98 NORTH AMERICAN' FAUNA. [no. 16. 



Perognathus mollipilosus Cones. Mountain I'ocket-^Ionse. 



Coninion in the nianzanita chaparral, a little below Wagon Camp, 

 where four were canj:;ht in July by E. T. Fisher. But the most extTii- 

 ordiuary locality at which the species was found — aud for that matter 

 the most rennirkable and abnormal place in which any species of the 

 family has ever been found — is a snbalpine pumice basin near tind)er- 

 line at the head of Panther Creek, Avhere Walter K. IMshcr discovered 

 it and (;aught two tlie night of .Inly 18. Later, six more were secured 

 at the same place. 



In Shasta Valley Vernon Bailey and ^\^ IF. Osgood found abundant 

 signs of some species of FerognathuSj but did not obtain specimens. 

 The si)e('ies is probably 7*. ^a/-r?<.s', which is common in the adjacent 

 Klamath Basin. 



Erethizon epixanthiis Brandt. Porcupine. 



A])parently common, and yet not a specimen was obtained. Their 

 characteristic gnawings on the trunks of small trees were seen at 

 nmny ])oints arouiul the mountain, usually in the Hudsonian or upper 

 l)art of the Canadian zone. They were common among the dwarf 

 timberline white-bark pines on the north sides of both Shasta and 

 Shastina; and in a sn)all forest of young Shasta firs between Mud 

 Creek Canyon and Cold Creek. Xear timberline we several times 

 found small trees whose tops had been gnawed in winter when they 

 protruded above the snow. In a single instance fresh tracks Avere 

 seen in the trail between Wagon Camp and Squaw Creek Camp (^by 

 Vernon Bailey). And on August 4 our favorite mule came into camp 

 with porcupine quills in his nose. C. 11. Townsend found porcu])ines 

 in surprising abundance in Lassen County, south of Shasta, in 1883 

 and 1884, and gives an interesting account of their habits. 



Zapus trinotatus alleni Elliot. Sierra Jerboa. 



Fairly common in damp jtlaces on and near the mountain. Twenty 

 specimens were colle(;ted — lifteen in the Canadian zone in Mud Creek 

 Canyon near the mouth of Clear Creek (alt. (>,7()0 feet), two near the 

 upper i)art of Mud Creek (alt. 7,900 feet), and three at Wagon Camp. 



One of the most attractive spots near Wagon Camj) is a grove of 

 ponderosa i)ines in which the ground is carpeted with strawberries 

 and scarlet jtainted cups, mixed Avitli ferns and scattered clumi)s of 

 serviceberries. Tlie soil, while not wet, recei\es enough moisture 

 from the little streams that sink into the ground a few rods above to 

 enable tliese i)lants to grow in such piofnsiou that they form a con- 

 tinuous meadow — 'Castilleja meadow' we called it, from the abundance 

 of painted cui)s. Here the jerboas abound. We saw several in the 

 daytime, leaping al)out like frogs in tlio dense vegetation, and caught 

 one or two in our hands. 



In 31u(l Creek Canyon, W. 11. Osgood inlbrms me, tliey were als(> 

 fre<|uently seen in the daytime, in wet phu^es under the white hellebore 

 ( Veritlnoti (■((}} fornic ion ]. 



