ALLEN ON THE AMERICAN SCIURL 883 



Note. — "Under this name I feel myself obliged to bring together 

 two Mexican Squirrels of which typical specimens are very different in 

 appearance. Mr. Allen has kept them separate under the names of 8. 

 aureigaster and S. leucops, remarking that the difference in coloration 

 leaves little doubt of their distinctness, but adding that ' more abundant 

 material may show that they are not specifically separable' {op. cit. p. 

 755). The color-variation is not nearly so great as we shall find it to be 

 in the next species [i. e. 8. hijpopyrrlms] ; and after a careful examination 

 of a great number of specimens, especially of the fine series in the Paris 

 Museum, I have been unable to find a single distinctive character which 

 is constant." — Alston, I. c. p. G61. 



Of this species Mr. Alston recognizes two forms, denominated respect- 

 ively "1, the aureogaster type", and "2, the leucops type". 



Unfortunately, as it seems to me, Mr. Alston has selected for this 

 species Erxleben's name variegatus, remarking that it is "primarily 

 founded" on the " Coztiocotequallin" of Hernandez, and that Buftbn's 

 " Coquallin " is quoted only as a synonym ; and adds, " Erxleben's 

 diagnosis and description appear to me to be quite characteristic of the 

 leucops form of the present species. By retaining this appropriate name," 

 he continues, "we are enabled to escape from F. Cuvier's barbarous term 

 aureogaster, under which this beautiful species has labored in so many 

 works" (1. G. pp. 661, 662). However pleasant it might be to escape 

 Cuvier's barbarous name, this to me is not so clearly the way to do it. 

 Erxleben's species is admittedly a composite one, and neither bis diag- 

 nosis nor Hernandez's account of the "Coztiocotequallin" helps the 

 matter, since the best that can be made out is that Erxleben's species 

 was black above, varied with white and brown, and yellow below, twice 

 the size of the European Squirrel, and with the ears not tufted j a char- 

 acterization broad enough to apply to the dusky phase of any of the 

 larger Mexican Squirrels. F. Cuvier's excellent figure and detailed 

 description, on the other hand, leave nothing to be guessed at in respect 

 to just what his aureogaster was, the types of which, it appears also, are 

 still preserved. 



X. — SCIURUS STRAMINEUS, Eyd. & Soul. 



Sdurus stramineus, Eydoiix & Souleyet, Voy. de la Bonite, Zool. i, 1844, 37, pL ix. 

 Scitirus neboHxii, Is. Geoffkoy, Voy. de La V6aus, Zool. 1855, 1G3, pi. xii. 

 Macroxns fraseri, Gray, Anu. aud Mag. Nat. Hist. 3d ser. xs, 1867, 430. 

 Sdurus lujpopyrrlms, Allen, Mod. N. Am. Rod. 1877, 747 (in part). 



Note. — As already stated, this species was embraced under my S. 

 hypopyrrhus. The 8. stramineus I included among the synonyms of 8. 

 variabilis. The 8. nebouxii I was unable to identify, and gave it among 

 my undetermined species. The Macroxus fraseri I referred doubtfully to 

 8. tephrogaster* Mr. Alston has examined the types of 8. nebouxii and 



* " It is only fair to Mr. Allen to add, that Gray's description of M. fraseri is so imper- 

 fect that it is not surprising that the American zoologist should have doubtfully re- 

 ferred it to S. tephrogaster." — Alston, I. c. p. 665. 



