. 



V ERTEBRATA. 



\ u England States, and is nowhere bo common as the gray squirrel; it is, however, 

 often seen in the western part- of New York and Pennsylvania. It lives and breeds with the gray 

 Bquirrcl; ; - of the same size, form and habits; both white and gray are sometimes found among 

 the voting in the same n< 



The Gray Squirrel is ten to twelve inches long; the tail, which is bushy and very beautiful, ten 



[even inches. It is active and sprightly, living mostly in old forests where there are large 



• . chestnut, <»r oak, and whether seen running aloft among the branches of these 



. or speeding over rocks, fallen trunks, and stumps upon the earth, is a truly splendid example 



of th genus to which it belongs. It goes abroad at sunrise for it- food, and may be seen intently 



engaged in scratching amid the leaves, or scampering over the ground, or bounding with incred- 



il>le leaps among the tree-tops. It frequently amuses itself by quacking or barking, its voice at 



Buch times ringing through the woods and often betraying it to the hunters. In the middle of 



the da\ i; reposes in its nest, coming forth again a few hours before sunset to pursue its sports or 



It- habitation for the summer is usually a nest of leaves in the fork of a tree ; in winter, it occu- 



- e hollow space in the branch or trunk of a tree, this being retained till the young, five or 



six in number, are produced, in May or June. They remain in the parental home, or under the 

 •it.d charge, till tin- next spring, wlum they pair off and go to housekeeping for themselves. 

 If taken young, these animals become somewhat tame, and are amusing and pleasing pets. They 

 are often kept in cages with a revolving cylindrical box attached, in which they may be seen, as 

 in a treadmill, exerci.-in-.: themselves with the greatest animation for several hours of the day. 

 Sometimes these animals have been so far domesticated as to breed in the grounds around the 

 -•■. coming t" be fed when called, and running familiarly over the person. In Philadelphia, 

 a numerous colony of these scpiirrcls has been bred in an inclosed square, and are objects of the 

 greatest interest and curiosity. 



The < .ray Squirrel feeds principally on nuts, grain, and seeds, though occasionally devouring 

 the larvae of insects; in the West, where it is abundant, it sometimes makes great havoc in the 

 fields of Indian corn. In western Pennsylvania it was formerly a great pest, and in 1749, a pre- 

 mium <»f three pence being offered by the government for each squirrel killed, 640,000 were de- 

 They are far less abundant now, but in some of the unfrequented parts of our country 

 they are -till numerous. Even in New- England they are found in most of the old forests, and in 

 the autumn the shooting of gray squirrels is still a favorite sport. 



The mosl remarkable feature in this species of squirrels is its occasional migrations, in great 

 multitude-, over mountains and streams, across cleared fields and dense woods, seeming to be 

 guided by some necessity as to food, or some imperious but inscrutable instinct. They have nat- 

 urally a strong love of home and an innate dread of water; but under the impulse of such a move- 

 ment, these creature- forsake their birth-places and venture into unknown regions, and launch 

 themselves upon the bosom of the broadest rivers, often with a fatal result. These emigrations 

 usually take place in autumn, and a multitude of these creatures, gathered from all the surround- 

 ing districts, may be seen pouring along like a stream, and sweeping over the fields and devouring 

 every thing that comes in their way. It has been said, that on coming to a river each squirrel 

 take- a piece of bark, and seating himself upon it as a boat, or placing it beneath his chin as a 

 float, hoists hi- tail a- a -ail, aid thus passes safely an"d speedily across. This beautiful story is, 

 however, a mere fiction. These creatures, on coming to the water, after some little hesitation 

 and running to and fro, launch into the waves, and paddle across as they may. They are poor 

 swimmers, sink deep, and advance with considerable difficulty. In October, 1833, as I was de- 

 nding th- Ohio in a steamboat, one of these migrations— though not remarkable for the extent 

 of the numbers— was in progress. When we were in the region of Marietta, we saw hundreds — 

 perhaps thousand-- of these creatures in the water, making for the southern or Kentucky shore. 

 In all cases, we only saw the nose above water; many were dead and drifting down the stream; 

 many were on the Ohio side, hesitating upon the banks, or resting on the trees/while we could 

 ace hundreds on the Kentucky side creeping, exhausted, upon the sandy banks, where, sad to re- 

 late, were men and boys with clubs ready to dispatch them. Similar accounts have often been 



