A LIST 



OF MAMMALS OBTAINED BY EDMUND HELLER, 



COLLECTOR FOR THE MUSEUM, FROM THE COAST 



REGION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 



AND OREGON. 



BY D. G. ELLIOT, F.R.S.E., ETC. 



In the spring of 1901, Mr. Edmund Heller started from San Fran- 

 cisco on a trip along the coasts of California and Oregon to obtain 

 specimens of mammals for this institution, visiting as many of the 

 type localities as possible on his route. His first collecting place was 

 Nicasio, Marin County, type locality of Microtus californicus, not far 

 from San Francisco. This locality Mr. Heller describes as follows: 

 "Nicasio is situated in a small valley surrounded by rather high rolling- 

 hills, the highest of about one thousand feet. The northern slopes of 

 the hills are heavily forested by Sequoia sempervirens, Pseudotsuga 

 taxifolia, Inersus densiflora, Umbellulario calif arnica, and other Transi- 

 tion trees. The southern slopes are open and covered by a good 

 growth of grass which is used for pasturage. The valleys are also 

 chiefly grass lands with a few scattered Quercus agrifolia and Q. lobata. 

 Two life zones are present. The Transition is limited to the northern 

 slopes of the hills and cold canons, and is marked by the range of 

 Sequoia and Pseudotsuga timber. Haplodontia and Taniias are here 

 characteristic of this zone. The upper Sonoran zone is limited to the 

 valleys and southern hillsides, and covers much the greater part of the 

 country." Mr. Heller remained at Nicasio for two weeks, and then 

 went to Point Reyes, on the coast, type locality of Haplodontia phcea 

 and Putorius x. mundus, and passed a week there. Of this place he 

 says: "The Point Reyes peninsula is well separated east of the line of 

 the North Pacific Railroad by a low divide which extends from the 

 southern end of Tomales Bay to Bolinas, and is formed of high hills 

 of over a thousand feet, heavily forested by Pinus muricata, Pseudo- 

 tsuga taxifol.ia, Umbellulario calif or nica, Inersus densi flora, Arbutus 

 mcnzisi, etc. That part of the peninsula west and north of Drake's 

 Bay is a low and sandy plain with a frontage of sand-dunes along the 

 coast. The peninsula was at one time evidently an island, the low 

 divide having been gradually filled in by the creeks flowing into 

 Tomales and Bolinas bays. The whole peninsula is in the Transition 



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