THE SQUIRREL. 





X 



Striped Squirrel, or Ground Squirrel. 



An American and an Asiatic variety of this species have been described ; but it is probable that they 

 inhabit a continuous zone in the two continents, 'from Carolina westward to the central longitudes of 

 Siberia, with only the interruption of the Strait of Behring and the narrow part of the North Pacific. The 

 American variety is a very small animal, not above half the dimensions of the common Squirrel of Europe, 

 though resembling it in color, only there is a yellowish white band along each flank, bordered at each side 

 with a stripe of black ; and there is another black stripe down the ridge of the back. The hairs on the 

 tail are much shorter than those on the other Squirrels, so that that organ is but ill adapted for acting as a 

 parachute. The Asiatic variety is described as being rather larger in the body, being about five inches in 

 length, but the tail is only three. The general color of the upper part is tawny-brown, marked with stripes 

 similar in color, in number, and in arrrangement, to those on the American variety. The shoulders and 

 the fore paws are dull tawny, and so is the rump between the lines. The outsides of the thighs, the hind 

 feet, and the hair of the tail, are bright russet. This variety extends over a very great range of longitude 

 .in the north of Asia, indeed over the greater part of Siberia. The species, whether as American or as^ 

 Asiatic, is intermediate in its habits between the hamsters and the Squirrels properly so called. The indi- 

 viduals are rarely, if ever, found climbing trees; they are ground animals, collecting the seeds of various 

 kinds of plants from the surface of the earth, and making use of their cheek pouches to carry the food to 

 their magazines. They nestle in burrows, which they usually construct under bushes, or the spray at the 

 roots of trees. The burrow generally has two entrances and two chambers, one of which is the dwelling 

 and the other the store ; and the spray, whether of bush or of tree, under which they are placed, helps to 

 defend both against the rains. With their collected store in the magazine, they contrive to live tolerably 

 well under the snow, which lies long above their dwelling in the inclement season of the year. 

 (Ill) 



