CEYLON* AND JAVAN SQUIRREL, 
97 
Ceylon, and abyssinian squirrel. 
We have joined these two in the same section) 
as Mr. Pennant seems to suspect that the latter 
may be only a va, iety of the former ; and indeed 
it must be obvious, that when naturalists describe 
species from single subjects, there is some a »g,er 
of their multiplying the species from slight vaca- 
tions observable in different individuals belonging 
to the same ?peciesr s 
The Ceylon squirrel has its ears tufted with' 
black ; a flesh-coloured nose ; cheeks, legs, and 
bcilv, of a pale yellow, with a yellow spot be- 
tween its ears; its fore head, sides, back, and 
haunches, are black ; its cheeks are marked with 
a forked stroke of black ; its tail is twice a& 
long as the body, of a light grey, and very bushy* 
The part of it next the body is quite surrounded 
with hair ; on the rest of it the hairs are separated 
and lie flat. It is thrice the size of the European 
squirrel. 
The Abyssinian squirrel, described by Thevenot* 
is of the same size with that found in Ceylon “ 
but he says that its belly and fore feet were grey* 
and that its soles were flesh-coloured ; that it was 
very sportive and good-natured, like the common 
squirrel * that it would eat any thing except flesh* 
and would crack the hardest almonds. 
Javan squirrel. 
Tins species, discovered and briefly described 
by Sparrman^ is black on the upper part of the 
body, and brown on the lower ; the end of its tail 
is black* and its thumb has a round nail. 
