66 JUNGLE FOLK 



The little striped squirrel feeds largely on the ground. 

 As every Anglo-Indian knows, it squats on its hind legs 

 when eating, and nibbles at the food which it holds 

 in its fore-paws. In this attitude its appearance is 

 very rat-like, its tail not being much en evidence. It is 

 careful never to wander far away from trees, in which 

 it immediately takes refuge when alarmed. It does 

 not always wait for the seeds, etc., upon which it feeds, 

 to fall to the ground : it frequently devours these while 

 still attached to the parent plant. Being very light, 

 it can move about on slender boughs. It is able to 

 jump with ease from branch to branch, but in doing so 

 causes a great commotion in the tree ; its arboreal 

 movements seem very clumsy when compared with 

 those of birds of the same size. 



Squirrels are sociably inclined creatures ; when not 

 engaged in rearing up their families they live in colonies 

 in some decayed tree. At sunrise they issue forth from 

 the cavity in which they have slept, and bask for a 

 time in the sun before separating to visit their several 

 feeding-grounds ; at sunset they all return to their 

 dormitory. Before retiring for the night they play 

 hide-and-seek on the old tree, chasing each other in 

 and out of the holes with which it is riddled. 



Young squirrels are born blind and naked, and are 

 then ugly creatures. Their skin shows the three black 

 longitudinal stripes — the marks of Hanuman's fingers — 

 which give this creature its popular name. The hair 

 soon grows and transforms the squirrels. 



A baby Sciurus makes a charming pet. The rapid 

 movements are a never-failing source of amusement. It 



