UNDER THE APPLE-TREES 



leaves his finished den, but out of the larger work- 

 hole through which the soil was removed, and which 

 is finally stopped up and obliterated. 



I happened to discover my chipmunk probably 

 the second day after he had begun to dig. Some 

 people were calling on me at my bush camp when, 

 as they turned to go, one of them said, **See that 

 chipmunk!" I looked and saw him sitting up amid 

 a little fresh earth, washing his face. His face cer- 

 tainly needed washing; it was so soiled it looked 

 comical. Presently I investigated the spot and 

 found a rude hole a few inches deep, with the loos- 

 ened earth in front of it. ** Evidently a greenhorn," 

 I said; "a pretty dooryard he will have by the time 

 he finishes, with a hole big enough to admit a red 

 squirrel!" 



Next morning there was more fresh earth in front 

 of the hole; indeed, the grass was full of it a foot or 

 more away, and a dump-pile had just been begun. 

 From the hole to this pile there was a deep, wide 

 groove in the loose soil, which I soon saw was made 

 by the squirrel shoving the loosened earth from the 

 hole to the dump, using his nose as a shovel. Day 

 after day, for nearly a week thereafter, I saw him at 

 work, digging and pushing the soil up to the mouth 

 of his hole, and then pushing it along this groove or 

 channel to the dump-heap. His movements were so 

 quick and energetic that, at the final stroke, the soil, 

 a half-teaspoonful or more, would shoot from his 



30 



