A YOUNG NATURALIST. 37 



squirrel can not resemble that of the rat, for I know that 

 the rat will eat flesh." 



The assured and self-satisfied tone of the little savant 

 made us smile; but I almost immediately desired him to 

 be silent, for a noise of branches rustling, which had ex- 

 cited our attention, became every moment more distinct. 

 Gringalet was about to bark, but FEncuerado caught him 

 by the muzzle, and covered him with his sarape. A whole 

 troop of squirrels, no doubt those we had hunted two hours 

 before, made their appearance, uttering sharp cries. They 

 sprang from branch to branch with the most extraordinary 

 disregard to distance. We noticed them running after one 

 another, sometimes along the top, and sometimes along the 

 bottom of the most flexible boughs. They moved forward 

 as if in jerks, sometimes stopping suddenly and climbing a 

 tree, only to descend it again. When on the ground, they 

 sat up on their hind legs, using their front paws like hands, 

 and rubbed their noses with such a comical air that Lucien 

 could not help speaking loud to express his admiration of 

 them. 



Hearing so strange a sound as the human voice, the 

 graceful animals took flight, but not quick enough to pre- 

 vent Sumichrast's gun from wounding one of them. The 

 squirrel remained at first clinging to the tree on which it 

 was when the shot struck it; but, after a pause, it relaxed 

 its hold and rolled over and fell to the ground. Neverthe- 

 less, it had strength enough left to turn round and bite the 

 sportsman, who carelessly laid hold of him. L'Encuerado 

 skinned it immediately, keeping the meat for our breakfast 

 next morning. 



The sun went down ; the cries of the birds resounded, 

 and night at last shut us in, bringing with it the solemn 

 silence of the wilderness. L'Encuerado struck up a pro- 

 longed chant, and Lucien's fresh young voice blended with 



