FLYING SQUIRREL 213 



such as the mounds at the bases of black oaks and red firs and the tops 

 of fallen logs adjacent to standing trees. 



At Merced Grove on the night of June 15, 1915, at about 10 p.m., one 

 of us while in his sleeping bag was aroused by a soft thud made by a Flying 

 Squirrel which alighted on the base of a white fir close by. It scuttled 

 up the tree, and in the dim light the observer was able to note that this 

 particular animal carried its tail above its back like other tree squirrels. 

 In climbing up the bark it made less noise than a Red Squirrel. In 

 Yosemite Valley, one night in June, one of us heard the low chuckling 

 notes of a Flying Squirrel and the scratching of the animal's claws on the 

 bark of a big yellow pine. 



At Gentrys, Flying Squirrels were heard on several nights in October 

 of 1915. Their voices reminded one of the low vibrant whurr of a cord 

 suddenly whipped through the air. Needles and other small debris kept 

 falling from the trees, shaken down by the squirrels. At 8 p.m. on 

 October 22 they were heard in at least three places, all within 150 feet of 

 the location of our camp amid some sugar pines and white firs. 



At Chinquapin at about 6 p.m. on May 19, 1919, one of us, while search- 

 ing for occupied woodpecker holes, tapped the side of a dead bole. At 

 this, a Flying Squirrel put its head out of a hole about 12 feet above the 

 ground, gazed down at the disturber for a few seconds, and then drew 

 back inside again. 



In Yosemite Valley a young Flying Squirrel was captured by a cat 

 on July 13, 1915. Another young squirrel was brought to us by a Valley 

 resident on September 16, 1915. It had fallen from the nest hole high 

 in a black oak near the government stables adjacent to the old presidio. 



At Merced Grove in June, 1915, the cook of a construction crew com- 

 plained that some animal had been getting into a box of crackers in the 

 cook tent. This was close by our own camp. A rat trap was set on the 

 box and at about 8 p.m. it was heard to go off. Investigation showed a 

 Flying Squirrel caught across the back. It was still alive and so was 

 taken out of the trap and placed in an improvised cage. Another squirrel 

 was taken similarly at about 2 a.m. a few nights later. It was placed with 

 the first. Neither of these squirrels seemed harmed by being caught in 

 the rat trap. Possibly the heavy pelage and broad bodj'- so distributed 

 the blow that it was not as serious as it might otherwise have been. One 

 squirrel was in the trap half an hour before being rescued. The first 

 squirrel was active on the morning following its capture, probably because 

 of its unusual surroundings. Thereafter it spent most of the daytime in 

 sleep, becoming active at night. When asleep the broad furry tail was 

 wrapped over the face. Some redwood bark was put into the cage and 

 the squirrel soon began to fashion a nest with it. Various items from the 



