328 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. II., PART II. 



allied species to Mus hirsutus of India, but I have neither 

 specimen nor description of that rat, except the small 

 notice of it in Mr. Walter Elliot's Catalogue, which he has 

 kindly sent me. However, as Mr. Elliot has now a speci- 

 men of the coffee rat from me, he will be able to 

 determine the relation. 



Sciuropterus Layardii, 7i. sp., nobis ; S. Fuscocapillus ? 



Jerdon. 



Fur soft, moderately long ; upper surface of rufous 

 chestnut colour, beneath gray ; hairs of upper surface of 

 body blackish to near the tips, which are of a rufous dark 

 brown colour ; under parts of neck and cheek slightly 

 ferruginous ; face and head blackish, mixed with gray ; 

 whiskers long and black ; legs deep brown ; feet grayish ; 

 membrane brown above and gray beneath, and upper part 

 of the former of a velvety black, with a soft delicate white 

 fringe on the border. Tail flat and broad, lighter chestnut 

 than the body, washed with black. 



ft. in. 



Length of head and body ... ... 1 2 



Tail ... ... ... 0 Hi 



I am indebted to Messrs. Palliser, of Dimbula, for this 

 a,nd many other interesting specimens. This is the first 

 time that a second species of flying squirrel has been noticed 

 in Ceylon. Mr. Blyth, who has examined this specimen, is 

 inclined to think than this is a fail-grown specimen of the 

 & fuscocapillus of Jerdon (Jas. B., 1847, page 867), but he 

 could not well decide, as he had no specimen of the latter 

 to compare it with. The description certainly does not in 

 all respects correspond with the characters of the Ceylon 

 animal. 



