SCIURUS.] MAMMALIA GLIRES. 29 



side of the face above the upper lip a large protuberant swelling covered 

 with black hair : eyes very small, placed within the auricle and almost 

 concealed : ears united over the head, oval-triangular, as broad as long, 

 externally hairy, and notched on their outer margins ; tragus semicordate, 

 very protuberant near the base of the external margin, above which it 

 suddenly bends inward and terminates in a point; inner margin straight. 

 Fur very long and silky, particularly on the top of the head behind the 

 ears, blackish brown, with the tips of the hairs silvery gray on the upper 

 parts, and ash-coloured beneath ; flying and interfemoral membranes 

 dusky. 



A rare species. Has occurred in Devonshire, Kent, Northamptonshire, 

 and Cambridgeshire. Habits more diurnal than usual with this family. 

 Flight slow and near the ground. Resorts to buildings for retirement. 



ORDER III. GLIRES. 



GEN. 14. SCIURUS, Linn. 



39- S. vulgaris, Linn. (Common Squirrel.) Fur 

 brownish red above ; white beneath : ears with a pencil of 

 long hairs at the extremity. 



S. vulgaris, Desm. Mammal, p. 330. Flem. Brit An. p. 20. 

 Common Squirrel, Penn. Brit. Zool. vol. i. p. 107. 



DIMENS. Length of the head and body nine inches ; of the head two 

 inches one line ; of the ears nine lines and a half; of the tail (to the 

 end of the bone) six inches six lines, (to the end of the hair) eight 

 inches six lines. 



DESCRIPT. Head thick, with the cheeks rather flattened ; nose pro- 

 minent ; the upper lip projecting considerably beyond the lower ; the first 

 grinder in the upper jaw extremely small, consisting of a single tubercle, 

 and disappearing altogether at a certain age; eyes black, large, and 

 round; ears erect, moderately large, ornamented at the extremity with 

 a tuft or pencil of long hairs : neck short : legs strong and muscular, 

 much longer behind than before; fore feet with four long, deeply di- 

 vided toes, and a claw in the place of a thumb; hind feet with five 

 toes ; claws sharp and strong : tail long and bushy, with the hair spread- 

 ing out laterally. Colour of the upper parts reddish, or bright chestnut 

 brown, the red tint being deepest on the sides of the head and neck, the 

 shoulders, and the external surface of the legs ; lower parts, including 

 the under portion of the neck, breast, abdomen, and inside of the legs, 

 white : tail the colour of the back. 



Common in extensive woods, residing and building in trees. Climbs 

 and leaps with great agility. Feeds on buds, acorns, nuts, and other 

 fruits. When at rest, often sits erect, using its fore feet as hands, with 

 its tail turned back over the body. Produces in the Spring from three 

 to four young. 



