n the fall, the squirrel gathers nuts and corn, and stores them up
near his winter nest. Then, when cold weather comes on, he crawls into
his bed of leaves, curls up, and goes to sleep.

4. Now and then, in the winter, he wakes, crawls to his store and has
a dinner, and then goes to sleep again. When the warm days of spring
come on, he wakes up fully, and is ready for his summer's work and
play.

5. When the squirrel eats a nut, he takes it in his paws, sits up
straight, with his tail curled over his back, and nips off the shell
in little bites, turning it about as easily as we could with our
hands.

6. The squirrels that we see most often are the little chattering red
squirrel, and the gray squirrel, which is about twice as large. In the
West and South, a large squirrel, that is partly red and partly gray,
is called a fox-squirrel. All these squirrels have fine little rounded
ears, and large eyes, so placed that they can look all around.

7. The English squirrel is most like our red squirrel. It is of the
same color, but a little larger, and has pointed ears, with a long
tuft of hair standing up from the top.

8. The teeth of the squirrel grow, and he wears them off by gnawing
nuts. If, when not in his winter's sleep, he should stop gnawing
something hard for a week or two, his teeth would become so long that
he could not use them again.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

LESSON XXXIX.

_THE FLYING SQUIRREL._

[Illustration]

1. Here we have the most curious squirrel of all--one that can fly or
sail through the air. It is about the size of the common red squirrel,
and nearly of the same color, but lighter upon the lower part of its
body.

2. It has a loose skin on each side, running from its fore legs to its
hind ones. When it is at rest, or when it walks and runs, this skin
hangs like a ruffle. But when Mr. Squirrel wants to go fast, or on a
long journey, he scampers to the top of a tree and spreads out his
legs, drawing the loose skin tight like a sail.

3. He then gives a leap, and away he sails into the air, striking near
the foot of another tree a long distance away. He runs up to the top
of this tree, and away he goes again, so fast that nothing can catch
him.

4. As he sails through the air, he falls toward the ground; but he can
carry his legs and tail in such a way that, just before he strikes, he
shoots upward a little way, and lands on a tree, some distance above
the ground.

5.