THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



365 



was made of dried grass and paper and 

 the central portion was of very finely 

 divided pieces. On July 17, a small 

 squeaking sound announced the presence 

 of a new life. On inspection, this tiny 

 hit of pink squirrel life was found to he 

 "the size of a peanut goody" as one of 

 the children expressed it. In the skin 

 could be seen the pigmented stripes in- 

 dicating the position of the future black 

 hairs. It is remarkable that though it 

 squeaked when disturbed the first two 

 days, thereafter it remained absolutely 

 quiet when handled until over a month 

 old. ( hi July 28, eleven days old, it 

 measured three inches from tip to tip, 

 was ill shaped, hairless, blind. Its head 

 was larger than its body. Very slight 

 noticeable growth of hair started at this 

 time. By August 6, the hair covered 

 its head sufficiently to give it a velvety 

 appearance. Two days later it extended 

 over its body, giving natural color to 

 the squirrel. Its tail, however, was rat- 

 like. August 12, it measured four 

 inches from tip to tip and the accom- 

 panying picture will give a good idea 

 of a chipmunk twenty-six days old. Au- 

 gust 19 it squeaked and struggled when 

 taken from the nest. This was the first 

 sound I had heard it emit since it was 

 two days old. August 20, thirty-five 

 days old, its eyes opened for the first, 

 a much longer time than is required for 

 kittens, rabbits, &c. After August 23, 

 its tail became distinctly bushy. It was 

 shy and avoided being handled, but made 

 no attempt to bite. August 25 it was 

 found running about in its cage and 

 appeared almost half grown. Although 

 it was handled every day it became cross 

 during nut storing time and made at- 

 tacks as if to bite but never bit through 

 the skin, though no doubt it could have 

 done so had it tried. A tight, warm box 

 was fitted to the cage for winter and 

 this the two made their nest and stored 

 their food. Even during the coldest days 

 of winter, if the cage was tapped upon, 

 the young one would come out and take 

 what food was offered although there 

 was a plentiful supply in store. As the 

 <-a_,r was not kepi in the house it was 

 several times below zero when he res- 

 ponded to my call. This indicates that 

 they do not lie dormant as some suppose. 



I have frequently seen wild ground- 

 squirrels out in mild days of winter. 

 The cage door having been left open, the 

 old one escaped and was not seen again. 

 The young one knowing no other home 

 permitted me to pick it up and put it 

 back into its cage. Several times after 

 this it escaped but played around the 

 yard until replaced. This unfortunate 

 squirrel fell a victim to an animal bur- 

 glar. In the mouth of July when one 

 year old a large rat attracted by the 

 store of nuts and grain, gnawed into 

 the cage and foully murdered the squir- 

 rel and having devoured his head, drag- 

 ged him out and took possession of the 

 nest. It may be well to state that there 

 are generally several young ground- 

 squirrels in a family. I have often seen 

 five or six run into the same hole. 



0W3EY, THE RAILWAY POSTAL 

 CLERKS' MASCOT. 



In the autumn of the year 1886, a 

 miserable little cur, cold, wet, hungry, 

 with his tail between his legs, slipped 

 into the post office at Albany, New York. 

 He was not observed until the time ar- 

 rived for sending off the mail bags, 

 when he was found curled up and asleep 

 on the pile of leather pouches. As he 

 so plainly was friendless and so plainly, 

 too. was begging to be adopted by some- 

 body, the clerk sympathised with him, 

 fed him and gave him a little kind treat- 

 ment. He asked for nothing more. He 

 was satisfied and stayed in the office un- 

 til he had recovered his wasted strength. 

 Where he had come from was not 

 known. Why he came into the post 

 office rather than into any other warm 

 and comfortable building was as great 

 a mystery. Tie soon fell into the habit 

 of following the pouches, for which he 

 seemed to have a special affection, trot- 

 ting behind the mail wagon to the rail- 

 road station. There he one day seemed 

 to conceive a new notion. He decided 

 to travel. Shooing into the mail car, un- 

 observed as he had been at the post 

 office, he went to sleep on the bags, un- 

 til a clerk discovered him, when his ap- 

 pealing looks and movements again 

 brought him sympathy and welcome. 

 He w r as absent for a long time. Where 



