152 THE CHIPMUNK 



thrifty little creatures will find some substitute 

 to help them over the winter. Two chipmunks 

 near my study were occupied many days in 

 carrying in cherry pits which they gathered 

 beneath a large cherry-tree that stood ten or 

 twelve rods away. As Nig was no longer about 

 to molest them, they grew very fearless, and 

 used to spin up and down the garden path to 

 and from their source of supplies in a way quite 

 unusual with these timid creatures. After they 

 had got enough cherry pits, they gathered the 

 seed of a sugar maple that stood near. Many 

 of the keys remained upon the tree after the 

 leaves had fallen and these the squirrels har- 

 vested. They would run swiftly out upon the 

 ends of the small branches, reach out for the 

 maple keys, snip off the wings and deftly slip 

 the nut or samara into their cheek pockets. 

 Day after day in late autumn I used to see 

 them thus occupied. 



As I have said, I have no evidence that more 

 than one chipmunk occupy the same den. One 

 March morning after a light fall of snow I saw 

 where one had come up out of his hole, which 

 was in the side of our path to the vineyard, and 

 after a moment's survey of the surroundings 

 had started off on his travels. I followed the 

 track to see where he had gone. He had 

 passed through my woodpile, then under the 

 beehives, then around the' study and under 

 some spruces and along the slope to the hole of 

 a friend of his, about sixty yards from his own. 

 Apparently he had gone in here, and then his 



