ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, WITH EXAMPLES 237 



almost sailing, until he secured a lower position directly over 

 my head. 



If one were to doubt this little tyrant's motive, the question 

 would soon be settled, for he sent down a tantalizing rain of 

 bits of beech nuts, shells, and meats, all of which fell upon my 

 drawing paper. After satisfying his squirrelship that he could 

 not dislodge me, he came still nearer, running out about four 

 feet from the main trunk onto another larger branch. Here 

 he repeatedly peeked and squeaked, until he suddenly became 

 alarmed by an unexpected arrival. A loud c-a-w from a crow 

 a short distance away was the signal for his departure to the 

 upper loft, where he scampered into an opening in the bark 

 ready to receive him. Upon reflection, what a curious per- 

 former is the red squirrel! His first squeak sent the tail back; 

 the second sent it forward, and with Bach sound he jerks 

 his tail with a rhythmic exactness of motion that is not only 

 highly ludicrous but is also expressive of every emotion. 



In this manner of addressing, he is at his best when trying 

 to impress upon the stranger that trespassing by human beings 

 is not desirable within his domain. I have mentioned, in the 

 chapter on the Birds' Assemblage Grounds, the red squirrel's 

 taste for mulberries. He is equally fond of walnuts, butter- 

 nuts, and beechnuts, but his diet is by no means confined to this 

 limited bill of fare, as may be gleaned from a visit to the apple 

 orchard. Here several times on the threshold of the orchard 

 I had observed an unusual number of large sweet apples on 

 the ground under a particularly fine tree. I had supposed at 

 first glance that they were windfalls, and paid but passing 

 attention to them. But one morning a number of apples, 

 which seemed to be without a blemish, lay conspicuously 

 in my path and called for an explanation. Why should 

 these luscious specimens fall when practically no wind had 

 been blowing ? Furthermore, there was not the slightest 

 trace about the body or stem of the fruit to indicate insect 

 attacks. Here was a subject for investigation, but it escaped 

 attention until a day or two following, when in the forenoon 

 I again visited the place to find an unexpected answer to my 

 inquiry. 



A young squirrel was found up in the tree at the end of a 



