AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



265 



GREAT TAILED SQUIRREL. - 



SCIUR US MJl CR UR US. 



Sciurus macrourus, Say. non Gmelin, S. magnicau- 

 datus, Harlan. Griffith, Jin. king. S. macroureus, 

 GoDMAN. t/im. Nat. Hist. Philadelphia Museum. 



The Squirrels belong to the great order Glires or Gnawers, 

 and are distinguished, by their very compressed lower inci- 

 sors, and their long tail furnished with hair. They have 

 four toes on the anterior feet, and five on the posterior. 

 Sometimes the thumb of the fore feet is marked by a tu- 

 bercle. Their head is large, and their eyes prominent and 

 brilliant. The genus Sciurus, of Linnseus, comprehends 

 many which have been considered, by modern Zoologists, 

 as possessing sufficient characters to be formed into other 

 genera. These are Tamias Illiger, including the Ground 

 Squirrels, or those having cheek pouches ; Pteromys, Cu- 

 vier, comprehending the Flying Squirrels, and Cheiromys, 

 Cuvier, of which there is but one species distinguished by 

 having much more compressed incisors, and five toes on 

 each of the feet, of which four of those on the anterior ex- 

 tremities are exceeding long. 



The true or tree Squirrels, are distinguished b}' the ab- 

 sence of the lateral folds of skin which are found in the 

 Flying Squirrels, and the cheek pouches which characterise 

 the Tamias. In most of them, the tail is distichous, that is, 

 the hairs diverge on either side from a longitudinal medial 

 line. They are found in every part of the world in great 

 numbers, with the exception of New Holland. 



Few animals are to be compared to the Squirrels for 

 beauty, and lightness of form, and grace and agility of 

 movements. Living on the loftiest trees, they bound from 

 limb to limb, with a rapidity that almost resembles flying. 

 Few animals also, especially among the smaller classes, 

 become so readily tamed, and submit with such apparent 

 contentment, to the loss of liberty, and a confinement so 

 widely different from their natural habits. 



The true Squirrels of North America are by no means as 

 large, nor is the colour of their fur as rich as those species 

 inhabiting the eastern parts of Asia ; with a few exceptions 

 they are of an ash grey colour of various shades, and the 

 specific peculiarities and markings by which they are dis- 

 tinguished, are so slight, that it is a task of no little difficulty 

 to ascertain the number of species inhabiting our forests. 



The subject of our present plate was first described by 

 Mr. Say, in "Long's Expedition to the Rocky Mountains," 

 from specimens found on the Missouri, where it is the most 

 common species. This gentleman described it under the 

 name of macrourus, without perhaps being aware that this 

 3 X 



appellation had already been given by Gmelin to the Cey- 

 lon Squirrel; from this latter circumstance Dr. Harlan 

 changed the name to that of magnicaudatus, and Dr. God- 

 man macroureus ; as, however, Cuvier states that the Cey- 

 lon Squirrel is identical with the great Indian Squirrel, ^S". 

 maximus, Mr. Say's original name can still be retained 

 for this species. 



We know little or nothing, of the habits or manners of 

 the Great Tailed Squirrel, though in all probability they 

 are analogous to those of the other American species. The 

 following description is drawn up from that of Mr. Say, as 

 originally given: 



The upper part of the body and sides are of an ash grey 

 colour mixed with black; the hairs are black at base, then 

 pale cinnamon, then black and finally ash gray, with a long 

 black tip. The ears, which are about three quarters of an 

 inch in length, are of a bright ferruginous colour behind, 

 this colour extends to the base of the hair, which, during 

 the winter, projects beyond the edge of the ear; on the in- 

 side, the fur is of a dull ferruginous hue, slightly tipped with 

 black. The sides of the head, as well as the orbits of the 

 eyes, are pale ferruginous ; and beneath the ears and eyes 

 the cheeks are dusky. The whiskers are disposed in five 

 series of slightly flattened hairs, the four lower series more 

 distinct. The mouth is surrounded with black, and the 

 teeth are of a reddish yellow colour. The under part of 

 the head and neck as well as the upper surface of the feet, 

 are ferruginous ; the belly is paler, approaching to a dusky 

 white, the fur being led colour at base. 



The tail is of a bright ferruginous colour beneath, the 

 colour extending to the base of the fur, with a submarginal 

 black line. The upper part of the tail is a mixture of ferru- 

 ginous and black, the fur within is of a pale cinnamon colour 

 with the base and three bands black, the tip being ferrugi- 

 nous. The palms of the anterior feet are black, and the 

 tubercular thumb is furnished with a broad flat nail. 



When the animal is in its summer dress, the fur on the 

 back is from three-fifths to seven-tenths of an inch in length; 

 whilst in the winter coat, the longest hairs on the middle 

 of the back are from one to one inch and three quarters 

 long, the colours, however, do not vary. From this differ- 

 ence in the length of the fur, and the greater proportion of 

 fat, the animal appears shorter and thicker than in summer. 

 The total length of this species, from the tip of the nose 

 to the end of the tail, exclusive of the hair, is nineteen inches 

 and three quarters, of which the tail makes nine inches and 

 a tenth. The tail is much larger and finer than in the com- 

 mon Grey Squirrel, {S. cincreus.') 



Mr. Say observes, "This species was not an unfrequent 

 article of food at our frugal yet social meals at Engineer 

 Cantonment, and we could always immediately distinguish 



