sciUETJS. 369 



Lower parts rufescent white, the hairs dark grey near the skin. 

 Tail rufous-brown, the hairs sometimes ^\'itIl black terminations. 

 The extreme tip of the tail is sometimes white. 



Dimensions. Head and body of an adult male in spirits 12 inches, 

 tail without hair 9, with hair 10"5, hind foot 2'1, ear from crowu 

 0-S, extreme length of skull 2-25, zygomatic breadth 1'45. Some 

 individuals are possibly larger. 



Distribution. Hills of Travancore and Ceylon, at moderate eleva- 

 tions. Andersoa also gives the Nilgiris as a locality. 



238. Sciuropterus pearsoni. The hainj-poted Fhjing'Squirrel. 



Sciuropterus pearsoiiii, Gray, A. M. N. H. x, p. 263 (1842) ; Thomas, 



P. Z. S. 1886, p. 60. 

 Sciuropterus villosus, Bhjth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 866 (1847) ; id. 



Cat. p. 96 ; Jerdon, Mam. p. 179. 

 Pteromys pearsouii, Anderson, An. Zool. Res. p. 293. 



A pencil of soft hairs, greatly exceeding the ear in length, at 

 each base of the ear-conch, which is small and fairly well clad. 

 Tail flat, bushy. Toes with long hair, partly concealing the claws. 

 No supplementary pad on planta ; metatarsal pad oval. Fur long. 



Colour above brown, frequently rufous-brown, grizzled by pale 

 tips ; dorsal hair sooty black for the greater part of its length, be- 

 coming ashy at the base, and tipped with ferruginous red, pale 

 rufous, or light brown ; extreme tip of some of the longest hairs 

 black. Fur on upper surface of parachute black, with but few pale 

 tips. Feet paler. Lower parts fulvescent white ; more rufous, and 

 sometimes brown or ferruginous beneath the parachute. Tail 

 rufous-brown, paler below, sometimes tipped blackish. 



Dimensions. Head and body 8 inches, tail 8, ear 0'6, hind foot 

 and claws 1*5 ; zygomatic breadth of skull 0"9. 



Distribution. Sikhim, Bhutan and the Eastern Himalayas, Assam, 

 hills south of Assam, Cachar, Manipur, and Yunuan ; also, accord- 

 ing to Anderson, Formosa. la Sikhim this species inhabits a zone 

 from 3000 to about 6000 feet. 



Genus SCIURUS, L. (1766). 



Limbs free, not connected by membrane ; tail long, bushy. Hind 

 feet with five toes, fore feet with four toes and a rudimentary 

 thumb. No cheek-pouches. 



Dentition : i. |, pm. ^, m. ^. Anterior upper 

 premolar soon lost in some species, but not in others. 

 Postorbital processes modei\ate, and generally directed 

 backwards. The small infraorbital foramen is in 

 front of the zygoma-root, and close to the anterior 

 premolar. Palate bi'oad and flat. Vertebrae : C. 7, 

 D. 12-13, L. 6-7, S. 3, C. 21-32. 



Squirrels are mainly arboreal and diurnal, they Fig. 123.— Right 

 feed on fruit, seeds, nuts, leaf-buds, and sometimes J^^^^jj^of^!^^^'^' 

 it is said on insects and birds' eggs. They hold their I'^/^^.J^g, x2^' 



