AN OCTOBER DIARY. S75 



"will teach him more and show him more than all the 

 year's hours of sunshine put together. A rainy day in 

 the woods — there is music in the very mention of it ! 

 What have I seen, at such a time, do you ask ? Rather 

 what have I not seen. I have seen skunks hunt in con- 

 cert, rolling over a decayed log to find the rich, white 

 insect larvae of which they are so fond. I have seen 

 the raccoon slowly crawl from his home among the 

 tree-roots, and stroll towards the meadow in search of 

 crayfish. I have seen the opossum with her pouch of 

 young climb to the very top of a persimmon-tree, and 

 search out the daintiest fruit that had been shrivelled 

 and sweetened by the early frosts. I have seen the 

 squirrels leave their home-tree, and, congregating on tiie 

 wild-grapevines, play in mid-air, and execute such mar- 

 vellous feats of high and lofty tumbling that the art of 

 the gymnast, on his trapeze, was very tame in compari- 

 son. I have seen leaping that matched the flight of the 

 fljn'ng squirrel ; grappling in the air of two individuals, 

 which descended as one body, swiftly as a falling stone, 

 yet which separated in the proper fraction of a second, 

 and touched the earth lightly as zephyr- wafted thistle- 

 down. This in a steady rain, when everything was 

 dripping. Was such a time chosen because of the ad- 

 vantages it offered ? Not a bit of it. The squirrels 

 simply knew that men were in their houses, and dogs in 

 their kennels, and hawks were sheltered in the cedars — 

 at least, it was so far likely to be the case that they were 

 wnlling to take the chances. The truth of this whole 

 matter is just here. There is not a mammal in the land 

 to-day that is not a closer student of man and his habita 



