68 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



black, though these melanistic individuals are more numerous than 

 the white ones. 1 once had a black one, with large white patches 

 on it. One in the Cuvier Club collection (No. 934) is pure snow 

 white. It was killed from a brood of four, near Latonia, Ky. The 

 buff colored one (Mo. 933) is from Auglaize County, Ohio. Our 

 Fox Squirrel never has the white ears and nose that the Southern 

 form does, but sometimes has the under parts jet black, as in 

 No. 939, Cuvier Club Series. One of the Southern Fox Squirrels 

 in same series, has the nose and ears white, with the body colored 

 as in the Western Fox Squirrel, but the top of the head is jet black. 



This is No. , and is from Mississippi. No. 925 is one of var 



niger; that is, shining jet black all over, with the nose and ears 

 white. Another one in my collection has the back gray and the 

 entire under parts black, while one from Savannah, Ga., in the 

 Society's collection, is gray all over, much lighter underneath. One 

 of the "gray squirrels" (S. leucotis) is jet black, with the under 

 parts yellowish brown (No. 93 1, Cuvier Club collection). 



The nearest I ever saw the little Red Squirrel {Sciurus hudsonias) 

 to Cincinnati, was in the central part of this State, where it is 

 abundant. I have never seen the Striped and Spotted Ground 

 Squirrel {Spcrmophilus tridecinilineatus) in Ohio, except four which I 

 brought from North Indiana alive. These escaped and made their 

 home in a cellar drain, but the house cat brought them in, one at 

 a time, dead. 



During the past summer I made a collection of squirrels in Col- 

 orado, from Djnver to Middle Park. In the vicinity of Gran$ 

 Lake the small rodents were very abundant, " Fremont's Squir- 

 rel " (Sciurus hudsonius fremonti) being one of the commonest. 

 In 1857, Prof. Baird says of this squirrrel : " But two specimens, 

 one brought in by Col. Fremont and the other by Capt. Beckwith, 

 both from Colorado," and he says: "These two are all that have 

 yet come to the notice of naturalists. We found them extremely 

 abundant, and so tame that several were killed with stones. In 

 habits they resemble the * Chickaree' (S. hudsonius)." I was told 

 that in the winter they retreat to holes, which they dig in the 

 ground at the foot of the pine trees. They make large, bulky 

 nests of twigs in the trees for summer beds. They are very noisy 

 and bold, scolding and barking at an intruder, and, unlike our Gray 

 Squirrel, if one wishes to shoot them, the more noise he makes in 

 the woods, the better, as it excites their curiosity, and makes theni 

 show themselves. 



