170 The Flying Squirrel 
influences, and the whole family of our flying squirrels 
must have visited the forest nightly, judging by the 
quantities of nuts that were stored in boxes in the 
attic and in the stub of the old maple tree. The 
family lived happily together that winter, but the 
next spring most of the young ones sought homes of 
their own, most likely in the forest near by. Other 
young were reared in the attic and the old tree, but 
the following August they all mysteriously disap- 
peared, both old and young, probably obeying some 
migratory instinct. It is worthy of note that the 
autumn following their disappearance the nut crop 
was a complete failure in that immediate vicinity. 
Is there any connection between the two circum- 
stances? If so, flying squirrels are as wise as they 
are beautiful. 
Besides nuts, buds, and various roots the flying 
squirrels, both those born in captivity and the wild 
ones, are particularly fond of meat. Without doubt 
they catch sleeping birds and also destroy eggs and 
fledgelings. By reason of this taste they have proved 
themselves to be quite a source of annoyance to trap- 
pers, destroying the bait intended for larger game, 
springing the traps, and of course many times being 
caught. Because of this interference trappers some- 
times attempt to reduce the number of flying squirrels 
