182 
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
and standing eight or nine inches in height. On the 
upper part and the outer sides of the limbs it is of a 
bright chocolate brown, abruptly changing into a pale 
yellowish brown on the under parts, fore-arms, and 
inner sides of the limbs. The front of the fore-legs, the 
neck, throat, face, and that part of the head which lies 
between the ears, are of the lighter hue ; the rest of the 
upper surface of the head bemg occupied by a broad 
darker patch extending from the forehead to the middle 
of the nose. The back and shoulders are occasionally 
of a deep black. The ears are short, covered with long 
tufted hairs forming a kind of brush ; and a narrow 
line of dark brown passes obliquely downwards and 
backwards from the base of each. The whiskers are 
few, long, and black. All the claws are strong and 
incurved, those of the thumbs of the fore-feet being 
broad, stumpy, and flattened. The tail is broadly dis- 
tichous, the hairs expanding more widely towards the 
extremity. It is of a bright chocolate brown at the 
base, black in the middle, and chestnut in its extreme 
third. 
This splendid species is a native of the Malabar 
Coast, where it was originally observed by Sonnerat, 
who figured it in his Voyage. M. Cuvier thinks it 
probable that it is the animal figured by Pennant in 
his Indian Zoology, under the name of the Long-tailed 
Squirrel : his specimen was from Ceylon. It is also 
figured by Buffbn. In its native country it inhabits 
palm-trees, and is particularly fond of cocoa-nuts and 
their milky juice. 
Our specimen was moderately tame, but excessively 
fond of gnawing whatever came within its reach. It 
lived for many months in Bruton Street, where, during 
a short time, it had a female companion of the same 
species, which was somewhat smaller than itself. 
