Mammal Craftsmen. 



up among the branches or in a hole in a tree. The 

 material used in its construction consists of slender 

 twigs, fibres of bark, the slender stems of the Jioney- 

 suckle, and dry leaves, all carefully interwoven. The 

 top of the nest is dense and thick so as to keep out the 

 rain, while inside the nest has a warm, snug bedding 

 of dry moss and leaves. Lithe and graceful in his 

 movements, leaping from bough to bough with the 

 most astonishing ease and lightness, our little brown 

 friend of the woodland glade presents a most charm- 

 ing picture; and it is a pity that in the eyes of the 

 forester he is rather a bad character, for he is said to 

 do considerable damage in young plantations, by ring- 

 barking sapling trees, as well as destroying quantities 

 of buds. He is also given to bird-nesting, I am sorry 

 to say, and destroys both eggs and recently hatched 

 nestlings. If taken quite young that is practically 

 from the nest the Squirrel becomes a charming and 

 amusing pet; though personally I dislike the idea of 

 caging such an essentially woodland freedom-loving 

 creature. 



Old Squirrels are practically untamable, and it is 

 a sad sight to see them beating at the bars till their 

 noses are all seared and bloody in their vain endeavour 

 to escape. Such an unfortunate I befriended some 

 years ago, my attention having been drawn to him by 

 his restless movements in a rusty old cage hanging 

 outside a shop near St. Martin's Lane, at that time 

 one of London's great centres for shops providing pet 

 animals and birds. After some higgling I purchased 

 the poor beast and brought him home, where he was 

 given a nice clean cage with a roomy nest-box and 



Q 



