A TRUE SQUIRREL STORY 



No tenant of the woods is brighter 

 than the squirrel, and none better able 

 to take care of himself. He is always 

 active, alert, and cheery. 



The little Red Squirrel, much as he 

 loves his freedom and his home in the 

 tree tops, has a tender little heart toward 

 human kind and easily makes friends 

 with those who show him he has noth- 

 ing to fear. We watch our little friends 

 in feathers and fur and think we are 

 very well acquainted with them. But 

 how many ever guessed that they have 

 games of their own, 'and play tricks and 

 love fun as much as any boy or girl? 



A little Red Squirrel once became our 

 neighbor and was good enough to allow 

 us to see the "sunny side" of his nature. 

 Perhaps he felt he owed us this much 

 in return for the tangles of tow he indus- 

 triously tore from our hammock, and 

 that, under our very eyes, as well as for 

 the nuts he purloined. The nuts had 

 been gathered and stored in the barn. 

 Great was the cry that arose one day 

 when it was discovered that every wal- 

 nut was gone. Many were the conject- 

 ures as to who could have carried them 

 off. The riddle was answered at last 

 when the pile was discovered in an old 

 shed more easy of access than the barn, 

 and there the squirrel was seen to go 

 for his breakfast. 



That our little friend in fur was 

 the depredator was first suspected, how- 

 ever, when after unaccountable noises 

 had been heard in the chambers, our Mr. 

 Squirrel was seen vaulting from a tree 

 into an open window with a nut between 

 his teeth. This he deposited with sev- 

 eral others in a corner of the closet. 



Squirrels are wise little "bankers." 

 They make their deposits in different 

 places so that if one hoard is lost, others 

 are in reserve. The remembrance of 

 their hiding places seems to be seldom 

 lost. 



But there is a story I wish to tell that 

 opened our eyes to the fun going on in 

 the animal and bird world. Our Squir- 

 rel had a prying spirit under his fur, and 

 seeing a barrel one day near his tree, he 



proceeded to investigate it. The barrel 

 was a wreck of its former greatness — 

 both ends being out, and the barrel that 

 was left was lying on its side in the 

 grass. Master Squirrel went in, making 

 his examinations, cautiously at first. His 

 little red head and intelligent eyes turned 

 quick as a flash this way and that. His 

 sharp little ears were erect and sensi- 

 tive. But finding all was well and that 

 something he liked still clung to the 

 staves of the barrel, he was soon too 

 busy to notice that he was a prisoner. 

 And what do you think? A sparrow at 

 each open end of the barrel was a self- 

 appointed sentinel, and "just for fun" 

 said: "No, you don't!" when the Squir- 

 rel proposed to go home. 



Quick as was the Squirrel, the spar- 

 rows were even quicker, darting down 

 with outspread wings and threatening 

 beaks, each time the little prisoner at- 

 tempted to make his escape. 



This was kept up for several minutes, 

 and great was the evident fun of the 

 sparrows. Possibly the birds may have 

 felt that they had an old score to settle 

 with young Mr. Squirrel — for I am sorry 

 to say that he had a bad reputation for 

 filching birds' eggs, and even for some- 

 times robbing nests of their fledglings. 



Perhaps you have supposed that 

 squirrels live only upon nuts, but if you 

 will really be on good enough terms 

 with them to be admitted into their con- 

 fidence, you will find that they have 

 quite a varied diet. 



Many lesser seeds, you will learn that 

 they count as delicacies. They are not 

 averse to a lunch upon some of the in- 

 sects, and certain berries tempt them. 

 Their noses too are keen for savory 

 toadstools and mushrooms. 



Most delightful do they consider a 

 "salad" of young beech leaves. 



But improvident little fellows they 

 are when they indulge in eating the 

 young and tender beech buds, for should 

 they not be wise enough to know that 

 they are then eating scores of beech nuts 

 in a single "salad?" 



Mrs. a. S. Hardy. 



