1852.) | 149 
Description of a New Species of Sciurvs. — 
By Joun L. Le Contre, M. D. 
Scrurus Heermanni Lec. 
Supra e nigro alboque fintermixtis griseus, subtus albus, auribus magnis 
breviter pilosis, naso nigro, cauda disticha, albo-marginata, corpore non 
breviore. 
From tip of nose to root of tail, - - > 12-5 inches 
Head, > - ° 5 - ~ - 3°2 
Length of ear, ~— - - - - - - °9 
Breadth of ear, - - - - > - “7 
Fore foot to end of longest claw, - ° - 2p 
Hind foot to end of longest claw, - - 3:2 
Tail to end of vertebre, - - = - 9°8 
Tail to end of hair, © - - - - - 13° 
California, from Dr. Heermann. Body above entirely of a light gray color, 
produced by an intermixture of black and white points; the hairs individually 
are long and not fine; they are gray at base, soon becoming black, and have a 
pure white band about the middle; intermixed with them are a few longer pure 
black hairs. On the upper surface of the feet the hair is shorter, andthe black 
part comparatively smaller. A small spot towards the tip of the nose, and an 
indistinct line above the eyes are black. The whiskers are shorter than the 
head and entirely black. The ears are large, subtriangular, rounded at the tip, 
and covered both within and without with short gray hair, which does not in 
any way form a fringe at the margin. Beneath the body is pure white, except 
the perineum, which is gray. Tail long and distichous, with long hairs which 
are black, with a gray base and white tip; in those towards the edge the black 
color is less developed, and some are even whitish with three black bands, of 
which the outermost is very distinct. The tail thus appears gray, becoming 
black externally, with a broad white margin; beneath it is a little lighter in 
color. 
This species is one of a multitude of interesting objects procured by Dr. A. 
L. Heermann during a three years’ residence in California. I beg him to accept 
the dedication of it as a slight token of my appreciation of his active exertion 
in studying the habits of animals, and collecting specimens in the less frequented 
portions of our territory. 
At first sight S. Heermanni bears a strong resemblance to several gray 
squirrels found in the Atlantic States, more especially to S..cinereus, but 
the much larger size of the ears, the deeper gray color of the upper surface of 
the feet, and the absence of any brown color about the head, at once distinguish 
it from all its neighbors. 
Synopsis of the ScCYDMENIDE of the United States. 
By Joun L. Le Conte, M.D. 
Since the publication of the extremely classical monograph of Scydmenus by 
Dr. Schaum,* and his corrections to the same,f the number of species found in 
America has been greatly increased. A journey by Dr. Schaum to this country 
has contributed largely to this result, and to him I am indebted for a fine series 
of the species found by him, mostly in Louisiana. To M. Em. Wapler, late of 
New Orleans, I must also express my acknowledgements for a beautiful series of 
Scydmeni, as well as other minute Coleoptera of Louisiana. The other species 
* Analecta Entomologica. 
} Germar’s Zeitschrift fr Entomologie, vol. 5. 
