SQUIRRELS, GOOD AND BAD 129 
the far northern woods. In the early spring 
he must often content himself with buds, pre- 
ferring those of the maple and elm; and it is a 
pretty sight to see him and his friends dangling 
from the tips of the swaying branches, peril- 
ously high, reaching for the bursting buds. In 
March he taps the maples for sap, cutting out 
little cups in the bark, in which the sugary 
liquid gathers.and is lapped up, for he drinks 
like a cat. He climbs rotten stubs and, like 
the woodpecker, listens for noise made by in- 
sect larve, which are quickly dug out. He 
searches for haws of the rose and thorn-trees, 
and hunts through the orchard for old apples 
now thawed soft. 
A little later, I am sorry to say, he is on the 
lookout for birds’ eggs and young, of which 
he destroys far more than any other squirrel. 
No nest is safe from his inquisitive eye and 
eager appetite, even the Baltimore oriole’s, but 
he is often driven away by the owners. Nest- 
lings are more to his taste than eggs, even; and 
now and then he is able to catch small birds, 
or even mice and little snakes, while grass- 
hoppers and fat larve are a regular part of 
