ORIENTAL FLYING SQUIRRELS. 1015 



B. Size smaller. Hindfoot 60mm. 

 a Orange hazel (Natuna Islands.) 



(18) nitidulus, Thos. 

 b Almost black. (Batu Islands.) 



(19) batuanus, Miller. 



(1) Pataurista philippensis. Elliot. 



1839. Pteromys philippensis. Elliot, Madr. Journ., L. & 

 Sc, p. 217. 



1842. Pteromys oral. Tickell. Calc. Journ., N. H., ii, p. 401. 



1843. Pteromys griseiventer. Gray. List. Mamm. Brit. Mus., 

 p. 133. 



Synonymy. — The name 'philippensis was given unintentionally 

 by Elliot who ascribed it to Gray, but as the latter never publish- 

 ed the name, and the former appended to it a valuable description, 

 by the Rules of Nomenclature, the name must stand. It is 

 greatly to be regretted and that is all there is to be said. 



Pteromys oral was described by Tickell from Singhbhoom and 

 has been generally used for the Madras form. I therefore leave it 

 as a synonym of that species. It seems most probable, however, 

 that it is an easily separable race, allied more nearly to the form 

 found in the Bombay Presidency than to true philippensis. 



Pteromys griseiventer was described by Gray without any type 

 locality, but the type leaves no doubt that it is true philippensis. 



Description. — Fur of back 40-45 mm. long. General colour 

 above, ' claret brown ' ; washed with white ; below, white. Indi- 

 vidual hairs of the back basally ' smoke grey ' (30 mm.), then seal 

 brown (5 mm.) and lastly white (5 mm.) tipped black. Face like 

 the back, cheeks grey, distal half of back of ears orange rufous, tuft 

 behind ears rufous. Neck behind the ears, outside of limbs and 

 parachute like back without the white grizzling and tinged 

 ferruginous. Lower lip black. Tail seal brown. 



Size. — Head and body, 500 ; tail, 525 ; hindfoot, 84 ; ear, 40. 

 Skulls, greatest length, 77; basilar length, 62; greatest breadth 

 50; molars, 17*5. 



Remarks. — All the Madras specimens I have seen (except one) 

 are referable to this form, but those from Travancore are most 



