Wild Animals of Mt. Rainier National Park. 37 



sort of fearlessness quite his own. He differs from the 

 generahty of the rabbit tribe not only in uttering a fre- 

 quent call, which seems but to emphasize the silence of 

 the hills, but in the fact that he gathers his food and 

 eats it at the entrance of his den, whether it be sprigs 

 of succulent herbs, or flowers agreeable to his palate, 

 or clusters of berries. He resembles in this respect 

 the two characteristic mountain denizens next to be men- 

 tioned, the whistling marmot and the haplodon. The 

 former of these closely resembles the Eastern woodchuck, 

 except that he is more powerful and has a well-known 

 cry, which he is fond of uttering, a very sharp and pierc- 

 ing whistle. In the upper grassy valleys about Mt. Rainier 

 great numbers of these creatures abound, and where 

 they have not been shot at are often seen. The remote 

 valleys and barren ridges around the peak would be 

 deprived of one great charm were the alert and shrill 

 challenge of their guardians no longer to be heard. They 

 are fond of taking their station on the most prominent 

 rock of a slide, or on a projecting boulder along a ridge 

 where the whole hillside or valley may be commanded, 

 and on this lookout rock the greater portion of their 

 time during the day is spent, basking in the sun when 

 that shines, and ever maintaining a shrewd observation 

 of all that goes on around them. In many cases the sur- 

 face of their lookout rock has become quite polished from 

 its use by many succeeding generations of watchers. St. 

 Simeon Stylites was hardly more constant. Unfortunately 

 for their peace of mind, the discovery has been made 

 that marmot stew is good to eat. As the park is more 

 scrupulously guarded these animals will be protected, 

 and it is to be hoped will long remain a source of pleasure 

 to the traveler. 



One sees the burrows of the haplodon, or sewellel, 

 all around the mountain, particularly in the vicinity of 

 the meadows near the sources of the glacier rivers. These 

 little beasts are about the size of a muskrat, and are most 

 entertaining in the sHght and indirect glimpses which 



