190S.] 



MAMMALS. 



163 



While descending the Mackenzie in June, 1904, I was constantly on 

 the lookout for this spermophile. C. P. Gaudet, of Fort Good Hope, 

 informed me that it was not found in the vicinity of that post, but 

 occurred beside the river at some distance below. Descending the 

 river. I saw the first burrows on some sandy hills on the right bank 

 about 60 miles below Fort Good Hope, and was afterwards informed 

 by Pere Giroux, Avho has paid much attention to the animal life of 

 the region, that this j^oint is the uppermost limit of their range on 

 the river. They become common on the right bank 50 miles below, 

 where the river bends sharply to the west, and is bordered by a suc- 

 cession of high clay banks. Well up on these banks, above high flood 

 mark, the animals make their permanent burrows, and are usually 

 seen scampering toward them, or sitting upright at the entrances, to 

 whistle a moment at the intruder before plunging into their depths. 

 Here on June 27 I took a pair of adults and two half-grown young. 

 The adults Avere shy and difficult to secure, but the young w^ere much 

 less wary. The latter were digging burrows on the sandy shores 

 below high-Avater mark- evidently merel}^ for temporary occupation. 

 During the following day, while pursuing my voyage down the 

 river, I saw many burrows and occasionally one of the animals, and 

 noted that the Indians had set snares at many of the holes. The ani- 

 mals occur in suitable places along the right bank of the river nearly 

 to the Lower Ramparts, but l)elow this point none were observed. In 

 certain places on Peel River near Fort McPherson, where sandy banks 

 occur, they are numerous, and I obtained two specimens there on July 

 11. They are said to be common also on the mountains west of the 

 Macken/ie b;'low this point. 



A female taken near the site of old Fort Good Hope, June 27, is in 

 worn l)reeding i)elage and has a pale, washed-out appearance. A male 

 taken at the same time is assuming the postbreeding pelage. This is 

 nearly completed in a male taken at Fort McPherson, July 11. These 

 specimens, compared with topotypes of G. harrowensis in correspond- 

 ing pelages, agree very closely. On comparing the full pelaged speci- 

 mens with a series of C. parryi from Hudson Bay in comparable con- 

 dition, C. kennicotti is seen to differ considerably, being much paler 

 throughout. The paler tint of the ochraceous suffusion of the lower 

 parts, sides, and thighs is especially noticeable. 



The pair taken near old Fort Good Hope measure as follows: 

 Male: total length, 410; tail vertebrae, 120; hind foot, 60; female; 

 375, 118, 62. The two males from Fort McPherson measure, respec- 

 tively, 380, 120, 62, and 380, 110, 64. 



The following records in all probability refer to the present form. 

 Richardson states that the species abounded about Fort Enterprise and 

 was plentiful on Cape Parry .'^ Simpson noted its occurrence near 



^ Fauna Boreali-Americana, --!, p. 158, 1829. 



