STRIPED SPERMOPHILE 31 



seven to ten. They are naked and blind when born and require 

 a longer period of care by the mother than is usual in rodents. 

 In late June and during July when the half-grown young appear 

 above ground the voices of these animals are most frequently 

 heard, the mother and young constantly calling back and forth; 

 during the breeding season the adults are shy and quiet. In the 

 summer the young begin to dig shallow burrows and before fall 

 leave the mother to shift for themselves. 



Adults of this species are at times quite pugnacious and often 

 engage in fierce battles among themselves, scarred faces and ears 

 and lost tips of tails apparently being the most serious results of 

 such encounters. One observer reports having seen a male of 

 this species kill a weasel in a fair fight by biting entirely through 

 the weasel's skull. 



The striped spermophile is widely distributed through the cen- 

 tral part of North America, and in Iowa is common or abundant 

 in practically every locality visited. It is found generally through- 

 out the state and is much more widely distributed than Frank- 

 lin 's spermophile ; in most localities it is more abundant than that 

 species, and its local range is also less restricted. 



Food Habits, Economic Importance and Control Measures. As 

 above indicated, the name spermophile means seed lover and 

 scarcely a grain or seed grows where these animals are found 

 that they do not eat. Among the cultivated seeds eaten are wheat, 

 barley, oats, corn, rye, and millet, but their diet is not restricted 

 to these cultivated seeds alone for they are also fond of various 

 cultivated fruits and roots. In addition, acorns, hazelnuts, seeds 

 of pigweed, bindweed, knotweed, pigeon grass, and ragweed make 

 up a goodly share of their food. Nor is their diet confined to the 

 vegetable world; for animal food makes up a part of their diet 

 and they feed particularly on various insects such as grasshop- 

 pers, beetles, caterpillars, and ants. ''Of the total contents of 

 eighty stomachs examined, more than half consisted of insects. 

 The percentage of animal matter was 52.9 ; of vegetable matter 

 44.4; and of undetermined matter 2.7. The cheek pouches con- 

 tained 100 per cent of vegetable matter, being filled exclusively 

 with grain and seeds of various plants." 2 Since this species is 

 so abundant and widely distributed in the state and because of 

 the nature of its food it has gained an evil reputation among 

 farmers. In addition to destroying the cultivated seeds above 



*U. S. Dept. Agr., Bull. No. 4, 43, 1893. 



