THE EUROPEAN SQUIRREL. 



(Sciurus vulgaris. 



C. C. M. 



THIS is regarded as the typical 

 species among the tree squirrels, 

 and its character and that of 

 the common species of Ameri 

 can squirrels are very similar. The at 

 titudes of the animals are familiar to all 

 who have watched the antics of squir 

 rels in their arboreal homes. It is 

 widely distributed throughout all of 

 Europe and across the Caucasus and 

 Ural through southern Siberia to the 

 Altai and eastern Asia. Brehm says 

 it is not equally common everywhere 

 or every year. Its favorite haunts are 

 dry, shady forests with high trees and 

 it is as much averse to dampness as to 

 sunshine. When fruit and nuts are 

 ripe it visits the gardens of villages, 

 but only when they are connected with 

 the forest by small tracts of trees or 

 bushes. It will not attempt to forage 

 far from the protection of the trees. 

 Where there are many pine cones the 

 squirrel makes its permanent home, 

 and builds one or several habitations, 

 usually in old crows' nests, which it im 

 proves very ingeniously. If it intends 

 to make only a short stay, it uses the 

 forsaken nests of magpies, crows, or 

 birds of prey, just as it finds them, but 

 the nests which it intends to serve as a 

 permanent sleeping-place, a shelter 

 against bad weather or a nursery, are 

 built new, though the materials col 

 lected by birds are often utilized. It is 

 said that every squirrel has at least four 

 nests, though nothing has been defi 

 nitely proven as to this. Hollows in 

 trees, especially hollow trunks, are also 

 frequented by them and occasionally 

 built in. The open-air nests usually lie 

 in a fork, close to the main trunk of 

 the tree; the bottom is built like one of 

 the larger bird's nests, while above 

 there is a flat conical roof, after the 

 manner of magpies' nests, close enough 

 to constitute a perfect protection from 

 the rain. The main entrance is placed 

 sideways, usually facing east; a slightly 

 smaller loop-hole for escape is found 



close to the trunk. Moss forms a soft 

 lining inside. The outer part consists 

 of twigs of various thicknesses, inter 

 twined. Brehm says this squirrel es 

 pecially likes to use the firm bottom of 

 a forsaken crow's nest, filled with earth 

 and clay, as a base upon which to con 

 struct a nest of its own. 



A famous naturalist, describing this 

 little creature, says that it is one of the 

 principal ornaments of a forest. In 

 quiet, fine weather it is incessantly act 

 ive, keeping as much as possible to the 

 trees, which at all times afford it food 

 and cover. Occasionally it will de 

 liberately descend a tree, run to another 

 tree and climb that; doing this often in 

 pure playfulness; for it need not touch 

 the ground at all, unless it wishes to do 

 so. He calls it the monkey of the 

 woods of temperate climes, and it is 

 possessed of many attributes which re 

 mind one of that capricious inhabi 

 tant of the warmer zone. There are 

 probably few mammals which are pos 

 sessed of such constant briskness and 

 remain for so short a time in the same 

 place as the squirrel does in tolerably 

 fair weather. It is ever going from 

 tree to tree, from top to top, from 

 branch to branch; and even on the 

 ground it is anything but clumsy or out 

 of place. It never walks or trots, but 

 always proceeds in longer or shorter 

 bounds, and so quickly that a dog can 

 hardly overtake it, and a human being 

 has to give up the pursuit after a short 

 time. "It glides up even the smoothest 

 trees with wonderful ease and speed. 

 The long, sharp claws on the toes stand 

 it in good stead, for it hooks them inta 

 the bark, all four feet at once. Then it 

 takes a running start for another leap- 

 and darts further upward; but one 

 bound succeeds another with such ra 

 pidity that the ascent proceeds uninter 

 ruptedly, and looks as if the creature 

 glided up the tree. Usually it ascends 

 to the top of the tree without pausing,, 

 not infrequently reaching the highest 



234 



