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THE RODENTS 



European 

 Squirrel 



those from North America and Africa, exhibit extraordinary local variation in 

 coloration, so that it is almost impossible to say where varieties end and species 

 begin. 



The common squirrel (S. vulgaris}, as being the best-known repre- 

 sentative of the genus, may be selected for special notice, as the 

 habits of all the species appear to be very similar. Belonging to a 

 group in which the first upper premolar is present, this little animal is so well 

 known by appearance to all, that but few words need be devoted to its description. 

 The general color of the head and body is brownish red above, and white beneath; 

 the whole tail being of the same hue as the back. In summer, the edges of the ears 

 are smooth, but in winter they are tipped with a thick fringe of hair. In winter, the 



THE EUROPEAN SQUIRREL. 

 (One-half natural size.) 



squirrel in England is grayer than in summer; and in the more northern and eastern 

 parts of its habitat, the gray tint, especially in winter, becomes much more marked, 

 while in Japan the color is nearly black. Drab-colored squirrels occur in Siberia, 

 and white or pied specimens are met with occasionally. In some parts of England 

 the tail is not unfrequently cream colored in autumn. The total length of the ani- 

 mal, exclusive of the hair at the end of the tail, is about fifteen and one-half inches, 

 of which seven inches are taken up by the tail. 



The geographical range of the European squirrel is very extensive, 

 comprising almost the whole of4Europe, Northern Africa, Asia Minor, 

 and Asia north of the Himalayas, as far eastward as Japan. Indeed, Ireland and 

 Japan respectively mark the western and eastern boundaries of its range; while its 

 extreme northern and southern limits are indicated by Lapland and the north of 



Distribution 



