202 THE ESSEX NATURALIST, 
2. Seven counties where the invaders have a precarious 
footing, viz. :— 
Hampshire. Warwickshire. Stirlingshire. 
South Devon. Lancashire (South). Fifeshire. 
Oxfordshire. 
3. Five counties where there are only casual records, viz. :-— 
Essex. Berkshire. Mid Lothian. 
Cambridgeshire. West Lothian. 
CONCLUSION. 
This completes my narrative, and although the census I had. 
amongst my objects is not complete it is clear that there must 
now be many thousands of grey squirrels settled in the British 
Isles, and, it may be asked, What of their future ? 
My conjecture is that they will maintain themselves, prob- 
ably increase in numbers, and disperse in suitable areas, that 
is In woodland districts. Where there are no trees there are no 
squirrels, and this condition at once debars them from large 
stretches of the country. In this connection, it has to be noted. 
that it is open parkland with trees, not large or close woodland 
areas, that seems to make the best home for the grey squirrel. 
It has not established itself in any of our large forests such 
as Epping, the New Forest, the Forest of Dean, the close beech- 
woods of the Chilterns or Delamere Forest, and notin the afforested. 
parts of the Highlands. Wherever it becomes a nuisance or a 
pest it can readily be reduced in numbers and kept within 
bounds by shooting or trapping; to the last-named method 
it seems to fall an easy victim. Complete extermination is not 
likely by’ such methods, nor is it probably aimed at, and if 
extermination comes about it will more likely be by some epi- 
demic similar to what often-times afflicts our native red squirrel. 
Squirrels have no powerful natural enemies in this country, 
although the jay, which plunders the red squirrel’s nest of its. 
young, would, no doubt, help itself to those of the grey squirrel 
if the opportunity came to it ; and dogs and perhaps cats may 
take some toll of them, not to méntion human enemies. In 
any case, I am of opinion that the grey squirrel can never become 
wide-spread and dominant like our other introduced animals, 
the rabbit and the brown rat, although some unfriendly critics. 
compare it with the last-named, an entirely dissimilar species. 
