THE CALIFORNIA GROUND SQUIRREL. 
3 
form a conspicuous network. The earth brought up from each bur- 
row is deposited at its mouth to form a gradually-enlarging hillock, 
and colonies on tlie plain may be recognized at a distance by the 
mounds. 
Fig. 2.— Map showing distribution of Beechey and Douglas ground squirrels. 
HABITS. 
The animals are diurnal, and in the larger colonies hundreds may 
be seen at a time, some scudding swiftly over the ground, some rolling 
in the dust, some basking in the sunshine, and some standing erect 
on their haunches gazing over the country or biting off the stems of 
grain, tarweed, or other plants on whose seeds they feed. The seeds 
