March, 1904. Mammals of Southern California — Elliot. 289 



sandy desert, but requires rocky or at least gravelly localities, 

 except the higher brush-covered sandy areas of mesas. 



The species was found as high as 6,000 feet on the eastern 

 slope of the San Bernardino Range, which altitude was also 

 attained by the desert cholla. It is a characteristic species of 

 the Sonoran Zone, extending through both the lower and upper 

 divisions, but of local distribution in the extreme upper and 

 lower part of the zone. 



Citellus leucurus vinnulus. 



Citellus 1. vinnulus Elliot, Pub. Field Columb. Mus., in. 1903, 

 p. 240. Zoology. 



19 Examples: 3 Summit of the Inyo Range east of Lone 

 Pine; 4 Beveridge Canon, 4 Keeler, 2 Coso Mountains, 2 Wild 

 Rose Spring, 1 Hannopee Canon, 3 Coal Kilns, Panamint Moun- 

 tains. 



Although Mr. Heller in his notes states that this spermophile 

 is found in Death Valley, no specimens were taken there. He 

 writes concerning this new form that it is "an abundant species 

 on the higher parts of the Mohave Desert. About the mesquite 

 thickets and sand-dunes of the northern part of Death Valley it 

 was of rather rare occurrence, but on the mountains confining 

 the valley it is much more abundant. This form ranges over 

 the slopes of the Panamint Mountains to an altitude of 8,500 

 feet, or the upper limit of the pifion pines. They were espe- 

 cially numerous at 7,500 feet about the Coal Kilns, and at 8,000 

 feet on Hannopee Creek. In these high altitudes they are 

 usually associated with thickets of Canutilla, Ephedra viridis, 

 beneath which their burrows are usually placed. 



The highest altitude attained by this species in the region 

 traversed was in the Inyo Mountains, where they were secured 

 at 9,000 feet, some distance above the Pifion Pine Belt. They 

 were fairly common in this locality in the lower edge of the 

 limber pine timber. The cheek pouches of the specimens 

 secured at these altitudes contained seeds of mountain mahogany 

 and of a small cactus, Opuntia rutila. 



In Owens Valley, at the base of the range, they were less com- 

 mon, but generally distributed to the base of the Sierras, where 

 they evidently do not ascend the slope much beyond 6,000 feet. 

 About Keeler, on the shore of Owens Lake, they were abundant 

 in the sand dunes and creosote vegetation." 



