56 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



at such time it hibernates, several individuals frequently taking 

 advantage of one hiding-place, evidently helping to keep one another 

 warm in this way. Having passed the lone Winter days, the Spring 

 sunshine tempts the creature to awake to activity, and home cares 

 soon engage attention, as many as six young ones sometimes being 

 born. 



Although hunted a good deal, both for the sake of its fur and 

 flesh, and also by reason of occasional depredations, the Raccoon 

 appears to hold its own, as it were, and that it may long enjoy its 

 wild, unfettered life is the hope of every lover of the world's fauna. 



AMERICAN AND BRITISH SaUIRRELS.— That the American 

 Grey Squirrel will soon become a familiar woodland rover in 

 England those who visit Regent's Park and other spots where these 

 attractive creatures have been let out may ascertain for themselves, 

 and the amount of pleasure and entertainment that the nimble little 

 mammal affords to passers-by is very considerable. I have witnessed 

 some amusing episodes with regard to these out-of-doors pets in the 

 London Parks, and often been highly interested in the remarks made 

 by those who were unaware that the animals had really not escaped 

 from the Zoo. Several of the adroit little rascals are at large in the 

 Zoological Society's grounds, and more than one keeper has received 

 a report from a vigilant and timorous visitor that there was a small 

 animal at large ! These American animals are becoming quite used 

 to their surroundings. They are now tame and confiding, and in the 

 tree-tops among the busy hum of the great metropolis take the place 

 of the red-coated little gentleman of our own wild woodlands. True 

 the grey fur of the American species is not so attractive as the rich 

 chestnut of the British Squirrel, and there is some danger in intro- 

 ducing a foreign animal in our midst by reason of the damage that 

 may be done if it be allowed to increase to any undue proportions, yet 

 nothing but good can result from putting out a few of these pert and 

 engaging creatures, whose ways make such a strong appeal to all 

 those who can appreciate the delightful scampers of these arboreal 

 rovers. 



Our photograph (Fig. 47) depicts the American Grey Squirrel, 

 and if his more sombre coloration is excepted, the differences 

 between him and his English relative are very slight. They need 

 not, at any rate, detain us here, but I should like to put on record 

 what I consider is a distasteful practice, viz. keeping a Squirrel 

 caged up in a wretched dark prison. It is obviously an out-of-doors 



