THE PALM SQUIRREL. 
49 
trees, which in the East are always found in the neigh- 
bourhood of the habitations of men. 
So social an animal even in its wild state may natu- 
rally be expected to become very good-tempered and 
familiar in captivity ; and accordingly we find it cele- 
brated for these qualities from the time of its earliest 
describers. Clusius, to whom we are indebted for the 
first recognisable description of the species, particularly 
• remarks the tameness of the individuals seen by him, 
which were so completely domesticated as to be suffered 
to ramble about at perfect liberty whithersoever they 
pleased, and so familiar as to take refuge in the bosoms 
of the sailors of the vessel in which they were brought 
to Europe. This docility must have appeared the more 
remarkable to him as he mistook them for a species of 
Weasel, and gave them the name of Mustela Africana, 
involving a second blunder as to the country from 
whence they were obtained. The latter error has been 
continued by the carelessness of various compilers down 
to our own times, and has even been increased by the 
addition of America to the list of localities in which 
these animals were said to be found. Thus we conti- 
nually find the wide extent of Asia, Africa, and America 
referred to as producing them, while they are in reality 
strictly confined to the south-eastern portion of the 
former continent and its neighbouring islands. It is 
probable that some confusion between the Palm Squir- 
rel and the Tamias of America may have given occasion 
for the introduction of the latter locality. 
One of the varieties figured in our cut was perfectly 
black, and exhibited no traces of the stripes so charac- 
teristic of the species in its usual livery. It died in the 
spring of the present year, and its skin alone now 
remains in the Society's Museum. The other, which, 
to judge from the redness of its eyes, is nearly a perfect 
E 
