CORNELL LAB of ORNITHOLOGY LIBRARY at Sapsucker Woods es Illustration of Bank Swallow by Louis Agassiz Fuertes Cornell University Library ild animals of Glacier National Park.Th DATE DUE GAYLORD ORNITH | J aes Sa A hy SST SST CORNELL LAB of ORNITHOLOGY LIBRARY at Sapsucker Woods 2 Illustration of Bank Swallow by Louis Agassiz Fuertes Laboratory of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woade Road DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR mel! university FRANKLIN K. LANE, SECRETARY Uthaca, New York 14850 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STEPHEN T, MATHER, DIRECTOR WILD ANIMALS of GLACIER NATIONAL PARK g THE MAMMALS With Notes on Physiography and Life Zones By VERNON BAILEY Chief Field Naturalist, Bureau of Biological Survey, Department of Agriculture THE BIRDS >) BY PERTY mle ew tac FLORENCE MERRIAM-BAILEY > GC. C. C7 = 12 Author of Handbook of Birds of the Western United Ber )\) PA. WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1918 CONTENTS. Page. General features governing life in Glacier National Park.................-.-- 15 IL, JAIN ONG eaumanotsaacads seus uagutonesasscLeeuanonuls sueereeane 15 II. Life zones............. SE TTR ee aS ee ar ey Sean Pee 18 (DPATBILTG MZ OC eases eee ete en ee 19 Caria dia mii Zonie tem pres ste ey iy eee ee OP ae 20 [bid somianeZionenes ts eri yee eens oe ee Pee ees 22 Arctic“ Al pimesZonew sees eer ele cee eee een 23 THE MAMMALS. Order Ungulata: Hoofed animals—cattle, sheep, goats, antelope, and deer.... 25 Family Bovide: Cattle, sheep, and goats........-..-..-.-----------0---+ 25 Bison or iouitaloseeece eee sae seen Sheree omens meme meena 25 Mountain sheep; orbighorm. .22 2 ..5..-2.5.5252 22-22 eet eececes esse 26 Mountains goat sneer ee eis dow see eee ee cere ae: 28 Family Antilocapride: Prong-horned antelope..................-2.------ 3 Prongshornedanteloperss-e- seen ees nee eee ee cere eases 3 Family Cervidee: Moose, elk, and deer.........-..-.-.-----------2+--25 3 AAI ETI CANSINOOSC na i\as's sewers se ere to eee perro 31 Americaniel ee orswapltitj asses eae Steere: oe ae eee eens 32 MM scl Ci ae spores pate ssstercke te ett ce eer) ie cysraysyseesiSievcia ote aoe Ne ches Seer iS 31 IWies ter niawki testa lider sey yaya esas siesta yt) ee ea 35 Order Rodentia: Gnawing animals. ................22.--220-222--22--22+--- 3 Family Sciuride: Squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, etc................ 37 Richardsonypinersquirrel’= 3c. esos oe se se ee a 37 IBlbwabayisCpbbhays LsewensaeebaadoasoaA SSAA Reon PSEeGnecdaooeonseaaescane 39 Yellow-bellied!chipmunl<.-2- 2225 se. 2b ssc- 5 s2sas- 52222 see eee see 40 INGUeSite My soNDIil Ss eeneeaaorod Aone SnAg doseoe ees beaeeccosoasasasesasoe 42 Little mountain chipmunk...................-.--22---2---2------- 42 Mantled' ground!squirrellj- 222s 2 ie se oe tr eee se es 43 Columbiajeroundiisquirrell: [225-227 22 sees ee ee ee eet 45 Richardson eround squirrel 92s. asss)) ce sae fee si ere 49 Stripedicround! squirrel 2222222200022 eecie nen sees ee 50 (Glaciemhoanyemarmo tee sarees 2 ec ee eet eee atte i 50 Brown woodchuck=-meq-ce-a5: 92sec sere eee en oe ee eee eee 53 Family Muride: Mice, rats, etc..--.....-.-.---------+---+-+-- +e eee e eee 53 Gray bushy-tailed woodrat......-.-.----------+++--+--++++-2+2+++-2+-- 53 Forest white-footed mouse....-...-----------+--+++-++-++e+2e eee eee 58 Mountain lemming mouse.........--------------+-+++-++2++22-22 eee 59 Redebackedemno use see ree ee cee eee eee 60 Large-footed meadow mouse. ...-.----------------------+++-----+-- 61 Rocky Mountain meadow mouse........---------------------------- 62 Drummond meadow mouse......-----------+---++---+++ +2222 eee eee 63 Rocky Mountain muskrat.....--..-------------+----+--+--- Bere yep 63 4 CONTENTS. Order Rodentia: Gnawing animals—Continued. Page. HamilysCastorid sey (Beavers esses ose ee ee eee 64 RB GAY Olean a eee ee eee tT rey Peer ee ee 64 Family Mrethizontide: “Porcupines:+ 99+ -4-4-22- eee ne eee eee 66 Niellowshainediporcupine toaster ae Seen ee ee 66 Family: Zapodidee: Jumping (micesess seas. ees sees ae ae ee 69 Rocky! Moun taimsjumping:mouseiess ses sees ee ee eee eee 69 Family Geomyide: Pocket gophers...-..-..-..-------++-+2+s2+ee20220-- 71 saskatchewan pocket gopher: -2-2scenesse es os es eae see 71 Brown pocket gophers... 2s eee ee reat ae ee oe eee 73 Order Lagomorpha: Rabbitlike animals...........-.-.-- --.-+--+----------- 75 amily: @chotonidces.Coni estes sane seer eee ee ee ee ee 75 WOM Ae enact sercmitacle soe eters h etter tert ot ae ere eee ee 75 Ramily Leporida: Rabbits and haresi2—. -2-2 s542)25s2eee ee eae 77 Snowshoe Tabb wessssse ee ee ee se ase aoe res are ee eee eee 77 Prairie jackerab bit ssa ee cry secre ooo hace epee te Stes eee 78 Order; Carnivora; Hlesh eaterss2 ass 2-2- cee See ae eee ee 79 Mammuliy sl elidset Caitsiee = ts ere ese ee ee eee ee ee ees 79 Mountain None. 3.322 os 22s Coens aa eee oe nee eee ie) Camadanlymxs os ise chee) S Ce eee See ee ee 81 BO DCAli a: hes teense Soe see ed Sense Ne ees 82 Family Canidee: Wolves and foxes. -.:...++2s2222+:552ss:22:+222222---: 82 Grays woltt sos toss ose noe oe =e ee eo ere eee a ee 82 Northermcoyotesas. dese sc merece ees 1S ee eee eee 83 Mountainsred (lox ess eeee stems oer tee eee ae tee eet 84 BGT GS TOR OMSL ys ase eee cee ers ater ee ate oe ae er ee 85 Family Mustelidee: Otters, martens, minks, weasels, ete........--.--.--- 85 OTe eee ea oe eee 85 Man ess 22S hepa ee eS AB ce Sorsh see) ID eres 86 SAT IZODANW EASE IE 2 were lesise a /sic al sttetee nS epee eS Te oe ee ee 87 Itong: tailed bw easele seas = sera = Sie oer oa ee eer ee 87 Bonapartesweaseli- i2 ass acne sme ee ae ee See 88 Marten. . pis Cranessrails; ete:. 3.22.22. --e eee ee oe ee eee Mamiulys Gruidee 8 Cranes tee. eee a Ser eer eee ee eres Sandhillicramenetceroas sacaeeen sos Seeee er he seers a eee ees RamilyiRallide:sRails\cootsvetCss ss esssee eee er ee ne aye ae mere Sora tail 2.26 iis g22 sess eae son eee ee eee ee arse eee eee eee COO bin areas AAS AAS are Sone eRe Ls OES See eS Order Limicoles:sShorebitds :- 2-2-0 22 noe eee ee eee nee Family Phalaropodidee: Phalaropes..................---.-------+-------- Northermuphalatopese soe. ee eee eee eee erase seer ee ae eas Family Recurvirostride: Avocets, etc............--..-222--222+-22+--2-- ANVOCEb Sa ccce nc asa 22 ote eee see Bs eee see epee eres pee See Family Scolopacidee: Snipe, sandpipers, etc. ..............--.---------- Wialsonjsmipe@ tes) cset os se terse ei ene ea = eae ae oe eee eee Pectoralisandpipertiier secre ee eee a eee eee ee Greatersyellowclegste nn os yrs csp ee ee ey ae ees Western solitary Sand piperss. -sas-5- so asses ee ae eee Uppland! plovers:c.2 oes eos aes ee eee eee eee eee Spotted (sandpiperter cr sree esses eee ee eee ee ees @anadianteutlewmr reece ean ee eee eee eee amily Charadmidse sb lovers: a0). sss= 92 aa eee ee Black-bellied plover... .--.:2: J... 224-2 s22--n5se see ess So see eee Killdeer: ses sshacee acct ag fon to oats seer ees Ose a en eee Order Gallinz: Gallinaceous birds. ...............-222.-+---22222-2-------+-- Family Odontophoride: Bob-whites, ete. ..............---2.-2--2--2--- Bobzwhitte Sas = ek one corer ote aera ers ee ee ere re Family Tetraonide: Grouse, ptarmigan, etc...............--.-2-.2...--. Richardsonierousemere es eer eee ee eee ee ee eee eee iramkelimyorouseeeceer ser eer itet eee ee ee eee eer Gray Tutted! grouse seas scsee ss see eee eee eee eee eee Southern white-tailed ptarmigan...............2...222--2-222..----- Columbian sharp-tailed grouse .....-...---...-.+-2-22-2.02220+-+020 @rdernColumbressPic eons see ee seas ee eee ae eee eee Pamilye Columibid se: Pig eons ssa see ee eee eee Wiesternenn ourinin eid Oversea aes ee eee ee eee OrderJRaptores * Bindsiaisprey cemeteries ree ee ie eee PamulyaC@athartidas-a:Viil qurestesss ss = eee esa ee Murkeyavallturesssss cece aoa eee rere eee See eee eee Family Buteonide: Hawks, eagles, etc.............--2..--2-++--2+-+----- Marsh hawlcs ooo setae eee eerie ee ee ee eee ee cent eee ery ae SU Barypp = hatin mn e Glib ea vy vegeta este aerate Coopemhawk aic.2..06 me tie nies cca ee sabes anoee See ep REP en nese eee Western poshawlk: c)c2c5 de eusoc cee ee sn Seen ees aioe ecrep eee Western red stalls. 2 fs aciye cacao reece tee ee ia ae ene eee eee Swainson hawk. 1. St Avs. Gane se eee Ore eee eer ee eee Squirrel haw lepers eles o tee eee ee ee eee tet eee rere reer CONTENTS. 7 Order Raptores: Birds of prey—Continued. Family Buteonide: Hawks, eagles, etc.—Continued. Page. Goldentesol eects aes sen eed waa ene ines eee ee eee 148 Boldt cag epee ri rttrg fen eiek erie tar tes Rice gu tera e oe eu ee 149 Hamil yaHaleonideers Halcoms;etc: sess: 255222 2s ce ssaaese se ee ene 149 Prairie}tallCcn peas a eee eer eee Eee ey ea yrs casey ys 149 Dy Keesln ayia] comers eee ey re ee en yep ern eee 149 IISc ome aw eee pe se ee ee eestor omen Neen ey rene er ele 149 Mesentisparrows aw ker ses ae ee eee een ie aero Ts 149 HamilyePandionides | Ospreysesss= =e ss soe ces eee nee a aes eee 150 (OSPEC Vaecre atria eta Maes rere IE hs TAs ee alte Nisin eS telate VA Ere 150 Family Bubonidze: Horned owls, etc ............-2...2-------- pee eens 154 SinoiceMmtesl Onl aoggesde aece Se eeeoes soau Seana se ees Sou eU ESSE eaoSs 154 Crean Gia Onel sousddsesseacssbnaeanceesas ee eee eee 154 Richardsomowleesme cere sac ee eme Les eas Sado ase eee eee 154 Sal waewibe bho vi bereewee mecca annie ashen pes iene oe AUS eye Seema US 155 MacHanlametscreechiowles sm sceerreeiiees eee eieteeiis 2s oe ee eile 156 Wigston InoreneChiOnyl «i pacecpnamasene nadonsaHo6u cnc apandeetaassec 156 PAT CHICANO EMed Oiliee me meee neces se eee ey enya eee Peer 156 DILOW ye OW il errr eee eee eee pienso Peso e eee Rene errine tctew 156 TET Wy Kat OW leer ea eee ere re eee er ees eee eee te 156 Rocky, Mountainepyenny owl 2-25. 5522.20222s2 2222s sees ess eeee= Boe Loi, Order Coccyges: Cuckoos, kingfishers, etc..........-.-.------2----2--2+------ 157 Family Alcedinide: Kinegfishers.... .........-2..--.--22222-- 222 eee eee 157 lsxolkveve| Jetavanl Walt e oa aga anew s basmati ae aGbananname aa eooeaeTannena 157 @xder! ici Woodpeckers) etezssse= soccer ee eee eee aes eet eee 158 HamilyePicidee Wood peckersse sees ccc: ate eee ee eee eee ee 158 Rocky Mountain hairy woodpecker ...........--.--..---+--+--------- 158 iBatchelderiwoodpeckererss sases = sees eee ee 2 ee eee lacininr 158 Arctic three-toed woodpecker ......--.-------2-2---+-2-2 0-222 e ee eee 158 Alaska three-toed woodpecker. ..........--.-..----.-----.--+------- 158 eden ape diisayp stickier aves mys ere ee a tore eee eee arene 159 Walliaimsonisapsuckereesssce sae heer as ase ee aes oes ee eee 159 Northern pileated woodpecker ............------------------------ 159 Red-headed woodpeckers 2. js--2= =< eee ee eee 160 IbeKaals ynoorelfrIe Stes os aaGaas:. asseuaasessaads ssesuesecousunaaenod 161 IRed-shatted iilticker tases sye ses ae ce ee eee eee sel eietoicie lle 161 Order Macrochires: Nighthawks, swifts, and hummingbirds................-- 161 Family Chordeilide: Nighthawks..............-...-------+-----++2---+-+- 161 TPAGHIT@ TUNERS se acndonnencadmesooo saad Speseanesonueseacasecoes 161 Mamuly, Micropodidse|Swaltss.: 92. =s-.55-54-- 5552222222622 annseee 162 Nihibe thidlthesssSescsoeeebanemecteanss dose ce Sheopencmaddcoauunads 162 Wintte=throate us will bem saset ss eset ee mei eect eete eee cre ietterntors 162 Family Trochilidee: Hummingbirds...........-.------+--+--+----++---+-++-- 162 Black-chinned hummingbird.............-------.-+++++--+-- Beer 162 Broad-tailed hummingbird ............--..----+-+--+-+++++-++++++5- 163 IP MOUEW MMA Nl cons sae ososeenscdsaacoonasuedos meas Saparreds 163 Calliope hummingbird ...........-.-.------+---+----- +++ ++ 2222s eee 163 Order Passeres: Perchine birds. --..-..2--=-<225- 22222-2223 55s22258e2 2232s 164 Family Tyrannide: Tyrant flycatchers..........-..------------------+--- 164 FGI o D1 Cae eee ee are eee a eee 164 Oliive-side difliyicatclvex see see elie eet ier et erele see otra elation yaanlasanatn = 164 Western wood pewee..........-.----------- +2222 eee eee ee eee eee 164 AWWeEioian TVCAINGINGRE . 3 <4 3co5 cece se oseespoenaucosogadscn950e4scpocES 164 8 Order Passeres: Perching birds CONTENTS. Continued. Family Tyrannide: Tyrant flycatchers—Continued. Traill flycatcher Family Alaudide: Larks.... Desert horned lark... .-- Raven Western crow Clark nutcracker.......-. Hamamondiflycatcher=vaases assess eee ae Geer ee ete ioe a rete Family Icteridze: Blackbirds, etc...... i [eS NE no OR Sagebrush cowbird...... Thick-billed redwing Western meadowlark Brewer blackbird... ... - Family Fringillide: Finches PRISON GObE & tersecccoowacsadanacdscess Western evening grosbeak Rocky Mountain pine grosbeak.........-..-.-------.------++++++-++- Cassin purple finch ..... Crossbill White-winged crossbill. . Gray-crowned leucosticte Re dipo ll Mee ereee see Pimelsiskiniece cee Snow bunting Alaska longspur.......-- Chestnut-collared longsp Ue patente ge eve sf seat aken ar Ran Richer acess rere eee ene end eae McCowntlongsputer. sepres-eeee eee eet ee ee eee Western! vesper Sparrows: -+--sssce.25222 52 mecens cece ee elon Western Savannah sparrow Western lark sparrow...- White-crowned sparrow. . Gambel sparrow...-..-- - Western tree sparrow. - - Western). chipping sparrow ss--seoe2 eee eae oe eee eee eee Montana junco......-.--- Mountain song sparrow. - Lincoln sparrow...-....- Slate-colored fox sparrow Arctic towhee.........-- Black-headed grosbeak. . Lazuli bunting.......... Family Tangaride: Tanagers Western tanager.....-.-. Family Hirundinide: Swallows............--.-.-----+-+-------- eee Cliff swallow........-.-- Barn swallow.....-....- Tree swallow..........-- Northern violet-green swallow. .........2...5.2.25-0. 2.2050 see cceee Bank swallow..........- Page. 164 165 165 165 165 165 165 166 167 167 167 169 169 169 170 170 171 171 171 Lez 173 173 173 174 174 175 175 175 176 176 176 176 177 177 177 177 178 178 178 179 179 180 180 180 180 180 180 180 181 181 CONTENTS. Order Passeres: Perching birds—Continued. Family Bombycillide: Waxwings.........-...-..2.-.---22-2-2222-0---- 13 Olena Tat mis wie Xiyyel ae ne ee eee eee ee eee ee rv eee ed ara axcwitl Oe meen eee eee tye Ere Cee aren amualyaWaniidcs a Shrilkes secre ease erry arte a eee ere Whi tesnuml pe dasha Chis ster treet truevactya eee ii urn ener ae HamulyeVireomidee:sVareOSs.