I should say the chief difference between
Striped Chipmunk and the Tree Squirrels is that he spends all his
time on the ground while the others live largely in the trees."
"Very good, Peter," said Old Mother Nature. "But there are two
very important differences which you have not mentioned. Striped
Chipmunk has a big pocket on the inside of each cheek, while his
cousins of the trees have no pockets at all."
"Of course," cried Peter. "I don't see how I came to forget that.
I've laughed many times at Striped Chipmunk with those pockets
stuffed with nuts or seeds until his head looked three times bigger
than it does now. Those pockets must be very handy."
"They are," replied Striped Chipmunk. "I couldn't get along without
them. They save me a lot of running back and forth, I can tell you."
"And the other great difference," said Old Mother Nature, "is
that Striped Chipmunk sleeps nearly all winter, just waking up
occasionally to pop his head out on a bright day to see how the
weather is. A great many folks call Striped Chipmunk a Ground
Squirrel, but more properly he is a Rock Squirrel because he
likes stony places best. Supposing, Striped Chipmunk, you tell
us where and how you make your home."
"I make my home down in the ground," replied Striped Chipmunk. "I
dig a tunnel just big enough to run along comfortably.
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