THE RODENTS, OR GNAWING ANIMALS 131 



and though they do sonic 

 mischief in highly cultivated 

 countries, they arc among 

 the most harmless of crea- 

 tures. Most of them live on 

 wild nuts and the kernels of 

 fruit ; they suck eggs occa- 

 sionally, and in Canada will 

 come to the traps in ex- 

 treme cold and eat the meat 

 with which they are baited. 



The Red Squirrel. 



This, the common squirrel 

 here, is representative of the 

 whole order. In old Scandi- 

 navian legends the squirrel 

 is represented as the mes- 

 senger of the gods, who car- 

 ried the news of what was 

 going on in the world to 

 the other animals. Together 

 with its close relations, it is 

 die most graceful of all 

 climbers of trees. With its 

 long tail waving behind it, 

 it races up or down the 

 trunks and across the for- 

 ests from branch to branch 

 as easily as a horse gallops 

 across a plain. It will de- 

 scend the trunk head down- 

 wards as fast as it runs up. 

 Squirrels pair for life, and 

 are most affectionate little 

 creatures, always playing or 

 doing gymnastics together. The squirrel builds a very good house, in which lie shows himself 

 far more sensible than the monkeys and apes ; it is made of leaves, moss, and sticks. The sticks 

 come first as a platform ; then this is carpeted, and a roof put on. No one who has seen com- 

 mon squirrels at work house-building has ever described exactly how they do it ; it is the best 

 nest made by any mammal, thoroughly well fitted together and waterproof. In this nest the 

 young squirrels are born in the month of June ; that year they keep with the parents, and do 

 not " set up for themselves " till the next spring. The red colour is very persistent in squirrels. 

 One Chinese variety, black and red, has even bright red teeth. In cold countries the red squirrels 

 make stores of food, but spend much of the winter asleep. 



It is a great pity that in England no ones tries to tame the squirrels as they do in America; 

 there they are the greatest ornament of the parks of cities, coming down to be fed as tamely as 

 our sparrows. The writer has known one instance in which a lady induced wild squirrels to pay 

 daily visits to her bedroom for food ; they used to climb up the ivy and jump in at the open 

 window. The great enemies of squirrels near houses are the cats, which kill all the young ones 



thai h A. ?. Rudltni S* 9an< 



F I. Y I N G - S QJJ I R R E 1. 



The large flying-squirrels are mainly nocturnal. They can leap a distance of jo feet with the aid 

 of the parachutes of skin stretching from the fore to the hind limbs 



