THE SQUIRREL. 



WHERE squirrels exist, the woods always 

 seem the richer for their presence ; but, alas ! 

 this is generally the opinion of the passer-by rather 

 than of the owner of the woods. In the hardwood- 

 forests of the south of England timber-growers do 

 not seem to be very much troubled by the activities 

 of squirrels, but in the fir-forests of the north this 

 beautiful little creature is often guilty of severely 

 damaging young trees, stripping the saplings of 

 their bark and their tender shoots so ruthlessly 

 that it may kill every tree in a planting if left 

 undisturbed to its work. The result is that in 

 some localities the destruction of the squirrel has 

 been so energetically pursued as considerably to 

 reduce its numbers, if not entirely to exterminate 

 it ; while in other districts, where the forest-owners 

 have suffered to a less extent, squirrels have been 

 left to multiply. The variation in treatment to 

 which it is subjected chiefly accounts for the 

 uneven distribution of this rodent. 



Though never idle save during exceptionally 

 cold snaps, squirrels are seen at their best when 

 the leaves begin to fall. At this season the animal 

 spends much of its time on the ground, with the 

 result that our attention is drawn to it by the 

 rustling in the leaves ; and as the squirrel climbs 

 into the branches he is more visible than in summer, 

 when the trees afford his little russet form the 

 shelter of their foliage. 



Though naturally highly inquisitive, squirrels 

 can be very coy when so disposed. Recently I 

 saw three of them seek the shelter of a solitary 



