SQUIRRELS 



ground to bury the cones they have cut off, two 

 or three in a place, covered with pine-needles to 

 the depth of several inches. Probably they have 

 learned by experience just how early it is safe to 

 commence gathering them in order that the seeds 

 may ripen properly ; but it is hard to imagine 

 how those that are buried early can possibly 

 escape moulding, especially if it should chance 

 to be a wet season. Perhaps, as in the case of 

 cheese, the flavour is really improved by moulding. 

 At all events, it would seem that the squirrels 

 consider a certain amount of moisture necessary 

 to make the seed palatable, for they never appear 

 to store them in hollow trees as they do nuts and 

 apples, though one would suppose they might 

 save themselves a great deal of extra labour by 

 packing them away on end in some such dry and 

 well ventilated cavity, where the cones would 

 open of their own accord without putting the 

 squirrels to the necessity of gnawing off each 

 scale separately. All through the late summer 



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