74 
ANIMALS OF NORTH AMERICA. 
some hollow tree ; often also he accumulates large stocks of 
nuts in various places, covering them with leaves, and seem- 
ing to forget the locality ; for the writer remembers in West- 
chester Co., N. Y., one afternoon in early winter, that five 
or six boys rambling with him came upon such a number of 
these heaps of hickory nuts, that they were unable to carry 
all away. One peculiarity of this species is its singular and 
distant migration in large bodies. Bachman has furnished 
an interesting account of an extraordinary migration of this 
sort, which he witnessed near Albany, N. Y. On that occa- 
sion troops of squirrels suddenly and unexpectedly made 
their appearance ; they swam the Hudson River with their 
bodies and tails wholly submerged ; many were drowned, 
and those that reached the opposite bank were so wet and 
fatigued, that they were easily killed. An unusual and 
general failure of their food is supposed to be the motive for 
such migrations. The popular belief that the males emascu- 
late each other is without foundation. 
The Fox Squirrel ($. vulpinus) is probably only a large 
species of the preceding, as there are no peculiarities to 
mark a difference, except size and robustness. It is confined 
to the Southern States. 
The Black Squirrel ($. Niger ) is very similar inhabits, 
&c., to the gray squirrel, but seldom found south of Penn- 
sylvania ; it is said to disappear before the grey. 
The Red Squirrel ($. Nudsonieus') extends abundantly 
from the Arctic Circle to Tennessee ; he is a noisy little 
fellow, with a twittering note 
of chick-a-ree , which has sug- 
gested that, as one of his popu- 
lar names. He is to game 
what the magpie or jay are 
in England, — a most watchful 
tattling spy ; for however 
stealthily the sportsman may 
move, or in ambush await his 
