Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon

Section I Sciuromorpha

Contains the following families, those that are not Indian being in italics;—

(1) Anomaluridæ; (2) Sciuridæ; (3) Ischyromyidæ, a fossil genus; (4) Haplodontidæ; (5) Castoridæ.

The Anomalures are African animals resembling our flying squirrels, to which they were at first thought to belong, but were separated and named by Mr. Waterhouse, the chief peculiarity being the tail, which is long and well covered with hair, though not bushy as in the squirrels, and which has, at its basal portion, a double series of projecting horny scales, which probably help it in climbing trees. There are several other peculiarities, which I need not dwell on here, which have justified its separation from the true squirrels. The flying membrane, which is quite as large as that of the flying squirrels, extends from the elbow to the heel instead of from the wrist, and it is held out by a strong cartilaginous spur starting from the elbow.

Of the Sciuridæ we have many examples in India, which will be noticed further on.

The Ischyromyidæ is founded on a single North American fossil genus (Ischyromys typus), which is nearly allied to the Sciuridæ, but also shows some affinity to the beavers.

The Haplodontidæ is also an American family, founded on one genus, but an existing and not a fossil animal. The Haplodon rufus is a small burrowing rodent, valued by the Indians both for its flesh and its skin, of which from twenty to thirty are sewn together to form a robe; the teeth are rootless, simple, and prismatic, the surface of each being surrounded by a mere border of enamel.

The Castoridæ is the beaver family, which is also unknown in India. Unlike as this animal is externally to the squirrels, its anatomy warrants its position in the Sciuromorpha, otherwise one would feel inclined to include it in the next section.

We see that of the five families, of which this section is composed, only the second has its representatives in India.