SCIURUS. 383 



black patch on the back does not appear to be connected with age, 

 sex, or season, so far as is known. Moulmein specimens appear 

 always to have white vibrissae : a large collection of skins from 

 Myawadi, 65 miles north of Moulmein, have black vibrissa?, but all 

 the latter have black backs. 8. hyperythrus of Ely th is a very rufous 

 variety without either black dorsal patch or white whiskers. 



Habits. Tickell in his MS. notes states that this squirrel is more 

 common in bushes and hedges near villages, clumps of bamboos and 

 thickets, than in high forest. It has a low cackling cry, and makes 

 a grunting noise when alarmed. 



253. Sciurus palmarum. Tlie Palm-Squirrel, 

 or common striped Squirrel. 



Sciurus palmarum, L. Sijst. Nat. i, p. 86 (1766) ; Elliot, Mad. Jour. 

 L. S. x, p. 216; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 874; id. Cat. p. 106; 

 Jerdon, Mam. p. 170 ; Anderson, An. Zool. lies. p. 257. 

 Sciurus penicillatus, Leach, Zool. Misc. i, p. 6, pi. i (1814) ; Horsfield, 



Cat. p. 152. 



FunaniDiilus indicus, Lesson, Illust. Zool. pi. xliii (1832). 

 Sciurus brodei, Btyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 602, xx, p. 166, xxi, 



p. 350 ; Kelaart, Prod, p. 53. 

 Sciurus kelaarti, Layard, Blyih, J. A. S. B. xx, p. 166 ; id. A. M. 



N. H. (2) ix, p. 336 (1852) ; Kelaart, Prod. p. 53. 

 Gilehri, II. ; Bend, Lakki, Beng. ; Tidra, Tu, Kol. ; Khadi, Mahr. ; 

 Alalu, Can. ; Urta, Wadar, Vodata, Tel. ; Chitta Anathan, Tarn. ; Lena, 

 Cingalese. 



Ears covered with short hair. Tail with long hair throughout. 

 Fur short. Naked sole of hind foot not extending quite to heel. 

 Outer posterior pad of hind foot broadly oval, anterior to end of 

 long inner pad. Tvyo pairs of mammso, ventral and inguinal. 



Colour of back finely speckled brown, varying from greyish or 

 rufescentto almost black, with three well-marked whitish isabelline 

 or pale rufescent longitudinal stripes from the back of the neck to 

 the rump, the middle stripe extending sometimes on to the base of 

 the tail. All three stripes are about g to | inch broad and sub- 

 equal. Dark dorsal hairs black, with usually one pale rufous or 

 isabelline subterminal ring. Head paler than back. Sides paler 

 than back and frequently similar in colour to the pale dorsal stripes ; 

 the lateral border of the dark dorsal area sharply denned, so that 

 the back may be considered as bearing 4 broad dark longitudinal 

 bands, the two outer narrower than the two inner. Lower parts 

 white, whitish or grey, the hair dusky at the base. Tail blackish 

 or hoary, the hairs either whitish or rufous with two black rings, the 

 more distal generally much the longer ; tips of hair always whitish. 



Dimensions. Head and body 5-5 to 6 inches, tail with hair rather 

 more, hind foot 1-5 ; basal length of skull 1'35, extreme length 

 1*55, zygomatic breadth 0*9. 



Distribution. Common throughout India and Ceylon in the 

 more open and cultivated parts, especially near human habitations. 

 Not found on the Malabar coast, nor east of the Bay of Bengal, 

 nor in forest. To the west this squirrel extends into Sind and 

 Baluchistan, though rare in both. 



