114 OUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBORS 



scamper through the trees, as the case might 

 be. 



When the squirrels began to come to the 

 dooryard for nuts that grew on the big walnut, 



A.t the least alarm they would flatten out on a limb and were not easily seen 

 from below. 



and rabbits played on the lawn, while the birds 

 sang gaily overhead, the Naturalist decided 

 to call the place "Tamakoche," which, in the 

 language of the Dakota Sioux Indians, means, 

 "His own country," or "His own land." 



The fox squirrel of the Mississippi valley is 

 among the largest of American squirrels, and 

 for a time was threatened with extermination. 

 It is becoming established in cities and towns 

 and in some country districts, where it is pro- 

 tected, so that it has been increasing in num- 

 bers again the last few years. There were 

 but few wild ones left in the little wood, and 

 they were not often seen for several years. At 



