41 



American mouse. We had heard so many wonderful things about the 

 new country that we were quite prepared to believe that even mice 

 might have tat en the form and appearance of Chipmunks. Our 

 paternal grandfather, to whom we owed allegiance at the time, being a 

 Presbyterian of the okl school, stern and strict, with a high sense of 

 duty and the maintenance of law and order, and not being fully con- 

 versant with the game laws of America, immediately ordered a cessation 

 of hostilities, which was reluctantly obeyed, and our American mouse 

 was allowed to pursue its way in peace and quietness. 



The Black Squirrel [Sciurus niger) is seldom seen in the vicinity 

 of Ottawa and they do not appear to have established themselves hei-e- 

 abouts. I have only seen two or three individuals altogther and they 

 were in the neighborhood of Beecliwood Cemetery. 1 have been in- 

 formed that they are never seen in the Provinces of Nova Scotia and 

 New Brunswick and very rarely in the adjoining Province of Quebec. 

 A few years ago they were very plentiful around Smith's Falls, which is 

 about 4:0 miles from here. As the country became cleared of its forests 

 they gradually disappeared until at the present time ihey are seldom 

 seen at all. The Black Squirrel is the largest in size of any of our 

 Canadian Squirrels, the head and body being about 13 inches long and 

 the tail, without the fur, aljout 10 inches. The color on the back and 

 sides is of a glossy black ; on the under parts it is not so glossy and is 

 often dark brown rather than black. Its habits and ways of life are 

 nuich the same as those of the Bed Squirrel. It is not so active in its 

 movements and is more afraid of the presence of man, probably owing 

 to the fact that it has been more presistently hunted on account of its 

 greater value. In common with the Red Squirrel it has the habit of 

 dodging ai'ound a tree when approached and keeping on the side, so 

 that it is not easy for the hunter who is alone to get a shot at it. They 

 will, if no other way of escape presents itself, stretch themselves along 

 the upper side of a branch, pressing their bodies so closely to the bark 

 that they can scarcely be seen, and tlien remain absolutely motionless 



I well remembe'r when I was a boy having a race with a Black 

 Squirrel which ended with results which remain in the form of a scar 

 to this day. The Squirrel was first seen on a small hickorv tree 

 gathering nuts. The tree stood by itself, and was, perhaps, one 



