sciuRrs iiiPsoNirs. 213 



cokl. When tierce storms sweep o\'er the hind he retires to his nest, 



to aijpear ao-ain with the first lull of the wind, be the temperature 



never so low. I ha\e man\- times ol)ser\'c;d him when the thermoni- 



eter rang;ed froni thirty to tbrt\- des^rees l)elow zero Centiorade (-22 



to -40 F.), but could never see that he was inconvenienced b)- the 



cold. When running- upon the snow he often plunges down out of 



si^dit. tunnels a little distance, and. reappearing, shakes the snow 



froni his head and body, whisks his tail, and skips along as lighdy 



and with as much apparent pleasure as if returning from a bath in 



some rippling brook during the heat of a summ(;r's afternoon. 



He possesses the rare and philosophical accomplishment ot com- 



binino- work with recreation, and sets about the performance of his 

 fc> 



self-imposed tasks with such roguish humor that it is a pleasure to 

 watch him. In marked contrast to these free and happ)' habits is 

 the stealth and sullenness that characterize the actions of some? ol the 

 Carnivores, notabl)- of the family Mustelidse. 



Hie Red Squirrel enjo)-s a game of "tag" even more than the 

 averap-e schoolboy, and one is often startled by a couple of them as 

 they rush madly throug;h the leaves, chasing each other hither and 

 thither over the ground, up and down and around the trunks of trees, 

 and in and out of hollow logs and stumps with a degree of reckless- 

 ness that is astonishing to behold. 



However frivolous the Red Squirrel may appear to the casual 

 observer, he is. nevertheless, a most industrious animal. Unlike 

 most of his associates, and many of our own species, he; is not con- 

 tent with the enjoyment of present plenty, but takes pains to provide 

 a<-^ainst a time of future need. Wdicn the summer has grown old, 

 and the mellow days of earl)- autumn cast a glow of color ovt;r the 

 sumac and woodbine, the prudent S(iuirrel has commenced to gather 

 the provision for his winter's use. Impatient to make sure his store, 

 he does not wait for the nuts to ripen and fall, but cuts the stems by 

 which tlu;y hang, till many lie scattered on the ground below. He 

 then descends and collects them in a heap between, or near, the roots 



