172 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENOBS. 



elements. Some of the night ma- 

 rauding animals of prey easily 

 can ^destroy the brood or .the 

 eggs of ' quail and doves, as 

 also snakes are very fond of such 

 delicacies. 



The influences, therefore, liable 

 to deminish game must be con- 

 sidered conjointly with above. 

 But that the ground squirrel is 

 gaining ground all over Texas 

 is evident by its immense rapid 

 increase, according to reliable re- 

 ports. The writer in younger years 

 was always an admirer of nature's 

 animated beings, and often made 

 outings for recreation whenever 

 occasion presented itself, but never 

 before has there been occasion 



neat creatures prepare underground 

 furrows; but not, like the prairie 

 rat, with additional over-ground 

 material, heaped up in broad 

 piles, and with trails or pathways 

 from one nest to the other; but 

 they dig with their sharp claws 

 a hole large enough to enter, 

 (generally with a counter opening 

 several feet off to escape when 

 endangered), and perhaps deeper 

 chambers for their breeding nests 

 along the main furrows; and they 

 are a lively lot when detected 

 in these hiding places. They are 

 exceedingly quick in their motions, 

 and, like the prairie dog, in 

 serene weather will sun themselves 

 outside the hole in numbers; but 



A Chipmunk * 



to witness the ground squirrel 

 in the near vicinity of San Antonio, 

 while nowadays they are very 

 numerous, hot alone near our 

 city, but all over the surrounding 

 country. What causes this? I 

 really believe the extermination 

 of other rodents and also 

 of serpents, is the prime cause. 

 Snakes, and in particular the 

 rattlesnake, feed principally on 

 rodents — rats, mice, prairie dogs, 

 etc. — and it can easily be seen 

 that with the destruction and 

 ridding the country of snakes, the 

 rodents are rapidly on the increase. 

 And as they are a nuisance in 

 several respects (grain and egg 

 eaters), it is certainly justifiable to 

 destroy them. These otherwise very 



as soon as an enemy is noticed 

 they whirl around and rapidly 

 retreat in their burrows. After 

 a short while, however, one after 

 the other will reappear at the 

 opening hole again, and, if safe, 

 will roam around in search of 

 food. 



The ground sqjiirrel is a small 

 animal, not larger, than a prairie 

 rat, but much more slender and 

 quicker in its movements, and it 

 sits on its hind legs when listening 

 to some foreign approach, or when 

 they sun themselves, and I have 

 often seen them thus at Mitchell's 

 Lake and in the Leona Valley. 

 They are very attractive when 

 seen at close range, their fur 

 being striped with dark brown 



