370 SCIUEIDiE. 



food between their fore feet when eating. They buikl large nests 

 of leaves, grass, &c. in trees, and usually produce three or four 

 young. The Indian and Burmese species are numerous, but fall 

 into three groups, easily recognized by size and other characters. 



Synopsis of Indian, Ceylonese, and Burmese Species. 



A. Large squirrels ; Bose to veut not less 

 than 12 inches ; lower surface of tail 

 with short hair ; usually 4 teeth in 

 upper molar series on each side. 



a. Outside of all limbs coloured like 



upper parts, which are generally 



blackish S. hicolor, p. 373. 



b. Outside of hind limbs like back, wholly 



or partly maroon, of fore limbs buff 



like abdomen S. indicus, p. 371. 



c. Outside of all limbs pale like abdomen. S, mucrurus, p. 374. 

 B. Medium-sized squirrels ; nose to vent 



7 to 10 inches; lower surface of tail 

 with long hair ; no pale longitudinal 

 bands on back or sides ; usually 5 

 teeth in upper molar series. 

 n. Colour throughout body above and 



below red or reddish brown S, ferruc/ineus, p. 375. 



• b. Colour not uniform, back finely 

 speckled. 

 a'. Longer dorsal hairs with but one 

 pale ring ; a small white or 

 whitish spot behind each ear. 



a". Abdomen rufous S. locria, p. 37G. 



h". Abdomen wlute S. rufigenis, p. 376. 



b'. Longer dorsal hairs with two pale 

 rings ; no white spots behind ear. 

 a" . Neither a black dorsal patch nor 

 white whiskers. 

 «'. Abdomen chestnut or hay . . S. erythrceus, p. 377. 

 UK Abdomen longitudinally ban- 

 ded white and black S. quinquestviatiis, p. 378, 



c^. Abdomen pale rufous or isa- 

 belline or grey. 

 a*. A distinct black tail-tip. 

 a. A black or blackish band 



on each side of abd( mien S. phayrei, p. 379. 

 /3. No black lateral bands. 



u! . Abdomen pale rufous. ^S". pyyerythrus, p. 379. 

 /3'. Abdomen pale grey . . S. caniceps, p. 380. 

 6'. Eitherno black tail-tip or a 

 very ill-defined one. 



a. Feet whitish S. yriseimanus, p. 381, 



/3. Feet the same colour as 



the sides 8. locroides, p. 381. 



b". Either a black dorsal patch or 



white whiskers, or both * . . . . S. atridorsalis, p. 382, 



* A rufous variety of tins occurs willi black whiskers, and no black on the 

 back. This is scarcely distinguishable from some forms of S. erythrcetis. 



