Natural History of the Ground Squirrels of California/Desert Antelope Ground Squirrel
Other names.—Antelope Chipmunk, part; Antelope Squirrel; Harris Chipmunk; White-tailed Spermophile; Charming Spermophile; Ammo; Tamias harrisi; Spermophilus harrisii; Tamias leucurus; Citellus leucurus; Spermophilus leucurus; Citellus leucurus vinnulus; Citellus vinnulus; Ammospermophilus leucurus vinnulus.
Field characters.—A small grayish brown ground squirrel with one white stripe on each side of body and with a short flat tail nearly always held cocked up over its rump so as to show the white under side conspicuously. Length of body alone about 6 inches, tail about 2½ inches more.
Description.—Adult in winter pelage: General color effect on upper surface from nose to base of tail light brownish drab, changing on shoulders, flanks and outer sides of fore and hind legs to light pinkish cinnamon. Close inspection shows a grizzling, due to variegation of colors on the individual hairs, these being, on middle of back for example, plumbeous at extreme base, then pale gray, then black, then brown, and finally white-tipped; some of the hairs on sides and rump are longer than the average and black to ends. A sharply-defined narrow white stripe on each side of body from shoulder to side of rump. Eyelids white; ears and sides of head buffy white; whiskers black. Whole lower surface of body, from chin to root of tail, silvery white, the bases of the hairs lead-color. Soles of hind feet densely white haired forward to tubercles (see fig. 26a), thence to balls of toes naked, and plumbeous in color in dried specimens; outer sides of hind feet and tops of fore feet tinged with pinkish cinnamon; feet otherwise dull white; claws blackish brown with pale horn-colored tips. Tail broadly haired and blunt-ended, narrowed at base; above mixed black and white, giving an iron-gray effect, but, analyzed in its terminal half, an outermost white border is seen to be preceded inwardly by a black band, then by a white band, then centrally by black; toward the root of the tail, above, there is a tinge of pinkish cinnamon, this overlaid with a grizzling as on the back. Under
DESERT ANTELOPE GROUND SQUIRRELS (AT LEFT). FISHER GROUND SQUIRREL (AT RIGHT).
surface of tail broadly pure creamy white, with an outer black border around the terminal half, and succeeding this a white fringe.
Adult in summer pelage: Coat short and harsh instead of long and silky. General pattern of coloration as in winter, but tone of upper surface more buffy, especially so on top of head; hairs on whole lower surface pure white to bases (no lead-color); tail as in winter.
Color variations.—The sexes are alike in coloration. The young closely resemble summer adults save that the pelage is not so harsh. There is some individual variation in tone of gray on back and in intensity of cinnamon on flanks and shoulders, but we are unable to find any correlation in these respects with locality. In other words, we are unable to find any tendency within the range of Ammospermophilus leucurus in California to form subspecies. The range of the animal is continuous from the Mexican border to the head of Owens Valley and there are no hindrances to continuous mixing of breed, such as seem essential to subspecific differentiation in other ground squirrels.
Fig. 26. Feet of ground squirrels to show extent of hairing on soles and position and shape of tubercles. a. Desert Antelope Ground Squirrel; b, Stephens Soft-haired Ground Squirrel; c, California Ground Squirrel. Natural size; drawn from specimens.
The two seasonal coats, winter and summer, are interchanged through a clearly defined process of molt. That from winter to summer begins as early as April 23 and continues in different individuals as late as June 18; that in the fall extends from September 12 to October 23. These dates are as shown by the specimens available. The spring molt commences on the forehead and proceeds backwards; the last remnants of the winter coat are to be seen on the hind neck and rump. In the fall the order is reversed, and the rump first acquires the new winter pelage, the crown and forehead being the last areas to show the short harsh summer hairs. The hairs of the tail seem to be involved only in the fall molt, in other words they are not replaced in the spring when the rest of the pelage is.
Wear, fading, and contact with alkaline soil bring about some modification in the tones of coloration. In some cases the tails are dirty light brown and the ends of the hairs are all curled up as if scorched by heat. In April specimens from the sand-dunes at the edge of Owens Lake near Keeler, the worn winter pelage shows a curious yellowish tone, but September examples from the same place, in process of molt, show the new winter pelage to be normal and exactly like that in specimens from Riverside County.
We are unable to find any grounds for recognizing a separate race of leucurus from the Inyo region (vinnulus of Elliot, 1903, p. 241, type from Keeler, Inyo County).
