38 Tue Aroostook Woops. 

time from the always abundant harvest. The ground never 
freezes to trouble him in the deep wood beneath the snows, 
and in the early fall he digs down far enough to be below the 
cold and all danger of frost; then under the stump which is 
his roof he makes his nest, lining it with the finest silver gray 
birch bark, while all around him in little avenues is stored his 
winter supply of cones, hazel and beech nuts, maple seeds, 
etc. Heis such a busy worker all through the pleasant fall 
weather that no doubt he hides away more than he can pos- 
sibly eat during the cold months, yet he is out often, just the 
same, getting his dinner from the tops of the spruces, in the 
sunny days. During the coldest dark weather, you hardly see 
him out of his warm nest, but as soon as the sun shines warm 
again he is quickly in sight, his cheeks distended with beech 
nuts, or a cone between his teeth, which he likes to eat in the 
sunshine. The forests are full of them, wherever you go, 
and every few steps you take when passing over the knolls, 
through the thick spruces, you are greeted anew, and again, 
as they see you coming, with half angry barks, and their 
happy laughing chatter as they dart away to a hiding-place 
to re-appear in a half moment after you have passed, sending 
after you their loudest jolly jingling chatter. Sitting with the 
captain one day during the last of the Indian summer watching 
a favorite crossing for the deer, we were most sure we heard 
a deer or caribou walking toward us, but it proved to be this 
merry little fellow, upon the top of a spruce tree, gathering 
his supply of cones for winter ‘use. He was jumping from 
one branch to another, biting off the nearly ripe cones, and 
getting one between his teeth, he invariably tossed it over his 
head far out beyond the larger limbs, and the cones falling in 
quick succession upon the leaves, easily deceived us. We 
