126 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD 



felt hats or imitations of popular skins, and during World Wars 

 millions of frozen carcasses are eaten as meat. 



PiKAS. Family Ochotonid^ 



The Pikas, Conies, or Mouse-hares are only half as large as 

 cottontails. They have mouse-like ears but no visible tail. A 

 single species (Ochotona hyperhorea) occurring on the large 

 island of Hondo or Honshu, Japan, is found in rocky places, 

 probably above the timber-line. Pikas have a peculiar call — a 

 long ventriloquistic whistle or bleat. Piles of "hay" which they 

 gather under the shelter of large stones are often the only signs 

 of their presence. 



Whales and Porpoises. Order Cetacea 



Whales and their smaller relatives are mammals that have 

 become greatly modified for life in the water. Their forms are 

 fish-like, rounded and tapering, without a constriction at the 

 neck. The tail, broadened and flattened, is shaped into a pro- 

 pelling organ much like a fish's tail, but is horizontal instead 

 of vertical. The front limbs are paddle-like, but no external 

 trace of the hind limbs remains. The skin is hairless, smooth, 

 and shining ; immediately under the surface lies a thick layer of 

 fatty tissue or blubber. There is usually a median fin on the 

 back. The eyes are small for the size of the head. There is no 

 external ear, and in some cases the middle ear is completely 

 separated by thick tissue from the exterior. The opening of the 

 nostrils, through a paired or single "blowhole," is almost as far 

 back as the eye or even behind it. These mammals will rarely be 

 seen close enough to assure their identification. Some may be 

 seen washed up on the beaches, and a few species live in the 

 mouths of rivers or in harbors. Great gaps exist in our knowl- 

 edge of these sea mammals, as they are too large for us to keep 

 under observation in aquariums or for us to attach recording 

 machines to them. The distribution of small species of little 

 commercial value is still poorly known. Records of such whales 



