Monograph of the Genus Sciurus. 307 



10. Species CoUicei^ Richardson. Collie's Squirrel. 

 Dimensions. 



" Length from nose to root of tail, 

 of tail to end of hair, 

 Tarsus, including nail, 

 Height of ear posteriorly, 

 Nose to ear, 



" Color. — Above, grizzled black and buff yellow ; sides of muzzle, 

 under parts, and inner sides of limbs white. Tail moderate, the hairs 

 greyish white, three times annulated with black. Hairs of the body, 

 both above and beneath, grey at the root ; that of the back with a length- 

 ened black tip, and broadly annulated with buff yellow. The hairs of 

 the head resemble those of the back, except on the fore part, where they 

 are annulated with whitish. Top of the muzzle brown, cheeks greyish. 

 Ears well clothed with hairs, which are internally of a yellowish color, 

 externally grizzled with black and yellow on the fore part, but posteriorly 

 with long whitish hairs. Hairs of feet white, black at the root; the 

 whiskers are as long as the head, composed of bristly black hairs. 



" Described from the original specimen deposited by Dr. Richardson 

 in the Museum of the Zoological Society. 



11, Species niger. The Black Squirrel. 



^' Sciurus niger ; Liiin. non Catesby. 



Desm. Mammalogie, p. 334. 



Godman ; Nat. Hist. vol. ii, p. 133. 



" A little larger than the Northern Grey Squirrel. Fur soft and glossy ; 

 ears, nose, and the whole body pure black, a few white tufts of hair inter- 

 spersed. Dental formula; Incisors, ^; Canines, -^ ; Molars, f^ ; — 20. 



" Much confusion has existed with regard to this species. The orig- 

 inal Sciurus niger of Catesby is the black variety of the fox squirrel. It 

 is difficult to decide, from the description of Drs. Harlan and Godman, 

 whether they described from specimens of the black variety of the north- 

 ern grey squirrel. Or of the species which I am about to describe. In- 

 deed, there is so strong a similarity, that I have admitted it as a species 

 with some doubt and hesitation. Dr. Richardson has, under the head of 

 Sciurus niger, (see ' Fauna Boreali-Americana,' p. 191), described a spe- 

 cimen from Lake Superior, of what I conceive to be the black variety of 

 the grey squirrel ; but at the close of the same article (p. 192), he has 

 described another specimen from Fort William, which answers to the 

 description of the specimens now before me. There is great difficulty in 

 finding suitable characters by which the majority of our species of squir- 



