THE SUMMIT OF THE YEARS 



from this tree, and I found some of them in the forks 

 of an apple-tree not far off. 



A small butternut-tree standing near the wall had 

 only a score or so of butternuts upon it this year;the 

 squirrels might be seen almost any hour in the day 

 darting about the branches of that tree, hunting the 

 green nuts, and in early September the last nut 

 was taken. They carried them away and placed 

 them, one here and one there, in the forks of the 

 apple-trees . I noticed that they did not depend upon 

 the eye to find the nuts; they did not look the 

 branches over from some lower branch as you and I 

 would have done; they explored the branches one by 

 one, running out to the end, and, if the nut was there, 

 seized it and came swiftly down. I think the red 

 squirrel rarely lays up any considerable store, but 

 hides his nuts here and there in the trees and upon 

 the ground. This habit makes him the planter of fu- 

 ture trees, of oaks, hickories, chestnuts, and butter- 

 nuts. These heavy nuts get widely scattered by this 

 agency. 



One morning I saw a chipmunk catch a flying 

 grasshopper on the wing. Little Striped-Back sat 

 on the wall with stuffed pockets, waiting for some- 

 thing, when along came the big grasshopper in a 

 hesitating, uncertain manner of flight. As it hov- 

 ered above the chipmunk, the latter by a quick, dex- 

 terous movement sprang or reached up and caught 

 it, and in less than one half -minute its fanlike wings 

 110 



