AN EXCURSION. 21 



world. But wherever found, and howsoever different 

 they may be in structure and appearance, they have 

 certain common characteristics. They all possess long 

 and bushy tails, have five toes in the hind, and 

 four toes in the forefeet with a rudimentary thumb. 

 The character of their dentition is also peculiar : 

 they have no canines or tearing teeth, but are provided 

 with two large chisel-shaped and rootless front cutting 

 teeth in each jaw. Between the incisors, as these front 

 cutting teeth, are called, and the grinding teeth, there is 

 a wide gap caused by the absence of the canines or 

 tearing teeth ; there are ten grinding teeth in the upper, , 

 and eight in the lower jaw. The sharp chisel-shaped 

 cutting teeth of a squirrel enable it, and for that matter 

 all animals of the same order, to nibble at the hardest 

 of nuts, fruits, roots, bark &c., which constitute their 

 food. In captivity, they have been known to thrive well 

 on grarn, biscuits, cocoa-nut, and fruits. 



THE ORCHID-HOUSE. 



Our next object was the orchid-house. It is an ex- 

 tensive low structure, built of iron supports and galva- 

 nised wire netting ; the roof lightly thatched with 

 ooloo grass (Saccharum Thunbergi) to protect the 

 vegetation inside from sun and wind, and at the same 

 time to let in enough of the former to vivify them. 

 Graceful creepers of various species of Ipomcea formed a 

 screen on all sides. Inside the house, the collection was 

 rich and rare ; numerous species of ferns, begonias, 



