MASTER IMPUDENCE 97 
objection to the squirrels appropriating them for their 
nests if they did not expect me to find them building 
materials. That is the worst of a squirrel; you give 
him an inch, and he takes an ell; you allow him a free 
site for his nest,and he destroys a brand-new “ Curzon” 
topee because he takes a fancy to the materials of which 
it is made. 
Having constructed the nest with ill-gotten materials, 
Mr. and Mrs, Impudence proceed to stock it with young 
squirrels, The nest, I may say, is not much to boast 
of in the way of architecture; it is merely a mass of 
hay, wool, and soft fibrous material, in the middle of 
which is a hole. Here the youngsters first see the light. 
Two, three, or four are usually born at one time, and 
ugly little beasts they are. They are blind, and have 
not a hair on the body, but, curiously enough, the skin 
shows distinct signs of the light and dark stripes which 
are so characteristic of the adult. 
It is, of course, a matter of common knowledge how 
the squirrel acquired his stripes. It was before the days 
of the British a7, when there were no bridges across 
the Ganges. Hanuman had to cross that sacred river 
on urgent business, and, no boat being available, the 
animals obligingly offered to make a living bridge for 
him. 
Unfortunately, the backs of some, notably the porcu- 
pine, were not quite so soft to walk upon as could be 
desired, so Hanuman slipped, and his fingers, when he 
fell, rested on the squirrel’s back and made five dark 
marks on it, which have since remained. 
The beauty of the squirrel is his tail. That is a most 
H 
