point; then it goes out on one of the 

 horizontal branches and generally 

 jumps to the tip of a branch of another 

 tree, covering in these jumps distances 

 of four or five yards, always in a down- 

 ward direction. How necessary the 

 bushy tail is for leaping has been dem- 

 onstrated by cruel experiments, which 

 consisted in cutting off the tail of some 

 captive squirrel. It was then seen that 

 the mutilated creature could not leap 

 half so far as one having a tail. The 

 squirrel is an excellent swimmer, though 

 it does not go into the water willingly." 



The squirrel eats fruit or seeds, buds, 

 twigs, shells, berries, grain, and mush- 

 rooms. The seeds, buds, and young 

 shoots of fir and pine trees form its 

 principal food. It bites pine cones off 

 at the stem, comfortably sits down on 

 its haunches, lifts the cone to its mouth 

 with its forepaws, and turning it con- 

 stantly around, it bites off one little 

 scale after another with its sharp teeth, 

 until the kernel is reached, which it 

 takes out with its tongue. Hazel nuts 

 are a favorite dainty with it. Bitter 

 kernels, like almonds, for instance, are 

 poison to it; two bitter almonds are 

 suf^cient to kill it. 



When food is abundant the squirrel 

 lays by stores for less plenteous times. 

 In the forests of southeastern Siberia it 

 stores away mushrooms. "They are so 

 unselfish," says Radde,"that they do not 

 think of hiding their supply of mush- 

 rooms, but pin them on the pine 

 needles or in larch woods on the small 

 twigs. There they leave the mush- 



rooms to dry, and in times of scarcity 

 of food these stores are of good service 

 to some roaming individual of their 

 kind." 



Four weeks after the breeding-season 

 the female gives birth to from three to 

 seven young, in the softest, best located 

 nest; the little ones remain blind for 

 nine days and are tenderly nurtured by 

 the mother. After they have been 

 weaned the parents leave the young to 

 their fate. They remain together for a 

 while, play with each other and soon 

 acquire the habits of their parents. By 

 June it is said the female has another 

 family, and when they also are so far 

 grown up that they can roam around 

 with her, she frequently joins her first 

 litter, and one may see the entire band, 

 sometimes consisting of from twelve to 

 sixteen members, gamboling about in 

 the same part of a wood. 



The squirrel is a very cleanly animal, 

 licking and dressing its fur unceasingly. 



The finest squirrel skins come from 

 Siberia, and the farther east they are 

 procured the darker and more valuable 

 they are. The back and under part of 

 the furs are used separately. Russia 

 and Siberia annually furnish from six 

 to seven million skins, valued at about 

 one million dollars. Most of these 

 skins are manufactured in Russia and 

 exported to China. Besides the skins, 

 the tails are employed as boas, and the 

 hair of the tail makes good painters' 

 brushes. The flesh is white, tender, 

 and savory, and is much esteemed by 

 epicures. 



aN ORDERS GRAY/ 



E. F. MOSBY. 



VERY demure is the soft gray of 

 the catbird's garb, but under it 

 is hidden a spirit ever ready 

 for frolic and fun. His liquid, 

 shining eyes are very innocent, yet 

 they are full of mischief. He always 

 looks to me as if he had a secret — one, 



however, that he is willing to share 

 with any friendly looker-on. Not even 

 the chat takes a more genuine delight 

 in sport. Hide-and-seek is a favorite 

 game with the whole tribe, and in their 

 shadowy gray, how they glide through 

 the branches and lurk in the thick 



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