A Skirmish with Squirrels 321 



indeed dainty fare so good that it must be tasted 

 to be properly appreciated. Nor are the old ones, 

 when in prime condition, to be despised, as they 

 only suffer when compared with the young, there 

 naturally being a slight lack of tenderness and juici- 

 ness. Properly shot, dressed, and cooked, a fat 

 squirrel is about as appetizing a thing as a man 

 could desire. 



The gray squirrel is of plump form and compara- 

 tively short bodied ; he carries a fine tail which 

 looks not unlike a beautiful gray plume. He is 

 not so active as the red one, but he is perfectly at 

 home in the trees, where as a leaper and climber he 

 worthily represents his agile family. But, to my 

 mind, the longer and more slender black fellow is 

 the handsomest of all. His coat shines like satin, 

 and his long, glossy tail adds to his apparent slender- 

 ness and truly is an adornment gracefully worn. 

 The black squirrel is a fearless climber and a dar- 

 ing leaper. Strange to say, in spite of his color, an 

 intense black all over, he is not so easily seen after 

 he has reached the upper branches of an ordinary- 

 sized tree. He and his gray cousins are very clever 

 at hiding. They will stick so close to a trunk, or 

 lie so flat along a limb, that frequently they escape 

 observation, or are only located by the tip of a tail 

 waving in the breeze, or by the erect ears showing 

 above their hiding-place. 



The chief food of these species consists of nuts, 

 mast, and other vegetable growths, and they are 

 very fond of corn, especially when the grain is just 

 passing beyond the milky stage. At this time, 

 when at all numerous, they work no slight damage 



