UNDER THE APPLE-TREES 
near a neighbor. He has at last become so familiar 
that he climbs to my lap, then to the table, then to 
my shoulder and head, looking for the kernels of 
popcorn that he is convinced have some perennial 
source of supply near me or about me. He clears up 
every kernel, and then on his return, in a few min- 
utes, there they are again! I might think him a good 
deal puzzled by the prompt renewal of the supply 
if I were to read my own thoughts into his little nod- 
dle, but I see he is only eager to gather his harvest 
while it is plentiful and so near at hand. No, he is 
not influenced even by that consideration; he does 
not consider at all, in fact, but just goes for the corn 
in nervous eagerness and haste. Yet, if he does not 
reflect, he certainly has a wisdom and foresight of 
his own. This morning I mixed kernels of fresh-cut 
green corn with a handful of the dry, hard popcorn 
upon the floor. At first he began to eat the soft 
sweet corn, but, finding the small, dry kernels of the 
popcorn, he at once began to stuff his cheek pockets 
with them, and when they were full he hastened off 
to his den. Back he came in about three minutes 
and he kept on doing this till the popcorn was all 
gone; then he proceeded to make his breakfast off 
the green corn. When this was exhausted, he began 
to strip some choké-cherries (which I had also placed 
among the corn) of their skins and pulp, and to fill 
his pockets with the pits, thus carrying no perish- 
able food to his den. He acted exactly as if he knew 
8 
