184 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



The manners of the Sciurus Bicolor present nothing pe- 

 culiar. It is by no means scarce in any part of Java; but 

 it is by far less prolific than the Plantain Squirrel. It 

 rarely approaches the villages and plantations, and the 

 cocoa-nut trees suffer but little from its depredations. It 

 retires into the deepest forests, where its food is abundantly 

 supplied by wild fruits of various kinds. The natives some- 

 times keep it in a domestic state, and sometimes eat its 

 flesh. 



The Sciurus Maximus, or Great Squirrel of Sonnerat, re- 

 ceived the superlative epithet from Gmelin, and one cannot 

 but observe an impropriety in applying any relative term as 

 a specific name, when the discovery of a new species may at 

 any time destroy its application ; thus the Sciurus Maximus, 

 it is now discovered, is at least equalled in size by Lesche- 

 nault's Squirrel, if not also by Sciurus Bicolor. 



This species is said by Dr. Horsfield to be reddish-brown 

 on the upper part of the neck, back, and sides ; the legs 

 and feet reddish-brown; the shoulders, rump, and the hinder 

 part of the back and thighs are black ; the nose and lips are 

 of a dirty flesh-colour; the cheeks and circumference of the 

 eyes are dirty-brown ; the fore-part of the face is very dark 

 reddish-brown; the ears are short and round, and covered 

 with bright reddish-brown hairs, which form a tuft larger 

 than the ear itself ; between the ears is a broad pale yel- 

 low band ; from the ears down to the cheeks there runs a 

 vertical reddish-brown line ; the throat, inside of the fore- 

 legs, the breast, belly, and inside of the fore, and inside of 

 the hinder, thighs are yellow ; between the upper lip, and 

 before and behind each ear, it has very long and strong black 

 whiskers ; the irides are dark-brown ; the tail, on the 

 upper part and sides, is covered with long close hair, which 

 may be made to stand nearly erect ; they are black every- 

 where except the lip, which is dirty yellow or white ; the 



