SCIUEUS. 239 



the yellow bands are rather pale. The feet are dark brown. The tail is bushy, 

 especially at its extremity, and is much the same colour as the upper parts, but in 

 its latter third the annuh disappear and the hairs become wholly blackish-brown, 

 tipped with yellowish. The ears are moderately-sized and rounded, and clad with 

 short hairs externally, while the back of the posterior margin has a fringe of short, 

 soft hairs. The tail is slightly shorter than the body and head. 



In the male referred to this species, the colour of the upper parts is much the 

 same as in the female, but the under parts are much paler, being light reddish. 

 The tail is so denuded of hair that I can say nothing regarding its appearance. 



Besides these two specimens, there are in the National Collection two squirrels 

 from China referred by Dr. Gray to S. griseopectus of Blyth, and which are un- 

 doubtedly that species, as there is another squirrel agreeing with them named by 

 Blyth himself as S. griseopectus. Of the first mentioned, one is young and the other 

 adult, and both are distinguished by the throat and chest being greyish, while the 

 under parts are rufous. In the young specimen the under parts are pale, yellowish 

 red, while in the adult they are rich, reddish chestnut, as in the adult male S. casta- 

 neoventris, but much paler than in the female. The upper fur in both is exactly 

 annulated as in the foregoing types, but the young is greyer, owing to the pale nature 

 of the yellow bands, especially on the head, where they are nearly white, imparting 

 a greyish oHve tint to that part and an iron-grey to the sides of the face : in the 

 adult, on the other hand, the yellow bands are richly coloured aU over. The tails 

 are more clearly annulated than in the types, but their black tips have yellowish 

 ends to the hairs. There can be no doubt of the specific identity of these forms 

 with S. castaneoventris, even although their throats and chests are greyish and 

 coloured nearly as the upper parts. 



The squirrel from China, referred by Blyth to S. griseopectus, in the distribu- 

 tion of the red of the under sm^face is intermediate between these typical examples 

 of S. griseopectus and 8. castmieoventris, the rufous extending up over the chest 

 and throat nearly to the chin ; the rufous having the same intensity as in the 

 male type : thus presenting such a close similarity to e^h other that it is impossi- 

 ble to avoid the conclusion that they are one and the same. 



There is an interesting series of five squirrels from Formosa, collected by 

 Swinhoe, and which seem to me to be referable to this species. They are especially 

 interesting in this respect, that while there can be little doubt they are all ex- 

 amples of a single species, they exhibit the most remarkable variation of the 

 colom-ing of the under parts, while they agree in the colouring of the upper sur- 

 faces and of the tail. A male obtained in North- West Eormosa in the month 

 of April has the upper parts rich oHve-brown, mth almost a rufous tint on the 

 sides, so brilliant are the yellow sub-apical bands of the hairs, while the under 

 parts are dark red-chestnut of exactly the same colour as in the female type of 

 the species, the tail being as in that specimen. The posterior half of the belly 

 is marked by a mesial, dark, almost black line, and the rufous extends forwards 

 on to the neck. Another specimen from the same island, but the date on which it 



