THE DOUGLAS SQUIRREL 235 



of them, all fresh and clean, making the most 

 beautiful kitchen-middens imaginable. The brown 

 and yellow scales and nut-shells are as abundant 

 and as delicately penciled and tinted as the shells 

 along the sea-shore; while the beautiful red and 

 purple seed-wings mingled with them would lead 

 one to fancy that innumerable butterflies had there 

 met their fate. 



He feasts on all the species long before they are 

 ripe, but is wise enough to wait until they are ma 

 tured before he gathers them into his barns. This 

 is in October and November, which with him are 

 the two busiest months of the year. All kinds of 

 burs, big and little, are now cut off and showered 

 down alike, and the ground is speedily covered 

 with them. A constant thudding and bumping is 

 kept up ; some of the larger cones chancing to fall 

 on old logs make the forest reecho with the sound. 

 Other nut-eaters less industrious know well what is 

 going on, and hasten to carry away the cones as 

 they fall. But however busy the harvester may be, 

 he is not slow to descry the pilferers below, and in 

 stantly leaves his work to drive them away. The 

 little striped tamias is a thorn in his flesh, stealing 

 persistently, punish him as he may. The large 

 Gray Squirrel gives trouble also, although the 

 Douglas has been accused of stealing from him. 

 Generally, however, just the opposite is the case. 



The excellence of the Sierra evergreens is well 

 known to nurserymen throughout the world, con 

 sequently there is considerable demand for the 

 seeds. The greater portion of the supply has 

 hitherto been procured by chopping down the trees 



