THE LIFE OF A GRAY SQUIRREL 49 



front feet moved in a happy way while nursing. 

 We made them a nest of cotton in a box when 

 they first came. Their mother tore up much paper 

 and added to this nest. 



When they were a week old their bodies had 

 become plumper, and they had begun to bleach 

 out. We took one of the little ones from the cage. 

 It squealed like a little pig, — such a big voice 

 for such a tiny creature ! The mother, Fanny, was 

 very tame. We patted her and handled her con- 

 siderably when the squirrels were a week old, with- 

 out any disposition on her part to bite. 



When a week and a half old, the little ones be- 

 gan to squeak like mice whenever things did not 

 go to suit them in their home. Their little ears 

 began to stand out. The mother, when she feared 

 some one was going to hurt one of her babies, 

 planted her front feet firmly upon its body. 



When three weeks old, the lids to the eyes had 

 become plainly differentiated. The body had 

 changed in color to a dark gray, and gray hairs 

 began to show. They were thickest on the head. 

 The head looked very large in proportion to the 

 rest of the body. The ears were now standing out 

 stiffly. Ten days previous to this the squirrels had 



