FIELD BOOK OF MAMMALS 



behavior serve to distinguish it from its larger and more 

 cautious relatives, the Gray and Fox Squirrels, Although 

 Chickarees are found from coast to coast in practically every 

 forested area, and vary to some extent in size, color, and other 

 external characters, they do not change enough to conceal 

 their true relationships and one may recognize the Chickaree 

 for what he is wherever you find him. 



Chickarees are forest Squirrels and are not found out of 

 timbered areas. In some places these Squirrels may leave 

 heavy forest and wander through scrub growths such as 

 follow a water-course, but they are essentially denizens of 

 evergreen forests. 



These Squirrels are active throughout the year and if winter 

 weather temporarily drives them into shelter they come out 

 with the return of sunshine. Like most other Squirrels they 

 are dependent upon a diet of plant and tree products such as 

 nuts, seeds, buds, etc., and store up part of the food they find 

 in times of abundance for the winter season. It has been 

 stated that the Chickaree may be an important reforestation 

 agent because of this habit, since seeds of forest trees which 

 the animal fails to dig up will sprout when conditions are 

 favorable. The Douglas Fir is one of the trees which gains 

 more than it loses by the presence of Squirrels, strange as this 

 may seem. In other sections. Red Squirrels may dig up seed 

 which has been set out for reforestation purposes and become a 

 decided economic pest. 



Red Squirrels arc diurnal and do not move about at night. 

 They have several distinctive calls, a harsh, scolding, continu- 

 ous chatter, or whicker, when an enemy is in plain sight, and a 

 loud call, not continuous but given once or twice and repeated 

 at intervals, when the Squirrel is not greath^ excited. The 

 home nest is usually in a tree cavity, a decayed hollow, or an 

 old Woodpecker's nest, or is built of twigs and leaves upon 

 some convenient crotch in the limbs. Chickarees are good 

 swimmers and have been known to cross bodies of water a mile 

 in extent. 



Red Squirrels have gained an unsavory reputation as 

 robbers of birds' nests, suckers of eggs, and eaters of fledglings, 

 and many naturalists have written accounts of how the 

 animals were caught in the act. They appear to be the most 

 carnivorous of our Squirrels. 



250 



