THE BRITISH OR LIGHT-TAILED SQUIRREL 709 



Woodpecker. The Rev. A. Ellison finds that in Ireland it is 

 one of the worst enemies of small birds, of which it devours 

 both eggs and young. Indeed, once the bird-nesting habit 

 has been acquired — for it must be admitted that it does not 

 manifest itself universally in the species — eggs, fledgelings, or, 

 if they can be surprised, even adult birds are all acceptable ; ^ 

 and one has even been discovered in the act of carrying off a 

 small chicken from a poultry yard. It is a clumsy robber, and 

 its handiwork may be recognised by the portions of its repast 

 left behind or scattered about the raided nest. Captain Reid 

 protected a Woodpecker's nest from further disturbance by 

 smearing a ring of tar around the trunk. 



The Squirrel is not content to restrict itself to such 

 provender as is provided by woods. All through the year it 

 may be seen, either in search of food or of nesting materials, 

 grubbing assiduously on the ground, often at a little distance 

 from trees. At such times it is very active, working hard and 

 spending much time at its exercise. From time to time it 

 desists from its exertions either to survey its surroundings or to 

 drive away a comrade — the pursuit being often hot enough to 

 include much doubling and winding, and perhaps a chase up a 

 tree. Frequently also it sits bolt upright, the 

 tail lying at right angles along the ground 00 



evidently as a support, and, holding some dainty 

 in its paws, nibbles and eats ; but if the object ^^^ 



of its attentions be of comparatively large, 

 although portable size, it usually retires with ' 



its booty up a tree, as when Mr W. Evans found J 



one carrying a mutton bone fully 7 inches long. fig. 100.— Spoor 

 Its gait is not a walk or a run, but a series of °^ squirrel in 

 short leaps, the fore and hind limbs working 

 together in pairs. On its terrestrial expeditions it has been 

 found to devour plantains, daffodils, crocuses (the whole plant), 

 tubers of the lesser celandine, Indian corn and ants' eggs. It 



* Cocks says (t'n lit.) :— " There are some spruce firs near the house here 

 [Poynetts], always utilised by sparrows for nesting, 25 to 30 feet up, but for several 

 years now not a single young bird has flown, all the nests being regularly raided 

 by squirrels. They destroyed a nest-box in a Scotch Fir adjoining these. If they 

 thus take every sparrow from this particular scattered lot of spruces they must do 

 serious damage to other small birds of more value.'' 



