41 



SCIURUS RICHARDSONI I.— Bach. 



RicHAEDsoN's Columbian Schjibbel. 



PLATE V. — Male and Female. — Xatural size. 



S. Cauda corpore breviore, apice nigro ; supra griseus, subtus sub-albi- 

 du.s. S. Hudsonico minoi'. 



CHARACTERS. 



Smaller than Sciurus Hudsonius ; tail shorter than the body : rusty gray 

 above, whitish beneath ; extremity of the tail black. 



STNONYMES. 



Brown Squirrel, Lewis and Clarke, vol. iii., p. 37. 



Sciurus Hudsonius, var. B. Richardson, Fauna Boreali Americana, p. 190. 



SciuBus RicHABDSONii, Bachman, Proceedings, Zool. Soc, London, 1338, (read Aug. 11, 



1838.) 

 Sciurus Richabdsonii, Bach., Mag. Nat. Hist., London, new series, 1839, p. 113. 

 " " Bach., Silliman's Journal. 



DESCRIPTION. 



The upper incisors are small and of a light yellow colour ; the lower 

 are very thin and slender, and nearly white. The first or deciduous mo- 

 lar, as in all the smaller species of pine squirrel that we have examined, 

 is wanting. 



The body of this diminutive species is short, and does not present that 

 appearance of lightness and agility which distinguishes the Sciurus Hud- 

 sonius. Head less elongated, forehead more arched, and nose a little 

 more blunt, than in that species. Ears short ; feet of moderate size; 

 the third toe on the fore-feet, but slightly longer than the second : claws, 

 compressed, arched, and acute ; tail shorter than the body. Thumb 

 nail broad, flat, and blunt. 



Fur on the back, dark plumbeous from the roots, tipped with rusty 

 brown and black, giving it a rusty gi'ay appearance. It is less rufous 

 than Sciurus Hudsonius, and lighter coloured than Sciurus Douglassii. 



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