SCIURUS PLANTANI. 



15. SCIURUS MACROURUS, Pennant. 



Sc. capite dorsoque supra nigris, subtus flavus, cauda grisea. 



Sciurus zeylonicus, pilis in dorso nigricantibus, Rukkaia dictus. Baii syn. Quad. 



p. 215. 

 Sciurus macrourus, long-tailed Squirrel. Penn. Ind. Zool. tab. 1. Erxleh. mamm. 



p. 420. Linn. Syst. Ed. Gmel. p. 148. Shaw's Zool. II. p. 129- Desmar. Encycl. 



Mammalog. p. 335. 

 Sciurus CeUonensis, Bodd. Elen. anim. p. 117. 

 Ceylon Squirrel, Penn. Hist. Quad. 2d Ed. j). 408. 

 Das langschwanzige Eichhorn, Schreb. Sdugth. IV. p. 783. t. CCXVII. 

 Dandoelana or Roekea, of the inhabitants of Ceylon. 



This species was fii-st defined by Mr. Pennant in his Indian Zoology, 

 from a drawing prepared for John Gideon Loten, Esq. formerly a Governor of one of 

 the Dutch establishments in Ceylon. This drawing exhibits an animal similar, in 

 all points relating to form and proportion, to the Sciurus maximus of Gmelin, the 

 Grand Ecureuil de la cote du Malabar, of Sonnerat ; it differs in colour and in some 

 peculiarities of the external marks ; and on the accuracy with which these are 

 represented, depends the final determination, whether the Long-tailed Squirrel of 

 Pennant be a distinct species. M. Cuvier observes, that it is sufficient to compare 

 the figures of Pennant and Sonnerat, to determine that they represent the same 

 animal ; but M. Desmarest, after having adopted this opinion, has determined, in the 

 arrangement of the species, in the article Mammalogie of the Encyclopedia, to 

 separate them again, on the ground of the difference of colour, until further elucida- 

 tions should be obtained on this subject. 



As I have been favoured with an opportunity of vf>mining the original drawing 

 of the Long-tailed Squirrel, which, with a general series of drawings of subjects of 

 Natural History, prepared under the superintendence of Governor Loten, is now 

 deposited in the Library oi' the late Sir Joseph Banks, I am enabled to attest the 

 accuracy of Mr. Pennant's description; and, in order to afford a comparison 

 with a drawing which wUl be referred to in the account of Sciurus maximus, I 

 shall concisely detail the peculiarities which tend to confirm the distinct character 

 of the Sciurus macrourus. The line extending transversely from the ears across 

 the cheeks to the neck, which, judging from the drawings and descriptions, is 

 single in the Sciurus maximus, is represented double in Governor Loten's drawing; 



