Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-12-05
I have heard the chipmunk referred

to as "the painted squirrel" and Ger.
tainly no other of our little fur bearers
is more beautifully marked than he.
His back is brownish gray. with seven
longitudinal stripes-five Of them black
and two of them of yellowish tinge.
There is small black spot above his
nose, his forehead is orange, and his
underparts are white. Occasionally al
binos are seen, and now and then one
is found which is jet black. The body
is rather slender and graceful in its
curves, and the tail only moderately
bushy. All the feet are delicately
formed, the hind ones having five toes
and the front ones four toes and the
rudiment of thumb.
The most interesting thing about the
mouth of the chipmunk is the fact that
he has two cheek pouches, one on
either side, each with an opening be-
tween the incisor and molar teeth.
These pouches are his market baskets,
and in them he can carry the nuts,
seeds and berries on which he feeds.
He is a very agile little fellow, and
of playful disposition. From early
spring until the fall he may be seen
in almost any New England wood,
scampering in and out of the
walls and stone heaps, CT sitting on a
stump near the entrance of his bur"
row, eating cherry pit or hazel
nut. AS one watches him sitting there
so calmly he seems to have his mind
on nothing but what he is eating, yet
another step may be enough to send
him squeaking to the farthest corner
of his underground retreat.
He is not tree climber; that is to
say, he doesn't care for climbing; but
If he is surprised away from home he
will often dash up a tree for several
feet and hang there, with his body
pressed close to the trunk, until the
danger is over But he looks most un-
comfortable, and is doubtless very glad
to get down again.
The chipmunk usually makes his
burrow under the roots of a tree, in a
bank, or beneath an old wall or stone
heap. There is main tunnel, often
more or less winding, which contains
nest large enough to accommodate
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lateral galleries, which are used as
storehouses, and into ti.ese the thrifty
little fellow carries food all through
the autumn and until stopped by the
cold weather. Among the provisions
thus stored away are hickory nuts. ha-
eel nuts wheat, buckwhcat, acorns and
grass seeds. When out gathering these
I, l.
cheek pouches and then scampers
home, looking very much like boy
with toothache on both sides of his
face. He generally pauses for mo-
ment at the mouth of the burrow, and
then darts down into it to discharge
his cargo. In a few minutes he is back
again, with all the swelling gone from
his face, and away he goes for another
load. When carrying hickory nuts he
has been observed to bite off the sharp
ends before putting them into his
pouches.
When the cold weather sets in he re-
tires to his snug nest, aud through the
winter when hunger prompts him, he
goes into the storehouse for refresh
L
afford him an opportunity to stretch
his limbs and take a little exercise
occasionally. He evidently makes al
lowance for very long winters, as
there is often a good deal of food left
over when the warm weather comes
again.
On sunny afternoons in the latter
part of February and the beginning Of
March, the chipmunk comes out for
a breath of fresh air, ana to sun him.
self on an old stump, perhaps, for an
hour or so. AS the weather gets warm
er he stays out longer, until by and by
he is out all day long.
The young, four or FIVE in number,
are usually born in May. There is
probably another litter late in the sum-
mer. These little fellows make very
beautiful, gentle pets. If kept in con-
finement, however, they Should have
plenty of room, and constant care is
required to keep them happy and in
good health. They should never be
dogs, for sooner or later they are sure
to be killed. A beautiful squirrel I
had not long ago skipped away from
me as 1 was feeding it, and it was
killed by cat before l had chance
to move in it's defence.
The chief enemy of the chipmunk is
the white weasel. Hawks and owls,
foxes, minks and wildcats all prey upon
him whenever they get the chance,
but once in his burrow he can set all
these at defiance. The weasel alone,
with his long, snaky body, can follow
him to the very end of his tunnel, and
in few minutes can kill him and al;
his family by biting through their
skulls.
Chipmunk himst If cannot be held up
as saint, for he is very partial to
birds eggs and fonder still Of young
tirds. Perhaps it is just as we'll that
his climbing powers are no letter than
i 41. T.