SQUIRREL. 169 



Occurring throughout the lowlands, the Squirrel was formerly 

 present in the north of Scotland, but, according to Mr. Harvie- 

 Brown, appears to have become extinct towards the close of 

 the last century — not improbably owing to the severe winter of 

 1795. In Sutherland it seems to have reappeared in 1859, 

 but it was not till ten years later that, by the construction of a 

 railway bridge, it was enabled to enter ihe east of that county. 

 Since that date these animals have thriven and multiplied ; 

 although they are still unknown in Caithness, as they are in 

 Argyllshire and the Hebrides. Apparently distributed over the 

 whole or the greater part of Ireland, they seem to be in general 

 less common there than in England ; and it is not improbable 

 that the species was introduced. 



From the nature of its habits, remains of Squirrels are 

 unlikely to be found in cavern-deposits, and it does not appear 

 that any have hitherto been obtained therefrom. A limb-bone 

 has, however, been disinterred from the "forest-bed" of the 

 Norfolk coast, indicating the occurrence of the animal in our 

 eastern forests at the comparatively remote epoch when that 

 formation was deposited. 



Habits. — Writing of its mode of life, Macgillivray observes : — 

 "The agility of the Squirrel, its lively disposition, and beautiful 

 form, render it a general favourite. It is amusing to watch it 

 in its arboreal excursions, when you see it ascending the trunk 

 and branches with surprising speed, running out even on 

 slender twigs, always, when in motion, keeping its tail depressed, 

 occ-isionally performing leaps from one branch to another, 

 and when alarmed, scampering away at such a rate that you 

 almost expect to see it miss its footing and fall down headlong. 

 It feeds on nuts, beech-mast, acorns, buds, and the bark of 

 young branches; generally, while eating, sitting on its haunches, 

 with its tail elevated, holding the object between its paws, and 



