64 JUNGLE FOLK 



to make the interior of the nest warm and comfortable. 

 When squirrels are nesting it is not safe to leave any 

 balls or skeins of wool lying about the bungalow. The 

 fluffy little creatures sometimes display considerable 

 ingenuity in adapting materials for use in nest con- 

 struction. One rascal of my acquaintance destroyed 

 a nearly new grey topi, finding the felt covering and 

 the pith *' the very thing " for nest-lining. 



Books on natural history inform us that the food of 

 this species of squirrel consists of seeds, fruits, and 

 buds, with an occasional insect by way of condiment. 

 This is the truth, but it is not the whole truth. The 

 above list does not by any means exhaust the menu 

 of Sciurus palmarum. My experience shows him to be 

 nearly as omnivorous as the myna. Occasionally I 

 fall asleep again after my chota hazri has been brought. 

 In Madras I was sometimes punished for my laziness 

 by the disappearance of the toast or the butter. 

 Needless to state that theft had been perpetrated, 

 and that the crows and the squirrels were the culprits. 



On one occasion I feigned sleep in order to see what 

 would happen. For a little all was still ; presently a 

 squirrel quietly entered the room, took a look round, 

 then chmbed up a leg of the table and boldly pulled 

 a piece of toast out of the rack which was within a 

 couple of feet of my face. It was no easy matter for 

 the little thief to climb down the leg of the table 

 with his big load. A loud thud announced that the 

 toast had fallen on to the floor. The squirrel scampered 

 away in alarm, leaving his booty behind him. In a 

 few seconds his head appeared at the doorway f having 