< -seences ses oo 5ee ee Ase eee se ese eh seca Wiestermuwar bli fevineoeesne- teres ose ers oneness eee ee ene Family Mniotiltidee: Wood warblers.................2-2222-2+2222-0+05- Blacksamdlewihitenwar bless essere ee es terns An eee @rangescrownediiwarblerseecos sees ee ei nae eee BY. Oiwanw ar DLCs reese ate ete erate te tat eae gat eat teed ee ee per yee Audubon warbler. .... Bee ce eer aoe en Mowmnsemdewanblensemaes eres a scye err erate rote es ee eae ete ee Grinnell;watersthrushims sees sesso senses ses cee a eo eae ne a assess. Maceilllivrayi warbler 22esvss- st2 ens 580522 eee Sense sare eee ees Westerns yellow=throatuees.. er ee ee see nae eee enone Rileolatediwatbl ere: =ssee sess ses nee ee ee ee eae Redstartsecre: soccer seer en acerritnsysoee cee cee ee eee aa rei ee ne : Waterrouze ner een cece ee irk ogee aoe oe Soe eeears Ss Family Mimide: Mockingbirds, cathirds, etc..............-.--.-2--2---- Catlin dissec es sae eer areas Se Ste Sas are eee ee IS Mamilvaroglod ytd secs Wrensissnssc se ans ee ae ese ryan ee ne ROCKS WreM sree ssce ae 2e Soe Cee ee eee rere eee eee Sei cise eee Westernhouserwrem-2s.22— essere yas ee ee eee ase Westernpwin telewrellnst =: .asaer eer cite ssh Seen ret eee ets amily: Certhiide':| Creeperss. 2. sos 2425s. encee nee ese ees sree saeenese Rocky Mountain) creepenc2-. 22222 5.22022 seeese assess ees Geese MamalyiSittidee:iNuthatches -2os-2 sss. 2-2 sje ee es ee ee Rocky Mountain nuthatch....... eeepc CLR oat See ood es ec aia eve M TE iRedsbreasted nuthatchsseaens see Ae eee ere ee HamilysParidee: ((itmice: 2-222 22-s2-s2225s2 252-2 ee se lsongstalledichickadee*es==ee. see hee einstein cle Mountaimehickad ee esce case stasis roe ene ieee et eae ae @hestnut-backedichickad cess. ss55s2s55e se oo es tase oe HamilysSylvaidee: Kaneletsy eters. ..22- soe ceeere n-ne nec acannon Western golden-crowned kinglet..........-...--------------+-------- Ruby-crownedking letiesses sam accents nse tee aera sere Family Turdide: Thrushes, solitaires, bluebirds, etc.......--------------- Mownsendesolutalre esses sce © eee arson tars ie eras ee Yan raters WVallioqwsbln gs lars rere eee nate eee ecg eee eee te pence @livecbackedinthnush*e a sssecreee ase yea eee rare Auuidubonshermatethrisheses. cesses seen eee clawrg ae seer ees VSR UST IMET OLN INNS PMN ears ate te rcs se ate store ee err setae Apne erate INorthermevanedtthrush sss eas: saree see aes eer Moumtaamel le bing eeer ye snare sce a eerie area esate ee oer ra reaterevere Puatrr I, Il. Il. IV. V. VI. VIL. VIII. xX. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. ILLUSTRATIONS. PLATES. THE MAMMALS. Life zone section of slope in Glacier Park..................22...-.- Buffalo bull on Flathead Bison Range near Dixon, Mont........... Fig. 1.—A band of old rams in Yellowstone Park. Fig. 2.—Moun- tain sheep just below timberline in Glacier Park................. Tig. 1.—A bunch of mountain goats in Alpine meadow. Fig. 2.— Mountamy coat inl Bromx) Parke 2 a4. .2,c2e sso senna s5 552 ae Fig. 1.—A family of goats on their way down the mountain side. Fig. 2.—The same family of goats feeding in an Alpine meadow.... Fig. 1.—Mule deer buck in short summer red coat. Fig. 2.—Mule Geers EWwLDite livers seen ren eee tet eae See entry Tepe te gant a ees Fig. 1.—White-tail deer in summer red coats. Fig. 2.—White-tail docundongyeray winter coats. 426 eee ee peewee yee ee Fig. 1.—Mantled ground squirrel in upright position. Fig. 2.— Mantled ground squirrels feeding on scattered oats... ........-.- . Fig. 1.—Burrow of Columbia ground squirrel. Fig. 2.—Columbia ground squirrel and burrow.......--:-.:2+:22.s:s2:+ss00e0e05-5 Fig. 1.—Richardson ground squirrel. Fig. 2.—Pale thirteen-lined earouiiNek cette ewosensacana eeane eee smecenanne SaAperasee os eene Fig. 1.—Hoary marmot at Lake Ellen Wilson. Fig. 2.—Hoary mar- mots GuNSsig lt Passes. mete se scree ey eres ee erste Fig. 1.—Bushy-tailed woodrat at entrance of cave. Fig. 2.—Bushy- tailed woodrat and building material. ..............-2-2-.---+----- Fig. 1.—Beaver house on bank of Belly River. Fig. 2.—Beaver in National \ZoologicalPark 2023225233225 22 +s ese ysseses ss sesee Fig. 1.—Porcupine retreating down trail. Fig. 2.—Porcupine com- AMO MU Pg bal een ees eras eA ne ene eer eerie enero Fig. 1—Mountain lions in top of yellow-pine tree. Fig. 2.—The same lions in another position....-....-...----.----------5+---- Fig. 1.—Canada lynx. Fig. 2.—Bobcat.......-...----.----+-+----- Fig. 1—Coyote in National Zoological Park. Fig. 2.—Wolves in National!Zoolocical Park. 2.252.222.2222 2s 5-s50a94- oe eee ete ee Fig. 1.—Fisher in captivity. Fig. 2.—Otters in captivity.......--- Black bears at garbage pile..........-.----------+---+++-+++----+- Fig. 1.—Ground where bears have dug up bulbs. Fig. 2.—Burrow of ground squirrel dug out by bear. .....----------------------- Grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park....-.--.---------+------+-+---- THE BIRDS. Barediprebersas--2 see se deseaece 222 oes ease see eee A Ses a ee tare cee eee ete ones ee etre eno NA aN] Veil sie eee eae Pata te ar eet ever ctenersreederelefe ieee Sh Oe ers eee meee eee eae tee eee oem eer STU aus meen eee ee a eee Vegeta ore cere ate teperet enemy epee IR WUTC PARNER = ssancadaseeuuucssoase ae coe Oona HnameananEAn nace Miler lary hea Wikis eee terete eo asec se eee rape ie ever yeer eee Page, 64 68 80 81 82 86 94 95 96 112 113 118 119 130 136 146 12 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. Prats XXIX. Young ferruginous rough-leg .............--2-2-2----2--2-++- 148 XOEXE sViouneiold enieacle-= ten er eer er ene eer cet serene 149 XOUNS Beltedikinefisherswasssss-6 = — pera eee ae 156 OXON Walliamsons sapsuckersea-seeesaae- a ees eee ee 158 XOX Black-billed/maecpies! 7.2252 c2see5- sesso ace oe eee eee -- 164 EXGXGIVE a Water ouzelis nesters memen ieee rire ees ee Uses ree 188 XOXGXGV Ss Cat birds ee eer eerste DR eer Ro eee 190 DOXEXeVile Northernevariedethrushis sesame oer ee as eee errr 197 2. O.O NAW WEY oi Oilyenersssocousesseeeacasoe Sagencesaeacd In pocket. Text Ficures. THE MAMMALS. Fic. 1. Transition Zone on Big Prairie in North Fork Valley ..............-- 20 2. Head of 5-year-old ram from Chief Mountain. .............--.-.-.-.- 28 3. A five-point bulllelk am early wim teros-a. eee ee seen eee 33 4, Head of mule deer buck from Huckleberry Mountain. ...........--.. 34 5. Head of white-tail deer at Belton, Mont..............-2..----------- 35 6. (1) Yellow-bellied chipmunk; (II) pale 13-lined ground squirrel; (IIL) mantled ground squirrel; all from museum skins.........-.-.- 40 7. Plan of underground den of Columbia ground squirrel. ..-.....-...-- 48 8. Woodrat in his nest of moss and lichens in old cabin ..............-- 56 9. Woodrat nest on shelf in corner of cabin ..............----+-+-------- 57 10. Cottonwood stump cut by beavers on Camas Creek.............-----. 66 SIMU putarnapo ana aa © US paps ete reste eee esas tea ey Teen eve net etale re evar apa 70 12. Pocket. gopher of the genus TLhomomyss.-- 22-2 222-52 sess 22 oe ee 71 13. Northern white-tailed jack rabbit in March................-.--2-----. 78 14. Two mountain lions that will kill no more game...-..-.. eee 80 15. Mountain red fox in Wind River Mountains, Wyoming.............-. 84 16. Mink photographed at old cabin above Kintla Lake.................. 86 17. (1) Dusky shrew; (II) masked shrew; photograpned from alcoholic BP GCIMENSh e525 ee cae hee ee aia se rete oe eae ame ere a 99 18. (1) Brown bat; (II) long-legged bat; museum specimens .....-..... 100 THE BIRDS. JOS AW estermierebess arace es cee tu Ae oe cee Se eee eT eee eens 111 20; Horned jerébetn tees ose uetee saree aes eee eee Chee eee ae 112 2 eed=breasted sma ere anseree es sas meee rae ae eee eee 117 Pydes lB MoseYsKeXel frase Phie Ste non geesncak ueucosousoneeebesecccaseausaasecossns 116 D3e Balldpate ee esos sce ee eee eer Cee ey ee ee ey ee 118 Dale Green-wan ed iteall fc. s pera as oe ere te arene 119 Aref MO ALC Mls aescadueda sence sGbe shes beccaccosdaskcadsceeesss 120 2 Gay Cimmaim onmbeal) St mentee eee ee eae erro payee ee ee ee eee 120 Tig. PUntaM Res es ee aS SS pS yee ee ee 120 2870 Canvas: Dack sezutecr is eyes he Ms AEE yan eee Soe eee 121 29S Scauprdue kes soso He Sage ore see ae ye oS eee ae Cte eee 121 30. Golden-eyes on Yellowstone Lake...........-.....--...22---------- 122 3 emi uiitlecivea.d Serve erte eres eee ef eek ote ie eae 124 32. Western harlequin duc k Sede Peis eieieeepaeseeeraysie aie oe ee ee eee een 124 33. Harlequin duck at mee Lake.. Soci he ee eee eee 126 34. White-winged scoter. - Hides) cies ase Uns kre pl Ae AU ee On eee 127 Sonehudd yd woken eee eee eee eee eee JA TIS! Sesh 127 36. 0anada; feesen sya sae ne aoe eee erences eae saat Aaa eee ee 128 3 jee SCC ETO sees eee eee Bo 2 SISA eh SO 130 Stoke NKOKUNO ANSE NH LON RO oonbogassec 6 oda cab soeSogeeuewaaoeauaceals 130 89. A VOCEbGR. ch oe eee aoe se ee ee ee qn s Oe cle eae ns Bret eee 132 40. Wilson snipe. .......-------- a eee oat oa bs Zot tn te oO ee ee 133 ALD, MICAH LOG ioe hs ch chavcse ett eee ee ee te 134 ILLUSTRATIONS. 13 Page ices a uraniklint erOuser aes esarya ay sete hee eee te ene ae aan e ene 136 43) Wemale ptarmigan imisummer 22.0222 .2.-222 sce aeonecesseueeseees. 138 44eMotherptarmigam amd chickes= 915.0225 2555 Bees sane ean 139 AD ee CARI Canes Wa LCIees meee ye ee en he ee rsa e See nyse 143 4 Ome oar = tal leds CTO WSC kere rere eee Rae ey eas ae ee ere 144 ape ax DssiDn ed) Naw kare niee eters cerets a nace see a eer eee eer ae 146 A Bite OSMAW Kare prsyercep sree = Sate a eyes ee See SNe ee eas EAL Ego ness apes 146 4 Olmelve data led haw kevetete eet eros sacra eee ya ae ne ee eee sees ea 147 DO MS WalnSOMe ha Wilkcwe ase ee seer a aes er sre yeas ee ees 147 Dia a ldieag @ eee kee set rare nce ete MEA ec AeA kone Roa, 149 Dome Wok a wikee sence sewer ane ee Apher are nee Mei weeeye ise, cys meas ete ye cca 149 Doel F CONN AEA seers see oat eee wee ees ete Me rated Ore ea Ate ea 2 149 DEMS PANTO Walla Wy kersereetoe a rete torey Svan eae eres stolen ha 9 SRR eran a 150 (ia), INSEE KOH SOREN? Woosh coneheen cect ocrecasnsasnannn desea caeceesemcon 15 56. Two photographs of osprey and nest ..............-2...-222-2-220-00- 152 Dy Me Sor tseare dow lem gaat eee repr ieee ele etn ier mys are Sale Benet 154 Signo awww broil saesteree aye regs arses ciaetes ayer one e adate esas eal Se ene ee 154 HOM Screech Owl 2222-22 sees Be GIL See SE re mee 155 GOmmrlorned| owl een. seston n ee bee ats Mace ene vac ee aan eae 156 Gl; Arctic three-toed woodpecker. ..... 255-2... 2ss2e5-22285555e55-025 158 62;eNorthernipileatediwoodpecken= .:.32. 52222 2 eee anes scoters: 159 63, A family iof red-shafted flickers... ...02....2.. 2022-25 a5522ce5se: oe GO) G4e Nigh tha wie te eee cel oeieer ia cle ciainaye ects sien as See see ee 162 65: Rufousihummingbird-s os... <2 2... 0s. eocee cee ees See ana 163 66. Calliope hummingbird............-..-.-- Doe Cen Ma cheee metaencsee 163 pee Git © cl aerate epee per eo epee pak rere ree stereo n rae a Wey eoyes [evar ta 2 .... 164 GSR Horm ecttl air kere nares eee a5 tyre ys meee eS Aes Ae eames ise .. 165 GORocksya Moumtaling ty sse- eS ee ne ae ee ache 166 702. Clarkimuteracker 22.222 222 sas jos 22 22 2558s ses ee Ss wes ace eng ees 168 als Red=winced blackbird: 22-2 :t4 cess. s5sse55- ee Sc erry 169 Tee eadiowilark sm.- asses smc lees oerisats aisle races sic lee oie ae eae 170 Gah, BGC lOleNelieildchs capeee cen sic acu sea npenseee na aeneen ae oedn aaa 170 Ficlegme HV; TUL) Cv LOS [Cel Kaseene serena tenets pee are teat ed eae ae eae hoe eee 171 75. Cassin purple finch.....-....-.--- Bee ae eee ery ere LD) Wis (ORGS ill wessscssecceuaacassoene ose eon eee sn ae coe ae eeaeedaaneaaress 172 Tien Gray -ClOowMed euGOstl Cle sermon pes ase ne ee Saeeee 173 7Sqeinite-crowiled: SparrOWin- mere aoe 5 a ee ie eee 176 79. Western chipping sparrow.......-..--.-----+--++-+++++-+---- scene e 177 SOC litine wall lo ueemeen te eels mine a cce anata ae toe ne ete eee Sachem ae 180 [Pe aerate wich wypeperetrae re essere ee ees cer ero ee ae eee 181 O}. ADIGE Sa lilNhi.s bee aneashuweeeonnse seep becenauqes seacceenmeEnete 181 Seed ari wax. wal Gee ee ey ee eye eyes ietete escreea rete teie ete tvebeersrcy atone a 182 CAmeAtidubonawarbleneeeeasae secre eae ce eases vale sree he rasa se 184 CU DOWMECLCs WALUUEI te (esc ee eects Os eae mee ee erat ieee nes 184 86. Macgillivray warbler. .......-.-.----+--+-2+2+-+ 22 +e ses ee eee ee eeeee 186 87. Western yellow-taroat.........------2--++ 2222222252 n eee e ee esses 186 88. Water ouzel at entrance to nest.....--------- Be eee ee 188 QO. NY COMa INOUE EKO assesesne nage coke oesenec ben abeaee Seacnme arene 191 90. Young Rocky Mountain nuthatches........-.-------------------+-- 192 91. Long-tailed chickadee.........-.