8 WILD NEIGHBORS CHAP. 



frequently scratched and stroked one another, 

 and once I saw one diligently combing another's 

 tail with its fore feet. 



The tail, indeed, which is flat, and has the wavy 

 hair growing laterally from a careful parting along 

 the muscular midrib, is an object of great pride to 

 its owner. It is, no doubt, useful and comforting 

 as a wrapper in cold weather, and certainly assists 

 the agile acrobat as a balancing-pole ; but that it 

 is highly appreciated purely as an ornament, is 

 very evident from the abashed demeanor of the 

 little animal when a portion of its brush is lost. 



The generic name Sciurus (from which comes 

 "squirrel," through Old French esquirel} is de- 

 rived from Greek words meaning a creature which 

 sits under the shadow of its tail, and the name 

 shade-tail is in actual use in some of the Southern 

 States to-day. We might appropriately translate 

 the Greek in this case as designating an animal 

 whose tail puts all the rest of him into the shade. 



Gradually they gain strength and confidence, 

 and then you will see how far the liveliness of the 

 young can surpass even the tireless activity of old 

 squirrels. Both old and young are exceedingly 

 fond of play, springing from the ground as if in a 

 high-jumping match, and turning regular summer- 

 saults in the grass ; but the most amusing thing is 

 this : Finding a place where the tip of a tough 

 branch hangs almost to the ground, they will leap 

 up and catch it, sometimes with only one hand, 



