THE COMMON SQUIRREL. 



middle of May ; her period of geftation is about fix weeks, and this happens 

 but once a year. 



The Squirrel feldom makes any noife, except when it experiences either 

 pain or pleafure; in the former of which lituations it utters a Iharp piercing 

 note, and in the latter makes a noife not unlike the purring of a cat. 



This pretty, little creature has but few enemies, and being furrounded by 

 plenty, appears to lead a happy, playful life ; fometimes, indeed, it happens 

 that its peaceful retreat is attacked by the Martin, who, after deuroying the 

 little family, takes pofleflion of their habitation for its own ufe, and thus 

 adds cruelty to injultice ; but this is a misfortune which happens but feldom. 



Linnaeus, SchefFer, and other naturalifls of undoubted credibility, aflert, 

 that the Squirrel ufes its tail, as a fail, to atfift it in crolhng rivers, which in 

 Lapland they often do in large bodies. When they are on a journey, and 

 their courfe is interrupted by a river, they all return to the next foreft, as if 

 by mutual confent, and provide themfelves with a piece of the bark of a 

 tree, with which they return to the river, and launching their little boat, 

 jump on it with great agility, when, erecting their broad tail like a fail, they 

 are wafted by the wind to the oppofite more. In this manner they often 

 crofs lakes of feveral miles in breadth, and if the weather is calm and fine, 

 have a pleafant and profperous voyage ; but it often happens that a Angle 

 guft of wind overfets the whole fleet, and configns the little, hardy 

 adventurers to the watry grave. When fuch a cataftrophe happens, the 

 Laplanders conlider it as a moll fortunate event ; and coUecl; the dead bodies 

 as they are wafhed on Ihore, the flelh of which they eat, and fell the Ikins. 



The common Squirrel inhabits Europe, North America, and the northern 

 temperate parts of Alia, and a variety is found as far fouth as the ifland of 

 Ceylon (a). In Sweden and Lapland the colour of the hair changes to grey 

 in the winter. A black variety is fometimes found in Ruffia and Lapland ; 

 and in many parts of England a beautiful variety occurs with tails as white 

 as fuow. 



(a) Pennant. 



