ScicEiDiE. MAJIMALlA.-^-^Scit^RTT),??. 
pie. Tliese animals are very prolific, and enjoy a wide 
geogi'aiihical distribution, being especially abundant in 
North America. They are not found in Australia. 
Fossil remains occur in the tertiary formation. 
Family I.— SCIUEID^. 
The Squirrels have simple tuberculated molar teeth, 
provided with distinct fangs. These molars are usually 
eighteen m number, but in some instances there are 
only fourteen. The incisor teeth are smooth, the lower 
being much compressed. The feet are generally pen- 
tadactylous ; exceptions, however, occur in the fore- 
feet of certain species, where the thumb is merely 
represented by a warty tubercle. Tlie limbs are either 
free, or partially invested by alaform membranous 
expansions of the skin, which materially increase the 
leaping power of these animals. The tail is well 
developed, and more or less tufted with long hairs. 
The species are numerous — so much so, that we can 
devote only a very short space to their individual con- 
sideration. 
THE COMMON SQUIEREL {Sciu7'us vulgaris) is a 
singularly graceful and attractive little animal (fig. 43). 
Who has not seen it leapmg from branch to branch, 
and clambering up the sides of many a lofty tree ? In 
Fi| 
our woodland districts it is everyrvhere abundant, and 
its pretty movements may be most advantageously 
watched in early spring, when the female, with extreme 
activity, is pretendingly seeking to evade the pursuit of 
her attentive lovers, several of which may be giving 
her chase at one and the same time. “ Dwelling prin- 
cipally,” observes Mr. Bell, “upon trees, and rarely 
descending to the ground, it leaps from bough to bough 
with astonishing agility. It lives upon nuts, acorns, 
beech-mast, the bark of young trees, leaf-buds, and 
tender shoots. In eating nuts, it gnaws with consider- 
able rapidity through the hard shell, and then carefully 
removes every particle of the dry bromr skin from each 
morsel of the kernel before it is eaten. It sits upon 
its haunches, holding its food in the fore-paws, which 
serve the office of hands. In taking leaps, when once 
throtvn off by an effort of its long and powerful hinder 
legs, it is in a measure sustained by the horizontal 
spreading of its limbs and bushy tail ; which latter organ 
is also extremely useful in covering and protecting the 
back, over which it is often turned, and in enveloping 
the whole lateral and dorsal parts of the body when 
coiled up during sleep or in its hibernation. It lays up 
stores of food for its winter provision, which is not 
usually deposited in a single place of safety, but distri- 
buted in several different holes of trees, in the imme- 
:. 43 . 
The Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). 
diate neighbourhood of its own retreat. It remains 
during the greater part of the winter in a state of almost 
complete torpidity, coming abroad, however, on the 
occurrence of a fine day, feeding on a. part of its trea- 
sured hoards, and then retiring again to its slumbers.” 
The general appearance of the squirrel is well known ; 
the length of the body being about fifteen inches. 
including the tail, whicli measures six and a half or 
seven inches. The head is broad, flattened above and 
at the sides. The eyes are comparatively large, dark- 
coloured, and prominent. Tlie ears are well developed, 
and beautifully pencilled at the tip with long delicate 
hairs. The fur has a rich brownish-red colour gene- 
rally, being white under the throat and belly. During 
