AN OPEN SEASON 219 



of ground between two brooks, at one end of my 

 cabin. If another chipmunk dared to come into 

 it, he was promptly chased off; this particular 

 land was claimed by the chipmunk who owned 

 the den; he even objected to other chipmunks 

 crossing it. But one day he had jumped across 

 the brook and, standing on tiptoe, reached up 

 and pulled down a big white lily and was stuff- 

 ing it into his mouth with both hands, when an- 

 other chipmunk who had a den near and claimed 

 all the good things on this tract of land, rushed 

 up and kicked my chipmunk into the brook. 

 My chipmunk often played, and often sat watch- 

 ing the bluebirds and other chipmunks. 



Most birds and animals have, or claim, a home 

 territory a plot of land on which they spend 

 their lives and they insist that other folks of 

 like species keep off. They are extremely par- 

 ticular about invasions and the boundary line. 

 I knew of a beaver who made his home for 

 eighteen years in one pond, and a grizzly who 

 claimed that all other grizzlies had no business 

 in the spruce lake region and he was there to 

 see that no invaders got too far in. This grizzly 

 often played, and had many a coast in the snow. 

 Once, somewhat like two-legged folks, he went 

 off on a trip more than one hundred miles away. 

 But he returned in less than two weeks. 



Most birds and animals work fewer days than 



