58 QJJ A D R U P E S. 



the extremities. The Brafilianfquirrel is a beautiful animal, remarkable 

 for its variety of colours j belly bright yellow ; head and body varicr 

 gated with white, black, brown and orange colour ; wants the tufts at 

 the ears ; does not climb trees, as moft of the kind do. The little 

 ground fquirrel of Carolina IS rtddiihy with blackifh ftripes on each fide ; 

 alfo not delighting in trees. Thtjquirrel of I^ew Spain is of a deep iron- 

 grey, with feven longitudinal whitifh flreaks along the fides of the male, 

 and five along thofe of the female. 



This animal is diffufed over all parts of the world, yet few animals are 

 fp tender. Thofe of the tropical climates will only live near a warm 

 fun i while the Siberian fquirrel fcarce endures our temperature ; fomc 

 live on the tops of trees, others feed, like rabbits, on vegetables 

 below. 



The fquirrel is neither carnivorous nor hurtful ; eat fruits, nuts and 

 acorns j is cleanly, nimble, aftive, and induftrious -, its eyes fparkling j 

 its phyfiognom.y lively ; generally fits on its hinder-legs, and ufes the 

 fore-paws as hands ; thefe have five toes, one of them ,feparated frona 

 the reft like a thumb s neftles among the large branches of a great tree, 

 where they fork off into fmall ones ; begins by making a kind of level 

 between the forks, bringing mofs, twigs, and dry leaves, binds them 

 together with great art, fo as to refift the mofh violent ftorm. This is 

 covered on all fides, except a fingle opening at top, juft large enough to 

 admit the little animal, which is itfelf defended by a kind of conical 

 canopy, to throw off rain. The neft is very commodious below > foft, 

 well united, convenient and warm j and fhelters its inhabitant from the 

 heat of the fun, which it feems to fear, and from the inclemency of win- 

 ter, which it is lefs capable of fupporting. Its flores are feldom in its 

 nefl, but in the hollows of the tree, and never touched but by neceffity. 

 They bring about four or five young once a year in May. Their time 

 of geftation is about fix weeks. 



Seldom defccnds to the ground, but jumps from branch to branch ; it 

 alarmed, travels thus throughout the foreft. It moves by bounds from 

 one tree to another, at forty feet diftance ; if obliged to defcend, runs up 

 the next tree with amazing facility ; has an extremely fliarp piercing 

 note, cxprefTive of pain, another not totally unlike the purring of a cat 

 when pleafed ; feeds in fpring on buds and young fhoots ; in fummcr on 

 fruits, particularly the young cones of the pine-tree; in autumn, on the 

 acorn, philberd, chefnut, and the wilding; gathers now its provifions 

 for winter, and forefees the feafon of fcarcity. 



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