NORTHERN GRAY AND BLACK SQUIRREL. 11 



Like all the true squirrels, this species is arboreal in 

 its habits, quick, and alert : — it rises with the sun, and 

 continues industriously engaged in search of food during 

 four or five hours in the morning, running over logs, 

 ascending trees and playfully coursing from limb to limb. 

 During the warm weather of spring it prej)ares its cradle 

 or nest on the branch of a tree, constructing it of dried 

 sticks which it breaks oft\ or, if these are not at hand, of 

 green twigs as thick as a finger, which it gnaws from the 

 boughs. These it lays in the fork of a tree or of some 

 large branch so as to make a framework : it then lines 

 this framework with leaves ; and over these again spreads 

 a layer of moss. In the preparation of this nest, a pair 

 is usually engaged for an hour in the morning, during 

 several successive days, and the noise they make in cut- 

 ting the branches and dragging the leaves may be heard 

 at some distance. In winter they reside entirely in 

 holes of trees, where their young in most instances are 

 brought forth. The young are from four to six in num- 

 ber; and in a few weeks are sufficiently advanced to 

 leave their nest. It is generally believed that this 

 squirrel lays up a great hoard of food as a winter supply, 

 but Dr. Bachman doubts the fact, thouj^h he admits that 

 other northern species do. Further he states that the 

 species which inhabit the southern portion of the United 

 States, where the ground is seldom covered with snow, 

 derive in winter a ])recarious subsistence from seeds, in- 

 sects, and woi-ms, which are scratched up among the 

 leaves. We may here observe that, singulaily enough, 

 no one has noticed the fact, excepting Mr. C. Coward 

 ('Mag. Nat, Hist.,' New Series, June, 1839, p. 311), 

 of our common British squirrel being carnivorous as well 

 as frugivorous ; such is, however, the case : it attacks 

 young birds and greedily devours them, nor is even the 

 wood-pigeon safe from its assaults. The Northern gray 

 squirrel feeds on nuts and various seeds, but it seems to 

 prefer the shell-bark (Cmya alba) and the several spe- 

 cies of hickory to any other food. Green corn and 

 young wheat suffer greatly from its depredations, and 

 hence a war of wholesale destruction is everywhere 



