7o Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



our too near approach, ducking down like an automaton on 

 springs, with a saucy "good-bye — I have business" flirt of the tail. 



One of the largest of the Sciuridce is the "Woodchuck" or "Ground 

 Hog " (Arcto/nys monax), famous here about the 2d of February, 

 on which date it is supposed to come out of its burrow for the 

 express purpose of casting a shadow and then retiring to the 

 depths of its subterranean den, leaving shivering mankind on the 

 outside to wrestle with six weeks more of boreal blasts before the 

 advent of spring. The "Ground Hog," as clumsy as it looks, can 

 climb trees and saplings, though I think it does so but seldom. 

 Dr. Langdon saw one climbing down out of a tree near Madison- 

 ville( 3 ). 



It was formerly abundant here, but is now seldom seen. Our 

 Xl Ground Hog" is replaced in the Rocky Mountains by another 

 larger, more yellow colored species (Arctomys flavirenter), that liyes 

 on the mountain side, ranging even above timber line. It lives in 

 holes which it excavates between the rocks. It has a shrill, whis- 

 tling note, that has a weird sound in these desolate places. Arc- 

 tomys is very tenacious of life, and will fight with a dog* with great 

 fury, and will crawl into its hole after its body has been riddled 

 with large shot. The ranchmen eat them in Colorado, first boiling 

 them, and then baking them until they are browned. Several 

 species of squirrels, other than those mentioned, are exhibited in 

 this series. Messrs. Cope and Marsh have described a number of 

 extinct Sciuridce from the tertiary deposits of the West, and the 

 bone caves of Pennsylvania and Virginia have afforded remains of 

 others. 



The following is a full list of the species and varieties of North 

 American Squirrels, with the species added that have been published 

 since the date of Mr. Allen's Monograph: 



Sciuropterus volucella Geoff. 



" " volucella Allen. 



" " hudsonias Gm. Allen. 



Sciurus hudsonias Pallas. 



" " hudsonias Allen. 



" " richardsoni Bach. 



" " douglasi Gray, Allen. 



" fremonti Aud. and Bach. 



{3) Ohio Geological Survey, Vol. IV., p. 125. 