---------+------- +2 +2 +2 +e eee eee e eee 193 OOM Moumtammychickadeess.2s4-c 2 cee nese nee ences ne 194 Cay ANce Wana Oli.» aSoenccusossenas4aeaeeeeeseeseeceaoudaneane sabaces 197 OAMmRNATO Uta GeUTTa MO Lue Joe Gl Repent eee eect r efter sree, cseree eee eye yoesenestere ice 199 FT pTr\ f’ (E> o Se a a AMIE RO N, PA GENERAL FEATURES GOVERNING LIFE IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. By VERNON BAILEY. I. PHYSIOGRAPHY. Glacier National Park lies in northwestern Montana, along the main range of the Rocky Mountains from the Canadian boundary south to the Great Northern Railway. From the rugged crest of the Continental Divide it descends on the east to the edge of the Great Plains, and on the west to the dense forests of the Flathead Valley. Its sinuous and spiny backbone forms one of the roughest ranges on the Continent; and, while its highest peaks reach an elevation but little above 10,000 feet, it has all the appearance of a more lofty range, for the timberline is low and its upper slopes and peaks reach far into the snow and glacier-laden Arctic-Alpine Zone. Its steep and jagged sides are deeply cut and furrowed by ancient glaciers, and the old glacial troughs are now filled by long, deep lakes of wonderful purity and beauty. Some of the smaller lakes are still milky from the grinding of the glaciers above them, but those farther from the ice throw back from transparent depths the deepest shades of blue and green. The long lake valleys on both sides of the range extend out between riblike lateral ridges almost as high and rugged as the dorsal crest of the range. In fact some of the highest peaks rise from these lateral ridges, while the main divide has been eaten through by the ice in notches that serve as the only available passes for present trails and future highways. The tilted and heavily stratified shale, limestone, sandstone, and argillite, which make up a great part of the range, have given strik- ing contrasts to the configuration of the park. Great cliffs and ter- races, sharp peaks and jagged walls on one side and shelving slopes on the other, render many of what seem to be unattainable heights from some points of view quite possible of access from other points. Faint trails of mountain sheep and mountain goats may be found threading the narrow shelves and niches to the tops of many of the 15 16 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. highest peaks, but some are too precipitous for even these skilled climbers. The lower slopes of the mountains are generally covered with soil, slide rock, or morainal deposits and, in each case, with such growth of vegetation as the depth of soil will support. The valleys and basins are rich and fertile, as is shown by dense forests and brilliant flower gardens. ; Great melting snowbanks feed the foaming streams, while glaciers grind and sift their floury silt from muddy to milky streams and white to tinted lakes. Springs of purest water in countless numbers break out from the mountain sides and unite into rivulets and creeks and torrents as they descend the steep slopes, while the seepage of underground waters feeds velvety meadows and dense fern-clad glades. The whole region is enriched by its bounteous humidity, and the vintage of the heavy winter snows is poured out over the thirsty valleys far and wide. Plant life is abundant and varied, and as the:endless combinations of plant associations crowd and push for supremacy, those best fitted for the existing local environment hold the main areas while the less fitted are crowded back. Temperature, light, shade, moisture, depth and nature of soil, wind, and fire have all been potent facters in the present arrangement of the vegetation of the mountains, and all but the last have added beauty and interest to the flora. Fortunately the ravages of fire have not been extensive, and the grazing of domestic stock has not injured the virgin beauty of the mountain meadows, which are among the greatest attractions of the park. The flower- ing of one set of plants after another spreads clouds of color over the meadows and open slopes, where on one day a golden glow of dogtooth violets holds the eye, and a week later the creamy white of the west-wind flower is seen, only to be followed in rapid sequence by the delicate purple of the vetchling and the deep blue of the gen- tian; and so on until the short summer is over. But each dominant flower has its understudies of varied shape and color filling in every available nook and corner, while each different type of soil or vary- ing belt of soil-moisture holds its own sets of species, from beds of purple and creamy heather above timberline down to the tall white globes of beargrass on the open slopes below. Even the deep shade of the forest is brightened by the white stars of the pine lily (Clin- tonia) and single-flowered wintergreen (d/oneses) on carpets of false mitrewort and lacelike 7iarel/a, and by purple and white pyrolas and Chimaphila, scarlet painted-cups, magenta and yellow monkey flowers (J/imulus), together with a host of other common flowers, and occasionally some of the rare and exquisite wood orchids. The forests vary from deep and somber stands of closely set trunks of pine, spruce, and fir, cedar, hemlock, and western tamarack, to the open and straggling timberline belts, the Christmas-tree parks of PHYSIOGRAPHY AND LIFE ZONES. 17 second-growth pines over fire-swept areas, the groves of delicate aspens scattered over the open spaces, and sturdy black cottonwoods along the streams. In each area one species holds supremacy and all others take subordinate places. The lodgepole pine is the most widespread and abundant tree, forming clear stands of slender poles or smooth trunks of sawlog size over great areas. Engelmann spruce is scattered over much of the park area and fills the Upper St. Mary and Waterton Valleys with almost pure stands of tall, straight, and graceful trunks. Balsams are generally scattered, but on some slopes are the dominant trees. Hemlock, tamarack, cedar, yellow pine, and western white pine are abundant and variously mixed in the val- leys of the west slope of the park, where each in turn dominates its favorite ground, while together they form the most superb forest area of the park region. The scrubby but picturesque white-stemmed pine (Pinus albicaulis) of the timberline belt baftles the winds and storms more successfully than any other tree, living and thriving where beaten to the ground and held down by heavy winter snows and fierce winds until it seems little more than a coniferous carpet. Engelmann spruce, the subalpine fir, and the Lyell tamarack also struggle up to timberline in dwarfed form, and sometimes prove almost as hardy as the white-stemmed pine with which they are associated. Many other trees find a foothold and fill minor places in the forest. The Douglas spruce and limber pine, white fir, and a few junipers are found at lower levels. The graceful white birch on the west slope and the little brown western birch low down along the streams with the mountain maple and alder and many of the larger shrubs help to fill subordinate places. The shrubs and undergrowth of the forested and open areas include many useful, ornamental, and interesting species. Flowering shrubs, as the syringa, ocean spray, mountain balm, and meadow-sweet, are conspicuous. Fruit-bearing shrubs, as chokecherry, pin cherry, thorn apple, serviceberry, elderberry, high-bush cranberry, mountain ash, red raspberry, thimbleberry, blueberries of three or more species, wild currants, and wild gooseberries, grow in greater or less profu- sion. The western yew and devil’s club add peculiar interest and character to the shrubbery of the west slope, as do the ground cedar and silver leaf to the east slope of the park. Even the ferns and club mosses and the real mosses and lichens in ereat profusion and variety add their touch to the beauty and interest of the plant life of the park as well as to the charm of the forest and the rock shelves and shady cliffs of the mountains, while the least of all the visible plant life, the pink snow, gives a rosy glow to the surface of the snow banks and glaciers, 51140°—18——2 18 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. The bird and mammal life of the park are too rich and varied to be touched upon lightly, and each is worthy of a volume by itself. In few other places on the continent can so great a variety of the larger game animals be found close together.. The moose, ell, mule and white-tail deer, mountain goat, mountain sheep, grizzly and black bears, and the great hoary marmct are all common in parts of the park, while many of the smaller mammals furnish constant interest along the trails and about the hotels and camps. While certain areas are at times almost devoid of bird life, there are always others where birds are abundant and where the songs of the varied thrush, the olive-backed and western hermit thrushes, the gray fox sparrow, the white-crowned sparrow, warblers, vireos, wrens, and other choice songsters may be heard. Above timberline the rosy finches and pipits breed, and mother ptarmigans lead about their broods of downy young, while lower down the Franklin, Rich- ardson, and ruffed grouse may be studied along the trails. A number of water birds breed in the lakes, and many of the. individuals are becoming unafraid of man. The opportunity for close bird study is unusually favorable, and the bird life is as full and varied as in any part of the Rocky Mountain region. Most of the streams are well stocked, and many afford excellent trout fishing. In the larger lakes and streams the trout are large and gamey, while in the smaller streams their abundance usually compensates for their smaller size. Reptiles and amphibians are generally scarce in the park, but two species of small garter snakes are found, and several species of frogs and toads are common. II. LIFE ZONES. The plants and animals of the park are distributed in a series of approximately horizontal belts or zones, but on such broken slopes that only by a broad view can the zonal arrangement be recognized. Four of the transcontinental life zones ‘are represented, the Transi- tion, Canadian, Hudsonian, and Arctic-Alpine, ranging from the basal slopes upward, each with its characteristic set of mammals, birds, and plants. The boundaries of these belts are not sharply de- fined, and each zone merges into those adjoining ina way that at times is confusing, but the conformity of certain sets of species to certain limits of altitude is apparent to the most superficial observer. That these limits are due to climatic conditions dependent largely wpon altitude and slope exposure is also apparent when the evidence is considered. The natural grouping and arrangement of the plant and animal life of the park can be best understood on the basis of the common laws of distribution. Certain species are adapted to a restricted range of PHYSIOGRAPHY AND LIFE ZONES. 19 temperature or climate, while large numbers of species have approxi- mately the same climatic and consequently geographic range. Ac- cording to well-known laws the climate normally becomes colder as the altitude and latitude become higher, but not uniformly, as slopes inclined toward the south receive and absorb more heat from the sun’s rays than do level areas, and far more than the slopes inclined toward the north. Thus slope exposure greatly modifies the local climatic conditions and consequently the distribution of plant and animal life. The altitude of the base level, or country surrounding the base of the mountains, also in part determines the amount of heat available to the slopes above. A high base level holds the sun-warmed air up against the sides of the mountains and thus enables associated species to grow at higher levels than where the surrounding country is lower. Many other local influences, as air currents, prevailing winds, light and shade, humidity, and soil conditions, further modify the environment that determines the nature of the fauna and flora. The open plains country, which barely penetrates the eastern edge of the park, supports the peculiar types of plant and animal life be- longing to the Transition Zone, traces of which are found also in the lower valleys on the west slope of the park. The dense forests of lodgepole pine, spruce, and fir, which cover the base of the moun- tains, mark the Canadian Zone; the narrow belt of dwarfed timber at and near timberline, the Hudsonian Zone; while depauperate plants above timberline partly cover the peaks and ridges of the rctic-Alpine Zone. TRANSITION ZONE. The Transition Zone, an area relatively warm and fertile and of value for the production of wheat and other cereals, les mainly out- side the park, but fortunately enough of it is included to add some of its characteristic species to the fauna and flora of the park and to provide suitable winter range for some of the important game animals of the higher and colder zones. On the east slope it is present in dilute form up to about 4,500 feet altitude on the warmest exposures, those facing toward the southwest at Glacier Station, and in the St. Mary, Swiftcurrent, and Belly River Valleys. It is indi- cated by tongues or patches of prairie carrying the prairie species of plants and animals, and is mainly without timber. Its shrubby vegetation consists of the little western birch, the diamond willow, serviceberry, silver-leaf, western snowberry, prairie rose, and creep- ing juniper, but its dominant vegetation consists of prairie grasses mixed with the loco, vetch, milk vetch, bluebonnet, brown-eyed Susan, balsam root, prairie aster, blazing star, Indian paintbrush, larkspur, puccoon, geranium, purple wind flower, and a host of other plants of the Great Plains Transition Zone area. Its characteristic mam- 20 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. mals include the Richardson and thirteen-lined ground squirrels, the Saskatchewan pocket gopher, and the prairie hare; while the west- erm vesper sparrow, western Savannah sparrow, western chipping sparrow, lazuli bunting, yellow warbler, and long-tailed chickadee are characteristic birds. On the west slope of the park traces of the zone are seen in the yellow pines in the North Fork Valley, a few mountain junipers along the river banks, black thornapple along the lake shores, west- ern birch along the streams, and an abundance of serviceberrics, syringa, ocean spray, and Ceanothus sanguineus on the low, warm slopes; but no considerable area can be called Transition Zone. The climate of these low valleys is mild, but the snowfall is so heavy and the timber growth so dense that melting snow, delayed late into Binas2 Open Transition Zone valley. Yellow pines on and along edge of Big Prairie in North Fork Flathead Valley, looking east to Vulture Peak. April 16, 1918. fice. 1. spring by the cool forest shade, favors the plant growth and the animal life of the Canadian Zone, which dominates the valleys. CANADIAN ZONE. The Canadian, which comprises the well-timbered areas of the park, is the most extensive of the four life zones. It reaches from practically the base of the park all around up to altitudes of approxi- mately 6,000 feet on northeast slopes and 7,000 feet on southwest slopes, varying somewhat with the steepness and soil cover and with the amount of sunlight allowed to reach the surface of the ground. Most of the zone is covered by heavy forests of lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, aspens, black cottonwood, and mountain maple, but over the lower part of the west slope of the PHYSIOGRAPHY AND LIFE ZONES. 