MAMMALS OF EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS 



the very topmost branches of a tall pine throwing down 

 the green cones. Another time I found in a bureau drawer 

 in a deserted camp in Maine over two quarts of hazel nuts 

 all nicely shelled and piled up. They usually build their 

 nests in hollow trees. An old apple tree in or near a pine 

 wood is a favorite place. They also build a " summer 

 nest" of cedar bark, moss, and pine needles, often in a 

 cedar tree. Sometimes they take possession of an old 

 crow's or hawk's nest, and roof it over after the manner of 

 the Gray Squirrel. The young, usually four in number, are 

 born early in the spring. 



Chipmunk; Oyster's chipmunk; Ground Squir- 

 rel ; Striped Squirrel. Tamias striatus lysteri. 

 (Richardson). 



Common in the country along stone walls and among 

 rocks, living in burrows in the ground, digging a tunnel 

 nearly straight down several feet, then turning and contin- 

 uing horizontally for a few yards more ; the tunnel then 

 ascends a trifle into a chamber about a foot in diameter, 

 the floor of which is usually covered with soft moss and 

 grasses. An emergency exit to the surface by a shorter 

 route is also made. The entrance is placed at the root of a 

 stump or tree, or under a stone wall, hidden from view and 

 hard to locate unless disclosed by the animals themselves. 

 Even if in an open spot it is difficult to find as no sign of 

 dirt is thrown up to mark the entrance. In winter they 

 hibernate until April or May. In the early Spring the 

 wintergreen berries are a favorite food. 



Woodchuck; Ground hog. Marmotamonax (Li nne). 



Very common in fields and open woodlands throughout 

 the county. They live in burrows and hibernate in the 

 winter months, going into their dens about the first of 

 November and although there is an old legend to the effect 

 that they come out on "Candlemas" day and if they see 

 their shadow, return to sleep another month, they do not 

 usually come out until sometime in March. Toward night- 

 fall they may be seen in almost any field in the country, 

 sitting up beside their burrows or feeding near by. They 

 seldom venture away so far but what upon the first warn- 



