THE SECRET OF THE SOIL 



How quickly bright eyes found all these 

 little comforts ! Inside of a week a 

 mother squirrel and two babies had moved 

 into the log, and from that day to this 

 the dainty, graceful creatures frisk in 

 and out unharmed, and add one of its 

 prettiest features to our surroundings. 



And the birds? Well, I do not know 

 how they manage to elude the fat and 

 saucy foe, but certain it is that they 

 are more numerous every year, and they 

 keep up such a career of raising fresh 

 broods all summer that I think the wicked 

 squirrels make but small inroads on their 

 families after all. At all events, the 

 birds show little fear of them, for I have 

 often seen birds and squirrels feeding from 

 the same table, and if the squirrels come 

 over and steal the food of the birds, 

 the latter are quite equal to returning 

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