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CORNELL 
LAB of ORNITHOLOGY 


LIBRARY 


at Sapsucker Woods 
i a 


Illustration of Bank Swallow by Louis Agassiz Fuertes 


Cornell University Library 


ild animals of Glacier National Park.Th 


DATE DUE 


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CORNELL 
LAB of ORNITHOLOGY 


LIBRARY 


at Sapsucker Woods 
2s 


Illustration of Bank Swallow by Louis Agassiz Fuertes 


Laboratory of Ornithology 


159 Sapsucker Woade Road 
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR smell 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 


>= Br PERTYV) mle ew tac 
FLORENCE MERRIAM-BAILEY > C- C. C7 = 12 


Author of Handbook of Birds of the Western United Ber )\) PA. 


WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1918 


CONTENTS. 


General features governing life in Glacier National Park.................-..- 
IL, ARTO ONY eaumasotsaacads senses cunouesa sseLueuanouuls soeereeaue 
II. Life zones............. BS CRON ORE oe I DE HSA A Se ORG SR OORT ee 


THE MAMMALS. 


Order Ungulata: Hoofed animals—cattle, sheep, goats, antelope, and deer.... 
Family Bovide: Cattle, sheep, and goats........-..-..-.----------+---+ 
Bison Or Ultaloseeeee) eee aan eee Sheers ieee meme. Me Senet ne 
Mountain sheep; orbighorm. .22 222.5 ..22.5.5552 22-22 eet eeceses esse 
Mountains goat snes en ee erin Aor eee ee cere e: 
Family Antilocapride: Prong-horned antelope..................-..------ 
Prong-hormediantelopezs:sesee-e ce ete sees ete ener eens 
Family Cervidee: Moose, elk, and deer............---.---+-------2+--2+ 
ATMeTICADPINOOSE=.-/-\is.s oes eae = cleieise eine ot as eae eee eis aoe ee 
Americancel ee orgwapltitwaes snes eee Sse eeee oe eee earns 
Mined Cie sr icperses ai) ate sooner ctor setae eis iS cars cates )sleiefa oe Neel ele © ce Hee eiels 
Wes terniaw:ii tes tar lide crs sr eases mses seats eters) t se ae ee ee 
Order Rodentia: Gnawing animals. ...............-22.---2-2-222-222--22+--- 
Family Sciuride: Squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, etc................ 
Richardsonypinersquirrel’= see. eens ee se se ee 
IDibyabeyeisCputhaye| Lsewens seebaadoaeo4AOBAn RoonpSEeonecdaooBonaeaaescame 
Yellow-belliedichipmunls) 2.2222 see. 2e esse 2 3s sas- 52222 see eee see 
Inloacistitel mason itall Seon eaenes assess Ad eos aoe eee nEsese cass as ana Sasosoe 
Little mountain chipmunk..................-----+2---+---2------- 
Mantled ground/squirrelis 222 os 2 ses se oe ts eee se es 
Columbia ground squirrel..........---------+-++2-++e2ee ee eee eee eee 
Richardsom eround squirrel 22.25.2222. 22 5-2 se ee ne eae 
Stripederoundisquirrele ve.) ..2e-22-0 2-22 eeseec esas eee ease 
Glacierhoany marmot. - 255-2252. --2-22 +=. sees ss enna- sete es sce 
IBrowa wood chucks erect 1yiaacj2 seen ere tse eae ie este ey te 
Family Muride: Mice, rats, etc..--.....---.-------------+-+--+ e+e eee eee 
Gray bushy-tailed woodrat......-..-.------+---------++++-++-2+-+--- 
Forest white-footed mouse.........-.-.------++--+-++e2eeeee eee e eee 
Mountain lemming mouse.......------------+----+++--+++--++-+--++--- 
Ried=backed mouse teers lesa oe oe eevee eneietei atts art ee teers 
Large-footed meadow mouse. ...-.----------------------+-+-----+-- 
Rocky Mountain meadow mouse....-...-.-------------------------- 
Drummond meadow mouse......-----------+----+---+++-2e+--e eee eee 
Rocky Mountain muskrat.....--..-------------+--+--++-+-- Peep 


4 CONTENTS. 


Order Rodentia: Gnawing animals—Continued. Page. 
PamilyCastorid sy (Beaverst=esse esse see ere eee ee 64 
1B GAY Olena a eee ee eee Try pe eee eee ea 64 
Family Hrethizontide: Porcupines:...- 2422-222 se ee eee eee ee 66 
Wiellowshaineduporcupine fesse eee a eo eee ee ree 66 
Family: Zapodidee: Jumping (micesessssees= see) see aes a eee 69 
Rocky Mountaim jumpin pamousensseee eee ee eee 69 
Family Geomyide: Pocket gophers...-..-..-..-------+-+-+++s2+2220220-- 71 
Saskatchewan pocket; gopher: p22 scen esses sees eae sae 71 
Brown pocket gopherssss-0 2 erate eer eeate e eee ee eee eae 73 
Order Lagomorpha: Rabbitlike animals...........-.-.-- --.--+--+----------- 75 
amily: @chotonidces.Coni estes sence seer eee a ere ee eee eee 75 
(iol 1h oe AAR Rae Ene Sen Aa Va AE Paso ae SREB Goa WASRS SSE SoSeG Sak 75 
Ramily Leporida: Rabbits and haresss-—. ---2 .545525 22222 ee sae 77 
Snowshoe Tab pit wessssese eee ee sees aoe eee aera ee a eee 77 
Prairie jackerab bit goo cr yates cers are tae ate te Ses eee 78 
Order; Camnivora:; Hlesh eaters 32 os... eee Sete ae eee 79 
Mamuliyelelidse Catsiee = seep ese ee ees eee eee ee ees 79 
Mountain ony. 3.3225 se. 228s Cee eee oe nee ee ae ie) 
Camadanlymxs 5 eis ch ees) S eee eee eee See ee Oe ee 81 

BO DCAli os kes tee ness Soe ee ek Se se eI NS ere 82 
Family Canidee: Wolves and foxes. -.-...-++s.222++5s2ss:222+222222---: 82 
Gralyswoltt ss sstass soso noe oe =e eee ee eee eee a eS 82 
Northermicoyotesas. ese sc mere ere tees ae a eee eee 83 
Mountainsred (lox ess resets me er eter eer erie tee eee ts 84 
LGhEhor HOM Mila A oe Seca cer Raa Seas Ne Sas beaaw os shabe soc 85 
Family Mustelidee: Otters, martens, minks, weasels, ete........--.--.--- 85 
Otternece225 sscc ta anaes See re A eee a eee eee 85 
Mtr eee eee Men ere one EEDA am aa einen se toGh Goes 86 

SAT IZODANW. ASC IEz mere lesise s/sic el atcteteen tee Sepa eee enV eee ee 87 
ong: tailed iw easele<sa52 sera oS se oe eae eer ee ee 87 
Bonapartesweaseli- a2 asa asns sae eee ae ae eee oe eS 88 
Marten. . 5.02 <escet sss ane verges cece eee eee eaes eee seas See eee 88 
Wisher los ete soitey aes see wees car ee cee ee eR aay eS ere 90 
WOlVierine tee ena Aig eo eee creas se oe ete ere ee ee 90 
INorthernskunliy jcta-t- 2. as55- oe eine eh ieee ase eee se eee 91 

Bad gperie2 i. ct seas aaocmsaind ss 3 vee escapee See 91 

AH array ai ars close, CANS rece reeks erate a eae eee 92 
Blacksonicimmam onilb ear seers yore ate ees ae 92 
Grizz lyibearonsiliviertip ses sees eee ae eee ee ens ee 96 
Order: nsectiviora: insect eaters eas sarees ses cee a ee ee 97 
HamulyeSorieidcess shrews ayeeri-2 seas ss ae eee eee eee 97 
Water shrew .seisvcacvaccee sans sees oa ese neers oases Sere eee 97 
Dusky ishrew.ceresssssseees soe ost eee ee sees aor eee ee eee 98 
Dohsonishreweasce wince sacs ices oe see cee eee) eta ese eee re 99 
Maskediishirew:s 0 Soyjscsselens eae oes ory ee ee Sere Sere See eS 100 
Order Chiroptera: Winged mammals............-.......-2-2-2.-2..++--+-+---- 100 
ama yavies enti bionic ae gB its ee yeee tore sae ne oer tet ce eee 100 
Mono-leeved ‘batie vss sas. sneer er ee ae ea ere 100 
rowan Dat srs urdsi esse arses, Ses a eter aes eye oe ee 101 
Sullivex=traiur e cll ly eutieeeye eee rereereve Sree ee eee ce 101 


CONTENTS. 


THE BIRDS. 


DmibnO cu Clon yenaee seme eta Oe ee er espera hee ae Ree ey ene ae oe ee 
I. Itinerary and acknowledgments.................------2------20-005 

II. Where the summer birds may be found..................-.-.2---2--- 
Birds of the lower levels.....2....222.--22-2-2252-2--2:+eeseeess 

Birds of the middle regions.................-..---- See Se See ae 

Birds: otithethigherresions:. 242.220.3222 n ee ees yee e sce: 

III. Permanent residents and transient visitants................-.------- 

IV. Key to the commoner summer birds................-------2--2+-00- 
Ordembyeopodes:sDivine birds sreessa cata eee ee nee ae ences 
Inehaad hye (Cho) hiaaall esol: (Chel overs oigaececaacn a denacoseeenecHsscnosveaaeneer 
Western rere le taaaene Monee eens a an ee tare ae ered rer nae ase tN ee 

oli call fone cea sete rn vem ene tera epee ye ns, ues 

lor edtere betwee ses see eet eee ree ye ery ne See ee 

IDehues | Ni. 243 snabheecasts sds teeesnan oenssdsnsucemetasseoeensee ne 


Order Longipennes: Long-winged swimmers..................----------2-e-0e 
Hamlyalbarrd sees Gullstamd terms 22. ser 22 22 ese a 226 sass acescee 
@alaionnd anor] ee nsrrepeet eee eave omen Aare vee, mon ee ee one i am 

Ramee bile cl orl een rereyers sete eee een ee ayer eee ee ees 

Bona parte cull bereee mre icie ber n er nee eer reir eras. 2 
Morsterktern eer ar teet errr teen ee rr e eer re ty (ee ey eee 


amuillyarhelecamiddsebelicanstssss see soe 2s ee aes eee 
Wilt tespelicam Seman sssa = tense a Saas ss See kee eee Se anes 
Order Anseres: Lamellirostral swimmers................-----------------++0- 


Hooded timergansetzestns ssc se eine sae ae ey he eee ae eee 
Mia air ee er om creer aaa oe cet nrc ae Sete ea nS Reet vee yes 
(Cave Gal eet aee anata ben arn ee ai See era ie ese era eae renee ie ees 
ISMIGHOP 4 scene bina beeoe elas tncencaponod Hanae nenaA nb oecoND OSS oRene 
Green-winceduteal essere ase nnn ns Sse Nene Seer on wees oe 
Blue-winged teal.............2--2-2..---.-- Be SE ear py ey eae eee 
inmamongitenl Seep scree seer erie ie ee eee eee a ere 
oes ocatcocomeuwcsed sé one GlmNnads COeN PE beeB oad aA Saeeoenene 
Bam ail ee ee eet aren pear ae a pte isctia re eee ceo Ge cee eye aalen 
Wioodliduck tlee ser ce cer seu se eters eens Se cee cea eine cee terete 
TRUE aooaehahanedde tm Hees Phere Rae ee Aa Re snore ARE 
(CRASH Cl = soe oncauecbenas hau coosHOdne ememneooe snub yEGucoddede 
SiGaitey CHIC eusscepoeremenh anaes cossadanacmamecabaaaanqubteoads 
essemseaup ducks) os cnesmes see ee sess sere see ere ee ese 
Len bareeraverel eer |AeNUCl Sas os oon Seepooseeacusuoros eseaadeogasdeseconSEEse 
Barrowaeolden-ey Cun sseser sete terete ans ete eee ee eet cele terete 
TES Uhl Ty eal leet teeters ery cores ep lPereterarmie re eleteyerayafetetn -teteies 
TEC iN CHC nc: conogecccenmeaneuaesess ode nesteaSaacs GosbauSAbs 
lWilttte=wiln ve dis CoLer meer meee see ere ete sire ete nee eee eels 
TRIG Oy CHIE aa oiaed obou se ob oesees nae ase ooacmaoHosSsocebenad so5nE 
SiHVONY OOM cecaahesassaccostHhouceccceccssenes onduasEneEpos Gedapo 


6 CONTENTS. 


Order Anseres: Lamellirostral swimmers—Continued. 
Family Anatide: Ducks, geese, and swans—Continued. 
ROSS! OOSC Rae se ee eave Nee ee aS e Ie CR os ee ye 
Catada GOs ssa caret cee oe sae eee Ney ee pene tne RT 
Wi lnis time ts yea vasveccre tes ere ay Stayt eerste eke ere eee ae per een 
Trumpeter sSwalwaseesocs eee aaa eines eee Bona Ae 
Order Herodiones: Herons, bitterns, etc...........----.222-----202-2-2--2-22+5 
Family Ardeide: Herons, bitterns, etc..............----2-+-+-------2----- 
Bittern Se oA eee rene oor hee rs oe a eee eee eee 


Order’ Paludicolze:Cranessrails) ete:.7.2.---- 22-2 ae oe eee eee 
Mamulys Gruirdee :) Cranes ee. e.eets  Oer e r ee eee ee eres 
Samdbhillicramenetee.ea 2 jocceeee sos Saece ee ee seerae tees eee 
RamilyiRallide: Rails cootsvetCass 2s ssssee eee ee eee ye nee 
Sora tail ye. 26 sigs 22s ake Seas sone ee ee ene carson eae oe ene ee 

5 Ofa 10) mene eters ote Ae Pay ee le ae AoA a NAME sich ac eka aoe 

Order Mimicoles:sShorebitds :- 252 2sc-co2 te nee ee eee nee 
Family Phalaropodide: Phalaropes..................------------------- 
Northermuphalatope ences. 282s ee eee eee ere eee ee a eas 

Family Recurvirostridee: Avocets, etc............--..--22--222+-22+--2-- 
ANVOCEb sa ccccnc ata oe ote oes sees Bs eee ee cree eres pee eee 

Family Scolopacide: Snipe, sandpipers, etc. ..............--.---------- 
Wallsomjemip ete ec). cesae os se Becca ei een eas ate Se oe eee ee 
Pectoralisandpipertsec secre eee = ae eee ee 
Greatersyellowclegste 5 os eynce pcp eee ey ae ees 
Western solitary Sand piperas. sass so ose eee ee ae eee 

Uppland! lowers: see cose eee sa aes ee ee ee ee ee eee 

Spotted (sandpiperte- cr sree esse ee eee ee ee eee 
@anadianteutlewmr creck ee ees eee eee eee eee 

amily Charadmidse sb lovers: 1022 ss= 192 ae eee eee 
Black-bellied plover... ---.-2: J...2 +422 ss2-2nssecee ess Ses see eae 
Killdeer: sos sshacce acest ta fan to oats oor ees Ce a ern eee ree 

Order Gallinz: Gallinaceous birds. ..............--2-2-+-+---2-22-2-2---------- 
Family Odontophoride: Bob-whites, ete. ..........-...-.-2.-2--2--2--- 
Bobzwhite Sas = 24 occ coca cites cere ere eee pee re 

Family Tetraonide: Grouse, ptarmigan, etc..........-....--.-2--2...--. 
Richardsonierousemeree eer eee Ce ene ee eee eee 
ramkelimyorouse pecs sr ser errr eet ee ee ee eee ey eer 

Gray Tutled! erouse-ea-e esses os see eee eee eee eee eee 
Southern white-tailed ptarmigan.................-..222----222..----- 
Columbian sharp-tailed grouse .........---...-2+.2..222.9222¢22202- 

Order ColumbsessPic cons eee sees eee eee ee eee ee 
Pamiliye Columibid se: Pig Ons ssa se eee epee eee ee nee 
Wresternend o uri idl Oversea ae eee ere ee eee 
OrderJRaptores *Bindsiaisprey cemeteries eee ert ee ie eee 
PamulyaC@athartides-@: Vil iirestesss sees eee ee 
Murkeyavallturesssss access sas aa eee eae eee See ees 

Family Buteonide: Hawks, eagles, etc.............--2..--2----2+-+----- 
Marshy halos ooo sets eer reer eeie ee ee ee eee ee cet eer eee 
Sieg ous Net! ME esscscancceseda ose nsnsuassesesrussossdeosagsb nc 
Coopemhawk. oic.2.2. ecw tte ntee nae sabes eee Seek ERE eee ae eee 
Western poshawk: ac)cec) ac ousoc cee terse fae eee eros teers eee 
Western red stalls. 2 fo.) x aciye de ceranen cree tee ee eee ere ee ere eee 
Swainson hawk. 1 St Avs. sense se eee eer eee eer ee eee 
Squirrel haw kepreyeetelera eset eel e eee eee ee eee fee eres 


CONTENTS. 7 


Order Raptores: Birds of prey—Continued. 

Family Buteonide: Hawks, eagles, etc.—Continued. Page. 
Goldentesol eames aoe scene) Saas ene incite tee ee eee 148 
Boldt cag le pe mee me pirate gre ane hieh Prine inert tes Cin tge tern e oer ee 149 

Hamil yaHaleonideersHalcoms; etc: esses 8.252 e eee oe aoe oe ee ene 149 
Prairie}tallC cn peas a ene ep er ts ames nee Oey ta yer caer 149 
(DWC ie WP ack aes aeetins eau dds Nodeme tees ao uad tae SRAD BRE SSO n5on 149 
IFO es ceuesreme suse as ales ehh Geoeas SAaeeCMeEE aoe ce eeacr 149 
Mesentisparrows hawker sess ase ee eee SARA Oe ae eee 149 

HamilyaPandionides | Ospreysaess= =e vs tose ae ee aoe nee eee 150 
(OSPEE Vaecre atta eras ete eave rere PSE he tla ee este NS a stele eV A ERIS 150 

Family Bubonidz: Horned owls, etc ............-2..--.-------- reeeeere 154 
SINOMiCeMeGl Oil aogsesds anos Se eeetrees soauseada sa ees eu eu enoEeaBoS 154 
Cea GieRy Onell soeeddces saa sssbnaeanceesas sci saae bes GHeeeeeoosee 154 
Richardsomowlere sme teen ene sac seems Les eas Saar ae ee ee ie 154 
SalWaewible brow bere sme cee nn ae aaic i pes tener oe Uaioe wee a Ut 155 
MacHanlametscreechiowles om ssee eee eter ei eeiateeii ss se oe eee 156 
Westerns hore dio] ema aes ons see yee ae 156 
Augeinke Inomarsel Oyydll pa csaeaanance re dueacoatd ta eesbeuhe seaceseds 156 
SHA DUH ccueadet eee esata She leSen Ceneme ese a arn come eee eaas 156 
lalanyds Owls: cectoes dos se seus Gaapuasgecemee es san keke eSemwaaaea uaa 156 
Rocky, Mountainupyemny owl 22-255 5552.20522 os 222: secre ees eee= eee Di, 

Order Coccyges: Cuckoos, Kingfishers, etc..........-...----------2--22--+--- 157 

Family Alcedinide: Kinefishers.... .........2.2-..-222222-- 222 eee eee 157 

lsxolkveve| Jetavianl Wai tea ea gab anew s ba sna aaah aba nname aa eooere qannenG 157 
@xdersRicizaWoodpeckersy etessss-= csc nse ae eee eee aes eae ee 158 

HamilyePicide wood peckersse sees ccc: ace eee eee ee ee 158 
Rocky Mountain hairy woodpecker ...........--.--..-----+--------- 158 
iBatchelderwoodpecker rss jascs = sees per y= ees see laciminr 158 
Arctic three-toed woodpecker ......--.-------2-2-----22- 02 ee eee eee 158 
Alaska three-toed woodpecker. ..........-..-..----------.--+------- 158 
He cem ape disap ste ker aves yr ere eee a tora ete ever ree eee 159 
Walliaimsonisapsuckerbesssee sr heer esas eee aes ose eee eee 159 
Northern pileated woodpecker ............------------------------ 159 
iRed-headedi woodpeckers. s--2= 2 ee ee ee eee 160 
evs wood pecke hememem ner ies saa cree ee eens ee ae eer erarats 161 
iRed-shatted iiticker tess sms es se oe a ee ee eee erie s\e ele ie aici -le 161 

Order Macrochires: Nighthawks, swifts, and hummingbirds................-- 161 

Family Chordeilide: Nighthawks..............-.-.-------+---+--+-+-+-+-+- 161 
IPA GHT@ TUNERS se condonnencadnesose saad Spescancsonueseacaseooes 161 

Mamully, Micropodidse:\Swaltsss:-2s2.-9-.55-5-- 25522202 222-22 sana eeee a 162 
Niiibe thilttessaSesoso eee banemiecsesnss e4ose ce Sheopeuncmadacoauenads 162 
AWintte=thrGate (us will bemeeset sss eset mei eet emia eee crete ttarctor 162 

Family Trochilidee: Hummingbirds...........-.------+--+--+----+---+-+++-- 162 
Black-chinned hummingbird..............------.--+-+++---- seaunbee 162 
Broad-tailed hummingbird ............--..----+-+-+-+-++++-+-+++-++-- 163 
IR MOUEW Nbr Nl cons anos ososeensAcdseacoomasocdos meas Haars 163 
Calliope hummingbird ...........-.-.------+---+---- +--+ ++ 2222s eee eee 163 

OrdersPasseres-aberebimpybindsesss2) se = see = eee ee eee eerie 164 

Family Tyrannide: Tyrant flycatchers........-...-------------------+--- 164 
ISTE DWH), naanoccosnasheagues ebedae pone sueusasecaasabnshaons sasHore 164 
Olive-side diflycatclvex see see ee etye estes rele et erele soe tra etait saanlasonel ni 164 
Western wood pewee............---------- +2222 eee eee ee eee eee 164 


Nyiestoian ThVCeINGlNGRP Soa 5ce5 cece seoseaspoenqeoosogadscn55ce4scDucES 164 


8 


Order Passeres: Perching birds 


CONTENTS. 


Continued. 


Family Tyrannide: Tyrant flycatchers—Continued. 


Traill flycatcher 


Family Alaudide: Larks.... 


Desert hornedilarks se. esate eee eae eae eee eee 


Black-headed jay 


Hanamondifly catch erases sss ss seer ae Geer eee ety ieee rrr te 


RockysMountalnyaya-sseescese serene a tees eee ieee 


Raven 
Western crow 


Clark nuteracker.......-. 


Family Icteridze: Blackbirds, etc...... Sie PEER AOS ni OP EOS 


Sagebrush cowbird...... 
Thick-billed redwing 
Western meadowlark 
Brewer blackbird... ... - 
Family Fringillide: Finches 


AP ISGWOMGy GCSE etersecccoowccsadanacdscess 
Western evening grosbeak 


Rocky Mountain pine grosbeak.........-..-.--.----.-----+++++++-+-- 


Cassin purple finch ..... 
Crossbill 


White-winged crossbill. . 


Gray-crowned leucosticte 


Re dipo ll ee ereee sees 
Pimelsiskinies. 2 eee 
Snow bunting 
Alaska longspur.......-- 
Chestnut-collared longsp 


lisa os sas Seb Ss ses bet otmersomassesosedacda 


McCowntlongsputer. seeees--eee eee Perea terse ee eee 


Western vesper sparrow. 


Western Savannah sparrow 


Western lark sparrow... - 


White-crowned sparrow. . 


Gambel sparrow..-.-..--- 
Western tree sparrow. - - 


Western). chipping spartow ss. 22-22 een sece eae eran cee 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............-..-.-----+-+-------- Peace 


Cliff swallow........-.-- 


Northern violet-green swallow. .........2...5.2..2-0. 2.205 eeceeccece 


Bank swallow..........- 


CONTENTS. 


Order Passeres: Perching birds—Continued. 


Family Bombycillide: Waxwings.........-. 
Bohemian waxwing........-...-.------ 


@odariwarcwil Gs ess sass eee eer 


Family Laniide: Shrikes..............-.--- 
White-rumped shrike. ..........-2....- 
Family Vireonide: Vireos..............-.-- 
Western warbling vireo...............--- 
Family Mniotiltide: Wood warblers......... 
Black and white warbler.............-.. 
Orange-crowned warbler.......-.-.-...-- 
mwellowawarblerr esate cree: et eee 


Macgillivray warbler.............-.-.---. 
Western yellow-throat................-. 


Pileolated warbler........--.-.--------- 


IRedstatteermee scree ste eer ane ae 


Waterrouze lee eer cece ee ore 
Family Mimide: Mockingbirds, cathirds, etc 
Catbirdssares sees seas cence oe 


Family Troglodytide: Wrens..........--.--- 


ROCs wiehstees cess seen eee eee 
Western house wren......-.----------- 


Western winter wren.........-.--.------- 
Family Certhiide: Creepers............----- 


Rocky Mountain creeper.........-.----- 


Family Sittide: Nuthatches..-..........---- 


Rocky Mountain nuthatch....... et Senet 


Red-breasted nuthatch..........-...-.-- 
Family Paridse: Titmice........:...:.:-2-+-: 


Long-tailed chickadee.....-..-....--.-- 


Mountain chickadee........-.----------- 


Chestnut-backed chickadee...-....-.--- 


Family Sylviide: Kinglets, ete.........---- 
Western golden-crowned kinglet......... --- 
Ruby-crowned kinglet........-....----- 


Family Turdide: Thrushes, solitaires, bluebirds, etc.......--------------- 


ERO WISCTOPSOLILAITC eet eee eae ee eee 


Awaullanyy UlatHils Nae sedeneeasessasuaceeaaa aS 


Olive-backed thrush.........---------- 
Audubon hermit thrush.....-.-..-...--.----------- 


Westermirobllscas.:22asc2222 262s 5-5 2= 


Northern varied thrush.........----.---- 
Mountain bluebird...........-------------- 


Puarr I, 
Il. 
Ill. 


IV. 


V. 


VI. 


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..................222..-.- 
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................. 
Fig. 1.—A bunch of mountain goats in Alpine meadow. Fig. 2.— 

Mountaimyeoat inliBromx) Parkins 24. .02,c2e sce se ateas sss 5e 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 

deer in winter 


. Fig. 1.—White-tail deer in summer red coats. Fig. 2.—White-tail 


doe in long gray winter coat 


. 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::2+.s:s22+sse0eee0-5 


. Fig. 1.—Richardson ground squirrel. Fig. 2.—Pale thirteen-lined 


eqrouinek sete ewcsensacen a ease caoaumecenadne SaAperasseGs kone 


. Fig. 1.—Hoary marmot at Lake Ellen Wilson. Fig. 2.—Hoary mar- 


Mota GUNSIe Mt Passes sere sees scene ee ere mee eee tats 


. 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 (ZoologicallPark 2025.2 225233255 +s ccc assess sees 


. Fig. 1.—Porcupine retreating down trail. Fig. 2.—Porcupine com- 


nyiNes Who} Mens Ob. con peete son bo aee eae SmSe sn eaaes se soe paeneS 


. 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. 2-222. 2s 5 s00ng4- 322 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-- 2-2 eee se donee 222 s2en eee cee eee 
WWeeihee 5 Ko oa oe aera serie eae ee ee Ber inser so so eer aes 
NeW s cenescavcaneecepudbasmocubaendesoc supp asacesmocesadees 
SOMONE poucncadude socuemacenaasueuers 95 co geunesesoudadsaggen 
Sori Suonssavecesescosepusmacontaoesoos > seu eeeDoosS eepguuooas 
IR UUTtEGl PARNER s = ssaacadasmeuuecossoesn ae coe Con aHBaneananEAn nace 
Woy liGhw kessccsosseose peeesqomeoddees Seon Ere dancnsasnoee 


112 
113 
118 
119 
130 
136 
14¢ 


12 ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page 

Prate XXIX. Young ferruginous rough-leg .............----22-------2+--- 148 

XOEXE Youneiwold enieacle ter tree er een reer ont ene 149 
SNES Beltedikingttshiersa see eee er er ye et 156 
XOXOX TLS Walliamson: sapsuckersea-s econ ase oe es ee 158 
XXXL Black-billed/maecpies! 7.225 .2s-seee. oe oe cee oe eee ee -- 164 
EXGXTIVE aw Waiter Ouzelis nesters meme rte errr ates ae Ueeeeeee 188 
XOXGXGV Ss Cat birds ee eer eerste Dey repr So eee 190 
DXOXEeVile Northernevaried st hrushwsse see eee ee ae es Ose errr 197 
ROXOXVAL Ti Map yor liter zome sae eeeeiyse arse ee eee geet errata 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. .............-..2.-.-.. 28 
3. A five-point bulllelk am early winters. a. cee ee eee 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 
ANS shuns obar POMS one ses ecemoknaoasaccECEooSo Se SaueEbuecocdasocAce 70 
12. Pocket. gopher of the genus Lhomomyss.-- 22-22 = s-s2 nese 2 =e ee 71 
13. Northern white-tailed jack rabbit in March................-.-------. 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 
[ole vole a ounpeosmessscedcossrermcasacacoMangnnnssesoces ASE 99 
18. (1) Brown bat; (II) long-legged bat; museum specimens .....-..... 100 
THE BIRDS. 
JOS MW estermierebers arce ec oc Ce pu Aes cee See ea eR eee erases 111 
20; Horned jerebetin tees seve as ane ee as eee ee eee eer ae 112 
2 eeed=breastedsm ere asec es sae Serer eae meee ee eee 117 
PyAes 1B UoseysKeielfnakseeehil Ste noo seesncas ueuconocsonesebeseccnaseausaasecossns 116 
D3e Ball dpate ee esas sce ee eee eg er Oe a Se ey 118 
DA Green wala ed vteell ces yee reeee te taney eo 119 
Are NoMa AI RCUC Ms aescadueda dence sete skes beccaccssdaskcadsceeesse 120 
2 Gag Gimmaim ons beall St mentee eee ee eee rere fe eee ee eee eee 120 
Zia P inital soe es tise Ss nee SS eee ee eee 120 
2870 Canvas: back sezuiter is eyes ho Me AEE te yan ee Ste ee ee 121 
29S Scat posure eect sce Be Sages ore sie aya re oS ere ee ae Care ee 121 
30. Golden-eyes on Yellowstone Lake...........-....--..-.-2---------- 122 
CUS SEU NEN ian eeedsuonpnds cadena see tees coe one wee e Aa SoeeSeteseass 124 
32. Western harlequin duc k Suds Petes eeeyee aie os ee Ree eee eae 124 
33. Harlequin duck at ee Lake.. Saat se ee eee eee 126 
34. White-winged scoter. - Sides azte ie Sve PUN eked pe ATU ee Oe ee 127 
Sonehudd vid woke eee eae eee eee ae TATE Seah 127 
36,Canada; feesen aa seen aae oes eee Ree ee Ae saat Meee eee 128 
i/o IU sadeatna as Qoaeas ooeceeoaeess Bo 2 SAS ENOE Joos SO Te 130 
Stoke NKOKUNO A aMSE NH OIC RO: conbogossec 6 obga sab sosbogeeuetanoeauaceals 130 
89: A VOCEbGR. ce oe eee sae Se ee ee Rk Oe lee aes Bet eee 132 
40. Wilson snipe. .....-..-.----- De ren ee? gate tn te oO ee ee 133 
ALD, SICA COI ioe hs ch haves ett eee ee ee te 134 


ILLUSTRATIONS, 


22 inl d hin AWS ee sac aae AeA eee so ak em aoeeennendoacane 

. Female ptarmigan in summer ..............---- 0-0-0. es ccececece ee 
. Mother ptarmigan and chicks .............-../...-------- se eee. 
Ptarmigan’ tn winter 2.6. ccs uos-+ boccxebeabeece. oésidecasecouese. 
PSharp:tailed prowse. 42. ov ce beck ce esos oe eens ee eaves 
Mctrarmehiniicd| Wage’ erty ute ee ucen tN es 


mua eae ene eey eee rerenace eer seiaetae RNa eee mre ack kes 
Malti ci ha Wise ee Ran a hu as nO Ue cre sae 
REO DaLTO Walla wy kee ettaee ree ey Snare cee tN: Meee hn Amat Ree A on 2 
p SINESIEKOHE WIS OREN ce condsnehninn dete erbe aaah. aaaunan pose ae San SU cSeGos 
}. Two photographs of osprey and nest ...........-...-22.---2-.---20-- 
. Short-eared owl LPR Sete ae ee a gow a 
Ay SER denon laa eer ea ou been e Be arr ubtie ne detente te aetteet sees 
MS creecint 0 will seems eee nee Spare eos Sees ee ieee ee 
me Horned fowls. sae. soe eee ae ee ae ae eats neers ee eee eee 
, Arctic three-toed woodpecker... 2...+ 2225 5:2e02 e525 esesesseeeeesce 
 Northernipileated woodpeckers 3:2. 35222: e sosae sess sake see sess 
yAttamillyiof red-shatted! flickers=_< 22-220 -..22 2 cee eens se ae 
pdmeiNioh thaw keeaereee cee aceite vss cere eee SER eee SU See eS 
5, Rufousihummingbird-es....2.<2.05:esee2 seen ees Sey ee ae ees 
}. Calliope hummingbird..............-.--- Doe eR chee meanest 
5 dhiva oils Soe po ronaben borer ooEnenre ean pene aus duo RoABebecEd obs 
» dakoyanelOWes oe anancmoonnanete ped bande ocepadhaeace cdoareneanuee Be 
Bpockaya Moumitaliny) ays Ant tn sees aes 2 eee eee a 
= Clarkimuteracker?22 sce sc2s cent g- ose ss ese se ees Se sees suees 
Is Red=wineed blackbird 22-2: - 2: te a -es22-54255- ee Sc eran e 


72, Wieevalavplbnde: saan ee emcees otasos a6 A RneeenSesea Aes eB sarenemeaee 


mB rewerblacks puna Pyke eevee oe ey epee arn ee eres A Seen eee 
5 JDGIMbS Cd MONE sek oneeybesor sun we mabisb aoumaeeaosaor ean eS 
~ Cassin purple finch....2222:-.- 22: Se oe rete seen 
Mi CVOssbill Serene sates sae ee ae ea ae or ee es ese 
Gray-crowned leucosticte =: 2. 2e--2-non3 35922272 ee © eae 
se Wihite-crownedisparroWiae ecco sr seo ase see eee es one 
» Westernichippinp sparrows --2-4-c-cc4.4see2 cee ee ARIS PERS 
we Olitiiswallowmeessescsete soccer ae ae tis paar ere eee ie ere aise a 
PeBarnes wallow secs eee cece oe reste ere A earmemtneie eaey eceec nays eee eee 
AAMT OIS We Cll © Wisse ce ae oe aaa CVI are teehee es aay ction hc eae ere teag aay ere = 
Se @eclarswax.wal Gee seat ee ee eye eye erie tete setae rete ereie eteetvebersrcat one a 
BeAr dub omawiarb lenerscrrse see crys eee resect aise ese pe years arr ee 
Smo wmsendewarbl Cress secs se cece ene a es era ere eee 
e Macoillivray warblenecs-.-- 2-22-4232 9522 22 oe 2 ee ce aes 
paWestermiyellowet hoot gasses sce eels eterettele ate)sia) = ea eja eke ere et cere 
. Water ouzel at entrance to nest.......-.-.--- re eA RSs Si yeh Sok Ra 
Ma Viesterm Mouse uw ie lines ese eres areas eee tee see eee keeper 
. Young Rocky Mountain nuthatches. ........-.--------------------- 
, Wong-tailed chickadee......2.. 2.2. 2222-2+2 22-22-2222 veces eee 
D. Mian @mOlnVleAcs -ssaepadoasesuadasassaatesoaacaaseobeosee suse 
MUNVESCELINNO bUnpmteess aerate tee he Oty eee ee eae ee epeyeyeye eisai as 
, Migwinignin Jalna  cascocseneteouacesoces beusecomucdsodcoooneESEee 


> pT, f ran 
i oe au 
AME 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 7iare//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 
Arctic-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 
{o 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 serviceberries, 
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. 


fig. 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 Menziesia. 
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. grandifiorum), the green- 
flowered hellebore (Veratrum viride), the pine lily (Clintonia uni- 
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 Stellavia. The blues are conspicuous in the little 
larkspur, the Jacob’s-ladder. (Polemonium viscosum), a water leat 
(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 quadrivulnera) , 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. 23 


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 I, 


Park. 


Is Glacier 


Wild Anima 


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GA0ge BUOZ SUIdiy 9I}04y “BAOGE Jaqui!} JIVMP Pasa}eVos Jo }s910} BUOZ UBIUOSPNH ‘puNosBasoy ul Jl} pue aonsds jo ysa10} auOZ ue!|peueD 


“MaVd YsIOVIS NI 3dO1S NO NOILOSS SNOZ 34SI7 


“PSI “H perd Aq “ojogg 


PLATE Il. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. 


“VNVLNOW 'NOXIG YVAN SONVY NOSIS GVSHLV14 JHL NO 11N8 O1V4S45NG 


69rbla 


THE MAMMALS. 


By VERNON BAItLey. 


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 ground 


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. ONT 


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 


{ 
Ww» La 


F = 
m8 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER 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 andl pean Tne ene ogee 

Chief Mountain country. Mounted and uring the tourist season. As the 

pre geraene’ by H. H. Stanford, Kal- sheep meat is considered by many 

a 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 fll, 


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 


Lan Dee ee 


Courtesy New York Zoological Society. Bam 


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 
Sari ere Teta 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. 


BI6577 


FIG. 1.—WHITE-TAIL BUCK AND DOE AND FAWN IN SUMMER RED COATS. 
TAME DEER CAPTURED NEAR WILLISTON, N. DAK. 


On aa 4 


Photo. by Albert Schlechten. 


FIG. 2.—WHITE-TAIL DOE IN LONG GRAY WINTER COAT, IN YELLOWSTONE 
PARK. 


MAMMALS. 85 


Western Wurrte-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 818500 
be kept down, 5 their increase pe eee Palen fener Hane 
would be SO* rapid that a great beam antlers, small ears, and obscure 
overflow: into surrounding areas HOGS HERING. 
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 


36 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 hon 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. 


PROPER tt: ater 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 Seurrret: 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 


Cl Cr=T3: 


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 CurpMuNK: 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, slide 
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 out 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 Cuipmunk : 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 Mountarn Curpmunk: 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 Saqutirrev: 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,tand 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. 


Bi7549 


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. 

CoLumpBia 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 imitrtive 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, AT 


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 earlher 
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. A little fresh earth was being 
added to the mound each day. A trap set at the entrance caught a mod- 
erately fat old female that was evidently preparing her winter quar- 
ters. The mound at the entrance of the burrow contained about 4 


48 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


bushels of earth and stones brought from the burrow, and the lower 
part was packed and hard as though an accumulation of several years. 
There were two other openings farther back from which no earth 
had been thrown and evidently they had been tunneled to the surface 
from below. The main shaft of the burrow was usually 3 or 4 inches 
in diameter, and back a couple of feet from the entrance, just before 
the burrow forked into two main shafts, was a roomy chamber where 
the squirrels could turn around and sit up comfortably, a sort 
of reception room. Near secondary forks were also two other 
chambers which may have served several purposes, such as con- 
venience in storing earth brought out of the tunnels, or places of re- 
treat from which to watch for enemies that might enter the burrow 

from either direction. Well back 
7 about 8 feet from the entrance and a 
foot below the surface of the ground 
was a large nest chamber about a foot 
in diameter nearly filled with old soft 
nest material. The nest was composed 
almost entirely of the soft flat leaves 
of the brown “ glacier grass” (Jun- 
coides parvifiorum) which abundantly 
covers the mountain slopes. At the 
bottom it was damp and moldy, but 
from the bed in the center to the top, 
it was dry and clean, and a few fresh, 
green blades had been brought in for 
food or nest material. It had evi- 


8 feet 


‘Side door 


Main entrance. 


ew = dently served as winter quarters for 
Ly (ty es = the old squirrel and as a nest for her 
Ay, dis we 


Fic, 7—Plan of underground den of YOUNg and was being prepared for the 
Columbia ground squirrel as ex- coming winter. From one side of the 
Sie aE etn d near Piegan yest chamber the burrow led down to 

an older and deeper chamber of some 
previous year, containing at the bottom an old rotten nest half full 
of excrement. A tunnel ran from it back toward the main entrance 
and into the main tunnel near the middle, making an easy way of 

escape if an enemy should dig to the first nest. Back of the nest a 

small shaft led to the surface of the ground and another opened 

out at the end of the first main fork of the tunnel. These rear open- 
ings were half concealed in the grass and evidently were for use as 
avenues of escape in case the burrow should be entered by a weasel 
or dug out by bear or badger. 

Many places were found where bears had dug for the squirrels, 
tearing up great tough sods of bear grass and even small trees and 
large stones in their efforts to get at the nest. In many cases they 


MAMMALS. 49 


had evidently been successful in making a meal of a nice fat ground 
squirrel, as the nest had been pulled out and apparently no avenne of 
escape had been provided. Probably the bears are more successful 
in this kind of hunting after the squirrels have gone into their winter 
dens and become torpid, as most of the digging seemed to have been 
done late in fall. 

The edible qualities of these squirrels have been discovered not 
alone by bears, as badgers, coyotes, foxes, cats, and hawks are fond 
of them. Some which I had collected for specimens and broiled 
on sticks over the coals of the camp fire were pronounced delicious 
by every member of the party. The young of the year are certainly 
as good as any young tree squirrel, and some of the party pronounced 
them better than young rabbit or chicken. In places where the 
squirrels have become so numerous as to be troublesome about camps 
or injurious to the meadows, it would not be difficult to control their 
abundance by allowing the campers to snare enough of them for their 
supply of camp meat. Any boy with a piece of string and a. little 
patience would be able to provide a good mess of squizrels in a morn- 
ing’s hunt. 

Ricuarpson Grounp SquirreL: Citellus richardsoni (Sabine).— 
The common flickertails of the Plains are small, plain yellowish 
ground squirrels, like miniature prairie-dogs. They are Plains ani- 
mals, reaching into the eastern edge of Glacier Park only on the 
tongues of open ground. The only place where they are actually 
common within the boundaries of the park is at the lower end of St. 
Mary Lake, but they have been reported above the Sherburne Lakes 
in the Swiftcurrent Valley, and they come close to the park lne 
in the Cut Bank, the Belly River, and Waterton Valleys. Along the 
stage road from Glacier to St. Mary they are in places abundant and 
conspicuous over the prairies, as also they are from St. Mary around 
to the Swiftcurrent Valley, so that a.trip through the park implies 
a rather close acquaintance with these little squirrels. 

They are strictly prairie dwellers, living in the open and depend- 
ing on keen sight and hearing for protection from their numerous 
enemies, and on their skill in disappearing underground in case of 
danger. From the road their sharp whistle is frequently heard, 
and at a little distance they may be seen standing straight up in 
the grass like picket pins, which they are often called, but on nearer 
approach they quickly drop to the ground and disappear as by magic. 
In places the low mounds of earth at their burrows dot the valleys 
and their runways form a network through the short grass. 

On bright summer mornings they are especially busy gathering 
food from the leaves, stems, seeds, and roots of numerous prairie 


50 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


plants, or chasing grasshoppers and crickets, which form an im- 
portant part of their summer food. Farther out among the wheat 
fields they gather from far and near and lay a heavy tribute on the 
harvest of grain, but in the park they do: little damage and are an 
ever-present source of interest. 

The young are born early in May, and before the end of the month 
they are out gathering food and playing about the burrows in family 
parties usually of four to six. By the first of September the young 
are nearly full grown and have accumulated a sufficient stock of fat 
to carry them through the winter. With the first cold weather all 
disappear in their underground nests, where they sleep soundly until 
the warm days of early spring return. The nest burrows are usually 
simple and not very extensive, so that badgers dig out great num- 
bers of the squirrels all through the summer, and even after they 
have hibernated, until the ground becomes well frozen. 

Srripep Grounp Squtrren: Citellus tridecemlineatus pallidus 
(Allen).—The pale, western form of the 13-lined ground squirrel may 
usually be recognized by the parallel lines of dark brown on a ground 
color of buff over the upperparts. They are slender, almost weasel- 
like, animals, with short ears and slightly bushy tails. So protec- 
tively colored are they that in the prairie grass they are rarely seen, 
but their shrill bubbling trill is often heard along the roadsides. 

These squirrels also are prairie dwellers and come into the Glacier 
Park only in a few open spots along the eastern border. In 1895 a 
few were found at the lower end of St. Mary Lake, and others along 
the railroad at the southern edge of the park in open spaces nearly 
to the summit of the range. They were reported in the Swiftcurrent 
Valley between Sherburne and McDermott Lakes, and conditions are 
favorable for them in the Belly River valley well into the park. 

In habits they are shy and secretive, keeping much under the cover 
of the prairie grasses and low vegetation, and even the doorways of 
their burrows are often well hidden. 

Their food consists largely of seeds, with some green vegetation. 
and usually a larger proportion of insects than with most ground 
squirrels, Their regular cycle of habits—hibernating through the 
long winter, breeding early in spring, caring for the young, and 
storing up a winter’s supply of fat—is similar to that of many other 
species. In places where they are numerous they do much damage 
in the grain fields, but here on the western border of their range 
they are so scarce and inconspicuous that they are not even much 
of a feature of interest, except to the field naturalist, who is always 
looking for the rarer kinds of animal life. 


