The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1900-01-26
FRIENDLY SQUIRRELS.
They Come Into the House and An
swer 10 Tbeir Names
When Called.

What can be done In the way Of
tanning squirrels has been well illus
trated good many times in this city,
and nowhere better than at the house
and grounds. OF the Misses Clary, on
Ingraham avenue and Union street.
The family began to feed and pet
the squirrels about four years ago,
and have got them so that they are
very tame. They feed them every day,
and the squirrels appear as regularly
as boarders. They run all over, and
when let in through the house play
like kittens about the lawn, turning
somersaults and performing their
graceful eapers. The family have be-
come very much attached to them, al
though the squirrels are sometimes
SO mischieyous that they get out of
patience with the little animals If
not let into the house when they ex-
pect they have sometimes gnawed the
water spouts. The greater part of
this has, however, been done by some
red squirrels, which are less tractable
than the grays.
They are intelligent little beasts.
The family have named some of them,
and the little things know their names
and would come when called. To
drive them away when bent on mis-
chief once some one threw bowl Of
water on one of them, and the little
thing darted off with a reproachful
look on his face, enough to haunt one
for days. To keep them from gnaw-
ing it has sometimes been found nee
essary to daub the window sashes
with a mustard preparation, the taste
of which they do not like.
These squirrels have their nests in
a little recess under the caves, and
it is an interesting sight to see the
mothers of the family teaching their
young ones to climb about the trees
and to their nest in the house. One
day an old one was taking young
one up tree to limb near the house,
from which the old ones jump a dis
tance of about yard to the building. !
The little one was exhausted by the
climb; the mother first tried to drive
him; then to lead him by going
ahead, but to no avail. Finally the
old one had to take the little one up
and carry him over to the building.
The family have been wondering
why these squirrels have diminished
in size since they began to feed them.
The old ones seem to be driven away
by the young ones, so that there is a
constant succession of different squir-
rels, and those now there are not so
big and do not have as good fur as
those that were first on the ground.
The family have wondered if constant
feeding on nuts had anything to do
with it. They have always given them
such nuts as filberts and pecans, and
have generally cracked the nuts for
them, although the squirrels win
crack them themselves. But they have
got so used to nuts with compara-
lively soft shell that they win not
crack an ordinary hickory nut, but
will carry it Off and hide it. Such
nuts were found hidden in the toe of
q boot belonging to a member of the
family, behind pillow on the lounge,
md the squirrels viii go o7er to adj
Joining lots to hide them. Some fam
lies in the city who feed squirrels
nave got them to eat bread and corn,
1ut the Misses Cla9ys' squirrels have
ived so high that nothing but nuts
viii do for them.-Springfeld (Mass.)
lenublican.