336 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



need hardly say that the story of its emasculating its rival is 

 an ancient, picturesque, and sanguinary myth. 



There is evidence, however, that the contest is no foregone 

 issue. 



On the 2d of January, 1905, I climbed up to the box 

 mentioned in the chapter on young. I expected to find the 

 owner at home, as the Red-squirrels were daily to be seen. 

 The box was crammed with leaves and bark strips. A bunch 

 in the centre seemed to move. A finger thrust proved that a 

 warm, furry creature was within, another poke, and out leaped, 

 not the prima donna, but a fat Gray-squirrel, the sole occupant 

 of the nest. If the two kinds are at war, and the Red is the 

 stronger, why was the Gray-squirrel there ? 



VALUE Should we preserve the Red-squirrels in view of the fact 



that they destroy a certain amount of grain, fruit, and song- 

 birds every year ? These are serious charges, and I cannot 

 refute them in detail; but I know that my grounds abound 

 now, as they have for years, with grain, fruit, song-birds, and 

 Red-squirrels, showing that these are not incompatible. They 

 are near some sort of balance. It may prove a wise thing to 

 keep the Chickaree numbers down since their natural foe, the 

 Marten, is gone from New England, but I am far from joining 

 with those who would welcome its extinction. Indeed, I 

 should wofully miss the noisy little rascals if I did not see them 

 at their daily play, and I hope that the Red-squirrels will fre- 

 quent my grounds at least as long as I do. 



