SQUIRREL FAMILY 



I69 



each Red Squirrel is supposea to have a certain 

 territory that belongs to him, and trespassers 

 upon another's preserves are promptly driven 

 away ; also he easily vanquishes his larger cousin, 

 the Gray Squirrel, but there are many other 

 hungry wood folk not so easily disposed of, such 

 as the thieving blue jays, which know neither 

 bounds nor limits, and which are ever on the 

 alert for tempting morsels. The Red Squirrel 

 has learned through bitter experience that it is 

 better to have various storehouses for his sup- 

 plies. Nature and stern necessity have taught 

 him to make ample provisions in the season of 

 abundance for the long winter that is to follow, 

 and the quantity of food stores is often quite 



ones, but also in the manner and certainty with 

 which he gets at the kernel. Concerning this 

 art John Burroughs writes as follows : " There 

 is one thing that the Red Squirrel knows un- 

 erringly that I do not know ( there are probably 

 several things) ; that is, on which side of the 

 butternut the meat lies. He always gnaws 

 through the shell so as to strike the kernel 

 broadside, and thus easily extract it ; while to my 

 eyes there is no external mark or indication in 

 the form or appearance of the nut, as there is 

 in the hickory-nut, by which I can tell whether 

 the edge or the side of the meat is tow^ard me. 

 But examine any number of nuts that the Squir- 

 rels have rifled, and, as a rule, you will find th'ey 



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Faotograph by the U. S. Biological Survey 



FREMONT'S CHICKAREE 



Also called Pine Squirrel, from its fondness for pine and spruce cones. This was 



a young specimen 



large. Sometimes as much as a bushel and a 

 half of nuts have been taken from a hollow tree 

 occupied by a pair of Red Squirrels. This 

 probably was the main storehouse, but undoubt- 

 edly there were lesser ones which would have 

 considerably increased the amount. 



Annoying as the blue jay is, he is a real friend 

 to the Squirrels and other wood dwellers. The 

 Red Squirrel, being a constant target for gunners 

 in some localities, is very shy, and the jay often 

 sounds an alarm note when the hunter is some 

 distance away, thus warning the Squirrel in 

 time to scamper away and hide until the danger 

 is past. The blue jay, and in the northland the 

 Canada jay, have caused the hunters to lose 

 many a good shot, not only at small game, 

 but more particularly at members of the Deer 

 family. 



The Red Squirrel is an expert on the subject 

 of nuts, not only in selecting sound and good 



always drill through the shell at the one spot 

 where the meat will be most exposed. Occa- 

 tionally one makes a mistake, but not often. It 

 stands them in hand to know, and they do know. 

 Doubtless, if butternuts were a main source of 

 my food, and I were compelled to gnaw into 

 them, I should learn, too, on which side my bread 

 was buttered." 



In certain parts of the country the Red Squir- 

 rel makes inroads upon the farmer's storehouse 

 of grain, and sometimes it ventures even so far 

 as to make a nest for itself in some of the out- 

 buildings. 



Although the Red Squirrel is a good provider, 

 food sometimes becomes extremely scarce in the 

 north country, if the spring is very late, and his 

 hunger drives him to drink. He does not slake 

 his thirst at the mountain stream, but taps a 

 maple tree and later the birch. \\!\t\\ his sharp, 

 chisel-like teeth he makes an incision in the bark, 



