176 



horse or ass, bnt more resembling the confused bark- 

 ing of a mastiff dog. In the two, which I saw 3 

 there was a circumstance, that seem to have escaped 

 naturalists, which is, that the skin hangs loose below 

 the jaw, upon thcncck,in a kind of dewlap 3 which takes 

 away much from the general beauty. 



The Squirrel is a beautiful little animal ; which 

 from the gentleness of its manners, deserves our pro- 

 tection. It is not hurtful. Its usual food is fruits, 

 nuts, and acorns ; it is cleanly, nimble, active, and 

 Indus! rious ; its eyes are sparkling, and its physiog- 

 nomy marked with meaning. It generally like the 

 hare and rabbit, sits upon its hinder legs, and uses 

 the fore paws as hand, 1 ?; these have five claws as they are 

 called.and one of them is separated from the rest like a 

 thumb. This animal seems to approach the nature 

 of a bird, from its lightness and.surprising agility. It 

 seldom descends to the ground, except in case of 

 storms, but jumps from one branch to another; feeds 

 in spring, on the buds and young shoots, in summer, 

 on the ripening fruits ; and particularly the young 

 coves of the pine tree. In autumn it has an exten. 

 sive variety, the acorn, the filbert, the chesuur, and 

 the wilding. This season of plenty, however, is not 

 spent in idle enjoyment ; the provident little animal 

 gathers at that time its provisions for the winter, and 

 cautiously foresees the season when the forest shall 

 be stripped of its leaves and fruitage. 



Its nest is generally formed among the lar^e 

 branches of a great tree, where they begin to fork off 

 into small ones. After chusing the place where the 

 timber begins to decay, and a hollow may easily be 

 formed, the squirrel begins by making a kind of level 

 between the forks; and then bringing moss, twigs, 

 and dry leaves, it binds them together -with great art, 

 so as to resist the most violent storm. This is covered 

 on all sides, and has but a single opening at top, 

 which is just large enough to admit the little animal ; 

 and this opeuicg is itself defended from the weather 



