Evening star., 1945-04-23
This and That
Bu Charles Z. TrdceDeI.
"prTrIrcnA

Dear Sir:
Squirrels are madly building nests
these days. watched one trying to take
a strip of paper up tree. The paper
was about 2 inches wide, and perhaps
18 inches long.
THE animal wadded as much as posi-
BILE into its mouth, and tried to walk
by straddling the strip. The paper was
still longer than his body.
HE then stopped, and began packing
some of the end of the paper into his
mouth, to take up the extra length.
HE started up the tree, and still found
that the length of the paper hampered
him. He then stopped on the trunk,
and used his paws to shove more of
the paper into his mouth.
Il was not close enough to see exactly
where he put so much paper, but his
eyes must have fairly bulged from his
head.
THE nest was very high in the tree.
The last saw of him he was almost to
the nest.
Sincerely G. T."
Gray squirrels often take aioft to their
summer nests great balls Of day lily
leaves
These, of course, are soft, and the
animal can make them into ball easily.
One of these active animals, usually
the female, with such ball of leaves
in her mouth, makes rather fearsome
looking creature.
This activity may be carried on for
hours at time. The squirrel goes up
and down the street, again and again,
carrying up leaves.
They never seem to take strips of
leaves from the same tree, but always
go down and up some other tree, even
of the same species.
Thus, in grove of locusts, the leaves
are invariably taken from other trees
than the one in which the nest is To-
Gated. The reason for this Is hard to
find, but it may be that the animals do
not wish to strip single leaf from
their own particular tree, wishing the
protection for the young.
This summer home is built on the
principle of large birds nest. In the
deep woods the real home is in a hollow
tree, but since few such trees exist in
suburban or city communities, the wise
animals have come more and more to
depend upon the large leafy nests.
These nests easily are seen, usually at
a height of from 20 to so feet, before
the leaves come out. After that they
blend perfectly with the leaves, and so
afford good protection, not only from
curious eyes from below, but also from
large birds and snakes. The latter sell
dom 60 high In tree. It may be imag-
ined that baby squirrels, not more than
few inches long, would make excellent
food for naurauders.
The entrance of the nest Is on the
side. From below the affair somewhat
resembles crows nest. The ground
work is composed of a few sticks, with
long strips of leaves and small branches
twined in and out. Such nests are very
durable, and last for several years. Each
spring fresh material is put in, so that
it may be considered fairly sanitary.
No food is kept in such a nest. Our
local squirrel, the gray variety, does not
hoard food, because it does not hiber-
nate. Does not hide, that is, in nest
or old tree, but does, Of course, bury
scores of nuts in the ground.
Sometimes an observer Is led to ques-
ton whether squirrels find the half of
what they bury. They probably do not
but still it must be kept in mind that
they are very intelligent, and have very
keen senses, so that there can be little
question that they do find much of what
they hide. Probably no one squirrel
finds much Of what it, individually,
buries, but 1t makes no difference; what
one hides is found by another, so that
little goes to waste, in a food sense
except such nuts as come up as trees.
Squirrels were among the first true con-
servationists. Their work in planting
trees was Of genuine service, as long as
nature was unhampered. Today all
that IS changed, but still many q
squirrel-planted oak and walnut graces
our fields. Occasionally one comes up
where we wish some squirrel had not
put9t. n