(flip CfltpmunR CaUtte 



ing a frightened cry, while she, with a subdued 

 muttering, endeavored to quiet him. 



Once, my old chipmunk, seeing me across the 

 yard, came bounding to me. Forgetting, in her 

 haste, to be vigilant, she ran into a family of 

 weasels, two old and five young ones, who were 

 crossing the yard. Instantly, and with lion-like 

 ferocity, the largest weasel leaped and seized the 

 chipmunk by the throat. With a fiendish jerk 

 of his head the weasel landed the chipmunk 

 across his shoulders and, still holding it by the 

 throat, he forced his way, half swimming, half 

 floundering, through a swift brook which crossed 

 the yard. His entire family followed him. Most 

 savagely did he resent my interference when I 

 compelled him to drop the dead chipmunk. 



The wise coyote has a peculiar habit each 

 autumn of feasting upon chipmunks. Com- 

 monly the chipmunks retire for the winter be- 

 fore the earth is frozen, or before it is frozen 

 deeply. Apparently they at once sink into a 

 hibernating sleep. Each autumn, shortly after 

 the chipmunks retire, the coyotes raid all local- 

 ities in my neighborhood in which digging is 



285 



