166 The Flying Squirrel 
the greater part of the waking hours of the flying 
squirrels, and old and young enjoy it alike. Even 
? when the storehouses 
during the “business hours,’ 
must be filled with nuts for winter use, the same 
rollicking spirit holds sway over this squirrel band. 
The flying squirrels live in communities, but during 
the winter months a half dozen or more occupy the 
same cavity in a hollow tree. Even in the storing of 
food for winter, several may unite in collecting a 
general supply. The storehouse may be in the same 
cavity as the living quarters, or in a separate one in 
the same tree, while it is occasionally in a tree some 
little distance away. The food stored consists of nuts 
of various kinds; while in their season buds and 
fruits are much enjoyed. 
Wood choppers very often find the storehouses of the 
flying squirrels. I saw a man take six quarts of beech- 
nuts from a cavity in a large maple tree in the month 
of January, and from the same tree we counted eight 
escaping flying squirrels. In this instance the squirrels 
and beechnuts were found in separate cavities. 
We captured two of the squirrels, a male and a 
female, and the man took them home for pets. In a 
few days they were perfectly tame, and at night- 
fall they would come from their cage, and play about 
the house, apparently as contented as though they 
