192 GNAWING ANIMALS 



or wood, the Chipmunk knows its best runs when danger 

 threatens, and carries in his active little brain a complete 

 check-list of burrows and hiding-places. When pursued by 

 dog, boy, or wild animal, he darts swiftly along the top or 

 the lower rails of his stockade, until he reaches a satisfactory 

 hiding-place, when a flash of brown ^fur shoots into it, and 

 he is seen no more. 



When hard pressed, Chipmunks frequently climb tree- 

 trunks up to the lower branches, but such situations are very 

 dangerous for them, because they are so seriously exposed to 

 attack. Next to the birds of prey, the weasel, mink and fox 

 are their worst enemies. The weasel is the worst of all, be- 

 cause it follows them into the remotest recesses of their bur- 

 rows, and kills every inhabitant without mercy. 



Although the Chipmunk burrows in the ground below the 

 frost line, and has roomy cheek-pouches in which it carries 

 astonishingly large quantities of grain and small nuts, it is 

 more nearly related to the tree squirrels than to the true 

 ground squirrels. In the autumn it stores in its burrow a 

 quantity of grain or nuts, whichever is most abundant, a 

 habit which has suggested its generic name, Tamias, meaning 

 a steward. It does not become dormant, but on the warm, 

 sunny days of winter, when the rocks are free from snow, it 

 hastens above ground to enjoy the light and warmth. 



The length of an Eastern Chipmunk is 6^+4M inches. 

 Its ground-color is bright reddish brown above, light under- 

 neath, and along each side runs a conspicuous yellow-brown 

 stripe between two black stripes. A black stripe runs from 

 the head backward along the centre of the back, almost to 



