FIELD BOOK OF MAMMALS 



Upperparts. — Grizzled yellowish, grayish and dusky; nose, 

 head, fore and hind limbs rusty yellowish; tail above, rusty 

 yellowish or rufous, the hairs banded with black and yellowish 

 and tipped with rufous; underside of tail mixed grayish, 

 yellowish, rufous and blackish, the black predominating. 



Underparts. — Buffy to rusty yellowish, brightest on chin, 

 throat, and base of tail. 



Immature like adults but not as brightly colored. 



Measurements. — Sexes of equal size. Total length, 15 

 inches; tail vertebrfe, 4.2 inches; hind foot, 2.2 inches. 



Geographical Distribution. — Most of western North 

 America from Alaska to Mexico and from the Mississippi 

 Valley to the Pacific Ocean. 



Food. — Seeds, nuts, grains, green vegetation, roots, insects 

 and their larvae, occasionally young birds and mammals, 

 eggs. 



Enemies. — Hawks, Weasels, Badgers, Coyotes, Wolves, 

 Foxes, Bobcats, and most of the small carnivores. 



Species and Subspecies of the Genus Citellus 



This is a very large and widely ranging group, the classi- 

 fication of which is in need of considerable revision. The 

 differences between closely related forms are often so slight 

 that they are difficult to set forth in print and the animals 

 must be directly compared in the hand. There are several, 

 more or less clearly defined, groups of Spermophiles and the 

 arrangement followed in this field book is intended to show 

 this grouping. The principal types of Spermophiles are 

 easily distinguished from one another, but the intermediate 

 varieties are not as well characterized. 



Columbian Ground Squirrel. — Citellus columhianus colum- 

 hianus (Ord). 

 As described. Found in the mountains from western Mon- 

 tana, eastern Oregon and Washington north to western 

 Alberta and southern British Columbia. 



Citellus erythrogluteius (Richardson) = Citellus columhianus 

 columhianus 



Alberta Ground Squirrel. — Citellus columhianus alhertcB Allen. 

 Resembling typical columhianus but differing from it in 

 heavier and more massive skull, and slightly paler color. 

 Total length, 13 inches; tail vertebrce, 4.3 inches; hind foot, 

 2.3 inches. Found in the mountains of southern Alberta; 

 vicinity of Canadian National Park. 



