The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-09-26
A CHIPMUNK AT CLOSE RANGE.

Last lall met chipmunk in the
woods. The sun had set. the sounds of
the day We're gradually becoming sub
died. and 1 was sitting on a rock near
a lake. waiting for darkness. Down
along the shore, two night herons were
quietly feeding, and a belted kinghsher
was watching the water from his perch
on the ridge-pole of an old boat-house.
Soon became aware of another sound,
low. but distinct: the busy little sound
made by sharp squirrel-teeth scraping
on the hard shell of a hickory-nut. i
moved my head slowly, and there on
fiat stone quite near ME sat chip
munk, busy as the proverbial bee, but
not too busy to keep one of her eyes
fixed carefully on me. She. rested on
her launches, and in her neat little
hands she held a nut, doubtless a last
'bite" before she retired to bed. Near
her on the stone lay the empty shells of
several other nuts which she had prob
ably eaten earlier in the evening.
Presently she finished her meal after
which she carefully washed her face
with her front paws, took a few quick
turns from side to side of the stone she
had been sitting on, and then whisked
into a hole near the foot, of a tree. As
soon as she had gone. went up to
examine the remains of the feast, for
empty nut-shells, provided they have
been opened by animals, are always OBJ
jects of interest to me. It Is possible to
tell. as a rule what animal has opened
a particular shell, by the manner in
which the shell has been cut.
The shells in question had had
their tops cut off evenly,
almost as though the work had been
done with knife, except that the tops
themselves were reduced to powder, by
the incisors of the little rodent. This is
characteristic of nut shells which have
been opened by chipmunks. On many
other evenings later I saw this graceful
little creature eating her supper, and
making her toilet before going to bed,
and after a few disappointments on my
part, was allowed to sit very close to
her particular rock, without her show
ing sign of alarm. In November she
went indoors to stay, and did not see
her again until the spring, when one
afternoon / came upon her near her
burrows, surrounded by family of
little ones. was anxious to examine
one of these youngsters, so ran quickly
up, and as they scurried away, at
tempted to catch one. Unfortunately,
all managed to take hold of was the
tip of the tail, and as skin of that MEM
Der is extremely brittle, some two
inches of fur was left in my hand.
However; the loss did not seem to affect
his spirits at all for next day, from
hiding place / saw him playing ,gaily
with his brethren, an inch and a half of
hairless tail making it an easy mat
ter to distinguish him. A few days later
the hairless part of the appendage had
disappeared, and he was simply short
tailed chipmunk. and as far as could
see. none the worse for the alb
brevfation. However. my conscience
pricked me for being the cause of his
loss. so have kept my eye on the lit
tie fellow, and now and then 1 have
had a chance to do him good turn to
even things up bit. Not long ago
discovered a new chipmunk burrow,
about quarter of a mile from the
pond, and was interested to find that
my striped friend with the short tail
was the owner Of it. The doorway Of
the dwelling is under a stump, and in
front Of it curls large root which
served him for a seat and table at
the same time. Here it is that he
brings his blueberries and other wood
land dainties. and here also leave an
occasional offering in the way of nuts
or corn. One morning as 1 approached