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Show 1871.] DR. J. ANDERSON ON NEW SQUIRRELS. 139 * 8. On three new Species of Squirrels from Upper Burmah and the Kakhyen Hills, between Burmah and Yunan. By J O H N A N D E R S O N , M.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c, Director of the Imperial Museum, and Professor of Comparative Anatomy, Calcutta. [Received February 7, 1871.] (Plate X.) Dr. Gray, in his " Synopsis of the Asiatic Squirrels in the of the British Museum"*, has adopted the genus Macroxus of F. Cuvier for all the Squirrels which he regards as having simple ears. He allows that the genus as originally instituted by F. Cuvier was very indistinctly characterized ; but it does not appear to me that Dr. Gray has defined it any more clearly. The chief reason which induced him to adopt the genus was doubtless to separate the Squirrels with so-called simple ears from those which have pencilled or tufted ears. The character, however, that he has selected as a generic one does not merit that importance ; for we find him placing S. lokrioides in the group of Squirrels with penicillated ears, while he places S. similis (which appears to be only a variety of S. lokrioides) and <S. lohriah, and many other forms which have quite as much penicillated ears as the first, in the genus Macroxus. Any classification, moreover, which would separate generically such intimately allied forms as S. macclellandi and S. palmarum, surely must be essentially artificial; yet Dr. Gray arranges the former and S. melanotis in Sciurus, and S. palmarum in Macroxus. The same remarks apply with equal force to Sciurus modestus, Miiller apud Gray (which, it is extremely probable, is only the young of S. exilis, Miiller), and to S. philippensis, which Dr. Gray places in separate genera. Until we have a more accurate knowledge of this difficult group, it appears to be premature to break up the natural genus Sciurus. The following species were obtained by me on the Yunan expedition ; and two of them belong to a new group of ventrally banded Squirrels. SCIURUS SLADENI, n. sp. Grizzled, rufous olive above, the annulations fine, and the fur of moderate length ; the forehead, face, chin, throat, belly, inside of limbs, front of thighs, lower half of fore limbs, and the hind feet rich chestnut-red. Tail rather bushy, as long as the body without the neck and head, concolorous with the upper surface of the body, but slightly more rufous, with a bright chestnut-red tip. Length from root of tail to tip of snout 10*25 inches, tail 6 inches, and to tip of rufous tuft 8*006 inches. Skull: from anterior margin of occipital foramen to base of incisors 1*073; space between incisors and molars 0*051; distance (transverse) between first molars 0*030; breadth between orbits 0*077. I obtained four specimens of this handsome Squirrel at Thizyain in * Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3rd series, vol. xx. p. 270 ct seq. |