Page:Natural History of the Ground Squirrels of California.djvu/99

Rh Rarely do Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels assume the upright picket-pin pose so characteristic of some others of the species. They most often maintain crouching attitudes when at rest. When running, the gait is clumsy, as compared with the chipmunks usually to be seen close at hand. The tail is rather longer than in others of the smaller sized ground squirrels, and is more conspicuously displayed, often up over the back, or, when running, either held vertically or frisked violently fore and aft. This squirrel seems to be, as a rule, almost devoid of voice. As far as our own experience has gone, there is only a single chirp of alarm, not loud nor high-pitched, and even this is uttered but rarely. One observer (W. P. Taylor, MS) has been fortunate enough to run across a talkative individual. This animal was watched as it sat bolt upright on a log uttering a "sharp call note, to-chick, sometimes varying this to tachack, p'r'r'r'r." A "general squirrel-like quality" was ascribed to these notes. At each utterance a violent flirt of the tail was given.

Speaking of habitat again, the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel shows decided preference for rocky slopes or forest floors littered with logs, but at the same time without heavy undergrowth. Open ground is preferred; yet it keeps out of large grassy meadows, save as visiting the margins of these where they adjoin the woods. Again we see adjustment so that each of the different kinds of rodents keeps to a separate forage area without undue waste of energy in competing with another. In the higher, rougher parts of the mountains we have often found the Copperheads inhabiting rock slides. Here, as in the other places, where there are logs or scattered rocks, the object appears to be to secure protection for their burrows, so that these can be located beneath heavy objects and thus prove difficult or impossible for badgers, coyotes or bears to dig out.

The mouths of the burrows vary in diameter from 2 to 2½ inches, and the direction taken is usually steeply down into the ground for a foot or more. Unfortunately, we have never availed ourselves of an opportunity to dig out the burrow system of a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel. We infer it to be simple and relatively short, for two reasons: the mounds at the mouths of the burrows are usually small in quantity of earth composing them; and the big roots, logs or rocks beneath which the burrows in practically all cases lead, would seem to do away with the need of an extensive and deeply penetrating system so as to secure safety from enemies which pursue their prey by digging.

The Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel is a spermophile in the truest sense of the word; it is preëminently a gatherer and eater of seeds, and most of its time aboveground seems to be occupied in diligent search for this sort of food. The cheek-pouches in this squirrel are developed to a maximum degree, and it is no uncommon thing to see an individual returning to its burrow from a foraging expedition with its two pouches so distended with seeds that the head seems double its ordinary width. We have counted 636 seeds from the two pouches of one squirrel.

Some seeds identified in cheek-pouch contents saved are: Goose grass (Galium aparine), rice-root lily (Fritillaria sp.), pentstemon (Pentstemon azureus), and silver pine (Pinus monticola). In the late summer and autumn months great activity is shown in garnering chinquapins, and there seems good reason to believe that large stores