CITBLLCS 925 



ward through Russia into Asia ; eastern limits of range not 

 known. 



Diagnosis. — Size medium (head and body, 195 to 220 mm.; 

 tail, 60 to 75; hind foot, 35-4 to 38-4; condylobasal length of 

 skull, 41 • 4 to 45) ; tail short, about twice as long as hind foot ; 

 colour of upper parts mingled buff and dark brown so arranged 

 as to produce an evident effect of light mottling on a dark 

 ground ; skull with rather low, broad brain-case ; incisive 

 foramina not unusually reduced in size ; incisor teeth both above 

 and below exhibiting the minimum degree of compression. 



External characters. — General form less slender than in 

 Sciurus vulgaris, the short, narrow tail extending little beyond 

 outstretched hind feet, the ear short and without tuft, the fur 

 thin, coarse and lying close to body. Ear low, obscurely pointed 

 above, extending much less than half-way to eye when laid 

 forward, densely clothed with fine short hairs on both surfaces ; 

 muzzle pad naked, the bare area extending downward as a 

 narrow line across middle of upper lip. Feet shorter and more 

 robust than in Sciurus vulgaris, the digits less elongated, the 

 claws less curved, those on front feet longest ; fore foot with 

 third digit longest, second and fourth sub-equal and slightly 

 shorter, fifth extending a little beyond base of fourth, the thumb 

 rudimentary but - with rather evident, compressed nail ; hind 

 foot with third digit longest, second and fourth sub-equal and 

 slightly shorter, fifth extending just beyond base of fourth, first 

 not quite to base of second ; pads both palmar and plantar as 

 in Sciurus vulgaris but relatively larger and more crowded ; palm 

 bare throughout, sole hairy behind tubercles. Tail cylindrical 

 at base, inconspicuously flattened beyond middle, where hairs 

 are about 15 mm. long. Mammae ; pi — 1 ; a 2 — 2 ; i 2 — 2 = 10. 



Colour. — Back and sides usually cream-buff but occasionally 

 more yellowish, in some specimens approaching the buff yellow 

 of Ridgway ; sides inconspicuously " lined " with black ; entire 

 dorsal surface from nape to rump vermiculated with black, the 

 dark and light areas along middle of back usually well enough 

 defined to produce an effect of obscure light mottling, the spots 

 about 5 mm. in diameter ; crown and upper half of cheeks 

 grizzled, the light element paler than on body, the dark relatively 

 more evident ; an ill-defined eye-ring, whitish or yellowish accord- 

 ing to general colouring of body ; muzzle sometimes with a 

 rusty tinge ; sides of muzzle and lower half of cheeks clear 

 whitish or huffy, continuous with the similarly coloured pale 

 area covering throat and fore part of chest and inner side of fore 

 leg; belly washed with a buff usually somewhat more yellow 

 than that of sides ; feet like ground colour of back ; tail without 

 definite colour pattern, the upper surface grizzled, essentially 

 like back, somewhat darker at tip, the pencil with light margin ; 

 under surface of tail a nearly clear dull buff. 



Skull. — The skull is smaller than that of Sciurus vulgaris, 



