gardens. Where there are many pine According to the season it eats fruit 



cones it makes its permanent home, or seeds, buds, twigs, shells, berries, 



building one or more, usually in old grain and mushrooms. The seeds, 



nests of crows which it improves. If buds and young shoots of fir and 



it does not intend to remain long it pine trees probably form its principal 



uses the nests of magpies, crows, or food. 



birds of prey, but the nest which it in- As soon as the animal is provided with 

 tends to serve as a permanent sleeping- food in abundance it lays by stores for 

 place, a shelter against bad weather, or later and less plenteous times, carrying 

 a nursery, is newly built. It is said to its storerooms nuts, grains and ker- 

 that every squirrel has at least four nels, sometimes from a great distance, 

 nests; but nothing has been definitely In the forests of southeastern Siberia 

 proven on this score. Brehm says they the squirrels also store away mush- 

 also build in hollow trees; that the open- rooms, and that in a -very peculiar 

 air nests usually lie in a fork close to manner. 



the main trunk of the tree; the bottom "They are so unselfish," says Radde, 



is built like one of the larger bird nests "that they do not think of hiding their 



while above there is a flat, conical supply of mushrooms, but pin them on 



roof after the manner of magpies' nests, the pine needles or in larch woods on 



close enough to be impenetrable to the the small twigs. There they leave the 



rain. The main entrance is placed side- mushrooms to dry, and in times of 



ways, usually facing the east; a slightly scarcity of food these stores are of good 



smaller loop-hole for escape from its service to some roaming individual of 



many enemies is found close to the their kind." 

 trunk. 



THE ROBIN'S MISTAKE. 



L. WHITNEY WATKINS. 



The scene was the bank of a crystal brook 



Where a saucy young robin had paused to look, 



As the morning sun had gilded the waves 



Which sparkled and sang thro' the autumn days. 



He glanced at the leaves, that had copied his breast, 



The leaves that in springtime had shielded his nest; 



Then turning his head with a bird like grace, 



He searched in the stream for his mirrored face. 



Not his mottled coat of rusty brown 



He saw in the brook-bed sloping down, 



But a touch of gray with an amber dab 



The reflected form of a brooklet crab. 



He gazed in surprise at the specter- like thing, 



Then chirping aloud and raising each wing, 



In terror he turned from the ghost-haunted place 



And met on the bank the real crab face to face. 



Young Robins, like "others," are inclined to be "gay," 



And our hero's misfortune occurred in this way: 



He considered a moment; his foe seemed quite weak, 



And he ventured a peck with his slim, shiny beak. 



A flutter, a scream up the bank Robin came; 



He found two could play at the same little game, 



And the waves as they fled, with a smile and a gleam, 



Carried crab and brown feathers adown v. ; J f ^e stream. 



24 