Guacter Hoary Marmor: Marmota caligata nivaria Howell.— 
The great gray mountain marmots are about twice the size of the 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE X, 


1012M 


Pte srs 
Photo. by E. R. Warren. 
FIG, 2.—PALE THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRREL. 


=e a = ese iJ 
~nweRty-c-C.G-" 
ee a Pr 


SSApERTYIOICa 


MAMMALS. 51 


ordinary woodchuck and vary in color from a vellowikh Drow n=ip\ { 
midsummer to a light gray winter coat in fall and spring. The head, 
feet, and tail are always dark, but a white band around the nose in 
front of the eyes is usually a conspicuous mark, even at a distance. 

They live mainly in the Hudsonian Zone, but often range over the 
open slopes of the Arctic-Alpine above the extreme limits of timber- 
line. Apparently they fill the whole Hudsonian Zone area of the 
Glacier Park region and may be seen on every high pass over which 
trails lead. They are common at Cracker and Iceberg Lakes, over 
Gunsight, Piegan, Swiftcurrent, and Kootenai Passes, and on the 
ridge at the head of Kintla Lake. ‘They extend also north through 
the Canadian Rockies and south to the Bitterroot and Sawtooth 
Mountains of Idaho, while closely related forms are found in Alaska 
and the northern Cascades. 

In habits they are burrowers in open country where they depend 
largely on rocks for the protection of their dens and on rock towers 
or ledges for lookouts from which to watch for numerous enemies. As 
some of them seem always to be on guard, a long, evenly sustained 
and piercing whistle usually greets the tourist before the whistler 
is visible. The alarm note is generally taken up and repeated along 
the mountainside, while every little and big whistler that is out 
feeding lopes for the meadows or snow banks or the nearest rock 
pile, where it can also gain a wide view. Having short legs and 
heavy bodies, their only protection from numerous enemies is con- 
stant vigilance and close proximity to sheltering crevices and caverns 
among the rocks, where, to escape bears, coyotes, or golden eagles, 
they can quickly take refuge. They are occasionally seen crossing 
the great snow fields or the glaciers from one point of rocks to 
another, and on the pass at the head of Kintla Lake one old fellow 
had a well-worn trail from his fortress on the rock cliff across a 
wide bare slope to the only patch of green willow-carpeted turf 
within reach. Occasionally a big burrow is found on the sidehill in 
the open, but generally they are located under the edge of some 
great bowlder or go into the ground underneath a heap of broken 
rocks at the base of some cliff, or back in a crevice between rock walls 
that will admit no larger animal. In these rocky fortresses the 
animals are comparatively safe, but in the open the bears occasion- 
ally dig out their dens and feast upon the occupants. Marmots are 
good climbers and are often seen high on the face of cliffs where 
they could go only by the help of their strong curved toenails. 
After a hearty meal they spend much time sunning themselves on 
the cliffs and rock pinnacles where they have a wide view over the 
country and can absorb the rare warmth of the sun’s rays in these 
high altitudes. 


52 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL. PARK. 

Their food consists mainly of green vegetation, and they are often 
seen grazing in the meadows, picking the various little plants and 
eating them, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds, and all. I have not been 
able to determine the species eaten, but their large stomachs usually 
contain a well-masticated mass of green herbage with traces of 
flowers, seeds, and stems. One old fellow in Kootenai Pass, when 
suddenly alarmed while feeding, rushed to the top of a big bowlder 
with his mouth still fu'l of green leaves which he slowly chewed 
while watching me. 

Along the trails over the high passes marmots gather to pick up the 
scattered oats left by the horses, and are often so eager for this un- 
usual feast that they would let me take snapshots at 15 or 20 feet 
before they would leave the trails. The constant passing of tourists, 
pack trains, and saddle horses is teaching them confidence in these 
strange new denizens of the park, and evidently with a little care and 
feeding they could be coaxed into tameness. 

The young are bern apparently about the first of June, as a female 
collected May 27, 1895, contained five well-grown embryos. At the 
same time several specimens of half-grown young of the previous 
year were collected, which shows that the young do not fully mature 
the first year, but apparently reach maturity and a breeding age by 
the second spring. On August 1, 1917, in Gunsight Pass a family of 
four young about the size of ground squirrels were photographed 
among the rocks by the side of the trail while their mother whistled 
loudly from a ledge above our heads. On August 4 two young about 
quarter grown were seen in Piegan Pass, and in Kootenai Pass on 
August 22 several small young were seen among the rocks. In every 
case the mother was near and was very solicitous for their safety. 
Whether these small young are able to lay in sufficient food to carry 
them through the winter’s hibernation or whether they are nursed by 
the mother up to the time of hibernation has not been determined, 
but that they come through the winter in good condition is indicated 
by the half-grown specimens collected in May. 

Like all hibernating mammals, marmots have large stomachs and 
good digestion and assimilation. After the breeding season is over 
they take on fat rapidly, and by the beginning of cold weather the 
adults at least have laid in a large quantity of oily fat under their 
skins. and even the inner body cavities have become loaded with fat. 
Up to August 24, when for the last time I crossed Swiftcurrent Pass, 
marmots were still active and their loud whistles were heard across the 
timberline slopes. A cold wave and snowstorm a few days later may 
have driven them into their winter dens, but in the short season of 
these high altitudes they probably remain active as long as the warm 
days and green food last. At best they must be buried under the 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XI. 


i, Lg Oe) AS Pig XA Z 
Photo. by Mr. and Mrs. M. I. Berger. 1016M 


FIG. 1.—HOARY MARMOT NEAR THE HORSE TRAIL AT THE END OF LAKE ELLEN 
WILSON JUST WEST OF GUNSIGHT PASS. 


g xa 
caer 


ah 

ae | ee Wien. Me bee Z . ‘a 
Photo. by Mr. and Mrs. M. I. Berger. ror 
FIG. 2—HOARY MARMOT NEAR THE TRAIL OVER GUNSIGHT PASS. 


51140°—18 


5 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XII. 


BI7557 


FIG. 1—BUSHY-TAILED WOODRAT AT ENTRANCE TO ITS HOME IN A CAVE 
NEAR SWIFTCURRENT FALLS, 


Bi7656 


FIG, 2.—THE SAME WOODRAT AND CAVE, SHOWING MORE OF THE BUILDING 
MATERIAL PILED UP TO CLOSE THE ENTRANCE OF THE CAVE, 


MAMMALS. 53 


deep snow for seven or eight months, and as they do not lay up any 
stores, the accumulated fat must carry them through this inactive 
period. Dry grass and sedges are carried into-their burrows for nest 
material, and we can imagine them comfortably curled up in their 
warm beds deep under the cover of ground and rocks and snow; but 
except for a few burrows excavated by bears, I have never been able 
to explore their dens. 

Brown Woopcuuck: Marmota monaxr petrensis Howell.—The 
brown woodchuck, which is found a little farther north and west, 
undoubtedly does occur in some of the lower areas of the park, but I 
could not get any definite record of its occurrence. Park Ranger 
Gibb thinks he has seen them within the park boundaries, but could 
not give me a specific locality record. Apparently none of the other 
rangers had seen or recognized the species. 


Family MURID: Mice, Rats, etc. 


Gray Busuy-Tartep Wooprat: Neotoma cinerea cinerea (Ord).— 
These bushy-tailed woodrats, pack rats, trade rats, or cliff rats, as 
variously called, are not closely related to the common barn rat, 
or wharf rat, which is justly held in such ill repute. They belong 
to a different subfamily and are natives of America, while the wharf 
rat is an introduced pest of Asiatic origin. Far from having the dis- 
gusting habits and mean appearance of the wharf rat, woodrats are 
bright, attractive animals with big eyes, expressive faces, and 
squirrel-like tails, and no animal could be more neat and exemplary. 

They are common wherever rocks and cliffs or any suitable cover 
provides them with homes throughout the lower levels of the park. 
Their greatest abundance is in the Transition Zone borders of the 
park, and usually they do not extend far into the Canadian Zone 
nor at all above it. They are not strictly confined to any zone, how- 
ever, as their selection of homes protects them from the. severity of 
climate and enables them to adapt themselves to: a wide range of 
environment. A broken cliff or deep talus on a steep’ south slope 
will sometimes carry them well up the mountain side without ex- 
posure to the extreme cold of ihe higher zone. and occasionally their 
signs are found almost up to timberline. 

Woodrats are the original cliff dwellers, having made their homes 
among the rocks for so many ages that some of their deposits: have 
become almost geological in formation. ‘Their safest strongholds 
are found in caves and crevices in the rocks and they have adapted 
their building methods and manner of life to these cliff dwellings. 
A typical family residence was found in the wall of the canyon 
over Swiftcurrent Falls near Many Glacier Hotel. The overhanging 
cliff shelters a small cave which opens back. in narrow cracks and 


54 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


crevices into the limestone ledge. Here the rats have piled up bush- 
els of sticks and chips, bark, and stones in the mouth of the cave, 
closing up many of the narrow places to keep out their enemies and 
to ‘form: a front door barricade for the protection of their nests and 
living rooms behind. The ledges and rock shelves are worn smooth 
by their little feet which for ages have been running back and forth 
from one opening to another or away to the berry bushes and patches 
of weed seeds and pine cones beyond the edge of the cliff. Their 
runways and nest chambers are clean and neat, and they use some 
out of the. way corner of the rocks in which to deposit. their little 
black pellets. All food refuse is used for building material, and 
their system of home economy is practical and efficient. 

As they are strictly nocturnal, it is difficult to study their habits 
or obtain photographs of them at‘home. To obviate this difficulty 
as far as possible I-placed an inverted box by the side of their house, 
bent and lashed a twig into an oval loop and, placing the rounded end 
under the edge of the. box and a bit of bread and bacon on the sharp 
end of the stick under the middle of the box, left it over night. In 
the morning, as I expected, the loop had slipped out and the box 
had fallen and underneath was Madam Woodrat sitting in a dark 
corner awaiting further developments. I slipped a gunny sack under 
and over the box, including its occupant, and then, removing the box, 
carried the weodrat to.my back porch at the hotel and placed her in 
a screen-covered box. She seemed greatly surprised, but not much 
alarmed, at all of this unusual procedure, and when I placed a bunch 
of green plants of various kinds in the box she at once seized upon 
them and: began to enjoy her much-delayed breakfast. She would 
stop eating and fix her big shiny eyes upon me as I came near the 
box, and with erect ears and long, vibrating mustaches she made a 
most animated and interesting picture. If I approached closely she 
would sit straight up on her hind feet with her little fists rounded 
in a most pugilistic attitude, and once as I tried to pass her a more 
dainty plant-to eat she jumped at my hand and gave me a vigorous 
nip with her teeth. Again as I tried to put a bag over her to trans- 
fer her to better quarters she caught me by the finger and bit a hole 
through the end of it. I left the bag in her box while bandaging 
my finger and when I returned she had crawled into the bottom of 
the bag, just where I wanted her for a transfer to a glass jar, where 
she could be more conveniently studied. 

When alone in her box she would often make a thumping or drum- 
ming sound, and by approaching carefully I could watch her raise 
her hind feet and strike the soles down flat on the bottom of the box, 
both together, with a sound such as one makes by striking the flat of 
the finger on a table. These taps were repeated rapidly or slowly at 
varying intervals of from several to a second to only one or two, 


MAMMALS, 55 


and were given in varying numbers that reminded me of a tele- 
graphic code of signals. This was not due to her imprisonment, as I 
have previously heard and watched woodrats make these signals in 
cumps and cabins and among the rocks. The object is evidently to 
call or attract the attention of other individuals, to give some warn- 
ing, or to convey such meaning from one to another as may be of serv- 
ice to them. While not given in the dots and dashes of the Interna- 
tional Morse Code, there is suflicient variation in the tapping to con- 
vey considerable expression of feeling if not of definite ideas. The 
tail was never moved during the thumping and was usually coiled 
along the side or lying quietly at rest. 

Bread, toast, blueberry roll, crackers, and oatmeal in plenty were 
put in the box with her, but she seemed not to care much for any of 
them. When I put in a bunch of green plants she at once began 
to eat the leaves of the fireweed, thimbleberry, Spirwa, and other 
plants, and the next morning had finished most of the leaves, 
although she had scarcely touched the bread and grain. She was 
active all night and kept me awake by gnawing her box, thumping 
with her feet, and trying to find a way out of her well-screened cage. 
One morning, putting her in a bag, I took her back to her house 
in the cave, and after looping a soft, green fishline over one foot let 
her sit on her old doorstep for a picture. She posed well in many 
positions and with many expressions before I let her go back to her 
children in the old and well built cliff dwelling that she may have 
inherited from a thousand generations of ancestors. She could cer- 
tainly never have been happy away from this familiar cliff above the 
roar and spray of the falls, where every shelf, nook, and corner were 
familiar to her, where the trails led around to a brush-covered rock 
pile, where thimbleberries, serviceberries, chokecherries, and numer- 
ous seeds and bulbs could be found to go with her fare of green 
leaves and flowers, and where a power house not far away and 
neighboring chalets and outbuildings afforded some choice scraps of 
food and interesting ground for exploration. 

In winter some of the more adventuresome individuals of this 
woodrat colony visit the storehouses and even take up their abode 
in them. <A teamster who slept at night in the winter storehouse 
at the end of the bridge told me that one morning he missed his 
watch and was sure a woodrat had taken it, because a piece of leather 
showing the print of sharp teeth was left where the watch had been 
Iving on the floor by the side of his bed. A careful search under 
the floor of the building finally disclosed the watch with other accu- 
mulations of building material where a woodrat had established 
its residence. As woodrats are inveterate builders, always gather- 
ing building material of a size convenient for carrying, the habit 
of dropping whatever they are carrying and taking any other object 


56 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


that seems better suited to their purpose has given them the name 
of “trade rat.” Many stories are told of their exchanging sticks 
for pipes, jackknives, or other articles that they may prefer but 
that do not always satisfy the other party to the trade. The same 
collecting habit has also given them the name of “pack rat” and 
perhaps also of woodrat, for a large part of their building material 
is of sticks, chips, and bark, and many of their houses have a very 
woody appearance. 

To one familiar with their habits their presence in a cliff or rock 
slide can usually be detected even at a distance by the white streaks 
on the points and edges of the cliffs near the dens. These have some- 
times caused geologists much perplexity, but they are merely the 
age-long accumulations of 
calcareous matter from the 
urine of the woodrats. In 
some places the cliffs are 
heavily streaked with 
white, as though the little 
pinnacles were touched up 
with a paint brush, and 
often the white stony crust 
is 2 or 3 millimeters thick. 

While devoted to their 
homes, some of the wood- 
rats are evidently pos- 

sessed with a desire to 
B18502 


Fic. 8.—Woodrat in his nest of moss and lichens wander, for occasionally 


in a cabin at the mouth of Quartz Creck. He one will appear in some 
had been killed by some passer-by and left on 6 f 
the floor, and was put in his own nest and photo- Camp or cabin far from 


graphed in as natural a pose as possible, but the rocks, and invariably 
without the animated expression of life. : 
take up his abode. Even 
the ranger cabins, which are occupied a part of the time by 
their rightful owners, are often also occupied by the wood- 
rats. At the cabin on the west side of Waterton Lake the animals 
had built nests and stick piles in the storage room but evidently had 
been caught or driven away by the ranger. In another abandoned 
cabin at the upper end of Waterton Lake they had two beautiful 
nests of chewed-up tow from a gunny sack, one on the floor in the 
corner and the other on an old bed. The door had been left open 
about 4 inches, where it stuck tight, and in order to close it as much 
as possible they had piled sticks and chips in the opening. On the 
old bunk in the corner of the cabin a bushel or more of green leaves 
and stems of plants had been piled up and had become dry and 
green like good fresh hay. Among them I recognized thimbleberry, 
mountain ash, meadow rue, Actaea, and other familiar plants which 
grew about the cabin. The open spaces between the double roofs of 


MAMMALS, 57 


the cabin also were stuffed full of similar weed-hay for winter use. 
In many places the accumulation of winter hay is almost as extensive 
as that provided by conies, and in one place near Granite Park I 
found where the woodratg and conies had evidently been using the 
same stack of hay through the winter. At Lake McDonald, where 
there are many summer cabins, the woodrats often take possession of 
those unoccupied during the winter and hold high revelry until the 
owners return. In one cabin on the edge of the lake were bushels 
of leaves and branches brought 
in for winter food and a pile of 
chips and sticks in the open 
doorway between the two rooms 
suggested an attempt to barri- 
cade the smaller room, of which 
they had taken possession. On a 
high shelf in the corner a large 
bowl-like nest had been built of 
the soft brown fibers of cedar 
bark, moss, and lichens, and well 
lined with bits of cotton from 
the inside of an old cotton com- 
forter which had been left in the 
cabin. The nest was as well 
built as those of many birds, and 
somewhat in the form of the 
robin’s nest, only a little larger 
and of much softer material. It 
was just large enough for one 
good-sized occupant to le curled 
up below its rim, and I know of 
no prettier animal picture than 
that presented by the big ears =e, 
and bright eyes of a woodrat wie. 9.—Wwooarat nest, lined with cotton 
peering over the top of one of ti of aul on net, icone of 
these nests. 

In some cases poisoned grain or a few rat traps are left in a cabin 
that is to be unoccupied during the winter to prevent any possible 
mischief from the woodrats, but generally bedding, food, and such 
things as they are likely to misappropriate are suspended from the 
ceiling by wires or kept in tin-lined cupboards or boxes. If a gunny 
sack is left for them to build a nest of, and a box with a hole in it for 
them to use as the foundation for their building operations, they 
are not likely to do much damage. 

They have a slight musky odor which seems to come from a large 
gland in the skin of the belly, but when properly dressed and cooked 


58 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


the flesh is as delicate and delicious as that of quail or any other game 
animal, and the woodsman who knows the habits of wild animals can 
usually carry a trap in his pocket and live comfortably on woodrats 
and other small game, including ground squirrels and pocket gophers. 

Forest Wutrr-rooren Mouse: Peromyscus maniculatus artemisie 
(Rhoads).—These little white-footed or woods mice may be known 
by their large thin ears, long slender tails, pure white feet and 
lowerparts, and buffy-gray or bluish-gray upperparts. While tiny 
animals themselves, they are slightly larger than the Plains species 
(P. m. osgoodi), and have relatively larger ears and Jonger tails. An 
adult female from McDermott Lake measured, in millimeters: Total 
length, 191; tail, 95; hind foot, 22. 

These are probably the most abundant mammals of Glacier Park, 
although they are rarely seen and their presence is often unknown. 
They occupy the whole timbered area. of the park from the valley 
bottoms up to timberline and in some cases even above, among the 
rocks of the open slopes. Few animals have the ability to adapt 
themselves to a wider range of climate and general environment. 
Through the woods they live in hollow trees or logs, among the 
broken rocks at the base of cliffs, in the little caves and caverns of 
the cliffs, or in underground burrows which they make for them- 
selves or appropriate from other animals. An abandoned pocket- 
gopher burrow will often provide homes for a dozen of them, while 
vacant dens of ground squirrels, chipmunks, or other mice are ap- 
propriated, and even camps, cabins, chalets, and hotels are taken 
possession of in a way that is sometimes only amusing, but at others 
annoying. All they ask is a safe and well-sheltered corner or cavity 
for their nest and family, soft material from which to make their 
nests, and plenty of almost any kind of food. In helping themselves 
to these necessities they sometimes infringe upon the property rights 
of others and fall into more or less disfavor. Generally, however, 
their presence in the park is not seriously detrimental and they fur- 
nish much interest and amusement, especially in buildings to which 
they come at night to scamper about the floors in search of stray 
crumbs and scattered bits of food. 

They are strictly nocturnal in habits and do not become active 
until about the time the lights are turned on. Artificial ight seems 
not to trouble them, however, and they often go scampering through 
camp and occasionally may be seen playing about the corners of the 
main hotel corridors or running from one place of concealment to 
another over the floors, much to the amusement of the guests, and 
especially of the children. I caught a number of them in my hands 
and kept some in captivity for several days to study their habits 
more closely. Generally they were nervous and timid when cap- 


MAMMALS, 59 


tured, but they soon became quict and gentle. They would some- 
times try to nip my fingers, but when proper care was taken they 
would let me take them in my hands, and would make little effort 
to escape. 

They are prolific breeders, and the four to eight young in a litter 
are brought forth in the warm soft nests in dry and secluded cavities 
underground, among rocks, hollow trees or logs, in boxes or crevices, 
or in corners of buildings. They quickly mature and are soon run- 
ning about in the blue-gray coats which are worn through most of the 
first year. Several litters are raised each season, and the increase 
is so rapid that any safe retreat like a vacant building is soon over- 
run by them. Outdoors the little owls, weasels, coyotes, and foxes 
pick them up so rapidly that their abundance is well checked, and 
when the breeding season is over their numbers steadily decrease 
until the next spring. 

They do not hibernate or become noticeably fat, but during the 
autumn they store up considerable quantities of seeds, grain, and 
nutlets for winter use. Buried under the deep snows of winter 
they live safely and in comparative comfort and luxury next to the 
ground in the tunnels which they make under the snow. They 
also come to the surface and run over the soft snow, and lines of 
delicate tracks may be traced in winter from one log to another, from 
tree to tree, or from rock pile to cliff, and thus some clue to their 
winter habits is obtained. They climb trees readily and often oc- 
cupy hollow trunks or even old woodpecker holes in stumps and trees. 


Mountarn Lemuinc Mouse: Phenacomys orophilus Merriam.— 
These rare little lemming mice somewhat resemble the meadow mice, 
but differ radically from them in having molar teeth with well- 
developed. roots and different type of enamel pattern. In external 
characters they may be distinguished by their small size, light gray 
color, and by the tail, which is slender and does not noticeably taper. 
An adult male collected on the Swiftcurrent River below McDermott 
Lake measured, in millimeters: Total length, 122; tail, 30; hind foot, 
18. Their measurements serve to distinguish them from almost any 
of the other little rodents except the red-backed mouse, from which 
they differ strikingly in color. 

In the spring of 1895 Howell and I collected a dozen specimens 
of these little mice at St. Mary Lake, one at Midvale, and one at 
Summit; in August, 1917, I caught one in the open valley just 
below McDermott Lake; and in April, 1918, I found one dead in the 
trail near Kintla Lake. These records would indicate that lemming 
mice are unustially common in the Glacier Park region, and may 
be found anywhere along the lower slopes of the park or in the 
open Hudsonian Zone area near timberline. Most of the specimens 


60 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


taken were from lower altitudes, but usually the zonal range of the 
species is considered more Hudsonian than Canadian. They are 
mountain dwellers of wide distribution over the Rocky Mountain 
region from northern New Mexico to British Columbia, but over 
much of this area they are so scattered and so rarely found that 
they are generally considered rare. 

In habits as well as appearance they are obscure and inconspicuous. 
They live in burrows in the grassy parks and make tiny runways 
under the fallen gray grass from one burrow to another and out 
to’ their feeding grounds, but so well concealed are both their bur- 
rows and their runways that the animals would rarely be seen, even 
if they were not largely nocturnal. The field collector with a line 
of mouse traps in all kinds of situations occasionally gets one by 
accident and discovers where they are living, and then by continued 
trapping in the vicinity can usually secure other specimens. In 
the grassy openings along the south side of St. Mary Lake they 
were found in unusual numbers. By parting the old fallen grass 
their runways and burrows could be detected over the surface of 
the ground, and a little clue to their habits was obtained from the 
specimens collected, the nature of their homes and the varieties of 
plants which they had cut for food. The fragments of grass and 
other green plants were found along the runways and in places had 
been drawn into the burrows to be eaten at leisure. The stomachs 
of the mice collected contained mainly green vegetation. The bur- 
rows and runways were more or less grouped, indicating colonies 
or family residences. The nests and homes appear to be entirely 
underground, and the females .taken for specimens in May and June 
usually contained four to six embryos. Later in the season young 
of all ages are found, and it is probable that several litters are 
raised during the summer. 

Rep-packep Mouse: Evotomys gapperi galei Merriam.—These little 
furry, short-tailed, short-eared, red-backed mice may always be rec- 
ognized by their bright hazel or chestnut-brown backs and buffy gray 
sides and lowerparts. They live mainly in the woods and are com- 
mon throughout the timbered area of the park. Specimens have been 
collected at St. Mary Lake, McDermott Lake, Waterton Lake valley, 
Piegan Pass, Summit Station, and Java. They are generally found un- 
der old logs in the woods, but also where there is any protecting cover— 
as creek banks, loose rocks, brush, or dense growth of vegetation. 
They burrow in the mellow ground or run in natural cavities where 
they have their nests and homes and from which they forage out 
over their feeding grounds. In places where they are common little 
runways are found, but in general the animals are more on the open 
ground where they scamper from place to place without the neces- 


MAMMALS. 61 


sity of roads. They clamber over logs and even climb trees, but 
generally keep under cover as much as possible to avoid their enemies. 
While mainly nocturnal they are often caught in traps in the woods 
during the daytime and especially toward evening, when they seem 
to be most active. Their food consists chiefly of green grass and a 
great variety of small plants and seeds. Their stomachs usually con- 
tain a combination of green-plant tissue and the white starchy part 
of seeds, but they are always eager for rolled oats or any kind of 
grain that is offered as trap bait. They seem, however, not to be 
inquisitive and rarely get into camp supplies or do any mischief 
except where provisions are left on the ground unprotected. In fact, 
their presence is rarely discovered by the camper or even by the ex- 
perienced woodsman and fur trapper who spend much time in their 
habitat. A few traps, set in proper locations, will soon reveal the 
presence of the mice, and a tin can at the bottom of a hole in the 
ground will often be found occupied by some that have tumbled in 
during the night. 

Four to six embryos in females taken for specimens indicate 
the size of their families; but little is known of their actual breeding 
habits other than what is learned from an occasional nest of hairless 
young found under an old log, board, or other protecting cover. 
Much remains to be learned of the habits of such obscure small mam- 
mals by those who have time and patience to make careful studies of 
them on their home grounds. 

Larce-FooTtep Mrapow Movuss: Microtus richardsoni macropus 
(Merriam).—The largest of all the meadow mice, often measuring 8 
to 10 inches in total length, are common along the streams and in the 
meadows and wet places throughout the Canadian and Hudsonian 
Zones of the park. They are semiaquatic in habits and are rarely 
found far from water. In many places their large trails and runways 
extend through the shallow water of the marshes or lead into the 
edges of small streams or ponds and reappear on the opposite sides. 
Often along the creek banks one will be seen to jump into the water 
and swim across the stream deep below the surface. Their dense fur 
and large hind feet are well adapted to a partially aquatic life, even 
in the cold streams up to the snow banks. Their burrows often 
honeycomb the creek banks, and their summer nests, in which the 
young are raised, are found in cavities to which these burrows lead. 
In winter some of their big grassy nests are placed on the ground 
under the deep cover of soft snow, and as the snow disappears in 
spring their runways show a network of tunnels over the surface. 

Grass and sedges form the principal part of their food in both 
winter and summer. In winter they are gathered from the surface 
of the ground under snow, and in summer the tender shoots are cut 


G2 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


along the edges of the streams and along the trails in the marshes. 
In places the surface of little pools will be found strewn with grass 
blades, where the mice have been eating their meals on the margins 
in exactly the manner of muskrats. Green vegetation constitutes 
practically their entire food for the whole year, and seems always 
to be easily obtained. The mice do not become fat or show any signs 
of hibernation, and it is probable that in winter their life is just as 
comfortable as in summer and fraught with less dangers. 

Rocky Mounrarn Mrapow Mouse: Microtus mordax mordax (Mer- 
riam).—Specimens of these middle-sized, long-tailed meadow mice 
have been taken at St. Mary Lake, McDermott Lake, Belly River, 
Summit Station, Java, Belton, and Indian Creek. They are the most 
abundant and generally distributed meadow mice of the park, from 
the lowest levels to timberline. Generally they are most abundant 
along the banks of streams, in meadows, and about springs, but often 
they are found on the open mountain-sides under grassy cover or the 
drooping leaves of bear grass. Their medium-sized burrows and run- 
ways are easily found by examining the surface of the ground in 
almost any meadow or grassy situation, and specimens are readily 
secured by setting out-of-sight mouse traps across the runways and 
baiting them with a little rolled oats. They are less aquatic and less 
adapted to life in the water than the big-footed meadow mice, but are 
good swimmers and do not hesitate to jump into a creek or river and 
swim across if frightened or if they wish to visit the other shore. 
Their thick gray fur is ample protection against both wet and cold, 
and they often live and seek their focd in places that are damp and 
chilly. 

Their food consists mainly of green vegetation, of which grass 
stems and seeds form the greater part. Along their runways little 
heaps of grass stems cut into lengths of 1 or 2 inches may be found 
where the mice have brought down the seeds and blades within reach 
by simply cutting the stems in sections, and drawing them down each 
time until the tops were obtained. The contents of their stomachs 
usually show nothing but the finely pulverized tissue of green vege- 
tation. Seeds or grains, however, are very acceptable and readily 
taken when offered as trap bait. The mice never come into houses 
and camps, so that their presence in the park can do no harm other 
than to the grass which they consume in the meadows. 

The four to six young are born in warm, soft grassy nests in the 
summer burrows and apparently several litters are raised during a 
season. They have need to multiply rapidly as their enemies are 
numerous. Hawks and owls, ravens and jays, and weasels, foxes, 
cats, and coyotes, are always snapping them up as they appear on the 
surface of the ground. In winter, under the cover of deep snow, they 
are far safer. When the first soft snows fall they plow little tunnels 


MAMMALS. 63 


over the surface of the ground, and these become hardened and 
throughout the winter are avenues of travel and food supply as long 
as the snow lasts. Many winter nests are built on the surface of the 
ground and occupied until the snow disappears, when the occupants 
are again forced to their underground dwellings for protection. The 
furry coats of these mice become dense and a beautiful light gray 
during the winter, but the animals do not become fat or show any 
signs of hibernation. In summer the heavy winter coats are changed 
for a much thinner and harsher coat of a darker gray color that 
blends well with the shadows of the half-concealed runways. 


Droummonp Meapow Mouse: Microtus drwmmondi (Audubon and 
Bachman).—These little dark brownish-gray meadow mice with mod- 
erately short tapering tails are common in the open country about 
st. Mary Lake, along Swiftcurrent Creek, between Sherburne and 
McDermott Lakes, at Summit, and on the Big Prairie in the North 
Fork of the Flathead Valley, where specimens have been taken, 
but they undoubtedly have a much more general range over the 
park in suitable localities. They live in meadows and other grassy 
places generally, but are sometimes found in wet marshes and 
along the margins of streams and lakes. They are not usually found 
in the timber, except as they follow meadows or open strips of coun- 
try. In general habits they are more like the eastern meadow mouse, 
to which they are related, and their runways and burrows may gen- 
erally be found under the tall grass and dense vegetation of the more 
fertile areas. Any naturalist should be able to go to a favorable look- 
ing meadow or grassy slope and by parting the fallen grass, find the 
little roadways and burrows of these mice, but. these are rarely seen 
by the person without the naturalist’s training, unless by the farmer 
in gathering his hay or grain. Out on the prairies. the mice quickly 
gather under the haycocks or the shocks of grain, and when these 
are removed to the stack they are seen scampering in all directions. 
While with other rodents they help to lay a heavy tribute on ths 
agricultural products of much of the country, here in the park they 
are practically harmless and are too obscure and unnoticed to form 
even an interesting feature of the animal life. 

Rocky Mountain Muskrat: Fiber zibethicus osoyoosensis Lord. 
A few muskrats are found in most of the lakes and along the quieter 
streams of Glacier Park, but nowhere have I found them so numerous 
as they are out on the Plains and in the low country. <A few. tracks 
were seen around the edges of McDermott and Josephine Lakes and 
along the river above Upper Waterton Lake, and in 1895 I trapped a 
specimen in a beaver pond near Summit Station. Don Stevenson re- 
ports a family of 11 cream-colored albinos, which he once trapped in 
Swiftcurrent Lake. Their signs were seen along the Swiftcurrent 


64 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Creek at Sherburne Lake and above, and a muskrat was seen swim- 
ming in a beaver pond on Appekunny Creek. Apparently they are 
not sufficiently numerous to form an important part of the fur catch 
of the region, but there are enough for tourists occasionally to get 
a sight of one swimming in a lake or stream or quietly sitting up 
in a brown furry ball on a log or stone at the edge of the water. 
munching his breakfast or supper. In the marsh and slough coun- 
try of the Plains muskrats build numerous houses of mud, roots, and 
plant stems, but here in the park they live mainly in the banks of 
streams and lakes. Their burrows enter from below the surface of 
the water and lead back to cavities in the banks a little above the 
water level, but usually without any openings to the surface of the 
ground. In these well-protected bank dens they spend the winter 
in comparative comfort, and in summer raise their families of young 
until they, too, are old enough to dive through the waterway and 
swim out into the hght of day on the surface of the lake. The usual 
number of young produced at a time seems to be from four to eight. 
An old female taken for a specimen in a beaver pond near Summit 
Station on June 18, 1895, contained 13 large embryos, evidently an 
unusual number for one litter. She had the usual number of 8 mam- 
mae. She was a very large individual, weighing 3 pounds, and 
evidently in the prime of life. The young when first born are naked 
and helpless, but develop rapidly and are soon well furred little 
muskrats, paddling about in the water and diving with great skill. 

Muskrats furnish one of the cheaper furs, not from a lack of 
beauty or softness, but because the animals are so abundant and 
widely distributed that vast numbers are trapped each year. Com- 
pared with many of the more expensive skins they are equally at- 
tractive and give better service, warmth, and wear. 


Family CASTORIDZ: Beavers. 


Beaver: Castor canadensis canadensis Kuhl.—Beavers are irregu- 
larly distributed over the park, but are fairly common in some sec- 
tions. Their houses, dams, and ponds are conspicuous along side- 
streams in the Swiftcurrent Valley above Sherburne Lake, and old 
houses and dams could be seen far out into the shallow edge of the 
lake that was being flooded by the reclamation project in 1917. 
There were also beaver cuttings around the edges of McDermott, 
Josephine, Grinnell, Swiftcurrent, Upper St. Mary, Waterton, 
Kintla, and McDonald Lakes, and many of the streams above the 
lakes in the park. In Gunsight Lake, which lies near timberline, 
beaver cuttings were noticed along the shore at both ends, and several 
beavers were watched as they gathered their food and ate it on the 
beach or on low rocks out in the water. A few tracks and cuttings 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XIII. 


BI7574 
FIG. 1.—BEAVER HOUSE ON THE BANK OF BELLY RIVER NEAR PARK LINE. THE 
RIVER IS DEEP AND NO DAM IS NEEDED. 


1013M 


FIG. 2—A BEAVER OUT ON THE SNOW AT THE EDGE OF HIS POND IN THE 
NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 


MAMMALS, 65 


were found along the edges of Elizabeth, Crossley, and Glenn Lakes 
in the Belly River valley, and the banks of Belly River were in many 
places, where beavers were inhabiting the bank dens, conspicuously 
marked near the deep water by large beaver houses or by aspens that 
had been freshly cut and were to be dragged into the river for food 
or building material. Many of the small side streams along this 
valley had been dammed up by the animals fer ponds as good 
building sites for their houses. 

On Belly River near the park line a huge old beaver came out one 
evening near our camp and worked for a half hour before the dark- 
ness closed in and hid him from view. He would go to the shore 
and cut willow branches and carry them to some shallow beach 
where he could sit in the water and trim the leaves and bark from 
the branches for his supper. He would then swim to another place, 
often with loud splashes of his tail, and gather more willows. Again 
he would come out on the grassy bank and graze like a cow for some 
time in the meadow, and in many places I found where the grass had 
been thus eaten down all along the shores until it was as closely 
cropped as if by horses or cattle. On a steep bank high above the 
river this beaver had been cutting aspen trees the previous night and 
dragging the logs down the steep slope into deep water where they 
could be floated around the bend to his house cr sunk to the bottom 
of the river for winter food. No dam crossed the river at this point, 
but the water was deep and permanent, and a large beaver house had 
been built on the bank. The house was not surrounded by water as 
those in beaver ponds usually are, but the burrows entered from 
deep under the bank and came up to the nest cavity inside. The 
thick walls of the house, built of sticks laid at all angles and firmly 
plastered with mud, afforded ample protection from all enemies 
except man, and even man armed with ax and spade has hard work 
to dig through such walls. During the winter when heavy ice covers 
the water and the beaver houses are frozen solid the animals are 
especially safe and comfortable and enjoy the even temperature to 
which they are adapted. They have usually stored up ample food 
for the winter’s supply in the bark of trees cut and sunk to the 
bottom of the ponds, but the myriads of tender roots which penetrate 
the banks of streams and are always accessible from under water 
apparently form a large part of their food in winter as well as in 
summer. 

As their destruction of timber for building and food purposes is 
limited almost entirely to small cottonwoods, aspens, and willows of 
no particular value, the claim that they are doing damage to the 
forest is generally without foundation, while their dams and ponds 
are often a great benefit to the country in storing water, providing 


51140°—18——6 


66 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


fish-breeding ponds, and affording one of the interesting features of 
animal life in the park. 

While it is possible even now for the tourist to find beavers that 
can be observed at work, their study would be far more interesting 
with ten times greater numbers of the animals, and the country would 
be generally benefited by the surplus that would stock surrounding 
areas. 

The beautiful dense furry coats of the beavers, which adapt them 
to their peculiar mode of life, have put a price on their backs that 
has almost proved their destruction. In spite of well-framed laws 
imposing severe penalties for trapping or killing the animals, the 
temptation for trappers to sneak in and get as many skins as possible 
is often too great to be resisted. In spite of every precaution many 


Bisso8 
Fic. 10.—Cottonwood tree, 46 inches across stump, cut down by beavers near mouth 
of Camas Creek. Photographed April 14, 1918, several years after it had fallen. 


beavers are trapped each year and their numbers are kept down to a 
very slight increase, if not to a dead level of meager existence. 


Family ERETHIZONTIDZ: Porcupines. 


Yetiow - warreD Porcupine: L'rethizon epivanthum epivanthum 
Brandt.—Porcupines are sufficiently common in the park to be 
often seen by the visiting tourists. At Granite Park one usually 
came around the chalet every day and did not ‘seem to mind being 
shut up occasionally in the woodshed where he could be released 
after the tourists had arrived over the pass at noon and be watched 
by a large number of people as he shuffled down the trail and over 
the big snow bank to the rocks beyond. Several years ago while this 


MAMMALS. 67 


chalet was being built porcupines were numerous and troublesome 
about the construction camp. Their principal mischief consisted in 
cutting the tent ropes at night so that the tents would often fall over 
before morning. They also did some damage to the camp provisions, 
being especially keen in their search for bacon and salt pork. The 
cook finally vowed vengeance: on all porcupines and, armed with a 
stout club, is said to have slain 150 of them at night about the camp 
before their raids ceased to be troublesome. This was evidently at 
the crest of their wave of abundance, as it is well known that they 
increase slowly until in many places they become numerous and then 
decrease for a term of years until they are again scarce. 

During the summer of 1917 porcupines were moderately common 
throughout the park and were occasionally seen along the trails or 
about the camps and chalets. Their little flat-footed, oval, rough- 
soled, toed-in tracks are often seen in the dust along the trails which 
they sometimes follow for miles at night, and occasionally one of the 
animals is overtaken as it shufiles slowly along on its short legs. M.I. 
Berger was fortunate enough to meet one when the hight was strong 
enough for a good photograph. Their presence is more often noticed, 
however, by the patches of raw wood on the pine trees from which 
they have gnawed the bark for food, and one needs only to ride 
through the forest to learn how common porcupines are in any section, 
or examine the scars to tell in what year they were most numerous. 

In almost every camp and abandoned cabin in the park one 
may see where the animals have gnawed the floors or doors, boxes, 
tables, or any wood that has becoma impregnated with salt or 
grease or a flavor of camp food. Boxes in which camp supplies have 
been. kept are usually almost devoured; sometimes only a few boards 
are left that have not been chewed up by the porcupines. The boards 
of an old floor are sometimes gnawed through, and the table if left 
in a greasy and soiled condition is likely to be entirely eaten up. 
Marks of the big chisel-like incisors of porcupines show on the boards 
and in wood that has been gnawed, and their large oval sawdust pel- 
lets are generally found scattered around the floor of an old camp. 
At some of the camps the quills and bones of animals ‘previously 
killed by campers are found, but unless the animals are so numerous 
as to be really troublesome they are usually not disturbed. 

At the lower end of Glenn Lake I came across a camping party 
from the farming country below, spending a week in the beautiful 
valley, and the man finding that I was interested in the animal life, 
showed me a very large porcupine which he had that morning killed 
at camp. It proved to be a handsome old male with a rich coat of 
long yellow hairs and a dense armor of quills bedded in the black 
fur underneath. Several men who lifted it estimated its weight at 


68 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


40 to 50 pounds, and I think they were not far from correct. My 
own estimate was 35 pounds as the lowest possible limit, but we had 
no scales or any convenient means of accurate determination of the 
weight. It was unusually large, however, and showed some interest- 
ing features. Although a male the four abdominal mamme were 
almost as conspicuous and well developed as in the females and were 
arranged as usual in a large quadrangle in the middle of a very large 
abdomen. The man apologized for killing the porcupine, which he 
had driven away from the camp: several times on two successive 
evenings, but it insisted on returning and had climbed into his wagon 
and eaten pieces out of his harness, bridles, and halters until he was 
afraid there would be no harness with which to return to the ranch. 
To protect his property he had finally taken an ax and smashed the 
skull of Mr. Porcupine so badly that there was not enough left to 
make a good specimen. 

Fortunately dogs are not allowed in the park, so the principal 
objection to porcupines, the unpleasant misunderstanding between 
rodents and canines, is avoided. Apparently the wild carnivores that 
have had a longer acquaintance with them have a better understand- 
ing of the nature of their defense and do not often get into trouble. 

The erroneous impression that porcupines can throw their quills 
is surprisingly common among those unacquainted with animals, 
and often the first question asked is how far can they throw their 
quills and make them. stick. The tradition is perhaps an important 
protection for the uninitiated, for the porcupine is not a safe animal 
to play with unless the mode of defense is understood. The power- 
ful muscular tail is heavily armed above and on the sides with quills 
set at all angles, and an upward or sidewise blow from this tail will 
drive the quills deeply through clothing or shoe leather with very 
painful results. The porcupine’s method of defense is to keep its 
back to the enemy, with quills erect all over the body and with quick, 
powerful strokes of the tail to inflict as much injury as possible. 
With its short legs an effort to escape is useless and rarely attempted. 
When approached at close quarters porcupines will often climb a tree 
if one is convenient and take refuge among its branches or sit on the 
side of the trunk, resting woodpeckerlike on the stiff, bristly coat of 
the under surface of the tail, which is held pressed against the bark. 

In summer the principal food of the porcupines is green vegeta- 
tion, of which they eat practically everything that comes their way, 
until their enormous stomachs are filled. In winter their principal 
food is the inner bark of pine trees. Occasionally the Douglas and 
Engelmann spruces also are gnawed, but. their favorite food trees 
seem to be the lodgepole, limber, and white-barked pines. Large 
patches of bark are gnawed from these trees, sometimes at the sur- 
face of the snow anywhere from 1 to 6 feet from the ground, or on 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XIV. 


Photo. by Mr. and Mrs. ol. 1. Berger. eOoM 


FIG. 1.—YELLOW-HAIRED PORCUPINE RETREATING DOWN A FOREST TRAIL 
IN GLACIER PARK. 


Lah, See 


Photo. by Mr. and Mrs. M. I. Berger. 
FIG, 2.—A PORCUPINE MET ON THE TRAIL NEAR SUN CAMP, PAUSING TO MAKE 
SURE IF RETREAT IS NECESSARY. 


MAMMALS. 69 


the sides of the trunk up among the branches where some limb has 
served as a rest while the animals were getting their breakfasts of 
bark, or even on the branchless trunk of a tree where while feeding 
they have rested in perfect comfort on the bristles of their tails. 
Usually a patch of bark the size of a hat seems to have served as a 
meal, but in many cases several meals have been made from the same 
part of the tree and occasionally the bark is removed clear around 
the trunk in a broad band that completely girdles and kills it. In 
other cases some of the branches are thus peeled and killed or the 
top of the tree may be girdled and the future shape of the tree en- 
tirely changed. When abundant, porcupines often do considerable 
damage to the forest, but in ordinary numbers this injury is not very 
serious. When they become very numerous they should undoubtedly 
be destroyed, but in their present abundance they merely add a fea- 
ture of interest for many of those visiting the park. 

The theory that porcupines should never be killed, as they might 
furnish food to some one who was lost in the woods, has very little 
value as a practical precaution. Generally anyone who will get lost 
in the woods would not know enough to kill and skin and cook a 
porcupine if the opportunity were offered, and it might be several 
days before one could be found. Porcupines are fairly good eating, 
however, and the Indian method of cooking them is very simple 
and could be adopted by anyone capable of wielding a club and build- 
ing a fire. Without any preparation whatever the porcupines should 
be buried in coals, or placed on a fire and more fire built on top of 
them, and left to roast for 20 minutes or a half hour. When prop- 
erly cooked they should be drawn from the fire and the shell of 
burned quills and skin broken off the outside, when the meat will be 
found white and tender and well cooked underneath. One would not 
have to be starving to enjoy such a feast, but the meat is apt to have 
a flavor of the pine bark, and while thoroughly wholesome and nu- 
tritious the flesh of an old porcupine is not an epicurean dish. 


