SQUIRREL 



STAAL 



667 



the brownish red above becomes mixed with grayish 

 hairs, whilst in Siberia and northern Europe gener- 

 ally the whole animal becomes whitish gray with- 

 out a trace of red ; black varieties occasionally 

 appear. It occurs at the present day all over the 

 paLearctic region, from Ireland to Japan and from 

 North Italy to Lapland, whilst its remains occur 

 as far back in the geological history as the ' Cromer 

 Forest Bed.' In Scotland it bade fair to become 

 extinct, but with the planting of new woods in the 

 later half of the 18th century it has again spread 

 rapidly, so much so as in places to become a great 

 nuisance. Its favourite dwellings are dry and 

 shady woods, especially of beech and oak, whose 

 nuts furnish it with a winter food-supply. It is 

 always in motion, and in fine weather may be seen 

 skipping from tree to tree as if in pure enjoyment ; 

 on the ground its pace is so rapid that a dog can 

 scarcely catch it, but it is still more at home 



Common Squirrel (Seiuriu mdgarit). 



among the branches, where its sharp claws enable 

 it to cling safely to the smoothest bark. When 

 undisturbed it seems to be constantly on the look- 

 oat for food, which, if abundant, is stored up for 

 future use ; and, according to Radde, it is so 

 altruistic as to impale fungi on the tips of branches 

 so that any passing squirrel in need may share 

 them. It eats berries, nuts, buds, occasionally a 

 beetle or two, and is a greedy and successful plun- 

 derer of birds' nests ; it does great mischief in the 

 spring by nibbling the fir-buds and gnawing the 

 bark, the rising sap l>eing apparently specially 

 palatable to it. Soft fruit does not seem to be 

 ranch appreciated, the flesh of apples and pears 

 being discarded in favour of the pips. The squirrel 

 will use a bird's nest for a temporary lodging, but 

 the home is always constructed afresh, though the 

 materials collected by others may be utilised. The 

 nest is usually situated in the fork of a branch 

 near the stem, and has a roof to keep out rain, a 

 main entrance opening downwards, and a smaller 

 accessory opening near the stem. The squirrel 

 lies curled up when asleep, is very sensitive to 

 the weather, and even seems to be prescient of 

 storms. It swims freely on occasion. Pairing 

 takes place in March, when there are often savage 

 fights between the males ; four weeks later from 

 three to seven young are born, which remain 

 blind for alxmt nine days ; for five days or so after 

 the young leave the nest the whole family sports 

 together among the trees, and then breaks up ; in 

 June there is a second brood, which may occasion- 

 ally l>e seen in company with the former one. In 

 winter the squirrel hibernates, awaking from time 

 to time to feed on its stores. Its chief enemy is 

 the marten, which is much stronger and climbs 

 equally well, though it cannot take such leaps 



from tree to tree. The fur of the squirrel has a 

 commercial value. On the Lena trapping it fur- 

 nishes occupation for many hands, some hunters 

 having as many as 1000 snares ; Russia and Siberia 

 yield six or seven million skins per annum, valued 

 at 150,000, but the best Siberian skins fetch as 

 much as Is. 6d. The genus includes between 

 seventy and eighty other species, some of those 

 from the Oriental region being very highly col- 

 oured ; in one of them ( S. caniceps ) the back be- 

 comes of a bright orange colour during the breeding 

 season, a rare phenomenon among mammals. (2) 

 Pteromys includes the Taguan or Flying Squirrel 

 (P. petaurista), the largest of the sub-family, being 

 nearly as larg^e as a cat ; see FLYING ANIMALS. 

 (3) Rhithrosciurus is a large squirrel from Borneo, 

 with black and white striped sides and grooved 

 incisor teeth. (4) Tamias is an American genus, 

 though one species extends into Asia and even to 

 eastern Europe. All the four species have cheek- 

 pouches, and the back is ornamented with darker 

 and lighter stripes; see CHIPMUNK. (5) Xerus 

 includes the so-called 'Spiny Squirrels,' of which 

 there are four species, all African ; the fur is 

 coarse, the claws straight, and the external ear 

 small or absent. They inhabit the dry steppes, 

 and dig holes in the roots of trees or among rocks. 

 The Prairie Dog (q.v.) was sometimes called the 

 ' Barking Squirrel. See J. A. Harvie-Brown's 

 History of the Squirrel in Great Britain (Edin. 

 1881 ). 



Squitch. See COUCH-GRASS. 



Srinasjar. or CASHMERE, the capital of the 

 native state of Cashmere in Northern India, stands 

 in a lovely valley of the Himalayas (besting by 

 Moore in his Lalla Rookh ), on both sides of the 

 Jehlam (Jhelum), at an -elevation of 5276 feet. 

 Its appearance and situation are described under 

 CASHMERE. Pop. (1891) 120,340. 



Srirangam. See SERINGHAM. 



St. For places named after saints ( St Alhans, 

 &c.), see at SAINT, pp. 80-101. 



Slaal. MARGUERITE JEANNE, BARONESS DE, 

 usually distinguished from the greater Mine, de 

 Stael-Holstein as Madame de Staal-Delaunay, was 

 born at Paris, May 30, 1684, the daughter of a poor 

 painter named Cordier, whose name she dropped 

 lor that of her mother, Delaunay. She had a sound 

 education at the convent of Saint Louis at Rouen, 

 and at twenty-seven was attached to the person of 

 the imperious and intriguing Duchesse de Maine 

 at the little court of Sceaux. Here she saw before 

 her eyes all that comedy of life which she was later 

 to describe with such penetrating insight. Her 

 position was at first a servile one, and she must 

 often have been sorely tried by the temper of her 

 mistress, but in herself remained not one whit of 

 what she calls the 'caractfere indclebile de feinme 

 de chambre,' and all her life was ruled in harmony 

 with her own words, that it is only our own actions 

 which can degrade us. Her devotion to the interests 

 of the Duchesse brought her two years in the 

 Bastille, where she had a love affair with the 

 Chevalier de Menil. In 1735 she married the 

 Baron de Staal, an officer of the Guard. She died 

 at Paris, 16th June 1750. Her Memoires (4 vols. 

 1755; eds. by Barriere, 1846; Lescure, 2 vols. 1878) 

 show intellect and observation, as well as remark- 

 able mastery of subtle irony, and are written in a 

 style clear, firm, and individual. 'Je ne me suis 

 peinte qu'en buste,' she says, by which must not 

 be understood that this lofty soul and admirable 

 writer was ever consciously or'unconsciously untrue. 

 For indeed sincerity is her first characteristic, and 

 throughout she reflects things like a mirror, with- 

 out addition, omission, or distortion. ' Le vrai est 

 comme il peut, et n'a de merite que d'etre ce qu'il 



