COMMON SQUIRREL. 279 



possess a specimen from Archangel, in whicli some parts 

 of the body have the fur of the same peculiar and beauti- 

 ful grey which characterizes the American Grey Squirrel, 

 the remaining parts being of the usual red colour of our 

 English specimens. Even in this country, it appears that 

 a certain degree of change takes place in the colour of 

 the fur in spring and in autumn. Mr. Blyth was the first 

 to notice this fact in this country, observing that in the 

 summer the fur is much coarser and more uniformly red, 

 the pencils of the ears also are lost, as had been observed 

 by former naturalists ; in the winter the sides of the 

 body assume a greyish tint, the pencils of the ears are 

 long and full, and the fur softer and fuller. The summer 

 change is not perfect till July. A further change, how- 

 ever, takes place, which we have not as yet seen alluded 

 to, excepting as a supposed accidental variety. Squirrels 

 with cream-coloured tails are by no means uncommon in 

 certain localities ; and after the examination of a good 

 muster of examples, we found that this pale colour of the 

 tail always accompanied, or rather followed, the change 

 in the colour and quality of the fur in the summer, as 

 above noticed. In no instance have we observed the 

 cream-coloured tail until towards the end of summer, at 

 which time most of those we have inspected have had a 

 more or less faded appearance, though the greater number 

 have not been actually much paler than usual. At the 

 change which takes place at the commencement of winter, 

 the tail again assumes its ordinary appearance. An 

 Alpine variety of this animal has been described by 

 M. F. Cuvier, under the name of Sciurus Alpinus, having 

 the back of a dark brown colour, dotted with yellowish - 

 white, and the under parts pure white. It occurs, accord- 

 ing to Desmarest, in the Alps and Pyrenees. 



The head is thick, rounded posteriorly, flattened at 



