Hobbit2 - Chapter 08 - Flies and Spiders

[Boromir88]

Originally Posted by jallanite

Black squirrels alone are seen, which is not untypical of a forest where squirrels will be the most visible animals. No hint of danger is associated with the black squirrels, other than the implication that their black coloration is a result of the sinister magic of the forest. This linking of black coloration with sinister magic somewhat fails for readers who live in areas where black squirrels are common, notably in my native Toronto.

Black squirrels dwell in mass throughout the city and very seldom cause any problems. They are friendly and cheeky and easily persuaded to eat from one’s hand, but if left alone mostly ignore and avoid people.

As a small bit of personal experience, the black squirrels of Mirkwood have always been an interesting snippet to me. I attended college in an area that had black squirrels brought into the environment. And years later, most brown squirrels were gone, it is now dominated by black squirrels. Which led to area legends about the black squirrels being aggressive, violent cannibals. All complete fantasy of course, but the black squirrel became the college's unofficial mascot and the legends on them are, well, legendary.

Slightly more relevant comments later.

[Tuor in Gondolin]

Two notes about Black Squirrels:

I believe Darwin (or someone else) cited squirrels turning black in 19th Century Britain as an indication of evolution, the darker color being for blending in in a sooty industrial landscape. Perhaps Tolkien knew of this and put it in (as a slap at industrialization?).

Also found this about 20th Century black squirrels evolving from introduced greys:

Dr Alison Thomas, a professor of life sciences from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, who has been studying the ecology and genetics of England’s squirrel populations, said of the black squirrel:

'There has been a recent population boom. They are due to overtake the grey squirrel population in some parts of the country.
‘The first sighting was in 1912, but sightings were very rare until the last few years. They were first spotted around Letchworth Garden City, near Royston, Hertfordshire—currently home to the UK’s largest colony.
‘But since then they have migrated northwards, penetrating Cambridge city boundaries in the 1990s. Now they make up 50 per cent of the squirrel population in the villages around Cambridge and they are spilling into Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire.’
The black squirrels are apparently more vigorous than their grey cousins, and out-compete them for food and mates. Some sexual selection in favour of the black squirrels has also been suggested, as the females appear to prefer the black squirrels as mating partners

[jallanite]

Originally Posted by Tuor in Gondolin

I believe Darwin (or someone else) cited squirrels turning black in 19th Century Britain as an indication of evolution, the darker color being for blending in in a sooty industrial landscape. Perhaps Tolkien knew of this and put it in (as a slap at industrialization?).

I’ve read this idea before, but it seems to me unlikely that Tolkien would suppose that the the dark fauna of an enormous, virgin woodland would come from industrialization in a place where there was none.

I agree with Galadriel55:

The scientific explanation for the colour could be the lack of sunlight under the Mirkwood trees and the theory of evolution.

The black squirrels I am familiar with are a variant of the North American Eastern Grey Squirrels. Grey-colored squirrels are also seen in Toronto, but are much less common than the black-colored variety. The Eastern Grey Squirrel was introduced into Britain from North America in the 1870s and a black variant is now putting the survival of the common British red squirrel in jeopardy. See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ntroduced.html .

For information on the black variety, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel :

The black subgroup seems to have been dominant throughout North America prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, since their dark colour helped them hide in virgin forests which tended to be very dense and shaded. As time passed, hunting and deforestation led to biological advantages for grey coloured individuals. Today, the black subgroup is particularly abundant in the northern part of the Eastern Grey Squirrel's range. This is likely due to the significantly increased cold tolerance of black squirrels which lose less heat than greys. Black squirrels also enjoy concealment advantages in denser northern forests.

In North America the red squirrel is a separate species living mainly on the cone seeds of conifers and is predominant in areas where conifers are dominant. They are not so omnivorous as the British red squirrel.

Black squirrels as a mutation of the imported grey squirrels were first spotted in Britain in 1912. Tolkien would likely have been aware of them only as a rare variety of squirrel.

[Galadriel55]

Memorable words from my mothe a few weeks after comming to Toronto: "squirrels are supposed to be red!" Toronto is infested with black squirrels (that love to cross the road right in front of your car).

By putting in black squirrels and butterflies Tolkien most likely wanted to create a darker atmosphere. The scientific explanation for the colour could be the lack of sunlight under the Mirkwood trees and the theory of evolution.

I do believe that the spiders are descendants of Ungoliant, like Shelob, but less potent. They still posess the intelligence, but they lack that power, or perhaps that strong of an evil, that Frodo and Sam felt when they went through Cirith Ungol.

In this chapter Bilbo not only stops getting himself into trouble, but he gets out of it - and rescues the Dwarves as well! He thinks quickly on his feet and braves the perils of diverting the spiders away from the clumsy company. And Bilbo develops as a poet as well.

I'm wondering about the passage when Thranduil questions Thorin about his company and Thorin replies that they are starving. On one hand, Thorin seems like the staunch hero, making the mood graver, but on the other the repeated phrasing about starving becomes funny. When you read it, do you think its more light-hearted or somber?

xed with Tuor