434 Squirrels of B. America, 



fox, and the wild cat, are incessantly exerting their sagacity in 

 lessening their numbers. 



The generic name Sciurus is derived from the Latin scivriis, a 

 squirrel, and from the Greek skiouros, from sHa, a shade, and 

 oura, a tail. 



There are between sixty and seventy species of this genus known 

 to authors ; about twenty well determined species exist in North 

 America. {Aud & Bach.) 



There are only three species of the above described genus 

 known in Canada, namely the Red Squirrel, Sciurus Hudsonius^ 

 the Black Squirrel, Sciurus niger, and the northern G-ray 

 Squirrel, Sciurus migratorius. We mean by the above, that 

 only these three of our small quadrupeds properly belong to the 

 group, technically designated by the generic name here given. 

 There are others, such as the small striped Squirrel or Chip Muck 

 and the Flying Squirrel, which, although closely related to Sciurus 

 proper, and bearing the same common name, yet are considered 

 sufficiently distinct to be otherwise classified. The former is 

 therefore placed in the genus Tamias, and the latter in that of 

 Fteromys, both of which we shall have occasion to describe here- 

 after. 



The Gray Squirrel. 



The Gray Squirrel Sciurus migratorius^ is about twenty-two 

 inches in length, the body being twelve inches, and the tail without 

 the long terminal hairs ten. The colour varies greatly, but in 

 general, the true grey variety has the sides neck and hips light 

 gray, the nose, cheeks, a space round the eyes, the upper surface of 

 the feet, and a stripe along the sides, yellowish brown. On the 

 back, there is an obscure stripe of brown. The hairs for one half 

 of their length at base are dark cinerous, then a narrow mark of 

 black, and are tipped with white. There is a variety which has 

 the whole upper surface dark brownish black. It is often found 

 in the same nest whicli contains the family of the gray parents. 



This species constructs its nest of small branches, twigs, leaves 

 and moss, in the fork of a tree, or in some convenient place upon 

 a large branch. The materials are not sought upon the ground, 

 but in the tree top, where both male and female employ themselves 

 actively all day long, breaking off the dry twigs, and even gnawing 

 through the small green branches. The young are brought forth 

 in May or June, and soon attain sufficient size and strength to 



