328 Notes on a Collection of Mammals. [zoe 



which the squirrel has gnawed from the cones. He does not 

 wait until the cone is ripe, but often gnaws the scales from the 

 young cone while it is yet hanging on the tree. I have some, 

 times seen this squirrel hanging head downwards a hundred and 

 fifty feet from the ground feeding on a cone. The gray squirrel 

 does not hibernate, but usually descends lower in the mountains 

 during the heavy snows. In the winter of 1891-92 I saw them 

 frequently in the neighborhood of Blue Canon running about 

 over snow four feet deep. When chased they would not take to 

 trees at once, but continued to run over the snow until closely 

 cornered. Dogs are often used in winter to hunt them. 



25. Aplodontia 7najo7- Merr. California Sewellel. 



This striking rodent was observed in the neighborhood of 

 Red Point, and about a grove of big trees, Seqiioia gigantea, 

 about twenty miles southeast of Red Point, in Southern Placer 

 County. Near Red Point two small colonies were seen in boggy 

 land about springs. Both places were densely overgrown with 

 brush and weeds. No specimens were taken here, but their 

 presence was noted by freshly gnawed stems about their burrows. 

 At the big tree grove a much larger colony was found. Their 

 burrows were in the bottom of a ravine among dense beds of 

 moss, thickly shaded with tangled bushes. A delicate mountain 

 cranberry, Vaccinhivi occidentale, grew abundantly about the place, 

 and little heaps of the stems, some with the berries still attached, 

 lay scattered about the entrances to the dens. Large quantities 

 of stems of Ccanothus and Rhododcnd7-on were found gnawed 

 into lengths of about six inches. Some were over half an inch 

 in diameter and freshly gnawed, others seemed several years old. 

 I heard its shrill cry several times when near this colony, but 

 saw only one. 



The name "mountain beaver," by which this animal is 

 known to the miners, has been given to it on account of its 

 habit of gnawing sticks like the beaver. The Indian name is 

 "sewellel." This particular species is ^. ricfus, and is found 

 throughout Washington and Oregon and south in Western Cali- 

 fornia to Humboldt Bay. There is a specimen in the University 

 Museum taken by Mr. Chas. Fiebig at Eureka. 



26. Fiber zibethicus (Linne). Muskrat. 



