* 
tHe SQUIRRELS: OF THE’ SCIURUS VITTATUS 
GROUP IN SUMATRA 
-By MARCUS WARD LYON, Jr. 
ASSISTANT CuRATOR, DivisIoN oF Mammats, U. S. NationaL Mustum 
That more than one form of this variable group of squirrels should 
be found on Sumatra is not surprising when the large size and 
physical characteristics of that island are borne in mind. Sumatra 
is nearly one thousand miles in length, extending from northwest 
to southeast. The western portion is mountainous, averaging about 
2000 feet in elevation, with here and there volcanic peaks 10,000 or 
11,000 feet high; the eastern side consists of low and swampy land. 
Dr. W. L. Abbott during the last six years has collected squirrels 
of the Scirus vittatus group at the following points along the coast: 
East side; Aru Bay, November to December, 1905; Salat Rupat, 
March, 1906; Kateman river, August, 1903; Indragiri river, Sep- 
tember, 1901 ; west side; Loh Sidoh Bay, November, 1901; Tapanuli 
Bay, February and March, 1902; Tarussan Bay, December, 1904. 
See map, page 283. The only specimens of this group I have seen 
from the highlands of Sumatra are two from vicinity of Padang, 
kindly loaned by Mr. Witmer Stone, of the Academy of Natural 
Sciences of Philadelphia, to whom my thanks are due. 
The type locality of Sciwrus vittatus Rafflest is Bencoolen, on the 
southwest coast of Sumatra. Unfortunately, from here I have seen 
no examples. Mr. Bonhote’s? statement that “the types of S. vtt- 
tatus, which are in the British Museum, are absolutely indistinguish- 
able from specimens taken in the Peninsula ” and an examination of 
material in the National Museum show that Scirus vittatus on 
Sumatra ranges throughout the low marshy country of the eastern 
side and extends either across the mountains or around the coast 
to Bencoolen, which seems rather unusual with so variable a group 
of squirrels; or else that the types of Sciurus vittatus were incor- 
rectly labeled as coming from Bencoolen, a not improbable occur- 
rence with specimens collected nearly a century ago. The examples 
nearest in locality to Bencoolen which I have seen are those from 
*Trans. Linnean Soc. London, xitt, 1821-1822, p. 250. 
* Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1906, Vol. 1, p. 6, June 7, 1906. 
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