Black or Gray Squirrel? 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
HAVE noted with interest the state- 
ment that naturalists now consider 
the black squirrel related to the 
gray and not a separate species. In 
view of my boyhood experience in hunt- 
ing in northern Pennsylvania and west- 
ern New York State, I am much more 
inclined to the views presented by Mr. 
Don Cameron Shafer in the October 
issue. 
Forty years ago the black squirrel 
was fairly abundant in the region men- 
tioned, while the gray was but rarely 
encountered, and was considered a 
prize indeed by the lucky boy who got 
one. As a matter of fact there was 
about one gray to ten blacks in our 
neighborhood in the autumn. 
Beechnuts, acorns, hickory nuts and 
chestnuts were abundant and the shoot- 
ing fairly good. Squirrels, red, black 
and gray, and the ruffed grouse were 
the usual bag. Raccoons infested the 
cornfields, and furnished good night 
sport. Later, when the ground was 
covered with a light snow, the cotton 
tail rabbit furnished many a farmer’s 
boy with a good days’ sport and an 
acceptable dinner. 
I recall one autumn a neighbor told 
us of a nest of black squirrels in a hol- 
low tree not far from the farm. Fol- 
lowing directions, my brother and I 
arrived at the foot of the tall dead stub 
standing’ adjacent to a group of bitter 
hickory nut trees. There was one hole 
in- the stub up some twenty-five feet 
from the ground and another near the 
top. Taking a stout club my brother 
beat upon the tree, when out dodged 
one black squirrel after another from 
the lower hole and scurried away to 
the upper until seven in all had sought 
the safer location. There was not a 
gray among them. We had no ‘way 
of knowing whether the squirrels had 
been raised in this tree or had gathered 
there to lay in a supply of nuts for the 
winter, .but felt sure they constituted 
one family. 
I have had both gray and black 
squirrels for pets. One gray became 
so tame that he was given the range 
of the woodshed, and promptly drove 
all cats out of his domain. He stayed 
around well into the spring then an- 
swered the call of the wild. 
As I recall them, the two squirrels 
were quite different in shape, the black 
being more slender in appearance, 
though perhaps of about the same 
weight. 
FRED F. WELD, 
Seattle, Washington. 
Probably the “Trout Pickerel” 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
HERE is a species of pike in our 
southern waters of which I would 
like to know the correct name. They 
are’ rather a small fish, rarely if ever 
weighing over half a pound, but won- 
derfully game fighters for their size. 
They are most often caught in back- 
waters adjacent to the larger streams, 
which they ascend in places where 
these waters are connected with the 
main streams, largely, I believe in pur- 
suit of minnows, which are more easily 
caught by them in the shallow waters. 
They furnish good sport with a fly 
rod, striking viciously at artificial flies, 
small spinners, and almost any lure 
that is not too large. I have had par- 
ticularly good luck with an Al Foss 
pork rind wiggler, fly rod size. 
These are excellent food fish, have 
few bones, and the flesh is of a very 
nice flavor. They are cannabalistic in 
their habits devouring small ones of 
their own kind with avidity. 
In color they are somewhat different 
from the pickerel, which is also an in- 
habitant of our streams and lakes. 
Would be very much pleased to hear 
from any one who can enlighten me as 
to the correct name and class to which 
these small, but game fish belong. 
SAMUEL H. GANTT, 
Lyndhurst, South Carolina. 
Necessity the Mother of 
Invention 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
A FEW days ago I was taking some 
of my springer spaniels down to 
a pond to give them a few lessons on 
retrieving from water and as I ap- 
proached the pool of water I observed 
a squirrel acting in a manner that was 
new to me, so I just stopped my horse 
and sitting still, I watched the little 
fellow who seemed to be playing or 
working real hard with something. 
After a while he picked this thing up 
in his mouth, whatever it was, and 
began to back into the pool. Down 
went his tail and he took plenty of 
time backing in slowly. He backed 
into the water till just his head was 
in sight and gradually that went down 
with him still holding something in 
his mouth. At last he went out of 
sight and appearing a few feet away, 
he swam away from this something to 
shore. That was the last I saw of Mr. 
Squirrel. Then I rode up to see what 
he had been playing with for it was 
still in the water and when I got up 
to it, to my surprise it was a bit of 
moss that he had rolled into a ball. It 
was just covered with fleas. This was 
his ingenious way of ridding himself 
of fleas. p x. (Bos) ARMSTRONG, 
Roba, Alabama. 
Three Kids and a Boat 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
"THERE were three of us, two older 
fellows and myself. A spring thaw 
was taking place and the snow was 
rapidly melting, which caused the un- 
usually small, and inoffensive, river to 
become a mill-race from one to two 
miles wide. We knew there would be 
ducks in that water, and had to try 
out a new outfit. 
The boat, which was supposed to be 
non sinkable, was hauled to the river, 
to a place where it could safely be 
launched. In it went. Gingerly we 
three accepted seats. The one with the 
gun, an old double-barrelled twelve 
with two nice long, crooked hammers, 
and about half a stock—took his seat 
in the prow and was to do the shooting. 
I came next, my life preserving (?) hip 
boots safely anchored on to the sus- 
pensory ligaments of my _ breeches. 
Guess I was afraid I might lose them. 
Besides, we expected to ride all the way 
down. Lastly, in the rear end, was the 
chap who owned the contraption. The 


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