Zoology. 745 
more yellow than the dorsal surface of the body. In numbers one, 
two, three and four the eye is encircled by a narrow dusky ring ; 
also in front of this organ is a dusky spot, while the white spot 
ordinarily found at the base of the ear was almost, if not completely, 
obsolete. 
Number five was a very unusual specimen, both in color and in 
the arrangement of the color. Mr. W. B. Harmon, who collected 
this specimen, states that four other squirrels were found in the nest 
with this one, number two being one. The other two appeared to 
be similar to number two in color. Besides the measurements 
and the dusky spot in front of the eye, ordinarily, were obsolete, 
he pelage on the upper surface of the body was of the same color 
to the base. The only black or dark hairs visible were the mus- 
taches, which were black. The hair has the appearance of being 
in a healthy condition, and the specimen is rather above the average 
size. This specimen is undoubtedly an extreme case of color 
variation. 
_ Habitat, near Nebraska City, Nebraska, on the Missouri river, 
in latitude about 40° 30, 
, It might be well to notice that the average measurements given 
in this article are about the same given by Coues and Allen for S. 
volucella var. hudsonius, which is stated to exist “ mostly north of 
the parallel of 49°; average measurements of var. volucella, the 
southern variety, being much less.— W. Edgar Taylor, Nebraska 
State Normal School, Peru, Nebraska. 
ZOOLOGICAL News.—Sponaes.—J. Arthur Thompson describes 
(Trans. Roy. Soc., Edin., xxxiii.) the structure of the sponge Sub- 
erites somuncula. The study was rendered difficult from the pres- 
ence of large numbers of silicious spicules. Theciliated chambers 
are small, and are in connection with the canal system, the afferent 
and efferent canals lying side by side. The canal system is of what 
is known as the fourth degree of complexity. In the same paper 
are noti uliar club-shaped prominences on the surface of 
Spongelia the function of which is problematical. These knobs 
