SQUIRREL FAMILY 



193 



SAY'S CHIPMUNK 



Eutamias quadrivittatus (Say) 



Other Name. — Busy Cliiimiuiik. 



General Description. — .Say's Chipmunk may be 

 selected as reiireseiitative of the whole genus I-.utainias. 

 a very large group ranging in general over almost all 

 of North America. The latest authoritative list records 

 no less than 47 species and subspecies of this small 

 mammal known north of the Rio Grande. Roughly 

 speaking they are all very much alike, most of them 

 having the upper parts striped with the same pattern, 

 namely 5 dark and 4 lighter, dorsal, longitudinal stripes. 

 However, owing to the great variety of habitats in 

 which Chipmunks live, the greatest diversity is found 

 in coloration and to a certain extent in size. This 

 group is a very plastic one. that is, its members reflect 

 readily the environmental influences about them, and 

 thus in desert species we find very pale coloration as 

 the result of excessive sunlight, while in regions of 

 heavy rainfall dark, rich-colored forms occur. As 

 might be expected, certain changes of habit are also 

 correlated with changes in environment, although the 

 economic niche fitted by this animal is much the same 

 wherever it is found. Say's Chipmunk is small and 

 slender, being only about half the bulk of the Eastern 

 Chipmunk. Head moderately rounded ; ears somewhat 

 narrow, erect and well clothed with short hair; body 

 slender and trim; tail about a", long as head and body, 

 and moderately bushy and flat ; legs short. Color 

 above, a series of dark and light stripes; hair of 

 moderate length and soft. Very active and excitable 

 in manner. 



Dental Formula. — Incisors, '~~— ; Canines, 2ll? ■ Pre- 



I— I ' o — o * 



molars, -'^ ; Molars, ^^^22. 



Pelage. — Adult.s : Sexes identical. Suiiiincr pelage. 

 .Above, grayish grizzled chestnut or rufous with con- 

 spicuous longitudinal striping as follows : a median 

 black stripe extending from between ears nearly to 

 base of tail; on either side of median stripe, a lighter 

 stripe of nearly same tone as color of sides, or more 

 often, grayish-white; then a black stripe, edged with 

 rufous and ending about an inch behind ear; finally 

 an almost clear white stripe ; behind ears a small 

 patch of whitish-gray ; grayish-white stripes above and 

 below eyes ; dark facial stripes ; top of head gray ; 

 under surface of body white, the hairs blackish at 

 base ; tail above, mixed black and rufous ; below, rufous, 

 black bordered. Winter. The whole general tone of 

 the upper parts grayer, with dorsal stripes less black 

 and more rufous, and light stripes grayer; sides and 



flanks duller ; under surface of tail more chestnut. 

 Voi'NG : Striped like adults but coloration weaker. 



Measurements. — Total length. 8.5 inches to 9.5 

 inches; tail vertebrae, 3.7 inches; hind foot, 1.3 inches. 



Range. — Southern Colorado northward through 

 \V\oming, in forested regions and brushy places. 



Food. — Seeds of various kinds, acorns, some insects 

 and birds' eggs. 



Related .Species 



Say's Chipmunk, or Colorado Chipmunk. — Eu- 

 tamias quadrivittatus quadrivittatus (Say). Typical 

 animal of the above description. Colorado and Wyo- 

 ming. 



Yellow-bellied Chipmunk. — Eutamias quadrivittatus 

 lutcivcntris (Allen). Colors bright; body beneath bufify. 

 Rocky Mountains in Montana northward into British 

 Columliia. 



Northern Chipmunk. — Eutamias quadrivittatus borc- 

 alis (Allen). Smaller than Colorado Chipmunk; pale 

 yellowish-gray above. Northern North America, Hud- 

 son Bay to eastern base of Rocky Mountains south to 

 Montana. 



Least Chipmunk. — Eutamias minimus miniuius' 

 (Bachman). Smallest of the Chipmunks, length 8 

 inches. Colors very pale. A desert form. Bad Lands 

 and plains of Dakota. Montana and Wyoming. 



Oregon Chipmunk. — Eutamias amoenus ainoenus 

 (Allen). Smaller in size than Colorado Chipmunk, 

 colors paler. Fort Klamath, Oregon to northern Cali- 

 fornia and western Nevada. 



Utah Chipmunk. — Eutamias dorsalis utahcnsis 

 Merriam. Single dorsal stripe alone conspicuous; 

 coloration rusty brown. Northern Utah to New 

 Mexico. 



Townsend's Chipmunk. — Eutamias townscndii tozvn- 

 scndii (Bachman). Largest of the Chipmunks; colora- 

 tion very dark; above ferruginous rufous; tail about 

 three-quarters length of head and body. Coast region 

 of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. 



Merriam's Chipmunk. — Eutamias mcrriami mcrri- 

 ami (.Allen). Size large; colors pale; stripes not strik- 

 ingly contrasted. California. 



Hopi Chipmunk. — Eutamias bopiensis Merriam. 

 Medium size ; general appearance bright chestnut or 

 rufous. Northern Arizona, southern Utah and south- 

 western Colorado. 



Long-eared Chipmunk. — Eutamias qiiadrimaculatus 

 (Gray). Size large; facial stripes very distinct; ears 

 large; coloration grayish. California. 



Busy is just the word to characterize this httle 

 Chipmunk. From morning until night he is on 

 the move in whole or in part. Now he is dash- 

 ing from his burrow to disappear in a rock pile, 

 only to bob his head out a moment later. Now 

 he skips quickly to a bush of bright red berries, 

 and branch after branch shakes as he goes from 



one to another gathering his breakfast. Some 

 he takes to a nearby boulder, sits up and pro- 

 ceeeds to eat, holding and turning the berries in 

 his hand-like fore-paws much as a person would 

 do. So he goes all day long. 



The Chipmunk's tail seems to have some hidden 

 connection with his vocal cords. Up goes his 



