230 
Veimin of the Farm. 
tember, 1888, we watched a squirrel for some time breaking up 
and eating a large white fungus (Boletus edulis) growing under 
a tree on the lawn at Nynehead Court, near Wellington, Somer- 
set, where squirrels are fairly common. We have observed a 
similar thing also in West Sussex amongst the fine beech trees 
at Uppark. So long as attention is confined to fungi, no one 
will be disposed to complain, nor can the squirrel be blamed for 
attacking galls. If a squirrel comes across an oak tree bearing 
galls, it will break open a number, one after another, apparently 
in expectation of finding a kernel inside, or perhaps the larva of 
some gall-producing insect. Squirrels have been observed thus 
to attack galls in Ireland.* 
But the chief damage done by squii’rels is the injury caused 
to the top shoots of coniferous trees. In plantations of Scotch 
fir, larch, and occasionally spruce, they attack the trees in spring, 
between April and June, when the sap is in full flow, biting off 
the outer bark and consuming the inner. This stops the flow 
of sap, which then becomes dry and resinous, and the first high 
wind blows the top off. 
One of the wood-wards in the Forest of Dean noticed in the 
larch plantations both branches and tops broken off by the 
wind, several acres being strewn with the debris, and after some 
time discovered that this was due to the attacks of 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, thus killing so much of the branch as was above, 
which after a time decaying, gave way before the wind. 
Mr. A. D. Webster, of Llandegai, whilst walking through 
an old plantation, noticed two squirrels busily engaged in 
depriving a cluster pine of its cones. As the cones were quite 
green and hard, he was anxious to discover the reason for taking 
them. This soon became apparent, for lying at the foot of the 
tree were several cones gnawed to the heart, and all the seeds 
extracted. Some of the cones which were too heavy to carry 
were dropped to the ground to be attacked at leisure. 
“ Here,” adds Mr. Webster, “ the squirrels are very destruc- 
tive to the young buds of the horse chestnut. Lime-trees, also, 
suffer by having the bark stripped from their branches, evidently 
as material for nest-making, and the holly occasionally is treated 
in a similar manner.” 
During hard weather, squirrels have been observed to 
descend to the poultry yards and steal food from the troughs^ 
' Field, October 7, 1871. 
