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GENUS SCIURUS.— Linn., Erxleb., Cuv., Geoff., Illiger. 



Dental Formula. 



Incisive ^ ; Canine ^^ ; Molar j^ or j^ = 20 or 22. 



Body elongated ; tail long and furnished with hairs ; head large ; ears 

 erect ; eyes projecting and brilliant ; upper lip divided. Four toes be- 

 fore, with a tubercle covered by a blunt nail ; five toes behind. The four- 

 grinders, on each side the mouth above and beneath, are variously tuber- 

 culated ; a very small additional one in front, above, is in some species 

 permanent, but in most cases drops out when the young have attained the 

 age of from six to twelve weeks. Mammse, eight ; two pectoral, the 

 others abdominal. 



The squirrel is admirably adapted to a residence on trees, for which 

 nature has designed it. Its fingers are long, slender and deeply cleft, and 

 its nails very acute and greatly compressed ; it is enabled to leap from 

 branch to branch, and from tree to tree, clinging to the smallest twigs, 

 and seldom missing its hold. When this happens to be the case, it has 

 an instinctive habit of grasping in its descent at the first object which 

 may present itself, or if about to fall to the earth, it spreads itself out in 

 the manner of the flying squirrel, and thus by presenting a greater resist- 

 ance to the air, is enabled to reach the ground without injury, and recover 

 itself so instantaneously, that it often escapes the teeth of the dog that 

 watches its descent, and stands ready to seize upon it at the moment of 

 its fall. It immediately ascends a neighbouring tree, emitting very fre- 

 quently a querulous bark, which is either a note of fear or of triumph. 



Although the squirrel moves with considerable activity on the ground, 

 it rather runs than leaps ; on trees, however, its activity and agility are 

 surprising, and it is generally able to escape from its enemies, and conceal 

 itself in a few moments, either among the thick foliage, in its nest, or in 

 a hollow tree. The squirrel usually conveys its food to the mouth by the 

 fore-paws. Nuts, and seeds of all kinds, are held by it between the rudi- 

 mental thumbs and the inner portions of the palms. When disturbed or 

 alarmed, it either drops the nut and makes a rapid retreat, or seizes it 

 with the incisors, and carries it to its hole or nest. 



All our American species of this genus, as far as we have been able to 



