iVA TURE ' S CA L END A R 



45 



That admirable observer, the author of 

 Little Beasts of Field ami Wood, gives us 

 a pleasant seasonal note quotable just 

 here : 



" In March the red squirrels tap the 

 maple -trees for their sap by gnawing 

 through the bark on the upper sides of 

 horizontal branches. The little cavities 

 so made quickly fill to overflowing, and, 

 stretched out at ease, the squirrels regale 

 themselves to their satisfaction. . . . But 

 their lives are far too busy to allow them 

 to spend their entire time in this manner, 

 and during their absence the sap is apt 

 to form into icicles, which, when the 

 temperature of the wind and other con- 

 ditions are favorable, may be constantly 

 evaporating and gathering new material 

 at the same time, so that the sugar con- 

 tained in the sap finally collects in rich, 

 honey-colored drops of syrup at the ex- 

 tremity of the icicle, possessing an even 

 more refined and delicious flavor than 

 that obtained by the more violent proc- 

 ess of boiling. The squirrels appear per- 

 fectly capable of appreciating this fact, 

 and are pretty certain to be on hand to 

 gather it before it drops, although often 

 obliged to exert themselves to the utmost 

 to reach it." 



That old sleeper, the woodchuck, is re- 

 called to life and staggers sleepily to the 

 mouth of his burrow to see how the world 

 gets on. Once awake, he stays out, regard- 

 less of any bad weather to follow— and it 



March i6 



March 17 