21 park the predominating forest trees are yellow cedar, western hem- lock, western tamarack, grand fir, Canada spruce, paper birch, west- ern yew, and devil’s-club, which give a western character to the forest, strikingly resembling that of the Pacific slope of the Cascade Mountains, The shrubby growth of the zone is characterized by an abundance of alders, numerous species of willow, mountain ash, shrubby birch, shrubby juniper, Canadian buffalo-berry, red-berried elder, black- berried elder, Pachystima myrsinites (an abundant little evergreen shrub), red-berried and black-berried honeysuckle, thimbleberry, gooseberry, currant, purple mountain blueberry, little red blueberry, a great abundance of smooth d/enziesia, and a little rusty Ifenzicsia. Among the many conspicuous flowers of the zone are the tall, white globes of the bear paw, bear grass or squaw grass, the great yellow western dogtooth violet (Liythronium. grandiflorum), the green- flowered hellebore (Veratrum viride), the pine lily (Clintonia une- flora) like a white star on the lacelike forest carpet of Tiarella, the yellow columbine, the deep-blue larkspur, light-blue Clematis, and baby-blue false forget-me-nots, the purple and the blue Pentste- mon, the magenta Indian paintbrush in the open and the rose-red Mimulus along the streams, the golden Avnica in the woods in mid- summer, and later the goldenrod and purple asters and tall pink fireweed. The common mammals of the Canadian Zone are moose, elk, mule deer, white-tail deer, red squirrel, flying squirrel, yellow-bellied and forest chipmunks, gray-mantled ground squirrel, Columbia ground squirrel, bushy-tailed woodrat, white-footed mouse, red-backed mouse, Rocky Mountain lemming mouse, long-tailed and big-footed meadow mice, beaver, porcupine, jumping mouse, brown pocket gopher, snowshoe rabbit, Canada lynx, red fox, gray wolf, northern coyote, marten, Arizona weasel, grizzly bear, black bear, and the water, dusky, masked, and Dobson shrews. A few of the characteristic birds are the loon, Barrow golden-eye, and harlequin ducks, Franklin, Richardson, and ruffed grouse, golden eagle, goshawk, Cooper and sharp-shinned hawks, pileated wood- pecker, Arctic and Alaskan three-toed woodpeckers, hairy wood- pecker, red-naped and Williamson sapsuckers, black-headed blue jay, Rocky Mountain jay, Clark crow, crossbill, siskin, junco, white- crowned sparrow, gray fox sparrow, cedar waxwing, Wilson, Audu- bon, and Macgillivray warblers, water ouzel, winter wren, Rocky Mountain brown creeper, red-breasted nuthatch, mountain -chickadee, ruby-crowned and western golden-crowned kinglets, the northern varied thrush, Audubon hermit and olive-backed thrushes, and the mountain bluebird. 22, WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, HUDSONIAN ZONE. The Hudsonian, or timberline, zone is a narrow belt around the peaks about 1,000 feet in average vertical width, reaching generally from 6,000 to 7,000 feet in altitude on the-cold northeast exposures and from 7,000 to 8,000 on the warmer southwest exposures. On very steep slopes it often runs beyond these average limits, falling lower on cold and rising higher on warm exposures. Its borders are very irregular, but across a canyon its upper edge may be readily traced on opposite slopes by the fingertips of dwarfed or prostrate trees, while below it melts into the solid Canadian Zone forest. It has far more open than timbered areas and includes cliffs and extensive rock slides and snow banks. In midsummer it is the most attractive _ zone of the mountains, with its brillant flower gardens carpeting the open slopes and grassy meadows, its miniature forests and scattered groves of dwarfed and wind-beaten timber, its unusual bird and ani- mal life, numerous snow banks, little lakes and roaring rivulets, cool, fresh air, and glorious mountain views, all combining to make of it an inspiring camp ground. Its dominant tree is the small white-barked pine (Pinus albicaulis), but the dwarfed mountain tamarack (Larix lyelli) is occasionally found. The Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir also occur in stunted, dwarfed, and windswept forms, reaching to extreme timber- line, although their real forest growth is confined to the zone below. Shrubby vegetation is scarce except for dwarfed willows, the purple and white heathers (Phyllodoce empetriformis and P. glanduliflora) , Rocky Mountain laurel (/valmia glauca), mountain gooseberry, and dwarf blueberry. The conspicuous flowering plants, however, are legion and are often massed in areas of almost solid color. The great yellow dogtooth violet fills this zone as well as the Canadian Zone below and at times gives a dominant color to the slopes. The large white flowers and woolly heads of the west-wind flower: (Pulsatilla oc- cidentalis), the creamy globe flower, and the milk vetch are abundant and conspicuous, the creamy, roselike Dryas octopetala. often carpets the ground, and many species of saxifrage are found, with the little white Arenaria and Stellavria. The blues are conspicuous in the little larkspur, the Jacob’s-ladder. (Polemoniuwm viscosum), a water leaf (Phacelia), Venus’s-looking-glass, and the deep-blue gentians. The reds and pinks and purples are shown in Indian paint brushes, moun- tain evening primroses (Godetia quadrivulmera) , louseworts, elephant heads, and Pentstemon. The yellows of buttercups, cinquefoils, and golden asters, and the orange of Arnica, hawk-weed, and Senecio are conspicuous. Among the mammals are white goats, mountain sheep, hoary marmots, conies, and alpine chipmunks, while the Columbia ground PHYSIOGRAPHY AND LIFE ZONES. 3 squirrel occupies the lower part of the zone, as do also to some extent the mantled ground-squirrels and yellow-bellied and big-tailed chip- munks. The conspicuous birds are the ptarmigan, rosy finches, pipits, sis- kins, crossbills, and white-crowned sparrows, while many of the Canadian Zone species come into the lower edge of the zone, and golden eagles are often seen around the peaks and cliffs. ARCTIC-ALPINE ZONE. The Arctic-Alpine Zone caps the peaks and extends on cold slopes below many of the passes to 7,000 feet and on warmer slopes to 8,000 feet. It lies entirely above the last trace of timber and dwarfed trees and includes most of the glaciers and large snow fields, great expanses of barren cliff and rock, and also extensive areas of thin soil and depauperate vegetation. For the greater part of each year it is buried in snow, but during the short summer every available bit of fertile soil is carpeted with green or is bright with alpine flowers, and even the cracks and niches in the rocks shelter hardy plants that defy wind and storm and frosty nights. There are no trees or upright shrubs, but many of the plants have woody stems and most have unusual root development to enable them to withstand such adverse climatic conditions. Several species of dwarf willows grow as carpets with leaves and stems flat on the ground and each plant sends up a single tiny catkin of flowers and fruit, often less than an inch from the surface of the ground. Cush- ions of mountain pinks (Silene acaulis) lend color to the slopes as do also the deep blue Jacob’s-ladder, and dwarf blue columbine, the alpine harebell, the little fragrant beds of forget-me-nots, many species of saxifrage, a delicate pink spring beauty, a dwarf bitterroot, tiny crimson shooting stars, yellow S/bdaldia, buttercups, and cinque- foils. Of mammals there are none restricted to this zone, though in summer the white goats and mountain sheep spend their days mostly in it, usually coming down into the edge of the Hudsonian to feed at night, and in winter the goats remain chiefly on its wind-swept ridges. Hoary marmots and alpine chipmunks often run up into it but really belong to the zone below. Birds of many species fly over and wander into the. zone, but the only one breeding entirely within its boundaries is the gray-crowned rosy finch. The ptarmigan and pipit are often found high in this zone in summer, but apparently breed mainly lower down in the Hudsonian. 24 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. While the zone lacks elements purely utilitarian, it is supremely endowed with the highest: type of the esthetic. Its lofty mountain peaks crowned with the glories of sunlight and snow have inspired the nature-loving native to regard them as connecting links between earth and heaven. To the more learned mind they are an equal in- spiration, as in their beauty and grandeur they rise far above the good green fields, with strong appeals to come up higher and stand in the clear light and gaze far and wide over the tiny fields of man below and then off over the sea of giant peaks that challenge the strongest fibers of mind and body. PLATE |, Park. Is Glacier Wild Anima ‘saqui} JueMp BA0ge BUOZ SUId]y 9I}04Y “BADGE Jaqui!} JIBMP pasa}eos Jo }s910} BUOZ UBIUOSPNH *puNnosBasoy ul 41} pue aonsds jo ysa10} auoZ ue|peueD “MaVd YSIOVIS NI 3dO1S NO NOILOSS S3NOZ 3417 “PSI “H per Aq ‘ojoyg PLATE Il. Wild Animals Glacier Park. “VNVLNOW 'NOXIG YVAN SONVY NOSIS GVSHLV14 AHL NO 11N8 O1V4S45NG 69bbla THE MAMMALS. By VERNON BAILEY. In addition to its natural beauties and wonderful scenery, the Glacier National Park contains a goodly variety as well as a great number of large game animals. The bison have vanished, but the white goats, mountain sheep, moose, elk, mule deer, white-tail deer, and grizzly and black bears are present in abundance, while many of the smaller mammals are numerous and so unafraid that they con- stitute a great attraction to the visiting public. Under the careful protection afforded by the park most of the species are increasing and will be easily maintained in sufficient abundance to perpetuate the natural fauna over a wide area of public domain. Properly to protect and control the animals within the park and to make the interesting species accessible to the visiting public, it is necessary to learn as much as possible of the life history of each. Unfortunately many of the obscure habits of the commoner mammals are still unknown, but by putting on record our present knowledge, the accumulation of additional information will be encouraged and the interesting study of home habits of the animals will be made possible for a greater number of people who have the time and interest to pursue it. The present report is based on field work carried on by the United States Bureau of Biological Survey from May 20 to June 26, 1895, and from July 5 to August 30, 1917, and on information gathered from rangers, guides, and other residents in and around the park. Order UNGULATA: Hoofed Animals—Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Antelope, and Deer. Family BOVID4: Cattle, Sheep, and Goats. Bison; Burrato: Bison bison bison (Linneus).—The plains along the eastern edge of Glacier Park were once a famous stamping groun< for the buffalo and hunting ground for the Blackfeet Indians. These 25 26 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. were among the last hunting grounds in the United States from which, about the year 1884, this noble game animal vanished. In 1895 buffalo bones were thickly strewn over the prairies along the eastern edge of the park, although they had been gathered up everywhere within a day’s drive of the railroad and shipped away for commercial fertilizer. They were numerous on the edge of the prairie at the lower end of St. Mary Lake, and skeletons were found in all the little open prairie strips well back into the timber along the sides of the lake. In 1917 few bones were to be seen, but old skulls are still picked up in the thickets and among the rocks well back into the narrow valleys and edge of the timber of the eastern border of the park, and many of these may be seen at the park hotels and chalets, at ranger stations, and ranches along the border. In the timber just west of McDermott Lake on the Swiftcurrent Creek in 19171 found a half-buried skeleton in the humus of the pine woods and picked out an almost perfect ver- tebra with a 14-inch dorsal process, which once helped to support the high shoulder hump of an old bull. At the ranger station on Belly River, just inside the park line, two skulls were seen in a fair state of preservation, and numerous grassed-over trails leading from the steep slopes of the benches to the river bottoms showed where the buffalo had at one time occupied this valley in great numbers. At the ranger station on the North Fork of Kennedy Creek was a fairly good skull with two old horns that had been picked up in that vicinity. At Waterton Lake a good buffalo skull adorned the front of the ranger station just inside the park line, and at the north end of the lake under our camp woodpile I uncovered an old skeleton of a bull bison. There are no live buffalo. in the park at present, but some ideal sections of their original range could be inclosed, where a few of these animals could thrive the year around with little or no care or expense, and add one more to the many attractive features of the park. The climate is less severe than that where the wild herd now winters at 8,000 feet altitude in the Yellowstone Park, and the conditions would be more favorable for an all-year range. Mountain Sueep; Bicuorn: Ovis canadensis canadensis Shaw.