Measurements.—Average and extreme measurements, in millimeters, of twenty adult specimens from Inyo County are as follows: Ten males: total length, 215, (200–235); tail vertebræ, 61.5 (50–70); hind foot, 37.7 (35–40); ear from crown, 5.7 (5.0–7.0); greatest length of skull, 38.7 (37.5–40.6); zygomatic breadth, 22.3 (21.5–23.1); interorbital width, 9.6 (9.4–10.1). Ten females: total length, 211 (200–220); tail vertebræ, 57.7 (46.0–65.0); hind foot, 36.5 (35.0–38.0); ear from crown, 5.5 (4.0–8.0); greatest length of skull, 38.1 (37.1–39.4); zygomatic breadth, 22.1 (20.6–22.9); interorbital width, 9.6 (8.9–9.9).
Males seem to be a little larger than females, on an average, with proportionally longer tails. We are unable to find anything in our material to indicate variation in measurements with either altitude or latitude within the state of California.
Weights.—Average and extreme weights, in grams, of twenty adult specimens from Inyo County are as follows: Ten males, 104.4 (94.5–120.7); ten females, 104 (83.6–115.0). Average in ounces, for both males and females, about 3⅔.
Type locality.—San Gorgonio Pass, below [east of] Banning, Riverside County, California (Merriam, 1889, p. 20; Stephens, 1906, p. 75).
Distribution area.—In general, the southeastern desert region (see fig. 24). Life-zone chiefly Lower Sonoran, but extends locally up through Upper Sonoran and even into Transition (see fig. 23). More specifically, the Colorado and Mohave Deserts (not, however, in some of the sandier or low-lying parts) from the Mexican line on the western rim of the Imperial Valley and the vicinity of Picacho on the lower Colorado River, north to the extreme head of Owens Valley in the vicinity of Benton, Mono County (Mus. Vert. Zool.).
Along the western edge of the area inhaabited by this squirrel, it extends well up onto the sides of the confining mountains and often far through the passes, as far as arid conditions prevail; for example, in San Gorgonio Pass, Riverside County, above Cabezon, and over Walker and Kelso passes, in Kern County, down the valley of the South Fork of the Kern River to as far at least as Weldon (Mus. Vert. Zool.), thus well over the rim of the San Joaquin basin. There are in southern California at least two outlying colonies on the Pacific side of the desert divides; namely, in San Jacinto Valley, Riverside County (Grinnell and Swarth, 1913, p. 326), and in Lytle Creek wash within six miles northwest of San Bernardino, in San Bernardino County (Mus. Vert. Zool.).
Altitudinally, the species ranges from below sea-level, as at Furnace Creek Ranch, -178 feet, in Death Valley, up regularly to 6,000 feet on most of the desert mountains which reach that height, and in some instances to 7,500 feet, as at the north base of Sugarloaf in the San Bernardino Mountains (Grinnell, 1908, p. 141), and even to 8,500 feet, as near the head of Mazourka Canyon, in the Inyo Mountains (Swarth, MS).
Specimens examined.—A total of 271, from the following localities in California. Mono County: Benton, and two miles south of Benton Station, 11. Inyo County: Laws, 6; Silver Canyon, White Mts., 9; Mazourka Canyon, Inyo Mts., 5; Independence, and two miles north of Independence, 19; west base Kearsarge Pass, Sierra Nevada, 4; Lone Pine Creek, 4,500 ft., 10; Carroll Creek, 5,500 ft., and Hockett Trail, 6,500 ft., near Carroll Creek, 4; Keeler, 31; Olancha, 2; Darwin (fifteen miles, and two miles, north of), 7; Panamint Mts. (Emigrant, Wild Rose, Hanaupah, and Johnson canyons), 17; Furnace Creek Ranch, and Triangle Spring, in Death Valley, 13; Shoshone, 2; Little Lake, 2. Kern County: Weldon, Onyx, and west slope Walker Pass, 16; one mile east of Warren Station, 1; Mohave, 12. Los Angeles County: Fairmont, 8. San Bernardino County: one mile northeast of Barstow, 1; Oro Grande, 2; mountains on west side of Colorado River, lat. 35°, 1; Blythe Junction, 1; five miles below Needles, 1; opposite The Needles, 5; Chemehuevis Valley, 2; Victorville, 14; San Bernardino Mts. (Cushenbury Springs, Cactus Flat, Doble, north base of Sugarloaf), 17; Cajon (Lytle Creek) Wash near San Bernardino, 1. Riverside County: base of San Jacinto Mts., near Cabezon, 7; Snow Creek, near Whitewater, 5; Vallevista, San Jacinto Valley, 4; Palm Springs, 7; Carrizo Creek and Dos Palmos Springs, Santa Rosa Mts., 5; Palm Canyon, San Jacinto Mts., 1; Riverside Mt., near Colorado River, 1. San Diego County: San Felipe Valley, 2; Grapevine Spring, 1; La Puerta, 2; Vallecito, 2; Jacumba, 1; Mountain Spring, 1. Imperial County: Colorado River, opposite Cibola, 2; twenty miles north of Picacho, 4; eight miles east of Picacho, 2.
