Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/243

1904] Then, too, there is no end of nature’s attractions. It is not a leafless month. Some leaves, it is true, have ripened and fallen, hut there are plenty on the trees we call evergreen, and on the ground-pine; the fronds of some varieties of ferns also are richly green. In spite of the prospect that snow will soon cover the ground in our northern states, there is plenty of animal life—various birds, four-footed animals, and even insects on the sunlit stretches of the snow. To one in thorough sympathy with nature the December fields and forests are neither dull nor uninteresting, but it takes the young folks to find life and interests out of doors. The older folks regard December as the end of another year, the young folks as the beginning of untold joys.

years ago a snow-white squirrel appeared near the writer’s home among the Berkshires, and it was her good fortune to have this white-furred, pink-eyed little beauty for a pet. This albino was not captured until autumn, when it was full-grown. It was not quite as large or as strong as its companions, and so was more easily tamed.

Few of the young people who keep tame squirrels realize that a cage with plenty of nuts and water is as hard for their pet as prison bars with bread and water for a boy. We found “Frolic,” the white squirrel, eager for all kinds of fruit except grapes. In June he stained his paws with strawberries; in August he feasted on mushrooms; and during winter birch buds fresh from the snowy woods were always a great treat. Whenever the cage door was opened, this fairy-like pet would climb into the window-garden and eagerly nibble the shining Christmas ferns.

The young folks Who have seen wild squirrels at their games of tag in the June woods know how much those in captivity need to play. A large pan of snow on a bare floor makes an ideal romp for such a lively pet. Frolic would turn somersaults, and frisk and play by the half-hour in his delight over snow, which he had never seen until it was shown him in the house. Instinct seemed to tell him, as it does the boys and girls, that snow is just the thing to play in. He often tried to coax the kitten to romp with him, plainly showing that a caged pet longs for companionship. Sometimes tame squirrels, when frequently fed, will live for months in a dooryard and are far happier, healthier pets when allowed their freedom. I know of one case where a wild gray was coaxed to live in a country dooryard. This squirrel grew so tame that it would take nuts from the hand, although it made frequent trips back to its native haunts. One day an old hunter was out in the woods, and seeing a gray watching him, he pointed his gun at him. In the nick of time the thought flashed across his mind that it might be the village pet. The man took a nut from his