Mr Harvie-Broivn on the Squirrel in Great Britain. 179 



me a well-authenticated instance of its doing so — carrying 

 away partridges' eggs. The person who saw the squirrel carry- 

 ing an Qgg in its mouth " gave chase, and made it drop its 

 burden, which proved to be a partridge's Qgg. He found the 

 nest from which it had been taken in the hedgerow root, and 

 on the other side of the road he found the two eggs which 

 had been removed on the two previous journeys which he had 

 witnessed. The eggs were all punctured by the squirrel's 

 front teeth, but merely enough to afford a catch for carriage." 

 Mr Frank ISTorgate, of Norwich, also sends me a note as fol- 

 lows : " At Hethersett, Norfolk, I saw a squirrel sitting on 

 a blackbird's nest with its head hidden in the nest, and the 

 blackbird flying at it and making much noise ; one Qgg in 

 the nest had two holes in the shell, and the white was oozino: 

 out. Fresh remains of one or more other eggs were in the 

 nest." 



There is no doubt a deep-rooted prejudice against the squirrel 

 and its oological tendencies, as we find, as early as the date of 

 the " Old Stat. Account " that it received censure for " doinsj 

 much harm amongst singing birds," and taking pheasants' eggs;* 

 and every now and then, no doubt, we do meet with instances 

 in which they are guilty of misdemeanours. But I cannot 

 admit that tlie damages done are appreciable. If it were so, 

 far more observers would be found to record these damages. 

 I agree entirely with Captain Dunbar-Brander of Pitgaveny, 

 that " some few squirrels have learned that eggs are good, and 

 will destroy them; the great majority do not. One dog in 

 ten will eat an unbroken Qgg ; one cat in fifty has found out 

 that eggs can be broken. There is nothing a cat likes better 

 than an egg, but it must be broken for her. If an unbroken 

 egg be put in a ferrets' cage, they won't meddle with it, but, 

 break the egg, and they will fight for the contents. Egg-eat- 

 ing does not come naturally to the squirrel any more than to 

 the cat or ferret, but they may be educated to it. Perhaps one 

 squirrel in thirty eats eggs. Though often trapped with an 

 egg, that proves nothing. They are inquisitive. Just now, 

 as the snow lies, one might trap every quadruped, and a 

 good many birds besides, with an old hoot as bait ! I think 

 * "Old Stat. Acct," vol. ix., p. 235 (1793). 



