Lateflowering Feverfew. _Pyrethrum Scrotinum._
Dedicated to _St. Bruno_.
[343] Comp. to Almanac.
~October 7.~
_St. Mark_, Pope, A. D. 336. _Sts. Sergius_ and _Bacchus_. _Sts.
Marcellus_ and _Apuleius_. _St. Justina_ of Padua, A. D. 304. _St.
Osith_, A. D. 870.
_Purveyance for Winter._
After the harvest for human subsistence during winter, most of the
provision for other animals ripens, and those with provident instincts
are engaged in the work of gathering and storing.
Perhaps the prettiest of living things in the forest are squirrels. They
may now be seen fully employed in bearing off their future food; and now
many of the little creatures are caught by the art of man; to be encaged
for life to contribute to his amusement.
_Squirrels and Hares._
On a remark by the hon. Daines Barrington, that “to observe the habits
and manners of animals is the most pleasing part of the study of
zoology,” a correspondent, in a letter to “Mr. Urban,” says “I have for
several years diverted myself by keeping squirrels, and have found in
them not less variety of humours and dispositions than Mr. Cowper
observed in his hares. I have had grave and gay, fierce and gentle,
sullen and familiar, and tractable and obedient squirrels. One property
I think highly worthy of observation, which I have found common to the
species, as far as my acquaintance with them has extended; and that
acquaintance has been by no means confined to a few: yet this property
has, I believe, never been adverted to by any zoological writer. I mean,
that they have an exact musical ear. Not that they seem to give the
least attention to any music, vocal or instrumental, which they hear;
but they universally dance in their cages to the most exact time,
striking the ground with their feet in a regular measured cadence, and
never changing their tune without an interval of rest. I have known them
dance perhaps ten minutes in _allegro_ time of eight quavers in a bar,
thus:
[Music]
then, after a pause, they would change to the time of six quavers
divided into three quavers and a dotted crotchet, thus:
[Music]
again, after a considerable rest, they would return to common time
divided by four semiquavers, one crotchet, four semiquavers and another
crotchet, in a bar, thus:
[Music]
always continuing to dance or jump to the same tune for many minutes,
and always resting before a change of tune. I once kept a male and a
female in one large cage, who performed a peculiar dance together thus;
the male jumped sideways, describing a portion of a circle in the air;
the female described a portion of a smaller circle concentric with the
first, always keeping herself duly under the male, performing her leap
precisely in the same time, and grounding her feet in the same moment
with him.
___________________________
A/ _____________________ \B
C/_____________________\D
While the male moved from A to B, or from B to A, the female moved from
C to D, or from D to C, and their eight feet were so critically grounded
together, that they gave but one note. I must observe, that this
practice of dancing seems to be an expedient to amuse them in their
confinement; because, when they are for a time released from their
cages, they never dance, but reserve this diversion until they are again
immured.”
Mr. Urban’s correspondent continues thus, “no squirrel will lay down
what he actually has in his paws, to receive even food which he prefers,
but will always eat or hide what he has, before he will accept what is
offered to him. Their sagacity in the selection of their food is truly
wonderful. I can easily credit what I have been told, that in their
winter hoards not one faulty nut is to be found; for I never knew them
accept a single nut, when offered to them, which was either decayed or
destitute of kernel: some they reject, having only smelt them; but they
seem usually to try them by their weight, poising them in their
fore-feet. In eating, they hold their food not with their whole
fore-feet, but between the inner toes or thumbs. I know not whether any
naturalist has observed that their teeth are of a deep orange colour.”
This gentleman, who writes late in the year 1788, proceeds thus, “A
squirrel sits by me while I write this, who was born in the spring,
1781, and has been mine near seven years. He is, like Yorick, ‘a
whoreson mad fellow--a pestilent knave--a fellow of infinite jest and
fancy.’ When he came to me, I had a venerable squirrel, corpulent, and
unwieldy with age. The young one agreed well with him from their first
introduction, and slept in the same cage with him; but he could never
refrain from diverting himself with the old gentleman’s infirmities. It
was my custom daily to let them both out on the floor, and then to set
the cage on a table, placing a chair near it to help the old squirrel in
returning to his home. This was great exercise to the poor old brute;
and it was the delight of the young rogue to frustrate his efforts, by
suffering him to climb up one bar of the chair, then pursuing him,
embracing him round the waist, and pulling him down to the ground; then
he would suffer him to reach the second bar, or perhaps the seat of the
chair, and afterwards bring him back to the floor as at first. All this
was done in sheer fun and frolic, with a look and manner full of
inexpressible archness and drollery. The old one could not be seriously
angry at it; he never fought or scolded, but gently complained and
murmured at his unlucky companion. One day, about an hour after this
exercise, the old squirrel was found dead in his cage, his wind and his
heart being quite broken by the mischievous wit of his young mess-mate.
My present squirrel one day assaulted and bit me without any
provocation. To break him of this trick, I pursued him some minutes
about the room, stamping and scolding at him, and threatening him with
my handkerchief. After this, I continued to let him out daily, but took
no notice of him for some months. The coolness was mutual: he neither
fled from me, nor attempted to come near me. At length I called him to
me: it appeared that he had only waited for me to make the first
advance; he threw off his gravity towards me, and ran up on my shoulder.
Our reconciliation was cordial and lasting; he has never attempted to
bite me since, and there appears no probability of another quarrel
between us, though he is every year wonderfully savage and ferocious at
the first coming-in of filberts and walnuts. He is frequently suffered
to expatiate in my garden; he has never of late attempted to wander
beyond it; he always climbs up a very high ash tree, and soon after
returns to his cage, or into the parlour.”
For what this observant writer says of _hares_, see the 17th day of the
present month.
* * * * *