The mountains of California . age, he ventures downthe trunk again, cliurring andchirping, and jerking nervouslyup and down in curious loops,eyeing you all the time, as ifsho^ving off and denumdingyour admiration. Finally, grow-ing calmer, he settles down ina comfort a] jle posture on somehorizontal branch commandinga good view, and beats time withhis tail to a steady Chee-u]>!chee-up ! or, when somewhatless excited, Pee-ali! with tliofirst syllable keenly accented,and the second drawn out likethe scream of a hawk,— repeat-ing tliis slowly and nioi-e em-phatically at fiist, then gradu-ally
The mountains of California . age, he ventures downthe trunk again, cliurring andchirping, and jerking nervouslyup and down in curious loops,eyeing you all the time, as ifsho^ving off and denumdingyour admiration. Finally, grow-ing calmer, he settles down ina comfort a] jle posture on somehorizontal branch commandinga good view, and beats time withhis tail to a steady Chee-u]>!chee-up ! or, when somewhatless excited, Pee-ali! with tliofirst syllable keenly accented,and the second drawn out likethe scream of a hawk,— repeat-ing tliis slowly and nioi-e em-phatically at fiist, then gradu-ally faster, until a i;it(^ of about l-)!) words a min-ute is rcaclit(l; usually sitting all the time on hishaunches, with ])aws resting on his breast, whichpulses visibly wilii each word. It is remarkable,too, that, tlK)ngh ;iit ing distinctly, he kcejtshis mouth shut most «>f i he t iinc, and speaks thioughhis nose. I have; occasionally (>l)scr\<<l him cxciieating Heipioia seeds and niltbling a liouMcsomo. TRACK OF DOUGLASSQUIRREL ONCK DOWNAND UP A PINE-TREEWHEN SHOWING OFF TOA SlECTATOK. 232 THE MOUNTAINS OF CALIFOENIA flea, without ceasing or in any way confusing his Pee-ah! pee-ah ! for a single moment. While ascending trees all his claws come intoplay, but in descending the weight of his body issustained chiefly by those of the hind feet; still inneither case do his movements suggest effort,though if you are near enough you may see thebulging strength of his short, bear-like arms, andnote his sinewy fists clinched in the bark. Whether going up or down, he carries his tail ex-tended at full length in line with his body, unlessit be required for gestures. But while runningalong horizontal limbs or fallen trunks, it is fre-quently folded forward over the back, with the airytip daintily upcurled. In cool weather it keeps himwarm. Then, after he has finished his meal, youmay see him crouched close on some level limb withhis tail-robe neatly spread and reachi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectcaliforniadescriptio
