ORDER RODENTIA. 185 



under side of the tail is covered with short hairs ; the hair 

 on the body is long and harsh. 



This species was first described by M. Sonnerat in his 

 travels, and appears to be the same as the Malabar Squirrel, 

 the Barbary Squirrel, and the Great Squirrel of Pennant 

 and Shaw. 



. The Barbary Squirrel, Sciurus Getulus, Gm., next men- 

 tioned by the Baron, is one of the striped or lineated species, 

 and is about the size of the Common Squirrel. The upper 

 parts are brown, mixed with reddish and ash-colour, with 

 four longitudinal white bands, two equidistant on each side 

 the spine ; the internal edge of the white bands are bordered 

 with black ; the lower parts are yellowish-white. Gmelin 

 refers the habitat of this species to America, but it appears 

 to belong to Northern Africa, particularly Barbary and the 

 adjacent parts of the Asiatic Continent. 



The Palm Squirrel has a ground-colour nearly correspond- 

 ing with that of the Barbary species, but is distinguished 

 from it by having the forehead more arched ; the ears are 

 short, but large and hairy ; there is a white stripe down the 

 dorsal line, and one parallel with this on each side. Pennant 

 says, there is a yellow stripe on the middle of the back, 

 another on each side, and a third on each side of the belly ; 

 the two last at times very faint ; the hairs of the tail are 

 rather short ; the upper side of it is of the same colour as 

 the back, and the lower is reddish in the middle, with two 

 lateral lines of a deep brown, and a black border, each hair 

 being reddish at the base, then annulated reddish and brown, 

 and finally terminated with white. Mr. Pennant observes, 

 that authors describe this kind with only three stripes, but 

 the specimen he describes had five. 



According to Clusius and Ray, this species does not 

 erect its tail, like other Squirrels, but has the faculty of 

 expanding it. 



It is obvious that the Palmiste of Brisson and Buffon 



