[Illustration: FIG. 87. Golden-mantled ground squirrel (_Citellus saturatus_), captured when young at Tye, Washington, by Earl J. Larrison, June 20, 1940; photographed February 1, 1941. (Fish and Wildlife Service photo by Victor B. Scheffer, No. 1139.)] In spite of their vivacious appearance, these squirrels are rather sedentary. When undisturbed they move leisurely over rocks and stumps, pausing often, and occasionally sitting on their hindquarters to gaze about for minutes at a time. They are good climbers and often ascend smooth-barked trees to heights of 20 feet or more. At the approach of danger they descend and enter the nearest burrow. In August these ground squirrels become exceedingly fat and by late September only a few may be seen, basking in the midday sun. These take alarm at the slightest excuse. All have usually gone into hibernation by October 15. The food includes the berries of salal, huckleberry, mountain ash, and seeds of lupine. Near Liberty, Kittitas County, a squirrel killed by a car had its cheek pouches stuffed with garden peas. The source of its loot was doubtless the garden of a farmhouse 100 feet away. Numerous individuals are run over by cars, and on many occasions I have found other individuals eating the sun-dried flesh of their mates, parents, or young. These cannibals are often run over while so engaged, and it is not unusual to find two or three dead on a section of pavement 20 feet in length. Economically this species is of little importance. Its principal enemies probably include hawks, weasels, martens, bobcats and coyotes. =Sciurus griseus griseus= Ord Western gray squirrel _Sciurus griseus_ Ord, Jour. de phys., 87:152, 1818. _Sciurus griseus griseus_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 128:222, April 29, 1924. _Type._--None. Described from a squirrel seen by Lewis and Clark. Type locality, The Dalles, Wasco County, Oregon. _Measurements._--A female from midway between Satus Pass and Goldendale, Klickitat County, measured: total length 560; length of tail 264; hind foot 76; weight 897 grams. _Distribution._--Southwestern Washington north to the glacial prairies near Tacoma (W. W. D.); the Columbia River Valley of the southern Cascades; the eastern edge of the Cascades north to Lake Chelan (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 18). [Illustration: FIG. 88. Distribution of the western gray squirrel, _Sciurus griseus_, in Washington.] _Description._--This is the largest tree squirrel found in Washington. The head and body measure about 12 inches, and the tail about 11 inches. The body is long and slender. The fur is long and soft, that on the tail being exceptionally long. The upper parts are silvery gray and the underparts white.