Family ZAPODIDZ: Jumping Mice. 


Rocxy Mountain Jumeinc Mouse: Zapus princeps princeps 
Allen.—Jumping mice are graceful, slender little animals with very 
long tails and long hind legs and feet. They are kangaroolike in build 
and form, with tiny hands that are rarely used for aid in traveling. 
Their slender tails are much longer than the head and body, and their 
rich buffy sides, dark buffy gray backs, white bellies, and pointed ears 
combine to make an animal of unusual beauty. They are common in 
the park region and often are the principal animals caught in a line 
of mouse traps. They live mainly in the meadows and open grassy 
slopes, where there is ample cover of grass, plants, and bushes for 


10 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


their protection. They do not make runways, and their presence is 
rarely detected unless they are occasionally seen when disturbed in 
the daytime bounding away from one’s feet in long leaps through 
the grass. Their summer nests are usually placed on the surface of 
the ground and are well concealed by sheltering vegetation. These 
are neat little balls of grass with a hole in one and sometimes in two 
sides to serve as doorways. As one steps near a nest the mouse 
usually bounds cut and gives two or three long leaps and then stops to 
wait for further developments. By noting the place where it stops 
and by creeping up cautiously one can almost invariably catch the 
mouse by clapping the hand down quickly over it. When thus cap- 
tured it does not seem much alarmed, and when held gently in the 
hands for a little time becomes quiet and may be examined at leisure. 
The mice rarely offer to bite and seem much more gentle in disposi- 
tion than most species. If suspended by the tip of the tail one will 
almost invariably curl up 

sr 7s] until it can reach the base 
of the tail with its hands 

and then, like a sailor 
climbing a rope, come 
hand over hand up the tail 
to the fingers holding it. 
If shaken down it will 
repeat the operation again 
and again, much to the 
amusement of the onlook- 
ers and with no harm to 


Photo. by C. Birdseye. Br2961 the ropelike tail. 
Fic. 11.—Jumping mouse, from photograph of a 9 . 
captive individual at Florence, Mont. The food of jumping 


mice consists mainly of 
seeds of grasses and other small plants. To obtain the seed-laden 
heads of tall grasses they reach up and cut off the stem and draw it 
down to the ground; then, repeating the operation, they cut off sec- 
tions and draw the stem down until the seeds are brought within 
reach. These are eaten and other stems are cut and drawn down in 
the same manner until a good square meal is obtained. The sections 
of grass stems thus cut are usually three or four inches long and can 
ulways be recognized as the work of this mouse, in distinction from 
those of the other mice with shorter legs that can not reach so high 
and consequently cut their grass stems into shorter sections. Little 
heaps of these long grass sections scattered through the meadows will 
often indicate the presence and abundance of the species and give the 
naturalist a clue to places where his traps will yield specimens. 
The four to eight young are born in the grass nests, and by early 
autumn have become almost full grown and are laying in a supply of 


MAMMALS, 71 


fat for winter. Unlike most of our native mice they do not lay up 
stores of food, but become excessively fat, and with the first cold 
weather of autumn enter a long period of hibernation. Soft, warm 
winter nests are constructed in little cavities well under ground, and 
in these the mice curl up for their long winter sleep. Usually they 
are not found abroad after the first killing frost in September and 
are not again seen until the snow has disappeared in April or May. 
They are among the most harmless and attractive of the great variety 
of little animals to which the odious name of mouse has been unjustly 
given. They do not belong to the same family as any of the other 
so-called mice or small rodents of the region, and in some respects 
show a closer relationship to porcupines than to any other animal of 
this country. 


Family GEOMYIDZ: Pocket Gophers. 


SaskaTcHEWAN Pocxer Gopuer: Thomomys talpoides talpoides 
(Richardson).—These plumbeous-gray pocket gophers belong to the 
Plains country and may generally be distinguished from the rusty 
brown form inhabiting the mountains by color, slightly larger size, 
and in the females by the 
six pairs of mammae in- 
stead of four. 

Specimens have been 
taken in the Swiftcurrent 
Valley between the Sher- 
burne and McDermott 
Lakes and on the Belly 
River at the ranger sta- 
tion. In both these val- 
leys they are abundant in 
the open _ prairie- grass 
areas, but apparently they 
do not go into the tim-  Photo.by N.H. Kent, a9 
bered or mountainous part Fic. a a ae motes of ae Pe en UE 

photographed from a captive individual. 

of the park. Over the 

plains to the eastward they have a wide range through western Mon- 
tana and Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta. Among the prairie 
grasses their little mounds of fresh black earth are conspicuous at 
intervals along the lines of their underground tunnels, but the 
animals are rarely if ever seen even by the inhabitants of the country. 
Practically their whole lives are spent underground, except when for 
a few minutes an opening is made to the surface, the loose earth 
pushed out, and a few plants quickly cut and stuffed into the capa- 
cious and fur-lined cheek pouches to be carried back into the burrows 


72 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


and, after the doorway has been securely packed full of earth, eaten 
at leisure. 

Long front claws' and powerful muscles peculiarly fit them for 
digging and tunneling underground, and their burrows are extended 
day after day through the rich soil, a few inches to a foot below the 
surface, where the endless variety of roots and bulbs and under- 
ground vegetation encountered furnishes them ample food through- 
out the year. There is plenty of moisture in their food so that 
water is not necessary, and they rarely leave the burrows. Ocea- 
sionally in spring males do leave in search of mates, but generally 
there is sufficient underground communication to make even this 
unnecessary. 

During most of the year there is but one pocket gopher toa set of 
burrows, and while their lives may seem like solitary confinement at 
hard labor, these rodents are evidently as happy and contented as 
other and more sociable animals. Their houses are comfortable and 
without sudden changes of temperature. They have clean, sweet- 
smelling, fresh earth walls, which are always being extended into 
new ground as the old burrows are abandoned. Roomy chambers are 
built along the tunnels, and the four to six young are brought forth 
and cared for in dry nest-chambers, while food is stored in other 
chambers excavated for the purpose. Their small eyes and ears are 
of minor importance in the dark underground galleries, but the sensi- 
tive nose and tip of tail guide them in their shuttlelike motions back- 
ward and forward through the tunnels, and apparently they travel 
with equal facility in either direction. As soon as the young are old 
enough to make their own burrows and get their own food they strike 
off in new galleries, and soon each is launched on its independent 
career. When httle more than half grown they usually leave their 
mother’s burrow and may not see another of their kind until the fol- 
lowing summer when the sex impulse urges them to search for mates. 

They are sturdy fighters, and with large chisel-like incisors and 
powerful muscles they defend their homes against most enemies of 
their own size, except the weasel and the gopher snake, which quickly 
dispatch them when once an entrance is gained to their tunnels. 
Hawks, owls, bobcats, foxes, and coyotes snap them up occasionally 
when they are throwing out earth from their burrows, but their 
main protection is in keeping well out of sight and thoroughly 
barricaded under ground. 

On farms they do a great deal of mischief in destroying crops. 
They are fond of potatoes, turnips, carrots, beets, onions, and prac- 
tically all underground crops, and they cut the roots from fruit 
trees and berry bushes, cut the growing grain and draw it into 
their burrows to be eaten, and with their mounds of earth cover 
up the young grain, clover, and grass. While practically harm- 


MAMMALS. 73 


less on the open range, they are naturally considered undesirable 
tenants in cultivated land, and their destruction is often necessary 
to successful agriculture. Fortunately, they are easily trapped and 
poisoned and can be eliminated from the farming areas at slight 
expense of time and trouble. 

Pocket-gopher flesh is as good as that of rabbit or squirrel, and 
as the animals are always healthy and of exemplary food habits 
there is every reason for utilizing them as food. A camp cook who 
is also a good trapper can in many localities supply his party with 
an occasional feast of pocket-gopher stew at any time during the 
summer without violating the game laws. 


Brown Pocxer Goruger: Thomomys fuscus fuscus Merriam.— 
These small buffy brown pocket gophers are easily distinguished 
from the larger, grayer species of the Plains, and in adult females 
the mamme are arranged in two posterior and two anterior pairs. 
They are the only pocket gophers inhabiting the higher parts of 
the park, where their range is by no means continuous or general. 
Specimens were collected on Big Prairie, in the North Fork of the 
Flathead Valley, in the garden back of Glacier Park Hotel, at Sum- 
mit Station, and near the lower end of St. Mary Lake; and charac- 
teristic mounds were seen in other places in the park. In 1895 the 
mounds were found near timberline south of Red Eagle Lake, and 
in 1917 on the pass between Chief Mountain and Gable Mountain 
in the open Hudsonian Zone. As these pocket gophers do not inhabit 
the timbered areas, their range in this region is much more restricted 
than in the more open country to the south and west. Little open 
parks and dry meadows are their favorite haunts wherever they can 
find an abundance of mellow soil in which to burrow and vegetation 
for food. Their hills and burrows are noticeably smaller than those 
of the larger species of the Plains, but otherwise their habits are 
essentially the same. The mounds often extend in irregular lines for 
long distances over the ground, and each shows some indication of the 
length of time that has elapsed since it was brought to the surface. 
Usually a few are of fresh loose black soil that has not been rained on, 
some are dotted over with a sprinkle of drops, and others washed 
smooth and rounded by one or more heavy rains, while those of the 
early springtime are packed and hard, and grass is growing up 
through them. The winter activity of pocket gophers is shown in 
the long snakelike molds on the surface of the ground where the soil 
has been pushed out under the snow and left in long snow tunnels. 
These have frozen and then become packed and cemented until, 
as the snow disappears from above, the hard forms have remained 
through the summer. Usually the mounds are 5 to 15 feet apart 
along the tunnels or often in groups as the tunnels run in circles 


74 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


and tne mounds are close together. Deer and other animals often 
step on the soft ground over the tunnels and break through, but 
the opening is promptly closed by the occupants. As the older 
burrows become more broken up, however, they are gradually aban- 
doned and closed up back of the fresher tunnels which are always 
kept in good repair. 

In the hotel gardens at Glacier Park seven or eight pocket gophers 
were reveling in the beds of onions, peas, beans, and potatoes. IJ 
caught two of these in the onion beds, from which most of the young 
onions had disappeared as far as the pocket gopher hills extended, 
and found their stomachs well filled with onicns and their whole 
bodies strongly scented with them. Two others caught in a patch of 
green peas had cut and dragged the plants into their burrows and 
eaten them—tops, peas, and all—so that along their lines of travel 
nothing but weeds remained. Their stomachs were full of pea vines, 
and the characteristic odor of the plants was very noticeable when 
the pocket gophers were being skinned. These four were taken one 
evening with two gopher traps, but as I was leaving. early in the 
morning I did not have time to get the remaining animals, and they 
probably spent the summer feasting on fresh young vegetables that 
were not intended for their use. An hour’s trapping would have 
removed all from the garden, and as others slowly worked their way in 
from the surrounding grassland they could easily have been caught. 
With a long-bladed knife or flat stick it was a simple matter to 
follow down the closed tunnel where the soil had been thrown out 
until the open burrows were found 6 or 8 inches below the surface; 
then, by cleaning out the loose earth with my hand and slipping a 
gopher trap down into the burrow and half closing the opening thus 
made, it took but a few minutes to place the trap where it would 
catch and kill the animal when he came along. These animals were 
caught in the Macabee gopher trap, but several other kinds are almost 
as effective. 

Pocket gophers never become fat and do not hibernate, so-in winter 
their burrows merely run deeper below the frozen ground and they 
still obtain ample food from the roots and underground vegetation. 
The passages are usually kept open to the surface of the ground, 
where the loose earth from the excavations is pushed out under the 
snow, and along these surface tunnels some food is obtained from 
green vegetation and the bark of trees and bushes. 

While the home life of these animals forms an interesting sub- 
ject for close study, it is so difficult to observe them that few people 
take any special interest in them or usually notice more than their 
little earth mounds on the surface. Those who are raising crops or 
gardens are the ones most likely to be interested in them, and this 
from purely economic reasons. What little is known of their habits 


MAMMALS. 75 


is chiefly through trapping, either for specimens or to protect crops 
and trees, but the more difficult and more. interesting task of ex- 
cavating their lengthy tunnels and making a thorough study of 
their homes and of the animals when captured alive remains to be 
performed by some one with ample time and qualities of keen and 
accurate observation. Practically nothing is known of the breeding 
habits and family relations of these animals, and few ‘specimens of 
the very young have ever been seen even by naturalists. The number 
of embryos in females collected for specimens is usually four or 
five, and apparently but one litter is raised in a season. 


Order LAGOMORPHA: Rabbitlike Animals. 


Family OCHOTONIDZ: Conies. 


Cony: Ochotona princeps (Richardson).—The cony, pika, little 
chief hare, or calling hare, as variously designated in published re- 
ports, and McGinty rabbit, as sometimes called locally, is an odd little 
rabbitlike animal the size of one’s fist, with short round ears, short 
legs, and no tail at all. The fur is a brownish gray color which 
blends perfectly with the rocks among which the animals live and 
renders them practically invisible except as they move or utter their 
little lamblike bleat. 

Conies are common throughout most of the beds of broken slide 
rock, or talus, near timberline of the whole park region. In 1895 I 
collected specimens on the high ridges southwest of Red Eagle Lake, 
and in 1917 found them in Gunsight Pass, near Blackfeet Glacier, in 
Piegan Pass, near Granite. Park, on the side of Chief Mountain, on 
Kootenai Pass, and near Waterton Lake. Generally they were in 
the Hudsonian Zone and often at its extreme upper edge, where the 
last traces of depauperate trees are found; but where the slide rock 
extends far down the side of the mountain they follow it also.to lower 
levels, and at the north end of Waterton Lake they were common in 
an extensive talus slope at the lower edge of the Canadian Zone only 
50 feet above the level of the lake. The prime requisite for their 
habitat is a mass of broken rocks under which they can take refuge 
and make their homes safe. from numerous enemies. Wherever ex- 
tensive rock slides are found the conies may be looked for. In Piegan 
Pass one lived in the mass of broken diorite, a little above where the 
trail crosses the summit, and in Gunsight Pass their calls were heard 
from a mass of broken rock just south of the trail. On Kootenai 
Pass they were calling from the rocks close to the trail on the 
southernmost of the two summits. over which it leads. In Swiftcur- 
rent Pass there are good rock slides just west of the summit, and 
while I did not hear any of the conies in them, remains of their last 


76 WILD ANIMAS OF Ys QM NOM AT ‘PARK. 


winter’s haystacks and abundant Qs frefe. seen not far away, to 
the north of Granite Park. Just east of the point where the trail 
crosseg the ridge west of Chief Mountain they were calling loudly 
from the slide rock along the side of the little meadow, and as I dug 
some little wild onions for my lunch one watched me with evident 
interest and an oft-repeated yamp, yamp. Apparently he could not 
make out what kind of animal I was nor why I should be digging 
grass in his meadow where all of the scanty hay was needed for his 
winter supply. 

During the short, bright summers of these high. altitudes conies 
are busy little people energetically gathering the grass and sedges 
and various small plants and stormg them for winter use under the 
rocks, where they dry and become like well-cured hay. A great 
variety of plants are thus. collected and apparently nothing is re- 
jected that has green foliage or stems. As the cold weather draws 
near they redouble their energy, and the haystacks grow steadily 
until the first permanent snows close in and bury both hay and hay- 
maker. As storm after storm sweeps over and the mountains are 
buried deeper and deeper under the winter blanket, the conies are well 
protected from both the severe weather and the attacks of numerous 
enemies. Deep under the rocks they can come and go for long dis- 
tances and undoubtedly visit back and forth and perhaps exchange 
dainty selections of hay with their friends and neighbors. In June, 
when most of the big snow banks have melted over their rock piles. 
a few little sticks and dry stems and particles of the hay are all that 
remain, but the conies are out gathering the tender green plants as 
they come up from the newly warmed earth. Their long, furry, win- 
ter coats are gradually exchanged for thinner and harsher summer 
wear, but otherwise they are the same timid, bright little animals of 
the previous autumn and none the worse for being buried seven or 
eight months under the snow. 

The three or four young are born early in June, and by the middle 
of July are usually found running about over the rocks with their 
parents, and. by the middle of August are helping to store the next 
winter’s hay crop. As they scamper about over the rocks with their 
furry-soled feet, noiseless as the flight of an owl, they are rarely 
seen except by those who know their voice and something of their 
habits andthe nature of their habitat. They are very timid, 
and at the first alarm dive like a flash out of sight among the 
rocks, but if one secures a good position from which to watch and 
sits quietly for a few minutes they will reappear as noiselessly as 
they disappeared and often sit and watch the strange intruder at 
close range for many minutes. Occasionally they will open their 
mouths and emit a squeaky yamp while they watch closely to see 


MAMMALS. a 


what effect it has on the intruder. Those at a distance often take up 
the call note, which seems to be a warning signal, and, with patience, 
one may oftert have them calling on all sides. Finally deciding that 
there is no danger, they will resume their work and run back and 
forth from the meadows to the rock-sheltered haystacks with great 
wads of grass and flowering plants in their mouths or sit on the rock 
points to munch their midday meal of grass stems or other green 
plants. It is usually possible with patience and perseverance gradu- 
ally to win their confidence until they can be photographed at 6 or 
even 4 feet from the camera. They are such gentle little animals 
that it seems strange they have not been tamed and introduced as pets 
for children, but it is doubtful whether they would thrive away from 
their native rock piles. 


Family LEPORIDZ: Rabbits and Hares. rY-C. 


Snowsnoz Raspir: Lepus bairdi bairdi Hayden.—The large woods": 


rabbits, pure white in winter and dark brownish gray with white 
feet in summer, are common throughout the whole timbered area of 
Glacier Park, mainly in the Canadian Zone. They are so protectively 
colored in both winter and summer as to be inconspicuous and not 
often seen, but their little trails through the bushes and their large 
flattened pellets of sawdust droppings may usually be found any- 
where in the woods. Occasionally one is seen in a trail or road early 
in the morning or evening or is frightened out of its form under a 
bush or log and goes bounding away with conspicuous flashes of the 
big white feet until at a little distance it suddenly stops and sits 
down on the white feet, absolutely lost to view. More often one 
will-sit quietly close to the trail or allow a person to pass near 
without making any move or sound. Even when they do run 
their softly padded feet make little sound and they generally escape 
without being noticed. Near the St. Mary Chalet at dusk one even- 
ing I saw one sitting in the trail at the edge of the woods. It had 
evidently found some salt or scattered grain which it was eagerly 
picking up from the ground, and by approaching slowly and talking 
softly to it, I was able to come within about 15 feet before it became 
alarmed. Unfortunately the light was too far gone for a photograph, 
but the rabbit ran only a few feet away and then stopped to wait until 
the coast was clear for a return to its feeding ground. Apparently 
it would not be difficult to bait them along some of the woods trails in 
order to study them at close range. 

The food of these rabbits consists of green plants of a great variety, 
especially the wild clovers and leguminous species, and in winter 
chiefly bark and buds from twigs and bushes. As the snow gets 
deeper it only raises them higher up to a new supply of choice buds 


I 


78 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


and bark, and few animals are better adapted to deep snow and 
rigorous winter climates than these densely furred and well-shod 
snowshoe rabbits. The long coarse hairs of the feet spread and help 
carry them over the surface of even the soft snows, while over well- 
packed or crusted snows they scamper with evident enjoyment and 
wonderful speed. 

Their mating time is early in spring, and the four to six young, 
born in May or June, are soon big enough to pick tender green vege- 
tation as a part of their food. When first born they are well- 
furred, perfect little rabbits with sharp incisor teeth and open 
eyes, and of such a soft, shadowy, woodsy color that it would seem 
they must defy the keenest eyes of owl or fox. About the time of 
the first snows in autumn the 
white hair begins to appear 
| through their coats and they are 

“, at first grizzled and mottled, but 
yy | later, as the whole world about 
4 | them becomes pure white, they 


fs rapidly acquire the full white coat 
ge fe of winter. 
fy a SF, bie They do not become fat or hiber- 


=| nate, but seem always to be plump 
and healthy, and for food are 
; among the most delicious of all 
Photo. by Norman McClintock. rom the rabbits. Their arch enemy, 
Fic. 13—Northern white-tailed jack- the Canada lynx, is also common 
Sen erat aiie PEt eS aig throughout this region and prob- 
ably more than any other animal 

keeps their numbers down to a minimum. Hawks, owls, foxes, and 
coyotes occasionally prey upon them but often are unable to capture 


them, either by stealth or in a test of speed. 


Pram Jack Rassir; Lepus townsendi campanius Hollister.— 
These big white-tailed jack rabbits with gray summer and pure 
white winter coats are common over the Plains along the eastern side 
of the park and extend in open areas up to the edge of the timber. 
In the Museum of Comparative Zoology, at Cambridge, there is a 
specimen collected by Dr. Coues, August 16, 1874, and labeled Chief 
Mountain. This may have come from the open country at the base 
of Chief Mountain or from the Belly River valley, but as the park 
line cuts through the middle of the mountain there is some doubt as 
to whether it was collected in the park or outside. Rabbits are most 
likely to be seen along the stage road to St. Mary, or from St. Mary 
around to the Swiftcurrent Valley or in the open parks along Belly 
River. 


Laboratory of Ornitnoiegy 

159 Sapsucker Woods Road 
MAMMALS. Corel! University 79 

Uthaca, New York 14850 

Once seen, there can be no mistaking the species, for large size, 
long ears, and a big white puffy tail are conspicuous characters, to 
be recognized almost as far away as the white rump of the antelope. 
The animals are strictly prairie dwellers and are generally seen as 
they bound out of their forms in the grass where they sit during most 
of the day. Their long leaps above the prairie grass are almost as 
startling as the white flashes of the white-tail deer in flight, and their 
speed is perhaps exceeded only by that of the antelope and grey- 
hound. As game animals they afford good sport in shooting, and 
their meat is considered excellent. 

Their food in summer is mainly of grass and the leaves of tender 
prairie plants or any growing grain, clover, or alfalfa that may be 
found on farms, while in winter it is chiefly of twigs, bark, and buds. 
In farming sections jack rabbits often do some mischief during the 
winter season in cutting off young fruit trees and bushes, but over 
most of their range they are a harmless and valuable game animal. 


Order CARNIVORA: Flesh Eaters. 


Family FELIDZ: Cats. 


Mountain Lion: Felis hippolestes Merriam.—The northern 
pumas, cougars, or mountain lions are still common on the west 
slope of the mountains in Glacier Park where the dense forest and 
abundance of deer offer them unusual advantages in safe cover and 
ample food supply. On the east slope they are comparatively scarce, 
and I have only one definite record of tracks seen, one at Iceberg 
Lake in November, 1907, by Donald H. Stevenson. In many years’ 
residence in the park he found no other tracks on the east slope, but 
found them common on the west, and reported about 24 lions 
taken each year. In 1917, Park Ranger Gibb told me of 11 killed 
by one hunter in the North Fork Valley during the preceding win- 
ter. Apparently they are still almost as numerous as they were in 
1895, when I first went through the park region. At that time they 
were common all along the west slope of the park, and at one of m; 
camps just west of the park I had the unusual pleasure of hearing 
one’s wild cry in the mountains at night. It was not the childlike 
scream of the young horned owl, so often attributed to mountain 
lions, but a long, hoarse woh-u-p-o-w somewhat suggesting the roar 
of a lion, but more like the exaggerated caterwauling of the back 
yard tomcat in its deepest and most pensive mood. This prolonged 
call was repeated at intervals of about one minute as the animal 
passed through the forest not far from camp, and could be heard 
for a long distance in the still night. On only two other occasions 
have I heard this cry in the woods, and once in the National Zoo- 

51140°—18——7 


80 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


logical Park, and while it may not be the only call of the mountain 
lion, it is certainly very different from the wild scream usually 
attributed to it. 

During the winter of 1899, A. Henry Higginson, while camped at 
the southern border of the park, in the vicinity of Nyack, found 
these animals abundant throughout the forest. One was shot near 
his camp, and the carcasses of two deer were found on which they had 
been feeding. As his man was returning late one evening a moun- 
tain lion followed him to within 50 yards of the cabin door, as was 
shown by its tracks the next morning. It seems to be a common 
habit of these animals to follow a man at a safe distance, but there 
are few records of their attacking human beings. It is not unusual 
to find their tracks near camp in the morning, but the animals are 


Fic. 14.—Two mountain lions that will kill no more game. The only good mountain 
lions in a big game country are those gathered in by hunters and trappers. 
so silent and stealthy that they are rarely seen, even where most 
numerous. 

In this region their food consists mainly of the white-tail deer, 
which abound on the west slope of the park, but it is probable that 
they get some ell and mocse and occasionally mountain sheep and 
goats. When a deer is killed they often return to the carcass for a 
second feed, but as often move on and kill another deer when hungry. 
One deer every few days would be a fair estimate of the game de- 
stroyed by each of these big cats, and a hundred deer a year would 
probably not be too high for each adult. 

The young are usually three or four to a litter, but as many as 
eight are recorded for this species. As soon as old enough to travel 
with their mother they join in the venison feasts, which, to satisfy 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XV. 


Photo. by Jacob Neitzling. BIILIM 


FIG. 1.—HALF-GROWN MOUNTAIN LIONS IN TOP OF A YELLOW PINE WEST OF 
GLACIER PARK. 


Photo. by Jacob Neitzling. BIII2M 
FIG. 2.—THE SAME LIONS IN ANOTHER POSITION. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XVI. 


FIG. 1.—CANADA LYNX. MOUNTED SPECIMEN IN BIOLOGICAL SURVEY COL- 
LECTION IN U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 


=| 


Photo. by Donald Stevenson. B19122 


FIG. 2.—THE LARGE NORTHERN BOBCAT IN WINTER FUR. CAUGHT IN TRAP 
IN WESTERN WYOMING. 


MAMMALS. 81 


their growing appetites, require the slaughter of a large quantity of 
game. As the lions are almost never seen except by hunters, their 
contribution to the interest of the park is negligible, and some 
effective means should be taken for their destruction. 

Canapa Lynx: Lynx canadensis Kerr.—These short-tailed, tas- 
sel-eared, big-footed cats are more or less common throughout the 
Glacier Park region. Their actual weight is usually no more than 
that of the large northern bobcat, but owing to their longer legs and 
longer fur they have the appearance of being much larger. A large 
one taken by Stevenson weighed 28 pounds. They are readily dis- 
tinguished from the bobcat not only by the large feet, long legs, and 
hight gray color, but most infallibly by the solid black tip of the short 
tail. 

Their range covers the whole park region, especially in the timber 
and brushy areas where the snowshoe rabbits abound. In 1895 I 
found their tracks in the woods about St. Mary Lake, and one was 
caught near timberline, just north of the lake, in a bear trap baited 
with mountain sheep. Don Stevenson, who has trapped and shot 
many of them in the area now comprised in the Glacier Park, says 
he has never known of their killing any game larger than snowshoe 
rabbits and grouse. He says also that he has heard them make a 
cry not unlike a young puppy in distress. Park Ranger Gibb and 
Park Guide Gird, who trapped in this region before it was made 
a park and have been familiar with the country ever since, also report 
the lynx as common, and J. E. Lewis, at Lake McDonald, tells me 
that their skins constitute one of the important furs in the catch 
of the trappers in that region. The animals, however, are rarely seen 
by anyone in summer and seldom even in winter by the hunters and 
trappers, unless caught in traps or their tracks followed on the snow 
until the animals are forced out of their daytime concealment. Their 
hunting is mainly but not entirely at night, and with soft, furry feet, 
stealthy habits, and owl-like silence, they are expert in keeping out 
of sight. 

The snowshoe rabbit is their principal game, and with its abund- 
ance they increase or decrease in a mysterious synchronism that has 
given them the reputation of being partially migratory. It seems 
more probable, however, that in years of well-fed vigor they breed 
and multiply more rapidly, and in lean years, perhaps, fail to breed 
or even in some cases become so weakened by hunger as to fall prey 
to disease or enemies. At all events, during years when rabbits are 
abundant they, too, become abundant, and when there are few rab- 
bits they are correspondingly scarce. While evidently a great part 
of their food consists of rabbits, grouse, squirrels, and other small 
game, the fact that they have been found by Charles Sheldon killing 


82 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


full-grown mountain sheep in Alaska? is sufficient evidence that they 
are a menace to many of the large game animals. From their abun- 
dance and stealthy habits it would seem almost inevitable that the 
young of mountain sheep, deer, and goats must suffer greatly from 
their depredations, and as their presence adds little of interest to the 
park, they could certainly be well spared in the interest of game 
protection. 

~Boscar: Lyna uinta Merriam.—The northern bobcat, wildcat, or 
bay lynx, while one of the largest of the group, has the appearance 
of being much smaller than the Canada lynx, owing to its shorter legs, 
smaller feet, and shorter fur; but in actual weight it apparently 
equals, if it does not exceed, the Canada lynx. The type of the 
species, an old male collected at Bridger’s Pass, Wyo., weighed 314 
pounds. In color bobcats are variable from buffy to rich ochraceous 
gray, with heavily spotted belly, sides, and flanks. The ear tassels 
and facial ruffs are not so prominent as in the Canada lynx and the 
tip of the short tail is white with a‘black band above. 

Bobcats are not common in the Glacier Park, but I have seen their 
unmistakable tracks along the shores of St. Mary Lake, and Gird 
tells me that there are a few in the lower areas of the park. They 
belong mainly to lower zones, the Transition and Austral, and are 
common along the cliffs and canyons of the lower levels of the State. 

Their game is principally cottontail rabbits, ground squirrels, 
pocket gophers, mice, and other small animals and birds, but the 
freedom with which they kill and eat domestic sheep would indicate 
that they are not safe animals to have in a region where the increase 
of large game is to be encouraged. They have the reputation of 
destroying great numbers of young deer, mountain sheep, and other 
game animals, and it is fortunate that they do not reside in the park 
in abundance. 


Family CANIDZ: Wolves and Foxes. 


Gray Wor: Canis nubilus Say.—Along the eastern edge of the 
park, in the open country, are still found the large light-colored 
plains wolves, known also as buffalo wolf, loafer, and lobo, and a few 
occasionally range up through the valleys and over the high parts 
of the mountains. J. E. Lewis tells me of two that were caught on 
Flat Top Mountain in the winter of 1916-17, and along the trails in 
the Belly River valley in August, 1917, I saw wolf signs that were 
not very old. The wolves had evidently been down in the cattle 
country as the sign was composed mainly of cattle hair. Don 
Stevenson reports them in the country about Chief Mountain for 


1 Wilderness of the Upper Yukon, by Charles Sheldon, pp. 314-815. Scribner's, 1911. 


Wiig Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XVII. 


B291M 


FIG, 1.—CAPTIVE COYOTE IN NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK, 


pa | 


B288mM 


FIG. 2.—CAPTIVE GRAY WOLVES FROM GREEN RIVER VALLEY, WYO., IN 
NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 


MAMMALS, 83 


the past 20 years, where they have ranged up and down the edge of 
the Plains killing cattle and some horses, and in 1914 he saw their 
tracks on St. Mary Ridge at the park line. There are said to be some 
in the North Fork Valley, where it is probable they are attracted by 
the abundance of deer, as they are on the eastern border by the 
abundance of domestic stock. In 1895 they seemed to be no more 
common than at the present time, as I saw then only a few tracks 
on the prairie below St. Mary Lake, and some fine skins among the 
Indians on the Blackfeet Reservation. 

As the valleys settle up, more vigorous hunting and trapping is 
likely to crowd the wolves back into the park at any time and make 
them more numerous than they are at present. If so, their de- 
struction of game will be correspondingly increased, and the sheep, 
goats, deer, elk, and moose will suffer from their depredations. If 
unmolested they seem to prefer the domestic stock where it is 
abundant and easily accessible, but, if a supply of beef can not be 
obtained, they readily take to the game trails and will hunt success- 
fully either in the woods or in the open. It is to be hoped that their 
abundance can be controlled and their presence in the park practi- 
cally eliminated before many years. 

Nortuern Coyote: Canis latrans Say.—The big, northern, brown 
coyote seems to be the predominant species in the mountains of 
Glacier Park, but it is not improbable that the smaller, paler nebra- 
censis enters at least the lower, more open valleys on the east. As 
no specimens are available from the park or immediate vicinity, the 
determination of the form must rest upon the large size and dark 
color of the individuals seen in the park. They are surprisingly 
common in the elevated interior, where their tracks and signs were 
daily seen along the trails, over the passes, and even along sheep and 
goat trails above timberline. One seen on July 31 picking its way 
over the rocks across the lower end of Blackfeet Glacier was in 
the thin summer coat of dark grizzled brown, but was not thin and 
skinny as summer individuals usually are. He looked plump and 
well fed and was so large that I looked closely to see if he were not 
a wolf. The tracks seen along the trails, about Gunsight Lake, in 
Piegan Pass, along the Swiftcurrent Creek, both forks of Kennedy 
Creek, the Belly River valley, about Elizabeth and Glenn Lakes, in 
the Waterton Lake valley, the whole length of the North Fork Val- 
ley, about Lake McDonald, and over Kootenai Pass and Flat Top 
Mountain were generally large. Along the side of Gable Mountain 
a track had followed sheep trails over the snow banks for several 
miles. In other places the animals followed the trails for long dis- 
tances through heavy timber, where they seemed to be as much at 
home as in the open above or below timberline. 


84 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Along the higher trails their sign was almost entirely of goat 
wool and sheep hair, showing what had been their principal prey, 
but in some cases deer hair was also detected, and in the valleys 
it was the main refuse from their food. In places where their 
tracks were most abundant the sheep and goats were usually scarce, 
and evidently the almost inaccessible cliffs to which these animals 
resort during the daytime are their only protection from constant 
attacks of the coyotes. In the evening both. the sheep and goats 
come down into the little alpine meadows to feed, and if not con- 
stantly harassed they would undoubtedly remain at much lower 
levels during the daytime than at present, when they would be of 
nore general interest to the tourists. Their only safety seems to be 
in getting on the narrowest, most elevated shelves of the cliffs, where 
pursuit would be difficult and dangerous, and where the naked rocks 
are too rough and sharp for the hoofless feet of carnivores. To save 
their feet the coyotes keep 
very largely along the 
trails or in the meadows 
where the ground is soft, 
and for this reason they 
are easily trapped. I was 
told that last winter one 
trapper caught 22 on Flat 
Top Mountain where they 
pass over from the Water- 
ton to the McDonald 
Mountain red fox in Wind River Moun. Creek valley. It would 

Lalns avy yOmIne: not be difficult for one or 
two reliable and skillful trappers, kept on the job throughout the 
year, to keep the number of coyotes in the park to a practically 
harmless minimum. 


Photo. by J. A. Loring. 1ollM, 


Fic, 15. 


Mountain Rep Fox: Vulpes fulva macroura Baird.—The moun- 
tain red or cross foxes are occasionally seen in Glacier Park, and 
in all their various color phases can be readily recognized by the 
Jarge white tips of the bushy tails. They vary in color from the 
yellow red to a very much darker yellowish brown, with often a pro- 
nounced dark stripe across the shoulders, which gives this phase the 
name of cross fox. J. E. Lewis, at Lake McDonald, had some skins 
of the pure red, but more of varying shades of cross, and one that 
was showing the white tips on a very dark underfur that would have 
been classed as a silver-gray, except for a little rusty on the sides of 
the neck and flanks. I could get no record of the pure black fox 
from the park area, but this fully melanistic phase is so rare that 
very few are taken anywhere in the Rocky Mountain region. All 


MAMMALS. 85 


the grades of color comprise but a single species or subspecies of the 
red fox group. 

In 1895 Hank Norris told me that there were a few red foxes about 
St. Mary Lake, and Don Stevenson caught a pair on Swiftcurrent 
Creek in 1903 and says that old trappers reported them abundant in 
the eighties. In July, 1917, one was seen near Piegan Pass, and they 
are reported by Gibb as fairly common in the open along the crest 
of the range. In their favorite haunts on Hudsonian Zone meadows 
and open slopes, ground squirrels, mice, and birds supply them with 
abundant food, and among the broken rocks safe dens are always 
available. Their slender tracks in the trails and occasionally the 
sharp fox bark are the usual indications of their presence, except as 
one of the animals may be seen gliding lightly across the meadows. 
While it is probable that they get some ptarmigan and grouse, their 
numbers are so well kept down by the trappers around the borders of 
the park that they are not likely to be a serious menace even to the 
small game of the region. 


Kor Fox; Swirr: Vulpes velox hebes Merriam.—tThese little 
buffy gray foxes with black tips to the tails are common over the 
Plains along the eastern edge of the park, and undoubtedly enter its 
present borders in the open area at the lower end of St. Mary Lake 
and in the Swiftcurrent and Belly River valleys, but there seems 
to be no positive record of their having been seen or taken within 
the park boundaries. They are shy animals, not often seen even 
where most common, but wherever they occur their tiny doglike 
tracks may be found along dusty trails, and on rare occasions one 
may be seen gliding through the prairie grass with light, graceful, 
rapid motions, which have given them their common name of swift. 


Family MUSTELIDZ: Otters, Martens, Minks, Weasels, etc. 


Orrer: Lutra canadensis canadensis Schreber—Otters are said 
to be fairly common along many of the streams in the park, especially 
on the west slope and in the north fork of Flathead Valley. Donald 
Stevenson reports them on Swiftcurrent Creek and St. Mary River, 
and in 1895 I was told that there were a few at Red Eagle Lake. 
Ranger Gibb reports them at Two Medicine Lake, on McDonald 
Lake, and other localities in the North Fork Valley. Before the 
Glacier Park was set aside otter skins were a small but important 
part of the winter’s catch of the trappers in this region, and some 
very choice skins were obtained. 

While swimming in the water of the lakes or streams, where they 
are most likely to be seen, otters may be recognized by their long 
and slender bodies and rapid, graceful motions. Except the beaver 
and muskrat, they are more perfectly adapted to life in the water 


86 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


than any other fur bearers of the region. Their long, tapering, and 
powerfully muscular tails serve as propellers as well as rudders, and 
the animals glide through the water with great swiftness and an 
almost serpentine grace that distinguishes them even at a distance 
from the heavy-bodied beaver. Their dark glossy brown fur has put 
a high price on their heads and nowhere are they at present found in 
any great abundance. 

Minx: Lutreola vison energumenos (Bangs).—Minks are fairly 
common along the streams and lake shores in the park, but nowhere 
numerous, as their numbers are kept down by persistent trapping. 
A few tracks were seen along the banks of Belly River, Two Medicine 
Creek, and shores of St. Mary, Kintla,and McDonald Lakes. Ranger 
Gibb reports them along most of the streams and Donald Stevenson 
says they are especially common along the streams where fish abound. 
J. E. Lewis, at Lake McDonald, had skins from that general region 


Fic. 16.—Mink photographed at old cabin above Kintla Lake. tN 
that showed good color and excellent fur, and says that they con- 
stitute an important part of the fur catch of the region each year. 

Minks are rarely seen except as caught in traps, but occasionally 
one gets a glimpse of a little dark brown animal with fuzzy tail dart- 
ing along the creek banks or loping with arched back along the lake 
shore or swimming rapidly in the stream or lake. They are generally 
found in the vicinity of water, where much of their hunting is done. 
Their food consists mainly of mice and other small rodents, birds, 
birds’ eggs, frogs, and fish. Of small game they occasionally kill 
muskrats, ducks, and probably grouse. At what appeared to be a 
breeding den at an old muskrat burrow on Lower Waterton Lake duck 
feathers were scattered thickly about the burrows, while at one side 
was a large heap of characteristic mink sign, composed also largely. 
of feathers and bones of water birds. A family of mink on the breed- 
ing grounds of water birds is always a serious drain on the bird life, 
and it is fortunate that they are not abundant and that their attrac- 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XVIII. 


B285M 
FIG, 1.—FISHER. PHOTOGRAPH OF A CAPTIVE INDIVIDUAL IN NATIONAL 
ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 


EPG 


FIG. 2.—CAPTIVE OTTERS IN NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK AT WASHINGTON, 
D.C. 


MAMMALS, 87 


tive fur puts a high value on their skins. Their destruction of fish 
is apparently not serious, although they feed quite extensively upon 
minnows and small fish, which they catch alive, but it is probable that 
the larger fish caught are the sick or injured individuals, 

Arizona Wrase.: J/ustela arizonensis (Mearns).—These are me- 
dium sized weasels with buffy brown backs and white lowerparts in 
summer, but in winter pure white, except the tip of the tail, which 
is at all seasons black. They are probably the commonest weasel 
throughout the park and may be found at all altitudes and in all 
kinds of country from the deep woods to the open meadows and bare 
slopes above timberline. In June, 1895, I caught one on a log over 
a creek at St. Mary Lake. They are great hunters and wanderers 
and seem to be incessantly chasing over logs and under brush, 
through rock piles, and from burrow to burrow and nest to nest of 
the small game which they pursue. Apparently they have no choice 
of day or night for hunting, but simply hunt until their appetites 
are satisfied and then keep on hunting for the pleasure of killing. 
Ground squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and all small rodents are at once 
thrown into a panic when a weasel appears on the slope, and with 
loud calls warn each other as far as possible in advance of a danger- 
ous enemy. Even the pocket gopher in his tunnels underground is 
not safe if an open door can be found or an entrance forced into his 
galleries. He is relentlessly followed up and quickly dispatched and 
devoured and often his burrow is used as a temporary residence while 
the other rodents in the vicinity are being killed and eaten, or killed 
and left uneaten. Any thing of the weasel’s own size or even con- 
siderably larger is fair game, but I have never known of this species 
killing the snowshoe rabbit. The conies are greatly excited by the 
appearance of a weasel, and many of the colonies that seem to have 
disappeared were probably exterminated by weasels, which readily 
follow their runways under the rocks and give them no chance 
of escape. In winter their tracks are seen in Jong zigzag lines over 
the snow, or they disappear at a round burrow which has been forced 
down through the snow to the surface of the ground, where mice and 
squirrels and pocket gophers have their runways and can be fol- 
lowed up and caught. The pure white winter coats, however, have 
a market value, and great numbers of weasels are caught in the lines 
of traps set for minks and martens and more valuable game. While 
not sufficiently large and long furred to be as valuable as the Old 
World ermine, their pure white skins are extensively used for furs. 

Lone-tartep Weasez: Mustela longicauda longicauda Bonaparte.— 
These large, long-tailed, yellow-bellied weasels also are buffy brown 
in summer and pure white in winter, except for a usual sulphur- 
colored stain over the belly and the long black tip of the tail. 


88 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


They are common over the Plains along the eastern edge of the 
Glacier Park and apparently extend up in the open tongues of 
prairie which follow up the valleys. Two specimens collected by 
Coues in 1877 at Chief Mountain Lake (Waterton Lake) were in or 
close to the edge of the park, and one collected by Ernest Thompson 
Seton on Eagle Creek has been listed as this species. In May, 1895, 
I collected an adult female on Cut Bank Creek below the park line, 
and in August, 1917, I found one dead by the trail between Upper 
and Lower Waterton Lakes. These large weasels are closely asso- 
ciated with the flickertail, or Richardson ground squirrel, over much 
of their range. At Cut Bank Creek I shot one that was running from 
one burrow to another in pursuit of these squirrels and after some 
digging found it dead curled up in the nest of the squirrel at the far 
end of the burrow. Mice and other small rodents probably furnish 
much of their food, but the ground squirrels and especially the young 
are easily obtained and apparently relished by the weasels. The 
weasels are never abundant, however, and the squirrels thrive in spite 
of the numbers destroyed. Possibly some small game and birds may 
be killed by them, but as a general thing they may be considered very 
useful animals. In winter their white skins have some value for fur, 
but the yellow suffusion usually renders them less valuable than the 
species with pure white fur. 

Bonaparte Weaset: Mustela cicognanii cicognanii Bonaparte.— 
A very small weasel is reported in the Glacier Park which probably 
is this species, but no specimens are available for actual determina- 
tion. Donald Stevenson reports them apparently fully adult and in 
the white winter coats, but only eight inches long, including the black 
tip of the tail. This could hardly be any other species, unless it can be 
referred to the still smaller /ep/ws of the southern Rocky Mountains. 
Usually these little weasels are less common than the larger species, 
or else from their small size they more generally escape notice. They 
range at all altitudes through the mountains and feed mainly upon 
mice, which they readily follow through the runways and burrows. 
In summer they are brown above and white below and in winter pure 
white except the black tip of the tail, but their skins are so small as to 
be of little value, and perhaps owing to their small size they are not 
so often caught in steel traps set for larger game. 

Marten: Martes americana caurina (Merriam).—The marten is 
about the size of a mink, but with longer, lighter fur and more promi- 
nent ears, which in the wild state give them a much brighter, more 
foxlike expression. Their furry coats vary from light yellow to 
dark brown with lighter or sometimes bright orange throat and belly. 
They are probably as common in the park as anywhere in the 
country, but no animal with the price on its skin that they have 


MAMMALS. 89 


long maintained could well be numerous or very common. For at 
least half a century the park region has been famous for the number 
of martens caught eich year by trappers. In 1895 old and fresh 
marten traps and old trapper cabins were common throughout the 
area where the park now lies, and lines of blazed trees, that once 
marked trap lines may still be found through the most remote and 
heavily wooded sections of the park. The animals are reported to 
be more common on the west slope of the mountains than on the east, 
but this is probably because the timber there is more dense and ex- 
tensive and it has not been possible to trap them out so thoroughly. 

