3 74" CLASS MAMMALIA. 



and the male partakes with his mate in providing for them. 

 This trait of character seems generally to be observed in 

 monogamous animals, and though certainly attributable to 

 no other origin than that of instinct, naturally impresses 

 us with a favourable notion of creatures, whose actions 

 partake of what among us is attributable to moral charac- 

 ter and right feeling. 



As soon as the young have attained strength enough to 

 cater for themselves, the cares of their parents are directed 

 to a different object, that of, in effect at least, anticipating 

 the privations of winter, by what with ourselves might be 

 called a prudent appropriation of the superfluities of sum- 

 mer. For this purpose they select the clefts and holes in 

 trees near their nest, in which they stow away corn, nuts, 

 fyc. They are observed to have an unhesitating know- 

 ledge of the situations of these magazines, even after the 

 snow has reduced almost every thing to one common level, 

 through which they work their way in a direct line to what 

 they seek. There is something in actions like these so 

 nearly allied, not only to memory, but association, that it 

 seems very difficult to distinguish the difference between 

 them, as blind impulses or as reasonable acts. 



The blindness of the instinct of accumulation, however, 

 is sufficiently evinced in the tame Squirrel, which, after being 

 capturedin the nest, and removed from the influence of exam- 

 ple or instruction, is equally impelled by its instinct, though 

 no longer necessary. If an inferior food be given to a tame 

 Squirrel, and another more agreeable to its palate offered 

 shortly after, the animal will not carelessly drop or throw 

 away that which it is already possessed of, but will endea- 

 vour to conceal the one before it receives the other. 



There is another common action of the Squirrel which, 

 assumes the appearance of a result of reason and deduction. 

 When disturbed, or hunted ina tree, it never fails to keepas 

 much as possible on the opposite side of every branch it may fly 



