| The Bronx Journal-September 2000
|| Childrens page 1 and 2
Children's
Section
Squirrels
Do
you know
Squirrels
The
tree squirrel is a very special animal.
It is one of very few wild animals that have adapted to humans and
learned to coexist with man. It
can live on both natural foods and hand outs.
The squirrel is an acrobatic wonder to young and old.
Its large tail makes it the most recognized mammal on Earth. It
amazes us with daring high wire acts as it races through the tree
branches. Its determination to find a way to get seeds from a so called
“squirrel proof” bird feeder is a delight to watch.
The squirrel's common name can be traced back
to the ancient Greeks, where Aristotle used the word “skiouros,” skia
meaning shade, while “oura” means tail. Thus the meaning “he who
sits in the shadow of his tail” was recorded.
Centuries later the French created a noun “esquirel” to
describe this animal.
From this the present word “squirrel” was derived.
There are over 365 species of squirrel's or
squirrel-like mammals through out the world.
These are divided into seven families. The three most common
squirrel families are the ground squirrel, the flying squirrel and the
tree squirrel. The Gray
squirrel is probably the most common of the tree squirrels.
They inhabit most of the northern hemisphere.
The average Gray squirrel is fifteen inches
long and weighs about one pound. Its
diet consists of nuts, seeds and fruit.
They will eat scraps from the trash including bread, meat and even
snack foods. The life span of
the squirrel is approximately six years.
Most urban squirrels do not reach their first birthday due to
automobiles. Its rural
counterpart, however, often parishes from the lack of food.
This article was reprinted from the
“The Squirrel Place” site located at:
http://www.squirrels.org/history.htm
Do
you know
When
was the first US Mint created?
When the framers of the
U.S. Constitution created a new government for their untried Republic,
they realized the critical need for
a respected monetary system. Soon after the Constitution’s ratification,
Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton
personally prepared plans for a national
Mint. On April 2, 1792,
Congress created the Mint. This
was the first federal building
erected under the Constitution. President Washington,
who lived only a few blocks from the Mint, is believed to
have donated some of his own silver
for minting.
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