THE SQUIRREL. (Sciurus vulgaris.)
Elegance of shape, spiritedness, and agility to leap from bough to bough in the forest, are the principal characteristics of this pretty animal. The Squirrel is of a deep reddish brown colour, his breast and belly white. He is lively, sagacious, docile, and nimble: he lives upon nuts, and has been seen so tame as to dive into the pocket of his mistress, and search after an almond or a lump of sugar. In the woods he leaps from tree to tree with surprising agility, living a most frolicsome life, surrounded with abundance, and having but few enemies. His time, however, is not entirely devoted to idle enjoyment, for in the luxuriant season of autumn he gathers provisions for the approaching winter, as if conscious that the forest would then be stripped of its fruits and foliage. His tail serves him as a parasol to defend him from the rays of the sun, as a parachute to secure him from dangerous falls when leaping from tree to tree, and, some say, as a sail in crossing the water, which he sometimes does in Lapland on a bit of ice or bark inverted in the manner of a boat.
The American Flying Squirrel (Pteromys volucella) has a large membrane proceeding from the fore feet to the hind legs, which answers the same purpose as the Squirrel’s tail, and enables him to give surprising leaps that almost resemble flying. In the act of leaping, the loose skin is stretched out by the feet, whereby the surface of the body is augmented, its fall is retarded, and it appears to sail or fly from one place to another. Where numbers of them are seen at a time leaping, they appear like leaves blown off by the wind. There are many other kinds of Squirrels in various parts of the world; most of the Flying Squirrels are found in the eastern islands.
THE DORMOUSE, OR SLEEPER.
(Myoxus avellanarius.)
These animals build their nests either in the hollow parts of trees, or near the bottom of thick shrubs, and line them most industriously with moss, soft lichens, and dead leaves. Conscious of the length of time they have to pass in their solitary cells, Dormice are very particular in the choice of the materials they employ to build and furnish them; and generally lay up a store of food, consisting of nuts, beans, and acorns; and on the approach of cold weather roll themselves in balls, their tail curled up over their head between the ears, and in a state of apparent lethargy pass the greatest part of the winter, till the warmth of the sun, pervading the whole atmosphere, kindles their congealed blood, and calls them back again to the enjoyment of life. Except in the time of breeding and bringing up its young, the Dormouse is generally found alone in its cell. This animal is remarkable for the very small degree of heat its body possesses during its torpid state, when it appears actually frozen with the cold, and it may be tossed or rolled about without being roused, though it may be quickly revived by the application of gentle heat, such as that of the hands. If a torpid Dormouse, however, be placed before a large fire, the sudden change will kill it.