522 ANNUAL EEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1928 



ity the neck is stretched out to a remarkable degree. Anger is shown 

 by stamping the hind feet and jerking the tail ; sometimes by stamp- 

 ing the front feet as well. Attention, especially listening, is shown 

 by folding one paw and placing it against the breast, if the animal 

 is on "all-fours"; or bringing both forepaws against the breast, if 

 it is sitting up. 



The voice seems to be used only in anger, pain, curiosity, and in 

 intercommunication. The long rolling " Chir-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r " is an 

 intercommunication note, and is never used unless another red squir- 

 rel is in the vicinity. 



The scolding chatter, which is so familiar to everyone, seems to 

 indicate anger, and is usually accompanied by stamping of the hind 

 feet, which action is sometimes so violent as to become a veritable 

 dance. It might be assumed that this chattering note denotes only 

 excitement and not anger, but from my observations I am inclined 

 to believe that this is not the case, as the squirrel can become very 

 excited without chattering, but as soon as its wrath is aroused by any- 

 thing, such as a person, cat, dog, another squirrel, or some activity 

 of its own which has not gone to suit it, it chatters. One incident 

 which brings this out rather well was as follows : I had put out two 

 very hard buns for the squirrel. It had some difficulty in getting 

 a firm grip on one of the buns because of the hardness and large 

 size, but finally made off with it. It ran up the branch from which 

 it usually jumped to the roof of the next house, gathered itself to- 

 gether, and sprang across. But in mid-air the bun slipped and fell 

 to the ground. The slipping of the bun upset the squirrel's leap, but 

 the animal managed to alight safely, though far from gracefully. 

 It looked over the edge of the roof, after the bun, and then chattered 

 and stamped. It soon returned for the other bun, again had a 

 struggle to grip it, carried it up the branch as before, and jumped — 

 with the same result, the bun slipping from the squirrel's teeth in 

 mid-air. After this second failure it was thoroughly angry and 

 chattered and stamped for a long time. 



The note of pain is a rather shrill scream. I have heard it from an 

 intruding squirrel when bitten by the owner of the stores it was 

 raiding. 



When the squirrel is curious, it often makes a low, " meur-meur- 

 meur " note, and guided by this note I have often been led to observe 

 that a squirrel has discovered something. 



REFLECTION 



Reflection is a mental attribute which is supposed to be character- 

 istic only of man. Yet if it is not reflection, how else are we to 

 catalogue the mental state which leads to such actions as the follow- 

 ing. I have often seen a red squirrel take a piece of food, start for 



