FAMILY SCIURID^. 63 



gins, but not in a tuft. Whiskers few, and extending beyond the eyes. Fore feet with four 

 compressed, curved claws, and the rudiments of a tluunb ; the two middle claws longest and 

 subequal, all partially covered with hair ; soles with five tubercles. Hind feet long, with the 

 three middle toes subequal. Tail slender, rather cylindrical above, distichous on its lower 

 surface. Molars eight above. Dilatable cheeks, not forming distinct pouches. 



Color. Forehead tawny mixed with black, with a small black spot above the nose. A slight 

 whitish mark above and beneath the eyelids, becoming dilated towards the cars, with an inter- 

 mediate black dash in the same direction passing through the eye. Upper part of the neck, 

 anterior part of the back, and superior surface of the tail, grey mixed with black. Flanks 

 greyish, passing into reddish on the rump and thighs. The cheeks, throat, breast, belly and 

 internal parts of the fore legs and thighs, white more or less mixed with light ash. A narrow 

 chesnut brown dorsal stripe commences between the ears, becomes dilated and darker on the 

 back, and ends about an inch from the tail. A short white stripe is parallel with this on each 

 flank, bordered above and below with black, the lower black border frequently much dilated. 

 These longitudinal markings are frequently treated as composed of five parallel black lines. 

 The space between the lateral and dorsal stripes grey. Rump bright tawny. The under side 

 of the tail fulvous, bordered with black and grey. 



Length of head, 1-7. Of tail (vertebrcx), 3-8. 



Ditto of body, 5 '5. Ditto (including fur), . . 4 '5. 



This common species is well known under the various popular names of Huchj, Ground 

 Squirrel, Chipping Squirrel, Chipmuck ; the latter, we apprehend, being its aboriginal name 

 in this State. There appears to be a doubt with some naturalists, whether the Asiatic and 

 American animals are identical. Dr. Richardson appears to consider their identity as not yet 

 proved by actual comparison, and proposes for the American the name of Tamias hjsteri, 

 giving Ray the authority for the specific name. The descriptive history of this species ap- 

 pears to be this : It was originally noticed by Ray in 1683, in his Synopsis Methodica Ani- 

 malium, p. 216, without giving it a name. " Huic {S. getulus, Caii apud Gesnerum, the 

 " Barbary Squirrel) similis est Sciurus a Cla. Dom. Lyster observatus, et sic descriptus : 

 " Sciurus e minoribus est rufis cineriisque pilis fere ad similitudinem vulgaris muscovitici 

 " coloratur ; in medio dorso unica linea ex toto nigra ; itcmqxie ad utrumque latus altera eaque 

 " latiusculae quidem, at multo brevioriis earumquc etiam media albicant. Huic cauda brevis, 

 " corpore concolore at nigrior, et raris pilis donatus, etc." It was subsequently noticed by 

 Edwards & Catesby ; by Linneus, in 1751 ; in the Mus. Ad. Fred., by Pallas ; by Schreber, 

 in 1755; and in the last correct edition of the Systema, 1766, Linneus describes striatus, 

 quoting Catesby & Edwards, and considering their animal as identical with that of Siberia. 

 Desmarest {Diet. Sc. Nat. Vol. 52, p. 170) appears to doubt whether they are identical. 

 We may here remark, by the way, that his description of the American striatus appears to 

 have been drawn up from a young or very small specimen. From Daubenton's description 

 of the Asiatic species, the chief differences appear to be the following : In the latter the tail 

 is black towards the extremity, tipped with white ; the intermediate space between the dorsal 



