scu'Roi'i'Kurs voi.rcKi.LA, 197 



afewevening-sof similar exercise, in wliich the battcurs became (juitc 

 expert in the use of their weapon, ev(n-y wielding- of the wooden 

 bat l)rln!4"ini^- down an expiring- namesake, the war terminatc^l b\- 

 the extermination of ever\' indixichial of tlie en(>m\- in tlie main 

 builcHn^'. llowe\c!r thcnx? still was the cock-loft of the lanndry, 

 which oave e\idence ot a lar^-e population. In this case 1 had re- 

 course to a plan which had been recommended, but was not carried 

 out in regard to the dwellim^-house. I emplo)ed a slater to re- 

 move a portion of tlK> slatiuL;' which recjuired re})airino-. This pro- 

 cess discovered some hfteen hundred or two thousand bats, of 

 which the larger number werc^ killed, and the sur\-i\inu- soug'lit the 

 ])arn, trees, and other places of concealment in the neii^-hborhood. 

 . " In the main building" nine thousand six hundred and fort\' bats, 

 from actual counting-, were destro\-ed. . . . At the vwA of five 

 years the; odor has now nearh' disajopeared. beini;' bareK' percepti- 

 ble during- a continuance; of \er\' daiup weather." * 



Order GLIRKS. Family SciURID/K. 



SCIUROPTERUS VOLUCELLA (raiias) r.e«fTroy. 



I'lyiiii:; SqiiirrcL 



Two varieties of bd\ino- .Scpiirrel occur in the Atlirondacks : the 

 present form, confined mainly to the borders of tlu; region, and a 

 northern race, commonest in the elevated portions of the interior. 



The subjc;ct of this sketch feeds upon a \-ariet\- of nuts, seeds, 

 and buds, and upon beetles and pc;rhaps other ins(;cts. not lu\sita- 

 tin_o- to eat lU;sh wlu;n occasion offers. 1 havc^ caught main' in 

 box-traps baited with be(;f, and have frecpumtly known them to 

 devour dead birds. th(> heads of which thc;\- particularK" r(,;lish. 

 WhetluM- the\- pre\- upon the smaller species that roost in the forest 

 I am unable to say, but their agility and their noiseless movements 



* An Account of a RciiL-irkahlo Acciiimilation of liats. Smilhsoni.xn Annual Reporl for 1S63 

 1864, pp. 407-409. 



