ORDER RODENTIA. 179 



European species, and though considerably subject to vary 

 from gray to black, is ever distinguishable by white round 

 the muzzle, and on the extremity of the ears. The speci- 

 men described and figured by M. F. Cuvier, was entirely 

 black, with the exception of the ears, muzzle, toes, and 

 end of the tail. He also mentions another like the former, 

 but which had the sides of the body principally on the crup- 

 per and flanks, under the tail ; and toward the scrotum, a 

 great number of silky hairs tipped with white. 



The gray variety, described by M. Desmarest as the most 

 common, has the head, with the exception of the ears, end of 

 the nose, and lower jaw, covered with hairs, entirely black, 

 with as light reddish tint within the ears and at the corners 

 of the mouth. The back blackish, sprinkled with white, each 

 hair being annulated with these colours, the flanks gray, 

 and the under-parts white, and the tail is of the same cha- 

 racter. 



The specimen from which we have engraved, accords 

 with M. Cuvier's description, rather than with that of M. 

 Desmarest's ; but it differs from both, in having a distinct 

 white spot on the forehead. The Baron, we have seen, 

 treats this Sc. Vulpinus of Gm., and the Black Squirrel of 

 America, as varieties. It seems really very probable that 

 black and white, variously marked as to the disposition of 

 these two opposite colours, may be of common occurrence 

 in this species. 



Of the Jeralang, or Lesckenaulfs Squirrel, we present a 

 figure, from the specimen in the Paris Museum. The body 

 of this species is rather more than a foot in length, and the 

 tail is about the same. The hairs on the back of this ani- 

 mal are brown from the skin, and yellowish toward the 

 point, whence results an ochrey-brown, but the flanks are 

 dark dull brown ; the tail, which is flat, has the upper part 

 dark dull brown, with the under-side yellowish ; the nape of 

 the neck is gray ; the head, throat, belly, anterior and in- 



