)U4 HISTORY OF 



THE SQUmREL. 



There are few readers that are not so well acquainted with 

 he figure of a Squirrel as that of the rabbit ; but supposing 

 It unknown to any, we might give them some idea of its form, 

 by comparing it to a rabbit, with shorter ears, and a longer tail. 

 The tail indeed, is alone sufficient to distinguish it from all 

 others, as it is extremely long, beautiful, and bushy, spreading 

 like a fan, and which, when thrown up behind, covers the whole 

 Dody. This serves the little animal for a double purpose ; when 

 erected, it serves, like an umbrella, as a secure protection from 

 the injuries of the heat and cold ; and when extended, it is very 

 mstrumental in promoting those vast leaps that the squirrel takes 

 from tree to tree ; nay, some assert that it answers still a third pur- 

 pose, and when the squurel takes the water, which it sometimes 

 does upon a piece of bark, that its tail serves it instead of a sail.* 

 There are few wild animals in which theie are so many 

 varieties as in the squirrel. The common squirrel is of the 

 size of a small rabbit, and is rather of a more reddish brown. 

 The belly and breast are white ; and the ears beautifidly 

 ornamented with long tufts of hair, of a deeper colour than 

 that on the body. The eyes are large, black, and lively ; the 

 legs are short and nmscular, like those of the rabbit ; but the 

 toes longer, and the claws sharper, so as to fit it for climb- 

 ing. When it eats, or dresses itself, it sits erect, like the hare 

 or rabbit, making use of its fore-legs as hands; and chiefly 

 resides in trees. The gray Viryinian squirrel, which Mr Bufl'on 

 calls the petit grts, is larger than a rabbit, and of a grayish colour. 

 Its body and limbs are thicker than those of the common squir- 

 rel ; and its ears are shorter, and without tufts at the point. 

 The upper part of the body, and external part of the legs, are of 

 a fine whitish gray, with a beautiful red streak on each side 

 lengthways. The tail is covered v\ ith very long gray hair, varie- 

 gated with black and white towards the extremity. This variety 

 seems to be common to both continents j and in Sweden is seen 



1 This elegant tribe of quadrupeds have two front teeth in each jaw ; those 



in tlie upper jaw being' wedge-shaped, those in the lower pointed : on each 



side in tlie upper jaw there are five grinders, and four in the lower : tliey 



liave perfect collar bones, and iu most species the tail is shed on each sid.;. 



2 Klein. Liniia?ns. 



