170 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 



cherry-stones, &c. these, as had been before stated, form 

 their principal food, and while it lasts, they will not for- 

 sake their burrows, unless b}'' protracted cold weather, 

 they completely exhaust their store of provisions, and are 

 of necessity compelled to leave their habitations to seek 

 further supplies, in which case they resort to granaries and 

 barns, and, if j^ossible, to places where fruits have been 

 stored. Something remarkable in the character of these 

 Squirrels is their large cheeks, which are capable of being 

 distended to a considerable extent, and in which they carry 

 their food to their habitations; differing in this respect from 

 most other Squirrels; they are classed by some with the 

 subgenus Tamias. A celebrated writer observes, that 

 "during harvest they fill their mouths so full with corn 

 that their cheeks are quite distended, and in this manner, 

 carry it to their concealed store. They give great prefer- 

 ence to certain kinds of food; and, if, after filling their 

 mouths with rye, they chance to meet with wheat, they 

 discharge the one that they may secure the other." 



The Ground Squirrel is about six inches in length from 

 the nose to the root of the tail, which is about three and a 

 half inches long. The general colour of the head and up- 

 per parts of the body is reddish brown; all the hairs on 

 tliese parts being grey at the base. The eye-lids are whitish, 

 and from the external angles of each eye a dark line towards 

 the nose and ears, while on each cheek there is a reddish 

 brown line. The short, rounded ears are covered with fine 

 hairs, which are on their outside of a reddish brown colour, 

 and within of a whitish gra}-, the upper part of the neck, 

 shoulders, and base of the hair on the back, arc of a grey 

 brown, mingled with whitish. On the back there are five 

 longitudinal black bands, which are at their posterior parts 

 bordered slightly with red. The middle one begins at the 

 back of the head, the two lateral ones on the shoulders; 

 they all terminate at the rump, whose colour is red. On 

 each side two white separate the lateral black bands. The 

 lower part of the flanks and sides of tlie neck are of a paler 

 red; the exterior of the fore-feet is of a greyish yellow, the 

 thighs and hind-feet are red above. The fur, covering the 

 throat, chin, belly, and inner surface of the extremities, is 

 longer and thinner than that on the dorsal aspect, and is 

 white throughout its whole length. There is no defined 

 line of separation betwixt the colours of the back and belly. 

 The tail is not bushy, and is brown for a small space at its 

 root, afterwards greyish approaching to black on its upper 

 surface, the black hairs predominating over the whitish 

 ones, underneath it is reddish brown with a margin of 

 hoary black. Eyes large and black, ears ovate, rounded 

 and erect, whiskers long, fine, and of a black colour. There 

 are also several long black hairs springing upwards from the 

 eye-brows. The fore-feet have four toes, and an imperfect 



thumb, the palm is marked with five tubercles, three of 

 which are situated at the root of the toes, and two larger 

 ones behind, on the inner side of one of these there is a 

 minute wart in place of a thumb, entirely covered by a 

 thin, roundish nail; the claws are curved, compressed and 

 sharp pointed, convex above and channelled underneath. 

 There are five toes on the hind feet; the three middle ones 

 nearly of equal length, the outer and inner ones shorter; 

 the hind part of the soles hairy. 



PICTURED ROCKS OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 



Just before sun-down, we described something on the 

 main opposite Grand island, and near the point of the 

 Detour. On approaching it, it turned out to be one of 

 those formations which are so common on these shores. It 

 was a perfect vase. Mr. Lewis took an exact sketch of 

 it. Its base is in yellow sand stone, which is six feet above 

 the water of the lake. It stands about two miles west of 

 the point opposite the south-western side of Grand island. 

 The colour of the vase is nearly that of white sand stone, 

 a little shaded in places with yellow. Its stem is about 

 five feet high, and the body of the vase about twelve feet, 

 with dimensions in all respects exactly adapted to these 

 elevations. The trees that rise out of it are the fir, and 

 their height is about ten feet. Evergreen and the aspen 

 form the back ground. 



The sun was down when we arrived at Grand island. 

 We made several attempts to land on the main, but found 

 no good encamping place. Our company were yet behind. 

 We continued on. The moon shone brightly, and the 

 surface of the water was undisturbed and pure, except by 

 the motion imparted to it by our canoe. 



" Blue were the waters — blue tiie sky, 

 Spreads like an ocean hung on high, 

 Bespangled with those isles of light, 

 So wildly spiritually bright." 



Lewis, whose voice is fine, added additional enchant- 

 ment to the scene by singing some of his favourite airs. 



We had thoughts of proceeding on to the point of Grand 

 island, where we had breakfasted on our way up, but by 

 the light of the moon we saw a beautiful encamping place 

 on the island, about four miles from it, and as it was grown 

 late, we determined to occupy it. Our men rounded the 

 point, and occupied one of the prettiest encamping grounds 

 I have seen, except that on Point Ke-we-wa-na. Gover- 

 nor Cass and the party arrived in half an hour after, and 

 stopped on the point, about four hundred yards from us. 

 Guns were fired from the trading post on the main, the 

 same we visited on going up, and found deserted, and a 



