Zoological Society. 55 



in width to these folds. The masticating surfaces of these teeth are 

 worn flat by usage, even in the comparatively young animal, as in 

 other Rodents which have a large ant-orbital opening, and have not 

 the tubercular surface such as we find in the molars of the typical 

 Squirrels. These last-mentioned animals, it would appear, have a 

 rotatory motion of the lower jaw, whilst the Anomaluri have a lon- 

 gitudinal, no doubt combined with the rotatory motion ; and this 

 difference is perhaps due to the action of that portion of the masse- 

 ter muscle Avhich passes through the ant-orbital opening. 



The a])paratus of scales, Mr. Fraser remarked, was used by the 

 animal to support itself when resting on the trees, which it ascends 

 with great agility. He had observed this animal dart from the 

 top of a lofty tree to another at a considerable distance. Descend- 

 ing at an angle, it aimed with great nicety at the trunk of the tree 

 on which it intended to alight, and, settling near the base, it would 

 again ascend to travel to a third tree in the same manner ; occasion- 

 ally, when high up on the trunk, it would rest itself, making use of 

 the singular apparatus of scales on the under side of the tail. The 

 unarmed portion of the tail was then turned backwards and upwards. 



Mr. Waterhouse then proceeded to characterize three new species 

 of Squirrels from Mr. Eraser's collection, as follows : — 



SciuRus Stangeri. Sc.jnlis longis et rigidls, nigro ct flavcscenti- 

 penicillatis ; genls, guld, corporeque subtus pilis sparse obtectis, his 

 jjler unique pall idis ; caiidd magnd, nigro alboque annulatd ; auribus 

 parvidis ; foramine infra-orbituli liaud in canali educto. 



unc. lin. 

 Longitudo ab apice rostri ad caudae basin. ... 12 



■ caudce 15 



tarsi digitoriimqiie 2 8^ 



auris 5 



Hab. in Insula Fernando Po. 



The most striking external characters of this species consist in its 

 large tail, which is ringed with black and white ; the crispness of 

 the fur and the seminaked condition of the under parts of the body, 

 the sides of the face, muzzle, throat, and the inner side of the limbs : 

 — all these parts are so sparingly clothed with hairs that the skin is 

 visible. On the upper parts of the body there is scarcely any trace 

 of the finer under-fur, nearly all the hairs being of the same harsh 

 character ; they are black, broadly annulated with yellowish white 

 or rusty yellow ; on the fore parts of the body the former tint pre- 

 vails, but the hinder parts may be described as black, freely pencilled 

 with bright rusty yellow ; on the hind limbs this last-mentioned 

 colour prevails, as well as on the upper side of the tarsus. The small 

 adpressed hairs on the sides of the face are partly black and partly 

 yellowish white ; on the chest the hairs are for the most part whitish, 

 and on the inner side of the limbs rusty yellow ; on the belly the 

 hairs are most of them yellowish white, annulated with black. The 

 tail is very long and bushy : measuring to the end of the hair, it 

 exceeds the head and body in length ; excepting quite at the base. 



