CHAPTER XXXVIII 
THE SQUIRREL FAMILY: TREE SQUIRRELS, CHIPMUNKS, AND 
GROUND SQUIRRELS 
There are more than a hundred species of these animals 
in North America, comprising. three distinct branches; 
namely, (1) the tree squirrels, living in tree tops, (2) the 
rock squirrels, living among rocks and the roots of trees, 
and (3) the ground squirrels, burrowing in the earth. The 
Fox Squirrel and Gray Squirrel 
are examples of the first group, 
the Chipmunk of the second, 
and the Striped ‘‘ Gopher ” of 
the third group. This does 
not take into consideration the 
flying squirrels, whose relation- 
ship is more distant. ’ 
THE TREE SQUIRRELS 
Tree squirrels are very active 
and nimble climbers. They 
lay up stores of food for the 
winter and do not hibernate as 
ground squirrels do. Three species are common in the wooded 
sections of Minnesota and eastward, but in the Dakotas, 
except in the eastern part, they are rarely found. 
The Fox Squirrel is one of the commonest of this group in 
the northwestern states. Though quite variable, its more 
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Fox SQUIRREL 
