MASTER IMPUDENCE 97 



objection to the squirrels appropriating them for their 

 nests if they did not expect me to find them building 

 materials. That is the worst of a squirrel ; you give 

 him an inch, and he takes an ell ; you allow him a free 

 site for his nest, and he destroys a brand-new " Curzon " 

 topee because he takes a fancy to the materials of which 

 it is made. 



Having constructed the nest with ill-gotten materials, 

 Mr. and Mrs. Impudence proceed to stock it with young 

 squirrels. The nest, I may say, is not much to boast 

 of in the way of architecture ; it is merely a mass of 

 hay, wool, and soft fibrous material, in the middle of 

 which is a hole. Here the youngsters first see the light. 

 Two, three, or four are usually born at one time, and 

 ugly little beasts they are. They are blind, and have 

 not a hair on the body, but, curiously enough, the skin 

 shows distinct signs of the light and dark stripes which 

 are so characteristic of the adult. 



It is, of course, a matter of common knowledge how 

 the squirrel acquired his stripes. It was before the days 

 of the British raj, when there were no bridges across 

 the Ganges. Hanuman had to cross that sacred river 

 on urgent business, and, no boat being available, the 

 animals obligingly offered to make a living bridge for 

 him. 



Unfortunately, the backs of some, notably the porcu- 

 pine, were not quite so soft to walk upon as could be 

 desired, so Hanuman slipped, and his fingers, when he 

 fell, rested on the squirrel's back and made five dark 

 marks on it, which have since remained. 



The beauty of the squirrel is his tail. That is a most 



H 



