NORTHERN GRAY SQUIRREL. 269 



sure of the notable housewife by its habit of gnawing chairs, tables, and 

 books. 



During the rutting season the males (like deer and some other species) 

 engage in frequent contests, and often bite and wound each other se- 

 verely. The story of the conqueror emasculating the vanquished on 

 these occasions, has been so often repeated, that it perhaps is somewhat 

 presumptuous to set it down as a vulgar error. It may, however, be ad- 

 vanced, that the admission of such skill and refinement in inflicting re- 

 venge would be ascribing to the squirrel a higher degree of physiological 

 and anatomical knowledge than is possessed by any other quadruped. 

 From the observations we have been enabled to make, ^ve are led to 

 believe that the error originated from the fact that those parts in the 

 male, which in the rutting season are greatly enlarged, are at other 

 periods of the year diminished to a very small size ; and that, in young 

 males especially, they are d^a^^^l into the pelvis by the contraction of the 

 muscles. A friend, who was a strenuous believer in this spiteful propen- 

 sity ascribed to the squirrel, was induced to test the truth of the theory 

 by examining a suitable number of squirrels of this species. He ob- 

 tained in a few weeks upwards of thirty males ; in none of these had any 

 mutilation taken place. Two however out of this number were trium- 

 phantly brought forward as evidences of the correctness of the general 

 belief On examination it appeared that these were young animals of 

 the previous autumn, with the organs perfect, but concealed in the man- 

 ner above stated. 



It is generally believed that this species lays up a great hoard of food 

 as a winter supply ; it may however be reasonably doubted whether it 

 is very provident in this respect. The hollow trees in which these Squir- 

 rels shelter themselves in winter are frequently cut down, and but a very 

 small supply of provisions has ever been found in their nests. On fol- 

 lowing their tracks in the snow, they cannot be traced to any hoards 

 buried in the ground. We have sometimes observed them during a warm 

 day in winter coming from great distances into the open fields, in search 

 of a few dry hickory nuts which were still left suspended on the trees. 

 If provisions had been laid up nearer home, they would hardly have un- 

 dertaken these long journeys, or exposed themselves to so much danger 

 in seeking a precarious supply. In fact, this species, in cold climates, 

 seldom leaves its nest in winter, except on a warm sunny day, and in a 

 state of inactivity and partial torpidity, it requires but little food. 



Although this Squirrel is at particular seasons of the year known to 

 search for the larvse of different insects, which it greedily devours, it feeds 

 principally on nuts, seeds, and grain, which are periodically sought for 