The Antelope Ground Squirrels constitute a group distinct in many ways from all our other species. They are hardly less inhabitants of the ground, as compared with the tree squirrels and true chipmunks, but in manner they are more vivacious than any of the other ground squirrels; they run at a much faster clip and hence can forage at greater distances from safety refuges. Their coloration is distinctive, too, gray, with one white stripe along each side of the back, and with the under side of the tail brilliantly white. This latter feature is in itself unique, for it is accompanied by a most striking mannerism, that of the almost constant carriage of the stubby, flat-haired tail in an upright position, held against the back, so that the white under surface shows as a white "flag" when the animal is scurrying away, much as with the similarly advertising marks of the cottontail rabbit and antelope; only with the ground squirrel the effect in catching the eye of the observer is still further heightened by the way in which it is spasmodically twitched whether the animal be at rest or running. This flickering beam of white ever holds the attention as long as the squirrel is below the level of the horizon, and short of its burrow or the concealing tangle of prickly vegetation which it is so anxious to put between it and its pursuer.
The race called appropriately Desert Antelope Ground Squirrel (locally, Antelope "Chipmunk" because of its stripes, small size and sprightly manners) occurs broadly over the Colorado and Mohave deserts, thence north clear through the Inyo region. It shows rather wide adaptability to the varying conditions in this vast area, more so than any other desert ground squirrel, and ranges from below sea level, as on the floor of Death Valley, up regularly to 6,500 feet on the steep slopes of the desert mountains. It even "spills over" the confining rim of the Mohave Desert to the westward, locally, on to the Pacific drainage, as shown in detail in the accompanying list of specimens and on the map (fig. 24). Although notably continuous in its range over great stretches of country, it is not difficult to discover preferences, as indicated by relative abundance. Level sandy ground is, as a rule, but sparsely inhabited; and we know of some stretches of desert, such as the floor of the Coachella Valley northwest of Salton Sea, where none at all seem to exist, although the species is abundant in the foothills adjacent. The kind of ground most generally preferred seems to be hard-surfaced, gravelly wash-fans or hill slopes. Kinds of vegetation present seem to be immaterial, though clumps of squaw tea, creasote bush, cactus, or tree yucca characterize much of the territory where the Antelope Squirrels are most abundant.
Our mention of the above preferences must not give an erroneous idea as to special nature of the habitat of this species. It may be said again, for emphasis, that this animal thrives in a great variety of situations. We have seen it on the mesquite-crowned sand dunes of Death Valley, there as a companion of the Death Valley Round-tailed Ground Squirrel; on the sagebrush covered flats at the extreme head of Owens Valley, in the metropolis of the Stephens Soft-haired Ground Squirrel; on the creasote hillsides near Little Lake, one of our very few record stations for the Mohave Ground Squirrel; among the piñons and granite boulders of the northern section of the Panamint Mountains, then associated with the big Fisher Ground Squirrel; and even upon the steep rocky slopes of the White Mountains at 7,800 feet altitude, in the same rock slides with the Inyo Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel! Truly a cosmopolite is the Antelope Ground Squirrel, just so far as the dry atmosphere of the desert extends; but the coastal fog and general humidity of the Pacific drainage are almost strictly taboo.
