(_Sciurus niger._)
Mrs Black Squirrel sat in the top of a tree;
"I believe in the habit of saving," said she;
"If it were not for that, in the cold winter weather
I should starve, and my young ones, I know, altogether;
But I'm teaching my children to run and lay up
Every acorn as soon as it drops from the cup,
And to get out the corn from the shocks in the field--
There's a nice hollow tree where I keep it concealed.
We have laid up some wheat and some barley and rye,
And some very nice pumpkin seeds I have put by;
Best of all, we have gathered, in all that we could
Of beechnuts and butternuts grown in the wood;
For cold days and hard times winter surely will bring,
And a habit of saving's an excellent thing.
"But my children--you know how young squirrels like play--
'We have plenty, great plenty, already,' they'll say.
'We are tired of bringing in food for our store;
Let us all have a frolic and gather no more!'
But I tell them it's pleasant when winter is rough,
If we feel both to use and to give we've enough;
And they'll find ere the butternuts bloom in the spring
That a habit of saving's an excellent thing."
The squirrels are found in all parts of the globe except Australia,
where, however, there is a far worse pest of the agriculturist, the
abundant rabbit. All the varieties, according to the authorities,
correspond so closely in form, structure, habits and character that it
is sufficient to describe the common squirrel and its habits, in order
to gain sufficient knowledge of the whole tribe. The body of the true
squirrel is elongated, tail long, and its fur evenly parted lengthwise
along the upper surface. The eyes are large and prominent, the ears may
be either small or large, scantily covered with hair or are furnished
with tufts. The fore-legs are shorter than the rear. The fore-paws have
four toes and one thumb, the hind-paws have five toes.
The time to see the squirrels is in the early morning when they come to
the ground to feed, and in the woods large numbers may be seen frisking
about on the branches or chasing up and down the trunks. If alarmed the
squirrel springs up a tree with extraordinary activity and hides behind
a branch. This trick often enables it to escape its enemy the hawk,
and by constantly slipping behind the large branches frequently tires
it out. The daring and activity of the little animal is remarkable.
When pursued it leaps from branch to branch, or from tree to tree,
altering its direction while in the air by means of its tail, which
acts as a rudder.
It is easily domesticated and is very amusing in its habits when
suffered to go at large in a room or kept in a spacious cage, but when
confined in a little box, especially in one of the cruel wheel cages,
its energies and playfulness are quite lost. The ancient Greeks were
fully aware of its attractive qualities, and we are indebted to them
for its scientific name. That name signifies "he who is under the
shadow of his tail," and everyone who knows the meaning of the Greek
word _sciurus_ "must involuntarily think of the lively little creature
as it sits on the loftiest branches of the trees."
The favorite haunts of the squirrel are dry, shady forests. When
fruits and nuts are ripe it visits the village gardens. Where there
are many pine cones it makes its permanent home, building one or more,
usually in old nests of crows which it improves. If it does not intend
to remain long it uses the nests of magpies, crows, or birds of prey,
but the nest which it intends to serve as a permanent sleeping-place,
a shelter against bad weather, or a nursery, is newly built. It is
said that every squirrel has at least four nests; but nothing has
been definitely proven on this score. Brehm says they also build in
hollow trees; that the open-air nests usually lie in a fork close to
the main trunk of the tree; the bottom is built like one of the larger
bird nests while above there is a flat, conical roof after the manner
of magpies' nests, close enough to be impenetrable to the rain. The
main entrance is placed sideways, usually facing the east; a slightly
smaller loop-hole for escape from its many enemies is found close to
the trunk.
According to the season it eats fruit or seeds, buds, twigs, shells,
berries, grain and mushrooms. The seeds, buds and young shoots of fir
and pine trees probably form its principal food.
As soon as the animal is provided with food in abundance it lays by
stores for later and less plenteous times, carrying to its storerooms
nuts, grains and kernels, sometimes from a great distance. In the
forests of southeastern Siberia the squirrels also store away
mushrooms, and that in a very peculiar manner.
"They are so unselfish," says Radde, "that they do not think of hiding
their supply of mushrooms, but pin them on the pine needles or in larch
woods on the small twigs. There they leave the mushrooms to dry, and
in times of scarcity of food these stores are of good service to some
roaming individual of their kind."