MAMMALS OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 



69 



though this must be for early spring use, 

 since the Sierra golden-mantled ground 

 squirrel hibernates. 



Visitors to Glacier Point once came to 

 know this species well. The golden-man- 

 tles there were unafraid of humans and 

 permitted close approach, especially when 

 food was offered. Sometimes they even 

 crawled over a person's clothing and 

 searched the pockets for food to stuff in 

 their capacious check pouches. 



However, a few cases of relapsing fever 

 were traced to Glacier Point several years 

 ago, and since golden-mantled ground 

 squirrels are hosts to the tick that car- 

 ries the fever, it has been necessary to 

 reduce the population at that place and 

 proscribe the sale of peanuts and other 

 delicacies relished by ground squirrels. 



It should be remembered that it is 

 never advisable to come in close contact 

 with any ground squirrel in the West, 

 because some of them do have certain 

 parasites which may carry diseases to 

 which humans are susceptible. This does 

 not mean that every ground squirrel 

 needs to be exterminated. Public health 

 authorities are well equipped to deter- 

 mine when a territory is dangerous and 

 to prescribe measures to be taken in such 

 an area. We have been assured by them 

 that there is no cause for alarm at Gla- 

 cier Point under the present precaution- 

 ary program. 



Chipmunks are captivating mammals 

 to watch. Their bright pattern, lively 

 habits, and bird-like calls can afford 

 hours of pleasure to the visitor who re- 

 mains very still while in their haunts. 

 There should be no trouble recognizing 

 them as chipmunks by the fact that the 

 stripes include the face and there is a 

 narrow, dark stripe down the center of 

 the back. The sharp, pointed nose and 

 dainty configuration are not to be noted 

 in any ground squirrel or chickaree. 



To distinguish, in the field, the dif- 

 ferences between the five kinds recorded 



Photo by R. G. B.iJUmjn 



Long-cared chipmunk. Note the prominent eye- 

 stripes found in true chipmunks in the West. 



for the park is quite another matter. This 

 requires some study and an appreciation 

 for finer distinctions. Their ranges in- 

 clude the territory from the western 

 boundary to the highest peaks, but, with 

 one exception, they do not overlap. 



The Tahoe chipmunk is found in the 

 areas occupied by three other kinds. This 

 is probably because it has a much greater 

 tendency to take refuge in trees and hunt 

 food in bushes. Consequently, it does not 

 seriously compete with the others, which 

 are largely ground dwellers. 



For some reason, all chipmunks are 

 scarce in Yosemite Valley, but they may 

 easily be seen in the Mariposa Grove of 

 Giant Sequoias, or near Glacier Point, as 

 well as in the high country. 



There is one species in Yosemite Na- 

 tional Park that may be rather easily 

 identified. The alpine chipmunk is very 

 small, less than eight inches over-all, and 

 quite pale in coloration. It extends its 

 range into the rocky shoulders of our 

 highest mountains. I have seen it at 

 least 13,000 feet in elevation, very near 

 the summit of Mt. Lyell, scampering 

 among the polemoniums. 



Our chipmunks are mainly seed eaters, 

 utilizing the membranous cheek pouches 

 for transporting their harvest. Their 



