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Many years ago, thinking the fquirrels very harm- 

 lefs creatures, and liking to fee them fpring from tree 

 to tree, I '^ave orders that none of them fhould be 

 c}c(Vroyedj by which means they increafed exceed* 

 ingly. I found no inconvenience enfue, till about 

 10 or 12 years ago; when, after along and fevere 

 winter, I took notice one day, in going round my 

 walks in the wood about the beginning of April, 

 that feveral of my young Scotch firs, which had 

 then been planted about 15 or 16 years, and were 

 very thriving trees, were flripped of their bark in 

 feveral places, and the ftrips of the bark five or fix 

 inches long, lying at the feet of the trees. I at firft 

 thought that fome roguifh boys had been playing 

 tricks, but upon further examination I found the trees 

 in many places were flripped fo high up, that no boys 

 could poffibly have got at them : at laft, after watch- 

 ing feveral times in order to find out what could 

 damage the trees in this manner, I caught the 

 fquirrels in the fad of ftripping and tearing ofi^the 

 bark, and throwing it upon the ground. I never 

 perceived any of my trees thus injured before^ but 

 fince they have begun, they have never failed more 

 or lefs to attack my fir-trees every year both fmall 

 and great. Of one whole plantation of Scotch firs, 

 of about 2500, which I planted out in the year 1766, 

 there is fcarcely a tree has efcaped their ravages. 



Wherever 



