48 DENIZENS OF THE DESERT 



greasewood sticks out of the fireplace and 

 stacked them up one night in a corner, or when 

 he carried a lot of black, charcoaly ashes off 

 behind the cupboard. I can't see much intelli- 

 gence there — just the instinct to accumulate 

 keeping him busy. 



It is surprising what this instinct to pack off 

 things will induce wood rats to do. I have had 

 them carry off a whole boxful of trinkets, drag 

 my spoons off under rocks, bring into the house 

 quantities of sticks, seeds, and manure, and 

 litter up the house with quantities of paper 

 scraps. A lot of the storing of orange peels was 

 useless endeavor; for Billy has carried away 

 during these two years more orange peels than 

 he and his family could eat in four. Store, 

 store, store; that is the ever-compelling, ever- 

 active, ever-prompting thought of his little 

 busy mind, and the industriously inclined body 

 never tires doing the brain's bidding. These 

 things, to which his provident nature directs 

 his activities, are sometimes carried great dis- 

 tances to be stored. An informant tells me that 

 during one summer when she was absent from 

 her desert home, some pack rats carried the 