— Mountain sheep are abundant on practically all the high, rugged ranges throughout Glacier Park, especially on the rocky slopes above Two Medicine Lakes and around Chief and Gable Mountains. In summer they scatter out over the high and more inaccessible ridges above timberline and are less conspicuous than the white goats, but during the winter they come down on the lower slopes and, espe- cially in spring and early summer, are much in evidence along the roads and trails in the more accessible parts of the park. Park Ranger W. S. Gibb counted 207 sheep in March, 1917, on the slopes near Many Glacier and photographed them at close quar- MAMMALS. Oi ters along the road and around the chalets there. He says that they may be seen any day during early summer from the Many Glacier Hotel. Probably no one is more familiar with the sheep and their range and abundance over the whole park than Mr. Gibb, but he insists that a reliable estimate of their numbers would be im- possible. From many local reports, in many places in the park, how- ever, I am convinced that the number can not be less than 2,000. In winter many sheep come down along the rocky slopes east of Water- ton Lake and spend a part of each year on the Alberta side of the line, returning in summer to the high ridges, of which Mount Cleve- Jand is the culmination point. The Canadian Government has wisely created a national park on its side of the international boundary, which effectively protects the animals that wander back and forth from one country to the other, as well as giving free access to the tourists who wish to visit the northern end of the Glacier Park without getting out of protected areas. To a certain extent the sheep are migratory, but in a vertical direction, traveling during the late summer from the highest peaks down to the lower rocky and warm, slopes, where in winter they can find abundant food and still be on ground rough enough for them to have the advantage over most of their natural enemies. Their food in summer consists largely of the leaves, buds, and seeds of a great variety of shrubby and herbaceous plants, as well as some grass, but as a general thing mountain sheep are not grass- eaters. In winter they take the rough slope and cliff vegetation as it comes, browsing off whatever is exposed above the snow or projects from the cracks and crevices of cliffs and ledges, whether it be the buds and tips and leaves of shrubs or tops and stems of dry grass. They also tramp and paw to the ground for the low vegetation under the snow, and eat the green and dry plants, including grass and sedges, and even the close carpet of mosses and lichens, until the ground is left with a bare surface on some of their favorite feeding slopes. Stevenson says they even dig up the roots on slopes where they can get at the ground. They are good rustlers and usually come through the winters in good condition. The young are apparently mostly born in June, as in 1895 I found many herds of ewes up to the last of May and among them only one young lamb, on May 25. Mr. Gibb tells me that he has often found two lambs with one ewe and thinks that this is not an unusual number of young. During the summer the rams and ewes usually travel in separate bunches, but occasionally a mixed herd is found. Their summer trails lead up over steep slopes and along the faces of cliffs on narrow shelves and ledges that from below are lost to view, and the animals seem to be climbing perpendicular walls. When actually following their trails, however, I have found none of \ Fs Ya ; = 28 WILD ANIMALS OF GUAGTER IN ATION AL PARK. them which a man well shod and used to the mountains could not travel, and others who have been long familiar with the animals on the native peaks are frank to say that a man can go anywhere that they do. From the highest and most inaccessible slopes where they spend the summer days the sheep are forced to descend at night or at cer- tain times to lower levels where they may obtain their food from the scanty growth of alpine meadows. It is probable that they would re- main throughout the day at these more accessible levels but for their persistent enemies, the big moun- tain coyotes, which prowl along the trails and over the slopes as high as their unshod feet will allow them to travel with com- fort. Apparently these are the principal enemies of the sheep, and if their destruction could be accomplished the sheep would in- crease more rapidly and would be more conspicuous along the trails Fic. 2.—Head of 5-year-old ram from and over the atone Busses Chief Mountain country. Mounted and uring the tourist season. As the photographed by H. H. Stanford, Kal- sheep meat is considered by many Sy the most delicious of all game meats, the animals are not easily protected from poachers outside the park areas, but with the excellent ranger service they should steadily increase in the park until it is stocked to its full capacity, when they will overflow into neighboring ranges where hunting may at some time be resumed. Mountain Goat: Oreamnos montanus missoulae Allen.—White goats are common on all of the high peaks and ridges throughout the park. During the tourist season they are generally found above timberline or from the last scrubby growth of timber up to the tops of the highest peaks. Occasionally the goats or their tracks were seen where the animals crossed from one range to another, along some of the trails well down in the timber, and little festoons of fine white goat wool were found on bushes along the trails near Elizabeth Lake on the head of the Belly River, and in the upper part of Waterton Lake valley. While the goats do not make the same vertical migration up and down the slopes as the mountain sheep, they wander considerably and keep some of the trails well worn between the different ranges. Unless disturbed by their enemies, their travel is mainly in daily trips up the slopes to high ledges and shelves during the morning hours, often to the very crests Wild Animals Glacier Park. A, PLATE tll. Photo. by M. P. Skinner. B90IM FIG. 1.—A BAND OF OLD RAMS NEAR JUNCTION BUTTE IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. Photo. by Walter S. Gibb. FIG. 2.—MOUNTAIN SHEEP JUST BELOW TIMBERLINE IN GLACIER PARK. Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE IV. FIG. 1.—A BUNCH OF MOUNTAIN GOATS IN ALPINE MEADOW ~ ao ei, Courtesy New York Zoological Society. BillamM FIG. 2.—MOUNTAIN GOAT IN BRONX PARK, NEW YORK CITY. MAMMALS. 29 of the highest ridges and peaks where they seem to feel safe and can sleep until the sun gets low in the west. Usually about 4 or 5 o’clock they begin to come down from the steep cliffs and crags and before dark are feeding in the little alpine meadows not far above timberline. These daily climbs are evidently imposed upon them by the big moun- tain coyotes, which are constantly prowling along the trails and over the open slopes as high up as they dare go in search of young goats and sheep or other game. Over any of the high passes in the park. as Two Medicine, Gunsight, Piegan, Swiftcurrent, and Kootenai, goats may be seen from the trails, especially in the early hours of the day before they have worked up to the crests of the ridges. At Iceberg Lake they may be found in the morning almost without fail down near the trail, and later in the day may be seen as white specks lying on the shelves of the great cirque which rises steeply back of the lake. Their trails thread the narrow shelves and go up step by step through niches and narrow clefts to the very summit of the Garden Wall, which here forms the Continental Divide. Some of these trails, which I followed out through what seemed to be in- accessible heights, were not difficult when I tried them with rough- shod boots and sharp staff, although in many places four legs would have given a better footing than only three. The heavy, square hoofs of the goat afford a most perfect climbing and clinging surface for rock work, and are used with great skill and steadiness. The goats are phlegmatic animals, apparently without nerves, and one is compelled to admire their self-possession in situations where a mis- step would mean sudden death. In June of 1895, while climbing the east side of Going to the Sun Mountain for a particularly fine specimen of an old billy goat, I kept an eye on an old nannie and her kid resting on a narrow shelf high on the face of a cliff that seemed perfectly sheer in its descent for a thousand feet below them. Presently a roar and crash impelled me to lean toward the mountain side and make sure of my footing before looking around to see a great mass of ice from the front of the Sexton Glacier thundering down, to be ground into a cloud of foamy dust on the rocks hundreds of feet below. The prolonged roar and heavy vibrations from the mass of grinding ice fairly shook the atmosphere if not the mountain side, and after my first impulse to cling to something stable was the thought of the effect on the old goat and kid located on the narrow shelf midway between me and the avalanche. I expected to see them come dashing along the ledge toward me, and was eager to see how they managed the narrow foot- holds, but, much to my surprise, they seemed to take no notice of the disturbance and did not so much as get up out of their beds on the narrow shelf. The whole display was in plain view from their niche, but evidently it was a commonplace affair to them. 51140°—18—3 30 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. A little later, in plain view of the two goats, an old grizzly bear and her cub crossed one end of the glacier somewhat below, but ‘aused no excitement, and my presence on the other side on a level with them seemed not to be noticed. The security of their position apparently banished all fear, but in more accessible places they usually show as much caution and timidity as other game animals under the same conditions of danger. Like many of the high moun- tain species of animals, however, the goats are usually so unfamiliar with man and his destructive habits that for a game animal they are comparatively tame. In winter they seek the crests of the ridges at high altitudes, where the snow is swept from the dwarf plant growth and food is always available. Their dense coats of silky wool seem to be proof against the severest cold and storms, but during a strong wind they seek the sheltered side of the mountain or the protection of cliffs and rocks and even caves. Above Iceberg Lake I found the well-used beds back under little shelves of rock where the kids had apparently taken shelter from wind and rain. Near Sexton Glacier, on the side of Going-to-the-Sun Mountain, I saw two old goats emerge from shadowy caverns in the rocks which had entirely concealed them:dur- ing the day. On the side of Chief Mountain, among the big bowlders far above timberline, I tried to bring an old goat and her little kid closer to me by throwing stones below them, but instead of coming up where I was they quickly took refuge under the side of a huge bowlder and refused to leave their shelter when the stones were striking the rocks beyond them. In a few cases I was able to get near enough to watch them feeding on the small mountain plants, but could not distin- guish clearly which they selected for food. Apparently they grazed at random among the little dwarf willows and in the beds of short mountain grass and sedges, where a great variety of other plants also were bedded together. Individual plants of a little water leaf (Pha- celia) and mountain sorrel (Owvyria digyna) had been eaten off and seemed to be rather favorite foods. Of their winter food little is definitely known. Early in July the kids were well grown and probably about a month old. Generally each mother goat was followed by one young, but Ranger Gibb tells me that in a number of cases he has found two young following one old goat, and he thinks that twins are not rare among them. The young of a month old seem to be as much at home as their parents in climbing the cliffs and difficult trails, and they even frisk on the steep snowbanks and walk the narrow crests of ice and snow drifts for the mere sport of doing difficult stunts. If their principal enemy, the coyote, were destroyed, it is probable that the goats would be much more common along the trails and at Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE V. BI7679 FIG. 1.—A FAMILY OF GOATS ON THEIR WAY DOWN THE MOUNTAIN SIDE TO THE MEADOWS WHERE THEY FEED. BI7676 FIG, 2.—THE SAME FAMILY OF GOATS FEEDING IN AN ALPINE MEADOW NEAR SEXTON GLACIER AT 4 P. M. ON JULY 28, 1917. MAMMALS. 3l levels where the tourists could be on more intimate terms with them. Apparently they are holding their own and increasing somewhat, in spite of the fact that coyotes prey upon them to a considerable extent, as is indicated by droppings along the higher trails, which are com- posed largely of goat wool and the hair of mountain sheep. As goats are one of the greatest animal attractions in the park, their pro- tection should be as complete as possible, and every care should be taken by visitors to avoid disturbing or frightening them. Family ANTILOCAPRIDZ: Prong-horned Antelope. Prone-HorNED ANTELOPE: Antilocapra americana americana (Ord).—At the: present time there are no antelope in the Glacier Park, and even back in 1895 there were said to be none there or on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, although they were. then common and still are found to the east and south of this area. Their absence is undoubtedly due to the persistent hunting which followed the disap- pearance of the buffalo, as they must have ranged into the eastern edge of the park in open strips of prairie, such as are found at the lower end of St. Mary Lake and-along the Swiftcurrent and Belly Rivers. If a buffalo pasture were inclosed in one of these warm, open valleys, it would serve also as a suitable yearlong range to a few of these rare and interesting animals. Family CERVIDZ: Moose, Elk, and Deer. American Moose: Alces americanus americanus Jardine.—A few moose are at present found along the east slope of the park in densely wooded and swampy valleys, such as those along Two Medi- cine Creek, Red Eagle Creek, Upper St. Mary River, upper Swift- current Valley, and the branches of Belly River and the upper Waterton Valley, while on the west slope they are far more numerous in the valleys tributary to the North Fork of the Flathead River. In the valleys above McDermott Lake, Ranger Gibb reports a cow and calf and one bull moose during the summer of 1917, and says there are a few in the valley on the South Fork of Belly River. In August I saw one moose and a few tracks around the upper end of Glenn Lake, on the North Fork of Belly River, and a few moose tracks along the shores of McDonald Lake. J. E. Lewis tells me that in July, 1917, an old bull moose swam across the lake in plain view of the guests of the hotel. He says there are a large number of moose on the west slope of the park north of Little St. Mary Creek and all up through the North Fork Valley, but that they are rare in the country south of Little St. Mary Creek, which ‘is mainly elk range. Ranger Gibb says that in winter considerable numbers of moose yard near the mouth of Dutch Creek and on Camas Creek, 82 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. while other winter yards are found along Logging Creek and one opposite the mouth of Starvation Creek. He would make no esti- mate of the number of moose occupying this region, as, even with his intimate knowledge of their range for many years, such an esti- mate would be a mere guess; but, from what he and other guides and rangers and other residents of the country have told me, it seems sate to place the probable. number in the park at several hun- dred individuals. In 1895 I was told that moose were then more numerous in the park than elk. Two had been killed that spring near St. Mary Lake and others were reported in. the valleys west of Upper St. Mary and Red Eagle Lakes. At Summit Station I was told by a man who had been there for several years, and had hunted and trapped in the country now included in Glacier Park, that moose were common in the north- ern part of the region, but were being rapidly destroyed by trappers for bear bait. He estimated that for 100 bear that he had known to be caught in that region no less than 500 moose and elk had been shot for bait, and of these more moose than elk. He acknowledged that he and his partner during one spring’s trapping had: killed about 70 moose and elk for bait. While it is to.be hoped that this practice has been greatly lessened in recent years, it is common knowledge that bear trapping generally is a serious menace to the large game of any region. The moose are evidently increasing in the park at present and are spreading to other valleys where they were. formerly numerous. The great extent of dense forest, containing lakes, marshes, and wil- low thickets, constitutes ideal moose range over a large part of the park, where many thousands of the animals could range at will without interfering with other kinds of game. American Ex; Wapriri: Cervus canadensis canadensis Erxle- ben.