Rural School Leaflet 1247 



leading out under the snow. These tunnels have frequent doorways 

 to the surface, but the mice seldom come out in winter. Their small 

 footprints are arranged in twos, the hind feet falling exactly in the prints 

 of the fore feet. They have many natural enemies, such as marsh and 

 rough-legged hawks, all the smaller hawks and owls, shrikes, skunks, 

 weasels, and the diminutive mole-shrew. 



SQUIRRELS 



A. H. Wright 



There are several kinds of squin-els in this State, which differ widely 

 in their appearance and habits — red, gray, fox, and flying squirrels, 

 chipmunks, and woodchucks. 



Red squirrel 

 The red squirrels, or chickarees, are well-known little " chatterboxes," 

 found in all our woods, even among the densest evergreens. Their size 

 is small — they are twelve and one-half inches in length ; their backs 

 are red, varying in shade, and the under parts are white or gray. They 

 arc the proud possessors of bushy tails. They are c^ueer bundles of 

 characteristics, inquisitive, audacious, insolent, and mischief -loving, but 

 intelligent, persevering, industrious, and clever, with an iiTcsistible sense 

 of humor. Chattering and busy throughout the day, they cut off pine 

 cones before they arc rii)c and chestnuts while still in the l:)ur. They 

 store mushrooms in the forks of trees, awaiting the time of need. Their 

 food is varied: nuts, acorns, seeds and roots, buds and leaf stems of 

 certain trees, several species of toadstools and other fungi, seeds from 

 cones of pines and spruces, fruits and berries, beetles, birds' eggs, and 

 even young Ijirds. Scraps of meat or fish prove very acceptable whenever 

 availaljle. The red squirrels are expert climbers and good swimmers, 

 and make good time in covering the ground. They travel l^y bounds, 

 and leave footprints that consist of three or four impressions, the hind 

 feet falling just ahead of and outside the fore feet. Unlike the track of 

 the ral^bit, the toe marks arc distinct. In the tree tops the red squirrels 

 are perfectly at home and can climb out on the smallest twigs. They 

 often establish regular paths from their nests to their feeding grounds, 

 passing from tree top to tree top with quick, light jumps. These squirrels 

 do not hibernate, but retire to their nests for the worst storms. The 

 nests may be located in a hollow limb, a hollow in the ground, or a hollow 

 log; or sometimes the squirrels build outside nests of twigs and bark, which 

 are great, ball-like structures, sixteen inches across with a chamber of six 

 inches. These they often place high up in evergreen trees. The four to 

 six young are bom about the first of April. 



