Richardson Ground-squirrel 391 



two quarts of wheat, all of it sprouted. Evidently the Badger was 

 not interested in wheat, as it was lying in piles, and apparently 

 there was as much in sight as the little bin would have held. 

 The storehouses examined at Whitewater, April 9, 1904, 

 were empty. 



So far as known this animal is independent of water. It never 

 finds the moisture of its vegetable food sufficient. 



Every beast of prey from Bear to Weasel, all of the hawks enemies 

 and some of the owls, prey on the Yellow Ground-squirrel, and 

 its only recourse is a speedy retreat to Mother Earth, not by any 

 means a bad one, as is shown by results. 



Professor John Macoun tells me that twenty miles south- 

 west of Saskatoon, Sask., July 29, 1906, he saw one of these 

 Ground-squirrels sitting up on its mound as a Long-tailed Weasel 

 came loping over the prairie. The Squirrel dived below; the 

 Weasel went after it, but came out almost at once; evidently 

 the Squirrel had fooled him. 



But it has enemies that are even more dangerous. Five 

 specimens collected May 2, 1884, were carefully examined. 

 All were infested with wire-like worms in the stomach, aliment- 

 ary canal, and scrotum. Nearly all spring specimens after 

 this were found to be similarly infested. 



The cuterebra or warble, too, is said to prey on this 

 species,though I have not seen a case. 



Since the appearance of the burrowing owl in Manitoba 

 (about 1895) this Ground-squirrel has a new dependant; for 

 its burrows are just such as are needed by the owl for nesting 

 places, and unquestionably the baby Ground-squirrels are of 

 just the right size, shape, and flavour to provide a delicious meal 

 for the ungrateful bird. 



In trapping these dull-witted creatures but little subtlety trap- 

 Is needed. If you walk gently toward a Ground-squirrel 

 sitting at his front door, he gives a short, husky whistle about 

 every ten seconds, jerks up his tail-end in time to his music, 

 then takes the sub-soil plunge as you get nearer, going at thirty 