Martens are forest animals, keeping usually in the heavy timber, 
where they hunt from tree to tree and over and under logs and brush 
for their prey. They are expert climbers, and if seen at all in the 
woods are most likely to be seen in the trees. When startled they 
usually take refuge in a tree and may thus attract attention by the 
noise they make in climbing. At McDonald Lake in August, 1917, 
while picking my way through the underbrush, several ruffed grouse 
started up with a roar of wings, and from close to the spot a marten 
rushed up the trunk of a small cottonwood tree. He was so close to 
the grouse that he had evidently been stalking or lying in wait for 
them, but when I flushed the flock he also took alarm and made a 
rather noisy escape. When up 30 or 40 feet from the ground he 
seemed to consider himself safe and sat on a branch watching me 
with keen interest. To further test his climbing powers I climbed 
the tree to within a few feet of him, when he became greatly alarmed 
and made a long jump to the branches of the next tree. By swinging 
my tree as far as possible I was able to catch one of the branches of: 
the tree he was in, and by quick jerks shook the tree until he became 
still more alarmed and made a flying leap for the ground, about 40 
feet below, where he struck lightly and, bounding away through the 
woods, was soon lost to sight and sound. 

Donald Stevenson, who has spent many winters in trapping them, 
states that the principal food of martens is snowshoe rabbits and pine 
squirrels, but they also catch mice, wood rats, and conies, and un- 
doubtedly a good many birds. The scarcity of grouse in a good 
marten country is easily interpreted. Rabbits, squirrels, and birds 
are mostly used for trap bait, and the traps are set in a little pen 
covered to keep out the snow, or on the top of a stump with a shelter 
or on a little shelf on the side of a tree above which the bait is sus- 
pended. Steel traps are generally employed, but many deadfalls 
of the ordinary type are used and some are made with the butt end 
of a small tree boxed into the top of its stump with a figure 4 under- 
neath. Martens are as a rule unsuspicious and easily caught wher- 
ever they occur. Their abundance in the park would tend to keep 
down other small animal life, especially the squirrels and grouse, 

51140°—18- —-& 


90 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


which furnish important features of interest. A few would do no 
serious harm, but the delicate balance of species is not easily main- 
tained by hard and fast laws of man. Special permits to reliable 
parties for trapping them in the park during a limited season when 
they become too numerous would probably control their numbers 
here, while outside the park there is no danger of their ever becom- 
ing too abundant. 

Fisuer: Martes pennanti (Erxleben).—The fisher is many times 
larger than the marten, with long coarse fur of a black or dark gray 
color. Although ranging entirely across southern Canada, it is 
at present a rare animal in any part of the United States. A 
few are reported in the park, where they are likely to hold their own 
and through proper protection maintain a remnant of the species for 
a long time to come. In many years of trapping in the park region 
in the early days, Walter S. Gibb has caught three of these animals, 
but some of the old trappers have not secured a skin. Donald Stey- 
enson reports two skins that were taken by trappers on the Upper 
Swiftcurrent in 1910, and tracks which he saw on Swan River and 
South Fork as late as 1912. 

In habits these animals are much like the marten, hunting through 
the forest country for rabbits, squirrels, and grouse, and ranging 
over a wide territory. They are expert climbers and are said to pur- 
sue their prey even through the tree tops in long leaps from tree to 
tree. Their fur is heavy and soft and overlaid with rather coarse 
but glossy hairs that render it durable and attractive. It ranks as one 
of the more valuable furs, partly from its intrinsic qualities and 
partly from its rarity. 

Wotvertne: Gulo luscus (Linneus).—The wolverine is a sturdy. 
heavy-bodied animal, with short bushy tail, long coarse hair, and a 
unique pattern of brown and black, with a yellow band over back and 
sides. It is the largest of our weasel tribe and has the reputation of 
being a fierce little beast, ready to fight anything of its own size or 
many times larger. 

In 1895 I was told by trappers at St. Mary Lake and over the 
range that there were a few in the region and occasionally one was 
caught. Ranger Gibb reports a few trapped each year before the 
park was created, and Stevenson reports one killed by his father on 
Kennedy Creek in 1902 and tracks seen above St. Mary Lake in 1910. 
Gird told me of one killed in the Kintla Lake region a few years 
ago, but Lewis thinks there are none left in the park at present. 
They are great wanderers, however, and in this forested region one 
is likely to appear at any time from some neighboring range. 

With their short legs and heavy build they are not expert in the 
pursuit of live game and to a great extent are scavengers and rob- 


MAMMALS. 91 


bers. They often follow the trap lines, breaking up the trap pens 
and eating the bait without getting caught, or when caught in small 
traps breaking the traps and so going free with an experience that 
is valuable to them later in keeping out of other larger traps. They 
travel long distances in search of any dead, sick, or crippled animal, 
and they have the reputation of feeding even upon the porcupine. 

Their long, coarse fur, when in prime condition, makes up into 
beautiful robes and coats and brings a high price in the fur market. 
It is very durable and has a beauty and individuality which give it 
a high rank. 

NorrHern Sxunx: Mephitis hudsonica Richardson.—The large 
northern skunks are common in many places in the lower levels of 
the park. They belong to the Transition Zone, but at times wander 
slightly beyond its borders. At Many Glacier and about Lake Mc- 
Donald they are fairly common, and tracks were seen near St. Mary 
Lake, and in 1895 a specimen was collected at Nyack, a little station 
on the Great Northern Railroad between the summit of the range 
and Belton. They are not sufficiently numerous to be troublesome, 
and I did not detect their powerful odor at any place in the park. 
They are harmless and interesting animals, except on rare occasions 
when they find convenient quarters under camps or cabins and on 
being disturbed make themselves offensive. Whenever they become 
objectionable they may easily be caught in box traps and carried 
to a safe distance for release or be dispatched if necessary. 

Skunks make much of their food of insects, mice, and any small 
rodents that they can dig out of the ground or capture by their 
slow methods. They are fond also of berries or any sweet fruit and 
find much to their taste in the garbage piles or refuse thrown out 
from camps and hotels. In autumn they become very fat, and about 
the time the ground begins to freeze enter their deep burrows and 
curl up for a long winter sleep. Their fur is at its best just before 
they enter upon or after they emerge from hibernation, and, while 
not high-priced, it often forms an important part of the trappers’ 
catch in the low country. 

Bancer: Tavidea taxrus (Schreber).—Badgers are common over the 
Plains country along the eastern border of the park, and if they 
enter the present park boundaries at all it is only in the open areas 
in its eastern valleys. Apparently they are entirely absent from the 
timber or mountainous area. In 1895 I reported them as common 
at the lower end of St. Mary Lake, but in 1917 could find no trace 
of even their burrows inside of the park line. Ranger Gibb says 
that he has never seen them in the park. They certainly are not a 
common animal within its borders. 


92 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Out over the Plains they spend most of their time digging out 
the burrows of the flickertail, or Richardson ground squirrel, and 
feasting upon the fat occupants. While thus engaged in doing 
the greatest possible service to the ranchmen they are killed on 
every possible occasion, because their big burrows on the prairie 
are a menace to horse and rider. They are also trapped to some 
extent for their fur, which in this northern climate becomes very 
long and is in considerable demand for clothing. Meanwhile the 
ground squirrels, in unchecked abundance, destroy the crops and 
forage until the country becomes sufficiently populous and prosper- 
ous for them to be systematically destroyed by artificial means. In 
autumn badgers become very fat, and before the ground is frozen too 
far down they dig deep burrows, in which they barricade themselves 
for a long winter’s hibernation. 


Family URSIDZ: Bears. 


Buack Bear; Cinnamon Bear: Ursus americanus Pallas.—Black 
and brown bears are found over practically all of Glacier Park, 
and at various seasons range from the lowest levels to above timber- 
line. During July and August of 1917 they were most abundant 
in the valley bottoms, where the many ripening berries had attracted 
them. Their tracks and signs were seen along the trails and roads 
at St. Mary Lake, in the Swiftcurrent, Belly River, and Waterton 
Valleys, at the lower ends of Gunsight and Ellen Wilson Lakes, and 
about Granite Park. During the last week in August bears were 
especially common about Lake McDonald, and they are said to 
be numerous throughout the vaHey of the North Fork of Flathead 
River. They are not restricted to any life zone, as their search for 
food throughout the season carries them back and forth from above 
timberline to the lowest valleys and even out along the streams into 
the Plains country. In a single night a bear may pass through all 
of the zones on one slope of the mountains and over the top and 
down the other side without making an unusually long journey. 
Often their tracks will be found following a trail for miles until they 
branch off on some other trail that will be followed in turn for many 
more miles. 

An old brown bear with two cubs was seen between Belly River 
and Waterton Lake on August 14, and a small black bear came to 
our camp one night in the Waterton Valley and carried off a ham 
from one of the pack sacks. At Lake McDonald late in August 
an old bear and two large cubs were feeding at the garbage pile 
back of Lewis’s Hotel, but another bear that claimed some of the 
garbage caused the mother much anxiety for the safety of her cubs, 
and she kept chasing him away. Every time she charged the other 


MAMMALS. 93 


bear the cubs rushed up the nearest tree and remained until the 
coast was clear and quiet again prevailed, when they would come 
down and very cautiously approach the garbage; but usually before 
they reached the heap of tin cans another w-o-o-7 of the mother in 
pursuit of the stranger would again send them up the nearest tree. 
The mother seemed anxious to have them get their share of the food, 
and as soon as she had chased the intruder out of sight she would 
come back to their tree and scratch on the trunk, when the young 
would come down slowly and cautiously. During the half hour in 
which we watched them they did not reach the food supply, but 
probably succeeded in getting some of it later in the evening. A little 
earler there were said to be six bears at the garbage pile at one time, 
including one brown, but some of them were not very tame and left 
as soon as the tourists began to appear. The next day on the shore 
of a little pond in the woods near Lake McDonald we heard a twig 
snap and soon saw a medium-sized black bear feeding on the service- 
berries only 20 or 30 yards away. He was so eager for the berries 
that he did not notice us and went on eating the ripe, sweet fruit 
hanging in luscious bunches from the bushes. He would stand up 
straight on his hind feet and with both hands pull down branches 
of the bushes and pick off the big purple berries with his lips and 
tongue. After stripping one bush he waded into a small pond, across 
which he swam and went off through the woods, making for a bear 
an unusual amount of noise and crackling. He was probably one of 
the garbage-pile bears which had lost some of his caution in finding 
that man was after all a harmless animal. 

The story of the food of these bears gives most of their life history. 
The old droppings of early spring showed a ravenous appetite that 
was often appeased by dry grass, pine needles, bits of rotten wood, 
and bark that had been gathered up with a few ants, beetles, and 
larvee that served to fill up and furnish a little nutriment. An occa- 
sional feast on the carcass of some animal that has died or has been 
killed during the winter helps out at this time of year, and the left- 
over supply of winter fat helps carry them through the early spring- 
time. As soon as vegetation starts a great variety of green plants 
are eaten, and as the frost leaves the warm slopes many roots and 
bulbs are dug up for food. The great yellow-flowered western dog- 
tooth violets grow in profusion throughout the Canadian and Hud- 
sonian Zones, and as they begin to come up and blossom at the lower 
levels the bears dig the tender starchy bulbs in great numbers for 
food. As they blossom soon after the snow has disappeared, there 
is a continuous zone of the flowers creeping up the sides of the moun- 
tains from May at the lower levels to late in August near timberline. 
In the latter half of July they were at their best in the Hudsonian 


94 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 

Zone, where acres of the brilliant yellow lilies covered many of the 
open slopes between the groves of white-barked pines. Here the 
bears were reveling in a feast of the juicy bulbs. Near Granite Park, 
in numerous places over the mountain sides, they had torn up the sod 
in areas of a few yards to several square rods in extent, tearing it up 
continuously from the edge and turning out the bulbs 4 or 5 inches 
below the surface and rolling the sod back, first one way and then 
another, until the ground had the appearance of having been plowed. 
On both sides of Gunsight Pass, at the lower edge of Blackfeet Gla- 
cier, on Flat Top Mountain, and at Elizabeth Lake extensive areas were 
found plowed over by the bears for these bulbs, each one of which, the 
size of a small onion and much more palatable, would make a pleasant 
mouthful. 

Probably these bears obtain many other bulbs and roots and some 
insects and larve while digging for these bulbs. At times even 
late in summer large quantities of green vegetation are eaten, as 
shown by the sign, but the particular species of plants are not easily 
recognized. The tender young flower stalks of the bear grass (.Yero- 
phyllum tenax) are eaten to some extent, but as the blossoms begin to 
develop they soon become tough and hard. Some of the white, ten- 
der mountain thistles had been cut off, evidently by bears, and the 
cow parsnip (Zeracleum lanatum) had been eaten while young and 
tender. On the west slope of the mountains and in Waterton Valley 
many trees had been peeled near the base for the layer of sweet cam- 
bium underneath the bark. A mouthful of bark had been bitten 
loose near the ground and pulled off as high as it would strip from 
the trunk of a tree, and then another and another until a consider- 
able area of the trunk was left bare. In midsummer this growing 
wood is covered with a layer of soft gelatinous tissue that later 
hardens into the annual growth of wood, but at this time is sweet and 
nutritious. With the lower incisors the bears scrape the wood up- 
ward and thus scoop into their mouths the soft cambium layer and 
apparently get a good square meal from the trunk of a tree peeled 
halfway around and as high as they can conveniently reach. Hun- 
dreds of trees may be found that have thus furnished meals to the 
bears. The lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce were the species 
usually chosen, but some white-barked pines had been peeled, and 
on the west slope the tamarack (Larix occidentalis) seemed to fur- 
nish the favorite bear food; even as late as the last of August it had 
a pleasant flavor. Most of the trees, however, were peeled in mid- 
summer, when the cambium was at its best. During August the bears 
were feeding extensively on berries and fruit, of which they obtained 
a considerable variety. The little red blueberries were scarce in 
1917, but in places a few were found and stripped off, leaves and all, 
to make them go as far as possible. The abundant. little red bear- 


PLATE XIX. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. 


“MYVd ANOLSMOTISA NI 31d JDVENVS LV SYvVad NOVI 


wisea “IOUUTYAS *d ‘W Aq ‘ojoqg 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XX. 


Bi7539 
FIG. 1.—OVERTURNED TURF WHERE BULBS OF DOG-TOOTH VIOLETS HAVE 
BEEN DUG OUT BY BEARS NEAR GRANITE PARK, JULY 18, 1917. 


BIT541 


FIG, 2.—BURROW AND NEST OF COLUMBIA GROUND SQUIRREL DUG OUT 
BY BEARS NEAR GRANITE PARK. 


MAMMALS. 95 


berry (Arctostaphylos uva-urs’), which occurs in carpets over the 
ground and is usually loaded with dry, mealy berries, is extensively 
eaten, but the favorite food of the bears is the serviceberry (Amelan- 
chier alnifolia), which is especially abundant and prolific on the west 
slope. Some berries of the mountain ash were sought for, but these 
were only beginning to ripen the last of August. Thorn apples 
(Crategus douglasi) furnish an abundance of sweet, purple fruit on 
the west slope, and raspberries, thimbleberries, currants, and goose- 
berries all contribute to the summer food. 

Great numbers of the burrows of the little, fat ground squirrels 
(Citellus columbianus) are excavated by bears, and apparently the 
occupants contribute an important article of food. A few of these 
burrows are dug out during the summer, but probably more of them 
late in fall after the squirrels have become very fat and hibernated 
and after other bear food has become scarce. In the vicinity of 
Granite Park I found dozens of these burrows that had been torn 
open through the tough sod and stones, and even small trees were 
thrown out in getting to the bottom of the burrow, where, 2 or 3 
feet down, the soft grassy nest had been reached and its remains left 
scattered about. As the squirrels hibernate at least a month before 
the bears do, they evidently are a great help in enabling the bears to 
lay in sufficient fat for their winter’s store. 

There is no evidence that the bears molest any large game, and 
the scouts and old hunters and trappers say that they do not. As 
they are great scavengers, and quickly locate dead animals, they are 
trapped mainly by the use of meat bait. In this way great numbers 
of game animals have been destroyed by trappers for bear bait, and 
as late as June 22 I have found bear traps baited with freshly killed 
deer and goats. Moose and elk have also suffered severely in this 
way before the Glacier Park was created and put under proper 
supervision. 

As the establishment of Glacier Park was comparatively recent, the 
bears have not yet gathered about hotel and camp garbage piles as they 
do in Yellowstone Park, but they will soon learn, and under proper 
management of the garbage they can be made a perfectly safe and 
very attractive feature of the animal life of the park. A place for 
the garbage might be selected in the open, close to the edge of the 
woods, but where the bears can be plainly seen and readily photo- 
eraphed, and where no one would accidentally come upon them un- 
noticed at very close quarters; then a tourist-proof fence could be 
erected in a semicircle at a safe distance around the open side of the 
garbage. This would not only allow the bears to have some peace 
and quiet in which to enjoy their meals and enable the visitors to 
watch them at reasonably close range, but would prevent interference 
with the bears by the few foolhardy visitors who do not realize that 


56 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


a bear, while a most respectful and dignified animal, has not un- 
limited patience and is capable of resenting with fatal results any 
undue familiarity. Only those who are familiar with them through- 
out the season should be allowed to feed or take any liberties with 
them. 

Grizzty Berar; Sitvertie: Ursus horribilis imperator?+ Mer- 
riam.—During the summer of 1917 a few grizzly bears were re- 
ported in the less frequented areas of the park, and a few are said 
to have been killed around the edges each year. They are very shy 
and few have learned to come to the hotel garbage piles. One visited 
our camp at the Reynolds Cabin, in the Upper Waterton Valley, one 
night in August, but quickly left when he found the cabin occupied, 
and the cook and guide were the only ones to get a glimpse of him, 
Tn the spring of 1895 they were the commonest bears in the St. Mary 
Lake region, and their great tracks were seen on the snow along the 
trails every time we climbed the mountains. One day in May, 1895, 
as Howell and I came down the mountain we saw one splendid silvery 
gray fellow in a little park close to the edge of the thick timber. He 
was evidently digging bulbs or hunting for mice or insects, but was 
too far away for our short-range guns, and our shots only sent him 
quickly into the woods. On June 3, as Hank Norris and I were 
watching a drove of white goats on the side of Going-to-the-Sun 
Mountain, we saw an old bear and small cub going down across the 
glacier into the bottom of the valley. We quietly slid down the side 
of the mountain and tried to head her off as she made for a piece of 
timber below, but seeing or hearing us she turned up the opposite 
slope and beat us to the top of the range by nearly a mile. We sat 
on the snow and watched her and her cub climb the slope and dis- 
appear over the crest of the ridge. The cub was about the size of a 
raccoon and could not travel very fast, but the old bear kept only 
a little ahead of him and anxiously coaxed him along as fast as pos- 
sible, looking back and encouraging him to follow her at the best 
speed he could make. The track made by the hind foot of this old 
bear measured 6 inches across the ball of the foot and 11 inches long 
where it made the full print in the snow. 

As we returned down the canyon between Going-to-the-Sun and 
Goat Mountains we found where a still larger bear had followed the 


1 At least two and probably three species of grizzly bears occur in the Glacier Park 
region, as even the trappers have long recognized. Donald Stevenson, who lived for 
many years on Swiftcurrent Creek and trapped and hunted in the region before it 
was a park, tells me that some are nearly black in color, with white tips to the hairs 
of the face and sides; some are a rusty brown; and others a golden yellow along the 
sides. Sufficient skulls have not been obtained to determine satisfactorily the spe- 
cies occupying the region, and there are still fewer skins to go with these skulls to show 
which color pattern belongs to each of the different species. The habit notes are also 
generalized under one heading, so that it is impossible to separate them or tell whether 
the range and habits of the different forms vary as do the cranial and external char- 
acters. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XX]. 


Bioo6M 


GRIZZLY BEARS IN YELLOWSTONE PARK NEAR CANYON HOTEL. 


MAMMALS. 97 


track of a white goat across the snow bank until he struck the trail 
we had made in going up the canyon four hours earlier. He had 
left the goat track and followed our trail, but in the wrong direc- 
tion—down the mountain instead of up—so we did not see him. A 
few days later while on Flat Top Mountain I found where an old 
grizzly and two cubs had been eating a mountain sheep up near 
timberline. The tracks were not a day old, and the sheep had been 
entirely eaten, except a few pieces of skin and bits of bone. While 
the snow was bloody and much trampled, there was no indication 
that the sheep had been killed by these bears. More probably it had 
been shot by hunters or killed and partly eaten by mountain hons 
or wolves and then finished by the bears, which could not well have 
caught an able-bodied mountain sheep on its own rocky slopes or 
on deep, well-crusted snow. Throughout the forest in this region the 
bear tracks, beds, and signs were abundant at the lower levels. Most 
of the sign was composed of the remains of various green plants. 
Near timberline on the warm slope of Flat Top Mountain the cones 
under the white-barked pine trees had been chewed up as though by 
hogs. This was undoubtedly the work of bears in shelling out the 
pine seeds or nuts, of which they are especially fond. It was evi- 
dently done during the previous fall while the squirrels were getting 
the cones for their winter stores. 

From the early eighties to the time when Glacier Park was created, 
in 1910, this was one of the most popular regions for hunting grizzly 
bears in the whole United States, and many were killed each year 
by sportsmen, and others were caught by the numerous trappers of 
the region. In 1895 I found lines of bear traps between Summit and 
Belton up to late in June. Even then some of the trappers who were 
thoroughly familiar with the methods of killing large game for bear 
bait considered bear trapping the greatest menace to the game of 
that region. Traps were baited with mountain sheep, goats, and 
deer, and I was told that. at least 500 elk and moose were killed every 
year for bear bait. Most of the trapping was done in spring, when 
the bears first came out of hibernation and the fur was at its longest 
and best. As they enter their dens for the winter hibernation with 
the first cold weather and deep snows, usually in late October or 
early November, and do not reappear until early in April, the time 
for securing their skins in prime condition is short at either end 
of the season. 


Order INSECTIVORA: Insect Eaters. 
Family SORICIDZ: Shrews. 


Water Surew: Veosorex navigator navigator Baird.—The large, 
long-tailed, velvety, black-backed and white-bellied water shrews are 


98 & AVER ROK ‘er tIBRR NATIONAL PARK. 


the largest of their family fAvne Rocky Mountain region. Adults 
measure, in millimeters: Total length, about 148; tail, 71; hind foot, 
20 or 21. With their long, flexible noses, minute eyes, ain incon- 
spicuous ears they are typical of this family of insect eaters; but, 
unlike the other members, they are highly specialized for life in the 
water. The hind feet are large, with fringed margins for swimming, 
and the long tail is evidently useful as a rudder. They are probably 
common and generally distributed over the park, as well as north 
and south and west of it. In 1895 specimens were taken at St. Mary 
Lake and along the railroad between Paola and Nyack, all in the 
vicinity of creeks, springs, or ponds in the Canadian Zone. The 
shrews are not often seen except when caught in traps, but on rare 
occasions one may be seen darting about in the water, over the sur- 
face or underneath, in search of its prey, as much at home as a seal or 
otter. They are less often seen on land, as they keep mainly under 
cover of logs, banks, or fallen vegetation, where they hunt for insects 
and any small animal life that comes in their way as food. Usually 
they are found not far from water and on wet ground or under damp 
logs or banks. Their stomachs are generally full of the finely chewed- 
up remains of insects and unidentifiable particles of small animals, 
and any kind of meat used as trap bait is eagerly taken. If a mouse 
has been caught in the trap before a shrew comes along, it 1s invari- 
ably partly, and sometimes wholly, eaten, and the shrew is generally 
caught if the trap is reset in the same place. 

There has been much speculation as to whether the shrews catch 
small fish and eat fish eggs, and while there seems to be no positive 
evidence on the subject, they would doubtless do so if opportunity 
offered. Their skill and quickness in the water would certainly 
enable them to catch minnows and small fish, but fortunately they 
are not sufficiently abundant to do any serious harm. Any oppor- 
tunity to study their habits in life should be followed up with great 
care, as the subject is one of importance as well as of general interest. 

Dusky Surew: Sorex obscurus obscurus Merriam.—These little 
dusky brown shrews, while only 110 to 115 millimeters in total 
length, with tail about 45 and hind foot 13, are the largest and ap- 
parently the commonest of the three species of little shrews occur- 
ring in the park. At St. Mary Lake, Howell and I caught nine speci- 
mens in May and June, 1895, and in 1917 T collected specimens in the 
park at Many Glacier and at Wall Lake, British Columbia, close to the 
northern line. They are generally caught in traps set for other mice 
under logs or rocks, or in holes, creek banks, and runways through 
the meadow grass. Tiny roadways are found under the surface layer 
of leaves and fallen vegetation, where the shrews run through their 
covered galleries from burrow to burrow or follow the trails of 
meadow mice and other species through the grass and weeds. They 


Per P 


\ boa bbe We A 
MAMMALS, 99 


are active both night and day and probably depend more on the 
sense of touch in the long flexible nose than on the vision of minute 
and almost invisible eyes. In pursuit of insect and other small forms 
of animal life, which constitute most of their food, they are ener- 
getic hunters, and are eager for any kind of meat that may be used 
for trap bait, never failing to tear and eat other mice that are caught 
in traps. To what extent they kill the young or adults of other mice 
is not known, but they are savage little animals, perfectly capable of 
killing rodents much larger than themselves. 

An old female collected at St. Mary Lake on June 1 contained 
eight small embryos, but this was probably an unusually large num- 
ber, as her mamme were only six, arranged in three pairs close 
together. Apparently none of the shrews become fat or hibernate 
in winter, and their tiny tracks may often be seen over the surface of 
soft snow, into which they burrow and push their way from top to 
bottom with perfect freedom. They are as easily caught in winter as 
in summer, and a piece of frozen 
meat placed under a log in the 
woods for a few days will gen- 
erally attract several shrews that 
eagerly gather to gnaw at it. 
Against cold and wet their dense 
fur seems to be at all times ample 
protection. While so tiny, they 
are vigorous and powerful animals 
for their size, with many inter- 
esting habits not well known or yy, 47,_No. 1, i Somer 


understood. masked shrew. (Photographed from 
alcoholic specimens. ) 


Dorson Surew: Sorex vagrans 

dobsoni Merriam.—These little brown shrews are scarcely distin- 
guishable in the field from the dusky shrew, with which they are 
often found. While the teeth and skulls show well-marked char- 
acters, the size and color are so similar that a critical examination 
of the skulls is necessary to tell them apart. For this reason the 
habits of the two as collected in the field are rarely distinguished, 
and it is doubtful if they differ to any great extent, as all small 
shrews seem to be rather similar in habits. Two specimens collected 
at Summit Station in June, 1895, measured in millimeters: Total 
length, 110, 115; tail, 41, 45; hind foot, 18, 14. Another collected by 
Howell near Nyack measured: Total length, 108; tail, 44; hind foot, 
14. These were caught in the woods under logs, fallen grass, and the 
drooping leaves of bear grass (Yerophyllum tenax). Those at Sum- 
mit Station were on the north side of the railroad, actually within 
the present boundaries of the park; while the one near Nyack was 
taken on the opposite bank of the river just outside the park. 


100 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Masxep Surew: Sorex personatus I. Geoftroy St. Hilaire.—These 
are the smallest shrews in the park, adult specimens measuring in 
millimeters: Total length, approximately 100; tail, 40; hind foot, 
12. In color they are plain sepia brown, slightly paler below, 
and very similar to both the dusky and the Dobson shrews in sum- 
mer pelage. Their small size, however, usually serves to identify 
them in the field, but their habits apparently do not differ much 
from those of the other two species. In 1895 Howell and I col- 
lected three specimens at St. Mary Lake on the same ground with a 
larger series of the dusky shrew, and no difference in the habits of 
the two could be discovered. Another specimen collected at Mc- 
Donald Lake and others in country surrounding the park would 
indicate a distribution over the whole park area in suitable situa- 
tions. Generally they are forest dwellers, but may be found in 
meadows or along the streams and out in the prairie and Plains 
country, and while so minute as rarely to be noticed, they are prob- 
ably much more common than is generally supposed. 


Order CHIROPTERA: Winged Mammals. 
Family VESPERTILIONIDZ: Bats. 


Lone-teccep Bar: Myotis lucifugus longicrus (True)—A small 
quick-flying brownish bat seen commonly about the hotel at Lake 
McDonald on still evenings in August was probably of this species, 
which Howell and I 
found abundant at 
Flathead Lake in 1895 
and of which we col- 
lected a large series of 
specimens. None were 
collected in the park, 
as they were seen only 
while flying about the 
hotels. Evidently they 
had made their homes 
in dark corners and 
crevices of the build- 
4 mgs, from which they 


Fic, 18.—No. 1, brown bat; No. 2, long-legged bat. emerged at dusk to 
(Photographed from museum specimens.) 


begin their evening 
flight in pursuit of winged insects. They circled rapidly about 
the buildings, under the piazzas, and occasionally through the open 
doors, and were seen also along the lake shore where they often 
dipped down to the surface of the water to drink. They are so 
strictly nocturnal that it is difficult to secure specimens, except by 


MAMMALS. 101 


shooting them on the wing when they first come out of their diurnal 
hiding places, and usually the light is so dim when they first appear 
that wing shooting is rendered difficult, and in most cases considerable 
ammunition is wasted for the few specimens secured. Occasionally 
one 1s caught in a room at night, or a hiding place is found where they 
may be secured from a crack or crevice as they hang head downward 
during the day. Specimens of these or any other bats in the park 
should be saved whenever possible, as it will be long before sufficient 
material is obtained to show all of the species inhabiting the area. 

Brown Bat: Eptesicus fuscus fuscus (Beauvois).—Large, brown, 
rapid-flying bats seen of evenings about the Many Glacier Hotel in 
mid-July were apparently of this species, but no specimens were ob- 
tained, owing to the danger in shooting around occupied buildings. 
Those seen were flying rapidly about the buildings and along the lake 
shore at early dusk, while it was still light enough to see color and to 
have easily secured them on the wing with a shotgun if shooting had 
been permissible. Evidently they are not very common in the park, as 
none were seen in other locations away from buildings, although the 
species often lives in hollow trees or under bark in the woods as well 
as in the dark spaces under eaves and cornices of buildings. They 
undoubtedly range over most of the park areas, but are rarely seen 
except near where they spend the day and as they first come out of 
their roosting places. 

Sttver-HarreD Bat. Lasionycteris noctivagans (LeConte).—A 
number of medium-sized very dark and rapid-flying bats seen over 
the hotel and among the trees at Lake McDonald, August 29, were 
evidently of this species. The silvery tipping of the black fur over 
the back could not be seen with the bats on the wing, but the size, 
rapid flight, and dark color are almost unmistakable characters with 
this species. The dense forests of the park present ideal conditions 
for these boreal, forest-loving bats, the loose bark on numerous dead 
trees affording favorite places in which to spend the daylight hours, 
and the forest-dwelling insects, their favorite food. I tore the bark 
from many old trees in the woods in the hope of securing specimens 
from underneath, but was not successful within the park area. If 
possible, specimens should be secured and preserved in order that 
positive records for the park may be obtained, as flight identification 
of bats is at best unsatisfactory. 

Hoary Bar: NVycteris cinerea (Beauvois) —At Waterton Lake, near 
the north end of the park, at 11 o’clock in the morning of August 15, 
one of these big gray, short-eared bats was seen flying about in the 
bright sunlight over the water and back into the trees on the shore of 
the lake. It was watched for several minutes with the field glass and at 
such close range that, with its every mark and character plainly recog- 

51140°—18——_9 


102 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


nized, its identification was as unmistakable as if the specimen had 
been collected and preserved. While it flew freely and seemed perfectly 
at home in the bright light, it probably had been driven from its roost 
among the leaves of some cottonwood tree on the shore by the campers 
along the lake. These bats have rather large eyes, and their evening 
flight begins usually a little earlher in the dusk than that of most 
bats, but the habit of flying in broad daylight is certainly not com- 
mon with them and probably means that they have been disturbed 
in their roosting places. Usually during the day they hang head 
downward in some dense cluster of leaves where well concealed, but 
where the light is not wholly excluded, as in the hiding places of 
most of our northern bats. While never abundant, they are a wide- 
ranging boreal species, breeding usually in the Canadian Zone and 
migrating southward in winter over practically the whole United 
States. 


THE BIRDS. 


By FLorencr Merriam BAILEY. 


INTRODUCTORY. 
I. ITINERARY AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 


The material for the basis of the accompanying report on the birds 
of Glacier Park was obtained during July and August, 1917, when in 
addition to the automobile trips from Glacier Park Hotel to Two 
Medicine, St. Mary, and Many Glaciers, and short trips to Grinnell 
Lake, Iceberg Lake, and Granite Park, a month’s pack trip was 
made to the Canadian boundary and return. Starting from Going- 
to-the-Sun Camp we went to Lake Ellen Wilson, and by way of 
Piegan Pass to Many Glaciers and the Swiftcurrent Flats; thence 
northward through the Kennedy Creek and Belly River regions— 
visiting Crossley and Glenn Lakes—to the Lower Waterton Lake 
in Alberta. From Waterton Lake a side trip was made to the Bound- 
ary Mountains in British Columbia overlooking the IKintla Lake 
region, after which we returned by way of the Waterton Valley and 
the Kootenai Trail to Granite Park and Many Glaciers. A railroad 
trip to Belton and a week at Lake McDonald completed the season’s 
work. 

In the two months a general idea as to the breeding birds of the 
region was obtained. But additional material regarding the spring 
and fall migrants and winter residents has been procured from Dr. 
George Bird Grinnell’s article entitled “ Some Autumn Birds of the 
St. Mary Lakes Region,” published in Forest and Stream in 1888; 
a manuscript report kindly submitted to me by Mr. A. H. Higgin- 
son, of Boston, on the winter birds of Stanton Lake—just outside the 
park—and notes from park officials and taxidermists of the region, 
who have supplemented my meager field experience by knowledge 
gained during years of residence in the park. Reports from Messrs. 
Vernon Bailey and Arthur H. Howell, from St. Mary Lake, and from 
Blackfoot to Belton in 1895, and from Mr. Bailey, from Belton to 
Kintla Lake, and from Lake McDonald in April, 1918, have been 

103 


104 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


examined in the files of the Bureau of Biological Survey, and lists 
of birds observed during short visits to the park have been kindly 
turned over to me by Mr. Harold C. Bryant, of California, and Mr. 
Edward R. Warren, of Colorado. To these gentlemen, as to Mr. 
E. S. Bryant, taxidermist, of Columbia Falls; Mr. Walter Scott 
Gibb, assistant chief ranger of the park; Mr. William C. Gird, park 
guide; Mr. Harry P. Stanford, taxidermist, of Kalispell; and Mr. 
Donald H. Stevenson, formerly a park guide, I would extend my 
sincere thanks for much valuable information. Records of a hundred 
and eighty-seven species have been obtained altogether, but many 
more doubtless remain to be discovered by future workers in the park. 
The illustrations are from photographs by Messrs. Vernon Bailey, 
A. C. Bent, E. J. Cameron, J. E. Haynes, H. W. Nash, H. & E. 
Pittman, Robert B. Rockwell, J. Rowley, Hon. George Shiras, 3d, 
and Mr. E. R. Warren; and drawings by Maj. Allan Brooks and 
by Messrs. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Bruce Horsfall, John L. Ridgway, 
Robert Ridgway, and Ernest Thompson Seton; and in the main 
have appeared previously in the publications of the Bureau of Bio- 
logical Survey, U. 8. Department of Agriculture, and the National 
Association of Audubon Societies; in Bird-Lore; and the Handbook 
of Birds of the Western States, published by the Houghton Mifflin 
Company. 

The classification and nomenclature used in the report are those of 
the 1910 Check List of the American Ornithologists’ Union, the Six- 
teenth Supplement, and the proposed changes in The Auk, up to 
April, 1918. 


II. WHERE THE SUMMER BIRDS MAY BE FOUND. 


The park with its heavy forest cover and its snow banks and glaciers 
would seem an unlikely place for birds to spend the summer, as few 
species care for either deep forests or snow-clad mountains; but 
while general conditions limit the abundance of birds found within 
the boundaries of the park, certain local conditions increase their 
numbers, so that by knowing where to look one may find a richly 
varied bird population. While birds breed within fairly definite 
boundaries governed by temperature during the breeding season, 
many of them wander widely afterwards, and in the late summer 
may be encountered almost anywhere in the park. 


BIRDS OF THE LOWER LEVELS. 


Around the warm outer margins of the park—in the Lake Mc- 
Donald and the North Fork of the Flathead regions on the west, 
and the St. Mary, Sherburne Lake, and Belly River regions on the 
east—islands and tongues of Transition Zone prairie together with 
swampy meadows, sloughs, and large lakes affording more or less 


BIRDS. 105 


marshy cover introduce an element that brings in a variety of birds, 
however rare or meager in numbers, birds that outside the park 
breed on the adjoining plains among the lakes and ranches. 

Notable among these, including some for which there are no 
definite breeding records, are the western grebe, Holbcell grebe, eared 
grebe, merganser, red-breasted merganser, hooded merganser, mal- 
lard, gadwall, green-winged teal, ring-necked duck, buftle-head, 
ruddy duck, bittern, great blue heron,’ sora rail, coot, upland plover, 
killdeer, sharp-tailed grouse, mourning dove, turkey vulture, marsh 
hawk, Swainson hawk, ferruginous rough-leg, prairie falcon, short- 
eared owl, Acadian owl, Batchelder downy woodpecker, red-headed 
woodpecker, nighthawk, magpie, crow, raven, cowbird, thick-billed 
redwing, western meadowlark, Brewer blackbird, western vesper 
sparrow, western Savannah sparrow, song sparrow, black-headed 
grosbeak, lazuli bunting, cedar waxwing, yellow warbler, western yel- 
low-throat, redstart, catbird, western house wren, Rocky Mountain 
nuthatch, long-tailed chickadee, and willow thrush; while on remote 
wooded lakes, especially on the west side of the park, the shy soli- 
tary loon is sometimes found. 

While by no means all of these birds will be seen by the hurried 
tourist, as some of the hotels and chalets are too high for them, and 
the generally frequented trails follow through the deep forest or over 
the rocky passes, it is interesting to know of the presence of these 
lowlanders, and the fact that the birds of the park range from such 
familiar friends as the catbird, kingbird, and red-headed woodpecker 
of the low country in Transition Zone to the unfamiliar ptarmigan, 
leucosticte, and pipit of the Arctic-Alpine slopes above timberline 
affords an interesting and striking illustration of the vertical vari- 
ation of the park fauna. 


BIRDS OF THE MIDDLE REGIONS. 


The characteristic birds of the warm low Transition Zone levels of 
the park, which are associated with the silver leaf, service berry, wild 
rose, Douglas spruce, and yellow pine, drop out in the middle or 
Canadian Zone regions of the park, leaving only the species which 
thrive in both the lower and middle regions or are characteristic of 
the colder, higher regions of the Canadian, where they are associated 
with willows and alders, shrubby birch, smooth Menziesia, honey- 
suckle and blueberry bushes, lodgepole pines, and the firs and spruces 
of pure Canadian Zone. 

The centers of bird life here are the lakes and streams with their 
bordering willow and alder thickets, together with the burned-over 
brushy slopes. Flying over the rivers and lakes, fish hawks and swal- 


1In former years, sandhill crane, 


106 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 
lows—either the tree, the cliff, the bank, or the northern violet- 
ereen—may occasionally be seen. Even on the most frequented lakes 
numerous broods of golden-eye ducks may be found, and cn the 
jess frequented lakes the rare harlequin may sometimes be seen al- 
though it prefers rapid rivers and streams to the quieter waters. On 
lakes where safe secluded nesting sites are to be had the Canada goose 
may perhaps be discovered. Along the lake shores the spotted sand- 
piper, Grinnell water-thrush, and now and then the kingfisher and 
water ouzel may be noted, although both kingfisher and ouzel are 
more generally seen along rivers and streams, the ouzel especially 
near waterfalls or cascades. 

On the brushy slopes above the lakes where the forest cover has been 
replaced by chaparral, among other birds may be found slate- 
colored fox sparrows, white-crowned and chipping sparrows, juncos, 
Swainson vireos, Audubon and Macgilivray warblers, and some of 
the smaller flycatchers, such as the western and Traill. 

Tn the open a variety of hawks—the sparrow hawk, sharp-shinned, 
Cooper, and goshawk—may be noted, and now and then among the 
cliffs and canyons a goiden eagle may be descried. On rare occa- 
sions a western nighthawk, a swift—the black, Vaux or possibly the 
white-throated—or a hummingbird—generally the rufous but possi- 
bly the calliope, black-chinned or broad-tailed—may be caught sight 
of in passing. 

Inside the forest three species of grouse—the Richardson, Frank- 
lin, and ruffed—may be flushed, while the close investigator or the 
camper may be fortunate enough to discover some of the resident 
owls, including the MacFarlane screech owl, the western and dusky 
horned owls, the rare hawk owl, and the Rocky Mountain pygmy. 
A number of woodpeckers are also to be closely watched for, among 
them the Rocky Mountain hairy, Arctic three-toed, Alaska three-toed, 
red-naped sapsucker, Williamson sapsucker, northern pileated, and 
the red-shafted flicker. Among other birds that may be seen are the 
black-headed jay, western evening grosbeak, Montana junco, western 
tanager, western winter wren, Rocky Mountain creeper, red-breasted 
nuthatch, mountain chickadee, chestnut-backed chickadee, western 
golden-crowned kinglet, Townsend solitaire, olive-backed thrush, 
Audubon hermit thrush, northern varied thrush, and mountain blue- 
bird. 


BIRDS OF TITE HIGHER REGIONS, 


In the narrow timberline or Hudsonian Zone where the white- 
barked pine is the dominant tree, there are relatively few character- 
istic birds. Among them are the Rocky Mountain jay, Clark crow, 
Rocky Mountain pine grosbeak, Cassin purple finch, crossbill, pine 


BIRDS. 107 


siskin, and Bohemian waxwing; while above timberline the number 
of characteristic summer birds is reduced to three—the white-tailed 
ptarmigan, gray-crowned leucosticte, and pipit. 


III. PERMANENT RESIDENTS AND TRANSIENT VISITANTS. 


While most of the birds found in the park in summer are merely 
summer visitants, coming north in the spring to nest and returning 
south in the fall to winter, there are some permanent residents, such 
as the grouse, some of the hawks, owls, and woodpeckers, together 
with the jays, water ouzels, nuthatches, and chickadees, which pre- 
sumably never leave the park. Similarly, the birds found in the park 
in winter may be either permanent residents or winter visitants from 
farther north, such as the snowy owl, great gray owl, redpoll, snow- 
flake, Lapland longspur, Bohemian waxwing, and northern shrike, 
which come south during the fall or winter and return north on the 
approach of spring. In still another category come the spring and 
fall visitants, which merely pass through the park on their north- 
ward and southward migrations, as some of the ducks, snow geese, 
swans, phalaropes, snipe, and doubtless many of the smaller birds, 
overlooked or unrecognized by casual observers. 


IV. KEY TO THE COMMONER SUMMER BIRDS. 
[é male; 2 female. 


WATER BIRDS. 
SIZE OF A GOOSE. 


I. Body gray, head and neck black, with white throat patch 


Canada Goose, p. 106. 
I’. Body black and white, neck streaked with white_--___________ Loon, p. 118. 


SIZE OF A DUCK. 


Head partly or wholly green. 


I. Head wholly dark green. 
2. Bill narrow, underparts wholly white or pale salmon 
Merganser, 6, p. 115. 
2’. Bill wide, underparts brown and white or brown and gray. 
3. Bill spoon-shaped, breast white, belly reddish brown 
Shoveller, 3, p. 119. 
3’. Bill not spoon-shaped, breast brown, belly gray 
Mallard, 8, p. 117, 
I’. Head partly green. 
2. Head dark green with white spot at base of bill 
Barrow Golden-eye, 8, p. 122. 
2’. Head brown with green stripe on side__Green-winged Teal, 6, p. 118. 


108 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Iicad reddish, brown, or gray. 


I. Head reddish or dark brown. 
2. Head reddish, crested; bill long and narrow__--Merganser, 2, p. 115. 
2’, Head dull brown, bill short and wide. 
3. Head puffy, unmarked, collar white 
Barrow Golden-eye, 2, p. 122. 
3’. Head not puffy, side of head with three white spots 
Western Harlequin Duck, 2, p. 124. 
I’. Head not reddish or dark brown. 


2. Plumage plain gray, or gray, strikingly marked with white and brown. 


3. Plumage plain sooty gray, head black, bill white___Coot, p. 132. 
3’. Plumage strikingly marked with white and brown 


Western Harlequin Duck, 2, p. 124. 
2’. Plumage brown, finely streaked and spotted. 
3. Wing patch mainly light blue or bright green. 
4. Wing patch mainly light blue, bill spoon-shaped, size 


loro eS 2.5 Sar Rl er ee Shoveller, 2, p. 119. 
4’. Wing patch mainly bright green; bill not spoon-shaped; 
SIZES 2) ee ee Green-winged Teal, 2, p. 118. 

3’. Wing patches brown and white or purple and white. 
4. Wing patches brown and white_________ Gadwall, p. 118. 


4’, Wing patch purple, inclosed by white bars 
Mallard, 9, p. 117. 


