290 The Squirrel. [Sess. 
it, but having one sent me which my friend Mr Paterson, of 
Rutherford, shot in the act of eating out of a blackbird’s nest, 
I dissected it, and found the yellow of the yolks and bits of 
the blue shell in the stomach. Why they do so, or whether 
it is habitual or exceptional, I am not inclined to express an 
opinion. 
The squirrel is such a beautiful, nimble, active, and 
industrious little creature, with its large black eyes sparkling 
with intelligence, that I cannot help regarding it as the em- 
bodiment of gentleness and innocence. That it is, however, 
destructive in the garden and the forest, is a truism that can- 
not be gainsaid. Squirrels have always been special favourites 
of mine, and even when in my teens—the bloodthirsty age—I 
shot them with reluctance, despite stern instructions to kill 
them down for their depredations in the garden and in the 
woods. Such was the destruction done by squirrels in the 
pine woods in Strathspey a number of years ago, that an 
organised raid was made against them, and a very large 
number were killed in one day. As already indicated, the 
extensive pine forests in the valley of the Dee in Aberdeen- 
shire have suffered severely by a plague of squirrels. The 
damage done is incalculable, by their peeling the bark in great 
splashes, generally from within six inches to a foot from the 
top of growing fir trees, and feeding on the under bark. On 
examining a lot of timber in the pine forests of Glentana, 
there was scarcely a tree on which there were not several bare 
pieces, some of which were two feet in length and half round 
the tree. Five or six bare pieces, as described, on one tree — 
was quite common. This completely ruins the timber, as it 
gets black from the exudation of resin and exposure to the 
weather, and eventually decays or is broken over by the wind. 
There is scarcely a tree in the extensive forests referred to 
without such blemishes, and, as already mentioned, the — 
damage done is very great. Even to a superficial observer 
the work of squirrels is apparent where these animals exist. 
Under the trees the ground is littered with cones pulled to 
pieces, thin spales of wood which the squirrels have discarded, 
and the young shoots cut off from the tops of the branches of 
various firs. It is my opinion that they eat the soft wood of 
the latest year’s growth. To such an extent has the mischief 
