FAMILY SCIURIDiE. 
63 
gins, but not in a tuft. Whiskers few, and*extending beyond the eyes. Fore feet with four 
compressed, curved claws, and the rudiments of a thumb ; the two middle claws longest and 
subequal, all partially covered with hair; soles with five tubercles. Hind feet long, with the 
three middle toes subequal. Tail slender, rather cylindrical above, distichous on its lower 
surface. Molars eight above. Dilatable cheeks, not forming distinct pouches. 
Color. Forehead tawny mixed with black, with a small black spot above the nose. A slight 
whitish mark above and beneath the eyelids, becoming dilated towards the ears, with an inter¬ 
mediate black dash in the same direction passing through the eye. Upper part of the neck, 
anterior part of the back, and superior surface of the tail, grey mixed with black. Flanks 
greyish, passing into reddish on the rump and thighs. The cheeks, throat, breast, belly and 
internal parts of the fore legs , and thighs, white more or less mixed with light ash. A narrow 
chesnut brown dorsal stripe commences between the ears, becomes dilated and darker on the 
back, and ends about an inch from the tail. A short white stripe is parallel with this on each 
flank, bordered above and below with black, the lower black border frequently much dilated. 
These longitudinal markings are frequently treated as composed of five parallel black lines. 
The space between the lateral and dorsal stripes grey. Rump bright tawny. The under side 
of the tail fulvous, bordered with black and grey. 
Length of head, . 1 • 7. Of tail (vertebrae),. 3 - 8. 
Ditto of body,. 5'5. Ditto (including fur), .. 4'5. 
This common species is well known under the various popular names of Flacky, Ground 
Squirrel, Chipping Squirrel, Chipmuck; the latter, we apprehend, being its aboriginal name 
in this State. There appears to be a doubt with some naturalists, whether the Asiatic and 
American animals are identical. Dr. Richardson appears to consider their identity as not yet 
proved by actual comparison, and proposes for the American the name of Tarnias lysteri, 
giving Ray the authority for the specific name. The descriptive history of this species ap¬ 
pears to be this : It was originally noticed by Ray in 1683, in his Synopsis Methodica Ani- 
malium, p. 216, without giving it a name. “ Huic (S. getulus, Caii apud Gesnerum, the 
“ Barbary Squirrel) similis est Sciurus a Cla. Dom. Lyster observatus, et sic descriptus : 
“ Sciurus e minoribus est rufis cineriisqtie pilis fere ad similitudinem vulgaris muscovitici 
“ coloratur ; in medio dorso unica linea ex toto nigra ; itemque ad utrumque latus altera eaque 
“ latiuscuhe quidem, at multo brevioriis earumque etiam media albicant. Huic cauda brevis, 
“ corpore concolore at nigrior, et raris pilis donatus, etc.” It was subsequently noticed by 
Edwards & Catesby ; by Linneus, in 1754 ; in the Mus. Ad. Fred., by Pallas; by Schreber, 
in 1755; and in the last correct edition of the Systerna, 1766, Linneus describes striatus, 
quoting Catesby & Edwards, and considering their animal as identical with that of Siberia. 
Desmarest (Diet. Sc. Nat. Yol. 52, p. 170) appears to doubt whether they are identical. 
We may here remark, by the way, that his description of the American striatus appears to 
have been drawn up from a young or very small specimen. From Daubenton’s description 
of the Asiatic species, the chief differences appear to be the following: In the latter the tail 
is black towards the extremity, tipped with white ; the intermediate space between the dorsal 
