1875.] 



Bears — Tupayes. 



Though severely bitten, the man recovered." It is probable that such acts 

 are prompted by maternal solicitude. The common Sloth. Bear, or Prochilus 

 laliatus, of India and Ceylon, is unknown to the eastern side of the Bay of 

 Bengal. 



Of the Infra -sub-order Pinnigeada, or Seals, etc., there is no representative 

 in inter-tropical seas. 



Sub -order Insectivoea. 



Fam. Tup&idse. 



Tupayes. 



*65. TUPAIA PEGTJANA (J. 88). 



Tupaia peguana, Lesson, Belanger's Voy., Atlas, t. 4 ; Cladobates belangeri, Warner • 

 Herpestes sp., Calc. Journ. N. H. ii. p. 458. Tswai, Arakan. 



Common throughout British Burma, but hardly separable from T. 

 ferruginea, Raffles, of the Malay countries, from which it seems to differ only 

 in wanting the deep ferruginous tinge on the upper-parts, though even this 

 is not quite absent in some specimens. Northward it extends to the Khasias, 

 and even to the lower range of the Sikhim Himalaya. 



According to Col. McMaster, "Burmese specimens differ somewhat from 

 those of Arakan, in having the lower parts much darker, and with the pale 

 central line narrower ; in the Burmese examples, the whole chin, throat, and 

 breast being buff." He also remarks that "the Burmese Tupaia is a harm- 

 less little animal: in the dry season living on trees, and in the Monsoon 

 freely entering our houses, and in impudent familiarity taking the place 

 held in India by the common Palm Squirrel; it is, however, probably from 

 its rat-like head and thievish expression, very unpopular. I cannot," he adds, 

 "endorse Jerdon's statement regarding their 'extraordinary agility,' for they 

 did not to me appear to be nearly so active as Squirrels : at least, I remember 

 one of my terriers on two occasions catching one, a feat which I have never 

 seen any dog do with a Squirrel ; cats of course often pounce upon them." 

 Mason remarks that "one that made his home in a mango-tree near my 

 house at Tonghoo made himself nearly as familiar as the cat. Sometimes I 

 had to drive him off the bed, and he was very fond of putting his nose into 

 the tea-cups immediately after breakfast, and acquired quite a taste both for 

 tea and coffee. He lost his life at last, by incontinently walking into a 

 rat-trap." 



In the vicinity of Malacca the small T. javanica, Horsf.,* is associated 

 * Zool. Res. in Jaya. 



m 



m. 



