138 THE FLYING SQUIRREL. 
ing near them, a stranger almost always is deceived as to its source, 
thinking it caused by the birds outside rather than by the squirrels 
inside. They keep up this noise for perhaps ten minutes, perhaps 
half an hour, for no discoverable reason. They are exceedingly 
inquisitive, prying into everything that comes in their way ; and, if 
watched and fearful lest they are to be interrupted, they assume a 
most impudent and reckless air, glancing out of one eye, and shak- 
ing their heads and sniffing every now and then for an instant, and 
then returning to their investigations with renewed energy, pulling 
away desperately at anything that can be laid hold of, and if any- 
one starts towards them to drive them away, they wait till the very 
last minute, when, with a twinkle of the eye, a toss of the head 
and jerk of the tail, they are off and across the room in a trice, 
perhaps stopping to chatter their disapproval of the whole pro- 
ceeding as soon as safely out of reach. It is difficult, if not im- 
possible, to so conceal nuts or corn that they do not iaai 
discover them and dig and pull and push at whatever contains them 
till they get them. It must be by the aid of their keen scent that 
they are thus able to detect the food when closely covered in a box. 
When their exertions have been successful, they do not allow any- 
thing that can be eaten, to remain where they have found it, how- 
ever snug the place may,be, but carry it off to some other place of 
their own choosing. One evening they carried over sixty walnuts, 
from a box in which they were kept, across the room and by climb- 
ing the handle of a feather duster reached a bracket on which 
was a large vase, and into this they put the nuts, one by one, giv- 
ing each a rapping against the vase as it was left. 
When the actions of an animal are so suddenly varied, so con- 
stantly changing and of such interest in all their phases as are 
those of the flying squirrel, a complete account can scarcely be 
given. Certainly it is not easy for words to represent the merry, 
rollicking, don’t-care manner in which these flying squirrels do 
everything. Such a combination of earnestness and carelessness 
is seldom seen. For they are earnest about their work, and in 
emptying a box of nuts they seem to feel the great importance of 
their undertaking and the necessity of soberness and dignity in 
its execution, but yet one can not help seeing that all this is but 
assumed for the occasion, for their eyes, and indeed their whole 
body, are all the time expressive of mischief, and the little rogues 
