MAMMALS OK BORNEO. 5 I 



occasionally with a greyish tip. In the adult, the sides of the 

 animal are rufous-brown, lightest on the thighs. The area 

 between the black dorsal lines, on the two anterior thirds of 

 the trunk is much punctulated with yellowish, which also 

 extends to the head. The hinder part of the back is rich red 

 brown, the under parts are clear yellow white, the insides of 

 the limbs are washed with rufous. Length from muzzle to 

 tail 7*50 inches ; tail reaching forwards to nearly the head. 

 The skull has a rather narrow and pointed facial portion, and 

 no great breadth between the orbits. 



This is a true ground squirrel and is found all through 

 the low country of the Baram district. It is fond of living 

 on the slopes of hills, jumping about among the roots and 

 leaves. I have frequently met with specimens which have 

 lost part of their tails, and think that it is not unlikely that 

 their tails are bitten off when fighting. 



SCIURUS MELANOTIS. 



Sciunts viclauotis, Miiller and Schlegel, Verhandl. 18^9-44. 

 p. 87. 



The head is rather broad, thick, and blunt for the size 

 of the animal, while the muzzle is short, and very broad at its 

 origin. The ears are slightly pointed at their tips, and have 

 a somewhat elongated form, being one-third longer than broad; 

 they are clad with short yellowish hairs on the inside, and on 

 the back with long black hairs which extend beyond their 

 margins. 



The colour is subject to considerable variation. In Java, 

 the species is a dull pale yellow-brown, passing into bright 

 olive, variegated with black, which is produced by the black 

 annulation of the fur. A moderately broad white stripe runs 

 along both sides of the head, below the eyes and ears, suddenly 

 ceasing at the shoulders. It is bordered above to the ear, and 

 along its lower margin till just below the ear, by a narrow 

 black band. In some specimens, the whole of the hinder 

 portions of the head and neck is occupied by a large spot, 

 which is paler than the ground colour; but it is obsolete in 

 other Sumatran examples, and those from Borneo are nearly 

 alike, and differ only in the following details from the Javan 

 animals. The colour of the upper parts is brighter, and 

 merges, principally, on the head, into a nut biown. The 

 under parts are pale yellow with a reddish tint, while in those 

 from Java they are greyish-white passing into yellow. The 

 hairs of the ears are longer than in the Javan animals, and the 

 spot on the neck is more clearly defined, and is generally of a 

 pale yellow tint. 



The body measures - - - 3*50 inches. 

 Tail, without tlie hair - - ^'60 ,, 



