The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-30
CANNIBAL CHIPMUNKS.
They're towards. Besides, Says the Man
VINO Had Forty Gagged.

VINO Had Forty CA4eO.
Az far back as can remember have been
interested in ohipmunks watching them
for hours at time as they irisked along
the fences scurried up tree or sat upon
fence posts and swore in the chipmunk
vernacular.
And 80 one summer, having little leis-
ure time, yet to work to watch these frol-
icsome little chaps. was the owner OF
q big cage built for gray squirrels. 1t was
feet high, s feet long and feet wide and
It contained sixteen wire nests. There
was plenty Of room in 1t for several good
sized families.
With the help OF figure four trap forty
chipnunks were caught and Gagged. l
built partitions in the cage and divided it
into three stories. The ohipmunks were
from different localities. Some were
caught In the woods; som, In neiEhboring
fields on the slopes OF the mountains and
the others in half dozen other places. In
the cage were citizens Of O dozen different
colonies.
When q new arrival was put In the cage
he would be inspected by the Others and
accepted as a relation. or rejected as
stranger. For these little creatures had
newcomer belonged to their family or was
an enemy and a citizen of a strange natisn.
Imprisoned chlpmunks welcomed men,
bers Of the same colony as themselves and
took them to their houses, on the first, Sec
ord or third floors. and made them at home.
should II happen. as it did frequently. that
none Of the Imprisoned chipmunks recog-
nized the newcomer there were days OF
ostracism, In which he was left severely
alone, but it ended finally in his adoption by
some Of them. Like all newly converted
R.1l - atr n IN ho a n aot
out to prove to his new friends that he was
grateful and he showed 1t by pitching into
any strange chipmunk whom he caught
approaching the home nest.
In q few days the forty chipmunks had
divided into groups. colonies or families.
In each OF the sixteen nests was the begin
ming OF a nation. In the daytime they
would run all over the cage. but at
night 1t was "a much az strange chipmunk's
life was worth for him to visit a nest where
himself the ohipmunks who inhabited that
part Of the chipmunk world would set upon
him and make the fur fly.
One night heard sharp squeak I got
up, looked In the cage and somewhat to my
surprise, found dead chipmunk Then
a chipmunk stick his head out of his nest.
look below and, perceiving. as he thought,
everything clear. descend to make a cow
ardly attack on chipmunk in one OF
the nests on the ground floor. There was
a squeak and the n ssas sin shot back into
his nest.
The chipmunks were at war with each
other and proved themselves lot OF cow
ards. They would make these attacks
by sneaking up in the rear. or invading
nests when they thought their enemies
asleep and iniicting one deadly bite In the
bark OF the head.
But this was not all. for when they had
killed their enemy they considered it a
special duty they owed to chipmunk civil
lization to get rid Of the. remains, which
they did by devouring the body to the
last shred Of flesh. leaving only the skin.
I had about enough of chipmunks. And
80 one dav I took the cage out into the
woods and turned what was left OF my
colonies loose, They were coWaTdiy sn5aks
ways covered multitude Of sins. On the
bottom Of the cage counted no less than
fourteen skulls and about az many hides