166 OUT OF DOORS. 



our presence, but still watchful, raising himself occa- 

 sionally so as to look over the tops of the grass-blades, 

 but never seeing us on account of our rigid stiUness. 

 It was most interesting to watch the pretty little 

 animal as he went skipping over the ground in little hop- 

 ping steps, now stooping to feed, now picking up some- 

 thing in his paws, holding it to his mouth in a dainty 

 and well-bred fashion, tasting it, and then throwing it 

 down in disdain. Then he would disappear entirely 

 below the grass, and next moment he would be sitting 

 upright, his bushy tail curled over his head, and his 

 bright eyes gleaming as he looked around. 



Suddenly a lad came running towards us, making 

 much more noise in crashing through the fern than a 

 dozen full-grown elephants would have produced. Up 

 jumped the squirrel, glanced hastily towards the spot 

 whence the unwelcome sounds proceeded, and dashed 

 off for the nearest tree, looking wonderfully like a 

 miniature fox as he scudded over the ground, his body 

 stretched to its full length, and his bushy tail trailing 

 behind him. A long leap, and he had jumped on the 

 trunk of the tree towards which he was running, and, 

 according to the usual fashion of squirrels, skipped 

 round it, so as to interpose the trunk between himself 

 and the supposed foe. But this manoeuvre exactly 

 brought him face to face with us, and at the distance 

 of only a yard or two, and I never saw a squirrel look 

 more bewildered than he appeared on making this 

 terrible discovery. He never stopped for a moment, 



