Kodenxia. MAMMALIA. Eodenti a. 
Ixxxv 
ten and a quarter indies. Above, the pelage is 
brownish-yellow, varied with black, with generally 
the sides of the neck, shoulder and thighs mixed 
with whitisli ; beneath, it is white. It is found in 
Florida and other Gulf States. 
'I'he variety yucatanensis, the Yucatan Gray 
Squirrel, is small in size, intermediate between the 
carolinensis and hudsonius; its length being ten 
inches. It has a coarser and hard pelage. I'lie ears 
are narrow and pointed ; in winter somewhat tufted. 
Above, the hair is gray, with the middle of the back 
brownish ; beneath, it is white; the hairs of the tail 
are ringed with white and black. Its habitat is 
Yucatan, Mexico and Guatemala. The New Eng- 
land variety shows, in a large proportion, no signs of 
the central dorsal area of brown. In the Middle 
States, and some of the Western, the specimens 
show it very distinctly. 
The Gray Squirrel ranges eastward as far as New 
Brunswick, and extends westward to the mouth of 
the River Platte, and thence southward to the gulf, 
reaching to Nebraska and Mexico. It feeds upon 
nuts, seeds and berries, and builds its nest in the 
hollow branch of some tree, four to six young being- 
produced at a birth. During the breeding season 
they are exceedingly pugnacious, but the stories of 
emasculating each other are' untrue. A remarkable 
peculiarity of this species is its habit of migration. 
Dr. Bachman describes an instance which he wit- 
nessed, in the autumn of 1808, a short distance above 
Albany. On that occasion troops of Squirrels sud- 
denly made their appearance. They swam the Hud- 
son in some places, between Waterford and Saratoga. 
Those which were noticed crossing the river were 
swimming deeply and awkwardly, with their bodies 
and tails wholly submerged. Many were drowned, 
and those which were so fortunate as to reach the 
opposite bank were so wet and fatigued that they 
were readily killed. On that occasion their migra- 
tion did not extend further than the mountains of 
Vermont. The motive for this unusual movement 
was supposed to be a temporary failure of supplies 
of requisite food. 
FOX SQ,UIKKEL {Sciurus niger, Linn ). — 'I’hree 
varieties of this form are seen. 'I'he Northern Pox 
Squirrel, variety cinereus, has a length of body 
twelve to thirteen inches, varying to fourteen inches. 
It is a whitish-gray above, yellowish-white beneath, 
with edges and under surfaces of the tail fulvous, 
varying to rufous below. Varieties are seen with 
under surfaces, legs and feet blackish. Audubon 
and Bachman call it the Cat Squirrel. Its range is 
along the Atlantic States, from Virginia to Southern 
New England. Pi’of. Baird says: “Specimens from 
St. George’s County, Maryland, are more ‘foxy’ than 
any described. It abounds in the Middle States, 
and is called there Fox Squirrel and Cat Squirrel.” 
Variety niger. Southern Fox Squirrel, is larger, be- 
ing thirteen and a half inches in length, ranging from 
twelve to fifteen. 'I’he color is variable ; the nose 
and ears are whitish, usually contrasted strongly with 
the dorsal color, which is generally gray. In dusky 
varieties the head is often quite black. It is dis- 
tinguished from the preceding by its whitish nose 
and ears. It is found in the Gulf and South At- 
lantic States, from Maryland to Louisiana. 'I’he 
Western variety, ludovicianus, is smaller than tlie 
preceding, about the size of the cinereus ; its body is 
about twelve to thirteen inches in length, ranging 
from eleven to fourteen. Above, it is a dusky 
gray, with a prominent rufous cast ; the ears, feet 
and ventral surface are fulvous, varying to briglit 
ferruginous. 'i'his is found in the Mississippi 
region. 
CALIFOENIA GKAY SQUIKREL {Sciurus fossor, 
Peale ). — The special characteristic of this form is 
its constancy of coloration. Its length is twelve to 
thirteen inches, ranging from ten and a half to twelve 
and a half inciies. Tlie color above is a clear plum- 
beous-gray ; beneath, it is pure white. 'J’here is no 
lateral line. 'I'his species differs from the Eastern 
Gray Squirrel [S. carolinenBis) in its larger size, and 
tail being relatively much longer; the gray of the 
upper parts, also, lacks the suffusion of red or fulvous, 
which is seen in the latter; it is also purer white 
below. 'I’he present species is wholly restricted to 
the Pacific slope, none being found hitlierto east of 
the Sierra Nevada and Coast ranges of mountains. 
Its nearest relative is the S. colliiei of Mexico, a form 
of the same size and relative length of tail ; its color- 
ation is, however, different. 'I’he melanistic variety 
has not appeared in this species. 
ABEET’S SQUIRREL {S. aberti, This is 
described by Prof. Baird as S. castanonotus {Marn. 
N. A., 1859). It is eleven inches in length ; the tail 
to end of hairs twelve more. Its color above is a 
plumbeous-gray, with generally a more or less broad 
dorsal area of reddish-brown ; beneath, it is pure 
white ; the sides of the body have a more or less dis- 
tinct black line, separating the white of tlie under 
parts. Black varieties are noticed, varying from 
brownish to jet black. 'I'he tail is centrally black 
above, with broad white edges ; the under part 
wholly white. The ears are very large ; in winter 
with long pointed tufts, one to one and a half inches 
in length, and are larger than those of any other 
species. 'I'he brownish color of the back varies 
from a yellowish to a strong reddish and chestnut ; 
this area varies in width from a narrow line to the 
whole vyidth of the back, occasionally being wliolly 
wanting. In some a small chestnut-colored spot is 
seen at the base of the ear. 'J'he geographical range 
is from Central Colorado to the Apache Mountains 
of Arizona. 
COLLIE’S SQUIRREL (S. collimi, Rich .) — 'i'he spe- 
cific characters of this species are seen in the colora- 
tion, and in the ears being considerably shorter and 
smaller, not half as large as in the preceding species ; 
it also has a shorter tail, more brownish gray of the 
upper surface, and a yellowish-brown dorsal area, 
which covers nearly all the back, 'i’here are no ear 
tufts, and no lateral lines. The length of body is 
twelve and a half inches ; the tail to end of vertebral 
eleven inches; the latter to end of hairs fourteen 
inches. Mr. Collie found tliis species common on 
the west coast of Mexico. 
