Common Chipmunk 355 



between them and the land; and at every attempt of the 

 Squirrel to seize them by a circuitous sweep, raised both her 

 wings in an almost perpendicular position, assuming the most 

 formidable appearance she was capable of, and rushed forward 

 on the Squirrel, who, intimidated by her boldness of manner, 

 instantly retreated; but presently returning, was met as before, 

 in front and on flank, by the daring and affectionate bird, who 

 with her wings and whole plumage bristling up, seemed swelled 

 to twice her usual size. The young crowded together behind 

 her, apparently sensible of their perilous situation, moving 

 backward and forward as she advanced or retreated. This 

 interesting scene lasted for at least ten minutes; the strength of 

 the poor parent began evidently to flag, and the attacks of the 

 Squirrel became more daring and frequent, when my good 

 friend, like one of those celestial agents, who, in Homer's time, 

 so often decided the palm of victory, stepped forward from his 

 retreat, drove the assailant back to his hole, and rescued the 

 innocent from destruction." 



Let us hope that this was a Chipmunk of unusual deprav- 

 ity; nevertheless we can find others of his tribe that are equally 

 abandoned. Brewster writes me: "While collecting at Crooked 

 Lake, Mich., in May, 1888, I shot at a wood thrush and 

 broke its wing. As it fluttered off over the ground a Chipmunk 

 pursued and caught it. When I reached the spot the Chip- 

 munk had killed the bird and eaten most of its brains. I had 

 to kick at the Chipmunk to make it give up the thrush. 

 Afterward as I held the bird dangling in my hand the Chip- 

 munk approached and jumped up, trying to snatch it from me." 



Furthermore, we find in Audubon and Bachman's Quad- 

 rupeds^* this paragraph: 



"A lady in the vicinity of Boston said to us, 'We had in 

 our garden a nest of young robins {Turdus migratorius), and 

 one afternoon as I was walking in the garden I happened to 

 pass very close to the tree on which the nest was placed; my 

 attention was attracted by a noise which I thought proceeded 

 from it, and on looking up I saw a Ground-squirrel tearing 



" Q. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. 69. 



