Squirrel Hunting in Cambridge

Cambridge tends to attract people who are very white eccentric, and it is not unusual for them to pretend like they live in the woods instead of a high density college suburb. William James, for instance, was rumored to set up a tent in his big Cambridge yard and pretend to be camping. James lived on Irving Street, which is not far from where a present-day woodsman allegedly made Cambridge into his happy hunting grounds.

Cambridge police report that a Prentiss street homeowner was spotted perched on his roof with a long barreled rifle last month by a worried neighbor. Investigators seized the rifle—its owner wasn't around when they stopped by—and later learned from the man that he had bought the weapon to deal with the squirrels in his yard. No word on rodent fatalities, but we would like to remind any and all gun-toting Cantabrigians that squirrel meat is high in cholesterol and not particularly tasty.