The burrow of this rodent is in nearly all cases situated at the side of a dense brush-clump or boulder so that protection is afforded from predators that dig, such as badgers and coyotes. The mouth of the burrow is kept open, and is flush with the surface of the ground; and there is usually no trace of any mound. Sometimes there is a small pile of fresh earth adjacent to a hole, but this is subject to quick dissipation by the winds or the much more infrequent rains. The mouth of the burrow is subtriangular in outline, the flattish base of the triangle horizontal at the bottom. It is not often circular, as with pocket gophers and kangaroo rats, and usually can be recognized accordingly. There is evidence that these squirrels use the burrows of other rodents, too, such as those of wood rats, kangaroo rats, and even badgers. And in places where such retreats are afforded, individuals seem to have their headquarters in the interstices of rock slides. Suffice it to say that in the Antelope Ground Squirrel we do not find a good digger. It takes a temperamentally phlegmatic animal to dig effectively. The "Ammos" are too fidgety.
This species does not live in colonies in the restricted sense in which this term should be used, but the burrows are scattered out pretty evenly over the general territory occupied. There is less of interdependence between the individuals of this species than in most other ground squirrels.
In traveling through their domain one sees few of these ground squirrels as compared with their real numbers. They are adepts at dodging behind bushes, and at eluding observation by skipping off out of sight considerably in advance of the intruder. For example, in a census of animal life taken near Mohave, March 14, 1918, during a three-hour walk, but two Antelope Squirrels were seen, whereas six were found to have been caught in a line of rat-traps during the same length of time. Then, too, the characteristic tracks in the sand on a quiet day after it has been laid by a norther leave a graphic record of the multitudinous peregrinations of these active rodents. They can make more tracks in a given length of time than any other mammal with which we are acquainted!
Some notes made by the senior author the second week of March, 1918, near Mohave will help to give a clear idea of the characteristics of the animal under discussion. Nearly all individuals seen would run very fast across open spaces between the bushes, but would hesitate a moment or so when passing through the bushes. When approaching its burrow each animal would stop stock still just short of the mouth of the burrow, and watch the intruder intently with head turned to one side sufficiently so that it could look back past its rump. Meanwhile the tail was vibrated intermittently as usual. Presently the animal would dive down out of sight. One was seen to go down into a hole situated in the side of a mound of sand accumulated about the base of a very large creasote bush. This hole was one yard from the nearest upright stem, but was directed downward diagonally toward the root-system, and it was overshadowed by the radiating branches. The diameter of this burrow at its mouth was just 40 millimeters (about one and three-fifths inches). The last that was seen of another squirrel as he dived for his burrow, he had his tail over his back twitching as violently as ever. He, too, had hesitated just an instant before the final plunge.
One individual was surprised eight feet above the ground in a tree yucca, where he had doubtless been prospecting among the ripe pods for the seeds. He ran down the yucca trunk head foremost, with clearly audible noise of claws on rough bark. Even in this position the tail was kept appressed to the rump and was flicked in fore-and-aft direction. This ability to climb is not exceptional among individuals of this species, and is quite consistent with the general agility of the animal. Near Keeler, on the morning of September 25, 1917, six individuals were seen severally in the tops of sarcobatus bushes evidently gathering the small, fleshy leaves. At the distant approach of the observer each scurried to the ground and each had altogether disappeared by the time he had come up. At Onyx, Kern County, June 21, 1911, one was seen perched on the top of a fencepost. At Carroll Creek, near Owens Lake, September 8, 1911, several were seen at different times perched bolt upright, picket-pin fashion, on isolated boulders out on the mesa.
As a general thing Antelope Ground Squirrels do not have access to water and they live for long periods without it. Like other typically desert rodents, they can secure all the water needed in their systems by chemical elaboration of their food materials. Yet that water is sought for where available is shown by the following instances: When camped at a spring near the head of Kelso Valley, Kern County, July 8, 1911, the senior author saw an "Ammo" come without hesitation to the lowest hoofprints containing water below the spring and drink five times; each time about ten seconds were apparently occupied in lapping. At intervals the animal looked around, vibrating his tail the while with great rapidity. At least six other individuals came to drink during that day, arriving through the brush from considerable distances. One of these, observed closely, was seen to lap hurriedly and briefly eight times.
Some observations made at the same time and place bear further on the behavior of this species of ground squirrel. When one is stalked it will make a dash of ten feet or more to a near-by shrub or rock. If the observer continues to advance the squirrel disappears down a hole or under a bush, or else makes another similar dash and stops again. It then either stands on all fours with its back humped up toward the intruder and its head turned around so as to watch, or it stands upright on its haunches, turning more toward the observer. In either case the tail is held over the back and is wiggled, either antero-posteriorly or laterally. The tip of the tail, at least, shows no constant direction of movement. "When entering a burrow I saw one individual drop his tail down behind him and trail it into the burrow instead of carrying it over his back" (Storer, MS). Often when running an "Ammo" will be seen to jump short distances, quite clearing the ground. "I saw one in a tree yucca where I only came to detect his presence by seeing the shadow of his waggling tail" (Storer, MS). The animals seem to be able to climb the prickly cactuses and yuccas without sustaining any serious injury.
