HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



63 



{or, as the country people call it,^'\dfay," or ",draw") 

 by means of a long pole, and is then hunted from tree 

 to tree, sticks being thrown at him but seldom with 

 effect, as the branches of the trees protect him. Some- 

 times, instead of going back, no other tree being near 

 enough to jump on, he will take a gigantic leap from 

 the tip-top of the tree he is on down to the ground, 

 and gallop away at great speed to the next tree. I 

 have sometimes seen them bolt into a rabbit's burrow, 

 and 1 once saw one driven out by a ferret ; and while 

 on the subject, I may remark that an old keeper once 

 assured me that his ferret once drove a large cat out 

 of a rabbit's hole ; I have heard, too, of foxes being 



believe that they sometimes build in hollow trees. I 

 know of a wood in North Hants where squirrels 

 are very abundant, and in some parts of this 

 wood almost every tree has a nest ; of course, 

 most of these are old nests ; in winter, squirrels 

 frequently sleep in their old nests. I recollect once, 

 on a cold nipping day (I believe it was Good Friday), 

 finding three old squirrels all huddled up together in 

 one old nest ; the nest is not easily dislodged without 

 coming to pieces. The squirrel, it appears, is a 

 nocturnal animal, too ; coming out both night and 

 day. Country people in North Hants call this little 

 animal "scuggie," in imitation, I think, of the harsh, 



y^J ;>': \i:*K^'.. 



Fig. 46. — Northern Grey and Black Squirrels. 



driven out of their holes by ferrets. I myself once saw 

 a weasel rush out of a hole on the introduction of a 

 ferret into it ; it turned out, too, that IMr. Weasel had 

 been feasting on a dead rabbit. No doubt he very 

 much disliked going, but thought it only prudent. 

 Squirrels are not very prolific animals ; they have a set 

 of about four or five young towards the end of April, 

 and writers assert that they breed again in the summer. 

 A fresh nest is made every year for the young, composed 

 of sticks, chiefly oak twigs, then moss and leaves, 

 and lined with dead dry grass ; the young can easily be 

 tamed, and are very tractable. I have always found 

 the nests built in an oak or beech tree, between two 

 large limbs, and sometimes in a low bush ; but I 



loud cry they utter when annoyed. Mary Roberts 

 (in " Annals of our Village ") remarks that they will 

 also, when pleased, utter a purring sound like that of 

 the cat. I confess that I have never heard the 

 animal utter this sound, either in a wild state or when 

 in a cage. Cowper accurately writes of the squirrel : 



" Drawn from his refuge in some lonely elm 

 That age or injury has hollowed deep. 

 Where on his bed of wool, and matted leaves, 

 He has outslept the winter, ventures forth 

 To frisk awhile, and bask in the warm sun, r' 



The squirrel, flippant, pert, and full of play , 

 He sees me, and at once, swift as a bird, 

 Ascends the neighbouring beech, there whisks his brush. 

 And perks his ears, and stamps, and cries aloud. 

 With all the prettiness of feigned alarm. 

 And anger insignificantly fierce." 



