36 MAMMALS OF UTAH 



stripe ; the others usually seen in the genus being obsolete, 

 except the exterior light stripe, which is somewhat distinct. 

 Tail with the vertebrae half the length of the body ; the 

 hairs unusually long, black and chestnut, largely tipped with 

 white. Body about five inches ; tail sensibly shorter. Hind 

 foot, 1.25 inches. This species is readily distinguishable 

 from all others by the single dorsal stripe, the others being 

 obsolete. The more bushy tail, with its conspicuous mark- 

 ings of chestnut, black, and white, is also highly character- 

 istic of it. (Baird.) 



Distribution — Northern Utah to northern Mexico, west 

 to the Sierra Nevada, east to the Nimbres in New Mexico. 



Habits — The Gila chipmunk is secluded in its habits, 

 never wandering far from its abode, which seems to be 

 principally in the crevices of rocks. Pinions, cedar ber- 

 ries, and acorns are its food. (Clark.) 



As a group the chipmunks are widely known for their 

 grace, beauty of coloration, and sprightly ways. Their 

 food includes a great variety of cultivated and wild plants, 

 as wheat, buckwheat, corn, grass seeds, ragweed seeds, 

 hazelnuts, acorns, strawberries, blueberries, mushrooms and 

 many others. In addition they eat May beetles, and other 

 insects and insect larvae, snails, occasionally frogs, salaman- 

 ders, small snakes, small birds and eggs. At all seasons 

 they fill their cheek pouches with food to be carried away to 

 their dens, but toward the end of summer or early fall they 

 work industriously laying up stores of seeds and nuts. Some- 

 times these stores, hidden in chambers excavated for the 

 purpose or in hollow logs or similar places, contain several 

 quarts of nuts or seeds. Small quantities of such food are 

 hidden under leaves or in shallow pits in the ground. (Nel- 

 son.) 



HOPI CHIPMUNK 



EUTAMIAS HOPIENSIS (Merriam) 



Eutamias hopiensis Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XVIII, 

 p. 165 (1905). 



Description — General appearance of animal a lightish 

 chestnut or rufous color ; the medium dark stripe is a dark 

 shade of the same color, with middle part of the posterior 

 portion black; inner pair of dark stripes similar, but lack- 



