Sciurus caniccps and af lied Species. 271 



Sci'urus canicepsy Gray. 



Sriuni* rnniirpf, (trav (nee Tt'nini.\ Ann. & Ma<r. Nat. Hist. x. 1842, 

 p. JiVi: Thos. I». Z. 8. IH."^;, p. fiS; Anders.' Zool. Re«. Yunnan, 

 n. 22!) (187S>); Hlanf-.n!, Ftiiin. lir. Ind.. Mamm. p. .WO (1891); 

 W. L. Sclater, Cat. Maiiiin. Calc. Mas. ii. p. 1;{ (1891). 



Sciunix t'hn/sonotu-^, IJIyth, J. .V. S. Ii. vol. xvi. 1847, p. 873, pl.,xx.xvii. 



This specios, }iltliou;j;li closely allied to Sc. concolor aii'l 

 Sc. eponiophorus desciibcd in this paper, is quite distinct 

 in having a breeding -pel ag^e, whicli is assumed during the 

 winter months, being at its brightest in Januaiy. It ranges 

 throughout Burma and Tonasserim, spreading eastwards 

 info 8iam, and being found as far south as Bankok in the 

 native State of Patelung, although I know of no instance 

 of its occurrence on the western side of the peninsula. 



In its dull pelage, which is worn from March to November, 

 it is of a uniform grizzled grey, lighter on the underparts, 

 top of the head, and feet. The tail is similar in colour to the 

 back, ami shows, especially towards its tip, annulations of 

 black and grey. The tip itself is black. Each iiair above 

 is dark at its base, with three or four light annulations, while 

 those below have dark bases and light ashy-grey tips. 



In its bright pelage the underparts, limbs, feet, tail, sides 

 of the face, and top of the nose are unchanged, but the rest of 

 the pelage, which includes all the upper parts, becomes of a 

 deep rufous orange, each hair being black at its base with a 

 deep rufous tip. The change, which takes place by moult 

 and not by a change of colour, is undergone equally by both 

 .sexes, and takes place, I believe, during the rutting-period. 

 In the bright pelage Sc. caniceps is quite distinct from all 

 other .species, and there can be no risk of confusion ; but in 

 the dull pelage it bears a considerable likeness to Sc. concolor 

 and Sc. epomophorus Davisoni. The latter, however, may 

 always be distinguished by its much darker colour, the 

 presence of a patch of very pale rufous on the underparts at 

 the base of either thigh, and a similar very pale rufous patch 

 on the sides of tiic neck below the ear. Sc. concolor is distin- 

 guished by the annulations on the hairs of tiie back being of 

 varying degrees of ferruginous, instead of pale ashy. The 

 hairs on the ears are also rufous, which is never the case in 

 Sc. canicejJSy and the long black hairs at the tip of the tail have 

 fulvous ends, which latter characteristic will serve to distin- 

 gui.-<h Sc. concolor from all the other species except pygery^ 

 thrus and gristimnnus. There is no risk of confusing the most 

 vividly marked specimens of Sc. concolor with the bright 

 pelage of Sc. caniceps, for the hairs of Sc. concolor are ahoays 



19* 



