FEBRUARY, 1883. 281 



On the faith of a professional bird-catcher who visits the 

 locality, our querist answered his own question, by stating 

 that the squirrels were the aggressors, that they attacked 

 the young birds in the nests, only biting the tops off 

 their heads and eating the brains ! We do not think 

 this at all unreasonable or unlikely ; the temptation to 

 these sharp-toothed tree hunters is great and ever present, 

 and it comes, too, at the end of the winter when forest 

 provender is scarce. Last year we were particularly 

 struck with the absence of nests, contemporaneously 

 with the absence of a batch of birdnesters; and if 

 the increase of squirrels is to be bought at the price of a 

 serious decrease in our feathered favourites, the price is 

 too high to pay. This may only be the "tiger's first 

 victim," and if these creatures develop a refined taste for 

 the brains of birds, there is no saying to what extent they 

 may carry it. They are getting very hard pressed at 

 present, for although our primroses are aflower the severe 

 weather since New Year has kept most vegetation from 

 any abnormal advance. 



The barometer going up, and now at 30-3, the usual 

 hurricane rushing ventre a terre across the country, and 

 fierce squalls spitting bitter showers with hasty fury as 

 they shout at the heels of those before them. A cheerful 

 morning to be abroad among the tree tops or the tree 

 bottoms, even amid the thickest evergreens ! There is a 

 flop among the branches of the small larch just over our 

 head, and without observing our presence a squirrel, with 

 really less fuss than a bullfinch, is busy in the bare boughs 

 of the larch within two or three yards of our eyes. What 

 is the little fellow about that he is so desperately busy 

 and pre-occupied as not to perceive us? He passes along 

 the branch almost as lightly and quickly as a bird, and in 



