Common Chipmunk 341 



grain storehouse and its den, about fifty yards away, down hill, 

 through the woods. Both these cases were at Cos Cob, Conn. 



In order to mark an individual Chipmunk for better 

 observation in this regard, I caught a female that lived by our 

 porch. Then I placed the cage-trap that held her in a bowl of 

 deep blue-purple dye. The Chipmunk did not like it at first, 

 and splashed in such vigorous protest that everything within 

 three feet looked very blue. But she found it not so bad as it 

 looked, and soon was sitting contentedly with only her head 

 above the purple sea. To help her pass the time and evidence 

 my good feeling, I offered some bread. This she accepted in 

 a proper spirit and fell to eating, but held it so low that it was 

 speedily dyed an intense purple, which, however, apparently 

 detracted nothing from her relish. 



When taken out and dried in the sun, her back colour was 

 hardly changed, but her breast, throat, and feet were of a most 

 distinctive imperial hue. I took her to the woods to a place 

 about 150 yards from her home and set her at liberty. This was 

 July 14. A Chipmunk frequented our porch all that summer, 

 though I never saw it in clear light close at hand. On September 

 25 I saw one there singing its full song. A cage-trap quickly 

 brought it w ithin reach and I learned that it was my purple Chip- 

 munk, though there was not a trace of the dye excepting on the 

 bare skin of nose and feet. These were now of a bright blue. 



This and the opinions of other naturalists comprise all the 

 evidence I have on the home range of the individual Chipmunk, 

 and it leads me to believe that though the animal may go 100 

 or 200 yards away on occasion, it ordinarily spends its entire 

 life within the narrow compass of two or three acres. 



Furthermore, so far as I have seen, the species does noth- non- 

 ing in the way of migration. Dr. Merriam, on the other hand, tory 

 states his belief that the Adirondack Chipmunks are migratory: 



In June, he says,- "the species attains its maximum in 

 numbers, the young and old together inhabiting all parts of 



^ Mam. Ad., 1884, p. 234. 



