436 Squirrels of B, America. 



and the club, others fall in and fill up the ranks, till they occasian 

 infinite mischief, and call forth more than empty thi'eats of ven- 

 geance. It is often inquired, how tlii-se little creatures, that on 

 common occasion have such an instinctive diead of water, are ena- 

 bled to cross broad and rapid rivers, like the Ohio and Hudson 

 for instance. It has been asserted by authors, and is believed by 

 many, that they cany to the shore a suitable piece of baik, and 

 seizing the opportunity of a favourable breeze, seat themselves 

 upon this substitute for a boat, hoist their broad tails as a sail, and 

 float safely to the opposite shore. This, together with many other 

 traits of intelligence ascribed to this species, we suspect to be apo- 

 cryphal. That they do migrate at irregular, and occasionally at 

 distant periods, is a fact sufficiently etablished ; but in the only 

 two instances in which we had opportunities of witnessing the mi- 

 grations of these squirrels, it appeared to us, that they were not 

 only unskilful sailors but clumsy swimmers. One of these occa- 

 sions, (as far as om* recollection serves us) was in the autumn of 

 1808 or 1809; troops of squirrels suddenly and unexpectedly 

 made their appearance in the neighbourhood ; among them were 

 varieties not previously seen in those parts ; some were broadly 

 striped with yellow on the sides, and a few had a black stripe on 

 each side, bordered with yellow or brown, resembling the stripes 

 on the sides of the Hudson's Bay squirrel, i^S. Hudsonius.) They 

 swam tbe Hudson in various places between Waterford and Sara- 

 toga ; those which we observed crossing the river were swimming 

 deep and awkwardly, their bodies and tails wholly submeiged ; 

 several that had been drowned were carried dow^nwards by the 

 stream, and those which were so fortunate as to reach the oppo- 

 site bank were so wet and fatigued, that the boys stationed there 

 with clubs found no difficulty in securing them alive or in killing 

 them. Their migrations on that occasion did not, as far as we 

 could learn, extend farther eastward than the mountains of Ver- 

 mont ; many remained in the county of Rensselaer, and it was 

 remarked that for several years afterwards squirrels were far more 

 numerous there than before. It is doubtful whether any ever re 

 t:urn to the west, as findino; forests and food suited to their taste 

 and habits, they take up their permanent residence in their newly 

 explored country, where they remain and propagate their species, 

 until they are gradually thinned oflf by the increase of inhabitants, 

 new clearings, and the dexterity of the sportsmen around them. 

 The other instance occurred in 1819, when we were descending 



