146 



Order RODENTIA 



SCIURUS NIGER Linnaeus 

 Eastern Fox Squirrel 



Description. — The eastern fox squirrel, fig. 82, generally is 

 rusty-yellow, with a mixture of gray, on the upper parts and 

 reddish yellow on the under parts. The cheeks, the fur behind 

 the ears, and the feet are a light reddish yellow. The bushy 

 tail is bordered with reddish. 



Length measurements: head and body 11-1134 inches (280- 

 300 mm.) ; tail 8^-1014 inches (220-260 mm.) ; over-all 19i/2- 

 22 inches (500-560 mm.) ; hind foot 2^)^-3 inches (60-78 mm.). 

 Weight: average approximately 1^ pounds, about half a pound 

 more than that of the gray squirrel. 



The skull is 60-70 mm. (about 2f/2 inches) long; there are 

 only four cheek teeth on each side of the upper jaw (usually 

 five in gray squirrel). The zygomatic arches are nearly parallel, 

 fig. nk. Dental formula: I 1/1, C 0/0, Pm 1/1, M 3/3. 



Fig. 82. — Eastern fox squirrel. 



