152 NORTHERN. ZOOLOGY. 
no character being assigned to it in the original description that can separate it 
from the marmots. 
DESCRIPTION, 
“The burrowing squirrel (of the Columbia) somewhat resembles those found on the Mis- 
sourl; he measures one foot and five inches in length, of which the tail comprises two and 
a half inches only: the neck and legs are short ; the ears are likewise short, obtusely pointed, 
and lie close to the head, and the aperture is larger than will generally be found among bur- 
rowing animals. The eyes are of a moderate size, the pupil black, and the iris of a dark 
sooty brown ; the whiskers are full, long and black; the teeth, and indeed the whole contour, 
resemble those of the squirrel; each foot has five toes; the two inner ones (thumbs) of the 
fore-feet are remarkably short, and are equipped with blunt nails ; the remaining toes on the 
front-feet are long, black, slightly curved, and sharply pointed; the hair of the tail is thickly 
inserted on the sides only, which gives it a flat appearance, and a long oval form: the tips of 
the hair forming the outer edges of the tail are white, the other extremity of a fox red; the 
under part of the tail resembles an iron-gray; the upper is of a-reddish-brown ; the lower 
part of the jaws, the under part of the neck, legs and feet, from the body and belly downwards, 
are of a light brick red; the nose and eyes are of a darker shade of the same colour; the 
upper part of the head, neck and body, are of a curious brown-gray, with a slight tinge of 
brick-red ; the longer hairs of these parts are of a reddish-white colour at their extremities, 
and falling together, give this animal a speckled appearance.” 
‘These animals form in large companies, like those on the Missouri, occupying 
with their burrows sometimes two hundred acres of land; the burrows are 
separate, and each possesses, perhaps, ten or twelve inhabitants. There is a 
little mound in front of the hole, formed of the earth thrown out of the burrow, 
and frequently there are three or four distinct holes, forming one burrow, with 
their entrances around the base of these little mounds. The mounds, sometimes 
about two feet in height and four in diameter, are occupied as watch-towers by the 
inhabitants of these little communities. The squirrels, one or more, are irregularly 
distributed on the tract they thus occupy, at the distance of ten, twenty, or some- 
times from thirty to forty yards. "When any one approaches, they make a shrill 
whistling sound, somewhat resembling tweet, tweet, tweet, the signal for their 
party to take the alarm, and to retire into their intrenchments. They feed on the 
roots of grass, &c.” : 
- ‘The specific name of brachyurus is not particularly happy in its application to 
this animal; the A. Richardsonii has a tail equally short; the tail of the A. 
Ludovicianus i is even shorter ; that of the A. citillus both American and Siberian 
specimens is shorter still ; and that of the A. mugosaricus of Lichtenstein is dilly 
twice as short in proportion to the length of the body. 
