THE MALABAR SQUIRREL. 
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each tooth a kind of circular rim surrounding a central 
depression. There is besides in the upper jaw a small 
rudimentary tooth, placed anteriorly to the molars, in 
immediate contact with the inner angle of the first of 
the series, but falling out at an early age, not to be 
again produced. Their toes are four in number on the 
anterior extremities, with a rudiment of a thumb usually 
supporting a short claw ; and five on the posterior, 
long, slender, and furnished with narrow compressed 
claws. Their heads are broad and short ; their eyes 
large, prominent, and lively ; their ears of middling 
size ; their bodies light and graceful ; their limbs of 
moderate length, the hinder being much the longest ; 
and their tails most commonly nearly equal in length to 
the entire body, and sometimes even exceeding it. In 
most of them the tail is truly distichous, the hairs 
diverging on either side from a middle longitudinal 
line. 
The genus Sciurus, restricted to the Tree Squirrels 
alone, is still a very extensive group. It is principally 
distinguished by the absence of the lateral folds of the 
skin which characterize the Flying Squirrels, and of 
the cheek-pouches which are found in the burrowing 
Tamias, the Ground Squirrels of America; while its 
distichous tail at once distinguishes it from the Guer- 
linguets. The species are spread over the whole habit- 
able world, with the exception of New Holland, and 
are generally found in great abundance, living upon 
the trees, building themselves nests of moss and similar 
substances, and subsisting upon fruits, and more espe- 
cially nuts, which they store up in the hollow of a tree, 
or in some other place of security, for winter provisions. 
The Malabar Squirrel is the largest of the tribe, 
measuring fifteen or sixteen inches from the nose to the 
root of the tail, which is rather longer than the body ; 
