Red-cheeked Squirrel. 



Sciurus erythrogenys, Waterhouse, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1842, p. 129. 



„ leucogenys, „ Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist. p. 202, 1842. 



The accompanying figure was taken from a specimen, collected by me while naturalist to the 

 late unfortunate Niger Expedition. The specimen now forms part of the collection at the British 

 Museum. The bright rust-coloured cheeks, combined with the pure white colour of the under 

 parts of the body and inner side of the limbs, will serve to distinguish the species. The fur is 

 rather short, and moderately soft ; and on the upper parts of the body, the hairs are black (inclining 

 to greyish at the root), and broadly annulated with rich rusty yellow at or near the point. A 

 shortish longitudinal pale mark is observable on each side of the body near the shoulders. The 

 feet are finely pencilled with black and yellowish white. The tail is rather short and not very 

 bushy, above black and rather sparingly pencilled with white ; upon separating the hairs, however, 

 they are found to be of a pale rust-colour near the root ; and, along the mesial portion of the under 

 side, the tail is of a bright rusty red colour. The tarsus is naked beneath nearly to the heel, but 

 on the heel are a few hairs. 



Habitat, Fernando Po. 



The general colour is a rich brown above, (a tint produced by the admixture of black and rich 

 yellow, the hairs being freckled with the latter colour,) white beneath ; has the tail chiefly of a black 

 colour, but the hairs tipped with white, and red at the base ; the mesial portion of the tail beneath 

 is, moreover, bright rusty-red ; the sides of the face, as the name implies, are rusty-brown. 



Length of the head and body, eight and a half inches ; tail, six and a quarter. 



