PIKAS 



Family Ochotonida 



Pika 



Ochotona princeps Richardson 



Also called Little Chief Hare, Cony. 



Length. 7 inches. 



Description. Allied to the rabbits in structure, but in external 

 appearance more rat-like. Legs very short, all about the same 

 length, feet padded on the soles, no external tail, ears large, fur 

 thick brown above, blackish on the back, yellower on the head, 

 below grayish; ears short, edged with white, feet white. 



Range. Northern Rocky Mountains, allied species in Colorado, 

 Northern California, Alaska, etc. 



These curious little animals occur only in the northern part of 

 Asia and Alaska and southward on the higher mountain slopes. 

 Their haunts are rock slides where they find shelter in the numerous 

 holes and crevices among the boulders and fallen debris. Dr. 

 Merriam states that they run with great rapidity for an animal with 

 such short legs, travelling considerable distances from their dens 

 to their feeding ground. They work diligently through the day 

 gathering various favourite alpine plants, which are piled up among 

 the rocks forming veritable hay-stacks for their winter use. They are 

 watchful and alert, giving vent to their shrill bleating call when 

 a stranger approaches the vicinity of one of their colonies, dashing 

 into their retreats only to emerge again to see if the intruder has 

 departed. They seem never to become plump and fat and their 

 emaciated appearance has gained for them the name of "starved 

 rats " among the miners of certain regions. 



At any rate they are harmless little beasts and will well repay the 

 naturalist who may visit their remote habitat and make a careful 

 study of them, and being one of those "connecting links " in nature's 

 chain everything we learn about them seems to possess a peculiar 

 interest. 



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