April, 1920] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



67 



yellowish-brown. Occasional specimens of borealis 

 from Saskatchewan and Alberta approach these 

 specimens in reddish tint of sides, but have the backs 

 averaging much paler." 



In a state of nature, the smaller size of this chip- 

 munk combined with the relatively longer tail car- 

 ried stiffly erect when travelling, serves readily as 

 a means of differentiation from the larger species 

 siriaius which shares this same region. At a 

 glance too, it appears much darker, perhaps because 

 of the comparatively closer grouping of the dorsal 

 stripes and the absence of chestnut or deep reddish- 

 brown on the rump which characterizes the big 

 chipmunk. 



Neglecius lives not only on the hillsides among th? 

 open boulders but also frequents remote places in the 

 tangled wilderness. Twice I found them on shght 

 declivities far in the forest surrounded by a maze of 

 fallen trees, boulders and brush and other things 

 which vex the tired traveller. Thoughts of fatigue, 

 however, disperse when a trim little chipmunk 

 shrills at your elbow, and disappears like a buffy 

 streak with twinkling feet curiously attached to a 

 long tail. In a moment if all is quiet, he may re- 

 appear, but most likely scolds and protests from 

 a deep retreat until you leave. One observed in 

 mid-afternoon comfortably hunched in the October 

 sun was discovered later to have been doing some 

 "fall threshing," the grain, so called, having been 

 removed from low shrubs among the boulders. 



In favorable places along the railway I found 

 this chipmunk much commoner. Many birds and a 

 few mammals are attracted there by slight grain 

 leakages from passing trains. One "little chipmunk" 

 I could count on seeing nearly every fine day near 

 a pile of boulders bordering the highway; scraps 

 from a near-by boarding car furnishing his meals 

 de luxe without further anxiety, and extending his 

 available time for frolic. Sometimes when I wan- 

 dered by and interrupted this sumptuous pastime he 

 would scramble with great concern over the sloping 

 ballast and leap into a truck beneath the car. Once 

 there I never could discover him, although mean- 

 while I must have been under constant surveillance 

 as manifested by his prompt return to terra firma 

 the moment I was gone. 



Neglectus enters traps readily and is successfully 

 retained by almost the smallest sizes. Once I 

 found one dead in a small Victor mouse-trap, (the 

 smallest size) set for a shrew at the base of a 

 mossy stump in a pine woods. This species is said 

 to be hardier than the larger chipmunk, remaining 

 above ground much later in the season. In this 

 respect I found only a few days' difference but the 

 forepart of the month (October) which was so fav- 

 orable to striaius terminated in weather unsuited to 

 either, so that the equalizing effect in favor of 



striaius terminated in weather unsuited to either, so 

 that the equalizing effect in favor of striaius in this 

 instance, diminished the difference between them. 

 Miller, (Mammals of Ontario) found that on the 

 north shore of Lake Superior the big chipmunk hiber- 

 nated about the end of September. At Ridout, I 

 last saw it on October 12; the two following days 

 were cold and on the 1 5th it snowed, probably 

 hastening its hibernation. So far as I am aware 

 neglectus disappeared for good on October 14. 



Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striaius l^steri 

 (Richardson). 



The Eastern Chipmunk occurs in about equal 

 numbers with the smaller species neglectus. Ap- 

 parently not nearly so numerous as was found by 

 Miller at Peninsula Harbor and Nipigon. (sub- 

 species griseus). 



Dr. R. M. Anderson after examining three speci- 

 mens collected at Ridout reported: "Our museum 

 specimens of eastern chipmunk (Tamias s. l\)steri) 

 are not strictly comparable with these as to season, 

 being early summer specimens, and averaging light- 

 er in color. The Ridout specimens being in au- 

 tumn or early winter pelage, show a markedly 

 grayer cast ; they also have a much deeper shade 

 of brownish red on the rump than is found in our 

 twenty-five specimens (from Gulf of St. Lawrence, 

 Point Pelee, Lome Park, Ottawa, and Algonquin 

 Park, Ontario). The Ridout specimens, however, 

 are similar in size to the eastern specimens and are 

 very much smaller than our only specimen from 

 farther west, Tamias striaius griseus Mearns, 

 Gray Chipmunk, from Shoal Lake, Manitoba, and 

 unlike the typical griseus do not have the dorsal 

 stripes running back on the rump." 



While in the Ridout specimens there are no 

 marked separable characters from true lysleri, a 

 slight approximation to griseus doubtless exists, since 

 Miller's specimens (though typical l\)sleri from 

 North Bay) approached griseus more closely than 

 l\)sleri at Peninsula Harbor and Nipigon. Ridout 

 is roughly mid-way between North Bay and the 

 fomer point. 



These large chipmunks inhabit the same general 

 localities as neglectus but I believe are more favor- 

 ably disposed to the deeper woods. Around 

 Ridout, their chcise was semi-wooded, boulder- 

 strewn situations near the skirts of the forest and al- 

 ways on high ground. A place of this description, 

 east of the station I visited on October 7. The 

 forenoon was bright and warm and the chipmunk 

 population everywhere in evidence, the calm forest 

 resounding with their hollow tucf(-tucf(-lucl( until 

 careful restraint was necessary to prevent an undue 

 impression of their numbers. They were there in 

 conspicuous numbers, however, each "calling his 



