216 FAUNA OF THE MALAY ISLANDS AND PHILIPPINES 



the wild pig of Celebes (S. celebensis). Very different is the long-snouted bearded 

 pig (S. barbatus) of Borneo, easily recognisable by its whiskers and elongated head, 

 and represented by races, of which one has been named S. o'i, in the islands near 

 the Malay Peninsula. Most remarkable of all is, however, the babirusa (Babirusa 

 alfurus) of Celebes, represented by an allied species in Boru. This strange pig, 

 which has a highly arched back and a peculiarly rough, thick, and almost bark-like 

 skin, stands about 42 inches in height at the middle of the back. The ears are 

 small, the tail is short, and the skin, which is ashy grey in colour and hangs in 

 loose folds, is almost bare, although sparsely haired along the middle of the back. 

 The babirusa differs, however, from other swine most notably in regard to the 

 peculiar formation of the tusks of the boar, which are devoid of enamel, and attain 

 an excessive length. Their abnormally large growth is due to the circumstance 

 that those of the upper jaw are not worn against the lower pair, after the 

 manner obtaining in most wild swine. The upper tusks of the males, which 

 occasionally measure between 12 and 14 inches in length, pierce the skin of the 

 muzzle, and after rising vertically for a short distance, curve backwards and 

 downwards and finally forwards, with their tips often touching the forehead. 

 The lower pair, which do not grow so long, are less stout than the upper ones, 

 but are curved in a more or less similar fashion. Both pairs are relatively small 

 in the females. 



Generally speaking, the rodents are very similar to those of the 



Sciuirrels 



Malay Peninsula and neighbouring parts of the mainland, but there 

 are certain more or less peculiar types. Among the squirrel family the sharp-nosed 

 Sciurus tupaioides is notable on account of its extraordinary resemblance to the 

 tree-shrews, having the fur similar both in texture and colour, as well as the same 

 pointed nose, and even the pale stripe across the shoulders. A peculiar genus, 

 characterised by its grooved incisors and large tufted ears, is typified by the 

 groove-toothed squirrel (Rhithrosciurus macrotis), a native of Borneo. It has 

 a long bushy tail, and the flanks are ornamented with black and white bands ; 

 in habits it is terrestrial. Borneo is also the home of certain species of pigmy 

 squirrels, another member of the same group inhabiting the Philippines, while yet 

 another inhabits West Africa. These squirrels are distinguished not only by their 

 diminutive size, but also by certain peculiarities in their skull and teeth. One of 

 the prettiest members of the group is Whitehead's squirrel (Nannosciurus wldte- 

 headi) of north Borneo. 



The Philippines are remarkable on account of being the habitat 



of a number of peculiar generic types of rats, the majority of which 

 are confined to the mountains of Luzon, and two of which greatly exceed 

 all the other members of the family in size. One of these large forms 

 is Cuming's rat (Phlceoinys cumingi), a long and rough-haired species found 

 in the lowlands. Of the Luzon rats, Crateromys scliatenbergi is another 

 large long-haired form, but the remainder are of smaller size. These have 

 been named Chrotomys whiteheadi, Carpomys melanurus, C. phceurus, Batomys 

 granti, and Rhynchomys soricoides; the last remarkable for its long shrew- 

 like nose. Another Luzon rat, Xeromys silaceus, has been assigned to a genus 

 typically Australian. 



