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Show 232 MR. O. THOMAS ON THE [Apr« 16, millim. in S. melanotis, the latter an animal with the cranial part the skull as large as, if not larger than, that of S. whiteheadi. Teeth :-incisors narrow, strongly convex in front, orange above, nearly white below ; premolars-p the anterior upper minute, circular in section. Dimensions of specimen c, an adult male in spirit:-Head and body 84 millim.; tail, without hairs 67, with hairs 98; hind foot 25*7; ear, without hairs 10*0, with hairs 2Q ; head 29*3; tip of muzzle to eye 18, to ear 24 ; forearm and hand 36*5; heel to front of last foot-pad 12*3 ; hairy part of sole in centre line 9*4. This very beautiful little Squirrel is perhaps the most attractive of all the new Kina Balu mammals. It belongs to a group of pigmy squirrels, consisting of S. exilis, S. melanotis, and a species only recently described by myself, namely S. concinnus ; the latter species comes from the Philippines, but the other two, like S. whiteheadi, both occur in Borneo, which possesses therefore three of the four members of the group. Of these species, S. whiteheadi is evidently most nearly allied to S. exilis, but it is readily distinguishable from that, as from all the others, by its beautiful elongated ear-tufts, which, in proportion to its size, are probably longer than those of any other known Squirrel, not even excepting Bheilhrosciurus macrotis. Mr. Whitehead informs me that this little Squirrel may often be seen on the upper slopes of Kina Balu running up and down the trunks of the trees, and apparently gnawing at their bark. Its position in the figure (Plate XXIV.) is copied from a sketch made by Mr. Whitehead from the living animal. 13. Mus INFRALUTEUS, Thos. Ann. Mag. N. II. (6) ii. p. 409 (1888). a. 3000 feet. 22/3/88. Type. Size large. Fur coarse and harsh, but not spinous. General colour dark greyish brown, the tips of the shorter hairs with a silvery lustre. The longer straighter hairs numerous, not markedly lengthened on the rump, uniformly black. Under surface a dirty yellowish brown, the tips of the straighter hairs dull orange, their base and the whole of the under-fur slaty grey. Ears small and rounded, naked. Hands and feet brown ; last hind foot-pad elongate. Tail rather shorter than the head and body, thinly haired, dark brown above aud below ; rings of scales averaging about 8 or 9 to the centimetre. Skull stout and heavily built. Supraorbital edges strongly ridged. Anterior edge of outer wall of infraorbital foramen evenly convex forwards. Palatine foramen about equal in length to the two anterior molars together, not reaching backwards to the front of m1. Teeth powerful ; incisors broad, dark yellow in front above and below. Dimensions :-Head and body (c.) 285 millim. ; tail (extreme tip wanting) 235; hind foot 51 ; heel to front of last foot-pad 26; length of the same pad 9*3. |
