Sucklers. 9483 



an old number of the ' Field') an extract from " The American Country 

 Gentleman," noticing the fact of the squirrels of that country planting 

 acorns, and "thus perfoiming an essential service to the landowner." 



No. 3's mode of proceeding, which I often watched with a binocular, 

 was as follows : — When he found a nut, he placed it in his mouth with 

 his fore paws, and ran off at a gallop until he came to a soft piece of 

 turf, scraped a hole, placed the nut in it, and readjusted the grass and 

 moss by a few quick pats with his fore paws, the whole process being 

 conducted with the greatest grace, quickness and gravity, if I may use 

 the expression. In all this his example was followed by squirrel 

 No. 1, to whom it seemed to be a new, idea ; but while No. 8 made 

 burying his principal occupation, and mei'ely snatched an occasional 

 minute to eat, No. 1 made a different arrangement, eating half a dozen 

 nuts for every one she hid. When No. 3 searched for the already- 

 bidden nuts it seemed as if he was guided by scent, but of this we 

 could not, of course, be sure. Often he would scrape one up, run off 

 for a few yards, and bury it again, but whether he did this or ate it, 

 he always cleaned it by rubbing it between his paws. Sometimes he 

 carried a nut over a bridge, about a hundred yards from the feeding- 

 ground, and it was interesting to observe how he ran quickly from tree 

 to tree, pausing at the foot of each to listen, and ready to take refuge 

 in the branches at a moment's warning. The squirrel's pace, when at 

 speed, is a quick bounding gallop, but when searching for food on the 

 ground they rather crawl than run. 



As might be expected, the two squirrels were not always at peace. 

 No. 3 would bury a nut under the tree on which No. 1 was resting; 

 down she would come to pilfer the dainty, and many a tail-on-end 

 chase was the consequence; however, they never seemed to do each 

 other any harm. One day I saw No. 1 make a narrow escape. She 

 was busily feeding, when suddenly she sat up for a moment, then 

 made a rush for the nearest tree, and got to a branch about twelve 

 feet from the ground, on which she crouched. Presently a large stoat 

 appeared from behind a bush, and ran once or twice round the tree, 

 the squirrel evidently watching its motions ; soon, however, the stoat 

 noticed the nearness of human beings, and took itself off; but it was 

 some time before poor No. 1 had courage to descend again to her 

 nuts. 



One thing I must not forget to mention, the squirrels arrived at 

 various times in the morning, but were never seen after 2 P. M. ; where 

 they retired to we could never make out. In addition to the remarks 

 on the food of this species in a former notice (Zool. 9359), I may 



