98 



Dr. Bachman remarks of this epecies, " I am indebted to J. W. 

 Audubon, Esq., for a specimen of an interesting little Squirrel ob- 

 tained at New Orleans on the 24th March, 1837, -which I find 

 agreeing in most particulars with the specimen in tlie Philadelphia 

 Museum, referred by American authors to Sciurus rufiventer. 



" Dr. Harlan's description does not apply very closely to the spe- 

 cimen in question, but seems to be with slight variations that of 

 Desmarest's description of Sciurus rufiventer. 



" The following description is taken from the specimen procured 

 by Mr. Audubon. It was that of an old female, containing several 

 young, and I am enabled to state with certainty that it was an adult 

 animal. 



" I have given to this species the character of 22 teeth, from 

 the circumstance of my having found that number in the specimen 

 from which I described. The animal could not have been less than 

 a year old. The anterior molars in the upper jaw are small ; the 

 inner surface of the upper grinders is obtuse, and the two outer 

 points on each tooth are elevated and sharper than those of most 

 other species. In the lower jaw the molars regularly increase in 

 size from the first, which is the smallest, to the fourth, which is the 

 largest. Head short and broad ; nose very obtuse ; ears short and 

 rounded, slightly clothed with hair ; feet and claws rather short and 

 strong ; tail short and flattened, but not broad, resembling that of 

 the Sc. Hudsonius. I'he form of the body, like that of the little 

 Carolina Squirrel, is more indicative of strength than of agility. 



" The hairs on the upper part of the body, the limbs externally 

 and feet, are black, obscurely grizzled with brownish yellow. On the 

 under parts, with the exception of the chin and throat, which 

 are grayish, the hairs are annulated with brownish orange and 

 black, and a grayish white at the roots. The prevailing colour of 

 the tail above is black, the hairs however are brown at base and some 

 of them are obscurely annulated with brown, and at the apex pale 

 brown. On the under side of the tail the hairs exhibit pale yellowish 

 brown annulations. 



Dimension"!. in. lines. 



Length of head and body 10 



Tail (vertebrae) 6 9 



Do. including ifur 8 6 



Fore foot to point of middle fore-claw 1 8 



Hinder foot to point of longest nail 2 1 



Height of ear posteriorly 4 



Length of fur on the back 7 



Weight without intestines, fib. 



" I am under an impression that this little species is subject to 

 some variations in colour, the present specimen and that in the 

 Philadelphia Museum having a shade of difference, the latter ap- 

 pearing a little lighter. In Louisiana it is so dark in colour as to 

 be familiarly called by the French inhabitants, ' Le petit noir.' 

 This Little Black Squirrel is an inhabitant of low swampy situations 



