Evening star., 1949-11-07
This and That
Rv CharIes r. TrncemeH

Those who are unable to forget the rat
in the squirrel will never be able to see the
animals comic side. A squirrel Is common
place enough, there is nothing more COM
monplace in the animal kingdom. Yet if
one happens to like this rodent, there is
no creature more interesting. The way q
squirrel runs around q tree to keep on the
far side and then peers down would be worth
walking miles to see If one had to.
Fortunately. one does not have to, for
Washington and its suburbs are full Of squir-
rels. In many other cities they are rare.
In this city they are found everywhere, and
their human friends never tire Of watching
them. They are solace' to tired men and
women who feed them out Of paper bags. In
wealthy homes businessmen look out the
window 1T them. Squirrels are not only
born comedians but also are four-legged
physicians who do their work so well they
bring great relief to their patients.
Our city has so many squirrels nobody
has ever attempted to count them. They all
though few of them are black and now
and then there few white ones.
It may surprise some lovers of this ami
NAL to learn that our squirrel Is not as
welcome everywhere as here. Over in Eng
land 1t Is regarded as q dangerous alien.
Our reason for alarm" says an eminent
British scientist, "is simply that the squirrel
Is very destructive to trees and that 1t is q
sorry business to plants forests for these
aliens to devour The squirrel works definitely
against tree planting. Our own species is
and to allow another one to get the upper
hand seems to be extreme foolishness."
This shows what hannens when q a,,iroo1
is taken out Of Its natural habitat and put
someplace else.
It ought to be warning for all nations
to keep their noses and their animals out
Of other nations, but Of course, it won't
The gray squirrel over here where he be-
longs is just right It does very little harm
and perhaps a great deal of good. to say
nothing OF It's aforementioned healing quail
tiles to the human mind. Not only do they
do no harm to trees here, but our squirrels
undoubtedly aid in reforestation by hiding
many seeds and nuts which grow up where
they fail to find them.
When one considers the number of squir-
rels In most of our suburban communities,
1t is amazing how very seldom one hears of
any damage they do. It is true that now
and then one will get into an attic and be-
come terrible nuisance. Perhaps once in
ten years q squirrel has been known to get
and do considerable damage trying to get
out.
Few people are so imaginative that they
can realize what q tree must mean to q
squirrel. 1t is at once his home his larder
his playground, his roadway, his school, his
baseball grounds, and his tavern. Man has
perhaps no such single thing that represents
50 much to him. Mans home is one thing
and his highway another. His pantry is
not the same as his exercise field But to
q squirrel the tree must sum up life. It Is
his ideal Of all that Is fine and helpful in the
world. II squirrels could think and talk as we
do they would use the song "Trees" as their
national anthem.
A rat? Only in q way Of speaking. It
belongs to the largest group Of animals in
the world, the rodents. It is In no sense
the comic is enough to make anyone realize
that 1t is no. rat. although when you come
right down to 1t young rats also have sense
of humor. But the squirrel Is high class
comedian. It is impossible to watch squirrels
without realizing this. Even their fear is
rather mockery than otherwise.
We asked an Englishman what the bad
gray squirrel does in England that he doesn't
do here. He says that not only does it bark
trees and eat OF leading shoots, whatever
they may be, but 1t also devourS bulbs and
buds. fruit and vegetables and the eggs and
nestlings OF birds. We would advise all
transplanted gray squirrels to hurry back to
America, where they can get nice fresh
tomatoes and sweet corn right out Of our
neisheor' garden.