RESULTS FROM MAMMAL SURVEY. 35 



at last able to place the name on a form exactly agreeing with the 

 figure, in body as well as in tail. 



ceylonicus, Erxl., Syst. R. A. Mamm., p. 416, 1777, based on 

 the "White-legged Squirrel" of Pennant. 



The description would apply to bleached specimens of either A. 

 or B., the tail being said to be "dusky" which neither indicates 

 nor excludes its having had whitish tips to the tail hairs, these 

 whitish tips being little prominent in bleached specimens. The 

 "white" underside, legs, etc., is also nearer the pale buffy of A. 

 than the dark buffy of B. Consequently the universal placing by 

 all writers of ceylonicus as a synonym of macrourus need not be 

 altered. 



ceilonensis, Bodd., Elench. Anim. I., p. 117, 1785. 



Based on Pennant's "Ceylon Squirrel", i. e., the animal figured 

 by the latter as Sciurus macrourus • therefore A. 



tennanti, Blyth., J. A. S. B., XVIII., p. 600, 1849 (misprinted 

 teane7iti). 



Stated to be similar in size and colour to the common large 

 species of the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal (i. e., R. melano- 

 ]:.epla'), except that the caudal hairs are largely tipped with white. 



Therefore A. as described above. Blyth thought C. (which he 

 figured PI. XXXVI of Vol. XVI) to be the true macrourus but as 

 already shown, this is also A. 



montanus, Kelaart, Prodr. Faun. Zeyl., p. 50, 1852. 



An alternative name for " 8. tennanti " ; again therefore A. 



We thus come to the remarkable result that all the five names 

 that have been given to Ceylon Ratufas apply to one form, and that 

 the other two both need new names. 



Wroughton's conclusions in 191 Of were invalidated by the very 

 incomplete and deceptive character of the material then in the 

 Museum. His "bay" species, B. m. ceylonica, was based on old 

 specimens, bleached to a uniform tint, of both A. and B. 



The following are descriptions of the three forms now re- 

 'Cognised : — 



(A.) Ratufa macroura macroura, Penn. 



Forehead and whole upper surface deep black (when unbleached), 

 Ibut the rump with slight white grizzling laterally. Undersurface, 

 wrists all round, and lower legs, clear buffy, a line along the 

 demarcation on flanks and rump, grizzled black or grey. Nose 

 buffy ; crown patch brown ; buffy area below ear small. Belly 

 hairs blackish grey basally. Fingers and toes black. Tail with its 

 very long hairs deep black, tipped (except just at the base and 

 sometimes at the end) with white, thus producing the greyish 

 •effect shown in Pennant's fissure. 



t Journ. Bomb. N. H. Soc. XIX., p. 882. 



