438 Squirrels of B. America. 



gray squirrel ;" colour black, with a few white tufts of hair 

 interspersed. 



This species is found all along the St. Lawrence and great 

 lakes, but only occasionally in the valley of the Ottawa. It does 

 not occur in Lower Canada, Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, 

 There appears to be some doubt as to the extent of territory 

 west of the lakes, over which the range of this squirrel extends, 

 some authors having confused the subject by describing animals 

 as occurring in various places in the west, which cannot be distin- 

 guished by the descriptions from the black variety of the gray . 

 squirrel. The habits do not appear to be different from those 

 of ♦S'. Migratorius^ and it is a somewhat larger species. 



The black squirrel was unknown in the neighbourhood of the 

 City of Ottawa for more than thirty years after the place became 

 inhabited by the white men, and although of late a few are seen every 

 year, yet still they cannot be said to have regularly established 

 themselves in that thriving quarter. It appears to us, that it is to 

 the settlement of the tract of country lying between the St. 

 Lawrence and the Ottawa that the appearance of this species 

 upon the banks of the latter stream must be attributed. la 

 Western Canada they are at times exceedingly numerous. 



THE RED SQUIRREL. 



SciURUS HuDsoNius. — Pennant. 



This species is a third smaller than the gray squirrel, tail 

 shorter than the body, ears slightly tufted, colour, reddish above^ 

 white beneath. It has only four molar teeth in the uppei' jaw 

 on each side, while many of the other species have five. The 

 forehead is slightly arched ; the nose obtuse ; eyes of moderate 

 size ; ears, broad rounded, clothed on both sides with short hairs, 

 not distinctly tufted like those of the European squirrel, to which 

 it has been referred, although the hairs when the animal has its 

 winter pelage, project beyond the margins and resemble titfts ; 

 whiskers a little longer than the head ; the body presents the 

 appearances of lightness and agility ; the tail is somewhat depress- 

 ed, and linear, not as bushy as in most other squirrels, but capable 

 of a distichious arrangement ; limbs robust ; claws, compressed 

 sharp, slightly hooked; third toe a little the longest; palms and 

 under surface of the toes naked ; soles of hind feet clothed with 

 hairs, except on the tubercles at the root of the toes " 



