222 WOODLAND CREATURES 



An allusion was made a little way back to the 

 squirrel's nest. Country folk often call the 

 ordinary living nest the " buck's drey/ 1 but, 

 except when rearing young ones, the female 

 makes a similar nest to the male. The " dreys " 

 are well-made comfortable dwellings, and are 

 generally placed in the fork of a tree or else on 

 a stout branch. They are of considerable bulk, 

 and must represent a good deal of labour. One 

 that I pulled to pieces was made of nut sticks 

 and birch twigs, the walls of the nest were of 

 leaves and moss, and the lining was of finely 

 shredded birch bark, which made a very cosy 

 and comfortable bed. Entrance was effected by 

 means of a small hole at the side. I have 

 examined others which were lined with dry grass 

 and moss, but bark is a favourite substance. 

 No particular care seems to be taken to conceal 

 the dreys used for living and sleeping in, and 

 they are often in conspicuous situations, but 

 the breeding nest is a different matter. It is 

 generally placed in a thick evergreen tree, such 

 as a spruce, a yew, or a holly. The preference 

 for evergreens is probably due to the female 

 beginning to get her nursery ready before the 

 other trees are in full leaf. Well built as the 

 ordinary drey is, the breeding nest is even better, 

 being made with extra thick walls of moss and 

 grass, and beautifully lined with shredded grass 

 and birch bark. This lining, one regrets to add, 

 is usually the home of a large assortment of 

 parasites, especially fleas, for the dainty exquisite 