The voice of the Antelope Squirrel is unique among the members of its tribe. It is not a "bark" at all; nor is it a "squeak." It may be described as a prolonged mellow rolling trill, weakening or falling in inflection toward the end. The tone is maintained on about the same moderately high pitch throughout, though an impression of lowering may be received because of the progressive diminution in volume. The sound is of a quality to carry well, yet even at very close range it rarely sounds loud. The direction of the performer is usually hard to fix. This shifting, ventriloquistic quality goes well with the shimmering landscape and elusive behavior of the animal, with which it is usually associated in our experience.
The breeding season begins about the first of March and, in its various phases, lasts ordinarily until the end of May. At the highest altitudes the program is evidently retarded some because of the later advent of warm weather. There is nothing to indicate that more than one litter is produced each year by one female. The instances of late appearance of young (for example, in August), where not accounted for by altitude, would seem likely to be due to individual variation in time of development of the reproductive instincts or else to abortion or early death of the first litter. The following is the more or less exact breeding data given in the field notes on file in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.
The earliest date for embryos is February 20 (1910) near Needles on the Colorado River; the number of embryos was eight. On March 11 (of the same year), in Chemehuevis Valley, south of Needles, a female was taken containing five embryos. The weather was yet cold, ice on standing water at night. It seems to be a rule with the squirrel family in the desert that the breeding season is so timed that the young of the year are well grown long before the period of intensest summer heat.
March 11 to 16 (1918) thirty Antelope Squirrels were trapped or shot in the vicinity of Mohave. Of these, seventeen were males and thirteen were females, all adult and in breeding condition. The testes of the males were huge, measuring up to three-fourths of an inch in length. The uteri of the females were heavy-walled, but in only one case were there yet any embryos; one taken March 11 contained five well-developed embryos. The males were lean; the females all more or less fat. On March 18 (1914) at Victorville two females were taken containing thirteen and fourteen embryos, respectively. On March 27 (1907), at the same place, a female was found to contain eight embryos. On April 6 (1918), at Olancha, two females contained nine and ten embryos, respectively; and on April 12 one was found to contain seven embryos. On April 24 (1912) at Keeler a female was taken which contained six embryos.
The average number of young per litter as figured from the above records of embryos is close to nine, with five and fourteen as extremes. Stephens (1906, p. 75) considers five to eight as the usual number. Nelson (1918, p. 443) gives four to twelve. Mearns (1907, p. 301) records that near Mountain Spring, in May, 1894, ten small young of uniform size were caught from one hole.
The mammæ are generally in five pairs, occasionally in six, rarely five on one side and six on the other.
The earliest date we have for the appearance of young aboveground is April 23 (1917) at Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley; one youngster scarcely one-fifth grown (its weight was but 17.7 grams) was found wandering about weakly under a mesquite (see fig. 27). The next date is May 13 (1908) for third-grown young at Cabezon, and records for the last week of May are numerous. The latest date is September 4 (1908) for half-grown young at Vallevista, San Jacinto Valley. From all the facts at hand we would estimate the usual date of birth for this species to be close to May 10.
By the time they are half grown the young seem to be well able to forage for food by themselves. No solicitude has been observed on the part of the parent. The young show themselves to be less shy than adults, and for this reason it is probable that a large toll is taken by their enemies during early summer, until the young get sophisticated.
The Antelope Ground Squirrel, according to the data above given, is the most prolific of all our species of ground squirrels. It can be inferred from this that existence on the desert, in the mode followed
Fig. 27. Desert Antelope Ground Squirrel, about one-fifth grown, found wandering about weakly under a mesquite at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley, April 23, 1917. Photographed by J. Dixon. Although very young and feeble this little squirrel persisted in holding its tail at all times over its back in characteristic Ammospermophilus fashion.
by this squirrel, is the most precarious. The factor of high mortality must therefore be provided against by high birth rate. The category of predaceous animals which occupy the same territory and which are sure to prey habitually upon the Antelope Squirrel includes "snakes, weasels, foxes, coyotes, badgers, bobcats, and many kinds of hawks" (Nelson, 1918, p. 443).
