120 UNDER THE OPEN SKY 



unsociable that he quite resents the intrusion 

 of another chippie upon his customary feed- 

 ing ground. In this respect he is far inferior 

 to the little red squirrel, who, however in- 

 clined he may be to quarrel now and then, 

 will play tag by the hour with a wantonness 

 of sport rarely seen in a wild animal. It is 

 interesting to see how the other wild things 

 learn to notice the scolding tone in the 

 chippie's voice and to use it as a warning of 

 the near approach of a possible enemy. 



THE SAFETY OF INSIGNIFICANCE 



The whole rodent family, of which the 

 squirrels are important members, is a strik- 

 ing example of the safety that lies in insig- 

 nificance. There are more species of ro- 

 dents than of all other fur-bearing animals 

 combined. Man's incursions into a neigh- 

 borhood simply seem to relieve them of their 

 enemies. Rabbits and squirrels are per- 

 haps more abundant to-day than they were 

 when the Indians roamed our forests. Cer- 

 tain it is that the advent of man in the 

 Northwest increased the numbers of the 



