Lady Mary and her Nurse

?" asked Lady Mary, coming up to the tab

ring these lace edgings for your frocks

to show it while it was in the act of flying; but it is not pretty-it does not show its beautiful tail, nor its bright eyes, nor soft silky fur. I heard a lady tell mamma about a nest full of dear, tiny little flying squirrels; [Footnote: Tame flying squirrels may be purchased at the Pantheon, in Oxford Street.] that her brother once found in a tree in the forest; he tamed them, and they lived very happily together, and would feed from his han

ork of the cage to get free, especially in the spring of the year. Doubtless, my dear

rm days come again, and my governess has taken his picture, I will

have brought in two or three dozen in one day. The Indians used to tell us that want of food, or very severe weather setting in, in the north, drive these little animals

mean by the

irrels; the little striped chitmunk was also plentiful, and so were weasels and foxes. They came into the barns and granaries, and into the houses, and destroye

ame of th

xes, and weasels, which were also very numerous that year;

ber of these pretty creatures tra

hat season. The eyes of many animals and birds are so formed, that they see best in the dim twilight, as cats, a

d beavers, nurse? If they come to

ore, in a canoe, with a baby on her lap. She noticed a movement on the surface of the water. At first she thought it might be a water snake, but the servant lad who was paddling the canoe, said it was a red squirrel, and he tried to strike it with the paddle; but the little squirrel leaped o

heard that grey squirrels, when they wished to go to a distance in search of food, would all meet together, and collect pieces of bark

il as an oar or rudder to help the motion, the tail lying flat on the surface of the water; nor do the

lled it a chitmunk. If you please, will you tell me someth

and white stripes; the rest of its fur is a yellowish tawny colour. It is a very playful, lively, cleanly animal, somewhat resembling the dormouse in its habits. It burrows

as he does rats and mice, as they are very destructive, and carry off vast quantities of grain, which they store in hollow trees for use. Not contenting themselves with one, granary, t

le chitmunks to think o

rding to his will; and so they always do what is fittest and best for their ow

rave, till her nurse began to tal

t was always with him. At meals it sat by the side of his plate, eating what he gave it; but he did not give it meat, as he thought that might injure its health. One day he and his pet were in the steam-boat, going to Toronto. He had been showing off the little chitmunk's tricks to the ladies and gentlemen on board the boat, and several persons offered him money if he would sell it; but my uncle was fond of the little thing, and would not part with it. Howeve

o glad, nurse, that the chitmunk ran back to his old fr

g their angry notes; but if a dog is near, they make for a tree, and as soon as they are out of his reach, turn round to chatter and scold, as long as he remains in sight. When hard pressed, the black and flying squirrels will take prodigious leaps, springing from bough to bough, and from tree to tree. In this manner they baffle the hunters, and travel a great distance over the tops of the trees. Once I saw my uncle and brothers chasing a large black squirrel. He kept out of reach of the dogs, as well as out of sight of the men, by passing rou

nd dogs tried to kill such a little creature as he was. Do the black squi

great stores of nuts and grain for winter use. The flying squirrels sleep much, and in the cold season lie heaped upon each other, for the sake of warmth. As many as seven or eight may be found in one nest asleep. They sometimes awaken, if there come a succession of warm days, as in the January thaw; for I must tell you that in this country we generally have rain a

hey are glad to eat some of the food

little heaps of wheat lying here and there on the rails, also upon the tops of the stumps in the field. I wondered at first who could have placed them there, but presently noticed a number of red squirrels running very swiftly along the fence, and perceived that they emptied their mouths of a quantity of the new wheat, w

for, nurse? c

hat the squirrels destroyed the germ of the grain, such as wheat or Indian corn, that they sto

added, after a moment's thought, "it was God who taught the squirrels to

he ear, and the root that strikes down to the earth. The flowery part, which swells and becomes soft and jelly-lik

if all seeds had

ust, or a grain of sand; yet each was perfect in its kind, and contained the plant that woul

aning the wheat, and laying it in the little heaps on the ra

they never hindered each other, nor came in each other's way: two were always going up, while the other two were going down. They seem to work in families; for the young ones, though old enough to get their own living, usually inhabit the same nest, and help to store up the grain for winter use. They all separate again in spring. The little chitmunk does not live in trees, but burrows in the ground, or makes its nest in some large hollow log. It is very pretty to see the little chitmunks, on a

Frazer," said the little lady, "tell me now about beavers and muskrats." But Mrs. Frazer was obliged to