130 



SCIL-HID.E. MAMMALIA. S< IUKID. 



pie. These animals are very prolific, and enjoy a wide 

 geographical distribution, being especially abundant in 

 North America. They are not found in Australia. 

 Fossil remains occur in the tertiary formation. 



FAMILY I. SCIURID^E. 



The Squirrels have simple tuberculated molar teeth, 

 provided with distinct fangs. These molars are usually 

 eighteen in number, but in some instances there are 

 only fourteen. The incisor teeth are smooth, the lower 

 being much compressed. The feet are generally pen- 

 tadactylous ; exceptions, however, occur in the fore- 

 feet of certain species, where the thumb is merely 

 represented by a warty tubercle. The limbs are either 

 free, or partially invested by alaform membranous 

 expansions of the skin, which materially increase the 

 leaping power of these animals. The tail is well 

 developed, and more or less tufted with long hairs. 

 The species are numerous so much so, that we can 

 devote only a very short space to their individual con- 

 sideration. 



THE COMMON SQUIRREL (Sciurus vulgarls) is a 

 singularly graceful and attractive little animal (fig. 43). 

 Who has not seen it leaping from branch to branch, 

 and clambering up the sides of many a lofty tree ? In 



our woodland districts it is everywhere abundant, and 

 its pretty movements may be most advantageously 

 watched in early spring, when the female, with extreme 

 activity, is pretendingly seeking to evade the pursuit of 

 her attentive lovers, several of which may be giving 

 her chase at one and the same time. " Dwelling prin- 

 cipally," observes Mr. Bell, "upon trees, and rarely 

 descending to the ground, it leaps from bough to bough 

 with astonishing agility. It lives upon nuts, acorns, 

 beech-mast, the bark of young trees, leaf-buds, and 

 tender shoots. In eating nuts, it gnaws with consider- 

 able rapidity through the hard shell, and then carefully 

 removes every particle of the dry brown skin from each 

 morsel of the kernel before it is eaten. It sits upon 

 its haunches, holding its food in the fore-paws, which 

 serve the office of hands. In taking leaps, when once 

 thrown off by an effort of its long and powerful hinder 

 legs, it is in a measure sustained by the horizontal 

 spreading of its limbs and bushy tail ; which latter organ 

 is also extremely useful in covering and protecting the 

 back, over which it is often turned, and in enveloping 

 the whole lateral and dorsal parts of the body when 

 coiled up during sleep or in its hibernation. It lays up 

 stores of food for its winter provision, which is not 

 usually deposited in a single place of safety, but distri- 

 buted in several different holes of trees, hi the irnme- 



Pig.43 



The bquirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). 



diate neighbourhood of its own retreat. It remains 

 during the greater part of the winter in a state of almost 

 complete torpidity, coming abroad, however, on the 

 occurrence of a fine day, feeding on a part of its trea- 

 sured hoards, and then retiring again to its slumbers." 

 The general appearance of the squirrel is well known ; 

 the length of the body being about fifteen inches, 



including the tail, which measures six and a half or 

 seven inches. The head is broad, flattened above and 

 at the sides. The eyes are comparatively large, dark- 

 coloured, and prominent. The ears are well developed, 

 and beautifully pencilled at the tip with long delicate 

 hairs. The fur has a rich brownish-red colour gene- 

 rally, being white under the throat and belly. During 



