

 wings ; their functions being limited to that of a parachute, giving to 

 the animal a considerable degree of buoyancy, and thus enabling it to 

 take leaps of almost incredible extent, through which it passes with 

 the velocity of an arrow. The name of Flying-Squirrels is conse- 

 quently founded on an erroneous assumption ; but it may never- 

 theless be admitted as a metaphorical expression of their most 

 distinguishing peculiarity." (' Zoological Gardens.') 



Sciuroptena. Differing from Pttromyi in having the anterior part 

 of the profile line of the head straight to the middle of the frontal 

 bones, where it takes a curved direction, very much arched, without 

 any intermediate depression. Occiput projecting ; frontal bones 

 elongated ; and the capacity of the cranium comprising three-fifths of 

 the length of the head. The species are found in Northern Asia and 

 North America. 



S. Sibincus. It is the Mus Ponticus vel Scythicut of Gesner; Sciurus 

 Petaurista volans of Klein ; Sciurus volans of Linnaeus ; Sciurus 

 Sibincut volans of Brisson ; Quadrupcs volatilis Russia; of the ' Acta 

 Petropolitana ; ' Polatucha and Letaga of the Russians ; Polatouche of 

 the French ; Iviuig der Grauwerke (King of the Squirrels) of the 

 Germans; Wieiviorka Lataica af the Poles; and European Flying- 

 Squirrel and Minenc of English authors. Eyes full, the lids edged with 

 black. Membranes extending to the base of the fore feet, and forming a 

 large wing-like expansion on each side. Tail full and rounded at the 

 extremity. Body, above, of a fine gray colour, resembling the hue on 

 the back of a sea-gull ; beneath, pure-white. Total length about 

 9.1 inches, of which the tail, measured to the end of the hair, is 5 

 inches. It is a native of Finland, Lapland, the Russian dominions 

 from Livonia to the river Kolyma, or Kowyoua, in the north-east of 

 Siberia. 



This species haunts the woody mountainous country, feeding on the 

 buds and fruit of the birch-trees and on the cones of the fir tribe. 

 It is a solitary animal, and does not affect the company of others of 

 its own kind, nor does it retire in the winter, at which season it 

 wanders about. Its dwelling is in the hollows of trees, and its nest 

 is generally made of moss from the birch. It raises the tail when at 

 rest, but when it takes its flying leaps, extends that member. 



S. Sagitta (Sciurus Sagitta, Linn. ; Pteromys Sagitta, Geoff.). This 

 seems co be the Sciurus maximus volans, seu Fdis volans, of Brisson ; 

 Le Taguan ou Grand Ecureuil Volant of Buffon. 



This squirrel has a small rounded head ; cloven upper lip ; small 

 blunt ears ; two small warts at the outmost corner of each eye, with 

 hairs growing out of them ; neck short. Four toes on the fore feet ; 

 and instead of a thumb, a slender bone, 24 inches long, lodged under 

 the lateral membrane, serving to stretch it out ; thence to the hiud 

 legs extends the membrane, which is broad, and a continuation of the 

 skin of the sides and belly ; the membrane extends along the fore 

 legs, and stretches out near the joint in a winged form : five toes on 

 the hind feet, and on all the toes sharp compressed bent claws. Tail 

 covered with long hairs disposed horizontally. Colour of the head, 

 body, and tail a bright bay, in some parts inclining to orange ; breast 

 and belly of a yellowish-white. Length, from nose to tail, 18 inches; 

 tail, 15 inches. (Pennant.) 



This species inhabits Java and others of the Indian Islands. It 

 leaps from tree to tree as if it flew; and will catch hold of the boughs 

 with its tail. It differs in size; that described by Linnieus was the 

 size of our squirrel, whilst that killed by Sir Edward Michelbourne 

 in one of the Indian islands was greater than a hare. Nieuhoff 

 describes this species under the name of the Flying Cat, and says tho 

 back is black. He has given two very good figures of it one in his 

 frontispiece, the other in the page he describes it in. (Pennant.) 



In the description of Pennant, above given, there are two points 

 which deserve consideration : that which describes the animal as 



