Some time after, Isaac traded with another boy for a squirrel taken from the nest before its eyes were open.  He made a bed of moss for it, and fed it very tenderly.  At first, he was afraid it would not live; but it seemed healthy, though it never grew so large as other squirrels.  He did not put it in a cage; for he said to himself that a creature made to frisk about in the green woods could not be happy shut up in a box.  This pretty little animal became so much attached to her kind-hearted protector, that she would run about after him, and come like a kitten whenever he called her.  While he was gone to school, she frequently ran off to the woods and played with wild squirrels on a tree that grew near his path homeward.  Sometimes she took a nap in a large knot-hole, or, if the weather was very warm, made a cool bed of leaves across a crotch of the boughs, and slept there.  When Isaac passed under the tree, on his way from school, he used to call “Bun!  Bun!  Bun!” If she was there, she would come to him immediately, run up on his shoulder, and so ride home to get her supper.

It seemed as if animals were in some way aware of his kindly feelings, and disposed to return his confidence; for on several occasions they formed singular intimacies with him.  When he was six or seven years old, he spied a crow’s nest in a high tree, and, according to his usual custom, he climbed up to make discoveries.  He found that it contained two eggs, and he watched the crow’s movements until her young ones were hatched and ready to fly.  Then he took them home.  One was accidentally killed a few days after, but he reared the other, and named it Cupid.  The bird became so very tame, that it would feed from his hand, perch on his shoulder, or his hat, and go everywhere with him.  It frequently followed him for miles, when he went to mill or market.  He was never put into a cage, but flew in and out of the house, just as he pleased.  If Isaac called “Cu!  Cu!” he would hear him, even if he were up in the highest tree, would croak a friendly answer, and come down directly.  If Isaac winked one eye, the crow would do the same.  If he winked his other eye, the crow also winked with his other eye.  Once when Cupid was on his shoulder, he pointed to a snake lying in the road, and said “Cu!  Cu!”—­The sagacious bird pounced on the head of the snake and killed him instantly; then flew back to his friend’s shoulder, cawing with all his might, as if delighted with his exploit.  If a stranger tried to take him, he would fly away, screaming with terror.  Sometimes Isaac covered him with a handkerchief and placed him on a stranger’s shoulder; but as soon as he discovered where he was, he seemed frightened almost to death.  He usually chose to sleep on the roof of a shed, directly under Isaac’s bed-room window.  One night he heard him cawing very loud, and the next morning he said to his father, “I heard Cupid talking in his sleep last night.”  His father inquired whether he had seen him since; and when Isaac answered, “No,” he said, “Then I am afraid the owls have taken him.”  The poor bird did not make his appearance again; and a few days after, his bones and feathers were found on a stump, not far from the house.  This was a great sorrow for Isaac.  It tried his young heart almost like the loss of a brother.