472 



REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



Range. — Chipmunks are found throughout North America east 

 of the Rocky Mountains, except in the boreal regions. The typical 

 striatus occupies most of the eastern United States except in New 

 England, northern New York and Michigan and in the mountains. 

 To the north a subspecies, lysteri, is found. McAtee* has listed 

 the Indiana form as lysteri, but in this he erred, as this northern 

 subspecies has a much paler color, a larger average size and larger 

 hind foot than the specimens from this State. 



The chipmunk is found all over Indiana where there are mod- 

 erately open woods or dry pastures, overgrown with bushes or filled 

 with stumps and rocks. 



Habits. — Everyone who has lived in the country, in the southern 

 third of the State at least, is familiar with some of the habits of 



b 



Fig. 5. — Skull of Tamias striatus : a, lateral view ; b, dorsal view. After Balrd, 



these little animals. There they may be seen, ever watchful and 

 alert, about almost any heap of stones, logs, or the old-fashioned 

 rail fences that have not yet disappeared. If they are approached 

 too closely they dart away for a short distance, taking care not 

 to expose themselves in the open and probably uttering a shrill 

 protest as they go. If pursued they are apt to dart into some bur- 

 row or other hiding place at a point where there seems the least 

 probability of escape. 



If a burrow is not within reach they can run up a tree without 

 difficulty, but their claws are not as sharp as those of a tree squir- 

 rel and they can be easily shaken down. 



Their nest is nearly always placed underground, and generally, 

 but not always, the entrance is concealed under a stone, stump or 

 the base of a hollow tree. There is usually very little dii't about 

 the entrance of their burrows, and it is supposed that they carry 



* Mam. Monroe Co., Troc. I'.iol. Soc. Wiisli., Vol. 20, p. 5. 



