[MassChestnutOrchards] Squirrels

[rufin at charter.net]

I have thought that squirrels prefer chestnuts over other nuts. I tried a small test. 
I am at the Cape and there a lot of the critters here and not many acorns. Yesterday at 11:am I put out 10 chestnuts, 10 white oak acorns 10 black walnuts 10 shagbark hickory nuts, 10 red oak acorns  and 9 butternuts.
At dark none were gone 
This morning at 8 AM all chestnuts were gone, 1 hickory nut gone, 8 white oak acorns gone, no butternuts or walnuts gone, 4 red oak acorns gone. By 11:am only 8 butternuts and 8 walnuts left. By4:pm onyl 7 walnuts and 7 butternuts left. How do these squirrels know that foul smelling walnut and butter nut coverings cover something good to eat as these squirrels probably have never before come across them because none of those species are near here?

Rufin