SCIURUS. 223 



Sykes, who gave the first detailed description of this species, states that it does 

 not change its colour at any period of life, but he afterwards observes that, like 

 the Malabar squirrel, it passes through some gradations of colour. 



I have examined the specimen from which he drew up his account of the 

 animal, and which was figvired in Eraser's Zoologia Typica, and also about thirty 

 other individuals of different ages, which presented but little variation. 



The upper surface of the body is dark maroon-red, with the exception of the 

 sacral region and outside of the shoulder and humeral portion of the fore Umb, which 

 are black. The outside of the hind legs, and half-way down the outside of the 

 fore legs, are of a uniform, rich maroon-red. The whole under surface of the body, 

 from the chin to the vent, inside of limbs, and lower part of the fore legs, the inter- 

 aural region and the cheeks, are of a bright orange-yellow ; the two colours on 

 the side being separated by a defined line, and not merging into each other. 

 The forehead and down to the nose is reddish-brown, with white hairs inter- 

 mixed ; ears always tufted. A narrow, maroon line from the anterior angle of 

 the ear extends downwards to the side of the neck, with a yellow line behind 

 it. Whiskers and bristles black. Tail black, ending in a broad, brownish- 

 yellow tip. 



Inches. 



Length of male, tip of muzzle to root of tail . . . 20' 00 

 of tail 15-25 



The skull of S. indicus, besides being considerably smaller than the skull 

 of S. maximus, is also distinguished from the latter by a narrower and less 

 concave, inter-orbital space. The nasals also are difi'erently formed, having their 

 posterior ends much broader than in S. maximus and much less dilated anteriorly. 

 The upper dental line also of S. indicus is much shorter than in the larger 

 species. 



This species is found in the lofty and dense forests of the "Western Ghats, but 

 it has also an easterly distribution as far as Midnapur and Kuttack. 



SciURUS MAXiMTJS, GmcKn. 



Le grand Ecnrenil cle la cote de Malabar, Soiinerat, Voyage aux Indes Orient. &c. vol. ii. 1782, 

 p. 139, pi. Ixxxvii. ; BufPon, Hist. Nat. Suppl. vol. vii. p. 254, 1789, pi. Ixii. 



Sciurus maximus , Gmelin, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. pi. i. 1788, p. 149; Pennant, Hist. Quadr. 1792, 

 3rd ed. p. 141; Schreber, Siiugeth. vol. iv. 1792, p. 784, pi. 217B (Sonnorat's figure) ; Shaw, 

 G-enl. Zool. vol. ii. pt. i. p. 127 ; Desmarest, Nouv. Diet, d' Hist. Nat. vol. x. 1817, p. 104 (in 

 part) ; Mamm. 1820, p. 334; Horsfd, Zool. Resch. Java, 1824 (in part) ; Cat. Mamm. E. Ind. 

 Co.'s Mus. 1851, p. 156 (in part) ; Lesson, Man. de Zool. 1827, p. 235 ; Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 

 1829, p. 355 (in part) ; Is Geoff. St.-Hil. Belanger's Voy. aux Indes Orient. Zool. 1834, p. 151 ; 

 Wagner, Schreber, Saugeth. Suppl. vol. iii. 1843, p. 188 (in part) ; Blyth, Journ. As. Soe. 

 Beng. vol. xxviii. 1859, p. 286; Cat. Mamm. As. Soc. Mus. 1863, p. 98; Jerdon, Mamm, 

 Ind. 1867, p. 166. 



' Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1867, p. 276. 



