366 VERTEBRATA. 



affectionate, preserving all its native love of gaiety and frolic It feeds standing on its hind-legs, 



like a sijuinvl, using its paws as hands. It will eat grasses, grain, fruits, and rooked food generally. 

 It bas a sorl of human nature aboul it, for, when threatened, it, chatters, grits its teeth, and be- 

 comes furious; but, it' fed and caressed, it is speedily restored to its good-natured and pleasant 

 ways. [1 make- a nesl oi tow, or other soft materials, and is fond of burying itself in it, even in 

 warm weather. It Bleeps luxuriously, sometimes on one side, and sometimes on its back, occasion- 

 ally yawning an 1 stretching like a lazy boy. 



This species is common in Mexico, where it is called Urion — a term, however, applied to some 

 other burrowing animals. It is also met with in Texas and California. It inhabits wooded dis- 

 tricts, but is a frequenl pet on the plantations. The Mexican women fondle it, and permit it to 

 run over their shoulders and nestle in their bosoms. 



'The Long-tailed Spekmophile, S. macrourus, is thirteen inches long, and the tail, with the 

 hair, ten inches. The fur is coarse, and mottled with Mack and grayish-white along the hack and 

 sides; tie' feet and under parts are light gray, with dusky freckles. The tail is moderately bushy, 

 It is a very lively species, climbs trees with facility when it has need, and feeds on grain, grasses, 

 nuts, and roots. It is found in Northern Mexico, and in some parts is abundant. There appears 

 to he a standing grudge between the woodpeckers and this spermophile, the former often combining 

 to the number oi' half-a-dozen in an attack upon him. They dart at him, and snap their long 

 sharp bills around his head, and, doubtless, often give him a pungent tweak. The cause of this 

 hereditary quarrel may be, that the spermophile often takes possession of the hole which the 

 woodpecker has chiseled out of a dry trunk or limb of a tree, unscrupulously appropriating the 

 premises, and all the hereditaments, to his own use and behoof. 



Harris's Marmot Squirrel, S. llarrisii, is of the size of the chipping-squirrel. It has a 

 narrow white stripe running along on each side of the back, the ground being yellowish-gray; 

 the under surface is ashy-white. The length of the body is a trifle less than six inches; the 

 tail, with the hair, tour and a half inches. Its habits are little known. It is found on the west- 

 ern slope of the Rocky Mountains, within the verge of Oregon. 



Townsend's Spermophile, or the American Souslik, S. Toivnscndii, is of the size of the 

 common red squirrel. The upper surface is brownish-gray, sprinkled with white; beneath it is 

 yellowish-gray; length, eight to nine inches; tail, with the hair, one inch and a half. Itgreatlv 

 resembles the souslik of Europe and Asia, the spots on the skin, however, being finer and more 

 numerous and irregular. It is found in Oregon, and, in summer, is numerous along the banks of 

 the Walla-Walla: it gets very fat, and is devoured by the Indians. It appears to retreat to its 

 holes early in the autumn, where it lives in families. After its hibernation, it comes forth in the 

 spring greatly emaciated. 



Douglass' Spermophile, S. Douglassii, has a short head and long ears, the body being pale 

 brown, with faint transverse bands of brown and white. It has in general a squirrel-like appear- 

 ance, but its coarser fur and cheek-pouches mark it as a true spermophile. The length of the 

 body is about fourteen inches; the tail, with the hair, nine inches. It is found on the banks of 

 the ( Jolumbia River. 



Beechey's Spermophile, S. llcccheyi, resembles the preceding, and is found in California. 



Tic Tawny American Marmot, or Richardson's Spermophile, S. Richardsonii, is yellowish- 

 gray on the back; beneath, pale grayish-orange. The ears are very short; the body short and 

 thick, being only nine inches and a quarter long; the eyes are large, the legs short, the tail 

 bushy. It resembles the squirrels, but is less active in its movements and less elegant in its atti- 

 tudes. It inhabits the sandy prairies along the branches of the Saskatchewan river, ami the 

 Rocky Mountain- from latitude l.v to 38°. The burrows are usually situated on some sandy huiii- 

 mock; the earth scooped out i- formed into a little mound, on which the animal sits, so that he 

 may overlook the surrounding group and reconnoiter before he ventures to make an excursion., 

 Fourorfive live in a burrow; they appear to hibernate. They feed on young buds in spring, and 

 tender herbaceous plant- in summer, and in winter on leguminous plants and the seeds of grasses. 



This little remote, harmless creature, like most of its kind — indeed, like almost every other 

 wild animal under the sun — nay, like man himself— seems to live in the midst of fear and danger.. 



