328 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



FOOD IN The Red-squirrel's chief food in sprine is presumably the 



SPRING . . , ■ ^ r i 



same as m wmter, namely, stores carried over irom the year 

 before, eked out with poplar bark. As a matter of fact these 

 stores are laid up for spring as much as for winter. Many 

 times during the spring time I have seen Red-squirrels licking 

 eagerly the twigs of a sweet birch (B. lent a) opposite my 

 window. I could not see that they got anything; they certainly 

 were not removing the bark. It has, however, a new variation 

 of diet at this season, for now the sapsucker comes from the 

 south and taps numerous trees, maple, aspen, etc., to feed on 

 the coagula.ted syrup, and on the insects caught therein. The 

 Red-squirrel makes the most of the chance, and following the 

 sapsucker, steals the product of its labour; sap and insects 

 both are acceptable. Thus the Squirrel becomes for a season 

 a sort of parasite on the hard-working woodpecker. 



A most interesting case of odd companionship has been 



put on record' by T. A. Gentry. It may be of the same class 



as this. 



ODD " In the hollow of an oak-tree, not far from Germantown 



PANioN- [says he], lives an individual of the common Chickaree Squirrel 



^^^^ (Sciurus hudsonicus) with a specimen of this little owl [saw-whet 



or Acadian] as his sole company. They occupy the same hole 



together in perfect harmony and mutual good-will. It is not 



an accidental temporary association, for the bird and the 



Squirrel have repeatedly been observed to enter the same hole 



together, as if they had always shared the apartment. But 



what benefit can either derive from the other.?" 



The only explanation that I can suggest is that the 

 Squirrel went there to feed on the Mice and small birds that 

 the owl often stores in one corner of its house. I expect the 

 owl was not benefited at all. Similar cases are mentioned in 

 the Fox and Badger chapters. 



HABITS This species does not hibernate, so far as my observation 



WINTER goes. I have seen them abroad during very cold weather, 



even 20 degrees and 30 degrees below zero; and throughout the 



^ Coues's Birds of the Northwest, 1874, p. 317. 



