156 The Red Squirrel 
his wonderful perseverance, his industry, and the 
cleverness displayed in his various actions cause him 
to be tolerated, even though he is an acknowledged 
nuisance. 
Many claim that the chickaree is the bird’s most 
deadly enemy, destroying both eggs and young: 
others are equally positive that the red squirrel does 
not meddle with nesting birds; that he visits the 
nests very often, but that this is out of pure curiosity 
and nothing else; that the old birds tolerate him 
and make no outcry when he is near their nests, 
thus proving that he is not a destroyer of their young. 
I do not precisely agree with either, for circumstances 
have very much to do with it, and to say that the red 
squirrels as a whole do or do not rob birds’ nests is a 
very sweeping statement. There are probably both 
innocent and guilty red squirrels, as far as robbing 
birds’ nests is concerned. In other words, I believe 
it to be a habit, formed like any other habit that an 
animal may have, or that we may have. I do not 
believe that red squirrels are nest-robbers, any more 
than a hen naturally eats hens’ eggs. Occasionally a 
hen develops the habit of eating her own eggs and 
all others she may find, but it would be unfair to 
accuse all hens of this unnatural practice. If I under- 
stand the nature of the red squirrel, he will, if forced 
