226 WOODLAND CREATURES 



sky, and the sun shone and caught the squirrel's 

 red coat until it shone like living gold, and the 

 wind swayed the tree-top and rocked it to and 

 fro. Backwards and forwards the squirrel swung, 

 quite unconcerned; the dizzy depths below it 

 did not disturb its nerves, it nibbled away at 

 something it held in its paws, while the wind 

 played rude pranks with its tail that was curved 

 over its back. Then it stopped eating, looked 

 down from its lofty perch, dropped suddenly 

 to the bough below it, caught at the next 

 swaying one, then sprang outwards and down- 

 wards to another swinging up and down many 

 yards below, and I, looking on, held my breath, 

 for it seemed as if it must be hurled to the ground ; 

 but no, it caught the branch, swung for a second, 

 then dived into the dark interior of the tree and 

 disappeared. 



I remembered, when it had vanished, that 

 I had twice seen a squirrel in the plantation 

 though this was the first time I had seen 

 it in the big fir and I wondered if its presence 

 round the house had anything to do with the 

 sparrows having deserted their stronghold. 

 The squirrel is by no means above eating birds' 

 eggs, or even young birds. Meantime I waited 

 and watched ; in a few moments there was a 

 movement lower down something was descend- 

 ing the trunk, but it was not going as fast as a 

 squirrel usually does ; however, it was the 

 squirrel, for where the branches thinned it came 

 into plain view. In a second or two it jumped 



