336 MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS SCIURUS. 



fur on both surfaces, that on the outer surface in a winter spe- 

 cimen, extending three lines beyond the margin : there are, 

 however, no distinct tufts. Whiskers a little longer than the 

 head; tail long and distichous, thickly clothed with mode- 

 rately coarse hair. 



The fur is softer to the touch than that of the northern grey 

 squirrel. The whole of the upper and lower surface, as well 

 as the tail are bright glossy black ; at the roots the hairs are 

 a little lighter. The summer specimens do not differ materi- 

 ally in the colour of their fur from the winter ones, except 

 that they are not so intensely black. In all the specimens I 

 have had an opportunity of examining, there are small tufts 

 of white hairs irregularly situated on the under surface, re- 

 sembling those on the body of the mink. There are also a 

 few scattered white hairs on the back and tail. 



DIMENSIONS. 



IN. LIN. 



Length of head and body 13 



Ditto of tail, (vertebra) 9 1 



Ditto, including fur 13 



Palm to end of middle fore claw 1 7 



Length of heel to the point of middle claw 2 7 



Ditto of fur on the hack „ 8 



Breadth of tail with hair extended 5 



Geographical Distribution. — The specimens from which 

 this description has been taken were procured, through the 

 kindness of friends, in the counties of Renssellaer and Queen's, 

 New York. I have seen it on the borders of Lake Champlain, 

 at Ogdensburgh, and on the eastern shores of Lake Erie ; al- 

 so near Niagara, on the Canada side. The individual describ- 

 ed by Dr. Richardson, and which may be clearly referred to 

 this species, was obtained by Capt. Bayfield at Fort William, 

 on Lake Superior. Black squirrels exist through all our 

 western wilds, and to the northward of the great lakes ; but 

 whether they are of this species, or the black variety of the 

 grey squirrel, I have not had the means of deciding. 



Habits. — An opportunity was afforded me many years since 

 of noticing the habits of this species, in the northern parts of 

 the state of New York. A seat under the shadow of a rock, and 

 near a stream of water, was, for several successive summers, a 

 favorite resort for retirement and reading. In the immediate 

 vicinity were several large trees, in which were a number of 

 holes, and from which, at almost every hour of the day, were 

 seen issuing this species of black squirrel. There seemed to 

 be a dozen of them ; they were all of the same glossy black 



