NATURE'S CALENDAR 



October 6 



ing by the pasture fence, or the grove of 

 chestnuts on the hill-side, he finds that 

 other nutters are ahead of him. Chip- 

 munks race along the fences by the lane, 

 their cheeks full of beechnuts and acorns, 

 and disappear down some hole to deposit 

 their store and creep out when they 

 know by his whistling that the lad has 

 gone past and the way is clear. They are 

 earliest of the squirrels to prepare their 

 provender, making hundreds of journeys, 

 with cheeks stuffed with all sorts of good 

 things; for before the end of the month 

 (at least in the colder regions) they will 

 no longer care to brave the chilly air, un- 

 less it be for an hour or two at noon, but 

 will want to curl up in their warm little 

 caves and begin to subsist on their larder. 



As the boy climbs the fence and turns 

 into the woods, pausing a moment to 

 whistle back to Bob White, who calls 

 from the stubble-field where bands of 

 sparrows are drifting about like blown 

 leaves, he hears a rustling in the under- 

 brush, and sees a gray squirrel sitting up 

 under a big oak, clutching an acorn in the 

 little paws that are held so prettily to his 

 breast and waiting breathlessly to learn if 

 there is any danger. 



The boy sits still upon the top rail and 

 watches the animal. Satisfied that he 

 has nothing to fear, the gray drops down 

 on all fours and begins scratching among 

 the leaves, the white border of his plume- 

 like tail rippling in the clear light, and ris- 



October 7 



