4< MAMMALIA. 



yellow ; belly, inner pair of the fore and hind legs, and stripe on 

 the under side of the tail, tawny yellow, rest of the tail black, with 

 many of the hairs, especially towards the end, tipped with yellow ; 

 the tip of the tail is black ; a tuft of long black bristles springs 

 from behind the nose, and another smaller tuft of the same colour 

 from behind the hind part of the eye ; a few bristles, either black or 

 rufous yellow, spring from the outer edge of the fore-arm, just above 

 the foot ; on the fore-foot is a rudimental thumb protected by a 

 flat nail. 



Length, from nose to base of tail, 16 inches. 



„ of tail, to the end of the tail joints, IG inches. 



„ of tail, to the end of the hair, 19 inches. 



„ from nose to the base of the ears, 2 inches. 



These Squirrels, like the last species, are ver}'^ abundant in 

 the island, frequenting the trees, and rarely if ever descending 

 to the ground except when obliged by some accident to do 

 so, and it is singular to see the facility with which they will 

 run head first down the straight and smooth trunk of a very 

 high tree. They are, to a certain extent, gregarious, as we 

 have seen as many as twenty together feeding in the same 

 tree ; when thus engaged they make no noise, and are so 

 intent upon their food that they will not leave it until a shot 

 is fired among them ; sometimes even then one or two will 

 remain, while the rest disperse, but quickly reassemble; when 

 alone, they are wary and difficult to approach, making their 

 way along the tree-tops faster than a man can easily follow ; 

 the males and females generally appear to associate in pairs 

 throughout the year; the nest is said to be built in a high 

 tree and lined with moss, but we have not yet seen one. We 

 once shot a pregnant female, containing three young ones, 

 and her mate, who was with her at the time, continued to 

 haunt the spot for several days, making a moaning noise ; the 

 usual note is a harsh loud chatter, each single sound being 

 separated by a longer interval towards the close, much in tlie 

 way in which the braying of an ass is brought to an end, 

 otherwise the noise is strikingly like the chatter of a magpie : 

 we have seen it also sitting upon a branch making a sort of 

 often repeated croak, which seemed to shake its whole frame, 

 and gave the tail a peculiar swinging motion ; the tail is 

 always pendant, and never, as in the English Squirrel, carried 

 over the back ; when wounded they are very bold and fierce. 



