TUPAIA JAVANICA. 
of a darker colour, and shining, are dispersed among the rest : the length of the 
hairs gradually decreases from the forehead towards the nose, and on the extremities 
towards the feet, In all the species of Tupaia a considerable uniformity prevails in 
the distribution of the colours ; the upper parts have a dark, the lower a lighter tint, 
and a regular narrow streak extends from the neck over the shoulder. In the 
Bangsring the upper parts are brown, slightly diversified with gray, of different 
shades ; the lower parts are dirty white, with a slight tint of grayish ; the tail agrees 
with the upper parts, and the scapular line, which is nearly an inch long, agrees 
with the neck. The mixture of colours which is observed in the upper parts, is 
produced by alternate bands of gray, and blackish in the longer hairs* The extre- 
mity of the nose is brown, and the claws have a horny hue. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Inches- Lines. 
Length of the body and head, from the extremity of the nose 
to the root of the tail 6 5 
the head 1 9 
the rostrum 0 8 
the neck * ...» 0 8 
the tail 6 5 
the anterior extremities 2 2 
the posterior extremities — ; % 6^ 
the tarsus alone * 1 2^ 
Although Tupaia has been placed among the Insectivores> which, agreeably to 
the classification of the celebrated Cuvier, constitute the second family in the order 
of Carnassiers, its arrangement in a natural system requires further consideration. 
It is necessary for this purpose that we should be more fully acquainted with its 
internal structure, and with its manners and habits, than we are at present ; for 
although in certain characters it approaches near to the genera Sorex and Mygale 
among the Insectivores, yet in others it strikingly resembles Tarsius among the 
Quadrumanes, and withal it is masked by the external form and appearance of a 
Squirrel. I can at present only exhibit its resemblance to each of the families above 
mentioned, and enumerate those characters that belong to it exclusively. 
In the first place, Tupaia agrees with the animals of the second family of the 
Insectivores, in the elongated form of its rostrum, and in certain peculiarities of its 
dentition. In the latter it is most nearly allied to the genus Mygale. This is pro- 
vided with seven grinders in the upper, and six grinders in the lower jaw, of which 
the anterior teeth are simple, consisting of single points, while from the crown of the 
