86 EINAR LÖNNBERG, MAMMALS COLLECTED BY THE SWEDISH ZOOLOGICAL EXPEDITION ETC. 
surroundings of Nairobi which thus must represent the latter subspecies. It is a 
little doubtful which exact locality is meant with »Kikuyu». Nairobi is also situated 
in the typical Kikuyu country. A little to the northwest of Nairobi a railroad station 
is named »Kikuyuw», and somewhat still further northwest Escarpment station is 
situated which sometimes is called Kikuyu Escarpment. Nairobi lies at an altitude 
of a little more than 5000 feet, and Escarpment at about 8000 feet. At the latter 
place I collected two specimens of similar Squirrels. If there was any difference 
between the Scrub Squirrels of Nairobi and those of Kikuyu this difference ought to 
be still more pronounced in the corresponding animals from Escarpment, as Kikuyu 
with regard to geographical situation and altitude is intermediate between the two 
other places. S 
According to THOMAS P. 4). capitis shall be paler on the body than P. jacksoni 
»and on the extremities ochraceous replaced by buffy, and buff by whitish>». In the 
subspecies the under surface is said to be »soiled whitish or creamy white, the cor- 
responding part in true jacksoni eream-buff or buff». 
When comparing my specimens from Nairobi and those from Escarpment, I 
cannot find any perceptible difference in the colour of the upper parts of the darkest 
specimens from Nairobi and those from Escarpment, and in a similar way the ex- 
tremities are just as richly coloured in some of the Nairobi specimens as in the 
others. The lower surface of the Nairobi specimens is, as a rule, paler and more 
whitish than corresponding parts of the Escarpment specimens but in some of the 
former it is distinetly buffy, and the difference from the latter in colour is then very 
slight if any at all. Considering the great variation in colour among Squirrels and 
the considerable bleaching of the fur to which they are subjected, as also is pointed 
out by THOMAS (l. c. p. 106), I do not believe it possible to maintain P. j. capitis 
as a different race on account of any difference in colour. It remains then to see 
if any other distinguishing characteristic can be found. DE WINTON states the length 
of the tail of P. jacksonmi to be 155 mm., while THOMAS gives the same measurement 
of P. ). capitis as 187 mm. The longest tail of my two Escarpment specimens is 
about 15 cm., but in some of the Nairobi specimens it is very little more, and it 
seems hardly possible to base a subspecies on such small differences in length of such 
a variable organ. 
From a geographical and topographical point of view there is no reason to 
suspect the presence of different Scrub Squirrels at Nairobi and any other place in 
the Kikuyu country. 
These little Squirrels are on the move even in the middle of the day. They 
were usually found in bush, sometimes outside, sometimes in the middle of the thick 
and dark forest. Seldom they were observed in trees and then not in very high 
trees. At Escarpment station I shot my specimens among the remaining dry tops 
and branches of big cedars which had been cut down. When moving among the 
green foliage these Squirrels look quite greenish and are not easily seen. Their colour 
can certainly be called protective. When they are quietly running along a branch 
