Arkansas democratic banner., 1851-09-16
Anecdotes of the squirrel Family.

Accounts are given ol the ingenuity of the squr- ielS Tn Lapland, which we should find II difficult to believe, were they not credited by such men as Linseus, on whose authority give them to my readers It seems that the squirrels in that country are1n the habit of emlgrang, in large parties and that they sometimes travel hundred of miles in this way. When they meet with broad rapid lakes in their journeys, they take a very extraordinary method of crossing them. They approach the banks, and percelying the distance between them and the opposite shore, they return, as if by com, mon consent, into the neghboring each in search of piece of bark, or light wood, which answers in the room of beat, to ferry them oyer When the whole company are provided in this manner, they boldly commit their fleet to the waves each squirrel sitting on his own little boat, and
 tanning the air with his tail, in order to drive him self across. In thiS orderly manner they set out, and often cross lakes several miles broad in this way. IL occasionally h9ppenS, however, as you may suppose, that.the poor manners are not aware of all the dangers of the voyage for though at the edge of the water Il IS generally caim in the mid de it Is always more rough. Sometimes the poor squirrels encounter such gale before they get across the lake, that nearly all their vessels are cap sized, and they shipwrecked. 'It IS an ill wind which blows no any good,'' however; aud the shpwreek, so disastrous to the family, is a matter of great rejoicing on the part of the Laplander on shore. He gathers up the dead bodies, as they are thrown on shore by the waves, eats the flesh, and sells the skins.
 read an interesting story, little while ago, in the "Gentleinan's Magazine" an English publi- cation, about a squirrel who was charmed by rattle-snake. The substance Of the story was something like this: A gentleman was travelling by the side of creek, where he saw a squirrel running backward and forward between the creek and large tree few rods distant. Tue squirrels hair looked very rough, showing that he was very much terrified about something His circuit became shorter and shorter; and the man stopped to see what could be the cause Of this strange state of things. He soon discovered the head and neck of rattle-snake pointing directly at the squirrel through hole of the tree, which was hollow The squirrel at length gave over running, and laid himself down quietly, with his head close 70 the snakes. The snake opened his mouth wide, and took m the squirrels head; upon which the man gave the snake blow across the neck with his whip, by which the squirrel was released. You will see by this story, which comes to us on the best authority, that some snakes possess the power of charming, whatever certain people may say or 1 think to the contrary. This is only one among a multitude of facts which could relate in proof of the existence of such power among many of the serpent race.
 1 4 squirrel sitting on hickory tree, was once observed to weigh the nuts he got in each paw to find out which were good and which were bad.-- The light ones he invariably threw away retaining only those which were heavier. IL was found, on examining those he had thrown away, thai he had not made mistake in a single instance. They were all bad nuts RoOiiooriRs Stories about i dRiHiais