156 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA [No. 55 



only from gathering on suitable soils or near supplies of favorite 

 food. 



At the first alarm of danger they dive into the burrows, and it 

 may be a few minutes or a half hour before a little black eye appears 

 cautiously at the edge of the doorway, and the little smooth head 

 gradually comes farther and farther out until the animal stands up 

 and makes a careful survey to see if the coast is clear before resum- 

 ing the usual occupation of gathering food. 



Hibernation. In the latter part of July or early in August these 

 squirrels gradually disappear in their burrows, the oldest and fat- 

 test going in first, and the youngest last. They are not seen again 

 until early in March, except by badgers that dig them out. There 

 are no definite records of appearance in spring but the records of 

 young out of the burrows in May would indicate that the mating 

 season begins in the early part of March. 



Breeding habits. On May 24, 1915, Jewett found these squirrels 

 common on the dry mesa east of Hay Creek, where he caught 21 in 

 his traps, mostly small young. To have been out at that date, 

 they must have been born some time in late April or early May. 

 There seem to be no records of embryos or families of young to 

 indicate the number in a litter, but the usual number of 10 mam- 

 mae 1 inguinal, 2 abdominal, and 2 pectoral pairs judging from 

 related species, would indicate 5 to 10 young at a birth. There is 

 no possibility of more than one family of young in a season and 

 scant time for these to grow up, get fat, and be ready for hibernation 

 by the first of August. 



Food habits. Many green plants, roots, and bulbs, a great variety 

 of seeds and grains, and a considerable variety of insects make up 

 the list of known foods of the species. Alfalfa, clover, and various 

 grasses all green and growing as well as ripening grains and 

 many valuable forage plants, are eaten. In places where cicadas 

 were numerous the squirrels were found feeding quite largely on 

 these insects. Their stomachs are very large and usually are well 

 filled, especially late in the summer when all their efforts are con- 

 centrated on storing sufficient fat for the period of hibernation. 



Economic status. Over most of their range these little desert 

 squirrels do not come in touch with agriculture, but in some of the 

 wheat-growing mesa tops and in some of the irrigated valleys they 

 are numerous and destructive to crops. 



They are poisoned, shot, trapped, and generally destroyed at con- 

 siderable expense of time and materials, while their principal 

 enemies the badger and numerous hawks and a few owls are in 

 many cases wantonly destroyed also. 



If the squirrels are as good eating as their relative, mollis, they 

 might be partly controlled by utilizing them as a food supply. The 

 Piute Indians are very fond of them. 



CITELLUS MOLLIS VIGILIS MERRIAM 

 SPECKLED SAGE SQUIRREL 



Citellus canus vigilis Merriam, Biol. Soc. Wash. Proc. 26 : 137, 1913. 



Type. Collected at Vale, Oreg., by Stanley G. Jewett, April 29, 1910. 

 General characters. Small and plump; ears minute, tail insignificant, soles 

 naked except heels ; fur soft and smooth, but browner and more grizzled than 



