I OUR GRAY SQUIRRELS 7 
Usually four kittens arrive in one litter, blind 
and helpless, and during the first month remain 
within the nest, closely attended by the mother, 
who permits no other squirrel—even her pre- 
sumed mate—to come near her. Each family, 
in fact, pre-empts a tree, and their sense of prop- 
erty is so strong that usually a trespasser will 
depart with little resistance, as if conscious of 
being where he has no right. Old males will 
sometimes kill their young, so that the mother 
does well to keep all at a distance. 
At the end of a month the young are half grown, 
and begin to scramble awkwardly about their door- 
way, yet the mother won’t let them leave the nest 
until she thinks they are fully ready. 
One morning in the middle of October I ob- 
served that a family of four young squirrels was 
venturing forth from a box just outside my study 
window. They were not more than six weeks old, 
and were very timid. It was not often that more 
than two or three would appear at once, and one 
of these seemed much farther advanced than the 
rest, while another was very babyish. Their prime 
characteristic was inquisitiveness. What a fine and 
curious new world was this they had been introduced 
to! How much there was to see! How many de- 
lightful things todo! They ceaselessly investigated 
everything about them with minute attention, and 
had very pretty ways, such as a habit of clasping 
each other in their arms around the neck. They 
