118 OUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBORS 



shell, and the nut is just the proper distance 

 below the surface to enable the seedling to 

 establish itself most favorably. Some species 

 lay up their winter supply in a hollow tree or 

 other favorable situation, where the whole 

 hoard is kept together, but a fox squirrel will 

 gather nuts from many trees, and plant them 

 in every direction around the tree where they 

 grew. 



While it was fun to see the little animals 

 gathering the nuts and putting them away for 

 winter, it was vastly more interesting to see 

 them dig them out in the dead of winter when 

 the snow lay deep upon the ground. They 

 would often climb the tree and start from a 

 similar position to the one they had occupied 

 when about to bury the nut the previous 

 autumn. Without hesitation one would run 

 down the tree and directly to a spot where a 

 nut was buried. Then the snow would be 

 made to fly in every direction, although the 

 squirrel would pause a moment now and then 

 to look about to guard against a surprise. 

 Very seldom did one miss finding the nut in 

 the first place where he began to dig. The 

 Naturalist often wondered whether by means 

 of a keen scent he was able to find where the 



