THE SQUIRREL 231 



it does find a small proportion of the nuts it 

 puts away, it derives a certain amount of benefit 

 from its hiding instinct, though not as much as 

 do the rats and mice, which lay by large stores 

 in their burrows, on which to subsist in times 

 of scarcity. But then there is little instinct, 

 and much intelligence, in the way the rat does 

 its storing. Which remark leads me into a 

 digression, for many persons overlook the great 

 part played by intelligence and experience, 

 failing to realize that birds and beasts differ 

 from ourselves, not in kind but in degree. It 

 must be remembered that even the human species 

 has its instincts, e.g. the baby that automati- 

 cally sucks its mother's breast. But with us 

 unreasoning inherited impulses are reduced to 

 a minimum, which does not mean that other 

 creatures are without any share in the power 

 of understanding and profiting from what goes 

 on around them. They vary in their ability to 

 put " two and two together/' though all learn, 

 some more, and others less, through experience. 

 The more one sees of birds and beasts, the more 

 highly does one rate their intelligence. Some, 

 of course, are more " brainy " than others, and, 

 though he is by no means a fool, our friend the 

 squirrel is not one of the most clever ; for instance, 

 he cannot rank with the raven and the common 

 rat their mentality is indeed of a high order ! 



Still, as said before, the squirrel is not a fool. 

 For example, he knows well when he is safe 

 and out of reach, and it is a most amusing sight 



