GILT-TAILED DORMOUSE. 
The Fat Squirrel is about l;he size of the coin- 
mon squirrel, aiid has it's tail cov.ered widi 
long hair ; the Garden Squirrel is not so large 
as a rat, and has very short hair on it's tail, ex- 
cept near the extremity, where it is bushy ; 
and the Dormouse is not larn^er than the coin- 
mon mouse, the hair on it's tail being longer 
than that of the Garden Squirrel, but shorter 
than that of the Fat Squirrel, and it's tip is 
bushy. The Garden Squirrel diirers from tlie 
other two, by having black spots near it's 
eyes ; and. the Dormouse, bv having whitish 
hair on it's back. Ail the three are white, or 
Avhitish, on the throat and belly: but the Gar- 
den Squirrel is of a line white; tlie Fat Squir- 
rel only whitish ; and the Dormouse rather 
YcUowisIi, than white, in all tlie under parts of 
the body." 
These animals, he is of opinion, arc impro- 
perly said to sleep during winter; because it is 
i)ot a natural sleep, but a torpor, or^numbness 
of the senses and members, produced by a 
chillncss of tlie blood. " The internal heat 
of these creatures," savs this philosophical 
naturalist, " exceeds not that of the air. 
When 
