506 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 



would hare in walking througk the echoing streets of a 

 plague-depopulated city. I was greatly surprised when I 

 found how analogous the case really was. On inquiring 

 among the old hunters, I heard from them the reason. 



In the first place, the chickaree, or common red squirrel, 

 is the only one, except the little chip squirrel, they have 

 there at all as a resident variety — for although the gray 

 squirrel has occasionally made its appearance for a little 

 while, the black martin, which is very abundant, is said 

 to enter its hole and destroy it, before it has time to breed 

 much, while the hole of the chickaree is too small for it to 

 gain admittance. Well, about twenty years ago, the country 

 was literally overrun one summer by a plague of red squirrels, 

 curiously enough, too, accompanied by great numbers of the 

 little deer mouse or jumping mouse. The two united, 

 destroyed nearly the whole of the standing crops of grain, 

 and swarmed over the outhouses and even the dwelling- 

 houses themselves, and along the fences by the roadside, 

 and indeed through the woods every where. 



The people were alarmed by the apprehension of great 

 loss, and even a partial famine, when suddenly the curse 

 was swept away in a most singular manner. The squirrels 

 all at once began to act strangely ; they were observed to 

 drag themselves slowly along the ground across the roads, 

 so that the people could crush them with their heels. Those 

 on the fences would mope and stagger along the rails, or 

 falling off, would be seen in dozens hanging by one claw, 

 until they dropped dead to the ground. They could be 

 killed by hundreds, with a small stick, and the very air 

 became impure with the stench of their dead bodies. On 

 examination, it was found they were literally covered over 

 their whole bodies witn warty and vermillion-colored pustules, 

 which looked very foid and angry. The mice were visited 

 in the same way, and nearly all, if not all, died off; since, 

 for several years after, not a creature of either kind was to 



