MAMMALS OF CEYLON—conid.

Order and Family or!
Sub-Family.

RODENTIA.
SCIURID.E
‘squirrels).

VIURID A.

Name.

English,

Sinhalese.

52 Pteromys oral -'

Large brown flying
squirrel

Tambawa

33 Sciuropierus
fuscicanillus

Small Travancore
Aving squirrel

Yd Seiurus macrurus

Grizzled Indian)
squirrel

Dafiduléna
{sometimes called
ukiva)

35 Se. palmarum -| Palm squirrel
56 Se. tristriatus -| Jungle striped
sanirrel

57 Se. layardi
38 Se. sublineatus

Layard’s striped
squirrel
Dusky striped
squirrel
Indian gerbille or] Welimfy4 (field rat
antelope rat
|
80 Vandelewria uong-tailed tree
oleracea , mouse
31 Mus vattus, var. Common Indian rat] Gas-miv4 (tree rat
rufescens
82 Mus decumanus-| Brown rat

59. Gerbillus indicus’

| Gewal-miy4 (house
rat)

33 M. musculus  -|
54 M. buduga
35 M. platythrix

Common house
mouse
[ndian field mouse -
"he leggyade or
brown spriny
mouse

Koseta-miva

Remarks.

The flying squirrel has approximately
the same general distribution
shroughout India, Burma, and
Ceylon as the flying fox (Pieropus
medius), and inhabits the same
districts, but is not gregarious. Tt
is also frugivorous and nocturnal.
It rests in the ordinary attitudes of
arboreal mammals, but does not
suspend itself like a bat.
Yecorded from the hills of Travansore
 and Ceylon, but must be either
exceedingly rare or retiring in the
watter country, as it is unknown fo
naturalists now living in the Island.
iocally known as the rock squirrel,
probably owing to corruption of
she Sinhalese word “ruk,” meaning
 trees, though not generally
1sed in the low-country, where the
solloquial term for trees is * gas.”

2

The small striped squirrel very common
 in Colombo.
Dr. Blanford doubts whether this
species is distinet from Se. palmarum,
 which he thinks may he a
semi-domesticated variety.
Perhaps a variety of the preceding
(Blanford).
Recorded from elevations of 3,000 ft.
and upwards.

Jne was caught alive in the grounds
of the Colombo Museum in December,
 1902.
Recorded from Ceylon.

The representative of the European
black rat (kalu-miy4), which has
also been introduced by shipping.
\n introduced species in all parts of
the world except Chinese Mongolia,
where it is said to be indigenous
(Blanford).
Josmopolitan.

Found by Kelaart in houses at Trin
comalee.
Recorded from Cevlon.