Evening star., 1945-05-02
This and That
By Charles E. TraceueU
GIRARD STREET,

Dear Sir: g.
In regard to chipmunks-my expert
ence does not bear out the impression
that chipmunks are much more dim
cult than squirrels to tame in the open,
Il have fed them by hand and more
frequently Shared a meal with them. I
found them particularly fond of fruit,
especially peaches.
''Purposely peeling peaces to leave a
goodly amount of pulp on the skin. I
fed one favorite chipmunk all summer,
He sat by me each day to share a porch
breakfast
. He disliked peach skins as much as
did. So holding each piece in his
hands he nibbled every bit of pulp
from each piece, leaving nothing but
bits of paper-thin skin.
"Chlpmunks are smart, as think the
following instance of quick thinking
tyes, mean thinking) demonstrates:
I was walking by large fat boulder
ldllng eating chocolate creams, when a
ch1pmunk dashed across the stone, de-
manding share. AS the creams were
large, 1 broke one in half and gave
him one piece.
With one quick glance at the half
still held, he scampered to the far
side OF the rock, laid down his piece.
and ran back for the half I had with
held.
Given it, he went back to his first
piece and sat down to enjoy himself.
with first one and then the other half.
He then came back for more, and
again sat not two feet from me while
ne ate. Sincerely yours, H. I. c."
X 4 X
just as some cats will drink orange
Juice, although mostly their diet is
strictly carniverous, so individual chip
munks will eat almost anything, though
usually they do not go much beyond
nuts, seeds, grains, insects, birds eggs
and young, and mice.
Our opinion OF the chipmunk. ALWAYS
high, Is raised by his taste for peaches
Squirrels and other small creatures
Will eat fruit and vegetables We hope
no Victory gardeners this summer be-
come too angry over these rodents eat
ing their tomatoes and corn.
Remember that these are good things,
and that hungry squirrel has no
knowledge OF property rights
He finds food, and, naturally enough,
he eats it.
Who wouldn't-if he were squirrel?
Squirrels, offered bits of milk choco-
late, usually will take them away and
bury them.
After few days in the ground, espe-
clally If it rains, such food is gone, and
even squirrel could not find it.
The animal hides it in the ground,
Just the same, for there is nothing in
his experience which tells him anything
about milk chocolate and it's low melting
point.
He senses that it is food, and hides it
as he does some of what he finds. On
just what theory squirrel acts, in eat
ing some, as he goes along, and in hid
ing other pieces, is something of a
mystery.
Some one has said that they eat the
shelled nuts, but hide the whole ones.
Our belief is that they will eat until
they begin to get full, and then, and
then alone, they begin to wish to store
something away.
That, at least, would be the human
way of doing, and observation shows
that the smaller animals are very "hu-
man" in many ways.
All animals, in other words, are a
great deal alike!
The one great way they differ is in
their killing methods. Animals usually
kill one by one, except for wolves and
some South American fishes. Perhaps
II the creatures had our type of brains,
we soon would see regiments of bears,
tigers and lions, marching in orderly
rows to the conquest Of the human,
world. In the light of what has hap
pened in the past six years, let us be glad
they never thought Of it. and hope for
their sakes as well as ours that they
never will.