32 BOULDER REVERIES. 



call; the other using his bill on some resound- 

 ing fragment of a neighboring snag. The note 

 of the ground cricket, feeble and low, is un- 

 ceasing. 



The falling of the acorns becomes more fre- 

 quent and, placing aside my notebook, I step 

 beneath the oak and gaze upward through its 

 maze of foliage. I soon sight the squirrel, 

 about 30 feet up, sitting on his haunches and 

 enjoying his meal of mast. He sees me, too, 

 and for a time is silent and suspicious. Then, 

 regaining his courage, the saucy little rascal 

 darts along the limb and down the bole of the 

 tree to a branch about ten feet directly over my 

 head. There he snarls and scolds and jerks his 

 tail in unison, staring meanwhile at me with 

 eyes alert and ears erect. I remain motionless 

 and he keeps up his noise and tail gyrations for 

 at least ten minutes, until he has attracted to the 

 tree-top some inquisitive crows, and I am tired 

 of the up-gazing. As I move back toward the 

 boulder he scampers upward, scolding on the 

 way, until he reaches a dizzy height in the top- 

 most branches. There he stretches himself out 



