“Halloa! there he goes again,” said Frank, as he watched a nimble little animal leaping from branch to branch, and from tree-top to tree-top. “He will fall if he does not take care.” “No fear of that,” said Uncle George. “His home is among the tree-tops. He never falls. That is a squirrel, and I should not be surprised if his nest is somewhere near. Let us sit down on this bank and watch.” As he spoke, Uncle George took his pair of field-glasses out of the leather case which he sometimes carried on a strap across his shoulder, when he went out to watch the birds. “Now, Mr Squirrel,” he said, “we can watch your antics from a distance. You are a very cunning and clever little chap, no doubt.” When Uncle George and Dolly and the two boys first saw the squirrel, the little creature was on the ground, bobbing about among the ferns and the grass. The moment it saw them, however, it bounded into a tree, going swiftly up by jerk after jerk, and always keeping on the far side of the trunk. They could just see its bushy tail, first at one side of the trunk and then, much higher up, at the other side. When it reached the top part of the tree, it leapt from branch to branch in the most daring manner. “We have alarmed the creature,” said Uncle George. “But if we sit here quite still for a little while, Mr Squirrel will get over his fright. Ah, there he is.” Uncle George handed the glasses to Frank. “Now, tell us what you see,” he said, “and then Tom and Dolly shall each take a look.” “He is sitting up on his hind legs,” said Frank. “His great, bushy tail is bent right over his head. He is holding a little green thing in his fore-paws. Ah, he is eating it. Look Dolly!” and Frank handed the glasses to his little sister. “Oh, what a lovely little animal,” said Dolly; “and what pretty eyes he has. They are just like a pair of bright, black beads.” “I think Tom ought to have the glasses now,” said Uncle George. “He has been very patient indeed. Come Tom, tell us what the squirrel is like.” Tom took the glasses and looked through them for a long time. Then he said, “He is a very pretty creature, as Dolly has said. His colour is rich brown all over, except the front part of his body, which is a very light brown, changing almost to white. His tail is very large and bushy, and his ears are upright and tufted with brown hair. His fore-paws are just like little hands. He holds the nut in them and nibbles it just like a little monkey. His head is not unlike the rabbit’s head. His teeth are almost exactly like rabbit’s teeth. They are chisel-shaped, and seem to be very sharp.” “Splendid, Tom,” said his uncle, patting him on the back, “I don’t think you have left anything out. Now, let me look.” “Oh, there is another one. There are now two of them,” said Frank. “Where did that one come from?” asked his uncle, looking through the glasses. “It seemed to come out of the tree, did it not?”