THE COMMON SQUIRRELS 



Generic Characters. 

 Two cutting teeth in each jaw. 

 Four toes before ; five behind. 

 Tail long, cloathed with long hair. 



Synonims. 



Sciurus, Gefner Quad. 845. Rati Syn. Quad. 214. 

 Sciurus rufus, Briffon Quad. 104. 

 Sciurus vulgaris, Linn. Syjl. 86. 

 Ikorn Graskin, Faun. Suec. No. 37. 

 Eichhorn, Klein Quad. 53. 

 Wiewiorka, Rzaczinjki Polon. 225. 

 L'Ecureuil, de Buffon, vii. 258. tab. xxxii. 



THE Squirrel is perhaps the molt beautiful of the Britifh quadrupeds : 

 elegant in its form, and lively and adive in its manners, it is a univerfal 

 favourite ; its difpoiltion is fo gentle and familiar, that it feems to be but 

 half favage ; and as foon as it becomes a captive, it appears happy and 

 reconciled to its lituation, and prefently difcovers an attachment to thofe 

 who feed and carefs it. 



The head and body of the Squirrel are lhaped very much like the Rabbit ; 

 the eyes are large, black, and lively ; the ears are terminated with long tufts 

 of hair ; the legs are fhort and mufcular ; thofe before are furnifhed with 

 long rlifF hairs, which project on each lide, near the joint, like whiikers : the 



(a) The name of this animal is derived from the Greek words enttee, Jhia, fhadej and ovgx, aura, a tail* 

 becaufe it carries its tail over its head in the manner of an umbrella. 



