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 7 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- 

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

 (Pteromys Volucella), all of them larger than these : but 