SMALLER THAN A DUCK (7-11 INCHES). 


I. Breast white, spotted or banded. 
2. Breast and back spotted, tail habitually tipped 
Npotted Sandpiper, p. 133. 
sreast crossed with two black bands, tail not habitually tipped 
Killdeer, p. 134. 
eka ee ees ree Sora Rail, p. 131. 


or 
I’. Breast bluish gray, face and front of neck black 


LAND BIRDS. 


SIZE OF GROUSE OR LARGER. 


2. Spread wings about 52 feet; head and underparts white 


Pish Hawk, p. 150. 
2’. Spread wings about 62-74 feet ; head and body brown 


Golden Eagle, p. 148. 


I. Spread wings 54-7! feet. 
ri 


1’. Spread wings much less than 54 feet. 
2. Largely brown or sooty gray. 
3. Brown, barred; head crested, neck ruffed, tail banded 
Ruffed Grouse, p. 137. 
3’. Sooty gray, mottled; without ruffs or tail bands 


Richardson Grouse, p. 135. 
2’. Largely black and white. 


3. Wings and tail white; timberline slopes 


White-tailed Ptarmigan, p. 139. 
3’. Wings and tail black, marked with white; forests 


Franklin Grouse, p. 136. 


BIRDS. 109 


SIZE BETWEEN A ROBIN AND A GROUSE. 
Largely blue, brown, sooty, or ash gray. 


I. Largely bluish, or reddish brown barred with black. 
2. Upperparts partly or mainly bluish, head crested, bill long. 
3. Wings and tail dull blue, spotted with white; lakes and streams 
Belted Kingfisher, p. 157. 
3’. Wings and tail purplish blue, barred with black ; forests 
Black-headed Jay, p. 165. 
2’. Upperparts brown, or blue and brown, head not crested, bill hooked ; 
Overopensieldse2s2e 22 =s a= tesa eee Desert Sparrow Hawk, p. 149. 
I’. Largely brown or gray. 
2. Body brown, rump white, wings and tail red below 
Red-shafted Flicker, p. 161. 
2’. Body gray, forehead white. 
3. Body dark gray, back of neck with dark patch 
Rocky Mountain Jay, p. 166. 
3’. Body ash gray, wings and tail black and white 
Clark Nuteracker, p. 167. 


SIZE OF A ROBIN. 


I. Underparts bright rusty brown; breast with blackish necklace 
Northern Varied Thrush, p. 197. 
I’. Underparts reddish brown ; breast without necklace___Western Robin, p. 196. 


SIZE SMALLER THAN A ROBIN (ADULT MALES‘). 
Partly yellow, contrasted with slaty, black, or brown. 


I. Underparts partly or wholly yellow or greenish yellow. 
2. Underparts yellow and slaty, or yellow, black, and white. 
3. Underparts yellow and slaty, head slaty ; bushes 
Macgillivray Warbler, p. 186. 
3’. Underparts white, yellow, and black; throat, crown patch, and 
rump yellow; trees________________+ tudubon Warbler, p. 183. 
2’. Underparts plain yellow or greenish yellow. 
3. Underparts yellow, face with black mask; bushes 
Western Yellow-thiroat, p. 186. 
3’. Underparts yellow, wings and tail black; forests 
Western Evening Grosbeak, p. 171. 
I’. Underparts without yellow. 
2. Body black and white, crown with yellow patch; forests 
Alaska Three-toed Woodpecker, p. 158. 
2’, Body brown, streaked ; wings and tail with yellow patches; cone-laden 
bree StOpSe2 22 See ee See Sas oe as ee sen Pine Siskin, p. 174. 


Partly or mainly brown, gray, or blue. 


I. Partly or mainly brown or gray. 
2. Partly or mainly brown. 
3. Mainly brown. 
4. Barred with black. 

5. Tail very short; forests 
Western Winter Wren, p. 191. 

5’. Tail normal; open woods 
Western House Wren, p. 191. 


1The females of strikingly colored birds are usually duller or without color patches. 


110 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


4’, Not barred with black; gorget fire red, orange, and brassy 
OT COT ere aera = rn Rufous Hummingbird, p. 163. 
3’. Partly brown. 
4. Crown conspicuously marked. 
5. Crown striped with black and white 
White-crowned Sparrow, p. 177. 
5’, Crown reddish brown 
Western Chipping Sparrow, p. 177, 
4’, Crown not conspicuously marked. 
5. Upperparts brown, indistinctly streaked; outer 
tail feathers partly white; tail wagged; timber- 
line slopes:-2 22-2. 22a Pipit, p. 187. 
5’. Upperparts plain brown and slaty; rusty on wings 
and tail; bushes, near water 
Slate-colored For Sparrow, p. 178. 
2’. Partly or mainly gray. 
8. Mainly slate gray or slate gray and white. 
4. Mainly slate gray, tail short; streams and waterfalls 
Water Ouzel, p. 188. 
4’. Head, neck, and chest slate gray; belly and outer tail 
LEN TIST Sew NGC ee Montana Junco, p. 177. 
3’. Back gray; cap and throat black; cheeks white. 
4. Cap with white line over eye; forests 
Mountain Chickadee, p. 198. 
4’, Cap without white line over eye; valley bottoms 
Long-tailed Chickadee, p. 198. 
I’. Partly or mainly blue. 
2. Upperparts grayish blue, marked with black and white; tail short; 


LOT CS tS! See eens =e ar ee ee Rocky Mountain Nuthatch, p. 192. 
2’, Upperparts light blue or greenish blue, unmarked; tail normal; in 
the open _...--..-----.==-=_.=-==..---_Mountain Bluebird, p. 198. 


Partly or wholly green or reddish. 


I. Upperparts greenish. 


2. Crown red, or black, yellow, and orange. 
oe Pe OVOwn tele = 2 -= ee ee ee Ruby-crowned Kinglet, p. 194. 

3’. Crown black, yellow, and orange 
Western Golden-croiwned Kinglet, p. 194. 


2’, Crown gray, bordered by white below 
Western Warbling Vireo, p. 183. 
I’. Body dull reddish or pinkish. 
2. Mandibles crossed; head and back uniform______ ___-Crossbill, p. 173. 
2’. Mandibles not crossed ; head with squarish crimson patch 


Cassin Purple, p. 172. 


Order PYGOPODES: Diving Birds. 
Family COLYMBIDZ2: Grebes. 


Western Gress: d’chmophorus occidentalis.—The snowy-throated 
western grebe or swan grebe, the largest and most distinguished 
of all the family, should be watched for carefully in the park. 
as there are several records of its occurrence. One taken on the 


BIRDS. 11] 


North Fork of the Flathead is to be seen at Lewis’s Hotel, and Mr. 
I. I’. Liebig, of Kalispell, has one that came from Lake McDonald 
before the park was established. It has been seen in similar country 
close to the park, and one of its floating nests has been found by 
Mr. Donald H. Stevenson inside the park. 

When the grebes nest, as they usually do, in colonies in the tules, 
after the nesting season they assemble in large companies about good 
feeding grounds, where they disport themselves with so much vivacity 
and originality that they supply ready entertainment for many a 
summer day. Their presence may be recognized by their loud, dis- 
tinctive ha-ree’, ha-rec’, and its variations which carry far over the 
water. Or, they may be picked out from a flock of quiet phlegmatic 
ducks lying on the water by their quick motions, slender necks, and 
rapid disappearances and reappearances; for like all grebes they are 
rapid, expert divers. They also have the grebe habit of lying on one 
side, showing the silvery and all too famous grebe breast. Across 
the width of a lake, mirror- 
like flashes from the breast 
should be watched for, as 
also short white lines on 
the surface of the water, 
for the long swan-like necks 
seen at a distance suggest 
short, white sticks vanish- 
ing and reappearing so [ee LE 
rapidly that it is difficult to From Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 
keep track of them. But if i el se td 
you would see these charming birds at their best, get near enough to 
watch their dextrous work and their delightful individual play. 


Horsey Greve: Colymbus holbelli—While we saw the Holbell 
only on the lower Waterton Lake in Alberta during the summer, 
it has been found by Mr. Bryant on Lake McDonald, and on April 
22, 1918, two were seen by Mr. Bailey, “ one at the upper end of the 
lake in quiet water and one out in the middle of the lake where big 
waves were rolling higher than its head;” so another rare possibility 
is open to observers on that lake rich in opportunities. 

Next to the western grebe in size and striking appearance the 
Holbcell has a rather heavy red neck and a white throat patch that 
give it a certain stolidity of appearance when compared with the 
swan grebe; but while it may lack vivacity and grace, like all the 
grebes it is a master of its trade and a study of an old mother diving 
for water weeds for her young, and leading them along safe and 
pleasant shores will afford many enjoyable hours. 


112 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Hornep Grese: Colymbus auritus—On a pond above the Swiftcur- 
rent, Lakes, only a short distance from Many Glaciers, Mr. Steven- 
gon was fortunate enough to discover the floating nest and eggs of 
the sprightly little horned grebe, whose reddish neck, puffy side 
crests, and bright red eyes, almost “ perched on 
its bill,” as he says, make it a striking, cocky 
figure. Sometimes when diving it gets so wet 
that all its distinctive plumes are lost sight of 
and only the red neck is left to tell the tale. 
Careful watch should pe kept of the marshy 
meadows of this fruitful Swiftcurrent section 
and similar places in the park that other nests 
may be discovered. 

In October, 1887, Dr. George Bird Grinnell 


From Handbook of Western 


Birds. L. A. Fuertes. found the birds “quite abundant” on the St. 

Fic. 20.—Worned Mary Lakes and the prairie lakes about the head 
be t b E 

se of Milk River. A pair were also reported in 


June, 1895, by Messrs. Vernon Bailey and Arthur H. Howell, from 
a pond on the prairie near Blackfeet Agency, now Browning. 

On April 21, 1918, Mr. Bailey saw dozens of the puffy headed 
horned grebes, in full breeding plumage, on Lake McDonald, but 
the next day, when the wind had come up and the waves were rolling, 
only a few were seen. 

Earep Grese: Colymbus nigricollis californicus—As this is the 
grebe most likely to be seen in the park, it 1s important to know its 
distinctive characters. Only about half the size of the white-throated 
western grebe and the red-throated Holboell—or about a foot long— 
its median, pointed crest, hight ear tufts, and dusky neck distinguish 
it from the puffy-headed, rufous-necked little horned grebe. In man- 
ner, also, it is quite different from the cocky little horned grebe, which 
comes up from below with a shake of its feathers, points its bill down, 
and is gone; for it will sit quietly on the water looking at you with 
gentle interest for a long time. It has been reported by Mr. W. S. 
Gibb as breeding on various park lakes, notable among them Lake 
McDonald, and it has been found by Mr. W. C. Gird, in July and 
August, on the middle lake of the Swiftcurrent chain not far from 
the place where Mr. Stevenson found the nest of the horned grebe 
and where it was evidently taking advantage of the superior feeding 
ground offered by the unusually muddy lake bottom. Mr. Gird has 
also seen it on Glenn and Elizabeth Lakes, in the Belly River coun- 
try, and on Waterton: Lake, at the Canadian boundary. It is inter- 
esting to know that in October, 1887, Dr. Grinnell also found it 
abundant on the St. Mary Lakes. Wherever it is found, close at 


1Some Autumn Birds of the St. Mary Lakes Region, Forest and Stream, Vol. XXX, 
p. 368, May 31, 1888. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXII. 


Z ie pects 


From Ilandbook of Birds of the Western United States, 


EARED GREBE, 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXIII. 


Courtesy of National Association of Auduhon Societies. 


LOONS. 


BIRDS. 113 


hand it is a quiet companion of the solitudes, while at a distance its 
mellow hoy-ce-up comes to be pleasantly associated with the beauti- 
ful lakes where it makes its home. 


Family GAVIIDZ: Loons. 


Loon: Gavia immer.—Few of the large conspicuous birds which 
once dignified our frontier are left to delight the eye of the nature 
lover. Trumpeter swan, sandhill and whooping cranes, Hudsonian 
curlew, and godwit alike have fallen prey to the thoughtless marks- 
man, and even the great blue heron is now rarely to be seen. But the 
loon, though driven by the advance of the gunning tourist and the 
motor boat to seek deeper and more remote solitudes, is still to be 
found on the forest-encircled lakes of Glacier Park, which afford him 
ideal refuges. 

While the name Loon Lake has been given locally to Rogers Lake 
on Camas Creek, Mr. Gibb says he has seen dozens of young loons 
in other parts of the park, and they apparently breed on the lakes 
of both eastern and western boundaries, and from Sherburne Lake 
below Many Glaciers to the Waterton Lakes on the Canadian line. 
On the small lakes along the North Fork of the Flathead—Bowman, 
Quartz, and Logging—Mr. Gird says they have to leave in October, 
ag the water is generally frozen over by November; but at the upper 
end of Kintla Lake Mr. Bailey saw a returned migrant on April 
16, 1918. They can stay all winter on Lake McDonald, as both the 
inlet and outlet remain open. On the Lower St. Mary, just outside 
the park, during October and the first half of November, 1887, Dr. 
Grinnell saw several of the loons, and reported hearing them fre- 
quently. 

In the nesting season one pair of the great, handsomely marked 
black and white birds seems to populate a mountain lake, their loud 
weird ery adding a rich flavor of wild life to its forested shores. 
On two-of the most secluded lakes that we visited, fleeting glimpses 
were had of the noble birds. Glenn Lake, whose four miles of narrow 
timbered length lead up a glacial amphitheater, offers peculiarly safe 
harbor for the hunted creatures of forest and lake. Here, on leaving 
the trail to get sight of the lake, after forcing a passage through 
the dense undergrowth and the down timber, at the edge of the 
water a resting loon was almost stepped on, and up at the head of the 
lake under the glacier a group of Canada geese was discovered. 
Another lookout across the lake revzaled a dark reddish brown form 
standing on a short strip of beach ort the opposite shore, and the 
glass excitedly raised showed the long stiltlike legs and dark color 
of a young moose. A congenial home, indeed, for the solitude-loving 


114 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


loons! Crossley Lake, separated from Glenn Lake by a terminal 
moraine, may afford additional feeding grounds for the Glenn Lake 
loons, or shelter a pair of its own. In any case, on another day 
when looking out over its broad surface toward the great glacial 
amphitheater above, I saw two of the loons sitting unafraid out on 
the middle of the lake. As I watched they rose and flapped their 
black wings, dived, and came up, lying with super-duck length on the 
water and flashing their white underparts. Then, perhaps becom- 
ing conscious of observation, they made their way over the beautiful 
green and purple deeps of the lake toward the sheer wall of Gable 
Mountain, all too soon disappearing from view. 


Order LONGIPENNES: Long-winged Swimmers. 


Family LARIDZ: Gulls and Terns. 


Cauirornia Gui: Larus californicus—Mr. F. F. Liebig of Kalis- 
pell has a mounted specimen of one of these large gulls in the 
mottled immature plumage which was taken at Lake McDonald, 
and he has seen two others on the lake. 

Rine-pittep Guii: Larus delawarensis.—The ring-billed gull, 
with white head and underparts, and yellowish bill with a black 
band near the tip, has been identified just outside the park by Dr. 
Grinnell, who saw it several times on the Lower St. Mary Lake in 
September and October, 1887, resting on sand bars in company with 
terns; and Mr. Stevenson writes me that “at least one variety of 
gull is a summer visitor of the park, while they are common on the 
plains east of the park, noticeably at Duck Lake and the slaughter- 
house located on a pond at Browning.” He says that he has also 
noted them on Sherburne Lake in midsummer. Mr. Gibb states that 
gulls nest at St. Mary Lake and Lake McDonald, along the North 
Fork of the Flathead, and on the Belly River, and adds that he has 
seen them in summer on Lake McDermott. On April 21 and 22, 


1918, Mr. Bailey saw a few gulls, apparently of this species. on Lake 
McDonald. 


Bonaparte Guu: Larus philadelphia—The smaller Bonaparte 
gull, the summer adults of which have both bill and head black, and 
the winter adults and young of which have a conspicuous dusky spot 
on the ear coverts, is reported from the park by the two taxidermists, 
Mr. Bryant and Mr. Stanford, and Mr. Bryant thinks he has seen 
it on Lake McDonald. Mr. F. F. Liebig has a mounted specimen 
taken on St. Mary Lake when the park was a National Forest. 

Forster Tern: Sterna forsteri (?)—Black-crowned and forked 
tailed terns presumably of this species were seen flying over the 
northern Waterton Lake in August, and they probably cross the 


BIRDS. 115 


park on their migrations. In September and October, 1887, Dr. 
Grinnell found small terns abundant on the Lower St. Mary Lake. 
They were apparently feeding on small fish and were busy over the 
shallows near the inlet, where they were wind-bound for several days. 


Order STEGANOPODES: Totipalmate Swimmers. 


Family PHALACROCORACIDZ: Cormorants. 


DovusiE-crEsTED Cormorant: Phalacrocorax auritus auritus.—One 
of these singular black birds with long snaky neck and plumelike 
crests over the eyes was added to the park list by Dr. Grinnell, 
October 15, 1887, when he found it on the Upper St. Mary Lake 
below the narrows. 


Family PELECANIDZ: Pelicans. 


Wuire Perican: Pelecanus crythrorhynchos.—The great, spectac- 
wlar white pelicans, with their long bills and large orange fish 
pouches, have been seen by Mr. Gibb at Lakes McDonald and Sher- 
burne in July and August, usually in twos, evidently wandering after 
the breeding season. Dr. Grinnell, in October, 1887, saw a solitary 
wanderer at Pike Lake near the foot of Chief Mountain. It ap- 
peared from the north just before sunset and spent the night on the 
lake. 

These records, together with those of other rare birds, while inter- 
esting in themselves are peculiarly so to the observer who by care- 
ful watching may make equally notable discoveries. 


Order ANSERES: Lamellirostral Swimmers. 


Family ANATID: Ducks, Geese, and Swans. 


Mercanser: Iergus americanus.—Mr. Stevenson informs me that 
the merganser breeds throughout the park. One of the females with 
light reddish brown head and horizontal crest was seen August 6 
by Mr. Bailey on Swiftcurrent Creek, below the falls; and two 
others with one of the green-headed, light-breasted males were seen 
on August 27 on Lake McDonald. On April 11, when Mr. Bailey 
visited the lake, mergansers were common there, and were said to have 
been there all winter; during the weeks when the lake was frozen 
over, gathering in considerable numbers in the rapids of McDonald 
Creek. On April 21 and 22 they were on the lake in moderate num- 
bers. Many were also seen along the North Fork of the Flathead 
between April 11 and 21. 

Mr. Higginson, when collecting just outside the park, wrote: “Six 
birds—two males and four females (or young)—stayed around 


51140°—18——_10 


JL1tU 109 LAU 


116 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Stanton Lake all winter long. When the lake froze up they went 
up the creek, swimming about in the big pools. No wild fowl of any 
other kind came into the lake from November 15 to February 22.” 
Mr. Bryant has taken merganser eggs on Stanton Lake, so the birds 
are doubtless resident. 

The mergansers have the interesting habit of fishing in small 
bands, and their maneuvers will repay close observation. 

Rep-preastep Mercanser: Jergus serrator—bLate in October, 
1887, Dr. Grinnell found red-breasted mergansers, with the long, 
hairlike crests, in company with a large variety of waterfowl, abun- 
dant on the Lower St. Mary Lake, and Mr. Gird reports them as 
found in spring, summer, and fall between Waterton Creek and the 


From Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 


Tic. 21.—Red-breasted merganser. 


North Fork of the Flathead on the west and Belly River on the east 
side of the park. Mr. F. F. Liebig has a specimen taken on Lake 
McDonald some years ago. 

These mergansers also hunt in companies, as Mr. E. H. Eaton 
describes it, “sometimes advancing with wide, extended front, driv- 
ing the fish before them and diving simultaneously so that, which- 
ever way their prey may dart, there is a serrated beak and capacious 
gullet ready to receive them.” 

Hoopen Mercanser: Lophodytes cucullatus—Mr. Stevenson re- 
ports seeing the hooded merganser, with the white-centered, wheel- 
shaped crest, mostly in spring and fall, in ones or twos on small 
ponds, but Mr. Bryant says that it breeds on the Middle Fork of the 


BIRDS. 117 


Flathead and ‘is great for laying eggs in the nests with golden-eyes 
and buftle-heads and then scrapping over the nest.” Apparently it is 
commonly called wood duck. 


Matuarp: Anas platyrhyncha.—The green-headed drake mallard, 
which is familiar to all from his resemblance to the domestic stock 
derived from the wild, and the brown-mottled female, which may 
be recognized by her large size, white-bordered purple wing patches, 
her white outer tail feathers, and her loud barnyard quack, should 
be looked for in the lower levels of the park. In the willowy borders 
of Sherburne Lake, on August 5, we heard the quacking of mal- 
lards, and at the oil wells down the lake were shown two nearly 
erown young that the Stevensons had raised from eges under a 
hen. They had become so thoroughly domesticated that they allowed 
the children to carry them around. 
and, although they went down to the 
lake with the wild mallards in the 
daytime, returned to the house at 
night. An adult and one nearly grown 
young were seen, August 9, by Mr. 
Bailey in a marsh just above Lake 
Elizabeth, and on August 20 across the 
Alberta line three were flushed from 
one of the small sloughs. On August 
21, we saw eleven mallards on Rey- 
nolds Lake a few miles south of the 
boundary. asa 

Mr. Stevenson says that they breed Yrom Handbook of Western Birds. L. A. Fuertes 
in lakes and ponds at the lower eleva- 
tions of the park and in 1914 were quite plentiful on the inlets 
of both the upper and lower Sherburne Lakes. A mounted mal- 
lard seen at Lewis’s came from the North Fork of the Flathead, 
and Mr. Gird says they are common there as well as about 
old beaver ponds on the Belly River. In the fall of 1887 Dr. Grin- 
nell found them “extremely abundant throughout the St. Mary 
Lakes region.” They were also found feeding in open water late 
in November, and he said that undoubtedly “a few remain all 
winter on mountain streams.” 

A few mallards were seen by Mr. Bailey, April 10 and 11, 1918, 
along the Middle Fork of the Flathead and at Lake McDonald; and 
more, mostly in pairs, April 12-19, along the North Fork, from the 
mouth of Camas Creek to Kintla Creek, and in many of the small 
lakes and ponds; also on April 21, many pairs and flocks on Lake 
McDonald. They were evidently both breeding and migrating. Mr. 
E. H. Myrick, the forest ranger at Belton, saw a family with five 


Fic. 22.—Hooded merganser. 


22 ase Tp OD 
= he eee 


118 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


downy young in a pond on the river flats near Nyack, April 5; and 
as the forest cruiser, H. R. Flint, saw mallards in the river near 
there in December, they evidently wintered there and bred early. 

GapwaLi: Chaulelasmus streperus—As their Latin name indi- 
cates, the gadwalls are noisy ducks. The drake may be recog- 
nized by his brown and white wing patches, and the duck by her 
white patches and pure white wing linings. 

A brood of about a dozen dark, yellow-spotted, downy young were 
found, July 19, by Mr. Bailey, swimming around under the willows 
on a beaver pond between Many Glaciers and Sherburne Lake. 
One adult was also seen, August 9, on Lake Elizabeth, in the Belly 
River region. In the fall of 1887 Dr. Grinnell found gadwalls 
“abundant on shallow prairie lakes on Milk River Ridge and north- 
ward.” 

SALDPATE: Ifareca americana—Mr. Stevenson questions whether 
the baldpates breed at all in the park, and Mr. Gibb reports them 
only as spring and fall mi- 
grants. In 1887 Dr. Grin- 
nell found them in the St. 
Mary Lakes region, abun- 
dant through September 
and October but leaving be- 
fore the 1st of November. 
On April 21, 1918, Mr. 
Bailey found baldpates the 

. aE most numerous ducks on 

Stipes aes ee See ae Lake McDonald, in large 

and small flocks, out in the 

middle of the lake and along shore. Sometimes a hundred or more 

would be seen sitting in long rows on a beach in the sun. The next 

day the lake was rough and few were seen, so it is evident that the 
migrating hordes had merely stopped to rest. 


GREEN-WINGED TraL: Nettion carolinense——A mounted specimen 
of the pretty little green-winged teal with brown head, green cheek 
stripe and wing patch may be seen at Lewis’s, and Mr. Gibb says 
that it nests in the park, particularly on the west side of the moun- 
tains. Mr. Stevenson says that it is seen in great flocks spring 
and fall, being the commonest teal of the park. In 1887 Dr. Grin- 
nell found it abundant in the St. Mary Lakes region in open water 
up to November. 

On April 21 -and 22, 1918, Mr. Bailey found green-winged teal 
among the most abundant ducks on Lake McDonald. Hundreds 
were seen scattered over the lake in small mixed flocks of other 
species. 


PLATE XXIV. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park, 


“ayBW ‘ainsly YB tajewa ‘andy yoq 


“SGYVTITIVI 


‘SdT]9100g WOQnpNy Jo uoTeID0ssy [eMOIeN Jo fse4.N09 


syooagyrrny) | 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXV. 


SHOVELLERS. 


Left figure, female; right figure, male. 


BIRDS. 119 


Buvr-wincrp Tran: Querquedula discors.—The blue-winged teal 
with his white eye crescent, large blue wing patch, and brown body 
is one of the easily recognized ducks and may be looked for as a 
spring and fall migrant. In 1887 Dr. Grinnell found the blue-wing 
abundant on the Lower St. Mary Lake in September, but he says it 
was one of the earliest ducks to leave for the south. 

Crxnamon Tran: Querquedula cyanoptera—Mr. Stevenson has 
noted the cinnamon-colored teal in the spring migration, and Mr. 
Bryant says that it used to breed at Flathead Lake. 


oo TES 


Photograph by Robert B. Rockwell. 
Fic. 24.—Green-winged teal. 


SHovetLeR: Spatula clypeata—A female shoveller with its spoon- 
shaped bill was seen, August 29, and a male and female on August 30 
on Lake McDonald. Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Gibb report them as 
spring and fall migrants, but not common. In the fall of 1887 Dr. 
Grinnell found them very abundant on the prairie lakes and the 
Lower St. Mary Lake associated with teal, widgeon, gadwall, and 
mallard. He said they left late in October. In June, 1895, Messrs. 
Bailey and Howell reported shovellers seen in nearly all the ponds 
on the prairie near Blackfeet Agency, now Browning. Six or eight 
pairs were seen and a few single males. On April 21, 1918, Mr. 
Bailey saw hundreds of shovellers on Lake McDonald, some in pairs 
but more in large flocks, and all the males in handsome spring dress, 
with black head, white chest, and chestnut belly. 


120 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Pinta: Dafila acuta tzitzihoa.—Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Gibb 
speak of seeing the brown-headed pintail in spring and fall; and Mr. 
Gird, who has noted them in the Belly River region and the north- 
ern part of the park, says they come into the mountain lakes from 
the prairie about September. In the fall of 1887, Dr. Grinnell found 
them in small numbers on Milk 
River Ridge and the prairie lakes 
of the St. Mary Lakes region, 
though they were not nearly so 


es 


From Handbook of Western Birds. 
L.A. Fuertes. From Ilandbook of Western Birds. 
Fic. 25.—Blue-winged teal. Fie. 26.—Cinnamon teal. 


abundant as other fresh-water ducks. On April 21, 1918, Mr. Bailey 
found them fairly common on Lake McDonald in small flocks. 
While mixed with other species on the water, they kept together 
when they flew. 

Woop Duck: Aix sponsa.—Great confusion has arisen from the 
local application of the name wood duck to the Barrow golden-eye 
and the merganser, but Mr. H. P. Stanford has a mounted wood duck 


From Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 


Fic. 27.—Pintail. 


that he took at Flathead Lake, and says he has seen the ducks on the 
ponds at the upper end of Lake McDonald. 

All the ducks of the region which may be called wood ducks 
because they nest in hollow trees should be carefully distinguished. 
In the golden-eyes the drake has a green head with a white spot 
at the base of the bill, while the duck has a puffy, dark-brown 
head. In the sheldrake, the scarcely crested head of the drake is 
dark green, while the long-crested head of the duck is reddish- 
brown. In the hooded merganser the drake has a black wheel- 


BIRDS. 121 


shaped crest with a large white fan-shaped patch, while the duck 
has an wamarked, grayish brown head. But in the wood ducks 
the drake has red eyes, a purplish-chestnut breast spotted with 
white, a heavy green and purple drooping crest and the sides of the 
head streaked with white; while 
the gray-headed female has a 
white eye patch streaking back- 
ward. The white lines on the 
head are enough to distinguish 
both sexes of wood duck from 
both mergansers and_ golden- 
eyes. 

Repueap: Marila ameri- 
cana.—Though not a common 
migrant in the park, the red- 
head has been noted by Mr. Ste- 
venson, Mr. Gibb, and Mr. Gird. 
In October, 1887, Dr. Grinnell 
found it abundant on the St. 
Mary Lakes. On April 21, 1918, From Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 
Mr. Bailey saw a pair out in the TGS Caen eB acle 
middle of Lake McDonald. 

Canvas-pack: Marila valisineria—Mr. Gibb reports seeing the 
canvas-back during migration, and Mr. Stevenson reports it from 
Duck Lake east of the park in fall. In October, 1887, Dr. Grinnell 
found it on the Lower St. Mary during bitter cold weather in con- 
siderable numbers. On April 21, 1918, Mr. Bailey saw a few small 
flocks on Lake McDonald, readily distin- 
guished from the surrounding flocks of 
smaller ducks. 

Scaup Duck: Marila marila.—On 
April 21, 1918, Mr. Bailey found these 
large scaups with light-gray backs and 
bright blue bills scattered over Lake Mc- 
Donald from one end to the other in both 
large and small flocks, aggregating at 
least hundreds. In the fall of 1887 Dr. 
Grinnell found them abundant on the 
Lower St. Mary just outside the park. 
Treen Feb Te SE Lesser Scaup Duck: Marila affinis.— 

Fic. 29.—Scaup duck. 

Mr. Bryant told us that the lesser scaup, 
whose head is glossed with purple instead of green, passes over Lake 
McDonald, and Mr. Stevenson writes that a duck which he takes for it 
occurs in the park during the fall months in large flocks. Dr. Grinnell 
in 1887 found it abundant on the prairie lakes adjoining the St. Mary 
Lakes region, and when these froze up on the Lower St. Mary Lake. 


122 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Rinc-necxep Duck: Jfarila collaris—My. Bryant says that the 
ringneck is found in swampy ground in the park in summer, so that 
it is well to add it to the list of those to be carefully looked for. The 
drake, while having the black head and breast of the scaups, may be 
distinguished by the ight ring on its bill, the brown collar and black 
back, the duck by the gray wing patch. 

Barrow Goupen-ryge: Clangula islandica.—The handsome green- 
headed Barrow drake has what has been described as a “ spread- 
wing shaped white patch ” at the base of the bill which distinguishes 
the Barrow golden-eve of the mountains from the American golden- 
eye, whose drake has only a round white spot at the base of his 


Photograph by George Shir: 1. Courtesy of Bird-Lore. 


IG. 830.—Golden-eyes on Yellowstone Lake. 


bill. But like most male ducks, the handsome Barrow is rarely 
seen in late summer, apparently going off to some secluded place to 
molt, leaving his mate to rear the young. An old duck, with puffy 
brown head, golden eye or “brass eye,” white underparts and large 
white wing patch, leading around a brood of downy young, is one of 
the delightfully familiar sights on the beautiful mountain lakes of 
Glacier Park. When rowing on Lake McDermott one July evening, 
along the shore opposite Many Glaciers we came to an old mother 
with three young. Her white neck line, cutting the brown of her 
head, showed conspicuously in the dusk, as did the little white cheeks 
contrasting with the dark crowns of the ducklings. When we rowed 
near the mother gave a low guttural call, in response to which the 


BIRDS. 123 


little fellows instantly swam close to her side. When they all swam on 
together and we followed, though my quieting talk partly reassured 
the anxious mother, her distress was so appealing that with a quick 
turn of the paddle I sent the boat out into the lake—to our mutual 
relief. Feeling safe at last, the little ones strung out in single file 
behind their mother, swimming slowly and contentedly along close to 
shore. As we watched them, they seemed a fitting part of the peace- 
ful sunset picture—the quiet lake over which the cool night air came 
down from the mountains, the dark-spired shore line from which 
came the vesper song of the thrush, and the sunset light above, fading 
out on the snowy slopes of the peaks. 

The anxiety of the old duck had doubtless been partly due to tragic 
experiences, for up the lake two broods were seen, one with 11 and one 
with 12 young, while one was reported to us from Sun Camp with 14, 
and the usual clutch ranges from 9 to 12. Four-footed prowlers had 
perhaps trotted along the lakeshore by moonlight, in their turn hav- 
ing to provide for hungry families waiting in some well-hidden den— 
for so the world progresses. Broods of various ages as well as num- 
bers were seen in the park, some just hatched, some fairly well grown, 
while old ducks apparently only leaving their nests for a meal were 
noticed at various places. One of these solitary ones flew up near the 
head of Grinnell Lake one day, where it dived deep through the 
green water. It was aggravating not to be able to follow the ducks 
as they flew back down the lakes to their nests. What may have been 
such a return home was happened on a year or so ago by Dr. Grinnell, 
though he saw it at too great a distance to be sure. He writes, “ I saw 
a golden-eye that had been swinging about over the lake on the middle 
fork of Swiftcurrent, fly over some dead, burned, pine timber on 
Wilber Creek and stop before a large pine, where it hovered as a 
barn swallow does before its nest, and then disappeared.” 

At Sun Camp, one morning late in July, I was surprised to see a 
golden-eye fly out over the lake below in large disturbed circles, and, 
as a motor boat came noisily by, fly high up on the side of the cliff 
below the chalet, acting strangely as if going to take refuge on the 
rocky promontory. That same morning Mr. Bailey saw a flock of 
thirty or forty golden-eyes fly up past the chalet toward the upper 
end of the lake, already gathered into a fall flock anticipating the 
southward flight, although Dr. Grinnell found the ducks on the 
Lower St. Mary among the last to leave. 

On April 22, 1918, when at Lake McDonald, among the golden- 
eyes seen too far out to distinguish the species, Mr. Bailey saw one 
small flock at the upper end of the lake so close in shore that with 
the glass he could distinctly see the crescent-shaped spots on the 
cheeks of the two old males, which were in high breeding plumage. 


124 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Borrie-ueap: Charitonctta albeola—Mr. Bryant once found a 
nest in a stump on a flat of Dutch Creek, which he identified from 
the eges as that of a buflle-head, but the bird was not seen and no 
nests were found in the marsh bordering the lake. Mr. Stevenson 
says the buflle-head is common in the park in spring and late fall, but 

he has never seen either nest 


or young. His father now 
suspects that it breeds 
near Sherburne Lake. The 
| mounted bird to be seen at 
Lewis’s came from the Mid- 
dle Fork of the Flathead. 
On the St. Mary Lakes, Dr. 
Grinnell found it, like the 
Barrow golden-eye, among 
the last to leave. 
Fig. 31.—Bufile-head, On April 21, 1918, Mr. 
Bailey found many flocks of buffle-heads on Lake McDonald, usually 
with large flocks or in the great assemblies of mixed species of ducks. 
At a distance, he says, they looked ike pure white balls—snowballs— 
floating on the water. 
Western Hartequin Duck: Wistrionicus histrionicus pacificus — 
The western form of the little harlequin, whose distribution is given 
as northwestern America and Siberia. 


and which spends its summers in rapid 
mountain streams, is one of the most “~ 
notable birds found in Glacier Park. 
Everything about it is distinctive. The 
plumage of the drake is bizarre enough 
to merit the name harlequin, with its 
gray and rich brown body colors strik- 
ingly slashed with white, and while the 
duck, according to the accepted custom in 
ornithological circles, is as dull colored 
and inconspicuous as her lord is hand- 
some and striking, she still has unusual 
face marks—two white spots on each side Boia Handel of Watton a 
of the head that serve to identify her Tie ga ee Me ee 
across a lake. duck. 

Still more distinctive are the harlequin’s habits, for, like the water 
ouzel, an habitué of foaming mountain streams, it rides their rapids 
with the abandon of enjoyment. On the rapids connecting the two 
St. Mary Lakes, in the spring of 1895, Mr. Bailey found eight or 
ten “diving, bobbing on the rough surface, drifting or darting 
down over the rapids, and them gathering in a bunch below to fly 


BIRDS. 125 


back upstream for another descent.” A family of seven was seen 
near the end of August by members of our party on Mineral Creek, 
“bobbing over the rapids in single file,’ and on McDonald Creek 
a few days later we saw a family of five. Here gently tilted shelves 
of shale gave an alternation of green shallows and foaming rapids 
that the ducks could make their way through upstream. As we 
looked, the close file of five, each with its white head spots and so 
nearly alike in size that we could only surmise that the leader was 
the mother, swam rapidly up through the white foam, using wings 
as well as webbed feet and holding their heads high, as the foam some- 
times came up to their bills. Once when a rapid was too high they 
made a detour up a slanting side chute ending in a ledge over a foot 
in height. Four of them successfully jumped up the wall, but the 
fifth made a shp and was caught by the swift current and carried 
back several feet into the foam. When he came up he made another 
mistake, stepping on a slippery, sloping rock, and a second time was 
caught by the water and carried down into the foam. When the 
whole five had gone up through a long stretch of rapids toward the 
fall where scme old water ouzel’s nests were found, they discovered a 
fisherman casting a line in the bottom of the gorge; so after some 
hesitation they turned around and giving themselves up to the 
churning water came bobbing down over the rapids with an air of 
buoyant ease that made a rarely pretty sight. At the foot of the 
rapids one of them, perhaps the unskillful one which had had trou- 
ble in getting upstream, instead of pointing head forward was turned 
sideways across the stream. As they swam over to a quiet bay along 
shore they were greeted by one of the family that had been left be- 
hind—if appearances were to be trusted. 

A mother and six young were seen at Grinnell Lake about the 
middle of August by Dr. Grinnell, who sent me an interesting ac- 
count of their actions. He was standing on the beach when they 
came in sight, swimming close to the shore. He says: “They did not 
notice me and went along slowly and passed me within 12 or 15 feet. 
The little ones were active in diving, as much so as the mother bird, 
but remained under the water a much shorter time. All were active, 
vigorous swimmers and divers. I heard no call from the young, but 
the mother uttered a hoarse croaking quack. 

“After they had gone perhaps a hundred yards beyond me, they 
seemed to have satisfied their appetites, and drew close to shore, 
disappearing behind a little point. I went around to the little cove 
where they had gone, and as I appeared they were startled and 
swam swiftly from the shore out into the lake. As I stood quiet they 
at once recovered from their alarm, turned about, and swam back 
toward shore, and then all seven climbed out on a dead tree trunk 
that had fallen into the lake and stood there side by side, drying 


126 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


their plumage and seeming to enjoy the sun. They reminded me of 
a row of wood ducks. When the young had finished dressing their 
down, they sat down on the stick, some lengthwise and some across 
the log, the mother, which had been the last to leave the water, being 
nearest to it.” 

In the Olsen Valley, August 21, 1917, Mr. Robert S. Yard saw 
seven harlequins, the young apparently nearly grown. On Gunsight 
Lake, a month earlier, we saw several harlequins which flew up and 
down the St. Mary River, near whose rapids they very likely made 
their homes. On the North Fork of the Flathead they have been 
seen by Mr. Bryant, and Mr. Stevenson feels sure that they breed 
along swift mountain streams throughout the park. On August 4 
and 5, 1914, Mr. Aretas A. 
Saunders saw five birds on 
the Upper Two Medicine 
Lake. One of the hardy 
ducks was seen in the win- 
ter of 1917 by Mr. Gibb 
swimming in the swift 
water above McDermott 
Falls. 

On Iceberg Lake, June 
27,1918, Mr. E. R. Warren 
saw a pair of the ducks and 
photographed one. “At the 


Photograph by E.R. Warren (retouched). time,” he says, “the lake 
was mostly covered with 
ice and snow, merely a nar- 
row strip of open water 40 or 50 feet wide along the side opposite the 
glacier, and in this the brightly clad drake and his more quietly 
dressed mate were swimming back and forth. They were compara- 
tively tame and paid little attention to me as I stood on the shore and 
watched them, though they kept in motion continually. The only time 
they took wing was to fly over a narrow bit of ice. Later I saw them 
get out and walk on the same ice. While I was equipped with a 
Graflex camera, the day was very dark and cloudy, raining occasion- 
ally, and I did not succeed in getting a single good negative. Even 
the strong reflection from the ice and snow did not help out sufi- 
ciently. It was the chance of a lifetime, and I will never cease to 
regret not having obtained good pictures.” Borrowing Mr. War- 
ren’s best negative, we had it strengthened and touched up and 
present it here for its great local interest. Bird photographers vis- 
iting the park while the drake is still to be seen in June should watch 
carefully for opportunities to obtain better results. 


Fic. 33.—Harlequin duck at Iceberg Lake. 


BIRDS. 127 


WuiltE-wiIncep Scorer: Oidemia deglandi deglandi.—One of these 
large black sea ducks was seen by Mr. Stevenson in the fall of 1906, 
after a big storm, and in September, 1910, he shot three on a 
small pond near the east line of the 
park. 


Ruppy Duck: FLrismatura jamai- 
censis.—The droll little ruddy duck, 
with his bright blue bill, ruddy body. 
and spiked tail, has been found by 
Mr. Bryant in the nesting season on 
the North Fork of the Flathead, 
where there are a number of small 
ponds and sloughs that offer congenial nesting sites; but no actual 
nests have been located. During the spring migration Mr. Steven- 
son has found the ruddies rather common on Sherburne Lake, and 
in October, 1887, Dr. Grinnell found them very abundant on all the 
lakes of the St. Mary region. 

On April 21, 1918, Mr. Bailey found them among the more nu- 
merous ducks on Lake McDonald, “ often giving a ruddy glow to 
the gieat mixed flocks along the 
shores, on the beaches, or out in the 
middle of the lake. Many hundreds 
or a few thousands would give a 
fair statement of their numbers on 
the lake.” 


From Handbook of Western Birds. L. A. Fuertes. 


Tig. S4.—White-winged scoter. 


Snow Goose: Chen hyperborea 

Fic. 35.—Ruddy duck. hyperborea.—Hordes of white geese 

are reported by Mr. Stevenson as 

passing over the park in the migrations, especially in fall; but in 

1887, among the thousands of geese seen in October, Dr. Grinnell 

identified only three as hyperborea. They came October 25, and 

kept mostly by themselves, feeding with the ducks in the shallows 
where the inlet enters the lake. 

Ross Goosr: Chen rossi.—The first Ross goose reported by Dr. 
Grinnell in the St. Mary Lakes region was on October 1, 1887. He 
at first took the flocks for snow geese but one shot by an Indian 
proved to be the Ross goose, which is smaller than the snow goose 
and whose bill is without black on the cutting edges. For a month, 
he says, migrating flocks of from twenty to a hundred were con- 
stantly passing over the lakes and crossing the mountains on their 


way south. 
Cawapa Goose: Branta canadensis canadensis —Several pairs of 
the great gray Canada geese, with the black head and white throat 


a Tica SE C 


tosh. 


128 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


patch, nest in the vicinity of Many Glaciers, especially about the 
head of Sherburne Lake. One pair with very young goslings has 
been noted on Lake McDermott. A pair had nested on Lake Joseph- 
ine for six years, Mr. Gibb told us, but had apparently been driven 
off by the season’s logging. Perhaps they had gone up to Grinnell 
Lake, he suggested. Anxious to find the great birds at home on their 
northern breeding grounds, when we rode up to the lake in July, on 
dismounting I hurried to the shore and swept the lake eagerly with 
my glass. Nothing was to be seen on the opposite shore or below, 
but up at the head of the lake, under the glacier, with its ice cascades 


Photograph by E. R. Warren, 


Fic. 36.—Canada geese. 


and waterfalls, sitting quietly in a beautiful family group were the 
old and young. They evidently saw us as soon as we saw them, for 
they quickly vanished. To get another sight of them, we spent an 
hour forcing our way through the dense chaparral bordering the 
lake and working across slippery snowbanks to a steep white slope, 
ending only at the edge of the water. Then across the lake we dis- 
covered white spots—five or six the glass revealed, the young about 
half grown—close along the shore with green chaparral-covered 
mountain slopes and snowbanks above them—quite a different sct- 
ting from those we had been watching in the Washington Zoo in 

June! 
Another family was seen by Mr. and Mrs. Yard from the steam- 
boat on St. Mary Lake near the narrows—two old geese and two 
sau uwu Ulu Beese Ulla UWO 


atzurro “unu vu geese alld LWO 
aaurvo —unwu vil yoese alld tWO 


BIRDS. 129 


grayish young about the size of ducks, while at the head of Glenn 
Lake, under the glacier, when Mr, Bailey fluslied the loon he also 
saw a group of six geese. A nest was discovered June, 1915, by Mr. 
Gird on a hummock of an old beaver dam between the two St. Mary 
Lakes. In 1887 Dr. Grinnell found that the southbound geese reached 
St. Mary the last of September and were very abundant there all 
through October, some of them staying into November. 

When we were camped on the Swiftcurrent, a mile below Many 
Glaciers, early in August, on walking across the horse pasture near 
sunset one evening, overhead came the stirring honking of geese, the 
bugle call that in spring sounds the knell of winter and quickens the 
pulses with its prophecy of spring. Six of the great broad-winged 
birds came flying abreast through the sky. They were going out to 
the flats to feed, and after sunset came flying back, disappearing up 
toward the glaciers. 

