244 FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM ZOOLOGY, VOL. i. 



valleys, through one of which flowed the waters of the creek, known 

 as Boulder, and which emptied into the Elwah, near our second 

 camp on that stream, could be seen the north wall of the central snow 

 range, rising perpendicularly from the valley, and inaccessible from 

 that side by even a goat. Its summit was broken by many a yawning 

 chasm of unknown depths, and on whose brink no foot of man had 

 ever trod, with craters of extinct volcanoes opening their great 

 mouths to the sky and disclosing their smooth interior walls going 

 sheer down for hundreds of feet until hidden in the depths, or disap- 

 pearing in the snowdrifts that filled the interior two- thirds to the 

 crater's lip. In one of the strolls around camp Mr. Akeley, who took 

 all the views that illustrate this paper, found a squirrel asleep on a 

 log, and after getting the proper focus, he awoke the little fellow, 

 who, disgusted at being disturbed in his nap, began to swear at his 

 tormentor in the most vociferous and reprehensible manner. While 

 in this excited condition his portrait was taken, as shown in the accom- 

 panying view. 



The trees at this altitude were black spruce, hemlock and 

 firs, giving a sombre and lonely appearance to the landscape. 

 The spruce grew in clumps of six or eight, ranged generally in a 

 circle, their branches sweeping the ground, and affording in their 

 midst a good shelter from the wind and rain, but they were good 

 for very little else. Although we hunted continually, no elk were 

 seen while we remained at this camp, and deer, the true black-tail, 

 (O. hemionus. Rafin.}, the only species found in these mountains, were 

 very scarce, and we only succeeded in obtaining a doe and a fawn. 

 But our collection increased considerably, although the variety was 

 not great. I do not think I was ever before in a country that was 

 apparently so devoid of animal life. One might walk for days and 

 see nothing save a squirrel, chipmunk, or blue jay, and only occasion- 

 ally be challenged from the higher peaks by some watchful 

 marmot, whose shrill whistle awoke the echoes around, as he 

 expressed his disgust at the intrusion of an inquisitive and trouble- 

 some biped. Not far from our tents, measured by distance, but 

 exceedingly far off when the climb back was considered, for it was 

 situated deep down in a valley by a running stream, was a colony of 

 the unique Sewellel, a species that seems to have lingered beyond 

 its time on the earth, and known to the people-as mountain beaver or 

 Farmers, though seldom had any one seen the animal. An account 

 of its queer appearance and strange habits is given in the proper 

 place in the catalogue of mammals included in this paper. 



By the newly cut trail along the "hog-back" and through the forest 



