MISCELLANEOUS ANIMALS 



409 



a tree, — to eat the seeds of a few perhaps, — apparently 

 for the mere fun of seeing them drop. This alone makes 

 it inadvisable to have him around. But a more serious 

 crime of which this little rogue has been convicted con- 

 sists in robbing nests and eating birds' eggs and young 

 birds; so, in general, the fewer red squirrels we have the 

 better for our birds. Have any of the children observed 

 this for themselves ? 



Our gray squirrel is commonly accredited with neither 

 of these injurious traits and, together with the large fox 

 squirrel, may be freely encouraged to come and live with 

 us. In a single instance, among many that the writer 

 could cite, in which gray squirrels became too numerous, 

 some damage was done to fruit ; but this may have been 

 due to lack of food or, more probably, to lack of water. 

 It would be advisable, at least, to bear these points in 

 mind before passing final judgment. That both food and 

 water in plenty have no influence in reducing the mis- 

 chievous propensities of at least one red squirrel the 

 writer has had abundant proof. 



The flying squirrel, though it is nocturnal in its habits, 

 is one of the most interesting of the group and is easily 

 domesticated. 



Rats and mice are too common intruders to be omitted 

 from a course in nature study. We sometimes find them 

 recommended for pets, and they both have some interest- 

 ing traits ; but they have long been recognized as Jiostcs 

 Jmmajti generis, enemies of the human race, and the plain 

 truth may as well be taught. By the skillful and persistent 

 use of traps and poisons these pests may easily be exter- 

 minated. No less than this should be aimed at, as they 



