40 GENUS SCIURUS. 



occasionally in the forest during all hours of the day, but is uttered most 

 frequently in the morning and afternoon. Any sudden noise in the woods, 

 or the distant report of a gun, is almost certain, during fine weather, to be 

 succeeded by the barking of the squirrel. This is either a note of playful- 

 ness or of love. Whilst barking it seats itself for a few moments on a 

 branch of a tree, elevates its tail over its back towards the head, and bend- 

 ing the point backwards continues to jerk its body, and elevate and depress 

 the tail at the repetition of each successive note. Like the mocking bird 

 and the nightingale, however, the squirrel, very soon after he begins to sing, 

 (for to his own ear, at least, his voice must be musical.) also commences 

 skipping and dancing ; he leaps playfullj' from bough to bough, some- 

 times pursuing a rival or his mate for a few moments, and then reiterat- 

 ing with renewed vigour his querulous and monotonous notes. 



One of the most common habits of the squirrel is that of dodging around 

 the tree when approached, and keeping on the opposite side, so as to 

 completely baffle the hunter who is alone. Hence it is almost essential 

 to the sportsman's success, that he should be accompanied by a second 

 person, who, by w^alking slowly round the tree on w^hich the squirrel has 

 been seen, and beating the bushes, and making a good deal of noise, 

 causes him to move to the side where the gunner is silently stationed, 

 waiting for a view of him to fire. When a squirrel is seated on a branch, 

 and fancies himself undiscovered, should some one approach, he imme- 

 diately depresses his tail, and extending it along the branch behind him, 

 presses his body so closely to the bark, that he frequently escapes the 

 most practised eye. Not^vithstanding the agility of these animals, man is 

 not their only, nor even their most formidable enemy. The owl makes a 

 frequent meal of those species which continue to seek their food late in 

 the evening and early in the morning. Several species of hawks, espe- 

 cially the red-tailed, (Buteo horealis,) and the red-shouldered, (Buteo line- 

 afus,) pounce upon them by day. The black snake, rattle snake, and 

 other species of snakes, can secure them ; and the ermine, the fox, and the 

 wild cat, are incessantly exerting their sagacity in lessening their num- 

 bers. 



The generic name Sciurus is derived from the Latin sciurus, a squirrel, 

 and from the Greek, mcicvfa, (skiouros,) from «<«, {skia,) a shade, and cvfx, 

 (oura,) a tail. 



There are between sixty and seventy species of this genus known to 

 authors ; about t^venty well determined species exist in North America. 



