The squirrel eats fruit or seeds, buds, twigs, shells, berries, grain, and mushrooms. The seeds, buds, and young shoots of fir and pine trees form its principal food. It bites pine cones off at the stem, comfortably sits down on its haunches, lifts the cone to its mouth with its forepaws, and turning it constantly around, it bites off one little scale after another with its sharp teeth, until the kernel is reached, which it takes out with its tongue, Hazel nuts are a favorite dainty with it. Bitter kernels, like almonds, for instance, are poison to it; two bitter almonds are sufficient to kill it.

When food is abundant the squirrel lays by stores for less plenteous times. In the forests of southeastern Siberia it stores away mushrooms. "They are so unselfish," says Radde, "that they do not think of hiding their supply of mushrooms, but pin them on the pine needles or in larch woods on the small twigs. There they leave the mushrooms to dry, and in times of scarcity of food these stores are of good service to some roaming individual of their kind."

Four weeks after the breeding season the female gives birth to from three to seven young, in the softest, best located nest; the little ones remain blind for nine days and are tenderly nurtured by the mother. After they have been weaned the parents leave the young to their fate. They remain together for a while, play with each other and soon acquire the habits of their parents, By June it is said the female has another family, and when they also are so far grown up that they can roam around with her, she frequently joins her first litter, and one may see the entire band, sometimes consisting of from twelve to sixteen members, gamboling about in the same part of a wood.

The squirrel is a very cleanly animal, licking and dressing its fur unceasingly.

The finest squirrel skins come from Siberia, and the farther east they are procured the darker and more valuable they are. The back and under part of the furs are used separately. Russia and Siberia annually furnish from six to seven million skins, valued at about one million dollars. Most of these skins are manufactured in Russia and exported to China. Besides the skins, the tails are employed as boas, and the hair of the tail makes good painters brushes. The flesh is white, tender, and savory, and is much esteemed by epicures.