At all the lower elevations, where the winters are not especially cold, Antelope Ground Squirrels are to be seen abroad at all seasons. For instance, around Victorville in December and January, 1904–05, and at Palm Springs in December, 1904, they were to be seen nearly every day, though they did not seem to be foraging far and wide actively then as is their wont in March and later. At the former locality on the coldest windy days none was seen. It is very likely that at higher places, altitudinally, especially where there is some snow, as at the head of Owens Valley, these animals hibernate through the coldest months. The fact that there is a special winter pelage, long, full and silky, would seem to have some meaning as an accompaniment of outdoor activity at that season. Certain it is, that in texture, the pelage of the Antelope Squirrels is quite different from that of those species which hibernate regularly and long. The latter are woolly, with much under-fur. In the fall and winter "Ammos" are uniformly very fat. This condition is probably maintained by drawing upon their food stores, which, to judge from their persistent industry earlier in the season, must be extensive. We have never taken the opportunity to dig out the burrows to see how the seeds and other foodstuffs are garnered. Interesting facts doubtless await inquiry in this direction.
The Antelope Ground Squirrel is preëminently a gatherer of seeds and fruits. The two inside-opening cheek-pouches are extensive, doubtless on this account. Rarely does an animal captured away from its burrow fail to show something in them. The following records of findings of this nature will give a good idea of the diet of the species.
In the tree-yucca belt near Mohave, March 11 to 16, 1918, many of the squirrels examined were carrying the large flat black seeds of the tree-yucca (Yucca brevifolia). These seeds were being gathered for the most part from the ground, where they had fallen from the pod-clusters overhead. But in a few cases the squirrels were seen up in the yuccas going right after the ripe pods themselves. The greatest number of these seeds being carried at one time was seventeen, this in the case of a male taken on Lee Flat, fifteen miles north of Darwin, September 28, 1917. A female taken in Walker Pass, June 27, 1911, contained in its cheek-pouches 98 shelled seeds of juniper (Juniperus californicus). A female captured at Keeler, April 28, 1912, had gathered into her cheek-pouches 178 husked seeds of the salt-grass (Distichlis spicata).
Cactus seeds are frequently gathered, and, in season, the fleshy fruits are eaten. At Vallevista, San Jacinto Valley, September 4, 1908, the squirrels were feeding chiefly on the ripe cactus "pears." The animals were well stained with the purple juice both outside and in; the whole, abdominal region was purple in some of the individuals skinned for specimens. At Cabezon, May 6, 1908, a squirrel was watched in the top of a cholla cactus eating the tender new-growth buds. The animal seemed to be able to move about without its feet being injured by the spines, but upon being shot a thorn was found sticking firmly in the roof of its mouth.
This squirrel also gathers, doubtless for food, the stems of squaw-tea (Ephedra), cut into sections, and the leaves of Sarcobatus. Immediately after rains, when the evanescent annual vegetation of the desert starts to grow, sprouting plants of certain species are also gathered.
Judging from the frequency with which Antelope Ground Squirrels get into meat-baited traps, they must have a decided taste for flesh. We have also frequently found them eating into the bodies of rodents already caught and killed in small traps, and in one case, at least, one of its own kind was the victim. Nelson (1918, p. 443) says that insects are eaten when occasion offers.
As for cultivated crops, it is not often that Antelope Ground Squirrels are to be found in settled regions, and even where they are, they do not seem to be attracted by the conditions which accompany irrigation. For example, around Cabezon in San Gorgonio Pass, in May, 1908, the farmers and orchardists reported that little or no damage was done by this rodent, although the big Fisher Ground Squirrel was a decided pest there. The little Antelope "Chipmunks" seemed to keep closely to the wild land, feeding upon the native seeds and fruits, especially those of the cactuses.
Still, locally, they may prove noticeably destructive. This was the case in an almond orchard near Fairmont in northern Los Angeles County, where in June, 1904, the present authors saw the animals climbing the trees in the outer rows next to the wild land and carrying down the as yet unripe almonds. These and the Fisher Ground Squirrels were both complained of bitterly by the owner. Again, in Owens Valley near Independence, on May 7, 1912, a male Antelope Ground Squirrel was captured, with its cheek-pouches filled with wheat. The nearest grain field was a quarter of a mile distant. It is thus quite to be expected that where cultivated land adjoins wild land this species will make raids upon such crops as prove to its liking.