While some of the geese winter as far north as British Columbia, 
others go as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. On the return north 
this year large flocks passed over Lake McDonald in March, many 
of them stopping on the lake, which was then partly frozen over. On 
April 12, Mr. Bailey saw a pair on the North Fork of the Flathead, 
at the mouth of Camas Creek, said to have been there for a week or 
more and supposed to have a nest. Several other pairs were seen 
and heard along the river above Logging Creek, and they are said to 
breed habitually along the river. 

Wuistitine Swan: Olor columbianus.—During the spring and fall 
migrations, Mr. Stevenson says, whistling swans are seen at the 
Swiftcurrent lakes almost every year. At Lake McDonald, in April, 
1918, Mr. Bailey was told that numbers of swans went over the lake 
in March, and a few stopped in the open water. 

Trumpeter Swan: Olor buccinator—In October and November, 
1887, Dr. Grinnell found trumpeter swans—largely young of the 
year—abundant at the extreme upper end of the Lower St. Mary 
Lake, and, as he says, “ these, like most of the geese when they started 
cami were headed in a range res to direction and would thus have 
crossed the park, it seems safe to include the splendid birds, now prac- 
tically extinct, in the list of the birds of the park.” 


Order HERODIONES: Herons, Bitterns, etc. 


Family ARDEIDZ: Herons, Bitterns, etc. 


Brrrern : Botaurus lentiginosus.—While the bittern isa bird that is 
easily overlooked except by the saunterer along quiet streams and the 
leisurely explorer of moist meadows, sloughs, and marshes, its voice 


51140°—18——11 


130 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


and habits make it too interesting to miss. Its famous vocal imitation 
of an old wooden pump once heard will be recognized even in the dead 
of night, and its 
imitation of stake 
driving in a bog is 
so good that it is 
known not only as 
the prairie pump 
but the stake driver. 
Its brown streaked 


| cs oe 4 — From Handbook of Western Birds. L.A. Fuertes. form will gene rally 
ae fate Bip Sais: be seen from the 
1G. 387.—DBittern. 


= back as at one’s 
slow approach it rises from a reedy slough or stream bank, and with 
a deliberate, casual air silently crosses to the next cover, when it 
quickly drops out 
of sight. If come 
upon suddenly, as 
by a noiseless 
canoe, instead of 
taking flight it 
turns its protec- 
tively colored front 
toward you, assum- 
ing one of the won- 
derful attitudes so 
often found among 
protectively colored 
insects. Pointing 
its bill to the sky, 
with long, slender 
body held erect and 
motionless, it 
might well pass for 
one of the reeds by 
which it is sur- 
rounded. 

It is good to hear 
that even in this 
mountain park 
there are abundant 
opportunities for 
discovering it. 
The best places to 
look seem to be on 


Photograph by Robert B. Rockwell. 
the low, wet land Fre. 38.—Young great blue heron. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXVI 


Courtesy of National Association of Audubon Societies. 


SORA RAILS. 


BIRDS. 131 


on the west side of the mountains, where many birds unknown in 
other parts of the park may be found. Here, as Mr. Gibb says, “in 
slow water where there are rushes,” as in McGee Meadow, and along 
Camas, Dutch, and Indian Creeks, and the North Fork of the Flat- 
head, bittern have been seen and may well be looked for. But just 
outside the east side of the park, near Browning, in 1895, Mr. Bailey 
and Mr. Howell heard one pumping. 

Great Birur Heron: Ardea herodias herodias—A sight of the 
great blue heron, like that of the bittern, is one of the rare pleasures 
offered the leisurely explorer of the park, and one look at the blue 
figure standing erect on the edge of a lake or suddenly bending low 
to spear a fish may well become a cherished memory. 


Order PALUDICOLZ: Cranes, Rails, ete. 
Family GRUIDZ: Cranes. 


SANDHILL CRANE: Grus canadensis mexicana.—Notes on the sum- 
mer cccurrence of cranes are now matters of park history. In June, 
1895, Messrs. Bailey and Howell reported several heard both day and 
night on June 12, 13, and 14 on the prairies near Midvale; and they 
added that one pair flew down quite close to camp. In 1899, Mr. 
Bryant found old nests with eggshells in them on McGee Meadow 
near Camas Creek. He aiso found one in a bog on Whitefish 
Mountain when hunting ducks. He saw a head with pink on it and 
then saw the bird fly off. About twenty years ago Mr. Lewis saw two 
sandhill cranes standing out on the prairie on the North Fork of the 
Flathead. Not unnaturally, when he first saw the tall birds at a dis- 
tance, he “thought they were people.” Mr. Stevenson has been told 
rather recently of a nest in a marsh in the St. Mary Valley below 
the park. 

At present the park records are restricted to rare migrants flying 
over, as two seen by Mr. Gibb in May, 1917, at Sherburne Lake. If it 
were not too late the protected prairie patches on the edges of the 
park might still recall these original, fantastic birds whose presence 
adds so much to any locality; but, associated with the days of the 
Indians on the plains, they, too, belong to “a vanishing race.” 


Family RALLIDZ: Rails, Coots, etc. 


Sora Rart: Porzana carolina—Another delightful bird has been 
added to the possibilities of the close observer in the park by Mr. 
Bryant’s record of the sora in McGee Meadow, a few miles west of 
Lake McDonald, and its jubilant descending chromatic scale should 
be listened for in all suitable marshes. An Indian legend attaches to 
the sora as one of the birds cailed crane’s back, because it is supposed 
to adopt the easy method of migrating on the back of the crane. 


132 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Coot: Fulica americana—While the coot—recognized always by 
its slaty body, black head, and white bill, as by its loud and varied 
cackling talk—is not a common bird in the park, and neither Mr. 
Bryant nor Mr. Stevenson have found its nests, there are records 
from a number of localities on the lower edges of the park—notably 
Sherburne Lake, the Lower St. Mary, Browning, and Belly River 
on the east, and Lake McDonald, Camas Lake, Mud Lake, and the 
North Fork of the Flathead on the west. 

When at Lake McDonald April 21, 1918, Mr. Bailey found coots 
numerous, “often in flocks of from twenty to a hundred.” On the 
next day, when the lake was rough, only two were seen, and these 
were “up under the bushes on the shore running about like quail.” 


Order LIMICOLZ: Shorebirds. 
Family PHALAROPODIDZ:: Phalaropes. 


NortHern Puararore: Lobipes lobatus—Mr. Bryant reports that 
the northern phalaropes are seen in fall on the high lakes. Minia- 
ture ducks, as they have been called, the dainty little gray and white 
birds may be known by their slender necks, delicate forms, and the 
habit of spinning around or darting to right and left to pick up 
insects from the surface of the water. 


Family RECURVIROSTRIDZ: Avocets, etc. 


Avocer: Recurvirostra americana.—Myr. Bryant and Mr. Gibb have 
both seen the large, pale 
cinnamon and white Avo- 
, cet, with its long slender 
recurved bill, during mi- 
gration; and Mr. Bryant 
says that while it is rare, 

oo it visits the prairie 
ae Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. patches along the North 

Tee igen Fork of the Flathead. 


Family SCOLOPACIDZ: Snipe, Sandpipers, ete. 


Wiuson Sniee: Gallinago delicata—On June 11, 1895, Mr. A. H. 
Howell found the Wilson or jack snipe six miles west of Browning, 
and Mr. Bryant thinks it breeds in the park; so its probings—holes 
in the soft mud—should be carefully looked for in swamps and 
meadows. As it feeds largely at night and is so protectively 
striped that it is well hidden in the grass in the day time, it may 
easily be overlooked unless almost stepped on, when it springs into 
the air and darts off with baffling zigzag flight. Its song, erratic as 
its flight, is often given high in air from rapidly vibrating wings. 


BIRDS. 1338 


PrcroraL Sanppiper: Pisobia maculata—In fall when on its way 
between Alaska and South America, the pectoral sandpiper, with 
black rump and upper tail coverts and neck and_ breast closely 
streaked, has been found by Mr. Bryant in the higher parts of the 
park, notably at the head of Dutch Creek near the snow and ice, 
and at such lakes as Iceberg Lake with its large glacier. 

Greater YELLOw-LEGs: Totanus melanoleucus (?)—One of the 
yellow-legs is a rare migrant in the park, and Mr. Stanford thinks 
it is the greater. As the bird may be seen on its way south in July 
it is well to watch for it and make sure of its identity. The white 
rump and tail mark it as a form of yellow-legs, while the size de- 
termines which—the greater being from 12 to 15 inches long, its 
bill about 24, anc its exposed leg bone 2} inches or longer. 

Western Sourrary Sanpprper: Zelodromas solitarius cinnamo- 
meus.—The solitary, which is to be looked for in the park on its 
early fall migration, may be distin- 
guished from other sandpipers in the 
field by its dark color, black wings, and 
shrill note. Mr. Bryant reports it from 
the valley of the North Fork of the 
Flathead, and Mr. Bailey on August 14 
noted four or five a short distance north 
of the Alberta boundary line. 


Uritanp Puover: Bartroamia longi- 


us 
: : uy 
cauda.—Another rare, delightful bird to Prom Handbook of Western Birds. 1. A 


TFuertes. 


be looked for on the prairie patches of 
the North Fork of the Flathead is the 
gentle upland plover, whose sweet bubbling notes from the sky are 
heard less and less as the years pass. On the plains east of the park 
the curlew and plover are both occasionally found, and in June, 1895, 
two pairs of plover were seen by Messrs. Bailey and Howell near 
Browning. 

Srorrep SANDPIPER: Actitis macularia.—The sandpiper seen com- - 
monly along the lakes of the park, trotting over the pretty red and 
green pebbles, and curving out from the shores, skimming low over 
the water, showing a white line down the wing, is the same little 
tip-up we have always known on river bank and ocean beach, and 
its sweet peet-weet, peter-weet has a strangely homelike ring 
under glacier-clad mountains. On Gunsight Lake, beside the ruin 
of the avalanche-wrecked chalet, I found the meager nest of one of 
the gentle birds, and when the young hatched watched the mother 
tenderly sheltering them from the cold wind sweeping down from 
the mountain. A pair on the Belly River near the International 
Boundary line were so excited by our advent that they, too, doubtless 


wee het (sail 


Le 


«| i > B 
Rie ge Be 


Fie. 40.—Wilson snipe. 


134 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


had callow young hidden on the banks of the curving river. Grown 
young were seen along beaver ponds in various places, all new and 
fresh, plump, snowy-breasted little fellows with the grayish suffusion 
on the chest at the bend of the wings. 

Canapian Curtew: Numenius americanus occidentalis——In the 
early summer of 1895, Messrs. Bailey and Howell reported the brown- 
streaked curlew with the long decurved bill not only from the plains, 
but the St. Mary River, and once from the Upper St. Mary Lake. 
Several pairs were seen about June 8. 


Family CHARADRIIDZ: Plovers. 


Buiack-BELLieD Piover: Squatarola squatarola.—A mounted speci- 
men of the black-bellied plover with the minute hind toe, in fall plum- 


Copyright by H. and E, Pittman. 
Fic, 41.—Killdeer, 


age, was seen by Mr. Bailey in the collection of Mr. Frank F. Liebig, 
at Kalispell. During a cold storm it was found helpless and chilled 
on Swiftcurrent Pass, and cn being carried home by Mr. Liebig, lived 
several months on bread crumbs and flies. 

Kiniperr: Oxyechus vociferus vociferus—Though the killdeer— 
recognized on the wing by its familiar /ill-deé, hill-deé, and on the 
ground by its two black chest bands, white forehead and collar, and in 
disappearing by its ochraceous rump patch—is not common in the 
park, it is reported from a number of localities in the low country. 
Mr. Gibb says it breeds at Sherburne Lake, and Mr. Bryant reports 
it from the valleys of the north and middle forks of the Flathead, 
while Mr. Gird adds Belly River and the McDonald Lake country. 
At McDonald Lake, one was seen by Mr. Bailey April 21, 1918, 
flying along the shore. 


BIRDS. 135 


Order GALLINZ: Gallinaceous Birds. 
Family ODONTOPHORIDZ: Bob-whites, etc. 


Bos-wuite: Colinus virginianus virginianus.—The bob-white of 
the eastern lowlands seems a strange bird to find in Glacier Park, 
but it has been introduced into the Flathead Valley, and Mr. Bryant 
says has followed up the north and middle forks. Mr. Stevenson 
has seen “a flock of twenty or more at Swan Lake, in the heart of a 
wooded area at least 20 miles from the grain fields,” and is inclined 
to believe that the quail stray into the park at times, not only on 


the North Fork but near Belton. 
t 
Family TETRAONIDZ: Grouse, Ptarmigan, ete. 


Ricuarpson Grouse: Dendragapus obscurus richardsoni—The 
large sooty grouse which bursts away noisily from before your 
pack train as you climb up through the forest is common throughout 
the heavily timbered higher regions of the park, and when camp- 
ing in the mountains many broods will be met with. Up Midvale 
Creek, back of Glacier Park Hotel, early in July we saw our first 
bird of the season—an old hen, probably just off the nest, walking 
quietly along in the grass. She cocked her head, tweaked her tail, 
and walked quickly away on finding herself discovered, but stood still 
and did a little observing herself when talked to reassuringly. Two 
of her feathers, one the double kind that give the northern grouse 
warm body cover, were found in a sccoped-out hollow in the trail, 
showing where she had been dusting. About two weeks later, on 
the Sexton Glacier trail, as we rode out of the dark woods the 
peeping voices of young were heard, and as the first horse shied a 
big mother grouse flew conspicuously into the top of a low ever- 
green, while her brood, circling out on widespread curving wings 
like young quail, disappeared under cover. Early in August, on the 
Swiftcurrent, an old grouse and seven half-grown young, finding our 
camp nearly deserted, walked calmly past the tents and under the 
kitchen awning on their way to the creek. On reaching it the mother 
flew across, calling the brood till they followed, when they all 
walked off toward the blueberry patch in the pine woods. On our 
way to the Canadian boundary a number of broods of various sizes 
were flushed in the mountains. 

In the breeding season the males may be heard giving their ven- 
triloquial hoot from the tops of high trees. The birds nest, Mr. 
Gird says, on rocky ridges, and when flushed fly down timbered 
canyons. After the 1st of November he never looks for them in the 
pine country, for they have gone to the red-fir timber in the deep 
canyons, he says, where they live on the needles during the winter, 


136 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Mr. Gibb has found them in winter in snow from one to twenty-five 
feet deep, and says they roost in holes in the snow. 

FRANKLIN Grouse: Canachites franklini—The handsomest grouse 
found in the park is the small, trim Franklin, the male with his red 
eye combs, and strikingly black and white banded plumage adapted 
to the dark depths of the forest. One of them was found by Mr. 
Bailey in dense lodgepole, spruce, and fir timber on the south fork 
of Belly River in August, and in April a pair was flushed by him 


From Biological Survey. 


Tic, 42.—Franklin grouse. 


on the north shore of Kintla Lake. The Franklin is found mainly, 
Mr. Gibb says, in the timber along the principal streams, such as 
the north fork of Kennedy Creek, and Dr. Grinnell says they live 
in the thickest timber, in damp, cool situations. In winter they are 
said to stay up in the spruces and pines and live entirely on the 
leaves of the conifers. 

A brood of three half-grown buffy-breasted and tailless young 
were seen in the Waterton Valley about the middle of August, wan- 
dering around enjoying themselves in deep, soft-carpeted woods of 
spruce and fir, where they jumped up to pick black honeysuckle 
berries from the low: bushes, or answered their mother’s call to come 
and eat thimbleberries. One of them, which flew up on a branch, also 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXVII. 


a 


From Bureau of Biological Survey. 
RUFFED GROUSE. 


PIN re E RhyY- (eles: C= sh | 
CAMERON, PA. 


BIRDS. sty 


passed the time eating fir needles. When surprised by our appear- 
ance the little fellows ran crouching down the trail showing a keen 
hiding instinct, but their mother had little sense of danger. When 
the young were approached she merely turned her head over and 
called mildly in soft remonstrance. She was the genuine fool hen of 
Montana, we were told, whom the Flatheads and the mountain 
Indians never kill except when in great need of food, as the birds 
are so tame they can be snared at will, without ammunition; as the 
Indians say, with string from a moccasin. 

The same brood, we supposed, was met with a few days later on 
the same trail. One of the young was in the trail and the mother 
was sitting on a log when we came up, but on seeing us she called 
the little ones into the bushes. When driven out for a better view 
she climbed a bank adorned with bear grass, dwarf brake, and linnaea 
carpet, and, stopping under a long drooping spray of Streptopus— 
under whose light-green leaves hung beautiful bright red berries— 
she jumped up again and again to pick off the berries. Then, flying 
up on a fallen tree trunk almost over my head, she sat there looking 
very plump and matronly and entirely self-possessed, while I ad- 
mired the white and tawny pattern of her plumage. She sat there 
calmly overlooking the brushy cover where the young were hidden 
and showed no disapproval when the three came out and walked a 
log by the trail. She called to them in soft, soothing tones and they 
answered back in sprightly fashion. It would have been so easy to 
win their confidence completely and to watch their engaging ways 
that it was trying to have to leave them and pass on up the trail. 

Gray Rurrep Grouse: Bonasa umbellus umbelloides—In the 
pines and aspen thickets of the eastern slope and also in the dense 
hemlock woods of the western slope of the mountains, one may look 
for this handsome brown grouse whose crested head, black shoulder 
ruffs, and banded fan tail give him an alert appearance, and whose 
loud sonorous drumming is one of the most stirring sounds of the 
forest. 

“The grouse hatch low,” I was told by Mr. Gibb, and broods of 
young were reported in July from the Cracker Lake trail by Mr. 
M. T. Berger, from Dead Man’s Gulch by Mr. Young, the ranger, 
and from the Iceburg Lake trail about 4 miles above Many Glaciers 
by Mr. C. W. Griffing. “Along in September you find them on the 
lodgepole pine ridges,” Mr. Gibb said, and added that they stay both 
high and low all winter. From April 12 to 22, 1918, Mr. Bailey 
found them common along the North Fork of the Flathead, many 
being seen along the trails and heard drumming in the woods. They 
are the most abundant grouse of the low valley country. 

In August between Swiftcurrent Creek and Waterton Lake we 
flushed a number of them along the trail. On the Belly River 


" a 
f 


. 


138 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


trail on successive days three broods whirred up from almost under 
the feet of the first horse, making him shy and jump as if he had 
surprised a bear. One of the first brood, instead of flushing, stood by 
his guns, trusting instinctively to his protective coloration and atti- 
tudes. Drawn up thin and tall in unbirdlike form, the little brown 
fledgling stood on a branch close to the trail looking greatly scared as 
we passed. When the second brood sprang up from before us, one of 
them calmly took his stand down the road right in the way of the 
prancing horse—a cocky little half-grown grouse with small crest up, 
ruffs spread, and short tail flashing—sword drawn across our path! 
As we rode down on him he flew to his brothers in the cottonwoods, 


Photograph by E. R. Warren. 
Fig. 43.—Female ptarmigan in summer. 

but a flicking fan tail that we caught sight of may have been his, 
venting his last bravado. .As we sat on our horses listening to the low 
conversational notes of the brocd, their mother, showing her adult 
tail band, gave a low purring call and led them off—she would take 
no more chances with her adventurous spirits! The third family 
which we surprised near the Canadian boundary line had no bold 
knight errant to stay us, and the mother, crouching low in decoy. 
ran off on one side of the road while the brood dispersed on the other. 
Two days later an old cock, disturbed when dusting himself, stood 
his ground valorously. To be sure he had lost his tail, but he spread 
his black epaulettes with great effect as he strutted off through the 
lodgepole pines. 


BIRDS. 159 

Sournern Wuorer-rairep Prarmican: Lagopus leucurus alti- 
petens.—One of the most interesting birds of the world, whose 
Arctic-Alpine habitat makes its acquaintance impossible for most 
of us, in Glacier Park is found close to the trails frequented by the 
tourist, where a half hour’s walk from a chalet may afford a study 
whose intimacy is limited only by the patience of the observer. As 
I had hunted vainly for ptarmigan over cloud-swept ridges in New 
Mexico, it was doubly exciting to be told of a nest on the Granite 
Park trail “in the grass near the trail by the first snow bank.” 
When we got there the brood had apparently gone, but as we 
crossed Swiftcurrent Pass Mr. Bailey pronounced the slopes on the 
south side “ideal ptarmigan slopes,” and so, after our dinner at. 


Copyright by IE. R. Warren. Courtesy of Bird-Lore. 


Fic, 44.—Mother ptarmigan and chicks. 


the chalet, when he returned to climb the peak on the north side of 
the pass, I accompanied him to make my way up the slopes of the 
south peak looking for the birds. Skirting an acre of snow, I zig- 
zagged back and forth over the face of the “ideal ptarmigan slope,” 
open to swift-winged enemies, but by its broken surface and variety 
of colors affording a safe background for ptarmigan in the mixed sum- 
mer plumage. Even the wide expanse of slide rock was broken 
by occasional dwarf evergreens and streaks of grass, and many of 
its red shales were patterned with lemon-yellow or curly-brown 
lichen covering deep ripple marks. Above the main mass of slide 
was a wide grassy slope of soft yellowish brown tones that would 
soon match the brown of the ptarmigan. Above this the narrow 


140 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


outcropping ledges and stony slopes made a terraced Alpine flower 
garden, one of the gardens that are among the choicest of all nature’s 
lavish gifts to man; this one, with its maturing seed harvest, pro- 
viding veritable grain fields for hungry bird and beast. Some of 
these Alpine terraces were fairly white with the lovely low, wide- 
smiling Dryas octopetala. In other places the beds of white were 
spotted with the pink mossy cushions of Silene acaulis, while in 
still others there were clumps of dwarf sedum, whose dark-red 
flowers and seed pods contrasting strikingly with their pale green 
leaves might well attract the attention of furry vegetarians locating 
eranaries, and make good feeding grounds for the Arctic grouse. 
Under a protecting ledge that faced the morning sun and had a 
dwarf fir in its doorway, a ptarmigan feather told of safe pleasant 
hours on the mountain side. Sometimes they choose such places for 
the nest, it is said; but not a bird cculd J discover. 

Meanwhile on the opposite mountain, the diminishing figure 
climbed till it became a hair line on the crest of the bare dome, when, 
turning my glass to sweep the rocky wall below I caught sight of a 
mountain goat, with short tail up, walking along the ledges as if he 
had been disturbed by noises from above and was getting out of the 
way. Walking along deliberately at first, he finally made a jump 
and disappeared, not long after which a pack train returning to 
Many Glaciers also disappeared down the first angle above the zigzag. 

Hoping to discover the ptarmigan above, I climbed on till the 
glacier-carved walls on the east framed a view out over Swiftcurrent. 
the Sherburne Lakes, and the open plains beyond, while on the west 
a sublime view unfolded—snow-clad mountain masses with the full 
sun on them uplifted to the sky. But there were no ptarmigan. At 
last, discouraged, I retraced my steps and had gone about halfway 
down the steep, stony slope of the mountain when—what was that 
sound? Listening, I caught it again—the softest possible call of a 
mother ptarmigan! There she stood, only a few feet from me, hard 
to see except when in motion, so well was she disguised by her buffy 
ground color finely streaked with gray. A round-bodied little grouse 
with a small head, she was surrounded by a brood of downy chicks, 
evidently just hatched, as their bills still held the sharp projection 
for pipping the shell. Preoccupied with the task of looking after her 
little family, as I talked reassuringly to her, she ignored my presence. 
Nothing must hurry the unaccustomed little feet, nothing must inter- 
fere with their needed rest. Talking softly she gradually drew 
the brood in under her motherly wings and sat there only a few 
yards from me, half closing one eye in the sun and acting oblivious 
to all the world. Once the downy head of a chick appeared nenaeen 
the fluffed-out feathers of her breast, and once she preened her wing 


BIRDS. 141 


so she showed the white quills remaining from the white plumage 
of winter. 

Her bill opened and her threat palpitated as if she were thirsty, as 
she sat brooding the young, and I imagined that the last hours of 
hatching high above water had been long and trying to the faithful 
mother. But though water—clear cold mountain brooks—were be- 
low, no need of her own could make her careless of her little ones. 
Keeping up a motherly rhythmic cluchk-uk-uh, cluck-uk-uk, inter- 
larded with a variety of tender mother notes, she led them down by 
almost imperceptible stages, slowly, gently, carefully, raising a furry 
foot and sliding it along a little at a time, creeping low over the 
ground with even tread, picking about as she went, while the little 
toddlers gradually learned the use of their feet. Like a brood of 
downy chickens, some were more yellowish, some browner than 
others, but they all had dark lines on head and body giving them 
a well-defined color pattern. Peeping like little chickens, while their 
mother waited patiently for them, they toddled around, trying to 
hop over tiny stones and saving themselves from going on their bills 
by stretching out wee finny wings. As chickens just out of the shell 
instinctively pick up food from the ground, they gave little jabs at 
the fuzzy anthers of the dryas, little knowing that pollen was the 
best food they could find, a rich protein food from which the bees 
make bee bread to feed their larva. Did Nature teach them also to 
find a starch as she does the bees, who add honey to bee bread to pro- 
duce a balanced ration? It would be interesting to determine. 

As we all made our way slowly down the slope, I watched Mr. 
Bailey’s descending figure on the opposite slope and when he reached 
the pass, signaled for the camera. The addition of a second sym- 
pathetic observer did not disturb the old mother ptarmigan, and she 
allowed a large part of a film—most unfortunately spoiled by a drag- 
ging shutter—to be taken at decreasing distances until within the 
shortest possible focus. When one of the chicks was picked up by 
Mr. Bailey it sat in his open hand unafraid and unnoted by its 
mother, but when a second was reached for more obviously, she gave 
a low hiss and drew her white wings down threateningly at her 
sides, so, unwilling to trouble her, we hurriedly left; but, on slipping 
back in a few moments for a last look, found her composedly brood- 
ing her little ones. 

The next day when Mr. Bailey went to look for mammals, I re- 
turned to look for my ptarmigan. Thinking to find them where I 
had left them or higher, I climbed up through the flower gardens to 
the foot of the cliffs crowning the mountain, where four-footed moun- 
taineers had climbed before me. From the foot of the cliffs on the 
east, I looked down on the seamed face of Swiftcurrent Glacier, 

51140°—18—12 


142 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


and on the west, as the cool, invigorating air swept across the slope, 
looked off on the row of mountain peaks seen from Granite Park, 
standing out wonderfully in the full morning light, their sides 
veiled in rich purple and buffy atmosphere, the white of their snowy 
summits repeated ethereally at higher levels by cloud caps dissolving 
in the pale blue sky. 

But though an occasional siskin might be heard passing over, not 
a ptarmigan was to be found on the slopes, and it finally came over 
me that it was illogical to look for them so high. They must have 
water, and at present were quite unequal to mountain climbing. I 
should have looked at water level. Hurrying down, I passed the 
wind-flattened evergreens and snow banks, and as I came to the 
first open water came face to face with my lovely little family. 
Yes; there were five; they were my brood. As I greeted the mother 
I noticed appreciatively her selection of a drinking place for her 
callow young, for the water seeping down through the spongy grass 
trickled over a shallow rocky saucer just the right depth for downy 
chicks. As I watched, the old grouse drank thirstily herself, as if 
enjoying her release from the dry slopes above. The soft sod gave 
much easier footing than the rocks, and a few hours of practice with 
feet had told remarkably in the skill of the brood, for they wobbled 
much less and ran around in a sprightly way, sometimes straying a 
rod or more from their guardian. 

She appeared a little nervous out in the open, and suddenly turn- 
ing her head on one side to look up gave a prolonged low call. The 
brood, which had been picking around in plain sight, at the alarm 
simply vanished. As nothing came and the warning was not re- 
peated, one after another the little forms became visible again right 
under my astonished eyes. One little tot, I was amused to see, had 
been sitting down back to a stone that helped make him invisible. 
Meanwhile the sky, so far as I could see, was vacant of menace. 
Had the wise old mother been giving fire drill? Up the trail came 
a party from Many Glaciers, led by its big-hatted guide, but they 
had not alarmed her, for, though passing only a rod or so from the 
family, she barely moved. And still, while her little ones strayed off 
or fed around her, as she talked to them she kept looking up nerv- 
ously. Did she feel that they were too conspicuous out in this 
open grass? Would it be too easy to pounce down and carry one 
off? Whatever her argument, or instinct, she edged up onto a ledge 
and stood back against a rock, where she was less conspicuous, and 
after pluming herself gathered her little ones under her wings. As 
I glanced down over the rocks below the pass I started, for there 
were three mountain sheep—big horns, with brownish bodies and 
white rump patches—standing on the flat rocks at the edge of the 
cliffs beyond the trail. Could the old ptarmigan, with her keener 


BIRDS. 143 


senses, have heard them as they came-down the wall of the mountain ? 
She sat there all unconscious now, while they, looking thin and 
shorn compared with the shaggy white goats, stamped and kicked 
at the flies and put down their big-horned heads. Presently the three 
started over the edge of the cliff, and after a few. moments a ewe, 
with shorter, straighter horns came down and followed along after. 

All this time the old ptarmigan with feathers puffed out sat on‘her 
rock about ten feet from me. Once a little head peeped out from 
among the feathers, but all was quiet, so quiet that I could hear the 
water trickling through the grass. When well rested the downy 


Photograph by E. R. Warren. 
Fig. 45.—Ptarmigan in winter. 


chicks came out and began to peep and run around again, one of 
them coming within five or six feet of me without question from his 
mother, for we were old tried friends now. 

But what were they finding to eat? The dryas was higher up on 
the mountain. As I questioned, I discovered one of the little tots in 
a bed of dwarf willows whose pinkish stamened catkins stood about 
an inch from the ground. Making a quick run at a catkin the little 
fellow gave a jab at the fuzzy anthers! Droll little chicks! Appar- 
ently their mother approved of their diet if she did not understand 
dietetics, for as they went busily about among the flowers and grasses, 
she left them to their own selection. But it was high noon and time 
to go back to the chalet. When I returned in the afternoon a storm 


144 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


was coming and my little family had apparently gone to shelter— 
possibly under a dense mat of evergreen or into a safe cavern under 
a ledge, for they are said to roost along the edges of coarse rock 
slides under dwarf evergreens—and greatly to my disappointment, 
I never saw them again. 

Another brood of five downy chicks was found by a member of 
our party on the crest of the mountain opposite, but in this case there 
was melting snow near at hand. A brood of six larger young was 
found near the top of Piegan Pass in August, also in easy reach of 
water, and where there were bunches of red sorrel whose seeds the 
young were eating. On Kootenai Pass still later the turkeylike 
herp, kerp, of a mother ptarmigan calling her brood was heard in 


Photograph by E. J. Cameron. 


Fic. 46. 


Sharp-tailed grouse. 


passing. Near Blackfeet Glacier feathers were found, and at Gun- 
sight Pass a lineman reported seeing the birds where the open slopes 
afford abundant food. 

In winter the ptarmigan feed on willow buds and the evergreen 
leaves of the dryas, Mr. Stevenson tells me. He has found them with 
their snow white winter plumage complete the last of September, and 
in winter has seen them on the mountain tops, “each bird sitting in 
the snow lodged behind a rock on the bare, rocky, wind-swept bar- 
rens.” After hard storms, he says, they may also be found at the 
bases of the mountains, and one flock was discovered in the willows 
above Sherburne Lake during a blizzard. But though a few may 
occasionally be driven below by stress of storm, the ptarmigan live on 
the mountain tops, where the mountain sheep and goats make their 
homes, and where they, too, are nourished by the hardy, dwarf, Arc- 
tic-Alpine flora. Having had little to fear from the hand of man, 
these gentle birds offer one of the most delightful of all experiences 
to the bird lover, the opportunity to study their natural home life 
close at hand. 


BIRDS. 145 


CotuMBIAN Swarr-TaiteD Grouse: Pediwcetes phasianellus co- 
(umbianus.—Birds of the plains and the willowy ravines of the foot- 
hills, the Columbian sharp-tails though rarely, if ever, breeding in 
the park, are sometimes very plentiful along the eastern boundary, 
Mr. Stevenson says, in the winter months coming up the open ridges 
well into the park, and being especially numerous between the two 
Kennedy Creeks and below Chief Mountain. The heavy rain and 
flood of the year 1908 killed off the greater part of them, but in Jan- 
nary, 1912, between the two Kennedy Creeks, Mr. Stevenson saw 
flocks of literally thousands feeding on the low flower buds of the 
water birch. That year they were common all along the park line 
from Cut Bank County to the Canadian line. They used to be in the 
Flathead Valley and the small prairies on the North Fork, Mr. 
Bryant says, but now are practically gone. Three flocks wintered 
in the open country near the Adair ranch just south of Logging 
Creek in 1915-16, but they left in the spring and no others have 
been seen. 


Order COLUMBZ: Pigeons. 


Family COLUMBiID: Pigeons. 


Western Mourninc Dove: Zenaidura macroura marginella— 
The familiar mourning or turtle dove, with the graduated tail, is a 
bird of the lower levels rarely seen in the park. Mr. Stevenson has 
seen only two in 17 years. On October 30, 1887, Dr. Grinnell saw one 
on the Lower St. Mary Lake, and in 1895 Messrs. Bailey and Howell 
saw a pair at St. Mary River, and two near Midvale. Mr. Gibb has 
seen the dove around Adair near the North Fork of the Flathead in 
summer, and Mr, Lewis speaks of seeing it at Lake McDonald. 


Order RAPTORES: Birds of Prey. 


Family CATHARTIDZ: Vultures. 


Turkry Vuuiture: Cathartes aura septentrionalis——In the fall of 
1885 Dr. Grinnell found the turkey vulture with the bare red head 
and neck of a turkey gobbler common over the prairies of the St. 
Mary Lake region, and in 1895 Messrs. Bailey and Howell saw 
two over the St. Mary River; but Mr. Gird says that, like the eagles, 
they have been getting caught in fur traps and so done away with. 
In a fifteen-year residence Mr. Lewis says he has seen only two, and 
those outside the park. Mr. Bryant has seen the vulture about the 
prairie patches on the west side and has mounted some killed less 
than ten miles from the park, but says that the bird is almost un- 
known now, especially on the west side. 


146 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Family BUTEONID: Hawks, Eagles, etc. 


Marsu Hawk: Circus cyaneus hudsonius—The mouse hawk, as it 
is known locally, is easily recognized by its white rump patch as it 
beats low over meadows, marshes, and beaver ponds, hunting for 
small mammals. While restricted to the lower levels, it is reported 


From Biological Survey. 
Fic. 47.—Sharp-shinned 
hawk. 


from Sherburne Lake, Lake St. Mary, and the 
North Fork of the Flathead. Several were seen 
by us in the Belly River country, at Waterton 
Lake, the Reynolds Lakes, and along.the Koote- 
nal Trail. 

The marsh hawk nests on the ground, and 
when opportunity offers it is a peculiarly in- 
teresting bird to study and photograph. 

SHarp-sHiInNED Hawk: Accipiter velor.— 
The long-tailed little sharp-shinned hawk darts 
about, picking up birds or small mammals with 
dextrous ease, but occasionally he finds his 
match. One morning in August, as the sun was 
shining over the garden wall at our Granite 
Park camp and the small birds were flying 


around among the tall firs, Mr. Bailey saw a band of Clark crows and 
Oregon jays come into the white-barked pines. “ Suddenly,” he said, 
“the ground squirrels began to chirp in a low tone quite different 
from their usual alarm note, and a sharp- 


shinned hawk dashed across from one tree 
to another in pursuit of an Oregon jay of 
his own size.” Such temerity was not to go 
unpunished, and the jay, with loud squawks, 
promptly chased him back to another tree, 
a Clark crow joining in “with harsh 
cries and widely flapping wings.” 

A few hours later, as we were crossing 
Swiftcurrent Pass, we saw a sharp-shin 
skim low over the ground and make a quick 
dive at a ledge of rock, when a ground 
squirrel with a sharp squeak dodged back 
out of his reach. After the hawk had dis- 
appeared, the half-grown ground squirrel 


same out and loudly celebrated his escape — ¥™ Biotozical Survey. 


with warning whistles to his brothers. 


Fic. 48.—Goshawk. 


Cooper Hawk: Accipiter cooperi.—One of the Cooper hawks, simi- 
larly marked but a size larger than the sharp-shinned, was seen by 
Mr. Bailey on August 9, flying over the low peak adjoining Chief 
Mountain. The hawk was also reported by Mr. Frank M. Stevenson, 
from the Sherburne Lake region. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park PLATE XXVIII. 


Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 


MARSH HAWKS, 
Male. Female. 


BIRDS. 147 


Western Gosnawk: Astur gentilis striatulus—The destructive 
goshawk, which lives largely on poultry in settled regions and on 
game birds in the mountains, may be recognized by its bluish back 
and swift flight, which give it the name of blue darter. A hawk 
seen from a distance, at the base of Grinnell Mountain, was appar- 
ently a goshawk. A mounted bird from 
Lake McDonald is in the collection of F. F. 
Liebig, of Kalispell. One taken for the 
eastern form by Mr. H. C. Bryant, of Cali- 
fornia, was seen July 23 on the trail be- 
tween Reynolds Creek and Piegan Pass. 


Western Rep-tait: Buteo borealis 
calurus.—The widespread rufous fantail of 
this hawk seen overhead, as he circles high 
in the sky giving his high-pitched squeal, 
identifies him anywhere. While the red- 
tail is one of the most beneficial hawks, / 
waging an incessant warfare on injurious ke LEE 
mammals, such as ground squirrels and — From Biological Survey. 
mice, it is often called henhawk or chicken- 7% 49-—Be@ tailed hawk. 
hawk and killed through popular prejudice, greatly to the detriment 
of the ranchman. 

In 1885 and 1887 Dr. Grinnell found it common among the foot- 
hills and on the plains of the St. Mary region, but only two were 

seen by us in the park during the summer, one 
(ee on the Swiftcurrent, below Lake McDermott, 
and one over the flats of Belly River; but on 
April 19, 1918, Mr. Bailey saw one on the road 
just west of Dutch Creek. Another was seen in 
1913 by Mr. E. R. Warren on Bison Mountain. 

Swainson Hawn: Buteo swainsont.—My. 
H. C. Bryant, of California, reports having 
seen a Swainson several times “on the open 
prairie about a mile down the Swiftcurrent 
River from Many Glaciers,” and Mr. E. §$, 
Bryant says the birds nest on Teakettle Moun- 
tain on the southwestern edge of the park. 
One of these prairie-frequenting hawks was 
seen by us in August on the Belly River flats. 
As if letting the upcurrent take it, it rose higher and higher, squeal- 
ing something like a red-tail, till it was only a black line against a 
white cloud. 

Seurrre, Hawk: Archibuteo ferrugineus—Another prairie hawk, 
the large squirrel hawk or ferruginous rough-leg, was seen in the 


From Biological Survey. 


Fic. 50.—Swainson hawk. 


148 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


horse pasture below Many Glaciers. It was «a melanistic, blackish, 
immature bird, with reddish breast, and the characteristic feathered 
legs. Its presence on a low tree overlooking the field produced a 
ereat barking of ground squirrels and chipping of birds, although, 
had the birds but known it, he was not looking for them, for he lives 
almost exclusively upon small mammals and reptiles, with the addi- 
tion of crickets. 

Gotven Eacte: Aquila chrysaétos—Eagles were seen in a number 
of places, hunting over the sides of the mountains. From St. Mary 
Lake one of the dark forms was seen moving along the face of 
Flat-top Mountain; near Many Glaciers, on looking across the green 
water of Lake Josephine and over the dark conifers of the island, up 
against the red strata of Grinnell Mountain another large dark form 
was seen; and near Piegan Pass, at Granite Park, and above Lake 
Ellen Wilson still others of the great birds were seen as landscape 
features projected against mountains or diving deep into canyons 
for their prey. 

When we were camping in their country, our guide, Mr. Gird, 
described some interesting experiences he had had with them: “ Once,” 
he said, “ I happened to look up and here come an eagle like an arrow. 
I scrouched—and he didn’t go a hundred yards from me when he got 
his marmot.” “An eagle will carry off a kid as he would a marmot,” 
he added. When we were camped on the head of Mineral Creek, 
pointing to the cliff opposite, he told of a: battle he had seen there 
between a pair of eagles and a full grown mountain goat. 

“He was right up there where that stone looks like a goat at the 
top of that green”—pointing to some timberline dwarfs. “The 
nannie and the kid had gone over the ridge and he was going when 
the eagle attacked him. The eagle came and kept swooping down at 
him till he run into the green. He must have hid in the green—we 
could see very little white. Then the eagle went away and when the 
goat came out, he came back with his mate. It was funny to see them 
work. One would stay up and the other would dive. He would make 
a little run and when they would come he would rare up and paw at 
them with his front feet, and then they’d beat it. He was making for 
that dark ledge”—pointing up. “ When they was raising, the goat 
would make a run for the cliff. When he got to the cliff they couldn’t 
dive at him. They sure did hate to give him up. They sailed round 
for a long time. It was about this time ’”—six o’clock—“and he 
stayed around till nearly dark.” Gazing up at the cliffs reminis- 
cently, he concluded emphatically, “The old sport was scared a 
little bit!” 

When men are trapping for mountain lions, Mr. Gird said, they 
sometimes get eagles. “ Royal eagles” he called them, and said that 
to the Indians they apparently represent force. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXIX 


th LL 
Courtesy of Bird Lore. 


Photo. by II. W. Nash. 
YOUNG FERRUGINOUS ROUGH-LEG, 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXX. 


Courtesy of Bird Lore. Photo. by H. W. Nash. 
YOUNG GOLDEN EAGLE. 


BIRDS. 


Bato Eacre: Haliwetus leucocephalus leu- 
cocephalus——No bald eagles were seen by us 
in the park except the mounted specimen at 
Lewis’s, on Lake McDonald. Mr. Stevenson 
says he has seen only one or two adults in 
the park, but that the birds are known to 
nest on the rocky buttes out on the plains 
east of the park. Mr. Bryant says they 
also nest on the North Fork of the Flat- 
head. In 1887 three or four adults were 
seen by Dr. Grinnell in the St. Mary Lakes 
region. 

As the bald eagle lives largely on fish, 
taken dead or alive, Mr. Gird says they 


149 


From Biological Survey. 


Fic. 51.—Bald eagle. 


class him with the vulture. As he said, “He’s not the hunter 


the royal eagle is.” 


Family FALCONIDZ: Falcons, ete. 


Prarris Faucon: Lierofalco mexicanus.— 
Near Kootenai Pass, as we rode along the 
vertical wall of a mesalike mountain mass 
suggestive of the homes of the prairie 
falcon, high overhead we were much pleased 
to see one of the small hawks fly out with 
its characteristic quick, hard wing beats. 
It was the only one seen or heard of during 
the summer, but in the fall of 1887 Dr. 
Grinnell found it common on the plains 
and about the Upper St. Mary Lake. When 


seen near at hand, it may be known by its 


From Biological Survey. 
Fie. 52.—Duck hawk. 
and underparts. 


pale clay brown upperparts, white collar 


Duck Hawx: Rhynchodon peregrinus anatum.—One of the duck 
hawks, which rank next to the goshawk as fierce birds of prey, was 


seen by Dr. Grinnell in 1887, feeding on a 
female shoveller, on a bluff overlooking Red 
Eagle Creek during a blinding snowstorm. 

Picron Hawk: Zinnunculus columbarius 
columbarius.—The pigeon hawk—one of the 
small bird-catching hawks—was reported from 
the park by Mr. Bryant. 

Desert Sparrow Hawk: Cerchneis sparveria 
phalena—The familiar rufous and brown 
sparrow hawk, which lives largely on grass- 
hoppers and nests in « hole in a tree trunk, 
was seen a number of times in the park. An 


From Biological Survey. 


Fig. 538.—Pigeon hawk, 


150 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


adult was seen at Glacier Park carrying a mouse, while a young 
one sat in a dead tree containing a nesting hole, and a family 
of young seen in a burn along the Swiftcurrent trail were being 
z = fed ina tree top. Two were also seen at 
St. Mary Lake chasing a goshawk, and 
one was fourd at Big Prairie, on the 
North Fork of the Flathead. 


Family PANDIONIDZ: Ospreys. 


Osprey; Fisn Hawk: Pandion hali- 
actus varolinensis—A note from the sky, 
followed by a shadow projected over the 
green water of Lake Josephine, drew my 
attention to a large, white-headed, brown- 
backed bird, white underneath to the 
linings of its long, outstretched wings. 
As I watched, higher and higher it rose 
in the sky until it was no longer to be 
geen in the blue. Had the osprey wandered across from a distant 
pest to investigate the fishing? It is said to live throughout the 
park wherever there are fish and the Upper St. Mary, near Reynolds 
Creek, the Swiftcurrent above Sherburne Lake, and the southern 
Waterton Lake all boast ancestral nests. 

A fish hawk’s or osprey’s nest is one of the most interesting ornith- 
ological features of the landscape. Built, as on the Swiftcurrent, 
on top of a broken-off dead tree, where it can be seen for miles 
around, the great gray mass of sticks grows higher and higher as 
the years pass, and one who has once made the acquaintance of the 
family will welcome their return each spring, sure of rare enter- 
tainment in watching them rear their young. The nest on the 
Swiftcurrent, easily watched from the high embankment above the 
creek, was on a dead limby spruce about 40 feet from the ground 
and was perhaps 4 feet wide by 24 feet high. 

