Why did they
not carry it at once to their nests?"
"They laid it out in the sun and wind to dry; for if it had been stored
away while damp, it would have moulded, and have been spoiled. The
squirrels were busy all that day; when I went to see them again, the grain
was gone. I saw several red squirrels running up and down a large pine
tree, which had been broken by the wind at the top; and there, no doubt,
they had laid up stores. These squirrels did not follow each other in a
straight line, but ran round and round in a spiral direction, so that they
never hindered each other, nor came in each other's way two were always
going up, while the other two were going down. They seem to work in
families; for the young ones, though old enough to get their own living,
usually inhabit the same nest, and help to store up the grain for winter
use. They all separate again in spring. The little chitmunk does not live
in trees, but burrows in the ground, or makes its nest in some large
hollow log. It is very pretty to see the little chitmunks, on a warm
spring day, running about and chasing each other among the moss and
leaves; they are not bigger than mice, but look bright and lively. The fur
of all the squirrel tribe is used in trimming, but the gray is the best
and most valuable.
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