of 



But this is thesis work for the doctors of philo- 

 sophy, not a task for farmers and mere watchers in 

 the woods. The chipmunks are in no danger be- 

 cause of my zeal for science; not that I am uninter- 

 ested in the capacity of their cheeks in terms of 

 oats, but that I am more interested in the whole 

 squirrel, the whole family of squirrels. 



When the first frosts come, the family if they 

 are still a family seek the nest in the ground 

 beneath the stone wall. But they do not go to sleep 

 immediately. Their outer entrances have not yet 

 been closed. There is still plenty of fresh air, and, 

 of course, plenty of food, acorns, chestnuts, hickory 

 nuts, and oats. They doze quietly for a time and eat, 

 pushing the empty shells and hulls into some side 

 passage prepared beforehand to receive the debris. 



But soon the frost is creeping down through the 

 stones and earth overhead, the rains are filling the 

 outer doorways and shutting off the supply of fresh 

 air, and one day, though not sound sleepers, the 

 family cuddles down and forgets to wake, until 

 the frost has begun to creep back toward the sur- 

 face, and down through the softened soil is felt the 

 thrill of the waking spring. 



