19 12 ] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 80 



Marmota vancouverensis Swarth 

 Vancouver Island Marmot 



We found marmots in the high mountains south of Alberni, 

 and nowhere else. In the more open portions of the King 

 Solomon and Golden Eagle basins, and on the surrounding peaks 

 and ridges they were fairly abundant, but we met with them 

 at no other point, nor could we learn of their presence in other 

 parts of Vancouver Island. Of course the greater part of the 

 interior of at least the northern two-thirds of the island is a 

 wilderness of forest and glacier-covered mountains, of which 

 very little is known, and the species may possibly be found else- 

 where, but the summer's investigations proved at least that it 

 does not occur in all apparently suitable localities. Mount 

 Arrowsmith, in the same range of mountains, and in an air line 

 not more than fifteen miles distant from the peaks where we 

 found the marmots, was ascended later in the summer and no 

 trace of the animals found, though conditions were apparently 

 favorable. The same was true of the high mountains we visited 

 northwest of Great Central Lake 



On the west coast of the island I talked with several timber 

 cruisers, men who had been exploring the wilder parts of the 

 island for years, and could find none who had ever seen a marmot. 



We found them in the mountains at the head of China Creek, 

 some twenty miles south of Alberni, in the Golden Eagle Basin, 

 and King Solomon Basin, and on the surrounding slopes and 

 ridges. They were most abundant on Mount Douglas, the peak 

 to the west of King Solomon's Basin. Wherever the ground was 

 bare of timber, or but sparsely covered, as is the case over exten- 

 sive areas at this point, the marmots had established themselves, 

 burrowing under the rocks, and apparently never wandering 

 very far from home. 



They were vigilant and unapproachable ; all secured were shot 

 by Despard with his 30-30 rifle, as we were never able to approach 

 within shot-gun range, and it was impracticable to use traps. 

 They were also very tenacious of life, and it was necessary to use 

 soft-nosed bullets on them, as those shot with the hard points 

 struggled down their burrows in every instance. These are large 



