714 S Q U I 



geographical obstacle ; for as the more northerly 

 squirrel of Europe ranges into the north of Siberia, 

 so may we expect to find the squirrel of the Alps 

 and the Pyrenees on those mountains of Siberia, 

 which have nearly the same climates ; and it is to be 

 borne in mind that the climate of the mountainous 

 part of Siberia, near such an expanse of water as the 

 Lake of Baikal, does not partake of the arid cha- 

 racter of those mountains on the same parallel of 

 latitude, which are remote from any considerable ex- 

 panse of water. There may, however, be very con- 

 siderable climatal differences of these squirrels as 

 they are found on the mountains of south-eastern 

 Europe and those of north-eastern Asia, even on 

 the supposition that they are the same species ; for 

 we have seen that there are great differences in this 

 respect among the squirrels of the north. There is 

 a tendency to grey in the winter months, even when 

 these squirrels are in the alpine woods of Europe ; 

 for the tails, which in summer appear as if the blackest 

 parts of them, become greyish in winter. Little is 

 known of them, however ; for in addition to the dif- 

 ficulties that there are in the w r ay of attentively 

 studying squirrels in a state of nature any where, 

 there are the additional difficulties of the places which 

 they inhabit. 



GREY SQUIRREL OF CAROLINA (S. Carolinensis). 

 Buffon c.onfounded the Carolina grey squirrel with 

 the common squirrel in its grey state, under the com- 

 mon name of petit gris, and as he has been followed 

 by the compilers, there is in the books no small quan- 

 tity of error upon, this as upon many other points of 

 natural history, where they have arisen from the same 

 source, and been propagated by the siune means. Now, 

 if it had been once considered that it is only in high 

 latitudes and during the cold season of the year that 

 the common squirrel is grey ; and that Carolina has 

 almost a tropical climate in the summer, and that this 

 squirrel is grey then, it would have shown that there 

 must be a greater difference between the two animals 

 than any that could arise from exposure to climate. 

 There are, however, still greater differences of appear- 

 ance ; the Carolina squirrel is subject to more varia- 

 tions of colour in the same individual, at the same 

 season and in the same place, than the common squir- 

 rel is at considerable differences of season and 

 latitude. Sometimes it is whitish-grey ; at other 

 times it is much clouded with yellowish, and at other 

 times again the flanks are almost wholly of a yellow 

 colour ; so that if there is any resemblance to any 

 known squirrel of the eastern continent, it is to the 

 alpine one and not to the common, at least so far as 

 colour is concerned. In confinement, too, its colour 

 changes very much, which is not the case with the 

 common squirrel. The ears are also without tufts; 

 the long silky hair and the soft wool which compose 

 the fur, are nearly in equal proportions ; and the 

 insides of the fore legs are covered with the same 

 kind of hair as the whiskers. It is also, sometimes 

 at least, much larger than the common squirrel, three 

 times the size according to some of the authorities, 

 which has led to the supposition that those very lage 

 ones may be a different species from the smaller. In a 

 state of confinement, this species is very active at 

 some times ; but it is fond of constructing a round 

 nest, of hay or straw in the corner of its cage, in 

 which it lies quietly for great part of the day. The 

 woods of the Carolinas are very extensive and very 

 difficult to explore, so that there may be many va- 



RREL. 



rieties, species, and perhaps even genera of wild ani- 

 mals in them, of which, at the present time, we have 

 obtained no knowledge. We should bear in mind 

 how it stood with the natural history of most parts of 

 Europe, when they were as little known in their topo- 

 graphy as the wilds of America are at present. 



MASKED SQUIRREL (S. capistratus). There appear 

 to be at least coloured varieties of this species also. 

 It inhabits the same parts of America as the pre- 

 ceding one, but not the same kind of grounds, being 

 more an animal of the dry and sandy places, of the 

 pine burrows and the maple woods. It is a large 

 animal as compared with the common squirrel, being 

 often two feet in length including the tail, which is 

 rather longer than the body and head taken together. 

 Its colour is usually black, with the ears, the muzzle, 

 the toes, and the tip of the tail white ; the black i?, 

 however, in the points of the pile only ; for the rest 

 is annulated, and, like most annulated hair and fur, 

 it is subject to considerable variations. It is more 

 seen than the squirrels of the richer parts of the 

 woods, and thus it falls a prey to foxes, rattle-snakes, 

 and birds of prey. When discovered in a tree, it 

 seeks to conceal itself by crouching closely to the 

 surface of a branch. 



There are many other species or varieties of squir- 

 rels in the North American woods, varying from each 

 other in colour and size ; but very little is known of 

 their habits farther than as they may vary to suit the 

 animals to all the characters of country, from the sandy 

 height to the perpetual swamp, in which one or other 

 of them is to be met with. It is worthy of remark, 

 however, that the mountain races in North America 

 have often stripes along the flanks parting the upper 

 colour from the under, as is the case in the alpine 

 squirrels of Europe. 



On the table land of Mexico, the squirrels are 

 richer in the colour than they are in the United 

 States, and especially than they are in Canada. This 

 is true of all widely distributed animals; their colours 

 are always brighter in proportion as their localities 

 are more tropical ; and the squirrels being animals 

 which are very susceptible to the colour of climatal 

 causes, we may be prepared for more remarkable 

 changes of colour in those than in animals which 

 are constitutionally most stubborn and permanent. 

 We shall notice one or two of the Mexican species. 



VARIEGATED SQUIRREL (S. variegatus). This is 

 the Quauhtecallatl-quapachUi of the native Mexicans ; 

 and its habits differ considerably from those of the 

 squirrels that have been hitherto mentioned. It rarely 

 if ever climbs trees, and never nestles in them, but in 

 holes of the ground, though generally under cover of 

 bushes or the roots of trees. It is an animal about 

 twice the dimensions of the common squirrel of 

 Europe ; variegated with black, brown, and red on 

 the upper part, and also on the upper side of the 

 tail, with the exception of a few white markings to- 

 ward the tip ; the under side orange red ; and the 

 ears without any tufts. It is likewise probable that this 

 species is also found in some parts of the United 

 States ; for a red bellied squirrel is mentioned as 

 occurring there without ear-tufts, but of much smaller 

 size than this one is described as attaining in Mexico. 

 Indeed, the succession of squirrels from Canada to 

 Mexico is a subject which is worthy of some atten- 

 tion. There seems to be a regular gradation in their 

 appearance, more so than there is in most animals of 

 the same genus inhabiting different parallels through 



