520 ANNUAL EEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 2 8 



INDIVIDUALITY 



This species exhibits individuality in a marked degree — in general 

 behavior, in actions, poses, food preferences, in fact in every partic- 

 ular in which we can detect individuality in an animal. 



An excellent example of individuality Avas related to me by Dr. J. 

 G. Needham who stated that a certain red squirrel developed the habit 

 of eating the terminal buds, both apical and those of the branches, of 

 spruce trees about his house, and in this way damaged the trees so 

 much that it had to be shot. No other squirrels, of which there were 

 several on the property, exhibited this habit. 



CURIOSITY 



Curiosity is an attribute which the red squirrel exhibits very prom- 

 inently. Any new object is at once seen, carefully approached and 

 investigated. It seems as if the squirrel's method of investigation 

 involves not only smelling a thing but trying it with its teeth. 



OWNERSHIP 



The sense of ownership seems to be well developed. Both of the 

 squirrels which have made the maple in my garden their headquarters 

 apparently regarded this tree as their private property, and drove 

 away other squirrels which came into it. It is quite likely that in 

 this case it was not the tree, but the stores that were arranged about 

 it, which they were defending. When the first squirrel was the 

 " OAvner " of this tree, another male, a little larger and apparently 

 as strong, sometimes came into the tree. It was immediately at- 

 tacked, and fled, hotly pursued, without putting up a fight. Once 

 I saw the intruder come into the tree while the " owner " was away, 

 and finding some pieces of meat it proceeded to eat them in such a 

 hurry that it choked. The behavior of a red squirrel which is raid- 

 ing the stores of another is so absolutely different that one can tell 

 at once that it is not the owner. 



The ownership of an article seems to be marked upon it by the 

 squirrel licking it, and by its moving it from the place in which it is 

 found. I have noticed again and again that when a squirrel finds 

 something for the first time it licks it, but when it takes out some- 

 thing which it has had in temporary storage it does not do so, and 

 that a thing when found inust be moved, even though it is moved 

 only a foot, or sometimes even six inches, and the movement does 

 not result in a better storage place. 



