148 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. XL 



made their appearance, and burrowed in an old embankment, within 

 three or four rods of my father's house. They seemed to have lost 

 the shyness exhibited when leading a solitary life, and were not alarmed 

 at the near approach of man. They even came about the kitchen 

 door to pick up crumbs and disputed with the chickens for their food. 

 Like the striped spermophiles, they glided silently to their burrows 

 when alarmed, uttering, as they entered, a remarkably clear whistle 

 twitter, more musical than the voice of any other mammal I ever 

 listened to, and as clear as that of a bird. The same note was uttered 

 when the animal was hurt or much frightened. They fed upon June- 

 grass, clover, timothy, and the broad-leaved plantain, and seemed 

 particularly fond of the leaves of the common mustard, of which some 

 plants grew near their burrows. Other specimens examined in sum- 

 mer had their stomachs filled with grass alone. In eating they sat 

 bolt upright on the tarsi, and used their fore-feet as hands, to draw the 

 leaves to their mouths, though their paws were used thus with less 

 facility than those of the true squirrels. Though both the vegetable 

 and flower gardens were situated within five rods of their burrows, 

 I do not remember that they were observed to injure either. A num- 

 ber of young chickens disappearing, however, and the eggs being eaten 

 in several hens' nests near the burrows of the spermophiles, suspicion 

 rested upon them — probably unjustly — - and a war of extermination 

 was commenced. Several were shot, while others were killed with 

 clubs, whereupon the survivors left in a body, as suddenly as they 

 had come, and were never seen again, nor could they be found upon 

 any part of the farm. I have known this spermophile to take refuge 

 in a hollow tree, crowding up the hole like the grey-rabbit. Mr. F. 

 C. Sherman, of Chicago, informs me that he twice saw one, when 

 pursued, climb five or six feet up the trellis-work and vines at the 

 side of the house. 



"The burrow of this species is usually deeper than that of the 

 striped spermophile, but otherwise similar to it. The young I have 

 not observed, but Mr. George S. Parker of Pecatonica, Illinois, writes 

 me that he once saw five, and at another time seven young in a nest. 

 They appear to go into winter-quarters in the fall, and re-appear in 

 the spring, at about the same time as the striped spennophile. They 

 have been found hibernating under piles of rails, and in corn-shocks; 

 and I am informed of two instances in which one has been found torpid 

 in a hay-stack, where he had formed a burrow in the hay. I have 

 never heard of its hibernating in such situations. A caged specimen 

 of Franklin's spermophile, kept by Professor Baird, of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, was active all winter; and Dr. A. M. P. Hughes, of Payson, 



