174 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



sometimes great, some farmers affirming that the ground squirrels 

 destroy more corn than the crows. Another failing tliis animal has, is 

 its love for strawberries, and its visits to the bed are not " few and far 

 between." The ground squirrel is not a tree climber, seldom going in a 

 tree unless forced to, to escape pursuit ; its nest is in the ground, in the 

 neighborhood of a stone wall, sometimes beneath it; it digs a long 

 burrow, with several extensive chambers connected together by inter- 

 secting passages ; in these chambers the winter's store of food is 

 deposited ; this consists of nuts, acorns, seeds and grains. In collecting 

 this store, this little animal is very industrious, often gathering con- 

 siderable quantities ; I have known over a bushel to be taken from one 

 burrow ; the first approach of autumn is the signal for this work to 

 commence, and from morning till night, until winter sets in, these 

 animals may be seen hastening to their holes, their cheek-pouches 

 distended to their utmost capacity. When the cold weather is really 

 come, the squirrels retire to their burrow, sometimes several pair 

 together, usually but the old pair and perhaps the young of the first 

 year ; here they remain, never venturing out during the winter, unless 

 after a continued spell of warm weather. In early spring they are 

 occasionally seen sitting on the rocks and fences sunning themselves, 

 but they do not leave their burrows till late in the spring, when the 

 young from four to six in number are born ; their time is spent during 

 the summer in rearing this brood, and preparing for the coming winter. 

 Description. — Ears large and rounded, covered with very short, fine 

 hair ; whiskers short ; eyes rather large and full ; neck rather thick ; 

 body rather slender than robust ; limbs strong and longer in proportion 

 than some of the other species ; tail cylindrical at its root, gradually 

 flattening to the end ; posterior feet hairy beneath, except a naked pad 

 on the sole and beneath the toes ; anterior feet naked beneath. Color : 

 above the head and buck the fur is cinereous at its base, terminated with 

 gray, black, and yellowish chestnut ; on the back are seven distinct 

 stripes running lengthwise with the body ; they are placed in the fol- 

 lowing manner : in the middle of the back is a black stripe ; running 

 nearly parrellel with this on each side, nearly, or quite a half an inch 

 from it are two dirty white stripes with a narrow black stripe on each 

 side of them ; on the sides of the body and outside the legs the fur is 

 yellowish brown, lightest near the belly ; beneath the head, neck and 

 body, and between the legs, white ; the hairs on the tail are terminated 

 on the upper side with black, white, and tawny ; beneath the tail, rufous 

 to near the tip, which is black ; the hairs being tipped with black and 

 white, give the tail beneath, the appearance of being margined with 

 those colors. 