When I first went to watch the nest from the point on the embank- 
ment that I named Fish Hawk Point, one of the parents—let us 
say the mother—stood on the tip of a tall spruce commanding both 
nest and surrounding landscape. On Guard, her picture might have 
been labeled. In the nest white flashes came from the moving young, 
away in the distant background were seen the forested slope of the 
moraine, and above, the bare, rocky cliff, gilded by the afternoon 
light. Down the river the other parent was fishing, his loud peeping 
yelp-elp-elp-elp being heard as he flew, now over the trees, now 


From Biological Survey. 


Vie. 54.—Sparrow hawk. 


BIRDS. 151 


over the lakes, now against the mountain-side, finally disappearing 
in twinkling white flashes in the distance. As we watched, thinking 
he had gone, back he came calling, with a fish in his claws, held 
head-on to cut the air as he flew. 


Copyright by Haynes, St. Paul. 


Tic. 55.—Nest of osprey. 


Early the next morning I took my stand at Fish Hawk Point, 
where I spent a large part of the day. A parent and both young were 
standing on the nest on my arrival, one leaning over eating. Pres- 
ently the parent raised its head and looked over in my direction ; 
then, lifting its wings and spreading them wide, flew straight across 


152 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


the creek bottom, full of willow thickets and beaver dams, till it 
came crying over my head. After careful inspection it circled back 
and lit on the tip of a spruce spire, the other parent watching from 
an adjoining tree and crying loudly yelp-elp-elp-elp, yelp-elp-elp-elp, 
while the two at the nest at intervals raised their weak young voices. 
Perched on high spires, the parents made handsome figures, with the 
sun full on their white breasts and proudly raised white heads, and 
when they flew about they flapped and sailed beautifully, their brown 
wings almost shining under the sun. 


Photograph by A. C. Bent. Courtesy of Bird-Lore. 


Fig. 56.—Two photographs of an osprey and its nest from a distance of 30 fect, the 
smaller with a 6-inch-focus lens; the larger with a 26-inch-focus lens. 


The birds in the thicket below made merry, the siren of a passing 
automobile stage sounded, and finally one of the parents relaxed its 
vigilant sentry duty enough to go to the nest for breakfast. After 
eating its fill it stood on the nest for a long time, its young one, 
as if quieted by its presence, lying down in the nest for a rest. When 
I moved there was another inspection and then both parents stayed 
for some time out of sight from the nest, calling as if they sus- 
pected danger and were encouraging the young to leave. At any 
rate, one of the fledgelings, as if in response, flapped his wings over 
the nest again and again, his thin Aek-kek-leh sounding weak, in- 
deed, compared with the strong ¢/p-elp-elp of his parents. Presently 


BIRDS. 153 


one of the old birds came to the nest, holding its long wings out 
over the platform a moment in alighting. As if to draw the young, 
it stayed but a moment, and when it had gone the urge to follow 
came irresistibly to the more courageous of the two brothers. Stand- 
ing on the edge of the nest, he raised his wings above it. As he 
held them lifted there came a beautiful moment when the wind 
seemed to fill his sails. All the possibilities and joy of flight were 
in that tremulous moment. Then, with the courage and strength 
of a creature born to fly, his feet loosened and up he rose above the 
nest! Thrilled by the poetry of the first flight, I sat spellbound 
watching him. Would he drop back? No; he had tasted freedom 
and power. But the wind blew hard in his face, and he was borne 
back behind the nest tree. Rallying, perhaps in a lull, he flew 
ahead again. But what should he do out in this limitless space? 
For a few moments he drifted around aimlessly, and then, quite 
naturally, having always lived in a tree top, flew down over a spruce 
spire and, with much flapping of wings and evident perturbation, 
finally let his feet down and got his balance. 

His mother meanwhile had flown to the nest, from which she 
watched the vagaries of his first fight; but when he lit she flew 
to the top of a neighboring spire closer by. After an interval, when 
_ the two sat like statues on the two spires, the courageous son again 
sallied forth, this time wandering back almost to the nest and then 
over near his parent, where he tried to light on a slender, unstable 
spire. Greatly scared, he flapped his wings, and cried in his weak, 
young voice for a long time before he could accomplish it; and no 
sooner was he settled than the wind came and almost upset his bal- 
ance, making him flutter distractedly—alas for the saints on the 
point of a needle! The parent, who was on a large stable stub, gave 
herself a shake that would have precipitated the youngster, and 
merely looked about with an air of accustomed power. Then, watch- 
ing her wind-blown wabbling son, she leaned over, looking as if 
she wanted to help, and—whether with deliberate intent or not— 
flew off and let him take her stable perch. This was such an im- 
provement that after a time the courageous one actually leaned back 
and preened himself, as if he had stood on spires all his days. Get- 
ting tired, he tried sitting down on his perch, but spires and wide- 
platformed nests were quite a different matter, and his weary legs 
wabbled so that he was forced to take wing, flying and circling, till 
he finally made his way back to the nest. With outspread wings he 
hovered over it, legs dangling, but at last let himself down—home 
again for a good rest. 

When the timid brother finally got up his courage to leave the 
nest, he, too, wanted the solid perch, but succeeded only so far as to 


51140°—18—_1% 


154 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


dislodge his brother. Over and over again the round was repeated, 
the young making short flights, lighting on the solid perch or wob- 
bling on a spire, and then circling back again to the nest. And here, 
when I had been wondering how they could be fed on spires, it 
proved that the parents brought the fish to the nest, where they and 
the young ate in comfort from their broad dining table. During 
the afternoon the progress of the young was surprising, and before 
I left I was not always sure that a direct powerful flight was that 
of a parent, for the young aeronauts were rapidly getting to feel 
at home in the sky. 


Family BUBONIDZ: Horned Owls, etc. 


SHorT-EARED Ow1: Asio flammeus flammeus.—The interesting 
short-eared, one of the partially diurnal owls which lives in the 
open, is reported from the flats, heavy wil- 
lows, and dense brush of the park. 

Great Gray Own: Scotiapter nebulosa 
nebulosa.—A. mounted specimen of the great 
gray, a diurnal owl of dense forests, was 
caught in a coyote trap in the park and is 
now to be seen at Lewis’s Hotel. From the 
concentric rings of gray that make up its 
facial disk, it is called locally the saucer- 
faced owl. Mr. Gibb says that it is resident 
eA ta tics in the park, and Mr. Stanford says he has 

Fic. 57.—-Short-eared owl, known of young, scarcely able to fly, being 

seen north of Kalispell. Mr. Gird reports 

it from the prairies and the automobile road to Many Glaciers in fall, 
and Mr. Bailey saw the wing of one at a house on Camas Creek Ridge. 

Ricuarpson Own: Cryptoglaux 
funerea richardsoni—A mounted Rich- 
ardson seen at Lewis’s was caught in a 
coyote trap west of the park, but Mr. 
Bryant says they are common, and trap- 
pers catch them in marten traps. Reach- 
ing their southern limit in the northern 
United States, they are interesting owls 
to watch for. Only 9-12 inches long, 
their dark brown upperparts are spotted = 
with white, their breast heavily blotched 7° Handbook of Western Birds, 
and the belly streaked with dark brown, menue aA ACHE 
while the feathered flanks and feet are usually buffy, more or less 
spotted with brown. As they are so nocturnal that they have been 


BIRDS. 155 
taken in the hand in the daytime, the Eskimos of Alaska have given 
them the name of “blind ones.” 


Saw-wuer Own: Cryptoglaux acadica acadica-—Mr. Bryant says 
that the saw-whet is rare in the park and that the mounted one at 


Photograph by Robert B. Rockwell. 


Fic. 59.—Screech owl at home in a hollow tree. 


Lewis’s came from outside the park. In 1895 Messrs. Bailey and 
Howell reported hearing one at dark on June 1, at the upper St. 
Mary Lake. As it is a small nocturnal owl of the deep forest it 
may easily be overlooked. 


156 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


MacFariane Scrercu Own: Otus asio macfarlanei.—A mounted 
specimen of the familiar little horned screech owl from 7 to 10 inches 
long may be seen at Lewis’s. As it is an owl of the low country, its 
quavering cry should be listened for at night by campers along the 
edges of the park. 

Western Hornep Owr: Bubo virginianus occidentalis—The 
vreat horned owl should be looked for in the more open parts of the 
park. Its nests may be found on old hawk nests, in hollow trees, or 
in caverns in the cliffs. It is one of the most spectacular birds of 
the park. On a moonlight night, one has been seen sitting on the 
bridge over the Swiftcurrent at 
Many Glaciers, and at many a 
camp in the mountains the 
loud hooting has brought a 
thrill of keen satisfaction to the 
lovers of the forest. 

Arctic Hornep Owr: Bubo 
virginianus subarcticus.—In the 
winter of 1916-17, Mr. Bryant 
reports, so many Arctic horned 
owls were seen that “it seemed 
hike a flight.” Every few years, 
he says, the owls come in num- 
bers. 

Snowy Own: NVyctea nyc- 
tea.—The circumpolar hornless 
snowy owls, pure white, or 
white marked with black, some 
of which come into the United 
States in the winter, have been 
seen by Mr. Gird in January and February along the border of the 
park. In the winter of 1916-17, Mr. Bryant says, quite a number 
were seen. 

Hawk Own: Surnia ulula caparoch—The hawk owl, which is a 
medium-sized northern owl, has been found in Montana in summer 
and should be carefully looked for. Strictly diurnal, it often watches 
for its prey from the top of a dead tree in bright sunlight, and with 
swift, hawklike flight pitches down from its high perch nearly to the 
ground, and after capturing its prey rises quickly again to its tree 
top. Seen close by, its light face is encircled by a heavy black ring, 
and its underparts are closely barred. 

On the Yellow Mountain ridge, between the forks of Kennedy 
Creek, on August 9 we saw what Mr. Bailey took for a hawk owl, a 


From Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 


Vic. 60.—Ilorned owl. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXxXI 


cH 


Bi 


~ Courtesy of National Association of Audubon Societies. 
BELTED KINGFISHERS., 


Upper figure, female; lower figure, male. 


BIRDS. 157 


bird with long wings and white spots flying swiftly down from the 
spires of an old burn. Mr. Bryant has shot it on top of high peaks 
und thinks that it breeds in the Park. Dr. Grinnell saw one, as he 
remembers, in 1891 in the St. Mary Lake woods, and in January, 
1918, Mr. Stevenson saw what he describes as “a small owl with a 
long tail ” in the timber of a mountain top. On June 16, 1895, Messrs. 
Bailey and Howell reported a female shot at Summit, when “ feeding 
ina marshy tract, watching its prey from the tops of dead trees.” In 
the winter of 1899-1900 Mr. Higginson reported one shot by Charles 
Olson on the ridge back of his cabin, where it was busily eating a 
Franklin grouse. 

Rocky Mountain Pyemy Own: Glaucidium gnoma pinicola— 
A mounted specimen of the hornless pygmy owl, only 6 or 7 inches 
long, in the collection of Mr. Liebig, came from Lake McDonald, and 
Mr. Bryant thinks it nests in the park, where it should be looked 
for mainly in the pines and on dead trees. Although diurnal, this 
tiny owl is more commonly seen at dusk or in the early morning 
in September or October around the border of the prairie patches on 
the west side of the Park. Mr. Bryant writes: “On a fine sunny day 
the pygmy owl will often perch on the topmost twig of some tall 
larch, and morning and evening give a peculiar but pleasing sort of 
whistle.” The white-headed lumberjacks “ can mock them perfectly,” 
he says, and he adds, “ Many times when I thought I was about to 
collect a pygmy I have come face to face with the jack.” 


Order COCCYGES: Cuckoos, Kingfishers, etc. 


Family ALCEDINID4: Kingfishers. 


Betrep Kinerisuer: Streptoceryle alcyon alcyon—The bluish- 
gray kingfisher is quite common in the park, along creeks where 
there are fish. It was seen on Kennedy Creek, Belly River, the 
North Fork of the Flathead, and Lake McDonald, and one came 
flying up the sharp turns of the Swiftcurrent when we were camped 
below Many Glaciers, where the high banks of the creek offered good 
nesting sites. Just the right kind of soil is needed for the nest, 
which is above high-water mark, at the end of a laboriously exca- 
vated horizontal tunnel five or six feet long. 

In the park where harlequin ducks and water ouzels are the famil- 
iars of the waterfalls and rapids along the mountain streams, the 
rattle of the kingfisher is heard with a start, associated as it usually 
is with placid pasture brooks and quiet lake shores. 


158 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Order PICI: Woodpeckers, etc. 


Family PICIDZ: Woodpeckers. 


Rocxy Mounrarn Hairy Wooprecker: Dryobates villosus monti- 
cola.—The Rocky Mountain form of the black and white hairy wood- 
pecker with the red patch at the back of its crown, one of the mosi 
useful destroyers of wood borers, was reported by Mr. H. C. Bryant, 
of California, from Iceberg Lake, July 27, and McDonald Creek, 
July 81,1917, and the following April Mr. Bailey noted it at intervals 
from Lake McDonald to the Kintla Lakes. In 1895 several were 
noted and one taken by Messrs. Bailey and Howell at St. Mary Lake. 

Barcuetper WooprecKker: Dryobates pubescens homorus.—The 
small familar note of this downy woodpecker may often be heard 
when the little black and white form is 
hidden in the shadows of the forest. It 
was seen at St. Mary chalet, Belly River, 
and Lake McDonald, and Mr. Stevenson 
records it from Swiftcurrent Creek. 


Arctic TurREE-TorD WooDPECKER: 
Picoides arcticus—A woodpecker recog- 
nized by his yellow crown patch as a three- 
toed, and by his solid black back as an 
Arctic three-toed, was seen in the woods 
near Lake Josephine. In June, 1895, 
Messrs. Bailey and Howell reported the 
birds as quite common on the west slope, 
From Biological Survey. mostly in the burnt timber, and in the 
Fic. 61—Arctic threetoed winter of 1899-1900 Mr. Higginson found 

woodpecker. 5 
them “in great abundance” around Stan- 
ton Lake, near the western border of the park, “on the ridges and 
in the river bottoms.” In April, 1918, Mr. Bailey saw them in many 
of the old burns in the valley of the North Fork of the Flathead, 
heaps of bark scales often marking the base of some dead tamarack 
where they had been feeding. 

As the great bulk of the food of the three-toed woodpeckers con- 
sists of the larvie of wood borers, they rank among the most im- 
portant conservators of the coniferous forests. 


ALAska Trreer-Torp Wooprrcker: Picoides americanus fasciatus.— 
By the trail near Baring Falls, at Going-to-the-Sun Camp, hearing a 
soft tapping on the side of a spruce stub I discovered a woodpecker 
with the yellow patch above his bill that names him a three-toed, and 
a white stripe down his back, barred with black, which gives him the 
name of “ ladder-back.” 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXXII. 


From Bureau of Biological Survey. 
WILLIAMSON SAPSUCKERS., 


Left figure, female; right figure, male. 


BIRDS. 159 


With quick, masterful blows, now from the left, now from the 
right, sometimes steadying himself with a strong foot, he would send 
the bark scales flying. But when the hole of the borer was uncovered, 
after digging straight down, he would carefully pull out the delec- 
table larva. He paid little heed to me, and when a guide with goat- 
skin chaparrajoes rode rapidly by down the trail he merely sidled 
around to the back of the tree trunk. 

A number of other Alaska three-toes were seen during the summer, 
notably on the Swiftcurrent, near Many Glaciers, at Glenn Lake, on 
the Kootenai Trail, and at Lake McDonald. On the Swiftcurrent Pass 
Trail one flew from an old burn, and another, crossing the trail ahead 
of us, became so absorbed in picking on an old log that he let us ride 
up within a few feet of him. On the Piegan Pass Trail near Many 
Glaciers in a windfall where uprooted trees and twisted-off trunks 
made a confused tangle, letting in the light, between the trees cob- 
web bridges caught the sun, and the sunlit spaces below were filled 
with beds of fresh green ferns, hellebore, and bright yellow arnicas. 
Here a family of young three-toes were 
living, in early July. Short-billed and 
short-tailed, the little fellows called in 
monotonous iteration, as if to keep their 
parents informed of their whereabouts, 
and at intervals announced with sudden 
emphasis the arrival of a meal. At Lake 
McDonald, the last of August, an old 
Picoides was seen with its young one on 
an old tamarack, the young one still call- 


ing in infantile tones. From Biological Survey. 
NAP 4 = A Ke . Fig. 62.— Northern pileated 
Rep-napep Sarsucnger: Sphyrapicus Dacaeanen 


varius nuchalis.—The red-naped sap- 

sucker—whose red crown and nuchal patch are separated by a 
black area and whose chest is black between the red throat and 
pale lemon-yellow belly—is said by Mr. Bryant to nest in lodgepole 
pines. The work of sapsuckers—bands of small holes girdling the 
trees—was seen in a number of places. 

Wiiramson Sapsucker: Sphyrapicus thyroideus natalie.—Like 
other sapsuckers, the Williamson, which is notable for the strikingly 
different plumage of the sexes—the female brown barred and the 
male black, red, white, and yellow—is found in the lower levels of 
the park. It was reported by Mr. H. C. Bryant, of California, from 
Lake Ellen Wilson, July 21; Reynolds Creek, July 23; and McDonald 
Creek, July 31. 

Nortuern Pruearep WooprecKer: Phlwotomus pileatus picinus.— 
Largest and most notable of all the woodpeckers of the North, the 


160 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


ereat pileated, with its black body and ted-crested head, should be 
looked for diligently. While it is a rare, shy bird, its presence 
may be guessed by its hammering, its loud: chuch-chuck-chuch-chuck- 
chuchk-chuch-chuch, and by its borings—excavations, often two feet 
long, made in the soft, decayed wood of old trees. Borings were seen 


oe 


bee OES nae a. 7 


i Ee” 
Photograph by Robert B. Rockwell- 


I'ig. 63.—A family of red-shafted flickers. 


in various places in the park, and near Sun Camp Mr. Bailey saw one 
of the great birds at work. Mr. Stevenson reports the pileated from 
the North Fork of the Flathead, and Mr. Bryant says it nests in the 
tamaracks on the west side. 

Rep-1Eapep WooprrcKer: Ielanerpes erythrocephalus.—The red- 
headed should be carefully distinguished from other woodpeckers 


BIRDS. 161 


having red patches on the head. In the red-head the entire head 
and neck down to the white breast and the black back is crimson, and 
the rump and a wide patch near the ends of the wings are solid white. 
Mr. Gibb thinks he has seen it on Belly River and Kennedy Creek, 
and a few around St. Mary Lake and Lake McDermott, and reports 
it from Belton, in winter. Mr. Stevenson also records it from the 
west side of the park. 

Lewis Woopreckrer: Asyndesmus lewisi—Mr. Stevenson writes 
that he has seen the Lewis woodpecker—with iridescent greenish 
black upperparts, gray collar, crimson face, and rose-pink belly—on 
the North Fork of the Flathead; and Mr. Liebig writes that he once 
secured three specimens at the head of Lake McDonald and one near 
Belton. 

Rep-sHarrep Fricker: Colaptes cafer collaris—F lickers were fre- 
quently seen in early August on the level floor of the horse pasture 
below Many Glaciers; as usual, looking for ants on the ground. 
When they rose they showed the rich salmon wing linings which 
have given them their name. The golden-shafted flicker is recorded 
by Mr. Bryant from the Flathead Valley, and in 1895 Messrs. Bailey 
and Howell secured a specimen at the Upper St. Mary Lake which 
was a typical red-shafted except for its head and neck, which were 
like those of the golden-shafted. 

The red-shafted were seen in a number of places, mainly in the 
lower parts of the park, such as St. Mary Lake, the Swiftcurrent 
Flats, Belly River, Lake McDonald, and the open areas along the 
North Fork from Dutch Creek to Kintla Creek, especially at the 
Adair ranch and on the Big Prairie section, but they were also seen 
in the Kootenai Pass, August 22, and heard by Mr. Bryant at Iceberg 
Lake July 28,1917. Mr. Stevenson reports finding a number of nests 
in the park. 


Order MACROCHIRES: Nighthawks, Swifts, and 
Hummingbirds. 


Family CHORDEILID: Nighthawks. 


Paciric NigurnawsK: Chordeiles minor hesperis Nighthawks 
have been noted in the park by Mr. Gibb and Mr. Stevenson, and 
also by Mr. Bryant, who has found them in the prairie patches along 
the North Fork of the Flathead. 

Early in July, from the western windows of Glacier Park Hotel 
oat sunset, one of the slender-winged birds was seen tilting about 
. in the purple middle distance between the hotel and the mountains, 
getting his evening meal. A mont) lester, while watching the fish 


162 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


hawk’s nest on the Swiftcurrent at sunset, the sound of peent, pee- 
auk, delighted my ear—here was a nighthawk inside the park at 
last! Still better, there were two, tilting and pitching about, show- 
ing their white wing bands. Creatures of air and sky, it seemed 
rarely fitting that they should be here to explore the purple heights 
and golden summits. On they went up toward the glacial basins of 
Grinnell and Swiftcurrent, dark and somber now, but with buffy 
clouds above their peaks, and lines of gilding and touches of light 
vivifying the picture. 

The only other nighthawks seen by us in the park were flying about 
near the International Boundary—a wide green swath down the for- 
ested side of the mountains—the unfortified, unguarded line where 
brother meets brother under the open sky. 


Photograph by E. R. Warren. 


Fic. 64.—Nighthawk. 


Family MICROPODIDZ: Swifts. 


Vaux Swit: Chetura vauxi—tThree swifts, with their bony out- 
line and irregular, batlike flight, were seen July 8 near Many 
Glaciers, twittering softly as they flew high through the sky. 

Wurte-Turoatep Swirr: Aéronautes melanoleucus—Myr. Gird 
thinks he has seen a swift with white underneath on the North Fork 
of the Flathead and about Hanshaws Ford, three miles from the foot 
of Bowman Lake; and in June, 1895, Messrs. Bailey and Howell re- 
ported “ one seen at Paola and a pair at Columbia Falls.” 


Family TROCHILIDE: Hummingbirds. 


Biack-curnnep Humminesirp: Archilochus alexandri—Both Mr. 
Bryant and Mr. Stanford record the Hummingbird “ with the black 
gorget.” Mr. Bryant says that years ago he shot several of them. 


BIRDS. 163 


Broap-TarLep Humminersirp: Selasphorus  platycercus.——Two 
broad-tailed hummingbirds were collected by Messrs. Bailey and 
Howell in 1895, a female taken May 23 in the spruce woods near 
the Upper St. Mary Lake, and a male with rose-pink gorget and 
bronzy green head taken June 17 at Summit. 

Rurovus Humminesirp: Selasphorus rufus—The reddish-brown 
hummingbird whose gorget flashes fire red, orange, and brassy green 
was seen July 8 on a telephone wire near the 
tepees at Many Glaciers, and Mr. Gibb said 
one had come to the piazza at his ranger sta- 
tion. One was also seen about the lake on June 
29, 1918, by Mr. E. R. Warren. At Granite 
Park Mr. Bailey saw one on July 17, and on 
the pass between Gable and Chief Mountains 
on August 9, I caught a flash of rufous as one 
came up from below and whizzed on across 
the pass. In June, 1895, Messrs. Bailey and \ 
Howell reported quite a number seen and one — Prem Handbook of Western Birds 
shot at about 5,000 feet on the mountain ruc. 65.—Rufous hum- 
near Nyack. mingbird. 

Hummingbirds are said to be found close to the glaciers, and the 
mountain flower beds should be watched for them. Spirited little 
knights of Tournay, with flashing armor and lances at rest, they 
may well afford rare entertainment for spectators. 


Catuiore Humrnceirp: Stel/ula calliope— 
This little hummingbird, one of the smallest 
found in the United States, with pink gorget 
and sides tinged with brown and green, should 
be looked for, as it is a mountain-loving species 
frequenting mountain parks and rocky hill- 
sides from 6,500 to 8,000 feet during the nest- 
ing season. At Fort Sherman, Idaho, its 
mD arrival is said to be coincident with the bloom- 
From Ridgway. Smithsonian Tast. jing of the wild hawthorne. 

Fic. 66.—Calliope hum- At Granite Park on July 17 a hummingbird, 

ae with the soft flight of calliope, darted into a 
white-barked pine in front of the chalet; but, unfortunately, before 
it could be examined, darted out again and was gone. 

There is one definite record for the park, however, as a female was 
collected May 31, 1895, by Messrs. Bailey and Howell at the Upper 
St. Mary Lake. Mr. Stanford has also heard of the bird, though he 
has never seen it himself. 


eae 


164 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Order PASSERES: Perching Birds. 


Family TYRANNIDZ: Tyrant Flycatchers. 


Krvepirp: Tyrannus tyrannus tyrannus.—The familiar kingbird 
with the white underparts and white tail band is recorded by Mr. 
Bryant from the park along the North Fork of the Flathead. He 
says 1t breeds but is not common any- 
where in the park or in the northern part 
of Flathead County. 

Ourve-sipep Fiycarcuer: Nuttallornis 
borealis—One of the characteristic notes 
of the forested mountains is the plaintive 
pew-pip, pew-pew-pe’-oh, pew-pip, pew- 
pew-pe’-oh. Yt was heard in a number 
of places in the park, and one of the birds 
was seen August 19, at the Reynolds Cabin 
TERE Lakes, near Waterton Lake, sitting char- 

Fic. 67.—Kingbird. aires . 
acteristically on top of an evergreen spire, 
its white median line showing between the dark gray of its sides 
as it raised its head to give its sweet call. On the southwestern 
boundary of the park, from Java to Belton, in June, 1895, Messrs. 
Bailey and Howell found it in the dead timber ranging to tim- 
berline. 


Western Woop Prwerr: Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni.—in 
June, 1895, at the upper St. Mary Lake, Messrs. Bailey and Howell 
collected one pewee and saw one or two more; and from Summit 
westward along the boundary line of the park a few others were 
seen. 

The pewee is a bird that is easily overlooked, as its gray plumage 
renders it inconspicuous and its quiet call-—given as tweer or deer 
can be heard only near at hand. Like the eastern wood pewee, it sits 
erect watching for passing insects, when one appears, darting out, 
snapping it up and circling back again to its perch. 


Western Frycatrcuer: L'mpidonan dificilis difficilis—A small 
flycatcher taken for the western was heard, July 10, above Lake 
Josephine and two having the characteristic dull yellow underparts 
were seen July 30 near Gunsight Lake, and August 28 on the Camas 
Lake Trail above Lake McDonald. 

Tram Frycatcuer: Lmpidonax trailli traillis—aA small gray fly- 
catcher with white chin, gray breast, and white wing bars, was seen 
in several places in the park among the willows, where its pip, pip, 
and its explosive ia-wee’-wr were heard as it circled out from its 
perch to snap up passing insects. 


1¥Formerly the Alder Flycatcher, Empidonaz trailli alnorum, 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXXIII 


KUL Gpassiz Yperfes 


¥rem Handbook of Dirds of the Western United States. 
BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES. 


51140°—18— —14 


BIRDS. 165 


Hammonp Frycarcurr: Lmpidonae hammondi(?)—Mr. H. C. 
Bryant, of California, saw an Empidonax July 31, 1917, that he took 


to be hammondi in “some open woods near Lewis’s on Lake Mc- 
Donald.” 


Family ALAUDID: Larks. 


Desert Hornep Lark: Otocoris alpestris leucolama—Mr.. Bryant, , 
has seen horned larks at Belton on the railroad track in fall, but never 
in the park. Mr. Stevenson, however, has seen them on the high 
barren ridges of the park, and says they are com- 
mon outside on the dry plains to the east. On 
April 15, 1918, Mr. Bailey saw two on the Big 
Prairie of the North Fork, where there were 
open fields suitable for breeding grounds. 


Famil R : ies. Z 
Family CORVID4: Crows, Jays, Magpies oe 
Macrre: Pica pica hudsonia—The magpie, yy. 68—rtorned lark. 
with its striking black and white plumage, long 

graduated tail, and loud, strenuous voice, is one of the spectacular 
birds of the region, but the only ones seen by us were outside the 
boundary of the park, near the upper St. Mary Lake, although they 
are said to come up into the park for exposed garbage. The bulk of 
them, Mr. Bryant says, enter the park in September and leave the 
last of March. In fall and winter he has seen them on the prairie 
patches along the North Fork of the Flathead. 

Buack-HEapep Jay: Cyanocitta stelleri annectens—The high- 
crested, black-headed blue jay is one of the handsomest, most domi- 
nant birds of the pine forests, dashing around and flying from tree to 
tree, calling loudly as he goes. For this reason the apparent decrease 
in his numbers in the park is striking. In 1887 Dr. Grinnell said that 
in the St. Mary Lakes region the jays were common in the pine forest 
up to the rocks; and in 1895 Messrs. Bailey and Howell observed them 
at timberline and in the spruce timber on the side of Kootenai Moun- 
tain, and reported them common from Java to Belton. In the winter 
of 1899-1900 Mr. Higginson reported them very abundant in the 
Stanton Lake region, staying most of the time on the high ridges. 
But during the two months that we spent in traversing the park we 
saw them in only four localities—at a lumber camp at the head of Lake 
Josephine, near Waterton Lake, at the Reynolds Cabin, and on the 
Camas Lake Trail above Lake McDonald; and on Mr. Bailey’s return 
to the west side of the park in April, he saw only one—at Belton. 
Perhaps, like the eagles, they have been accidentally caught by 
the fur trappers. 


166 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


In winter, Mr. Gibb told us, the handsome birds have come to his 
ranger cabin for food, getting so tame that if the door were left 
open they would come inside. 

Rocky Mountain Jay: Perisoreus canadensis capitalis—The big 
fluffy camp bird, or lumber jack, when met with in the park was 
sometimes on guard, shpping through the tree tops and sailing 
down across an open space with short wings and long tail outspread in 
absolute silence, but when off guard it flew about giving vent to its 
feelings in a most surprising variety of loud, strange calls. The 
hunter who names the jay “moose bird” complains that “he bothers 


Photograph by E. R. Warren. 
Fie. 69.—Rocky Mountain jay. 


a fellow stalking game—gets up in a tree and bawls you out—every- 
thing in the country knows you are around.” Where game has been 
killed, as Mr. Higginson says, the jays seem to gather like buzzards 
to feed off the meat, becoming so tame they will allow a close ap- 
proach. They have been found storing food by Dr. Grinnell, putting 
it in moss near the ends of branches of tall firs and spruces. 

In winter Mr. Gibb has had these familiar friends of the forest 
come to his ranger cabin, where they became so tame and persistent 
that it was hard to keep the coveted meat from them. They got so 
expert that they could pry off the lid of a granite bucket and, chat- 
tering while they worked, actually untied the knot in a string with 
which Mrs. Gibb had fastened on the lid, 


BIRDS. 167 


Raven: Corvus corax sinuatus—The ravens, while not becoming 
tame like the camp jays, are said to come around the reclamation 
camps for food. At Stanton Lake Mr, Higginson found them very 
common winter visitors “round the deer offal in the river bottoms 
and also quite a frequent visitor at the lake.” He says, “ We used to 
hear their mournful croak as they sailed over us at all times, but they 
seemed to be particularly attached to the river bottoms, and it was 
there that I saw most of them. They were wary and shy to a degree.” 

Like the jays they are on the lookout for game. As an old hunter 
said, “Go out in a canyon and kill a deer, and these buggers will 
come,” and he added that “they will circle around when meat. is 
being dressed.” The Blackfeet, he told us, “instead of hanging 
up their meat as other hunters do, hide it on the ground, and to 
protect it from the ravens and coyotes take a stick that will peel off 
white and sharpen the end of it, and after dressing the deer stripe 
the stick with blood like a barber’s pole, and lay it alongside the 
meat. This they have done for generations and generations.” 

The ravens are common on the west slope of the mountains, Mr. 
Stevenson says, and seen occasionally on the east slope. The only 
two seen by us during the summer were flying from the park across 
Belton. Three were seen by Mr. Bryant, of California, flying over 
Lincoln Pass. “ While they were in sight,” he says, “several mar- 
mots in the vicinity seemed greatly disturbed, each standing erect 
and giving his loud piercing whistle.” In April, 1918, Mr. Bailey 
saw and heard them from Lake McDonald up the North Fork valley 
to the Kintla Lakes, especially where coyotes had been killing deer. 

Western Crow: Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis—A pair of 
crows were seen at their nest July 5 at Glacier Park, and a flock 
seen July 7 between Glacier Park and St. Mary Lake. They were 
also seen on the Sherburne Lake Flats and north of the Alberta 
boundary. They are said by Mr. Gibb to stay in the park from 
early spring until late fall. 

Crark Nourcracker: Nucifraga columbiana—At Many Glaciers, 
when the automobile stages are drawn up before the door, one of the 
strongly marked Clark crows, or nutcrackers, may be caught sight 
of, glancing back warily as he flies away over the tree tops; or in one 
of the lower valleys, such as the Swiftcurrent, he may be seen cross- 
ing with strong direct flight from ridge to ridge of the landscape; 
but at such places as Granite Park or Iceberg Lake, as on rocky 
slopes among the timberline dwarfs, he is found at home, his loud 
karrr'r sounding through the clear mountain air as he goes about 
hunting for cone seeds in the pine tops. Flying in straight as a 
ruler he will often curve up to the spire and light with a steadying 
flash of his black and white tail. 


168 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


At Iceberg Lake, while a party of us were lunching among the 
dwarf balsams, a family of the nutcrackers came into the trees on the 
edge of our circle. When we were discovered the weak-voiced though 
grown young were apparently taken off by themselves, after which 
the old ones returned with the air of being accustomed to sharing 
meals with their visitors. One of them, encouraged by his reception, 
flew down and picked up half a slice of bread, returning to his tree 
with it. As he started to lay it down on a branch, one of the ladies 
cried out in consternation, “ He’s going to drop it!” 

“Not much, he wouldn’t drop it for a farm,” one of the men 
assured her, following with a dissertation on the thrifty bird’s 


POR, 


Photograph by E. R. Warren. 
Tic. 70.—A Clark nutcracker in too much of a hurry. 


storing habits. All eyes were fixed on the big black and white form 
of the visitor, and when at last he carefully laid the slice of bread on 
the green shelf the troubled lady cried out with relief, “ Now he’s got 
it stored!” 

A few moments later—our attention having been diverted—we 
looked back just in time to see a nutcracker come in, pick up the 
bread, and fly off with it. 

“She swiped his bread! ” one of the men exclaimed. But was it 
the suspected spouse, or had her lord, thinking of a safer place for 
his treasure, slipped back quietly to remove it? Let us give the lady 
the benefit of the doubt. Among other dainty morsels accepted by 


BIRDS. 169 


one or the other of our guests at the lunch hour was part of a tongue 
sandwich. 

The nutcrackers’ more natural feeding habits are described by Mr. 
Higginson from Stanton Lake, where he spent the winter. “They 
were common,” he wrote, “on the high ridges and seen frequently at 
our camp, but never lower down. They were for the most part in 
flocks of from six to a dozen, sometimes in pairs, but never apparently 
single. Often during a cold afternoon one would hear their harsh 
cry and going out of the cabin find a little bunch at work on one of 
the large fir trees which were near by. Unlike the jays, they usually 
began at the top of the trees and worked down to the bottom. If 
disturbed, they would fly off to the nearest dead tree and, sitting on 
its topmost limbs, utter their opinion of us in very powerful lan- 


. ra 7) 
guage. 


Family ICTERID: Blackbirds, etc. 


Sacesrusu Cowesirp: IMolothrus ater artemisie.—In the horse pas- 
ture of Many Glaciers 13 cowbirds were seen July 11 walking about 
among a group of horses, rising and 
following as they started away. In 
the wooded creek bottom near by, a 
striped female in the top of a dead 
spruce called loudly until her brown- 
headed, glossy black mate joined her; 
when they sat looking around while 
a yellow warbler and a Maryland 
yellow-throat sang. Were the sorry 
pair, in search of orphanages, taking 
notes? Here were two small birds 
in whose nests an extra egg or two 
might safely be left. Were they waiting for the songsters to go to 
their nests or merely locating the families before making a detailed 
inspection of likely bushes? 

The rope corral at camp where our horses were fed attracted 
the cowbirds, and when we broke camp one of then: followed 
our pack outfit for more than a mile. At a subsequent camp on 
Belly River two other cowbirds made themselves at home in the 
corral, nonchalantly perching on the backs of the horses. By 
going about among such a bunch of horses with which there were 
cowbirds, Mr. Stevenson once succeeded in taming two of the birds so 
that they would take flies and mosquitoes from his hand. 

Tyick-BILLED Repwine: Agelaius pheniceus fortis—Near the 
Sherburne Lake flood land I heard what I took to be the o-ha-lee 
of a redwing on August 4, but none of the birds were seen. Mr. 


From Biological Survey. 


Fic. 71.—Red-winged blackbird. 


170 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Stevenson says it is “rare, but noted,” and Mr. Gird records it from 
the swamps of the North Fork of the Flathead, and also the 
Belly River country. 

Western Mrap- 
owLaRrK: Sturnella 
neglecta neglecta.— 
The meadowlark, 
with his handsome 
black-collared yel- 
low breast and his 
protectively colored 
brown-streaked back, 
is rare in the park, 
though seen between 
Many Glaciers and 
the St. Mary Lakes and reported from the Sherburne Lake Flats, 
Belly River, and the North Fork of the Flathead. One was seen 
years ago by Mr. Bryant 
at Ernest Christianson’s 
ranch on Camas Creek 
at Thanksgiving, and 
Mr. Christianson has 
told him of one winter- 
ing in his hay sheds. 
On April 18, 1918, Mr. 
Bailey heard meadow- 
larks singing in the 
fields at the Adair ranch, 
south of Logging Creek, 
but apparently they had 
not yet reached the Big 
Prairie country. 


ie Ve 
T’rom Handbook ot Birds of the Western United States. 
Fic. 72.—Meadowlark. 


Brewer Buacxnerrp: 
Luphagus cyanoceph- 
alus—The only black- 
birds seen by us were 
just outside the bounda- 
ries of the park in one 
of the valleys a few 
miles north of Glacier 
Park Hotel and on the 
Belly River north of the 
International Boundary, 
but both were so near the line that the birds would very likely have 
come into the park. Mr. Bryant reports them from .the prairie 


Photographed by FE. R. Warren. 
Tic. 73.—Brewer blackbird. 


BIRDS. 171 


patches along the North Fork of the Flathead, and Mr. E. R. Warren 
on June 20, 1918, saw them at St. Mary Lake. 


Family FRINGILLIDZ: Finches, Sparrows, etc. 


Western Eventne Grospeak: Hesperiphona vespertina brooksi.— 
The yellowish green underparts, bright yellow forehead, and olive 
back of the grosbeak, set off by his black markings, identify him 
unmistakably even when his large yellowish green seed-cracking 
beak can not be seen, and he should be watched for in the park, as 
he is said to breed in the region. On July 2 and 4, 1918, Mr. Warren 
saw four at Belton, and on July 17, 1917, Mr. H. C. Bryant, of 
California, saw a pair around the Belton chalets. The birds were 
also said to have come to the cottages 
at Lewis’s for food, much to the enjoy- 
ment of the visitors. Mr. E. S. Bry- 
ant thinks they are most plentiful in 
the spring migration, but says they 
breed some years fairly commonly and 
are seen throughout the year. He has 
seen them feeding young at Columbia 
Falls, and Mr. Stanford says they bred 
at Kalispell in the summer of 1917. 
Mr. Stanford adds that both grosbeaks 
and Bohemian waxwings generally 
feed around town all winter. Mr. 
Bryant has seen them in late winter 
in such places as alder bottoms. At 
Stanton Lake, in the winter of 1899-1900, Mr. Higginson saw only 
one small flock. On April 11, 1918, Mr. Bailey saw one at the lower 
end of Lake McDonald. 


Rocky Mountain Prine Grosseax: Pinicola enucleator montana.— 
A bird taken for the pine grosbeak, which is larger than the evening 
grosbeak and carmine red in full adult plumage, was heard singing 
high on a dead tree on the Camas Lake Trail on August 28,1917. Mr. 
Gibb says he has seen it in the park in summer, and Mr. Bryant 
thinks it nests there. Mr. Stevenson reports it as rather a common 
bird of the winter months, and Mr. Bryant has found it along the 
alders in the bottoms after heavy snowstorms, although in clear, cold 
weather as late as February he has found it at 7,000-foot levels. Mr. 
Gibb has had the birds come to his ranger cabin for food in winter, 
and as they were tame and unsuspicious they made delightful winter 
pets. Mr. B. N. Gephart reports that they are abundant all winter 
about his place on the Camas Creek Ridge, as many as fifty often 
being seen on his doorstep. 


From Biological Survey. (Fuertes.) 


Fic. 74.—Evening grosbeak. 


172 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


From his Stanton Lake camp Mr. Higginson wrote: “I had been 
on the lookout for these birds all winter, but without seeing any until 
January 29. On that day I walked out of my cabin to find the small 
pine trees occupied by about 20. From this time on they were very 
plentiful, and I took a number of specimens varying in plumage from 
the young gray birds to the old dark red males. Some flocks I found 
low down in small trees, but for the most part they were in the tall fir 
trees that bordered the edge of the lake.” In the fall of 1887 Dr. 
Grinnell found the pine grosbeaks quite abundant in the mountains 
about Red Eagle and Cut Bank, “many singing sweetly, even during 
snowstorms.” On April 10, 1918, Mr. Bailey heard them singing at 
Belton, and one was seen and heard, April 19, near Dutch Creek. 


Cassin Purpre Fincnw: Carpodacus 
cassitt—A pair of the Cassin finches, 
the male dull pinkish with a square 
crimson crown patch, and the female 
brown and streaked, were found at 
Granite Park in the middle of July 
singing around the chalet and_pick- 
ing up grain spilled by the saddle 
A horses. Doubtless the same pair were 
From Handbook of Western Birds. seen there by Mr. H. C. Bryant, of Cali- 
Fig. 75.—Cassin purple finch. fornia, the last of July. 

Crosspitt: Lowia curvirostra bendiret—A large parti-colored 
flock—some red. some yellowish, and some striped—were seen July 


ites, BE or. as 


Copyright by H. & E, Pittman. 


nig. 76.—Crossbills. 


BIRDS. 173 


18 in the wooded basin below the chalet at Granite Park going 
around from tree top to tree top in search of the cones whose seeds 
their sharply pointed crossed bills enable them to extract with dex- 
terity. The metallic kimp himp of the crossbills was heard in a 
number of places—Many Glaciers, Going-to-the-Sun Camp, Black- 
feet Glacier Amphitheater, Waterton Lake, Reynolds Cabin Lakes, 
Kootenai Pass, and Lake McDonald. On April 21, 1918, Mr. Bailey 
heard crossbills about Lewis’s Hotel. 

In 1900, Mr. Bryant says, there were more crossbills than he has 
ever seen, but their numbers decreased steadily for several years 
afterwards. On May 30, 1895, Messrs. Bailey and Howell reported a 
flock of fourteen flying over the woods near Red Eagle Lake. 

Wurre-wincep Crossprun: Loria leucoptera—Mr. Bryant has 
found the white-wing feeding young, and says it undoubtedly breeds 
at times in the park. From 1900-1902, he says, the birds were in 
the park in great numbers along with the common crossbill. 

Gray-crowNep Leucostricte: Leuwcosticte 
tephrocotis tephrocotis—The summer home of 
the rare leucosticte or rosy finch is above ptar- 
migan slopes, among bare rocks such as the 
Garden Wall, and the rock piles of passes and 
summits where conies and marmots live; for in 
niches protected from the wind these hardy 
birds find shelter for themselves and their 
young. Outside few people ever see the delight- 
ful birds, for the search for them records long, 
hard climbs to lofty mountain peaks; but in *°™ "ice 
the park, the trails over the passes leading by Fue. 77.— Gray-crowned 
the ptarmigan slopes take one almost to the moe vast) 
homes of the rosy finches, and by lstening for loud, raucous calls 
and watching for wind-blown figures around the peaks, one may 
occasionally be able to locate them. 

At Gunsight Pass, attracted by their calls, we found them flying 
around the pinnacles above the trail, where there was a rare view 
down the grim canyon and over the smooth, green waters of Lake 
Ellen Wilson to the hazy ridges beyond the park. 

In Piegan Pass a pair of the birds were found on the south slope 
feeding young and flying back and forth from the first dwarf spruces 
below the pass to the broken rocks of the diorite ridge on the crest 
above the pass, where perhaps some of the brood still lingered near 
the nest. A couple of days later a brood was seen on the warm 
south slope along the trail, where pipits were also feeding young 
and an old ptarmigan was leading around a brood. Busily hunting 
for tiny seeds and small insects, the rosy finches raised their caps so 


su PAL 
174 Or haricte NATIONAL PARK. 


often that the gray border made a good field character, and now and 
then a deeply notched tail or a bright pink wing patch showed 
clearly. Back and forth across the trail they flew, now hunting over 
the grassy flower-strewn ground, now examining the dwarf firs, and 
now hunting over the great snowbank on the side of Piegan Moun- 
tain. 

