282 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



acorns before burying them. This habit has never come 

 under my observation. These acorns not only had their 

 germ ends intact, but seven of them had sprouted. One 

 had sent the tap root down four inches into the mould. 

 They had been carefully set with the points downward, as 

 nicely as it could have been done by a man. They were 

 deeply covered with light mould and pine needles. Some 

 of the digging looked like the work of squirrels, but marks 

 on some of the acorns were apparently made by the beak of 

 a bird. A gray squirrel was seen near by. Had his feast 

 been interrupted by the crows or had all been at work to- 

 gether ? How does the crow know that the acorns lie buried 

 just there ? Does he remember that he planted them ? Does 

 he find them by scent? Has he seen the disturbance of the 

 pine needles, caused by the young sprout? Or has he 

 watched the squirrel, and descended to rob it of its stores? 

 Who is wise enough to interpret the workings of a crow's 

 mind ? Who can tell how far its perceptive faculties will 

 serve, or mark the boundary between instinct and reason? 

 You may say these creatures had been merely storing up 

 food against a season of want, and that is true, but it is only 

 half the truth. It is true also that many of the seeds which 

 are hidden by the squirrels are never found by them again. 

 There is an immense amount of vitality in these creatures, 

 which must be expended in some way. When the red 

 squirrel is not eating or providing food for himself, or 

 getting into some abominable mischief, he is scolding or 

 chattering in profane squirrel language at some intruder, 

 or busy burying or digging something up. We know that 

 the duck-hawk slays when it has no appetite, and leaves its 

 victims where they fall ; that the shrike impales many victims 

 which it does not eat, thus furnishing winter food for jays 

 and titmice. If rapacious birds slay for the joy of killing, 

 no doubt the squirrel plants for the joy of planting. At 

 any rate, in thus planting it fulfils one of the purposes of its 

 existence. The squirrel makes his journeys back and forth, 

 burying the acorns and hickory nuts in secret places. One 

 day, however, as he is going his accustomed path up the 

 walnut tree, a hawk swoops down and gathers the squirrel to 

 his fathers. That squirrel has stored up for future use a 



