280 THE SQUIRREL. 



young after August ; he was distinguished by 

 the possession of an almost white tail. Another 

 solitary squirrel which we knew well finally fell 

 to a keeper's vermin-trap, and proved to be an 

 old male. 



Still, the fact that some pairs are seen together 

 the year round would seem to argue that those 

 that respect the laws of squirrel decency conform 

 to the practice of true monogamy ; but the indi- 

 viduality of squirrels is very noticeable. I do not 

 believe that all young couples starting life together 

 consider themselves in any way bound by the 

 bonds of lifelong matrimony. If the male happens 

 to be a ' gay dog,' his affections may last no longer 

 than the mating season. As his wife becomes 

 busy with affairs of her own his interest in her 

 is apt to flag, and he may, indeed, become the 

 possessor of a second wife ere the Love Moon 

 wanes. Possibly in later life destiny moulds his 

 ways along a single groove, but a good deal would 

 seem to depend on the squirrel population of the 

 immediate vicinity. Where squirrels are numer- 

 ous, and the attractions of society are many, 

 scandals of all kinds occur ; but isolated ' country ' 

 squirrels, living remote from the giddy whirl, are 

 generally faithful to one another. In New Gal- 

 loway, in Scotland, I repeatedly observed these 

 isolated pairs wintering together. Never was one 

 seen without the other ; never were they more 

 than a few paces apart ; often they were to be 

 seen on cold days cuddling each other for warmth. 

 I noticed also that the young remained with the 

 parents till far into winter, a state of affairs 

 which seldom occurs where squirrels are more 

 numerous. Indeed, it would seem that the 

 Scottish squirrels are more circumspect than 



