UNDER THE APPLE-TREES 
open door this arch-enemy of our small rodents — 
brown of back and white of belly. He rushed in as if 
on very hurrying business, and all my efforts to de- 
tain him, by squeaking like a mouse, and chirping 
like a bird, proved unavailing. He thrust out his 
impudent snake-like head and neck from an opening 
in the wall, and fixed his intense, beady eyes upon 
me for a moment, and was gone. I feared he was on 
the trail of the chipmunk that had just carried away 
the cherry-pits I had placed for him on a stone near 
by; but the little rodent appeared a half-hour later, 
as sleek as ever, but with a touch of something sus- 
picious and anxious in his manner, as if he had at 
least had tidings that his deadly enemy was in the 
neighborhood. 
After I had cracked some hickory-nuts for my 
little friend this morning, and he had got a taste of 
the sweet morsel inside, he quickly began to stuff 
the whole nuts into his pockets and carry them to 
his storehouse. It was amusing to see him struggle 
with the larger nuts, first moistening them with his 
tongue, to force them into those secret and appar- 
ently inadequate pockets. The smooth, trim cheeks 
would suddenly assume the appearance of enormous 
wens, extending well down on the sides of the neck. 
The pouches are not merely passive receptacles; 
they evidently possess some power of muscular ac- 
tion, like the throat muscles, which enables them to 
force the grain and nuts along their whole course. 
18 
