The CliipiiiiiitL:^ of the Genus Eutamias. 193 



place at the close of the bi'eeding season, and in his detailed de- 

 scri})tions of the various si)ecies and subspecies has treated the 

 ' In-eeding ' and ' post-breeding ' pelages under separate headings ; 

 but he remains silent as to what the worn breeding pelage was 

 before it became worn, leaving it to be inferred that it was the 

 left-over sunnner pelage of the preceding year. In fact, he 

 speaks of onl}^ a single molt — that from the worn to the new 

 summer pelage— which commonly takes place in June or July. 

 There is, however, a second complete molt in the fall, usually in 

 September or October, which results in a change of color hardly 

 less remarkal)le than that of the summer molt. In general 

 terms it ma}^ be said that while the change from the breeding 

 to the })ost-breeding pelage results in a brightening of the tints, 

 w^ith a great increase in the fulvous or tawny colors, the change 

 from summer to winter pelage is the reverse — the bright tawny 

 colors giving place to lich grays and browns. The character of 

 the i)elage differs also, the summer coat being relatively short 

 and hispid, while the winter coat is long, full, and woolly. 



A remarkable circumstance connected with the change of 

 pelage is that while tlie winter coat is worn about 9 months, the 

 summer coat is worn only al)Out 3 months, and in some cases 

 for a considerably shorter period. The animals breed while still 

 in the left over winter pelage, which in early summer is often so 

 worn and faded that it has the appearance of another })elage. In 

 fact, although there are only two molts, it would not be amiss to 

 describe 3 pelages: (1) the fresh fall or winter pelage; (2) the 

 worn summer or l)reeding ])elage [= the left-over winter pelage], 

 and (3) the bi'ight fresh reddish i)ost-l)reeding pelage. 



The change from the summer or ' post-breeding ' pelage to the 

 winter coat takes place by complete molt, as in the case of the 

 change from thel^reeding to the post-breeding pelage ; but there 

 is a radical difference, at least in some species, in the way the 

 molt progresses. At the close of the breeding season the animal 

 is usually in worn, shaljljy pelage, and not infrequently the hairs 

 are worn off so short that the dorsal stripes disappear. The new 

 coat appears in irregular patches,* usually beginning on the 

 head and covering the anterior half of the back next ; in other 

 words, while somewhat irregular, it progresses from before back- 

 wards. The late fall molt, on the contrary, begins on the rump 



*In some specimens the post-breeding pelage seems to creep in insid- 

 iously without the usual ' patchy ' stage. 



