RODENTIA 265 



snake," and an occasional attack upon birds and their eggs. 43 They 

 have been known to kill mice, as well as birds. 44 The eastern chipmunk 

 (Tamias striatiis) does some damage to sprouting grain, but its food 

 is mostly wild seeds and fruits, and it is especially fond of ragweed 

 and horseweed seeds, and eats some insects. 45 The Great Basin painted 

 chipmunk (Eutamias minimus pictus) was observed in Idaho feeding 

 on sagebrush and greasewood. 46 Cheek pouches of a Klamath chip- 

 munk (E. amoemis) from Idaho contained 332 seeds of Finns mur- 

 rayana, and one at Mount Shasta was observed eating service ber- 

 ries. 47 



In. many localities tree squirrels have furnished game for sports- 

 men, and the flesh of some species is highly esteemed. It does not ap- 

 pear to be so well known that some other species of squirrels are ex- 

 cellent for food, including ground squirrels. The delicacy of flavor 

 depends somewhat upon the age of the individuals and the food they 

 obtain locally, and the tenderness of the flesh depends upon age. The 

 squirrel-shooting championship of two Indiana townships in 1834 was 

 won by a hunter who killed 900 in three days, while his nearest rival 

 killed 783, mostly gray squirrels, which gives some idea of their 

 former abundance. 48 



The woodchucks, marmots or groundhogs (Marmota), where plenti- 

 ful, sometimes do considerable damage to field and garden crops. They 

 feed chiefly on green vegetation, such as alfalfa, clover, native legumi- 

 nous plants, growing grains, grass and vegetables. 49 They sometimes 

 do harm by burrowing into reservoir dams and canal banks, and 

 damage camp buildings in the Rocky Mountains by gnawing the boards 

 and timbers. They are sometimes kept in control in the western United 

 States by dropping poison into their dens, but in the eastern states 

 fumigation with carbon disulphide is considered the best method, 

 though calcium cyanide is good, and the exhaust from gasoline en- 

 gines has been effectually used. Bounties have not been successful. 50 

 Such bounties were paid on an average of 1400 woodchucks per an- 



^Howell, Revision of the American chipmunks, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 52, pp. 9- 

 n, 1929. 



"Warren, Mammals of Colorado, p. 168, 1910. 



45 Hahn, 3$rd Ann. Kept. Indiana Dept. Geol. and Nat. Res., 1908, pp. 474-475. 



48 Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 5, p. 46, 1891. 



47 Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 5, p. 44, 1891 ; No. 16, p. 90, 1899. 



48 Hahn, 33rd Ann. Kept. Indiana Dept. Geol. and Nat. Res., 1908, p. 462. 

 49 Birdseye, Farmers' Bull., No. 484, 1912. 



60 Silver, Woodchuck control in the eastern United States, U. S. Dept. Agric. 

 Leaflet No. 21, 1928. 



