316 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS-ZOOLOGY-GENERAL REPORT. 
for about an inch along the hind part of the neck ; checks reddish brown, of rather a darker hue just beneath the eye ; shoulders 
and fore part of the back covered with long coarse hair, grey at the surface and bluish grey at the roots ; fur of the hind 
parts shorter by at least one half; bluish grey at the roots, light grey in the middle, tipped with pale rusty brown, and fre¬ 
quently pointed with glossy black ; fore legs and feet well covered with short but dense hair, black, excepting just beyond the 
insertion of each claw, where a very conspicuous irregular spot of grey is seen ; hind legs and feet perfectly black ; claws rather 
lighter; neck, chest, and whole ventral aspect of the body sparingly covered with a short fur of a buff color, rather lighter 
towards the sides ; tail depressed, slightly convex on the upper surface, but quite flat beneath ; narrowest at the root, gradually 
but slightly widening towards the end, where it appears rounded ; color above the same as the hind parts of the back, except 
at the tip, where it is dull black ; beneath entirely dull black. Total length from the nose to the tip of the tail twenty-six in¬ 
ches, of which the head is three inches and three-quarters, and the tail eight inches ; palm, including middle fore toe and claw, 
two inches and a half, while the sole, similarly measured, is three inches and a quarter ; height of ears posteriorly three-quar¬ 
ters of an inch, and breadth between the eyes two inches. 
“ The Okanagan marmot therefore is. separated from Pennant’s hoary marmot in not having a black nose, in the fur not 
being universally rude and long, and in not having on the back, sides and belly any such arrangement of colors as cinereous at 
the root, black in the middle, and whitish at the tip. Richardson’s description in the Zoological Journal, which savors of both 
Pennant’s and McPherson’s remarks, is too slight to afford anything like satisfactory comparison ; but there are sufficient dis¬ 
crepancies—such as the long coarse fur on the chest—twenty-seven and a half inches being given as the length of the head and 
body, and two and a half for that of the head,—to show that it is not synonymous with the Okanagan. Were it not for the 
difference in the size of the head, which is very great, the dimensions of McPherson’s animal would correspond pretty accu¬ 
rately with those of the Okanagan marmot, for the slight variation of an inch from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail 
might be reconciled by supposing that the arched form of the back had been flattened by pressure. It is very far, however, 
from resembling the beaver in the shape of its body, as in McPherson’s specimen, being, if anything, rather broader acrossthe 
shoulders than about the hind parts. 
“ The length of the head, the grey spot on the upper part of each of the fore toes, which strongly contrast with the black fur 
of the rest of the foot—the singularly arched band extending from the back of the head to either shoulder, and the peculiarly 
short and scanty fur covering the neck and whole ventral aspect of the body—likewise the dull black of the under part of the 
tail distinguish the Okanagan marmot as a new species.” 
“ Pound on a small tract of country on the borders of the Rocky Mountains, between the Columbia and Fraser’s rivers, 
supplying with food and clothing the Okanagan Indians, included between Seechwap lake to north and Spokane river to south.” 
From this account it will he seen that King contests stoutly the identity of his animal 
with the A. pruinosus. It is, however, without much question, the same animal as described by 
Eschscholtz under the name of A. caligata, which has priority over A. okanaganus. 
The specimen described and figured by King remained several years alive in the menagerie 
of the Zoological Society of London, and after its death was carefully preserved, and served as 
the basis of the figure and description of Audubon and Bachman. This fact must he borne in 
mind in the event of there being two northern marmots. To complete Dr. King’s account, I 
subjoin the measurements of Audubon and Bachman. 
Inches. 
Lines. 
Length, from nose to root of tail_ 
19 
Length of tail, (vertebrae)_._ 
5. 
6. 
Length of tail, with hairs_ 
7. 
9. 
From nose to occiput___..._ 
3. 
4. 
5 h 
9. 
Palm and nail___ 
2. 
Tarsus_ 
3. 
8. 
Nail on hind foot_ 
8. 
Middendorlf, in his Sibirische Reise, refers to a large marmot from Kamtschatka under the 
