lOS The Naturalist in Siluria. 



strewed with the dead and broken branches. He learnt 

 at lengthj discovering the cause to be Squirrels ! Their 

 mode of procedure was by peeling off the bark, not only 

 in isolated patches, but in broad rings all round the 

 branch or bole of the tree — their object, of course, being 

 to eat it — and thus naturally killing so much of the 

 branch as was above, which, after a time decaying, gave 

 way before the wind. From the manner in which my 

 informant speaks of the circumstance, I fancy that hence- 

 forth Squirrels will be scarce in the Forest of Dean, 

 especially in that portion of it committed to his care. 



I have spoken of the colour of our English Squirrel, 

 pronouncing it pretty. In its summer coat it is so cer- 

 tainly : above, a beautiful chestnut-red, and below, white. 

 In winter the upper parts become greyish, and in 

 northern countries, like many other animals, often nearly 

 pure white. But here, in Herefordshire, I have to record 

 a very singular family, as regards colour, which was 

 found in the Forest of Dean, not far from that pic- 

 turesque spot well-known to Wye tourists as " Symond's 

 Yat." One of the woodwards, already spoken of, going 

 his rounds in that neighbourhood, observed a Squirrel of 

 the usual reddish colour, but having a snow-white tail. 

 His idea was, that it might be an old one, age having im- 

 parted to it the hoary distinction. He thought no more 

 about the thing till, several weeks afterwards, when, 

 passing by the same place, he saw what he supposed to 

 be the same squirrel, but not now alone ; instead, accom- 

 panied, or rather followed, by five lesser squirrels, its 

 kittens, all with white tails, miniature imitations of the 

 mother ! This time, having his gun with him, he could 

 not resist shooting the parent, while the quintette of kits 

 scampered off into the underwood, where he lost sight of 



