

The Chipmunk 



Elsa Allen 

 Ithaca, X. Y. 



There is no more beautiful little animal frisking along fences 

 and hedgerows and scrambling through the woods than the 

 chipmunk. Its fur is fine and wonderfully soft and pleasing in 

 color, rich shades of brown, chestnut, buff and black melting and 

 blending on his striped back. It has the pointed head, long 

 body, and short legs characteristic of the rodents to which order 

 of mammals it belongs. It is not a climber like its cousins the 

 squirrels and therefore does not need such a large bushy tail for 

 steering. Sometimes, however, the chipmunk runs several feet 

 up the trunk of a tree, especially when frightened and far away 

 from its burrow. 



The chipmunk which we have in central New York is Tatnias 

 striatus but farther north it is replaced by a very similar more 

 light colored species, Tatnias striatus lysteri. There are numerous 

 species of chipmunks through western United States and in some 

 localities these little creatures are considered quite a nuisance 

 because of their damage to corn. Here in the east, however, 

 the chipmunk is harmless and is a most enjoyable little tenant 

 of our gardens. It feeds on nuts, berries and grains and frequently 

 will come to a feeding station and sit for quarter-hours at a 

 time stuffing its cheek pouches full of grain to tide over the winter. 



When the cold November days set in, the chipmunk disappears 

 into its winter quarters beneath the ground, which it has ela- 

 borately made ready for hibernation. It always has an under- 

 ground home to which it can dart when the hawk or fox is about, 

 and in the fall it spends the entire time filling the burrow with 

 food perhaps scattered about the edges of its grassy bed or neatly 

 stored away in galleries above the nest. 



The burrow is quite elaborate. A site under cover of a stump 

 or stone is usually chosen so that the entrance will be inconspicu- 

 ous. The door is then made just large enough for the chip- 

 munk's slender body to pass through but after descending a 

 few inches it suddenly widens and sinks perpendicularly in several 

 feet; it then proceeds horizontally a couple of yards, then rises 

 slightly to a roomy chamber carpeted with soft grass. There 



301 



