SMALL FOLK WITH LIVELY FEET. 



277 



scarce, he seeks the warmth and seclusion of his 

 nest in the hollow of a tree, and stays there until 

 the weather moderates. He is undoubtedly the most 

 easily tamed of all our squirrels, and it takes only a 

 small amount of patient waiting and quiet behavior 

 to gain his confidence in the wild wood. A pocket- 

 ful of nuts is one of the surest means 

 of establishing an intimate acquaint- 

 ance with him ; and if one is careful 

 not to move suddenly and noisily, he 

 will approach and take a nut from the 

 hand. He is also susceptible to the charms of music, 

 which may be amply proved by carrying a small 

 music-box in the pocket for his especial 

 entertainment. 



The nest of the gray squirrel is usually 

 built in the crotch 

 of a tree or in the 

 hollow of a part- 

 ly decayed limb. 

 The female bears 

 from three to five 

 helpless little ones, 

 which are at first quite blind and hairless ; they re- 

 main with the mother two months. Sometimes, far- 

 ther South, the female will raise two litters in a year. 

 The black squirrel is not a different species ; his 



The Black Squirrel. 



