10 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



hazel nuts, acorns, beech mast, buds, 

 branches and bark of young trees, and 



A CHARACTERISTIC Alllll'DE. 



sometimes an individual will develop a 

 morbid taste for the eggs or young of 

 birds. Some years ago, whilst wandering 

 through a Surrey wood, I heard a couple 

 of song thrushes making a great ado, 

 and creeping cautiously towards the 

 place saw a Squirrel scamper away from 

 their nest, in which I found the remains 

 of a newly-killed young one. 



There can be no denying the fact 

 that this pretty little animal, when too 

 numerous, does considerable harm in 

 plantations of young trees ; and 

 whilst in Berlin, on one occasion, 

 I was told that the keepers in the 

 Tiergarten are on this account reluc- 

 tantly compelled to shoot a number 

 every year. 



The Squirrel makes its nest of dead 

 grass, leaves, moss and wool. In the 

 North of England the last-named 

 material is nearly always present in 

 large quantities. The nest is placed on 

 the branches of fir trees, in forks 

 where the large branches separate from 

 the trunk, occasionally in holes in 

 trees, and I have known of one 

 instance where a family was reared 

 in a nest built in the thatch of a 

 haystack. 



The young ones generally number 

 three or four, and when taken quite 

 early make interesting though very un- 

 certain-tempered pets. Squirrels show 

 great aversion to ferrets, and develop 

 an amusing storm of anger upon catching 

 sight of one. 



