DOUGLASS' SPERMOPHILE. 



375 



An old male. 



Length of head and body 



Tail (vertebrae) 



Tail, to end of fur . 



Height of ear . 



Prom heel to point of nail 



Young. 



Length of head and body 



Tail (vertebras) 



Tail, to end of fur . 



Height of ear 



Tarsus .... 



13| inches. 



8 do. 

 9i do. 

 J do. 

 2i do. 



9 do. 

 5i do. 

 6J do. 

 i do. 

 2 do. 



We regret to state, that with the habits of this species we are wholly 

 unacquainted. Mr. Townsend, who kindly loaned us four specimens, 

 from which we made our drawing and prepared our description, did not 

 furnish us with any account of them. 



Of Spermophilus Beecheyi, which we have supposed might be found 

 identical with this species. Dr. Richardson states that, " Mr. Collie, sur- 

 geon of his majesty's ship Blossom, informs me that this kind of Spermo- 

 phile burrows in great numbers in the sandy declivities and dry plains in 

 the neighbourhood of San Francisco and Monterey, in California, close to 

 the houses. They frequently stand upon their hind-legs when looking 

 round about them. In running they carry the tail generally straight out, 

 but when passing over any little inequality, it is raised as if to prevent 

 its being soiled. In rainy weather, and when the fields are w^et and 

 dirty, they come but little above ground. They take the alarm when 

 any one passes within twenty or thirty yards of them, and run off at full 

 speed till they can reach the mouth of their hole, where they stop a little 

 and then enter it ; they soon come out again, but with caution, and if not 

 molested, will proceed to their usual occupation of playing or feeding. 

 Artemesias and other vegetable matters were foimd in their stomachs." 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



One of the specimens obtained by Mr. Townsend is marked " Falls of 

 the Columbia River," another " Walla- walla ; " the specimen procured 

 by Douglass was obtained on the banks of the Columbia River, and if 

 our conjectures are correct, that S. Beecheyi is the same as the present 

 species, it exists also in considerable numbers in California. 