—A_ few elk are still found along the east slope of the Glacier Park, but they are scarce, shy, and widely scattered in small bunches. Early in the spring of 1917 nine were reported killed by the Indians where they had been forced down by the heavy snows. In July I found fresh tracks in the timber near Two Medicine Lake and a few tracks in Roes Basin north of St. Mary Lake, and learned that a few elk were reported around Red Eagle Lake the previous fall. Donald Stevenson reported eight seen at the salt lick near Upper St. Mary Lake in 1912, and a few on Swiftcurrent Creek in 1915. In August. 1917, I found old winter elk sign on the warm slopes of Belly River valley near the park boundary, where a few elk had lived during one of the preceding winters. In all, there may be 50 elk along the east slope of the park, and it is doubtful if they are holding their own against the severe climate and the necessity of coming down on to the Indian Reservation in winter, where they are unprotected. On the MAMMALS. 38 west slope of the park there are a few elk along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River from Little St. Mary Creek southward, where they occupy the high valleys and ridges during summer and the lower warm slopes in winter. In the spring of 1918 about 500 were reported as having wintered on the slopes of Double and Rampage Mountains and in Park Creek valley. The main elk range of this region, how- ever, lies south of the park along Big River and the South Fork of the Flathead River, and some of these animals undoubtedly wander through the park at times. The southern and eastern part of Glacier Park contains much ideal elk range, and if suitable wintering grounds could be provided where the animals would be safe from molestation their numbers would undoubtedly increase until the country would become well stocked. Fic. 3.—A five-point bull elk in early winter. Mute Derr: Odocoileus hemionus hemionus (Rafinesque).—The Rocky Mountain mule deer are readily distinguished at all ages from the smaller white-tail deer by their very large ears, small, white tail with black tip, and conspicuous white rump patch, and the old bucks by their forked antlers. They generally average considerably larger than the white-tails, but size is not a safe distinguishing char- acter. It is important to distinguish them, for a few of each are found on both slopes, although the mule deer keep for the most part to the east and the white-tails to the west slope, and both range into the high mountains in summer, when they may be found close to- gether. In July, 1917, mule deer were seen at the lower and upper ends of St. Mary Lake, at McDermott Lake, and along the Swift- 34 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. current River; and in August their tracks were common along Ken- nedy Creek, Belly River, and in the Waterton Lake valley. Most of those seen were does and fawns, and close to the buildings at Sun Chalet an old doe and her spotted fawn were seen almost every day, up to July 25. During July and August many tracks and a few old bucks were seen near timberline along the crest of the range. At Granite Park, July 18, five bucks in red summer pelage, with velvet-covered horns were seen together. A buck with horns in the velvet was several times seen near Piegan Pass in the upper edge of the Hudsonian Zone, and fresh tracks were seen near the Blackfeet Glacier and in many other of the high sections, but the tracks do not usually distinguish the species. Generally, in midsummer, the bucks are at the upper edge of timber, where troublesome flies and mosquitoes are swept away by the wind, while the does hide their fawns in the deep woods and thickets of the lower levels and depend on the dense cover and water for protection from insect pests. There is much shifting back and forth as the deer are disturbed, and their tracks often show along the trails for consid- erable distances. During the year there is also a well-defined migra- tion from the high-up range of the bucks in summer down to the sieor Steep, warm slopes of the lower Fic. 4.—Head of mule deer killed on valley sides in winter. At the Pe Sete Leta ae lower end of Waterton Lake 75 or forked antlers, large ears, and- strongly 100 mule deer were estimated last contrasted face markings. : winter to be along the warm rocky slopes. Considerable numbers are said to winter along the warm slopes of Swiftcurrent and St. Mary Lake valleys, where bare slopes may usually be found and where browse and winter food are abun- dant. Some drift out of the park and are killed, but apparently the deer are steadily increasing with the protection afforded them by the park rangers. With the abundance of choice food and favor- able wintering grounds many thousands of deer could occupy these slopes, instead of the few hundred now to be found, but with the present numbers of the large timber-inhabiting coyotes, which are constantly prowling for fawns, there can be no rapid increase of such game animals. Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE VI. B16033 FIG. 1.—MULE DEER BUCK IN SHORT SUMMER RED COAT AND VELVET HORNS, YELLOWSTONE PARK. Photo. by Norman J. McClintock. 1020M FIG. 2—MULE DEER GATHER ABOUT FORT YELLOWSTONE TO BE FED IN WINTER AND BECOME VERY TAME, Wild Animals Glacier Park, PLATE VII. B16577 FIG. 1.—WHITE-TAIL BUCK AND DOE AND FAWN IN SUMMER RED COATS. TAME DEER CAPTURED NEAR WILLISTON, N. DAK. aN Photo. by Albert Schlechten. FIG. 2.—WHITE-TAIL DOE IN LONG GRAY WINTER COAT, IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. MAMMALS. 85 Western Wurre-rain Derr: Odocoileus virginianus macrourus (Rafinesque).—These small, graceful yellow deer are readily distin- guished from the larger mule deer by their long, bushy tails, which show white only when raised, by their small ears, and in the bucks by horns with a single beam and upright prongs. The white rump patch of the mule deer is lacking, but in running the tail of the white-tail is thrown up and the long, white hairs are spread at will, making an enormous fan-shaped flag that is far more conspicu- ous than the white rump patch of the mule deer. White-tails are abundant on the whole west slope of the park but are rarely found in the valleys of the east slope. Their favorite haunts are the mead- ows, thickets, and deep forests, but in summer a few, especially the old bucks, range high up in the open’ areas near timberline. The stream banks, lake shores, and little meadows are their favorite feeding grounds, but their beds are found in dense thickets or the deep woods in summer, and their slender tracks dot the margins of every pool and stream and beach throughout this wonderful forested area. Their numbers will never be known, but, judging’ from the abundance of tracks and the extent of the range, they must run into the thou- sands. If their enemies, the coy- , otes and mountain lions, could 18500 be Kept down, their increase Tig, tHe of wmetall det et Be would be sor rapid that a great beam antlers, small ears, and obscure overflow: into surrounding areas Ce. would inevitably take place. Even in their present abundance they are often seen along the trails and near the hotels and camps in summer. At Granite Park they are common, and in crossing Kootenai Pass from Waterton Lake to Granite Park we saw above timberline near the summit of the pass on the western spur of Cathedral Peak, or what the guides call Flat Top Mountain (not the Flat Top of the map), a beautiful bunch of three bucks and a yearling. They were lying in the shade of rock shelves on the cold slope when first seen at 2 p. m., and allowed the saddle and pack horses to come close up before they spread their great white tails and loped over the ridge ahead of us. They showed very little fear and much curiosity, and would lope a little way in advance and wait 86 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. for us to come up, watching curiously, undecided whether to run or stand their ground. While standing watching us they kept raising and spreading their tails and occasionally waving them fiom side to side, like signal flags. A yearling was especially active in waving its tail, often switching it rapidly from side to side through a full half circle. When the tail was raised and the long lateral white hairs thrown open on each side at right angles to the shaft, a huge white fan, fully a foot wide and a foot and a half high, was produced. This, set above the white hams and belly, screened most of the body color of the deer and explains what seems to be an incomprehensible expanse of white that, as the deer bound away through the brush and woods in great curving leaps, shows one huge flash after another, as if the animals had no other color than white. As they stop and stand with drooping tail the white is practically all concealed and the uni- form yellow-brown of summer or light gray of winter renders them inconspicuous, and in slight shadows often invisible. With these deer, directive and protective coloration is often more strongly em- phasized than in the antelope, which are usually considered the best illustration of the law of directive coloration. White-tail deer are social, often running in family parties of an old doe and her two fawns or larger parties of sometimes a dozen individuals. In winter they are even more gregarious and in times of deep snow often yard to some extent, keeping their trails well packed so that free access to moss and browse and bushes insures ample food for the severest weather, In August they were feeding on the low plants of the Hudsonian Zone meadows and slopes, but I could not determine the actual species of plants selected for food. One old doe seemed to be nib- bling at the beds of moss in a little alpine meadow, but she may have been selecting tiny saxifrages or heather or even the low sedges that grow among the white mossy cushions. As elsewhere, their food probably consists mainly of buds, leaves, and browse of a great variety of bushes, with seeds, flowers, and delicate tips of tender plants. In winter the deer are said to feed on the lichens that hang from the low branches in the deep woods, and on the twigs of hem- lock, birch, and other trees, together with a great variety of shrubs. Outside of the park the chief enemies of white-tail deer are bear trappers, hunters, and the predatory animals, while in the park the coyote and mountain lon are practically the only check on their increase. The coyote droppings along the trails on the west slope were composed mainly of deer hair, and as coyotes are numerous in the timber and up the mountain sides, their destruction of both fawns and grown deer is of serious consequence. That they do not confine their killing to fawns is shown by an instance observed just west of the park by W. C. Gird, one of the best-ktiown park guides. PROPFATY ~ Ae aes ee MAMMALS. 37 A coyote following a four-point buck was several times charged by it and driven away, until finally another coyote joined the first and together they quickly caught and killed the buck before Gird could reach them on his horse. A few mountain lions in the park range mainly on the west slope, where the deer are most abundant and form their principal prey. The control of such predatory species is neces- sary to a good supply of game, even in a region so favorable to game animals as the Glacier Park. Order RODENTIA: Gnawing Animals. Family SCIURIDZ: Squirrels, Chipmunks, Woodchucks, ete. Ricwarpson Pine Saurrret: Scturus hudsonicus richardsoni Bachman.