THE GNAWERS 



85 



Fig. 64. — The Chipmunk. 



bubble exploded. On many a highway, big fat English 

 rabbits could be seen browsing, — once noble scions of 

 Rex I, but now released and driven away to become 

 tramps of the tribe of rabbits. 



The most attractive of the gnawers are the squirrels 

 (Fig. 63), which lend life and beauty to every forest or 

 byway. The old stone fence of New England is the 

 squirrels' highway, and bounding along they are typical 

 of innocence and gayety. Their long, bushy tails, their 

 bright eyes, intelligent faces, and interesting postures all 

 endear them to man. One that I found in the Sierra 

 Madre had an enormous tail, recalling that of a fox, a 

 charming sight among the bays and manzanitas and 

 sycamores of the deep canyons. The small forms, the 

 chipmunks (Fig. 64), are even more beautiful. They are 



