Evening star., 1945-09-13
This and That
! BIZ Charles E. Trace,UeI
CHEVY CHASE, MD.

Dear Sir:
"One day recently I heard a tremen-
dous commotion in the back yard
There was squealing sort of noise,
cross between sound made by
bird and an animal. The squeal was
high pitched, and continuous.
'tAt first I thought it might be bird
in the clutches of cat, but listening
closer I realized 1t was some sort of
animal
After one gets used to listening for
garden noises, he is able to tell the diff
ference. 1 have sort of specialized on
listening to sounds, and felt that 1t must
be an animal not bird.
The sound continued
II saw a small cat streak across the
yard, stand for moment at the base
of huge tree, then walk forward.
His tread was rather gingerly, as if
he were afraid. First he would walk for
ward, then retreat few paces
Il came down stairs, and went over
to the tree.
There on the ground lay baby squir-
rel, rather larger than most young squir-
rels which have the misfortune to fall
out of trees.
when I stopped down to pick it up.
it threw itself over on its back, and at
first l was afraid to touch it, not know
ing whether it bad its teeth yet or not.
Evidently it did not, for after I had
taken it up it was quiet enough. 1t was
darker than most gray squirrels. The
body was about inches long, and the
tab long but rather skimpily haired.
THE creature lay docilely enough.
"As far as I could tell it was not
wounded or hurt in any way.
Il placed it in a crotch of the great
tree, about feet from the ground. As
did so, two large squirrels came skirl-
ing around the trunk, peering down.
making great clatter with their claws
on the rough bark.
They would not come down, and did
not do so until after had gone in the
house. When I went out later, to see
what had become of the baby, it had
vanished, so the parents must have taken
1t up to the nest from which 1t had
fallen.
'The cat could not have got it, not
only because he was afraid of 1t, but
mainly because he was in the house
with mel So, can vouch for his in
nocence in the matter.
1T would have been easy enough for
the mother to grasp it by the back of
| the neck. have seen them carry them
that way.
| with best wishes,
Sincerely, M. J. D."
To fall out of q nest is as bad for a
young squirrel as for a bird, because it
may be hurt internally when it strikes
| the ground.
| The older it is. of course, the heavier,
and hence more likelihood of injury.
The unfortunate squirrel, however has
a much better chance of being rescued
by it's own parents.
Also in its favor is the fact that both
dogs and cats, animals most likely to
seize it, seem afraid of baby squirrels.
The noises made both by the fright
ened baby and the rescuing parents are
utterly unlike the sounds made by these
animals at any other time. The sounds
also are unlike anything else made in
the forest.
The lament of a mother squirrel look
ingi for one of her babies is extremely
pathetic. It is a sound which once heard
will never be forgotten.
When picked up-by the back Of the
neck-by the mother, the rescued animal
is first taken to crotch of the tree
| and there laid out, so that she may &c
over it with her tongue, to restore
| warmth.
isfaction, she takes the lost and found
up the trunk to the nest, where pre-
sumably 1t lives happily ever after.