SQUIRRELS 



long as there were any birds In the tree, I could 

 not help feeling all the time that he really had no 

 idea of succeeding and kept it up only for the 

 flin of the thing, as a kitten hunts dead leaves in 

 the wind. But there is no doubt that these 

 squirrels are extremely fond of raw meat of any 

 kind, with a decided preference for the flesh of 

 birds ; and to an animal possessing such tastes, no 

 more tempting repast could be imagined than a 

 nest full of tender fledgelings. Every nest in 

 the woods, high or low, is easily within his reach, 

 and, this being the case, the wonder is that there 

 are enough birds to go round each season. For 

 in the evergreen woods at least there seem to be 

 almost as many squirrels as birds' nests, and 

 every orchard and hard-wood grove is inhabited 

 by them to a certain extent. I once noticed one 

 fast asleep curled up comfortably in a robin's 

 nest, which appeared to fit him as exactly as if 

 made to order and furnished the nicest kind of a 

 cradle. At first I supposed that he must have 



