A QUAINT NEST. 51 
carefully watched them from day to day, and, 
with the exception of an occasional scolding, 
they took little heed of my presence. A hollow 
place was first cleared under one of the cross- 
timbers of an old sawpit; then both worked hard, 
bringing blades of dried grass, leaves, and moss. 
I observed they carefully collected fragments of 
rag, and pieces of paper left by the sawyers; so, 
to gratify this taste for the use of novel material, 
I brought out continually small bundles, com- 
posed of coloured threads, rags, paper, fragments 
of scarlet cloth, and small portions of gold and 
silver lace from my fishing-tackle stock. All these 
were greedily seized on, and woven into the nest, 
which, when completed, after about sixteen days’ 
work, presented the most extraordinary appear- 
ance imaginable. Such a nuptial nest no squirrel 
ever had before, or, perhaps, will ever have 
again. I am sure they were proud of their 
achievement, and deemed it a triumph of squirrel 
architecture ! 
The family in due time came into the world; 
but any attempt to approach the nest was re- 
sented so furiously, yet combined with such 
evident terror for the safety of their babies, that 
I had not the heart to gratify my curiosity to see 
how many there were, and what they were like. 
E2 
