196 FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM ZOOLOGY, VOL. r. 



has been suggested that this species is only a stage of pelage of 

 T. merriami, the succeeding species, but no evidence has yet been 

 obtained to support this view. It must be said, however, that our 

 specimens of T. pricei have all been procured during the late 

 winter and early spring months, and we do not know how it 

 appears in midsummer. From our present knowledge of the 

 animal it seems to be a very distinct form. 



7. Tamias frater. 



Tamias frater. Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. iii., 

 1890-91, p. 88. 



Specimens, 148, from following localities : Pyramid Peak, 

 Eldorado Co., 32 ad., 9 juv. ; Echo, Eldorado Co., 3 ad., 4 juv. ; 

 Hermit Valley, Calaveras Co., 17 juv.; Bloods, Calaveras Co., 

 2 juv.; Silver Lake, Amidor Co., 67 ad.; Blue Lake, Alpine Co., 

 2 ad.; Woodford, Alpine Co., 3 juv.; Edgewood, Douglas Co., 

 Nev. , 2 ad., 5 juv.; Anderson River, Douglas Co., Nev. , i juv.; 

 Mt. Siegel, Douglas Co., Nev., i juv. 



The adults were taken in June, July and August, the young in 

 the last two months only. The series is rather remarkable for 

 the large number of examples in the post-nuptial pelage, which 

 seems to be assumed most generally in August, though an occa- 

 sional specimen possesses it as early as the middle of July. In 

 this dress all the back and sides are a reddish orange, and the 

 stripes are darker in hue and more sharply denned than at other 

 seasons of the year. Thus attired it is a very handsome little 

 creature. The changes in the pelage of these animals has been 

 thoroughly explained by Dr. Merriam in his excellent paper on 

 the " Chipmuncks of the genus Eutamias " (Proc. Biol. Soc. 

 Wash., Vol. XL, pp. 189-212, (1897) ), in which it is shown that 

 this post-nuptial or post-breeding pelage is retained for only 

 three months, possibly for a shorter period, when it gives way by 

 a complete moult to a less bright pelage, which is retained 

 throughout the winter, and becomes very much worn in the 

 spring and during the breeding season, when a second moult 

 occurs, and the bright rich post-breeding pelage is assumed. In 

 these different styles of dress the species presents an altogether 

 changed appearance, and until the fact that there were two 

 moults was ascertained, some doubts arose as to whether or not 

 they represented more than one species. All the young animals 

 in the collection possess a very similar pelage to the post-breed- 



