696 SCIURID^— SCIURUS 



surface, just in front of the throat, are three strong, light-coloured 

 vibrissae. 



The eyes are large, black, and prominent. The ears are erect, long 

 (overlapping the eyes when laid forwards), rather narrow, and with 

 rounded tips ; externally they are clothed with abundant long hairs, 

 which, from early winter to late summer, project beyond the tips as 

 conspicuous tufts or pencils ; the inner surfaces have a thinner covering 

 of shorter and finer hairs. In each ear the lower portion of the 

 anterior margin is curled backwards above the small tragus ; while the 

 basal half of the posterior margin is curled forwards to form a large 

 and strong triangular flap, which conceals the feeble antitragus, and is 

 capable of closing the meatus from without. 



Each hand has five prominent and cushioned pads : of these three 

 are anterior and relatively small, and are placed between the bases of 

 digits 2 and 3, 3 and 4, and 4 and 5, the median one being more 

 advanced than the others, which are level ; the two posterior pads are 

 larger and of square or somewhat rounded form. Of the digits, 4 is 

 distinctly the longest, 3 is slightly shorter, 2 reaches the ball of digit 3, 

 and 5 is very slightly shorter. These digits are long and free, capable 

 of wide-spreading, hairy above, feebly annulated and naked below, and 

 each is armed with a moderately long, sharp, curved, and strongly com- 

 pressed claw. The thumb is reduced to a minute vestigial tubercle, 

 which is placed beside the postero-internal carpal pad, being scarcely 

 one-fourth of the size of the latter, and it bears a small flattened nail. 



In comparison with the fore-limbs the legs appear disproportionately 

 long and heavy. In each foot there are four small pads placed between 

 the bases of the digits ; there is no trace of posterior pads. The toes 

 are quite like the fingers in general character, and each, including the 

 hallux, is armed with a long and strong claw ; the claws are, however, 

 somewhat 'stouter than in the hand. Digits 3 and 4^ are nearly equal in 

 length, 4 being, however, very slightly the longer ; 5 reaches to the base 

 of the ball of 4 ; 2 is slightly longer than 5 ; and digit i is well- 

 developed, reaching a little beyond the base of 2. Both the palms and 

 the .soles are naked in summer typically, the skin between the pads 

 being wrinkled and very finely granular; but with the approach of 

 winter they acquire a more or less dense and extensive covering of 

 short and fine fur. 



The tail without the terminal hairs is about equal to the body ; with 

 the hairs about equal to the body and head in length ; it is cylindrical 

 and smooth skinned, not scaly. It is clothed with a dense, woolly 

 underfur, and with very numerous long, soft, but strong hairs, which, 

 rising principally from its back and sides, grow outwards and backwards 

 horizontally, and form a dense bilaterally symmetrical fringe or brush. 

 When fully haired the tail as seen from above or below is strikingly 



