THE WESTERN FOX SQUIRREL AND ITS RELATIVES. 



(Sciurus ludovicianus.) 



Squirrels have been very aptly desig- 

 nated the "principal ornaments of a for- 

 est." Their presence certainly greatly 

 increases the pleasures of those who en- 

 joy rambles through quiet sylvan re- 

 treats. It is not alone the stately forest 

 that is honored by the presence of these 

 graceful creatures, for some species 

 frequent the parks of our larger cities 

 and the tree-bordered avenues of our 

 villages, there delighting all with their 

 playful gambols and interesting antics. 



Whether upon the ground or among 

 the tree branches, squirrels are active 

 and nimble, and their large and brilliant 

 eyes seem to reflect the high degree of 

 intelligence which they possess. During 

 fine weather and in the daylight hours, 

 these bright animals seem almost con- 

 stantly in motion, as if an over-abund- 

 ance of nervous energy must be re- 

 leased. This energy is often expended 

 in a playful manner. Though they can 

 easily jump from the branches of a tree 

 to those of another, they will frequently 

 rapidly descend, and jumping over the 

 ground to the next tree, they quickly 

 ascend to its topmost branches. The true 

 squirrels have been called the "monkeys 

 of the woods of temperate climes." 

 Neither walking nor running but moving 

 by longer or shorter jumps, squirrels 

 gracefully progress over the ground at 

 such a rapid pace that even a swiftly 

 running dog can scarcely overtake them. 



These arboreal animals, as well as 

 their relatives, the ground squirrels, are 

 so well known that no description of 

 them seems necessary. They are found 

 in the tropical and temperate regions of 

 the whole world, excepting in the Aus- 

 tralian region and in Madagascar. How- 

 ever, the number of species and of in- 

 dividuals are much greater in the tropics 

 than elsewhere. 



They vary greatly in size and all the 

 species have similar habits. In Borneo 

 there is a squirrel which is no larger 

 than a mouse and the black and yellow 

 species of Malaysia is as large as a cat. 

 They reach their highest degree of beauty 

 in the tropics, and the Malayan species 

 are brilliantly marked. One of the Ori- 

 ental species "presents almost the only 

 known instance among mammals of the 

 temporary assumption during the breed- 

 ing season of a distinctly ornamental 

 coat, corresponding to the breeding 

 plumage of birds." At this period, last- 

 ing from December to March, its back is 

 a brilliant orange-yellow, but during the 

 remainder of the year the squirrel is of 

 uniform gray color. Some of the 

 American species undergo a- seasonal 

 change in colors, but this change seems 

 to be for protection rather than sexual 

 ornamentation. 



Squirrels are noted for their cleanli- 

 ness. They are constantly licking and 

 dressing their fur, which is always in 

 an immaculate condition, and looks as if 

 it had been carefully combed. 



Squirrels usually feed upon a vegetable 

 diet, but they are also very fond of flesh 

 and will often attack the smaller rodents. 

 They will also hunt for birds and rob 

 their nests. They are almost constantly 

 searching for food, and nearly all the 

 species cache all that they do not need 

 for immediate use. Food may be hid- 

 den almost anywhere but the usual places 

 are the holes in trees or under their ex- 

 posed roots, in one of their nests, in 

 crevices in the bark, and in holes in the 

 ground which the animals have exca- 

 vated themselves. These holes are us- 

 ually dug in rather secluded places and 

 the stored food is carefully covered. It 

 is said that in the forests of Siberia the 

 squirrels store mushrooms in a most pe- 



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