British Wild Beasts. 1S9 



Besides, what privilege have the poets to take it for granted 

 that this creature of liberty, this "merry forester," is deluded 

 by the clattering revolution of its prison into supposing that 

 it is " skimming up the silent beech," or " dancing oak-trees 

 round and round ? " It is, I think, a little high-handed to 

 teach a squirrel to spin its wire treadmill, and then to 

 pretend that "the foolish creature thinks he climbs," that 

 it has mistaken your wretched whirligig for its old " mazy 

 forest-house," the tops of the wind-blown pines, or the 

 fragrant bowers of " nut-grown " hazels. I resent the similes 

 of Prior, Mallet, and others, who see in the poor captives 

 illustrations of human weakness and the vanities of foolish 

 ambition. Nor, Mr. Moore, " does the name of the Uttle 

 animal rhyme with ' girl.' " 



Of course many poets have really seen it wild, and 

 they delight in it— the "bright-eyed," "busy," "gay," and 

 "wanton creature," "flippant, pert, and full of play." 



" The squirrel, with aspiring mind. 

 Disdains to be to earth confined. 



But mounts aloft in air ; 

 The pine-tree's giddiest height he climbs. 

 Or scales the beech-tree's loftiest limbs. 



And builds his castle there. 



As Nature's wildest tenants firee, 

 A merry forester is he, 



In oak o'ershaciowed dells; 

 In glen remote, or woodland lawn, 

 \Vhere the doe hides her infant fawn, 



Among the hills he dwells." 



They stop to watch it crack its nuts and drop the shells, 

 hear it "rattling in its hoard of acorns," peep into "the 

 brown hermit's " larder, its winter-store of acorn, pine-cone, 

 and filbert, and note " its prettiness of feigned alarm, and 

 anger insignificantly fierce." 



