170 GILT-TAILED DORMOUS?;. 



rough to the touch : they seem to arise from small 

 transparent sheaths, and their conformation is 

 highly singular, each hair, or rather quill, being 

 cylindric and very small near the body, growing 

 flat towards the middle part, where it is half a 

 line broad ; and thence gradually diminishing to 

 a very fine point : along the middle runs a chan- 

 nel or gutter, which if examined with a glass, ap- 

 pears yellow, while the sides, which are elevated, 

 are of a brown colour, and thus a sort of double 

 reflexion of light takes place, causing the pur- 

 plish tinge above mentioned : these singular hairs 

 or quills become gradually smaller as they ap- 

 proach the sides of the body, and quite disappear 

 towards the abdomen. It seems to be an animal 

 formed for climbing trees, and from the descrip- 

 tion given above it will appear that Mr. Schre- 

 ber's opinion is just, and that it should in reality 

 be considered, notwithstanding it diminutive size, 

 as a species of Porcupine. Its length, from nose 

 to tail, is five inches, and of the tail six inches 

 and nine lines. 



