THE FAT SQUIRREL

is found in France and the fouthern parts of Europe.Its body is covered with foft hair, of an afh colour; its belly whitish; its ears thin and naked. It is about fix inches long, and thicker than the common Squirrel. It dwells chiefly in trees, leaps from bough to bough, feeds on fruits and acorns, and lodges in the hollow of trees. It remains in a torpid ftate during winter, and grows very fat.

It was confidered as a great delicacy among the Romans, who had places conftructed on purpose to keep and feed them in, which they called gliraria.

THE GREATER DORMOUSE, OR GARDEN SQUIRREL,

is rather less than the last-mentioned. Its eyes are furrounded with a large black spot, which reaches to the ears; its body is of a tawny colour; its throat and belly white, tinged with yellow; its tail is long, and bushy at the end.

It is common in the South of Europe, infefts gardens, is particularly fond of peaches, and very destructive to all kinds of fruit.It lodges in holes in the walls, and brings forth five or fix young at a time.

It has a strong odour, like a Rat; and, like the Fat Squirrel, remains torpid during the winter.

THE LESSER DORMOUSE

is rather larger than the Moufe, of a tawny-red colour, with a white throat, and full black eyes. It lives in woods or thick hedges; makes its neft with grafs, dried leaves, or mofs, in the hollow of a tree, or the bottom of a thick bush; and brings forth three or four young at a time.

It lays up ftores of nuts, acorns, and beans; and retires, at the approach of the cold weather, to its retreat; where it rolls itself up in a warm neft, made of foft mofs, &c; and remains in a torpid ftate during the continuance of winter. The warmth of a funny day, or a temporary change from cold to heat, will fometimes revive it; but after taking a little food, it foon relapses into its former state.

THE FLYING SQUIRREL

is peculiarly diftinguished by a membranous continuation of the skin of the fides and belly, which extends from the fore to the hind feet, and affifts it greatly in making leaps from one tree to another, frequently at the distance of twenty or thirty yards. Its head is small and round, and its upper lip cloven; its eyes are full, round, and black; and its ears fmall and naked.

It is found in all the northern regions, both of the old and new continents. It is more numerous in America than in Europe, is lefs than the common Squirrel, lives in trees, and fleeps in the day, but is extremely active during the night.

In the act of leaping, the loose skin is stretched out by the feet; whereby the furface of the body is augmented, the animal becomes lighter in proportion to its bulk, the acceleration of its fall is retarded, and it appears to fail or fly from one place to another. Where a number of them are seen at a time leaping, they appear like leaves blown off by the wind.

There are feveral kinds, differing much in fize.————In the islands of the East-Indies, there is a variety as large as a Hare, called the TAGUAN, or GREAT FLYING SQUIRREL; which perfectly resembles the other in figure and in the form of its lateral membrane. The head is fmaller in proportion to the fize of the body; the colour of the fkin is dark-brown, mixed with white; the under part of the body whitish; the tail is brown, and grows gradually deeper towards the end, where it is black; the claws are long, thin, and hooked, like those of a Cat, and enable it to keep hold where it happens to fall; it also catches hold with its tail, which is long and mufcular.

It is a wild and timid animal.--Its bite is so strong, that it can make its efcape from a wooden cage with great facility.

A variety is found in Virginia, called, by Mr Pennant, the HOODED SQUIRREL; the lateral membrane beginning at the chin and ears, where it forms a kind of hood, and extending, like that of the former, from the fore to the hind legs: Its body is of a reddish colour above, and of a yellowish ash beneath. It is a rare fpecies, not much noticed by naturalifts.

THE LONG-TAILED SQUIRREL.

This fpecies is found in Ceylon and Malabar.-In the Cingalese tongue, it is called Dandoelana; and, from the noise it makes, Rockea.

It is about three times the fize of the European Squirrel: The ears are tufted with black hairs; the end of the nofe is pink-coloured; the cheeks, legs, and belly, are of a dull yellow; between the ears is a yellow fpot; the crown of the head and the back are black; from each ear is a bifurcated line of the fame colour, pointing down the cheeks; the upper part of the feet is covered with black hairs, the lower part naked and red: The tail is nearly twice the length of the body, of a light ash colour, and extremely bushy; the part next the body quite furrounded with hairs; on the remainder the hairs are feparated, and lie flat.

We are indebted to Mr Pennant for the drawing of this curious animal, the description of which is taken from his Indian Zoology.