32 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXVI 



digging down to a depth of a foot or fifteen inches, 

 found a stream of water an inch and a half deep 

 running through the burrow. 



The nesting and storage chamber from which 

 several burrows radiate is usually an enlargement 

 of the burrow to about 12 x 15 or more inches. 

 Here the food is stored for winter use and it is 

 here the young, numbering from two to four, are 

 brought forth in the month of April. The young 

 are born blind. 



These animals do not retire high up the moun- 

 tains at the approach of cold weather as is generally 

 believed, but, as before mentioned, they frequently 

 den up for a portion of the winter. 



These creatures are gregarious, several pairs 

 living in the same network of burrows. At the 

 same time, all the specimens I have secured so 

 far show traces of severe fighting, the skins being 

 badly scarred. It is possible some of the many 

 scars were caused by birds of prey or other enemies. 



The mountain beavers are very cleanly in 

 habits and keep the burrows clean of refuse, dirt 

 and old unused, decayed food supplies. One 

 burrow was followed for several hundred feet and 

 eventually, at a depth of between four and five 

 feet, the storage and nesting chamber was dis- 

 covered. This chamber measured about 9" 

 high X 14" wide x 40" long. The northerly part 

 for the first fifteen inches was raised high and 

 was dry, and here the nest of sticks and moss 

 was placed. The rest of the chamber was lower 

 and half full of water. This subterranean re- 

 servoir was well made, the bottom being covered 

 with hard sand and small gravel so compact that 

 the water could not escape; the whole upper 

 part of the chamber was smoothly coated with 

 earth or mud as if the animal paid particular 

 attention to keeping everything neat and smooth. 



Three burrows led in different directions from 

 this chamber. 



The food of mountain beaversconsists very large- 

 ly of the canes of salmonberry and wild raspberry 

 which they cut into pieces three or four inches in 

 length and store in their food chambers for winter 

 use. They also eat the green moss which is 

 found growing over fallen trees and logs, as well 

 as the bark of maple trees, and they seem to be 

 especially fond of the "Scotch Cap" leaves and 

 canes. They eat the seeds of the maple, remains 

 of which I have found in their burrows. In one 

 instance, a piece of fungus was found stored with 

 the other food. They are fond of potatoes, 

 carrots, parsnips, cabbages, cauliflowers and other 

 vegetables of all kinds, and are most destructive 

 once they become acquainted with a garden 

 patch. At Yarrow I once found that the moun- 

 tain beavers had completely eaten up a row of 

 rhubarb. This is worthy of note, as few animals 

 care for rhubarb. One mountain beaver, which 

 I had in captivity for a short time, would eat 

 nothing but green moss and apples, altho I tried 

 it with several kinds of vegetables. They store 

 up fern-roots, leaves, grass, moss, red willow and 

 currant-bush and feed also on the roots of these 

 two latter. As they are nocturnal, they feed and 

 gather their food supplies at night. 



Only recently I heard of a rancher finding a 

 quantity of his cabbage and cauliflower neatly 

 cut and stored away by these animals. 



In summer time I have frequently noticed 

 little piles of the mountain beaver "hay" lying 

 at the mouths of the burrows, drying and curing 

 before being taken into the storage chambers. 

 These little piles of food are very neatly placed 

 with the butts all pointing one way. 



THE "JAPANESE STARLING" IN VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



By J. A. MuNRO, Okanagan Landing, British Columbia. 



Visitors to Vancouver with an interest in orni- 

 thology, are attracted by an odd-looking, glossy 

 black bird with conspicuous white wing-bars and 

 a curious crest curved forward over the base of 

 the yellow bill. This is a species of Mina, Acri- 

 dotheres cristatellus, known locally as the Japanese 

 or Chinese Starling. 



Nothing definite is known regarding the intro- 

 duction of this species to Vancouver. One story 

 has it that a large wicker cage containing a number 

 of these birds, consigned to a Japanese resident, 

 was broken open in transit from one of the Oriental 

 liners and the birds escaped. Other stories are 



to the effect that its introduction was deliberate. 

 For some unknown reason, this Mina is prized as 

 a cage-bird by the Japanese, probably for pleasing 

 qualities that are not perceptible to the occidental 

 mind. But, whether their introduction was the 

 result of accident or of design, is of little interest; 

 the important point is, that they are now well 

 established and an acquisition of doubtful value 

 to our avian fauna. The increase of this species 

 has not been as spectacular as was that of the 

 House Swallow, but within the last few years it 

 has been steady and they are gradually spreading 

 from Vancouver into the rural districts. In 



