180 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



though I ran with all speed, and though the squirrel had to 

 run nearly double the distance, from the zigzag form of the 

 fence, he would keep a-head of me. He is a cunning fellow 

 too ; for after running from rail to rail, he will often suddenly 

 crouch down on one of the projecting ends where they cross 

 each other, in hope of remaining unseen : I have often lost 

 them in this way. 



F, — Do you see that little grove in yonder bottom, exactly 

 between our house and the village ? There I once put the 

 agility of a little rogue of a red squirrel to a pretty severe 

 test. The trees are chiefly maple, cherry, and elm ; all, or 

 nearly all, though of considerable height, so slender as to be 

 easily shaken with my hands. My little gentleman was 

 enjoying himself on one of those trees, when as '' his evil 

 stars " would have it, I espied him. I knew that he would 

 not leave the grove, and for a frolic I commenced shaking, the 

 tree violently, which put him at his wit's end : he ran from 

 bough to bough, and at length leaped to another tree ; this I 

 instantly shook in the same manner, and so kept him flying 

 from tree to tree sometimes at an astonishing distance, back- 

 ward and forward through the grove, for more than half an 

 hour, without a moment's cessation. He several times 

 missed his hold, but always caught a bough in his fall, ex- 

 cept once, when he came rather heavily on the ground from 

 one of the topmost branches : he was instantly on his feet 

 again, and up in the tree before I could come near him. I 

 don't know whether he was tired, but / was, and was fain 

 to yield him the point, and leave him in quiet possession of 

 his trees. 



C. — Are there any squirrels found here besides the red 

 and the striped ? 



F. — There are three others : the Grey (^Sciurus Leu- 

 cotisj, the Black (Sciurus Niger), and the Flying Squirrels 

 (Fteromys Volucella), all of them larger than these ; but 