—The only tree squirrels in the park are the little dark- red, bushy-tailed pine squirrels which are abundant throughout the length and breadth of its timbered areas. Through the breeding sea- son of spring and early summer they are quiet and inconspicuous, but late in summer, in autumn, and in winter they are busy, noisy, and much in evidence. As soon as the young are old enough to be out of the nest and take care of themselves their cheery call note—a long, high-pitched, vibrant cherrrrrrrrrr—is heard all through the woods, most frequently in the early morning, but sometimes throughout their daylight working hours. The Canadian Zone coniferous forest is their home, but occasionally they are found a little below its edges on the eastern slope and slightly into the yellow-pine Transition of the Flathead Valley and also up into the edge of the dwarf timber of the Hudsonian Zone. The overlapping, however, is not more than is usual for a species which fully occupies its zone and scatters out slightly at the edges. The lodgepole pine, more fully than any other tree, marks their full range and furnishes board and lodging for more of their numbers than does any other tree, although every conifer contributes more or less to their food supply. Their nests are placed indifferently in the branches of Douglas or Engelmann spruce, the various pines, balsam, hemlock, tamarack, or cedar. Before the seeds are fully matured in the cones they begin to serve. as food for the squirrels, and when well ripened the cones are cut from pine, spruce, and fir trees in such numbers that the woods often re- sound with their steady thumping on ground and logs. During au- tumn great numbers of cones are cut off and stored in little pockets or holes in the ground, under logs, rocks, or brush heaps, or in the piles of old cone scales at the base of feeding trees, where they can be readily found under the deep snows of winter. The long cones of the moun- tain white pine are cut off and dragged into piles for winter food or eaten on the ground, as they are too heavy to be held and eaten on the branch of a tree. The big nutlike seeds of the scrubby white-barked ClCT=13: RON PA ite 38 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. pine near timberline are a favorite food wherever they can be ob- tained. The little hard cones of the lodgepole pine, with their small seeds, mean hard work for small returns, but they are always abun- dant and are easily held in the hands and eaten nutlike on the branch of the tree. The small spruce, balsam, hemlock, and tamarack cones are usually well filled with rich, oily seeds which are eagerly sought by the squirrels, unless larger and more desirable seeds are available. As there are no real nuts in the country the cones are stored for winter, and the ample stores usually last the squirrels until the next fall’s crop is ripe. In summer many mushrooms and some green plants are eaten, and mushrooms are tucked away in dry places or under the bark or on branches of the trees, where they become well dried for winter food. Late in winter the squirrels evidently feel the need of green food, as they often cut the tips from pine branches and eat the inner bark of the twigs just back of the tips. Some seeds and berries also are eaten in summer, and the squirrels occasionally gather around the camps and hotels for scattered grain, crumbs, and scraps of such food as bread, butter, and bacon. Each squirrel has its own hunting and storing ground where its winter supplies are gathered and hoarded, and woe to any other squirrel that invades its territory after the storing is begun. Owing to the necessity of each squirrel’s providing for its own needs in this manner, the animals become solitary to a great extent, but indulge their social instincts by loudly calling back and forth while at work. In winter they scamper over the. crusted snow in great glee and in evident enjoyment of the cold weather and the deep snow through which they burrow to their tunnels underneath. In spring as the snow disappears their network of tunnels made over the surface of the ground is gradually exposed and disappears when no longer needed. In June the four to six young are born in the big grass nests up among the branches of the trees or in well-lined hollow trunks. For a long time they are naked and helpless, and apparently they do not usually come out of the nests as half-grown squirrels until the latter part of July. They are carefully watched and nursed and fed by the mother squirrel until they have learned the ways of the woods, and by the latter part of August have scattered out, each storing his own winter supplies or all working and storing together as a family for the winter’s supply about the old parental tree. Usually the famihes do not entirely break up before the following spring. Apparently the cutting of cones and branch tips has no injurious effect upon the forest, and the storing of cones aids in planting and distributing tree growth. The stores of cones are often used by the foresters as the best source of seed supply where tree seeds are being MAMMALS. 39 gathered. Fortunately for the squirrels they have neither incurred the enmity of man nor are they in danger through their value for fur orasgame. Their natural enemies—hawks, owls, foxes, cats, and martens—are not sufficiently numerous to keep their numbers down below the normal, and they are likely to remain as permanent resi- dents of the forests. They are easily tamed and make interesting and attractive pets, whether in captivity or coming only for food to the camps and hotels. Fryine Squirret: Glaucomys sabrinus latipes Howell.—This very large, dark-colored flying squirrel is common throughout most of the timbered area of the Glacier Park, but seems to be most abundant on the west slope and at the lower levels. There are no specimens on record from within the park boundaries, but one that I took in 1895 at Nyack, just across the river from the park, is referred by Howell to Glaucomys sabrinus latipes. Another specimen taken at Paola proves to be nearer the slightly smaller and paler @. s. bangsi, which not improbably occupies the higher levels and possibly the eastern slope of the park, as it is more closely related to the northern Glaucomys sabrinus. Flying squirrels are so strictly nocturnal, so soft and owl-like in their structure and habits, that they are not often seen except by the naturalist-collector or the professional trapper. They may be com- mon about camps in the deep woods every night, but with their furry feet and softly furred monoplane membranes they glide from tree to tree so noiselessly that they are rarely seen. The collector usually gets his specimens in traps set on logs or stumps in the woods or about some old camp ground or in deserted cabins, where the squir- rels come to pick up scattered scraps of food. The trapper finds them frequently in his marten traps set out through the heavy forests and baited with meat, birds, rabbits, or squirrels. The flying squirrels probably get into the traps through curiosity rather than because of a carnivorous taste, and then serve their turn as an attractive bait for the martens. Some trappers have reported dozens and others hundreds of flying squirrels caught on their winter’s trap line through this region. The animals are unsuspicious and easily caught in box traps set in the woods, and in this way could be made available for examination and study, but otherwise the only possibility of their being seen by tourists and the visiting public is by awakening them in their nests during the daytime with blows of ax or club on the hollow trees in which they sleep. Large woodpecker nest cavities in trees are favorite homes for the flying squirrels, but any hollow trunk with a small opening answers their purpose, and it is probable that, like other species, they build the outside nests of grass, moss, and bark fibers on the branches much as do the pine squirrels. In the soft-lined and well- 40 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. protected nests the four to six young are born and nursed by the mother until old enough to come out and gather their own food at night. With their big black eyes, soft fur, and rounded heads they are almost owl-like in appearance as well as habits, and if taken while young become very tame and make delightful pets. They are active all winter, and become so densely furred that the cold has no terrors for them, even at night when it is most bitter. No matter how deep the snow, they travel freely from tree to tree gathering their food from the seeds of conifers or from the stores of cones cut off in autumn and put away where they can be found under the deep snow, Occasionally a track is seen where one has dropped with widespread feet upon the snow in the middle of an open space, either to burrow B2lgm Fic. 6.—No. 1, Yellow-bellied chipmunk; No. 2, pale 13-lined ground squirrel; No. 3, mantled ground squirrel. Skins from study series in United States National Museum collection. down to the ground and come out at some distant place or to lope over the surface of the snow to the nearest tree or stump or log, where food is to be found. They seem to be even more omnivorous than most squirrels, and besides eating a wide variety of seeds they are fond of almost any camp provisions, including biscuits, crackers, prunes, raisins, rolled oats, or scraps of bacon and other meat. YELLOW-BELLIED CuripMuNK: Lutamias luteiventris (Allen).—The yellow-bellied chipmunk is the middle sized of the three species inhab- iting the Glacier Park, and while all have the many-striped back, this is the only one with the yellow extending across the belly in a way to give it its common name. Only when they sit up is this character shown, however, and as they scamper over the ground it is not always easy to tell one species from another. MAMMALS. 41 These are the abundant chipmunks around the hotels and camps and along the trails in the lower levels of both slopes of the park. Their principal range is along the lower edge of the timbered slopes, but in many places where the conditions are especially favorable it extends up on open slopes nearly to timberline. At Glacier Station they were common along the creek from the hotel well up the side of the mountain. A few were seen on Two Medicine Lake and at the lower end and along the north side of St. Mary Lake. They were common in the Swiftcurrent Valley, along Kennedy Creek, in the Belly River valley, and at the Waterton Lakes, where, in 1874, the type was collected by Dr. Elliot Coues; also on the west- slope around Lake McDonald, at Belton, and in the North Fork Valley. They rarely climb trees and much prefer logs and stumps and brush patches, shde rock, or such cover as they can find about. the camps and hotels. Their homes are underground, among rocks, or in hollow logs, and they rarely go far from their burrows or from retreats into which they can quickly escape their numerous enemies. At Many Glacier Hotel sev- eral were in the habit of coming for scattered crumbs to the kitchen door, and for oats to the place where horses were being fed. They had become so tame that they would take food from the hands of some of the employees with whom they became friendly, but occasionally were scared away by some one foolishly trying to catch them. It was a source of daily interest to watch them come for food and fill their cheek pouches until they bulged ont on both sides, then rush away to a burrow under some rock, where the pockets were emptied into their winter storehouse. They were easily photographed at 4 or 6 feet from the camera, but their motions are so quick that usually only snapshots are possible. As a chipmunk gathers the scattered oats around a feed box he shells each seed as it is held between his thumbs and in a twinkling tucks it into a pocket and goes after another. The pockets grow rapidly in size as the animal works, and often in a space of five min- utes they will contain a good load for the granary. The chipmunks are strictly diurnal in habits, and though industrious do not observe union hours. They work from sunrise to sunset, with a long siesta at noontime. From midsummer until the snows cover their food plants they work with great energy, and the stores of seeds, grain, and nutlets which they lay away are evidently ample to carry them through the long cold winter. They do not become: excessively fat in autumn and no one knows whether they really hibernate in their underground dens or whether they merely doze and sleep and eat in their warm nests under the deep snow. The first light snow does not drive them into their dens, but after it becomes deep and the weather is cold they are not seen, and remain hidden until the. warm days of April begin to bring bare spots on the hillsides. 51140°—18-——4 42 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. The five or six young are born late in May or early in June. By the first of July they are out playing and learning the ways of chip- munk world, and by August they, too, are busy storing away winter supplies. Occasionally in their eager search for food they appro- priate camp supplies not intended for them, but in:most cases they are welcome visitors to camp, and their spritely ways and cheery chipper along the trails add one more bright and attractive phase to the animal life of the park. Forest Cuipmunn : Lutamias umbrinus felix (Rhoads).—These large, bushy-tailed, white-bellied chipmunks are readily distin- guished from the yellow-bellied by their slightly larger size and richer colors, in strong contrast to their pure white bellies. Mainly forest dwellers, they climb trees readily, and if frightened often go up a tree instead of down into the ground. Their voices also are sharper, more shrill, and birdlike, both. in their slow chip! chip! chip! and in their rapid and sometimes frantic chipper of alarm. They are not abundant and are seen ouly occasionally, generally in the Canadian Zone forest of the middle slopes of the park. In 1895 specimens were collected along the south side of St. Mary Lake, and others were taken at. Summit and Paola. In 1917 one was found living among the ruins of the old chalet at the. lower end of Gun- sight Lake, but even in this mass of ruins when alarmed it took refuge in a spruce tree near by. Forest chipmunks seem less friendly than the abundant little yellow-bellied species, but this is doubtless due to their scarcity and lack of frequently coming in touch with people. The.four or five young are born in June, and the same cycle of breeding, storing food, and sleeping through the long winters is gone through each year. Lirtte Mountain Curipmunk: Hutamias oreocetes Merriam.— This tiny chipmunk, pale-yellowish with pure white belly, is appar- ently common at timberline along the crest of the range throughout the park. The type specimen was collected in 1895, at 7,500 feet, on the high ridge, north of Summit Station on the Great Northern Railroad, and in 1917 two more were taken in Piegan Pass at 7,400 feet altitude, and others were seen in Gunsight Pass at 7,500 feet. All of those collected and others seen have been at or near the ex- treme upper limit of dwarf tree growth or on slopes several hundred feet above. They are usually found among the rocks, scampering over them like tiny nervous sprites, never still for a moment, flashing from one stone or little alpine plant to another, or dashing in and out among rocks or under prostrate branches of dwarfed trees. In Piegan Pass I followed one for some distance as it ran over the rocks. apparently with some distant object in view, until it came to a little creek that emerged from under a great snow bank. It quickly dis- MAMMALS, 43 appeared over the edge of the rocks down into the cavern, where the water was roaring, and, after getting a drink, flashed back and out over the great snow field; others were seen sitting on the tips of some sharp peaks of rock, flipping their slender tails and uttering a weak little chip! chip! chip! When startled in the trails where they were hunting for scattered grain they would rush away to the rocks with a fine rapid chipper that corresponded well with their diminutive size and sparklike motions. They were eagerly collecting seeds from some of the tiny alpine plants, and in Piegan Pass one taken for a specimen had filled its cheek pouches with crumbs of bread from the lunches of passing tourists. On August 3 the young of the year were nearly full grown and were as busy as their parents in search of seeds. In their high alpine world the summers are short, and for about nine months of each year they are buried deep under the snow. They do not become fat in autumn, and it is doubtful if they hiber- nate to the full extent that the ground squirrels do. Thus they have to work fast to obtain the large supply of seeds needed to carry them through the winter. As grains of oats scattered along the trails by the horses are eagerly sought by them, tourists may look for them wherever the trails cross'the highest passes in the park. Mantiep Grounp Saqutrret: Callospermophilus lateralis cinera- scens (Merriam).