traver] our pet chipmunk, UNCAS 383 



black and white striping on his back serves as protective coloring; 

 when he sits perfectly still on a stone, it takes sharp eyes indeed to 

 make out the outline of his body. His tail is less bushy than that of 

 his relative the squirrel, for he lives on the ground and a bushy tail 

 would more easily accumulate soil particles. His eyes are remark- 

 ably bright and beadlike, his teeth particularly the incisors, very 

 sharp; he is a clever nut hunter, and is very original in finding 

 hiding-places for his nuts. One of the most interesting things 

 about himi s the large pouch in each cheek, in which he can carry 

 a surprising number of nuts at once. It is probable that the soil 

 from his burrow is also carried away in these pouches. He clucks 

 like a cuckoo when hunting nuts, and can also chatter, but makes 

 much less noise than a red squirrel. 



His burrow, in the bank or side hill sometimes or even on the 

 level ground, is quite narrow at the entrance, and usually close to a 

 root or stick, so that it is difficult to dig down into it. A little 

 below the entrance it widens out into a room, where the chipmunk 

 sleeps. There are usually two or more openings to his burrow. 

 He hibernates during the winter, storing up food for himself in this 

 chamber below ground. About November he retires to his nest, 

 and is not seen again till the following March. Besides the ample 

 supply of nuts, corn and other food, one part of the room is well 

 bedded, that his long winter nap may be comfortable. 



Since the chipmunk has no special means of protecting himself 

 against his ntunerous enemies, save the burrow into which he may 

 run, it is evident that he must be in almost constant danger. Yet 

 the great number of chipmunks which abound everv-where show 

 that these little fellows are adequately holding their own against 

 all odds. Probably the protective markings on the back and the 

 habit of standing motionless when an enemy is sensed have much to 

 do with their success in life. 



The chipmunks' special adaptations for the life that he leads are 

 his rather small tail, teeth fitted for eating nuts and other hard 

 food, front feet with one toe merely a stub, his cheek pouches, and 

 his protective color scheme and the habit of storing food for winter. 

 Let us compare the chipmunk with his relative the squirrel, a 

 brother rodent. Here we find a creature distinctly more at home 

 in the tree tops than on the ground, never ventvmng far from the 

 protective tnmk of a tree when it does become necessary for him to 

 visit the ground. The squirrel's fur soft and rather thick, is pro- 



