The Flying Squirrel 169 
were in their forest home. It was found, however, 
that care must be exercised, for the squirrels seemed 
to enjoy trying their teeth on almost everything except 
iron. In the spring comfortable quarters were made 
for the squirrels in the woodshed attic, with just 
enough of the wild about to remind them of their old 
home. At the rear of the attic stood a large maple 
tree, the boughs of which touched the house; the old 
tree had but one cavity, but it was supplemented by 
a woodpecker stub brought from the grove near by, 
and fastened in an upright position about thirty feet 
from the ground. It did not take the squirrels long 
to find an opening at the end of the attic by the old 
tree, and thus their playground was considerably 
enlarged. 
In the old stub the first litter was born, and as 
soon as these young squirrels were large enough to 
enjoy night frolics the attic became their playhouse. 
The distance from the old tree to the edge of the 
forest, where the beechnuts and chestnuts were plenti- 
ful, was only twenty rods, and it was an easy twenty 
rods, for the squirrels made use of a fence and an 
orchard. 
By the time the frost had touched the leaves in 
the forest, leaving them russet, red, and gold, the old 
instinct had conquered the few months of civilizing 
