204 ROUND THE GREAT WHITE HORSE 



the turnips in the heaps opened to feed the sheep in 

 the straw-yards. Squirrels, which are often supposed to 

 hibernate, only retire to their nests in very severe and 

 prolonged frosts. A slight fall of snow only amuses 

 them, and they will come down from their trees and 

 scamper over the powdery heaps with immense enjoy- 

 ment. What they do not like is the snow on the 

 leaves and branches, which falls in showers as they 

 jump from tree to tree, and betrays them to their 

 enemies, the country boys. During a mild winter 

 they even neglect to make a central store of nuts, and 

 instead of storing them in big hoards near the nest, 

 just drop them into any convenient hole they know of 

 near. A pair took possession of an old, well-timbered 

 garden in Berkshire, and when they found out, as they 

 very soon did, that they were not to be disturbed, 

 continued during the mild, open weather to exhibit a 

 reckless improvidence quite at variance with squirrel 

 tradition. In October they stripped the old nut-trees, 

 but flung the greater number of the nuts on to the 

 ground. Later in the autumn they spent the greater 

 part of each morning collecting and burying horse- 

 chestnuts, not in any proper store, but in all sorts of 

 places, among the roots of rose-bushes, under the 

 palings of the lawn, or in the turf under a big tulip- 

 tree. Almost every knot-hole in the trees of the 

 orchard and walks had a chestnut or walnut poked 

 into it ; but there was no attempt to bring them 

 together for a cold-weather magazine : and they even 

 had the impudence to dig up crocus-bulbs under the 



