SCIURID^E— SCIITRUS VARIABILIS. 



771 



collection, also similar, is the first of the four specimens previously referred 

 by him to S. langsdorffi. lly single specimen from Manaos (mouth of the 

 Rio Negro) agrees most nearly with this species. 



The Sciurus tricolor, first described by Tschudi, Wagner here discusses 

 at some length, recognizing ii, as specifically distinct from the others. De- 

 scriptions of two specimens of this species are given from Tschudi, both 

 from Northeastern Peru, and of two others collected by Spix, wi.ich he had 

 previously referred to 8. langsdorffi. One of Tschudi's specimens has the 

 upper surface black, with eacii hair tipped with light ochre-yellow ; the ven- 

 tral surface soiled yellowish-white. The tail is black at the base, mixed 

 with hairs ringed with brown or yellow-brown; the rest of the tail with 

 the hairs broadly tipped with light fox-red. The other has the dorsal surface 

 black, with the hairs broadly ringed with reddish-yellow {mit breitem roth- 

 gclben Ringe); the ventral surface, sfdes of the head, and whole inner sur- 

 face of the limiis rust-yellow. As already stated, Wagner refers to this 

 species two specimens mentioned in bis first account of S. langsdorffi (the 

 second and third). One of them is black above, sprinkled with brownish- 

 yellow, passing pnthe hind limbs into rust-red ; below, grayish-white. The 

 other is similar, but the black more predominates over the yellow, and the 

 under surface is rusty-brownish, and the tail is also somewhat darker. 



The S. stramineus, described by Eydoux* in 1844, from specimens taken 

 in Northern Peru, is scarcely different from the so-called 8. igniventris, and 

 belongs to the same group. It has essentially the same size, the same large 

 ears, and, judged by the description, the same coloration. The Macroxus 

 fumigatus of Gray from the Upper Amazons is evidently based on a mela- 

 nistic example, which is probably identical with the melanistic specimens 

 from the Rio Negro referred by Wagner to liis S. igniventris. 



*"Le corps de cut £oareuil eat oouvert de polls assez courts, uoir&tres, termlD^ de jaaae paiUe 

 Mti. La teinte sar glacis fauve est pins vIve am lunibes et i^ la face externe des membres post^rienrs. 

 La queue a de long polls nolrs terminus de Jnnne-blancli&tre, et elle paralt comme lav^ de oette deml^re 



coaleor ; elle est plotAt en paoaobe que distique Les Joues et le mentoc sont de cooleur 



faave clalr, et la face iofdrlcnre des membres, ainsi que le doasous dn corps sont figalement pAles. 



" Longener du corps et de t£te, 10 poucus lfi.'J7). Longeuor de la queue en oomprement ses poilei 

 t^rmineanz, 11 ponces (0,30). 



" Cet £cnrenil a 6ti trouvtf li Oinatope an P<Srou."— ( Toy. de la Bonilt, Zool. i, pp. 38, 39.) 



The plate sbows large ears, but the color is quite nnlike tbat given in the description, aud better 

 agrees with that of the Sduriu iieboKxi of Oeoffroy than with any of the nboTe-deaoribed forms of S, 

 variaMllt. 



