122 



PROTECTION ACJAINST ANIMALS. 



old suffer most, but also sixty-3'ears-old woods. Tliis is done 

 from May to July chiefly in dry years. The damage is done 

 to the stem in the crown where the squirrel sits, and is 

 sometimes in rings or spirals, at other times quite irreguhir ; 

 as it goes down to the sai)wood, the injured stems may ^ie 

 above the peeled place, as they sometimes do by hundreds. 



(1. Destrurlion of Yot/ii// Ilinh. 



During the breeding season of birds, the S(juirrel frequently 

 attacks their young, killing them and eating their heads. 



2. Protective RhIch. 



Protection of the pine-marten {Miistcla iiutrtcs), a great 

 enemy of the squirreh 



Shooting, with the help of dogs, in spruce seed-years, and 

 near nurseries. 



Section Y, — Doiniioi':. 



1. Damage Thmc. 



Dormice are squirrel-like animals, with bushy tails, and as 

 they move about at night, 

 chiefly in broadleaved forest, 

 it is difficult to state precisely 

 the amount of damage they do. 

 The loir {Mi/oxus glis, in 

 German, Siebenschli'ifer), the 

 largest European species of 

 dormouse, is found in southern 

 Europe, but not in the British 

 Isles. It feeds on mast of all 

 kinds and also on spruce and 

 other seeds, and orchard-fruit, 

 ))ites-off the leading shoots of 

 beech and silver-fir, and in 

 spring, barks young stems, and 

 robs birds' nests, doing injury 

 of a similar nature to that done by squirrels. 



It collects a provision for the winter in holes, but passes 



41. — Girdliuf 

 of alder Ijy dor- 

 mii'C. 



