98 BOMBAY DUCKS 
important organ. The animal does nothing without 
consulting it. Every time he utters his shrill, penetrat- 
ing cry the tail beats time. A vibration of the caudal 
appendage is synchronous with every movement. It 
is also an index of the animal’s state of mind. When 
a squirrel is enraged the tail performs wonderful gyra- 
tions. Jerdon says that “when alarmed the hairs of its 
tail are erected at right angles like a bottle brush.” It 
is, perhaps, not superfluous to say, by way of comment, 
that the alarm in this case is that of the squirrel, not of 
the hairs of the tail! 
Even the Madras squirrel has its redeeming features. 
Away from the bungalow it is a delightful creature—as 
playful as a kitten and as full of spirits. Two or three 
squirrels delight to gather together in an open space 
and there indulge in play. One will come up behind 
another and pretend to bite his tail, whereupon he 
upon whom the prank is played jumps high into the 
air and dashes off, followed by his comrade. After a 
little run, the first squirrel turns suddenly round and 
faces his pursuer, who then jumps over him. Hide-and- 
seek is another popular game with squirrels. 
Sciurus palmarum is a much smaller animal than he 
looks. He is mostly tail, and so weighs very little. 
Indeed so light is he that he can safely trust himself to 
any branch that will bear a myna. Squirrels delight to 
crawl about bushes and nibble the more succulent parts. 
When walking along by a hedge one often sees a 
branch moving like a reed shaken by the wind, and, on 
approach, discovers that a squirrel is the cause of the 
movement. Most squirrels have a roosting-place or 
