17 松鼠

Lesson Seventeen

Squirrel

1. Squirrel is a kind of beautiful little animal that is clever, docile and attractive.

2. They have a handsome face, sparkling eyes, strong body, brisk limbs, great agility and alertness.

3. The exquisite little face, lined with a beautiful tail in the shape of a hat and tassel, is very beautiful.

4. The tail is always tilted up to the top of the head, so it hides under the tail to cool off.

5. They often sit upright, like people with their hands, and send food to their mouths with their front paws.

6. It can be said that squirrels are the least like quadrupeds.

7. Squirrels don’t hide under the ground, but often move on high places. They live on top of trees like birds, run all over the forest, and jump from tree to tree.

8. They make nests in trees, pick fruits and drink dew.

9. They come up to the ground only when the trees are blown too hard by the wind, Squirrels are rarely seen in plain areas.

10. They don’t approach people’s houses, don’t stay in small trees, and only like to live on tall old trees.

11. On a sunny summer night, squirrels can be heard hopping and screaming in trees and chasing each other.

12. They seem to be afraid of the strong sunlight, hiding in their nests during the day and running, playing and eating at night.

13. Some people say that when squirrels cross streams, they use a piece of bark as a boat and their tail as a sail and rudder.

14. Unlike mountain rat, squirrels don’t stay dormant in winter.

15. They are very alert. As long as someone touches the big tree where the squirrel is located, they will run out of the nest in the tree and hide under the branches, or flee to other trees.

16. Squirrels pick up hazelnuts in autumn and stuff them into the hollow gaps of old trees, which are saved for eating in winter.

17. In winter, they also use their claws to pull away the snow and look for hazelnuts under the snow.

18. Squirrels are very light, always jumping forward, sometimes jumping and running.

19. Their claws are so sharp and their movements are so agile that they can climb a very smooth tall tree quickly.

20. If it is annoyed, it will make a very unhappy cry.

21. Squirrels’ nests are usually set up in the branches, which are clean and warm.

22. When they build their nests, they first carry small pieces of wood, put them together at random, then tie them up with some dried moss, and then squeeze and flatten the moss to make the building spacious and firm enough.

23. In this way, they can live in it with their children, which is comfortable and safe.

24. Nest mouth is up, straight, very narrow, which can barely in and out.

25. There is a conical cover at the entrance of the nest, which covers the whole nest. When it rains, the rain flows around and does not fall into the nest.

26. Squirrels usually give birth to three or four.

27. The hair of little squirrel is grayish brown, and it changes its hair after winter. The newly changed hair is darker than the shed hair.

28. They comb their hair with their claws and teeth, and they are always bare and clean.