There are further reports of the mass squirrel die-off which was first brought to light in this space last Thursday. Reader Andrea B. was in Massachusetts over the weekend and counted 20 dead squirrels on the roadways before she ran out of fingers and toes and had to stop. Her theory is that it is due to an autumnal nut-gathering frenzy that has them blindly scampering like furry little pinballs back and forth across the pavement with no awareness of the vehicular dangers. The question I have is this: why has this massacre not been noted in autumns past? Are the squirrels aware of some impending disaster that will require a nut cache far beyond their normal haul? I may have marked this case closed prematurely.