A HERMIT'S WILD FRIENDS 



would dig a hole, cover it over, pat down the 

 pine-needles, but would run away with the 

 bread in his mouth. While the jays were 

 scratching the pine-needles right and left, in 

 a useless search, Bismarck would hide the bit 

 of bread, and return to the dooryard for 

 more. He was not so particular if the food 

 was wheat bread, but if it was his favorite 

 food doughnut the jays were fooled 

 every time. 



Every spring Bismarck taps the trees 

 around the cabin. He begins on the maples 

 and ends later on the birches. If the tree is 

 small, he taps the trunk ; if large, he works 

 on the limbs. He gnaws through the bark 

 and into the wood, then clings to the limb or 

 trunk, below the wound, while he laps the 

 sweet sap. If there is a hollow in the bark 

 into which the sap flows, Bismarck is sure to 

 find it. 



Did the red squirrel learn how to tap trees 

 from the American Indian, or did the Indian 

 learn from the squirrel? 



The habits of the red squirrel are rapidly 

 94 



