230 SOME CHINESE VERTEBRATES. 



43 (41); palatal length, 25 (23.8); nasals, 17 (14.3); zygomatic breadth, 27 

 (27) ; mastoid breadth, 20.3 (20) ; interorbital constriction, 14 (13.8) ; greatest 

 breadth outside m 3 , 12 (11); upper diastema, 12 (12); mandible from condyle 

 to tip of incisor, 36 (35); upper molar row (excluding p 3 ), 9 (9); lower molar 

 row, 9.3 (8.7). 



Remarks: Apart from its greater size and differently colored tail, the 

 most striking characteristic of this squirrel is the white postauricular patch. 

 In our series of D. pernyi from Szechwan, as well as in Milne Edwards's plate 

 (Rev. mag. zool., 1867, ser. 2, 19, pi. 19) and description, the bright ochraceous 

 buff of these patches is a marked feature. 



SCIUROTAMIAS DAViDANUS (Milne Edwards). 



A series of nine squirrels of this curious genus proves to be of. considerable 

 interest. Milne Edwards originally described Sciurus (Tamias) davidanus 

 from the environs of Pekin and pointed out the peculiar cranial characters 

 "which seem to ally it to the chipmunks (Tamias). Through the courtesy of the 

 United States National Museum, I have been loaned a topotype of this squirrel 

 which agrees well in color with that described by Milne Edwards. In his re- 

 marks under the head of "Sciurus pernyi," this author (Recherches, p. 304-305) 

 briefly describes, "Sciurus consobrinus" which he contrasts with the first-named 

 species, stating that in cranial characters it is almost exactly the same as S. 

 davidanus and evidently of the same "type sp6cifique." This squirrel came from 

 the principality of Moupin and is said to differ from S. davidanus from Pekin 

 in the possession of the reddish tones of the upper surfaces. The brief descrip- 

 tion given is sufficient to indicate the characteristic differences that separate 

 the uniformly grizzled pale ochraceous and black squirrel of Pekin from the 

 more western highland form with the posterior part of the back darker and redder, 

 in contrast to the grayer tint of the shoulders. These differences have been well 

 described by Dr. J. A. Allen (1909, p. 428) who names this darker form Sciuro- 

 tamias owstoni, on the basis of six specimens from Taipasiang, Shensi. Through 

 the kindness of Dr. Allen I have been enabled to compare this series with our 

 material from Hupeh, and there seems no doubt that the name consobrinus 

 is applicable to the dark reddish-backed form of which S. owstoni therefore be- 

 comes a synonym. Two of our specimens from Mafuling, Hupeh, (5,000 feet) 

 seem to be nearer S. davidanus than to the race consobrinus, and are here referred 

 to that species. A specimen from Tanshuiya, (3,000 feet) is also practically 



