220 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



ety, among them the mountain rat (Xcoioina [^Tconoma] cincrea 

 dniminondi), attaining the size of the wharf rat, with a bushy 

 and well-furred tail. The squirrels include the pine or chick- 

 aree squirrel (Sciiinis hiidsoniciis richardsoni) and the ground 

 squirrel (Tamias qnadrivittatiis affinis). Among the chipmunks 

 is an extremely small variety known as the bufif -bellied chipmunk 

 {Eutainias lutcivcntris, Allen), which is found on the tributaries 

 of the Elk and Bull rivers up to the timber line. The Columbia 

 River ground-squirrel {CiteUus coliiinbiaiius, Ord) is very com- 

 mon throughout southeastern British Columbia, and is dug out 

 of its burrows at timber line and consumed by the grizzly bear as 

 a very welcome food item. It is known locally as the " gopher." 

 There are also the varying hares (Lcpus aincricaiuis bairdi), the 

 gophers (Thonioiiiys sp.), and the especially interesting "chief 

 hare" {Lagomys [Ochotona^ prince ps). Smith called my atten- 

 tion to the little piles of plants which these animals were curing 

 before taking into their burrows for their winter supply. 



INSECTIVORA. 



Among the Insectivora the water shrews {Neosorex navigator) 

 are abundant. The most notable form is the dry-land shrew 

 {Sorex obscuriis), an extremely small animal about 2^^ inches 

 in head and body length, or 4^/2 in total length ; a meat eater, 

 and an enemy of the trapper because it destroys the bait in traps. 



CARNIVORA. 



The enemies of these smaller animals are chiefly among the 

 Mustelidse, which have been largely eliminated for their fur. The 

 vertical distribution from the stream levels to the high goat and 

 sheep country is the point of chief interest. Of these, beginning 

 with the smallest, we find the ermine and the weasel. 



The ermine (Piitorius [Arctogale] longicaudns) , assuming a 

 pure white coat in winter with a black tip on the tail, is noteworthy 

 from the fact that the males are much larger than the females, 

 appearing almost like a different species in point of size. The 

 weasel (P. cicognanii [Bonaparte's weasel]) is distributed from 

 the level of the streams to far above the timber line, living chiefly 

 on mice. Just over the summit of the Rockies is the larger, 

 true mink (Putorius [Lutreola] visoii), with longer and more 

 bushy tail. These mink feed partly on crawfish, their habitat being 

 along the streams only. The mink { Putorius [Lutreola] %'isoii), 



