of his good fortune.

His hands were paws,

and his name was Mr. Chipmunk.

He lived close by in a hollow tree the other side of the fence. His house and his storehouse were one.

Farmer Penn had no reaping-machine or threshing-machine that worked better

than the good helpers that Mr. Chipmunk carried in his mouth.

That afternoon the two boys of the family, George and William, went to the wheat-field and saw the squirrel helping himself. They hid behind a rock at the edge of the field, and peeped out to watch

him. The cunning little fellow was too busy to notice them.

How swift his actions were! No man could swing his arms as fast as Chipmunk used his paws. He bent down the wheat,

a stalk at a time, and with his teeth he shelled a head of wheat clean of kernels in a minute. Not having any use for the straw, he left it where it was.

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"What will he do for a bag to carry the wheat away in?" asked William. Will he take the bag on his shoulder, as father does?"

"Don't you see his cheeks swell out?" asked George. "They are all the bags he needs."

"Oh!" said the little boy, "isn't Chipmunk a funny fellow. His cheeks make me think of yours when you had the mumps."

When Chipmunk had stuffed his cheeks with wheat, he ran away through the fence, with his tail over his back. The boys waited, and in a very short time he came leaping back, saying, "Whi-r-r!" His

cheeks were empty, ready to be filled again.

"I am sure," said the older of the brothers as they went home, "that he has a halfpeck of father's wheat stored away for winter."

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"It is all right, I think," said William. "A squirrel must have something to eat." Yes; but if there were many such thieves around, it would be necessary to trap or shoot them. The wheat will be cut tomorrow; then Mr. Chipmunk must finish his harvest on nuts."

6. SQUIRRELS AT PLAY.

One day a friend of mine stood watching three chipmunks for a long time.

He

said they seemed to be playing some kind

It looked very much as if they

of game.
were playing tag.

Round and round they ran, first one taking the lead, then another. They seemed to enjoy it as much as boys and girls do.

My friend said that one thing about a chipmunk is very curious. He is never more than one jump from home. Try to catch him anywhere, and in he goes. He knows where the hole is, even if it is covered with leaves. There is no doubt that he enjoys the fun of getting away.

This same friend one day watched two red squirrels for a half-hour, leaping through the large trees by the roadside; in a game of tag.

As soon as one would come up to and touch the other, he would turn and do his best not to be caught. Like two boys, first one and then the other would be in the lead, and like boys they seemed to enjoy the sport.

Here is another of the squirrel cousins. Watch him as he sails through the air almost as easily as a bird.

he does not fly like a bird.

But you see

toward the ground as he sails.

He moves

He has no wings, but he has something that aids him in sailing in the air. Do you know what it is?

On each side, extending from his fore legs to his hind ones, is a loose skin. This skin hangs like a ruffle when the squirrel sits, walks, or runs. Very pretty it looks too, with its fringe of fur.