—Mantled ground squirrels are generally spoken of as large chipmunks, which they somewhat resemble in the heavy black and buffy side stripes, moderately bushy tails, and bright brown or grayish brown: heads and shoulders, but they are more like the ground squirrels in having heavy bodies, rather short ears, and the burrowing habits of true ground squirrels. In structure they are somewhat intermediate between the two groups and are well placed in.a genus by themselves. While generally distributed over the whole Glacier Park region, they are usually not numerous. In 1895 a. specimen was taken at Summit on the railroad, a few: at St. Mary Lake, and others were seen on Flat Top Mountain north of the lake; and in 1917 they were found at Sun Camp on St. Mary Lake, in Gunsight Pass, Piegan Pass, at Many Glacier, and about Waterton Lake. They are generally seen about the hotels or camps where,coming for scattered grain and crumbs, they soon become very tame. At Many Glacier Hotel one was in the habit of coming daily to the kitchen door and to the place where saddle horses were hitched to the trees and occasionally fed oats, and he would take food from the hands of several of the employees who had cultivated his acquaintance. To the children especially, one of the interesting features of the day was to watch him filling his capacious cheek pouches with crumbs, peanuts, or grain, until they bulged out on both sides of his neck, before he scampered away to unload his stores into an underground chamber in 44 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. the slope above the hotel. One came to a. feed box below. the hotel near the edge of the lake, and another could usually be found on the rocks near the chalet or along the canyon walls above the waterfall where the river leaves the lake. They also were so tame that their pictures could be taken at.a distance of only 4 or 6 feet from the camera,and often in very pretty attitudes as they sat on the rocks or squatted, on their heels’ shelling the oats before putting them in their cheek pouches. At the north end of Waterton Lake two were in the habit of coming to a'place where horses had been fed on the ground, and on several occasions I was able to secure photographs. As I sat on the ground with the camera open they would feed all around me with very little sign of alarm, and one gave beautiful illustrations of muscular control of its tail. While sitting up watching me it would often spread the tail to full width by drawing the skin for- ward on each side until every hair stood out at right angles to the axis, giving the tail a width of about an inch and a. half instead of the usual half inch. It would thus spread and then close the hairs slowly, just as a ruffed grouse often spreads and closes the tail as it struts through the woods. I could not be sure whether the motion was due to fear or surprise or a wish to puff itself up and frighten me or another intruder of its own species away, or whether it was merely a vain display of its beautiful plume. Fortunately one of my photographs showed this one’s tail partially spread, its width strongly contrasted with that of another individual in the same snap- shot. It soon became accustomed to my presence, and would pay no attention to me while busily filling its cheek pouches with oats which had been scattered on the ground ‘by the horses. Its nose was run rapidly over the surface of the ground until an oat was discovered and quickly picked up in the teeth, and in about three motions as quick as a flash the hull was removed and the kernel tucked into a cheek pouch. Sometimes the grain was held in one hand and grasped between the fingers and the palm as the animal sat up on its heels, but generally it was held between the two thumbs to be shelled. The squirrels work so rapidly that in a few minutes the cheek pouches begin to bulge, and in 10 or 15 minutes are puffed out like a bad case of mumps, and then the animals run away and a little later return with pockets empty. In Gunsight and Piegan Passes they were seen on the rocks near extreme timberline, where they were gathering seeds from the little wild plants and gleaning a few scattered oats along the horse trails. They are generally found near rocks, old logs, or other secure cover under which they burrow and make their winter homes. They rarely climb trees, although in emergency they can climb to escape from danger. They are quiet little animals, not so quick and nervous as the chipmunks and generally silent. On rare Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE VIII. B17670 FIG. 1.—MANTLED GROUND SQUIRREL IN CHARACTERISTIC UPRIGHT POSITION OF WATCHFUL ALARM, WATERTON LAKE. BI7669 FIG. 2—MANTLED GROUND SQUIRRELS FEEDING ON SCATTERED OATS AT OLD CAMP ON WATERTON LAKE, THE ONE IN FOREGROUND WITH SPREAD TAIL. Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE IX. BI7642 FIG. 1.—SIDE-HILL BURROW AND MOUND OF EARTH THROWN OUT BY COLUMBIA GROUND SQUIRREL NEAR PIEGAN PASS. The burrow excavated and mapped is shown in text figure 7. Bi7649 FIG, 2.—COLUMBIA GROUND SQUIRREL AND BURROW AT McDERMOTT LAKE, JULY, 1917. MAMMALS. 45 occasions one may be heard to make a long shrill squeak or whistling note, but this is so rare that few people ever notice it. The five or six young are born in May or June and by August are well grown and caring for themselves. Like the ground squirrels and unlike the chipmunks, they become extremely fat during the summer, and before the cold weather begins they enter their warm underground’ nests, where apparently they hibernate for the long winter period, or from September to April. Just when the winter’s stores of seeds and grain are eaten is not. definitely known, but they are probably intended to tide the sleepers over the beginning and end of their hibernation period, when food is scarce or they are too sleepy to go after it. CoLump1a Grounpb Squirres: Citellus columbianus (Ord).—Colum- bia ground squirrels, or, as often called, picket pins, and, incorrectly, gophers, are in many places in the park the most abundant and con- spicuous mammals to be found. They are among the largest of the ground squirrels. An unusually large old male at Many Glacier weighed 14 pounds, and while not fat, was nearly twice as heavy as some of the others taken at the same place. They have short legs, short bushy tails, and short ears, and in every respect are adapted to their mode of life on the surface and under the ground. Even their coarsely mottled gray coats, with the reddish-brown nose and throat, lowerparts, and hams, are protectively imitetive of the colors of the ground. They occupy practically all of the open country along the lower borders of the park and throughout the Hudsonian Zone, but do not enter the heavily timbered areas. At Glacier Station they were com- mon along the creek valleys, and in Swiftcurrent Valley they ere abundant from the Sherburne Lakes west to McDermott Lake, and thence almost continuously through the open slopes and burnt strips up to Iceberg Lake and Swiftcurrent Pass. None were seen in the Kennedy or Belly River valleys, but in the Waterton Lake valley they are abundant, and also in the high country around Boundary Peak, over Kootenai Pass, on Flat Top Mountain, at Granite Park, Piegan Pass, Gunsight Lake and Pass, and around the Blackfeet Glacier. On the west slope I found old burrows on the western arm of Stanton Mountain, and collected specimens on the high ridge just south of Nyack near the southern line of the park. In the North Fork Valley they were common from Camas Creek to Big Prairie, on April 15, 1918, but were not yet out on Round Prairie. The open slopes and little parks and meadows of the Hudsonian Zone are their favorite range in this region, and here they become very numerous and are generally conspicuous and noisy in the open spaces along the trails. Sometimes a dozen or more may be seen running 46 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. through the grass and flowers ahead of a party of tourists, and their loud chirping notes may be heard up and down the slopes for a long distance as they rush for their burrows and then stand erect watch- ing for danger and passing along the alarm call. They are not usually found actually above timberline, but in many places are common among the dwarfed trees only a little below, and on open slopes or in the path of avalanches or fire-swept strips they range clear through the Canadian Zone to the open areas lower down. Columbia ground squirrels are strictly ground dwellers, never climbing trees but often seen on logs: and rocks, where they sit to watch for danger. Their burrows enter the sidehills or the flat ground wherever there is sufficient soil to give room for comfortable winter quarters. About the hotels and chalets they often lve under the buildings and sit on the porches when no one is around. They gather at camp sites to pick up scraps of scattered food, and sit on the abandoned benches and tables, in places becoming very tame and confidential. Generally, however, they are wary and suspicious, for their enemies are more numerous than their friends. They are rarely found far from their burrows, and when alarmed all rush to the nearest burrow or shelter, no matter to whom it -belongs. Their little roadways lead through the grass from cne burrow to another and radiate out from the central dens into the meadows where they feed. Their call notes render them conspicuous where they would not otherwise be noticed. The first one that discovers an approaching enemy or suspicious character gives a loud churp/ which is quickly taken up by others within hearing, and soon the word has been passed along far and wide. As one walks through their meadows these notes are heard on all sides. At first the note isa loud churp! churp! churp/ at intervals of two or three seconds, repeated by each of the animals, but as the danger approaches the warning becomes more vigorous and rapid until w.th a final shriek of blended churps the nearest animal disappears down its burrow and others beyond double their energy in giving the alarm. The notes vary under different conditions. When a sharp-shinned hawk came swooping over an alpine meadow the notes were especially soft and did not seem to indicate much alarm. At another time when a large hawk was cir- cling overhead their notes were shrill and almost frantic. Different tones and inflections evidently convey to them different meanings, but to what extent they use vocal communication is unknown. A quick sharp note of the mother squirrel sends the brood of young scampering down the burrow, while her softer tones only induce them to seek the edge of the burrow where they may await further in- structions. Their food consists largely of a great variety of green vegetation— leaves and buds and flowers and seeds of the mountain plants. The MAMMALS, 47 contents of their stomachs usually show a finely masticated mass of green pulp, in which fibers of roots, bulbs, and plant stems may be detected among the streaks and spots of bright-colored flower and berry stains, some particles of seed capsules, and occasionally bits of grasshoppers and other insect or animal remains. Their stomachs are large and, except early in the morning, seem always to be filled to their utmost capacity. The tender, starchy bulbs of the great dogtooth violet are one of their favorite foods and often the moun- tain sides are thickly pitted with little cavities from which the squir- rels have extracted them. Camas and onions and other small bulbs also are dug and eaten and the seed-laden heads of grasses are a favorite autumn food. Toward the close of the season the squirrels find more ripening seeds and these form a greater share of their food than earlher. Consequently at this season they are taking on the necessary winter’s fat more rapidly and their appetites and capacity seem to know no bounds. Usually four to six young are born early in May in the warm grassy nests underground, and early in June these are beginning to appear outside the burrows, where they play about in interesting little family groups. A month later they are half-grown, getting their own food from the green plants, flowers, berries, and insects, and are growing rapidly. By the first of September they are nearly full-grown, and even the young have accumulated a considerable quantity of fat inside their skins for winter fuel. The old males are the first to become very fat and hibernate, and, strange to say, those at the lower levels hibernate considerably earher than those high up in the mountains, apparently because they have had more time to accumulate their store of fat. The old females are next to disappear, and last of all the later broods of young which were still busily gathering food near timberline up to August 24, long after most of the animals had disappeared from the surface in the low valleys. In their big warm nests deep underground they sleep through the long winter, apparently without waking, as no food is stored for winter use and they must depend entirely on their supply of fat. Early in April they begin to reappear in the lower part of their range, but it is probable that they are considerably later in emerging from hibernation at the upper levels, which at that time are still deeply buried in snow. Their winter dens are well made and the best of them are used year after year. On July 27, at 7,000 feet altitude near Piegan Pass, I selected one of the numerous large mounds over the mountain side for a careful study of the den.