36 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



which in its native climate would be towards the 



sun. 



Some varieties of the kidney -bean are found in 

 cultivation throughout almost every civilized 

 country of the western as well as the eastern hemi- 

 sphere. H. G. Glasspoole. 



THE AMERICAN CHIP-MUCK. 



{Tamias Lysteri.) 



Br Charles C. Abbott, M.D. 



\\7TTH the first sweet blossoms of the Epigrea, 



* and long before the foremost warbler greets 



his old-time home with gleesome songs, our little 



arrangements for its coming duties. We watched 

 several pairs of them from March to November, 

 during the last year (1874), and our sketch is based 

 on numerous notes made at different times. 



Until the weather became fairly settled, and really 

 spring-like in temperature, these little chip-mucks 

 did not frequently show themselves, and then only 

 in the middle of the day. The occurrence of a cold 

 storm they appeared to foretell by twenty-four 

 hours, and resumed their hybernating sleep, becoming 

 lethargic, and very difficult to restore to conscious- 

 ness. A pair that we dug out in March, having 

 two days before re-entered their winter quarters 

 and become again torpid, were apparently lifeless 

 when first taken up in the hands, and not until after 



Fig. 23. American " Chip-muck " [Tamias Lysteri), half natural size. 



Chip-muck has roused himself from his long winter's 

 nap, and sniffing the south wind, as it whirls the 

 dead leaves about, scampers to and fro while the 

 suu shines, and dives into his winter quarters, it 

 may be for a whole week, if the north wind whispers 

 to the tall beech-trees. But the blustering days of 

 March give way in due time to showery April, and 

 then, with more courage, " chip " faces the music 

 of the winds, blow they from whatever quarter, and 

 darting along the top rail of our zig-zag fences, 

 chatters, scolds, and calls at and to his equally noisy 

 companions. They know full well that they have 

 the summer before them, and while determined to 

 enjoy it, begin early and in good earnest to make 



several hours' warming did they become lively and 

 altogether themselves again. This seemed to us 

 the more curious, in that they can respond to a 

 favourable change in the weather in a short time, 

 even when the thermometric change is really but a 

 few degrees. 



On the 3rd of May a pair made their appearance 

 in the yard of our residence, and took up their abode 

 in a stone wall having a southern outlook, and on 

 the edge of a steep descent of seventy feet ; which 

 hillside is thickly wooded, and harbours scores of 

 these little chip-mucks, or " ground squirrels," as 

 they are more commonly called. From the fact of 

 these little animals living wholly underground, and 



