302 CAMP-FIRES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



not. I do not recall that we saw more than one, a very 

 cheerful and saucy individual who inhabited a big spruce 

 at Camp Hornaday. Every morning he would awaken 

 very early, perch high in the big spruce nearest to our 

 tent, and bark and scold at Kaiser, the horses, the cook, 

 and every living thing in sight. His truculent chatter, 

 heard daily for many days, now is associated with the 

 smell of boiling coffee, and the sizzle of goat steaks in 

 the frying-pan. On general principles he objected to our 

 presence there, but whenever he saw Kaiser he became 

 positively abusive. When very angry his bark was like 

 the yapping of a small fox. 



This squirrel, which is very like our eastern red 

 squirrel, has a habit which implies genuine reasoning 

 powers. It collects mushrooms, — which it does not eat 

 when fresh, — puts them in the sun, and dries them until 

 they are acceptable. The average eastern hunter does not 

 readily believe that the half-dozen or more mushrooms 

 which he finds lying in a row a-top of a log, or grouped 

 on a rock, or fixed in the forks of young conifers, were 

 really gathered and placed there by red squirrels, to cure. 

 But it is true. Charlie Smith says that the dried product 

 is stored for winter use. 



The Pack-Rat* has already been mentioned. Al- 

 though this droll and interesting creature inhabits the 

 mountains quite up to timberline, it chanced that we saw 

 none after leaving Smith's ranch. Jack Lewis declared 

 that when he and Mr. Phillips were benighted on Sheep 

 Mountain, and he fell asleep by the smouldering camp- 



* Ne-o-to'ma ctn-e're-a drummondt. 



