178 



NOri':.S ON CALIFORNIA ANIMALS. 



Family ZAPODID^E. Ju.mi-inu Miuk. 



Zapus hudsouius Coues. Jumping Mouse. 



Several iuclividuals of tins species were seeu in some ineavlow.s at tlie 

 western base of ]\Iouut Shasta, where one s[)eciiiien was (;ollecte<l. It 

 was also found in Shasta County by Dr. IsTewbeny, and occurs no doubt 

 tbrouchout the region. 



Family IIYSTRICID/E. Porcupines. 



Erethizou dorsatus epixantlius (Brandt). WiHtern I'orcKpinc. 



^Vbile in Northern Calitbruia I was much interested in the habits of 

 the Porcupine, which was found to be very abundant in Lassen County. 

 The first intimation we had of its presence was on the first niiilit of our 

 stay in an old cabin on a sheep range, Avhich was adoptt^l as headtiuar- 

 ters while in tbat region. We had noticed numerous chipmunks {Ta- 

 mias (nteralis and T. Toivnscndi) while establishing ourselves for the 

 night, and hearing considerable nil;)bling of our boxes alter dark we 

 naturally attributed the noises to these animals or to wood rats, whose 

 brush-pile domiciles existed })lentifnlly all over the, country. I>ut a 

 certain persistent nibbling kept me awake, and I finally investigated 

 with a candle. A large Porcupine was found squatted upon a box con- 

 tentedly regaling himself on morsels of pine which he was biting from 

 the edge of the table. He faced the light with much curiosity, and 

 seemed in no way disconcerted at finding four men gazing at him. A 

 companion passed a revolver to nie, which 1 snapped close to his head 

 several times, but finding it empty I struck an ineffectual blow with a 

 stick, when the animal very deliberately crawled through an unchinked 

 space between the logs and departed. Oar three dogs outside growled 

 ominously, but did not venture to attack the animal, whose natura.l 

 means of defense one of them at least had experienced to his sot row. 



We were destined, however, to meet with Porcupines again ; a stump 

 before the cabin door had been used Ibi' st \('ia] seasons by the !:e;d('rs 

 as a salting place for their horses, and they told me that it was resorted 

 to nightly by Porcupines, occasional ones being killed there from time 

 to tim(\ They had eaten part of the top of this stump down to a d<'p: li 

 of four inches and Iiad gnawed deep excavations in each side of it. We 

 placed salt there as usual, which was dissolved by the rain, thus per- 

 meating it thoroughly, and again, as predicted by the herders, the place 

 became a nocturnal rendezvous for Porcupines. 



