LITTLE BEASTS OF FIELD AND WOOD 



a place where the spider's web had been parted 

 beside the prostrate bole of a large maple, and 

 reaching in beneath it, drew forth the unfortu- 

 nate partridge, merely wing tipped, but com- 

 pletely disabled for flying. 



The red squirrel has been generally accused of 

 being an inveterate robber of birds' nests, and 

 I am afraid there is a good deal of ground for 

 the accusation ; still, I have never observed him 

 in the act of plundering a nest, nor do the small 

 birds generally exhibit any great amount of alarm 

 or anxiety at his presence in the proximity of 

 their homes. In the spring, however, I have 

 seen one persistently chasing pine finches and 

 red polls about the top of a gray birch and put- 

 ting all his agility into play in his endeavours to 

 catch them, creeping towards them cautiously 

 and cat-like and springing out suddenly when he 

 fancied himself near enough ; but the birds always 

 slipped away just in time to save themselves, and 

 although the squirrel persisted in his attempts as 



