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Show 1886.] THE HUME COLLECTION. 75 and darker-coloured incisors, and longer and narrower molars. From that of S. lepidus it differs by its much larger size in every way, and its stouter and more powerful teeth. From both also it differs by not possessing any trace of the minute first upper premolar generally present in the genus, a character usually fairly constant in the true Squirrels, but on which too much stress must not be laid on the evidence of a single specimen only. Measurements (of a skin and therefore merely approximate) : - Head and body 142, tail 172, hairs at end 23; hind foot 36 ; heel to front of last foot-pad 16 ; ear (above crown) 18'5. Skull. Length of face ' 23-0, greatest breadth (c) 30*0, interorbital breadth 11-2, tip to tip of postorbital processes 18*0 ; nasals, length 14*1, breadth 7*0; diastema 11"5 ; palate, length 23*8, length of molar series 9"5, breadth across palate outside m 1 9'7, inside 5*1. This beautiful little species reminds one superficially both of S. pearsoni, Gr., and S. lepidus, Horsf., with the latter of which I consider S. spadiceus, Bly., should be amalgamated. From S. pearsoni it differs in its broader, naked, and untufted ears, and its longer and more distinctly distichous tail, while from S. lepidus it is distinguished by its larger size, much larger and broader ears, orange instead of brown parachute, clear instead of slate-mixed belly, and by the brilliant orange of the underside of its tail. S. sagitta, Linn., which Dr. Anderson was unable to identify, seems to me to be unquestionably the species commonly known as S. horsfieldi, Waterh., the original description agreeing in almost every respect, and the locality being the same. The differences between S. sagitta and S. davisoni are too obvious to need pointing out. It is with the greatest pleasure that I take the opportunity of naming this beautiful species after m y friend Mr. W . Davison, the collector of the greater part of the H u m e mammals, and to whose powers of observation and collection, the sciences of ornithology and mammalogy are so largely indebted. Mr. Davison obtained himself for Mr. H u m e nearly the whole of the Tenasserim and Malay peninsula collections, and also the whole of the specimens from Simla and from S. India presented with them. 19. SCIURUS BICOLOR, Sparrm. a, b. Salanga, Junkceylon, 2 and 3/79 (Darling), c. Dingding R. 24/2/79. d-g."Klang. h. Malacca, 9/75. i. Jaffaria, Johore, 17/3/80. j-l. Gunnong Pulai, Johore, 7 & 8/79. With the exception of three or four of the cream-coloured examples so common in this species, all these specimens represent the typical black and yellow S. bicolor. This Squirrel has six mammae, all in the inguinal region. 1 From the tip of nasals to a point on the forehead above the constriction between the cerebral and olfactory chambers. The " length of brain-case," when given, is from the same point backwards to the most posterior point of the interparietal bone. |
