60 RAMBLES ABOUT HOME. 



destructive of all their enemies. The little weasel, per- 

 haps, is less prone to enter their nests than the ermine ; 

 and it is the former species which is the more frequent 

 of the two in this immediate neighborhood ; but if the 

 little weasels chance to take up their abode near by, the 

 chipmunks soon hie themselves off to " fresh fields and 

 pastures new." To return to the chipmunk's nest. The 

 right-hand entrance to the nest proper was nine feet dis- 

 tant from the opening at the foot of the tree, but, as the 

 passage had a somewhat tortuous course, the tunnel was 

 really about twelve feet long. The nest proper was, as 

 near as I could determine, about twenty inches in length, 

 and perhaps a foot in height. It was lined with fine 

 grass. I had hoped to find more than two passages to 

 the nest, and extra cavities or granaries, but there were 

 no traces of them. These supplementary burrowings, or 

 " store-houses," I believe now are made quite late in the 

 summer, and are additions to their main burrows, made 

 when it becomes necessary for them to commence storing 

 up their winter supply of food. 



One feature of this earth-nest, and of all under- 

 ground retreats of our mammals, struck me as very curi- 

 ous. There was no evidence of any caving of the earth 

 that I could see, or could I detect any evidence that 

 means had been taken to prevent such an occurrence. 

 The soil where I exposed the nest of the chipmunks was 

 a fine, ferruginous sand that caved in whenever I tried to 

 construct a similar tunnel. I made such examination of 

 the surface of the burrow as I could, and found no trace 

 of any foreign substance that explained the mystery, for 

 such it was and is to me. 



On the 23d of June six young chipmunks made their 

 appearance about the stone wall in the yard, and to these, 

 with their parents, I will now confine my attention. It 



