378 



RIUHARDSOiN'S SPERMOPHILB. 



the claws are shorter than those of the i'ore-i'eet ; the soles are nakeJ, 

 but the heel is covered with hairs along the edges which curve over it. 

 The tail is not very bushy and is about the size of that of the chipping- 

 squirrel, (Tainias Lysteri.) 



Teeth, light orange ; whiskers, black ; nails, dark-brown ; the back is 

 yellowish-brown, intermixed with a few blackish hairs ; on the sides, 

 this colour is a shade lighter ; on the nose, there is a slight tinge of 

 chesnut-brown. The cheeks, throat, and inside of the thighs, are dull 

 white ; belly, brov\Tiish-gray. The tail is of the colour of the back ; the 

 hairs on the margins, near the end, are dark-brown tipped with yellowish- 

 white. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Adult female- 



From point of nose to root of tail 



Head 



Tail (vertebrae) .... 

 Tail, to end of hair 

 From heel to end of middle claw 

 Height of ear .... 



n 



inches 



2 



do. 



2i 



do. 



3i 



do. 



H 



do. 



Oi 



no. 



We possess no personal knowledge of this species, never having met 

 with it in a living state. The specimens from which our figures and 

 descriptions were made, were obtained by Mr. Townsend, and we are 

 indebted to the excellent work of Richardson for the following account 

 of its habits : " This animal inhabits sandy prairies, and is not found in 

 thickly wooded parts. It is one of the animals known to the residents of 

 the fur countries by the name of Ground-squirrel, and to Canadian voy- 

 agers by that of SifHeur. It has considerable resemblance to the squirrels, 

 but is less active, and has less sprightliness and elegance in its attitudes. 



" It can scarcely be said to live in villages, though there are sometimes 

 three and four of its burrows on a sandy hummock or other favourable 

 spot. The burrows generally fork or branch off near the surface, and 

 descend obliquely downwards to a considerable depth ; some few of 

 them have more than one entrance. The earth scraped out, in forming 

 them, is thrown up in a small mound at the mouth of the hole, and on 

 it the animal seats itself on its hind-legs, to overlook the short grass, 



