Mr T. D. Weir on the Food of the Common Squirrel. 361 
species, viz., Clarias Nieuhqffi 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 fi.n 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 loct-jointed. The 
ventral fins are small and contain three rays. 
5. The remaining specimen is a species of Heterohranchus. 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 cliiels 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. 
