1871.] DR. J. ANDERSON ON NEW SQUIRRELS. 139 



8. On three new Species of Squirrels from Upper Burmah 

 and the Kakhyen Hills, between Burmah and Yunan. 

 By John Anderson, M.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c, Director 

 of the Imperial Museum, and Professor of Comparative 

 Anatomy, Calcutta. 



[Keceived February 7, 1871.] 

 (Plate X.) 



Dr. Gray, in his " Synopsis of the Asiatic Squirrels in the collec- 

 tion of the British Museum"*, has adopted the genus Macroxus of 

 F. Cuvier for all the Squirrels which he regards as having simple 

 ears. He allows that the genus as originally instituted by P. Cuvier 

 was very indistinctly characterized ; but it does not appear to me that 

 Dr. Gray has denned it any more clearly. The chief reason which 

 induced him to adopt the genus was doubtless to separate the Squir- 

 rels with so-called simple ears from those which have pencilled or 

 tufted ears. The character, however, that he has selected as a ge- 

 neric one does not merit that importance ; for we find him placing $. 

 lokrioides in the group of Squirrels with penicillated ears, while he 

 places S. similis (which appears to be only a variety of -S. lokrioides) 

 and <S. lokriah, and many other forms which have quite as much peni- 

 cillated ears as the first, in the genus Macroxus. Any classification, 

 moreover, which would separate generically such intimately allied 

 forms as S. macclellandi and <S\ palmarum, surely must be essentially 

 artificial ; yet Dr. Gray arranges the former and S. melanotis in 

 Sciurus, and <S. palmarum in Macroxus. The same remarks apply 

 with equal force to Sciurus modestus, Midler apud Gray (which, it 

 is extremely probable, is only the young of S. exilis, Muller), and to 

 S. philippensis, which Dr. Gray places in separate genera. 



Until we have a more accurate knowledge of this difficult group, 

 it appears to be premature to break up the natural genus Sciurus. 



The following species were obtained by me on the Yunan expedition ; 

 and two of them belong to a new group of ventrally banded Squirrels. 



Sciurus sladeni, n. sp. 



Grizzled, rufous olive above, the annulations fine, and the fur of 

 moderate length ; the forehead, face, chin, throat, belly, inside of 

 limbs, front of thighs, lower half of fore limbs, and the hind feet rich 

 chestnut-red. Tail rather bushy, as long as the body without the 

 neck and head, concolorous with the upper surface of the body, 

 but slightly more rufous, with a bright chestnut-red tip. 



Length from root of tail to tip of snout 10*25 inches, tail 6 inches, 

 and to tip of rufous tuft 8*006 inches. 



Skull : from anterior margin of occipital foramen to base of in- 

 cisors 1 "073 ; space between incisors and molars 0*051; distance 

 (transverse) between first molars 0030 ; breadth between orbits 0*077. 



I obtained four specimens of this handsome Squirrel at Thizyain in 

 * Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3rd series, vol. xx. p. 270 tt seq. 



