THE PEN- TAIL. 
345 
means of sight. But the curious examples of Insectivora which are collected into the single 
genus Tupaia are of a very different nature, living in the full light of day, and seeking their 
insect prey among the branches of the trees on which they dwell. It needs, therefore, that 
animals which obtain their food in such a manner should be endowed with excellent powers 
of vision ; and we find accordingly that the Tupaias — which animals will be represented by 
two examples — are furnished with good eyes and quick sight. Indeed, the entire aspect of 
these creatures reminds the observer more of the squirrels than of the moles. The Tupaias 
are inhabitants of Sumatra and parts of India. 
The head of this animal is very singular 
engraving. The upper jaw is slightly longer 
elongated, so that the head has a strangely 
dragon-like aspect, which is heightened by 
the position of the ears, which are set very 
far back, and by the long sharp rows of teeth 
which arm each jaw. The long bushy tail of 
the Tupaia gives it a kind of resemblance to 
the squirrel, a resemblance which is appre- 
ciated by the native Sumatrans, who call the 
squirrels and the Tupaias by the same name. 
The feet are plantigrade, and terminated by 
five toes on each foot, armed with small, but 
sharp nails, which assist the animal in climb- 
ing, and are sufficiently elevated to be spared 
from friction against the ground. In the 
hinder feet the fourth toe is the longest. 
The hair is of a silky texture, and tinged 
with brown and yellow by reason of the alter- 
nate colored rings with which each hair is 
marked. On the tail the hair is long and 
bushy, and hangs equally on each side, after 
the manner that is learnedly termed “ dis- 
tichous.” 
These animals are variously named by 
different zoological writers, and the genus in 
which they are placed is by some termed 
Tupaia, after the native name, by some Hylo- 
gale, and by others Cladobates. The last 
mentioned term seems to be in greatest favor, 
4 1 branch- traverser. ’ 5 
in its shape, which is well represented in the 
than the lower, and the muzzle considerably 
TUPAIA-TANA.— Cladobates tana. 
and is a very appropriate one, signifying 
The extraordinary animal which has been recently brought before the notice of zoologists, 
under the characteristic name of Pen-tail, is a native of Borneo, from which country it was 
brought by Mr. Hugh Low. 
It is about the size of a small rat, but appears to be of greater dimensions on account of 
its extremely long tail with the remarkable appendage at its extremity. The tail is of extra- 
ordinary length when compared with the size of the body, and is devoid of hair except at its 
extremity, where it is furnished with a double row of stiff hairs on each side, which stand 
boldly out, like the barbs of a quill pen, or the feathers of an arrow. The remainder of the 
tail is covered with scales, which are square in their form, like those of the long-tailed rats, 
and of considerable size. The color of the tail is black, and the bristly barbs are white, so 
that this member presents a peculiarly quaint aspect. 
The fur which covers the body of the Pen-tail is extremely soft in texture, and is of a 
blackish-brown tint above, fading into a yellowish -gray beneath. As the tips of the hairs are 
tinged with a yellow hue, the precise tint of the fur is rather indeterminate, and is changeable, 
