1906
June 10
  A remarkably bold and enterprising Red Squirrel has been
hanging about the farm house for several days. On one
occasion I saw him trying to get into the pigeon loft.
On another Gilbert surprised him on a branch of the
apple tree that shades the back door within a yard of
the Red-eye's nest. The Red-eyes were making a great
outcry but when the Squirrel saw Gilbert he ran up
the tree & jumped on to the roof of the house. This
happened yesterday. Again this afternoon Gilbert heard
the Vireos crying anxiously. Looking out through the
screen door he saw the Squirrels on the branch within a
few inches of the nest eating something. Presently he dropped
a portion of the shell of one of the Vireo's eggs. He
then wiped his face with his fore paws & wiped the
latter on the branch. The next minute he bent forward
until his head & fore shoulders disappeared into the nest
& almost immediately reappeared on the branch with
another egg in his mouth. The Vireos assailed him
frantically & one of them struck him with her bill
when he was in the nest. Probably because of
their attacks he almost immediately took the
second egg off with him running up the main
trunk of the tree until lost to sight in
the foliage of its crown. This is the first
time I have ever known a Red Squirrel to molest
a bird nest on this farm. I have suspected for
several weeks that this particular Squirrel was
a nest robber because of his actions. It is singular
that he did not raid the Phoebees nest under the
eaves of the barn for I have repeatedly seen him on
the roof but the bird reared her young in safety.