434 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Some time between February and April, ac- 

 cording to latitude, they come forth to resume 

 their seasonal activities. In the northern parts 

 of their range they usually come out several 

 weeks before the snow disappears and may be 

 tracked in it as they wander about searching 

 for food or a new location. 



The prominence of the groundhog as a pop- 

 ular figure in the country lore of the Eastern 

 States is shown by his having been given a 

 place with the Saints on the calendar, February 

 2 being widely known as "Groundhog Day." 

 It is claimed that on this date the groundhog 

 wakes from his long winter sleep and appears 

 at the mouth of his burrow to look about and 

 survey the weather. If the sun shines so that 

 he can see his shadow, bad weather is indicated 

 and he retires to resume his sleep for another 

 six weeks. Otherwise, the winter is broken 

 and mild weather is predicted. Even on the 

 outskirts of Washington some of the country- 

 men still appraise the character of the coming 

 spring by the weather on "Groundhog Day." 



THE HOARY MARMOT, OR WHIS- 

 TLER (Marmota caligata and its 



relatives) 



{For illustration, see page 433) 



The whistler is the largest and handsomest 

 of the American marmots. It is similar in 

 proportions to the common woodchuck, but 

 averages nearly twice its weight. Its fur, far 

 thicker and of a better quality, might have a 

 value in the fur trade if enough of the skins 

 were available. As it is, the skins are used 

 .only for robes and sometimes for clothing by 

 the Indians. 



The distribution of this characteristic animal 

 of the northern Rocky Mountains and outlying 

 ranges extends from' the Endicott Mountains, 

 fronting the Arctic coast of Alaska, and the 

 peninsula of Alaska, southeasterly to the Bit- 

 terroot Mountains of Idaho, Mount Rainier, 

 the Olympics of Washington, and Vancouver 

 Island. In the North its range extends from 

 above timber-line down over bare slopes and 

 through glacial valleys to the sea-level along 

 the southern coast of Alaska. To the south- 

 ward it is limited wholly to the higher eleva- 

 tions, usually above timber-line. 



Owing to variations in climatic conditions 

 and to isolation in different parts of its range, 

 several geographic races of the whistler have 

 been developed. In the mountains to the south- 

 ward of its range other marmots occur as far 

 as New Mexico and California. 



When the French-Canadian voyageurs on 

 their fur-trading expeditions first visited the 

 Rocky Mountains they encountered the hoary 

 marmots and applied to them the name "sif- 

 fleur," or whistler, which they had already 

 given the common woodchuck of eastern Can- 

 ada. The shrill note of the hoary marmot, un- 

 der favorable circumstances, may be heard 

 more than a mile and justifies the restriction 

 of the name whistler to it. 



The whistler lives in such remote and unfre- 



quented districts that little is known of its life 

 history. It is diurnal in habits and loves the 

 free open spaces of the high mountain ridges. 

 There its loud, oft-repeated call note, striking 

 colors, together with its habit of running about 

 on the snowbanks, render it unusually con- 

 spicuous. 



High in the mountains it usually inhabits 

 rock slides, the tumbled rock masses of glacial 

 moraines, or rocky points, but sometimes takes 

 up its abode on open earth slopes or in the bot- 

 toms of little glacial valleys. Ordinarily the 

 dens are hidden in the rock slides and broken- 

 down ledges, or burrows arc dug under the 

 shelter of large boulders and even in open 

 ground away from any rocky shelter. 



During the sunny days of summer the whis- 

 tler regularly frequents the top of some con- 

 spicuous boulder or projecting rocky point, 

 from which it commands a sweeping view of 

 all its surroundings. Its sight and hearing are 

 extraordinarily keen, and when perched on its 

 lookout it is difficult to stalk. When one has 

 its burrow located in an open place it often sits 

 upright on its haunches to look watchfully 

 about, and at the first alarm disappears into its 

 den. This watchfulness is necessary, for even 

 in the remote alpine highlands it occupies, the 

 whistler is beset by enemies. The most for- 

 midable of these are the great brown and 

 grizzly bears of the North, which dig it from 

 its burrow. In addition prowling wolves, Can- 

 ada lynxes, wolverines, and eagles take occa- 

 sional toll from its numbers. 



Toward the end of summer, when the high 

 alpine slopes are thickly grown with small 

 flowering herbage, the whistler feeds heavily 

 on many of the plants and, like the woodchuck 

 at this season, becomes excessively fat. Before 

 the arrival of winter it retires to the shelter of 

 its den and begins the long hibernating sleep 

 which may last six months or more. In spring, 

 before the snowy mantle is gone from the 

 mountains, it is out, ready to welcome the ap- 

 proaching summer. A few weeks later the 

 three or four young are born. They remain 

 with the mother throughout the season and 

 during their first winter may hibernate in the 

 home den. 



The unspoiled wilderness of remote north- 

 ern mountain slopes and ridges where the whis- 

 tler lives is also the home of the mountain 

 sheep, caribou, and huge northern bears. As 

 the hardy sportsmen roam these inspiring 

 heights in search of game their attention is 

 constantly attracted to the marmots, whose 

 presence and shrill call notes lend a pleasing 

 touch of life to many an otherwise harsh and 

 forbidding scene. 



THE PRAIRIE-DOG (Cynomys 



ludovicianus and its relatives) 



{For illustration, see page 436) 



Prairie-dogs are not "dogs," but typical ro- 

 dents, first cousins to the ground squirrels, or 

 spermophiles. As a rule, they may be dis- 

 tinguished from the ground squirrels by their 



