Mr T. D. Weir on the Food of the Common Squirrel. 361 



species, viz., Clarias Nieuhoffi and Clarias jagur, in the dorsal and 

 anal fins being continuous with the caudal. It has only one arborescent 

 branchial appendage on each side, which is attached to the fourth bran- 

 chial arch, and is very small. The specimen is eight inches long to the 

 tip of the caudal fin, the latter being three-fourths of an inch long. The 

 head is depressed, not shielded, three-fourths of an inch long, the body 

 compressed. The barbules are eight, the branchiostegal rays nine. The 

 anterior superior barbules are broadly membranous at the base. 



The teeth are velvety, the patch on the lower jaw is much larger than 

 that on the upper, and there is a patch on the vomer. 



The dorsal fin begins an inch behind the head ; it has no spinous first 

 ray. The rays in it and the anal fin are very numerous. The pectoral 

 fins are small, and have six rays, the anterior ray being a short spine, less 

 than half the length of the succeeding rays, and not lock-jointed. The 

 ventral fins are small and contain three rays. 



5. The remaining specimen is a species of Heterobranchus. Hetero- 

 branchus is a genus allied to Clarias, having the same sort of arborescent 

 branchial appendages, but having two dorsal fins, the posterior of which 

 is fatty. 



The specimen is five and a half inches long, three-fourths of an inch of 

 this length belonging to the caudal fin. The appendages will be seen on 

 the second and fourth branchial arches. 



The head is very much depressed, broad, shielded, the eyes lateral, the 

 barbules eight. 



The branchiostegal rays are eight. The first dorsal fin has thirty-five 

 rays, the first one not spinous, it ends behind the middle of the body. 

 The fatty dorsal fin extends from the true dorsal to the tail, and contains 

 traces of eighteen very fine rays. The caudal fin has twenty-two rays ; it 

 is rounded, and is tipped with black, as are also to a less extent the other 

 fins, and the dorsal aspect of the head is also black. The anal fin has 

 forty-seven rays, and extends from anus to tail. The pectoral fin has 

 ten rays, the anterior ray toothed and lock -jointed, shorter than the suc- 

 ceeding rays. The ventral fin has six rays. 



The teeth are velvety, in elongated narrow patches, one of which is on 

 the vomer. 



V. Note of the Common Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) Feeding on Birds 

 and their Eggs. By Thomas Durham Weir of Boghead, Esq., Bath- 

 gate. Communicated by Dr John Alex. Smith. 



The far-famed Charles Waterton of Walton Hall, Esq., near 

 Wakefield, in his amusing and highly interesting Essays on 

 Natural History, has strongly maintained that the squirrel 

 derives its supplies of food wholly from the vegetable king- 

 dom, and is not possessed of any carnivorous propensities. 

 I shall however prove from a few facts, for 



" Facts are chiels that winna ding, 

 And canna be disputed," 



that this is not the case, but that some members of this 

 family are not true vegetarians, and do occasionally indulge 

 in carnal feasts. 



