62 



FARM VERMIN, HELPFUL AND HURFFUL, 



species of trees suffering most in this manner are conifers, 

 especially spruce^ silver fir, and Scots pine. In young 

 thickets that have not yet begun to set flowering-buds, the 

 squirrels bite the young shoots through about four inches 

 below the terminal cluster of buds, which they can then 

 devour in comfort, whilst on older growths, whose shoots 

 will easily bear their weight, they make their meal without 

 having first to be at the trouble of biting off the shoots. 



THE SQUIRREL. 



In young pole or tree forests they are forced, in order to get 

 at the male flower-buds situated at the extremity of the thin 

 twigs, to gnaw off the shoots above the last whorl before 

 they can enjoy the dainty morsel in comfort. It is worthy 

 of note that they seem to prefer the male flower-buds to the 

 female ; the cast sprays are often to be found in large 

 numbers below the crowns of lofty spruce trees. Coniferous 

 woods in which squirrels are abundant yield but small 

 quantities of seed, for, even when there is a sufficiency of 

 female flowers, pollination is very uncertain if the male 

 flower-buds be decimated. 



