THE BRITISH OR LIGHT-TAILED SQUIRREL 711 
have much influence upon the wanderings of the Squirrel since 
it loves to follow anything straight. 
Even when it meets water it is not always nonplussed, for, 
although the larger Scotch rivers, until bridged, are said to have 
proved effectual barriers to its repopulation of that country, it 
has undoubtedly the ability to cross wide streams. The 
Squirrel has been figured while swimming by Mr Millais. 
It swims high, the tail flat on the water. Amongst the most 
conspicuous instances of its activity in this direction may be 
counted the discovery of one crossing Loch Toil where its 
breadth reaches one-third of a mile, by a lady correspondent of 
Colonel H. H. Godwin-Austin; while another was seen to 
cross the River Spey, where the stream is broad, strong, and 
deep; and Mr Meade-Waldo saw one swim across Loch Ericht 
at a place where the loch was one mile wide—when this Squirrel 
landed its tail was perfectly dry. 
The Squirrel has been credited by most writers with 
provident sagacity in laying up stores of food for the proverbial 
rainy day. ‘I have a venturous fairy,” says Titania, “that 
shall seek the Squirrel’s hoards and fetch thee new nuts.” The 
distribution of these reserves, not in a single place of safety, 
but in several holes in different trees in the neighbourhood of 
its retreat, has been often regarded as further evidence of fore- 
thought ; but, if the truth be told, the Squirrel is but a careless 
housekeeper at any time, and no more worthy of praise in this 
respect than the well-fed dog which spends its spare time in 
burying the bones which it is unable to consume. The erratic 
nature of the Squirrel’s stores was long ago commented upon 
by Alston, who watched the storing operations of a semi-tame 
individual. This Squirrel, when fed with nuts out of doors, hid 
them in a most capricious manner in soft turf, not taking them 
all to one place, but burying them anywhere at random, so that 
“one could hardly believe he would ever find them again ; and 
I have no doubt that he never did find some of them.” 
The habit of storing surplus food, be it intentional or the 
result of blind energy, is present, as in so many other rodents ; 
and there can be no doubt that, although of comparatively little . 
importance in this country, in severer climates than that of 
Britain it must be a necessary action, failure to perform which 
