Eastern Gray Squirrel "a number of squirrels swiming the Ohio"
Eastern gray squirrel, Scuirus carolinensis Gmelin ewis wrote a
description of the eastern gray squirrel, the first of his
natural history observations, on September 11, 1803, twelve days
after he left Pittsburgh on his voyage down the Ohio. |Observed
a number of squirrels swiming the Ohio and universally passing
from the W. to the East shore they appear to be making to the
south; perhaps it may be mast or food which they are in serch of
but I should rather suppose that it is climate which is their
object as I find no difference in the quantity of mast on both
sides of this river it being abundant on both except the beach
nut which appears extreemly scarce this season, the walnuts and
Hickory nuts the usual food of the squirrell appears in great
abundance on either side of the river — I made my dog take as
many each day as I had occation for, they wer fat and I thought
them when fryed a pleasent food — many of these squirrils wer
black, they swim