118 IN THE ACADIAN LAND. 



intelligent curiosity prompts him to a close 

 interview, but his fears defeat his well-meant 

 intentions. 



I have mentioned that our squirrel was driven 

 to eat fir browse when his stock of stored-up cones 

 was exhausted and thereby hangs a pretty tale 

 if I can manage to tell it aright : 



In the early autumn, the last of September, 

 or even a little earlier, whoever will go into the 

 pine forests will soon find that the red squirrels 

 are cutting off the cones that grow on the upper 

 branches and allowing them to drop. After 

 working at that for a while they come down 

 and carry them away and hide them under old 

 logs and stumps and roots ; and once I saw 

 one stowing them by the half-bushel in a water- 

 hole where he had built quite a little wharf 

 in that way, taking some pains to put them in 

 place. 



If we examine the cones at this time they 

 will be found to have a seed under each scale, 

 excepting near the small end of the cone. It 

 will be seen that the cone itself is but a protect- 

 ing growth to cover the seed each one for 

 itself ; and the pine has no other intention than 

 to get the seeds ripe and let the winds sow them. 

 At this green stage the seeds are filled with a 

 milky juice containing all the nourishing ele- 



