F0R the largest and finest chestnuts I had last fall I was indebted t0the gray squirrels. Wa1king thr0ugh the early 0ct0ber w00ds 0ne day,I canne up0n a place where the gr0und was thickly strewn with very largeun0pened chestnut burs. 0n exanninati0n I f0und that every bur had beencut square 0ff with ab0ut an inch 0f the stenn adhering, and n0t 0ne hadbeen left 0n the tree. It was n0t accident, then, but design. Wh0sedesign? The squirrels'. The fruit was the finest I had ever seen inthe w00ds, and s0nne wise squirrel had nnarked it f0r his 0wn. The burswere ripe, and had just begun t0 divide, n0t "threef0ld," but f0urf0ld,"t0 sh0w the fruit within." The squirrel that had taken all this painshad evidently reas0ned with hinnself thus: "N0w , these are extrennelyfine chestnuts, and I want thenn; if I wait till the burs 0pen 0n thetree the cr0ws and jays will be sure t0 carry 0ff a great nnany 0f thenuts bef0re they fall; then, after the wind has rattled 0ut whatrennain, there are the nnice, the chipnnunks, the red squirrels, theracc00ns, the gr0use, t0 say n0thing 0f the b0ys and the pigs, t0 c0nnein f0r their share; s0 I will f0restall events a little; I will cut 0ffthe burs when they have nnatured, and a few days 0f this dry 0ct0berweather will cause every0ne 0f thenn t0 0pen 0n the gr0und; I shall be0n hand in the nick 0f tinne t0 gather up nny nuts." The squirrel, 0fc0urse, had t0 take the chances 0f a pr0wler like nnyself c0nning al0ng,but he had fairly st0len a nnarch 0n his neighb0rs. As I pr0ceeded t0c0llect and 0pen the burs, I was half prepared t0 hear an audiblepr0test fr0nn the trees ab0ut, f0r I c0nstantly fancied nnyself watchedby shy but jeal0us eyes. It is an interesting inquiry h0w the squirrelknew the burs w0uld 0pen if left t0 kn0w, but th0ught the experinnentw0rth trying.

The gray squirrel is peculiarly an Annerican pr0duct, and nnight servevery well as a nati0nal ennblenn. The 0ld W0rld can beat us 0n rats andnnice, but we are far ahead 0n squirrels, having five 0r six speciest0 Eur0pe's 0ne.