the words were hardly out of his mouth when "pft!" a fat acorn came down at his feet. he caught it up with his forepaws before looking around. it was smooth and glossy, not at all as though it had passed a long winter on an oak branch. he took a good nibble at it and then looked up to see if there were more on the tree above him. you can think how surprised he was to find himself sitting beneath a maple, for in all the years since the world began no maple has ever borne acorns.