On Kootenai Pass leucostictes were also found, but of all the rare 
summits on which these birds of the peaks were seen perhaps the 
best was in the Boundary Mountains. A family of five were flushed 
here from a ridge whose summit was crowned by a monument mark- 
ing the International Boundary, and near which a green swath 
through the forest divided British Columbia and Alberta. Here, 
where the mountains of the park reach their culminating grandeur, 
lofty peaks and ranges are gathered in such close conclave as to 
suggest a council of chiefs from north, south, east, and west. The 
broad seamed face of Agassiz glacier, the rough cascaded front of 
Kintla Glacier, with Kintla Peak towering 4,000 feet above its lake; 
snow patches, glaciers, looming peaks, ridge close behind ridge, and 
below, a mantle of dark timber—such was the chosen home of 
Leucosticte. 

Hardy mountaineers, in spring while the mountain tops are still 
buried under snow, they may be found in the low mountain valleys; 
but in late fall they have been found high up in the mountains, and 
seen in the valleys only in the worst snowstorms. 

Reproti: Acanthis linaria linaria—A specimen of this redpoll 
with crimson crown, black chin, and streaked body was given us by 
Mr. Bryant, who said that in the spring one would think the Flat- 
head River the main avenue of travel north for the juncos and red- 
polls of all North America. Mr. Gibb has seen redpolls in the park 
in winter. 

From Stanton Lake, in the winter of 1900, Mr. Higginson wrote: 
“Toward the beginning of February we began to hear these bright 
little songsters, sounding for all the world like a canary, singing away 
on the border of the lake. Just across from the cabin was a little 
thicket of alder bushes, and in this thicket the redpolls could almost 
always be found. They fed on the buds of this bush and there they 
would hang half the time head down stuffing themselves full, and 
only stopping every now and then to sing.” As the lake is only 
about two miles from the park, the birds might easily stray across 
the border. 

Prine Siskin: Spinus pinus pinus—One of the notes most fre- 
quently heard in the higher parts of the park is the wild split note 
of the little siskin, the brown-striped cousin of the goldfinch, which, 


BIRDS. SAME RON, | 175 


in its undulating flight seems to fairly launch itself into the air, 
spreading its wings so wide that their yellow patches show. At Gun- 
sight Lake, from a bear grass alcove between conifers, one day a 
siskin answered a brother passing overhead with an almost pure gold- 
finch—canary—note, over and over again; but at last, taking wing it 
launched out with the true wild call of its kind. Some that we 
watched through the glass seemed to be picking small insects from the 
needles of the firs, but when, in more usual custom, they hung head 
down from the catkins at the tip of the birch branches, they were 
doubtless extracting seeds. 

At Lake McDonald the last of August, when a family lit on the 
broad top of a stub, small wings fluttered and young voices en- 
treated—then all were off in air again. Around the hotel and up the 
lake shore, flocks were heard giving both their own wild notes and 
the sweet homelike notes of the goldfinches, and some of the little 
birds were seen coming down to the water’s edge to drink. On Mr. 
Bailey’s return to Lake McDonald in April the siskins were coming 
to the doorstep of Lewis’s for crumbs, often flying into the house. 
They were numerous all through the valley of the North Fork of the 
Flathead and around the camps and ranches. 

Snow Buntine: Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis—The white and 
rusty snowflakes which breed in the circumpolar regions come down 
into the northern United States in winter in large flocks, their appear- 
ance being considered a “sure sign of snow,” and Mr. Gibb says 
thousands of them come into the park. 

Auaska Lonespur: Calcarius lapponicus alascensis—Breeding in 
Alaska, the longspurs winter as far south as Colorado and western 
Kansas. Large flocks have been noted by Mr. Stevenson in spring, 
and they have been seen in fall by Mr. Bryant on the prairie patches 
of the North Fork of the Flathead, and on the ridges with the 
leucostictes. Snowflakes and pipits are often seen in company with 
the longspurs, Mr. Bryant says. He has positively identified only 
this one species of longspur—with black foreparts and white belly— 
but suspects that a “close examination of the longspur flock would 
reveal some McCown and possibly chestnut-collared.” 

CrestNutT-coLLarepD Lonespur: Calcarius ornatus—The Chestnut- 
collared. which breeds from Alberta to Kansas and can be distin- 
guished from the Alaska longspur by its black underparts, which 
contrast sharply with its white and buffy throat, should be carefully 
watched for, as Dr. Grinnell thinks he has seen it on the Inlet Flat 
between the two St. Mary Lakes, and in June, 1895, Messrs. Bailey 
and Howell saw one not far from the park line, and found them 
common on the lower plains near Blackfoot. 


176 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


McCown Lonesrur: Rhyncophanes mccowni.—The summer Mc- 
Cown, distinguished from the Alaska and the chestnut-collared 
longspurs by its black-tipped tail, its rufous shoulder patch, and 
crescentic black chest patch, has been suspected by Mr. Bryant in 
longspur flocks in the park. Breeding on the Great Plains from 
Alberta to Colorado, it has been reported by Dr. Grinnell as very 
common close outside the park. While he writes that he should hesi- 
tate to say that he has seen it within the boundaries of the park, he 
says: “T have no doubt whatever that it would be taken by anyone 
who looked for it on the Inlet Flat, and probably also in the valley 
of the Swiftcurrent. I remember at times during the migration havy- 
ing seen flocks of these various prairie finches upon the Inlet Flat, 
and should offhand state with some positiveness that they were made 
up of McCown’s bunting and the chestnut bunting.” 


Western Vesper Sparrow: Powcetes gramineus confinis—The 
pale, streaked vesper sparrow, marked by white outer tail feathers 
and made attractive by its rich, sweet song, was found on the prairies 
near the Upper St. Mary Lake, July 22, singing loudly from the low 
weeds. Others were seen between St. Mary and Many Glaciers, and 
Mr. Warren found them between Glacier Park Hotel and Bison 
Mountain in the small parks, in June, 1913. Mr. Bryant says they 
are also found in the prairie patches of the North Fork of the 
Flathead. 


Western Savannau Sparrow: Passerculus sandwichensis alaudi- 
nus—The small, heavily streaked Savannah sparrows with light 
stripe through crown and over eye were seen, J uly 7, between 
Glacier Park Hotel and St. Mary Lake; July 21, at the Upper St. 
Mary; August 5, on the Swiftcurrent Flats; August 13, along Belly 
River; and August 27, above Lake McDonald. They are also reported 
by Mr. Bryant from the prairie patches on the west side of the park, 
and Mr. Bailey found several of them on Big Prairie. April 18, where 
they seemed much at home on the fences and in the grassy fields. 


Western Lark Sparrow: Chondestes 
\ J grammacus strigatus—In speaking of 
the birds seen on the prairie patches of 
the North Fork of the Flathead, Mr. 
Bryant says, “I have never had the bird 
in hand, but I am sure I have seen the 
western lark sparrow.” The chestnut 
patch and black and white streaks on 
the side of the head, together with the 
white tail corners, make it an easy bird 
to recognize. 


Wuttr-crownep Sparrow: Zono- 
aR eta. Ginna trichia leucophrys.—The handsomely 
Fic. 78.—White-crowned sparrow. Marked white-crown is one of the most 


BIRDS. aie 


abundant and generally distributed birds of the park, its grave, sweet 
song being heard from the level of the prairie to timberline, and from 
the southern entrance of the park to the Canadian boundtry. Its four 
slow, clear notes are followed by grace notes that in some renderings 
seem rather out of keeping, but in the best renderings seem the neces- 
sary counterpart and completion of the first part of the song. Accord- 
ing to the setting the song suggests various phrasings, as “ Clear 
mount’ -ain brook, there-it-is;” “ Oh see’ the firs, see-see-see-see.” At 
Sexton Glacier, where we were studying the glacier front with its 
irregularly flattened and compressed annual layers, the song rang in 
our ears till it seems to say, “ Oh see’ the ice, say-see-see; Oh see’ the 
ice, say-see-see,”” but where no especial phrase was suggested by the 
landscape, the words “ High up, high up, see-see,” seemed to fit the 
cool, grave, uplifted song. 

Gampet Sparrow: Zonotrichia gambelimOn May 27, 1895, 
Messrs. Bailey and Howell collected a Gambel sparrow at St. Mary 
Lake. While resembling the white-crown very closely, it differs 
from it in having the space between the eye and the bill white in- 
stead of black. 


Western Tree Sparrow: Spizella monticola ochracea—tIn 1887 
Dr. Grinnell reported the western tree sparrow—which has a black 
spot on the unstreaked breast, and the crown and line back of the 
eye rufous—as quite abundant during the coldest part of October 
in the St. Mary Lakes region. 

Western Cuirrine Sparrow: Spizella passerina arizonw.—Rufous- 
capped chipping sparrows were seen in many places, especially along 
the lower edges of the park, notably at Glacier Park Hotel, St. Mary 
Lake, Swiftcurrent Flats, Lake McDermott, 
Belly River, Crossley Lake, Gunsight Lake, 
and Lake McDonald. They are recorded from 
the prairie patches on the west side of the park 
by Mr. Bryant and were found by Mr. H. C. 
Bryant, of California, late in July at Iceberg 
Lake. 

Montana Junco: Junco oreganus mon- 
tanus—Montana Juncos with slate-colored From Handbook of Western Birde. 
head, neck, and chest, white belly and brown. ™* De eeae oe 
ish back, abound in the park, their ‘fs¢p 
being frequently heard and their disappearing white outer tail 
feathers often seen along the trails. A grown young one was 
seen July 8, at Lake McDermott, and two nests were found 
by Mr. and Mrs. M. I. Berger—one with three eggs, July 18, 
at Sun Camp, and another with six eggs, July 16, near Ice- 


178 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


berg Lake. Young just out of the nest were seen by Mr. H. C. 
Bryant, of California, July 22, near Lake Josephine. The birds were 
seen feeding grown young in many places. Mr. Stevenson speaks of 
seeing large flocks in spring and fall. While quiet birds that on your 
approach hide away in the bushes, the Juncos when sitting undis- 
turbed in the sun have a pleasing little song, and their presence adds 
a grateful touch of life to the forest. 

Mountain Sone Sparrow: Melospiza melodia fallax —sSong spar- 
rows were found in the bushes at the head of Sherburne Lake and 
on Belly River. One was found by Mr. Warren June 27, 1913, at 
Iceberg Lake, and others were recorded by Mr. Bryant from the 
North Fork of the Flathead, while a few were noted in 1895 by 
Messrs. Bailey and Howell at the St. Mary Lakes. 

The possibility of finding the familiar song sparrow in the park 
adds to one’s zest in searching among the bushes of the lake borders, 
for though he is here a bird of the mountains and his brown back may 
be a different shade from the one known at home, the spot on his 
streaked breast and the homely sweetness of his call and song are the 
same—a different subspecies he is, but a song sparrow is a song 
sparrow for a’ that. 

Lincotn Sparrow: Jfelospiza lincolni lincolni—The Lincoln 
sparrow should be carefully watched for about the willows of the 
mountain meadows. While suggesting a small song sparrow, his 
buffy chest band, finely penciled breast, and individual song set him 
apart from his relatives. A bird that was taken for the Lincoln was 
heard by Mr. H. C. Bryant, of California, in one of the mountain 
meadows near the Sperry chalets. 

In 1895 Messrs. Bailey and Howell reported these sparrows com- 
mon in the brush patches and willow thickets at the upper St. Mary 
Lake. They were also found tolerably common near Blackfeet 
Agency, now Browning, and one or two were seen at Summit and 
Midvale, a nest with four eggs being found June 18, at Summit. 


Suate-cotoreD Fox Sparrow: Passerella iliaca schistacea.n—Two 
dominant songs are heard in following the trails along the willow- 
bordered lake shores and through the open parts of the park, those 
of the white-crowned sparrow and the slate-colored fox sparrow. 
The black and white striped crown of the white-crown identifies 
him readily, but the dark gray head of the fox sparrow is less con- 
spicuous, and unless you press close to the singer it is difficult to 
make out the characteristic fox-colored spots on his breast and his 
reddish tail. But once learned there is no mistaking his bright, 
cheery song, and as he stands silhouetted against the astonishingly 
green water of one of the beautiful mountain lakes the notes, with 


BIRDS. 179 


the catchy rhythm, phrase themselves—‘ Green, green, wa’ ter, see-it- 
there.” 

Like the song of the white-crown, the phrase may change with 
the setting, as under the white snow of Baring Basin one seemed 
to say, “ White, white snow’ banks, see-them-there,” and at Gunsight 
on a cold, cloudy morning, with fresh snow on the mountain sides an- 
other sang, “ Cold, cold wa'ter, see-it-there.” A second song, clear, 
rich, and musical, something like the four-noted song of the white- 
crown, but reversed, began high and descended, suggesting “ Green 
lake, green lake, sce-it-there.” 

In the grim amphitheater of Iceberg Lake, with its high glacier 
debouching into the green water, as we watched insectlike mountain 
goats climbing up the mountain walls above us and nutcrackers 
flying about over beds of heather, wind-bared, wide-skirted spruces, 
and snow banks tinted with the famous pink snow of circumpolar 
and Alpine regions, the “WZigh-up, high-up” of the white-crown 
seemed well attuned to the spirit of the place. Then suddenly, 
to my astonishment there rang out loud and clear the bright, cheery 
“Green, green wa'ter, sec-it-there.” What was he doing up here? 
As Lasked myself the question I looked about and the willow thicket 
bordering the lake answered me. He was simply following the wil- 
lows. Tracing the loud, sweet song to a hedge of spruce, on the tip 
of a spire I caught the familiar dark-gray head of my bird, and as 
he pitched down and I went to look for him, I found that he had been 
singing over a spruce alcove carpeted with the exquisite lemon-yellow 
Erythronium that was filling the air with its fragrance at the edges 
of melting snowbanks. But never did I appreciate the lovely song 
so much as when after protracted days of following trails through 
the dark coniferous forest we came out onto the sunny chaparral 
slope of Cathedral Peak and were greeted again by the bright, cheer- 
ing voice of our friend. 

Arctic Townes: Pipilo maculatus arcticus—The strikingly marked 
arctic towhee—the male with black foreparts, white belly, and brown 
flanks; the female with black replaced by olive brown—found scratch- 
ing among the leaves on the ground or singing in a bush not far above, 
while characteristically a bird of the Transition and Upper Sonoran 
zones, breeds at these lower levels as far north as Alberta and Sas- 
katchewan, and several were observed by Messrs. Bailey and Howell 
on May 24, 1895, at St. Mary Lake. 


Buack-HEADED GrosBEAk: Zamelodia melanocephala melano- 
cephala.—Mr. Bryant reports the musical brown-breasted, black- 
headed grosbeak nesting in mountain maples inside the park in the 
region of the North Fork of the Flathead. 


51140°—18——15 


180 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Lazutt Buntine: Passerina amena—aA little male lazuli with 
bright-blue back and brownish breast was seen back of Glacier Park 
Hotel on a tree above a brushy bench, where it sang its bright, cheery 
song. Another lazuli was seen at Lake McDermott. The birds are 
also recorded from the North Fork of the Flathead by Mr. Bryant, 
and on July 1, 1918, Mr. Warren saw one along the railroad track 
about three-quarters of a mile west of Glacier Park Hotel. On Oc 
tober 18, 1887, Dr. Grinnell saw one in the brush of the St. Mary 
Lake shore. 


Family TANGARIDZ: Tanagers. 


Western Tanacer: Piranga ludoviciana.—At St. Mary Lake the 
latter part of July, as I followed a quiet wood road in the dark 
Douglas spruce forest with here and there a slanting streak of light 
from the late afternoon sun, I caught a song unheard for many years. 
Though failing to recognize it on the instant, I found myself trying 
to imitate it in the swinging rhythm of the tanager’s song, and in a 
moment more caught a flash of vellow from the bird’s breast, and at 
a turn got a glimpse of his red head between the closely spaced trees. 
But as I was exulting over the discovery, the beautiful bird disap- 
peared as suddenly as he had come, among the dark shadows of the 
forest. 

The only others seen by us were two found the last of August on 
the Camas Lake trail above Lake McDonald, but Mr. Bryant reports 
them from the North Fork of the Flathead, and in 1895 Messrs. 
Bailey and Howell saw one on the mountain near Nyack and heard 
a few along the line of the park between there and Belton. 


Family HIRUNDINIDZ: Swallows. 


Curr Swartow: Petrochelidon albifrons albifrons—Swallows 
taken for the cliff were seen August 2 flying over the flats of the St. 
Mary River and August 6 over the Swiftcurrent 
Flats. Mr. Gird thinks he has seen them on the 
North Fork of the Flathead. 

Barn Swattow: Hirundo rustica erythrogas- 
From Handbook of Birds.  #7>7.—Mr. Stevenson reports that the barn swal- 
Bre. 80. cit swal’ ows with the long, forked tails have been seen, but 

are rare, and that they have been noted on the 
plains to the east of the park. On May 25, 1895, one or two were seen 
at the upper St. Mary Lake, and on June 20, 1918, Mr. Warren saw 
one or two along the road between Glacier Park Hotel and St. Mary. 

Tree Swartow: Iridoprocne bicolor—At the Upper St. Mary 
Lake, on July 21, in cottonwood stubs, we found three nests of the 


BIRDS. 181 


tree swallows with their snowy underparts and burnished steel-blue 
upperparts. The parents were still going to the nest holes, which 
were respectively about 8, 15, and 20 feet from the ground, but part 
of each family seemed to have flown and the air was alive with birds 
weaving about among the trees. Toward sunset we found a number 
of them on the telephone line that marks the boundary of the park. 
They and some mountain bluebirds had possession of the wires, but 
though there seemed to be abundant space, the swallows apparently 
wanted it all. Several times there was 
a heated chase, and once when a gentle 
bluebird was driven low it actually sat 
down on the ground and let the domi- 
neering swallow go by. 

At Mirror Pond near the Gunsight 
Trail tree swallows and probably cliff 
swallows were flying about over the 
quiet water with its yellowish green 
marshy border, disappearing up the 
river vista with its beautiful view of 
Gunsight Pass and its guarding peaks. 


NorrHern VIOLET-GREEN SwWALLow : 
Tachycineta thalassina lepida.—The 
swallows of the park need to be very 
carefully discriminated. The two with the brown breast are the barn 
swallow with the long forked tail, and the cliff swallow with the light 
forehead and pale rufous rump, while the two that are snow white 
underneath are the tree swallow, with the steel-blue upperparts, and 
the violet-green swallow, whose green crown and back contrast 
sharply with the violet of the rump patch. The cliff swallow makes 
a retort-shaped mud nest, often hung from a cliff or roofing slab of 
rock, while the barn swallow makes a cup-shaped 
mud nest often attached as a wall pocket to a rafter 
ina barn. The tree and violet-green swallows nest 
in holes in trees, and the violet also in cliffs. As it 

will nest in knot holes and bird houses, it is one of 
From Handbook of Birds. = 
 gollares evel. the birds that may be attracted by offers of hospi- 
Moire tality. It would be worth while trying to attract 
it by bird houses at Lake McDonald, as it has recently been found on 
McDonald Creek. 

Bank Swatiow: Riparia riparia riparia (?)—Like the tree and 
violet-green, the bank swallow is white underneath, but it has a dark 
band across the chest that distinguishes it, and it nests in colonies in 
banks such as railroad cuts or creek embankments. A nesting colony 
has been reported by Mr. Gibb from the Swiftcurrent, probably of 


From Biological Survey. 


Fic. 81.—Barn swallow. 


182 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


bank swallows, although the unmarked, gray-breasted, rough-winged 
swallow also nests in colonies. Both the rough-winged and the bank 
are without the iridescent colors of the other swallows. 


Family BOMBYCILLIDA: Waxwings. 


Bouemian Waxwine: Bombycilla garrula pallidiceps.—The fawn- 
colored, high-crested Bohemian waxwing, which breeds from Alaska 
to the northwestern border of the United States, should be looked 
for in the park. It may easily be told from the cedar waxwing, 
which breeds at 
the lower levels, by 
its larger size, 
brown forehead, 
and yellow and 
white wing mark- 
ings, but it also has 
the waxy red wing 
appendages and the 
yellow tail band of 
the cedar waxwing. 
One of the distin- 
guished looking 
birds was seen by 
us July 18 in the 
firs below the Gran- 
ite Park chalet. 

During migra- 
tion, in 1887, Dr. 
Grinnell found the 
Bohemians going 
about in close flocks 
of from 20 to 100, 
and extremely 
abundant about 
the St. Mary Lakes. 
He says: “Scarcely 
a day passed without one or more flocks being seen. They ap- 
peared to prefer the mountain side to the valley, though flocks 
were seen a number of times among the firs and spruces of the 
Inlet Flat.” 


Crpar Waxwine: Bombycilla cedrorum.—tin the bottoms of the 
Upper St.Mary Lake, where the tree swallows were nesting, the 
“beady note” of the waxwing was heard July 22, and one was discoy- 


aay 


ered apparently feeding young. On the Swiftcurrent, August 6, grown 


ba 


From Handbook of Western Birds. (Ernest Thompson Seton.) 


Fie. 83.—Cedar waxwing. 


BIRDS. 183 


young were seen with their parents in the willow thickets of the bot- 
tom eating black honeysuckle berries. Im the Belly River country 
they were frequently seen, and they were also found in the Waterton 
Lake Valley and at Lake McDonald. 


Family LANIID: Shrikes. 


Wuirtr-rumpep Surike: Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides.—Sev- 
eral times in the fall of 1887 Dr. Grinnell saw the white-rumped 
shrike—with hooked bill, black eye stripe, slaty upperparts, and 
black and white wings and tail—on the Upper St. Mary Lake and in 
the valley of the St. Mary River. 


Family VIREONIDZ: Vireos. 


Western Wareiine Vireo: Vireosylva gilva swainsont.—The low 
pleasing round of the little olive-drab vireo was frequently heard 
in the willow thickets along watercourses in the park—at Glacier 
Park Hotel, St. Mary Lake, Swiftcurrent Creek Flats, Gunsight 
Lake, Crossley Lake, Belly River, and Lake McDonald. 


Family MNIOTILTID4: Wood Warblers. 


Brack anp Wuritrse Warsier: I/niotilta varia—A black and white 
striped Mniotilta was seen, August 26, creeping over the trunks and 
branches at Lake McDonald, and Mr. Bryant is sure that he has seen 
the bird on the North Fork of the Flathead. 

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER: Vermivora celata orestera—A number 
of the dull olive-green orange-crowned warblers were seen, August 
92, in a chaparral basin on the Kootenai Trail with a fall flock of 
migrants, and others were seen a week later in several places in the 
vicinity of McDonald Lake. 

Yettow Wareier: Dendroica ewstiva estivan—Yellow warblers, 
their underparts streaked with rufous, were found in willowy and 
brushy thickets at Glacier Park, the Swift- 
current Flats, Upper St. Mary Lake, Belly 
River, and Lake McDonald. In 1895 
Messrs. Bailey and Howell found a nest 
just completed on June 12. 


Avpuson Warsier: Dendroica audubont 
auduboni.—The handsome Audubon, which 
in flying from you flashes a bright yellow 
rump patch and when hunting for insects 
near by shows his yellow throat patch and _ From Biological Survey. 
black, yellow, and white under markings, Hic Steuben warbler, 
is one of the most abundant and conspicuous warblers of the Glacier 
Park forests. In gathering insects for his young he goes about 


184. WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


rapidly and capably, covering a great deal of ground from the dead 
tree tops down, jerking out his flat quip’ with a preoccupied air, or, as 
he looks up and around, sometimes stopping to sing his loud warbler 
chwee-chwee-chwee or swee-swee-swee, swec-ah, swee-ah, swee-ah, 
swee, but keeping on with his work till his bill fairly bristles with 
insects, and the voices of young birds are heard from back among 
the dense spruces. 

During the migrations, Mr. Bryant says, the Audubon warblers 
pass through the North Fork of the Flathead Valley “in immense 
numbers.” 

Townsend Warpter: Dendroica townsendi—On the trail from 
Many Glaciers to Iceberg Lake the middle of July, high in the 
spruce and fir tops, both going and 
coming, I heard a faint warbler song 
with a drawled quality suggesting the 
eastern black-throated green, the near- 
est of kin to the Townsend. At Gran- 
ite Park the same song was heard and 
a small warbler was seen flying out. 
of a high tree top. Late in August, 
warblers taken for Townsends were 
seen on the Kootenai Trail, and at Lake 
McDonald about half a dozen were seen in the willows bordering a 
small pond, near enough to see their handsome yellow and black 
markings; while on the Camas Lake trail a number of others were 
seen in a fall flock of wandering migrants. 


From Handbook of Western Birds. (Fuertes.) 
Fic. 85.—Townsend warbler. 


GrInNELL Warer-rurusH: Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis— 
When at Lake McDonald the last of August, we followed along 
the shore toward McDonald Creek till we came to a small pond 
formed by a trickling woodland brook, where two red-tailed Audu- 
bon thrushes stopped us. Along the marshy edge of the pond, 
in the soft brown earth, we discovered fresh tracks of deer and 
bear, which had gone down to the still pool to drink. As the 
woods were dark, the passing birds had gathered in the sunny wil- 
lows on the opposite side of the pond, making such a busy throng 
that we sat down on a log under concealing branches to watch them. 
Bright yellow, black-capped warblers were whipping about; quiet, 
dull yellow, orange-crowned warblers were quietly hunting; and a 
sudden flash of salmon made us exclaim, “ Redstart!” The drawl 
of a Swainson vireo called our attention to a small leaf-colored bird 
with neck outstretched hunting painstakingly for measure worms; 
little gay outbursts came from the warblers in the willows, and when 


rr 


PROPER Tc ee 


BIRDS. 185 


the woods had been resounding with the phec’-be-be and tsche’-de-de 
tsche’-de-de of chickadees, a band of the cheery birds flew in, possess- 
ing the bushes. Then came a party of bright Townsend warblers with 
yellow cheeks, black eyelines, and green backs, keeping us busy watch- 
ing them, now disappearing and then reappearing among the green 
leaves. Siskins and crossbills flew overhead calling, and occasionally 
the small voice of a Batchelder downy woodpecker or the remote 
henk-henk-henk-henk of a distant nuthatch were heard from inside 
the woods. Suddenly an exclamation came from Mr. Bailey, with 
glass focused on the willow border of the pond: “ A Grinnell water- 
thrush!” We had been talking of the rare bird and hoping to see 
it, and here it was at last. Named for the ornithologist whose early 
exploration of the park had affixed his name to so many of the noble 
landscape features, this seemed indeed an appropriate place to find 
it, as I did now for the first time. Like its eastern relatives, the dark- 
backed bird, with streaked throat and breast and a dingy line over 
the eye, walked deliberately along the brown bank under the willows, 
teetering and dipping its tail according to the best water-thrush 
traditions; and then, perhaps, feeling itself too much the center of 
attention, disappeared in the dark thicket. 

Happening to glance up along one side of the pond, I started, for 
there was a black bear coming leisurely along toward us! Entirely 
oblivious of our presence, he stopped beside a tall serviceberry bush 
on the edge of the pond and, raising up on his hind legs, pulled down 
the branches with his paws and proceeded to eat the delectable 
berries. Then, perhaps discovering us, he turned and, instead of 
coming on down the beach, waded, with low hind quarters, across 
the pond and disappeared in the thicket on the other side. As he went 
he flushed the water-thrush, which came hurriedly flying across the 
water, past us and off through the trees. Whata rare secluded retreat 
we had happened on! Here at last we had seen the water-thrush and 
the warblers we had barely met in passing, and here at last we had 
found not only the usual woodland tracks but a maker of tracks, 
an actual denizen of the forest in one of his own quiet haunts. As 
we regretfully left the little pond in the woods, Mr. Bailey pointed 
out a beaver-cut tree and moose tracks—probably those of a moose 
that had been seen swimming the lake not long before. We had, 
indeed, chanced on a rarely favored drinking pool with its wildwood 
privacy ! 

Up the beach a short distance we came to McDonald Creek, and 
near its waterfall found the old nests of water ouzels, while over 
the rapids we watched the family of harlequin ducks riding; after 
which we cut across through beautiful hemlock forest back to the 


186 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, 


hotel trail. The woods were still—not a breath stirred the leaves, 
not a sound broke the silence, and patches of ight lay unmoved on 
the tree trunks. Looking down we found we were following pointed 
tracks—a deer had been along the trail since we went up! A red- 
letter day, indeed, was that on which we discovered the Grinnell 
water-thrush ! 

Macermuivray Warsrer: Oporornis tolmiei—The Macgillivray, 
with his slaty head and neck, bright yellow underparts, and olive- 
green back is one of the most abundant birds 
of the park, his leisurely rather throaty 
tur-tur-tur-turty-tah being heard not only 
from the willow thickets but from the chapar- 
ral of the mountain slopes. The songster may 
sometimes be discovered throwing back his 
head to sing from the tip of an evergreen 
spire, and sometimes caught giving a delight- 
ful flight song over the bushes. 


From Handbook of Birds. (Fuertes.) 


Fic. 86.—Macgillivray =) z . 
a ebIew Western YeLLow-ruroat: Geothlypis 


trichas occidentalis —During the nesting sea- 
son the witch-awee’, witch-awee’, witch-awee’ of the yellow-throat 
was heard from the willows near the tepees on Lake McDermott. 
and, by quietly watching, the busy songster with black mask, yellow 
breast, and olive back was caught sight of in passing. 

Below McDermott Falls, in a willow and spruce thicket protected 
from the wind by a high mountain wall, where fragrant ladies’ tresses 
and pink castillejas brightened the ground, the birds of the neighbor- 
hood—yellow warblers, white-crowned spar- 
rows, Swainson vireos, ruby kinglets, Mac- 
gillivray warblers, and yellow-throats—were 
gathered one sunny morning holding a merry 
concert. The yellow-throat brought out all 
his best variations—wree-cha-ree’, wree-cha- 
ree’, wrec-cha-ree’, witch-awee-witch’, witch- 2 
awee-witch’, and witch-awee-witch’ ah. From Handbook of Birds. (Fuertes.) 

Below St. Mary Chalet, late in July, a reeyh cn yellows 
yellow-throat was seen carrying food, and 5 
as late as August one was seen giving his flight song over the 
willows. 


Priteotatep Warsier: Wilsonia pusilla pileolata—The jaunty lit- 
tle black-capped yellow warblers were found in the bushes in a num- 
ber of places, notably at Glacier Park, Swiftcurrent Flats, Gunsight 
Lake, Waterton Valley, the Kootenai Trail, and Lake McDonald. 
One was seen July 13, at Lake McDermott, carrying food. 


BIRDS. 187 


Repstarr: Setophaga ruticilla—Mr. Bryant records the redstart 
from the North Fork of the Flathead, and in 1895 Messrs. Bailey 
and Howell saw several males at the St. Mary Lakes. 

In a country where they are uncommon the sudden sight of a 
striking bird like the black and orange redstart, with its long, fan- 
tail, seems an experience worth recording. We saw three—one at 
Glacier Park, one near the Reynolds cabin in the Waterton Valley, 
and one at Lake McDonald, each bringing the thrill of surprise and 
pleasure of an unexpected meeting with an old friend. 


Family MOTACILLIDE: Wagtails. 


Pierr: Anthus spinoletta rubescens.—On the timberline slopes of 
the park, stony and flower strewn, in company with the leucosticte and 
ptarmigan, one finds the pipit, smaller and more slender than the rosy 
finch, and without his charming touches of color, but a hardy little 
mountain friend for all of that, with a dull brownish suit to protect 
him from enemies, and white enough on the outer edge of his dark 
square tail to help his family follow his fhght. Better known when he 
is going about in flocks on the lowlands in the migrations and winter 
months, he may be recognized on his Arctic Alpine breeding grounds 
by his deliberate walk, his habit of tipping his tail, and occasionally 
nodding his head, and also by his plaintive /c’-we and cheep’-ep, 
uttered as he flies about, buffeted by a wind often too strong to stand 
against, and which sometimes blows him back against a snowbank. 

A record of one’s meetings with Anthus becomes a record of the 
peaks and passes visited, for while both ptarmigan and leucosticte are 
often overlooked on hurried visits, Anthus is generally in evidence. 
We found old ones feeding young at Siveh Pass, Gunsight Pass, 
Piegan Pass, and Kootenai Pass, and saw them flying around on the 
slopes adjoining Blackfeet Glacier. Dr. Grinnell, in the St. Mary 
Lakes region, found them also on Flat Top, Goat Mountain, and Red 
Eagle Mountain. 

Sometimes the pipits were found flying about over bare steep slide 
rock; once they kept me waiting for a long time on the edge of a can- 
yon, flying from rock to rock, one of them finally eating up the in- 
sects it had gathered rather than show me the hiding place of its 
brood. On Gunsight Pass, where siskins flew overhead and leu- 
costictes called around the peaks, the broken faces of strata regis- 
tered the titanic convulsions of geologic ages, but the gentle hand 
of time had lain disguising carpets of heather and moss and dwarf 
firs, and conies squeaked from the interstices of coarse rock slides. 
Here the familiar voice of the pipit was heard from rock masses 
above and below, and round about us we discovered the little forms 


188 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


of well-grown young—yellowish-breasted young that tilted their tails 
like their parents, but still had a decided air of staying where they 
were put—an air whose reasom was explained when their business- 
like, knowing parents quietly whisked them out of danger’s way. 


Family CINCLIDZ: Dippers. 


Warer OvzeL: Cinclus mexicanus wnicolor.—The water ouzel, also 
called dipper from its wren-like habit of bobbing or dipping, one of 
the most remarkable birds of the West, can be easily watched at its 
nest by even the hurried visitor to the park. From the bridge over 


Photo. by J. Rowley. Courtesy of Bird-Lore. 
Fic. 88.—Water ouzel at entrance to nest. 


the Swiftcurrent—only a few steps from Many Glaciers Hotel— 
where trains of saddle horses and automobile stages go rushing by, a 
pair of the short-tailed gray “ water wrens” were seen flying swiftly 
low over the water on their way back and forth between their feed- 
ing grounds along the lake above and their nest at the foot of the 
waterfall below. And from the top of the gorge, marking the his- 


PLATE XXXIV. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park, 


“AGISNI DNNOA OML HLIM LSAN S.13ZNO YALVM OGVYOT1O0S V 


‘UStN “M “H Aq ‘0100 


189 


toric Lewis Overthrust Fault of the map, the ouzel was watched 
through the glass flying down over the white roaring waterfall, turn- 
ing a shielding point of rock, and buzzing like a hummingbird in 
front of a ledge before the open mouth of a domed mossy nest from 
which, with a noisy welcome, widely gaping yellow bills reached 
down to be fed. Then off like a flash, the eager parent flew over 
the frothing swirling water and through the wind-blown spray back 
up the tumbling falls to its hunting ground on the lake above, 

When tired perhaps by strenuously climbing waterfalls, one of 
the pair went hunting below along the bank of the creek, and 
an observer new to water ouzels and their strange ways, catching 
the enthusiasm of first-hand knowledge, exclaimed excitedly, “ Ze 
went right down under water! He went down under water!” When, 
lured by some tempting morsel at the bottom of the creek, the little 
water wren, secure in his oilskin suit, does go below in this way, he 
often swims along a bit before coming up, though boasting no 
webbed feet to paddle with. A commoner “stunt” is to stand on a 
rock—like the large one in the middle of Swiftcurrent facing his 
nest, which holds a basin of water—and plunge his head in up to 
his body, giving an amusing headless horseman effect. 

At this time of year he had little need to hunt under water, for 
banks and shores and ledges were fairly alive with caddice flies just 
coming out of their cases, and we could see long wings in the bills 
of the parents. The family providers had long hours to work here 
in the north where daylight lasts so late. One was actually seen 
taking food to the nest at 9 o’clock at night. And by 6—and no 
one knows how much earlier—the pair were at work again the next 
morning. When the sur first came into the cold gorge of the glacial 
stream, the father of the family, sitting on the rock in the middle 
of the creek, burst into song and sang jubilantly for some time, 
but then stopped short and began the work of his long busy day. 

When the sun got in far enough to light up the nest the picture 
from the bottom of the gorge facing it was a pretty one, though the 
strong draft sweeping through shook the legs of the tripod disas- 
trously, and the dashing spray clouded the lens. The mossy nest, 
resting on a narrow shelf several feet above the roaring stream, was 
securely wedged in under a roofing ledge. Dark mosses growing 
over the ledges and small bright green ferns on either side of the 
nest itself added to the attractiveness of the picture. What a home 
the little water wrens had chosen! How they must love the rush 
and roar of water, the exhilaration of wind-blown spray, the music 
of the cascades, and the privacy of their rainbow-arched gorge beyond 
whose white waterfalls looms the noble head of Grinnell Mountain 
under resplendent clouds! 


190 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


But what would happen to the young when they left the nest? 
Would they fall into the frothing, swirling torrent and be washed 
downstream? Their parents had no such anxieties. Ledges and cay- 
erns that seemed fairly neghgible from the top of the gorge, from 
below proved veritable mammoth caves for exploration by fledgelings. 
And if a too-venturesome one went too close to the water, a thud of 
spray on its back taught it a lesson. 

Another ouzel’s nest, this time about 30 feet above the creek on 
the ledges besides Baring Falls, was one of the prime interests of 
visitors to Going-to-the-sun Camp, and while the nest itself was pro- 
tected from the too curious by the heavy spray of the cataract, in 
going to and from it the ouzels sometimes—as on the occasion of the 
visit of the Howard Eaton party—had to run the gauntlet of a long 
row of spectators. 

After the nesting season two nests were found near the falls of 
McDonald Creek where the harlequins rode the rapids. Ouzels were 
seen flying up the beautiful waterfall—split by red rocks—just off 
the Granite Park trail, and they probably had a nest at its foot. In 
a number of other places in the park the birds were seen in passing, 
either about falls or flying swiftly up or down mountain streams. 
They were so busy feeding young that their song was seldom heard; 
but it is a delightful one, that should be carefully listened for, and 
that may be heard in the park in winter. 

In writing of winter experiences with the ouzels Mr. Higginson 
says: “I very much doubt if the weather ever comes that drives these 
birds to take shelter. On a day in January, with the thermometer 
at 85° below zero and everything combining to make the weather 
unbearable, I heard one of these birds, and looking out discovered 
him sitting on a little rock in the middle of an icy mountain stream 
pouring forth his song at the very top of his little lungs. Many 
people do not know what a sweet song the dipper possesses, as sweet 
a strain as one often hears, poured out with all the subdued energy 
of the winter wren, whose song it sometimes resembles.” 

The hardy little musicians are early builders. On April 21, 1918, 
Mr. Bailey found a pair carrying building material under the Fish 
Creek log bridge near Lake McDonald, and the next day found a pair 
lining their nearly completed nest in a niche of the rock wall below 
the falls on McDonald Creek, where he had found two old nests the 
previous summer. 


Family MIMID: Mockingbirds, Catbirds, etc. 


Catsmp: Dumetella carolinensis—At the upper St. Mary Lake, 
July 21, when looking for new and strange harlequin ducks, I was 
surprised to come face to face with a homelike catbird, with slate- 


PLATE XXXV. 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. 


ieties. 


ssociation of Audubon Soci 


al A: 


Courtesy of Nation: 


CATBIRDS AT NEST. 


BIRDS. 191 


gray body and black crown and tail, sitting in the bushes on the 
lake shore, looking conscious of observation, but unafraid. 

The bird has been seen by Mr. Bryant, both in the park and on the 
Flathead, and in June, 1895, Messrs. Bailey and Howell reported one 
or two seen on Willow Creek near the Blackfeet Agency, now Brown- 
ing. 

Family TROGLODYTID: Wrens. 


Rock Wren: Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus—Al|though the rock 
wren is mainly a bird of warmer zones, it has been reported by so 
many observers that it should be sharply looked for. Its wrennish 
figure and graduated tail with subterminal band of black, held like 
a spread fan tilted up at its back, are enough to identify it. 

Dr. Grinnell writes me that he has an impression that he has seen 
it on the east side of the park, and the botanist, Mr. Marcus E. Jones, 
unqualifiedly records seeing it “among the rocks.” Mr. Bryant has 
never collected it, but feels confident 
that he has seen it, as do Mr. Gibb 
and Mr. Gird. 

Western House Wren: Troglo- 
dytes aédon parkmani—The house 
wren was found August 5 on Swift- 
current Creek, a mile below Many 
Glaciers, singing volubly and acting 
interested in a hole in a stub. Mr. 
Gibb says a number of the wrens are 
seen around Lewis’s on Lake Mc- 
Donald. 

Western WINTER WrEN: Nannus From Handbook of Western Birds, 
hiemalis pacificus—Along the Gun- _—-¥16- 89. Western house wren. 
sight Trail we heard the tinkling song of the little bobtailed winter 
wren coming from a dark thicket in the mossy woods; and again at. 
Wall Lake, before a thunderstorm had cleared, the gloom of the well- 
like cirque and its black water bordered by dark spruce woods was 
relieved by the sprightly song of the jolly little wren. 

But not until we were following the bear-tracked Kootenai trail 
through the dark Engelmann spruce forest did we get our first sight 
of the brown mite. On the trail beside some fallen logs we were ar- 
rested by its “ watch-winding” scold, as Mr. Bailey expressed it, 
and discovered a pair of old wrens with stubby tails up over their 
backs, and one fuzzy-headed, yellow-gaped youngster just out of the 
nest. With quivering wings and twitching tail, the parent on guard 
scolded around in nervous solicitude, not daring to call attention to 
the youngster by feeding it even when food was brought. Occasion- 


16 


51140°—18 


192 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


ally the two-syllabled ¢a-tib’ was given, but generally it was the long 
scolding chatter. When finally relieved of our presence the parents 
expressed their feelings in various low notes followed by their sweet 
tinkling song. The nest of the wrens is described by Mr. Stevenson 
as “a small oven made of moss on the side of a rotten log.” 

One of the winter wrens was seen by Mr. Gibb in July on Lake 
Josephine, and Mr. Bryant, of California, when in the park heard 
them in many places and found them “ much in evidence along Lake 
McDonald and McDonald Creek.” Mr. E. S. Bryant says they are 
common all winter. 

In April, 1918, Mr. Bailey found them “singing in many places 
along the way,” up the North Fork of the Flathead, and says: “ One 
was living under some logs of the road grade on the Fish Creek hill, 
where four feet of snow covered his dark, cold den. He would come 
out and bubble away as if the flowers were blooming, then dive back 
into the black caverns under the snow bank.” 


Photograph by R. B. Rockwell. 
Fic. 90.—Young Rocky Mountain nuthatches. 


Family CERTHIID: Creepers. 


Rocky Mountatn Creeper: Certhia familiaris montana—The 
little bark-colored creeper, rocking up to the top of one tree trunk 
and then flying down to the foot of another to start over again in his 
search for bark insects, may be easily overlooked in the dense coni- 
ferous forest; but his small beady note on the order of the wax- 
wings, when once heard will readily place him. Only one was seen, 
but a number were heard during the summer in various parts of the 
park. 

Family SITTIDZ: Nuthatches. 


Rocky Mountain Nurnmarcnu: Sitta carolinensis nelsont—The 
small short-tailed bluish gray bird with black crown and plain white 


BIRDS. 193 


cheeks, seen walking head down on the side of a tree trunk, was 
found on all sides of the park, notably at Many Glaciers, Going-to-the- 
sun Camp, Waterton Valley, Kootenai Trail, and Lake McDonald. 

It is less frequently seen than heard, its soft henk-henk-henk-henk, 
catching the ear from a distance. Sometimes it is only a flute-like 
hank that penetrates the woods, but it is redolent of balsamic odors 
and the still depths of the forest. 


Rep-sreastep Nutuatcr: Sitta canadensis.—The red-breasted nut- 
hatch with black and white stripes on the side of its head was seen, 
August 30, at Lake McDonald. 
Mr. Bryant, of California, found 
it there on July 18, and on Mc- 
Donald Creek July 31. In June, 
1895, Messrs. Bailey and Howell 
reported it from St. Mary Lake 
as “ quite common around camp.” 
In the winter of 1899-1900 Mr. 
Higginson found both it and the 
white-breasted around Stanton 
Lake, “more frequently on the 
highland.” 


Family PARIDZ: Titmice. 


Lonc-TaLeD CuicKkaDEE: Pen- 
thestes atricapillus septentrion- 
alis—As several species of chick- 
adees may be found in the park, 
the flocks should be examined 
carefully. The long-tailed, with 
its plain white cheeks and un- 
derparts and its pale gray back, 
was seen on Swiftcurrent Creek, 
Kootenai Trail, and Lake McDonald, families of grown young being 
found in the forest in many places, although the birds are more 
likely to breed in the partly open valleys. 

In April, 1918, Mr. Bailey found the long-tailed chickadees com- 
mon from Belton to the Kintla Lakes, especially along the willow 
bottoms. 

Mountarn Curcxaper: Penthestes gambeli gambeli—Mountain 
chickadees, easily recognized by the white line over the eye, are 
common in the park, so that their delightful and varied notes may be 
studied at will. In speaking of the birds around his winter camp 
at Stanton Lake, Mr. Higginson wrote, “Of course the chickadees 


Photograph by E. R. Warren. 
Fie. 91.—Long-tailed chickadee. 


194. WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


were our ever faithful neighbors during the winter. When other 
birds were in hiding, in cold or stormy weather, these little fellows 
would come around the camp 
and cheer us up with their inces- 
sant song.” 


CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEZ: 
Penthestes rufescens rufescens 
(?).—In the dense cedar, tama- 
rack, and hemlock woods border- 
ing Lake McDonald, August 26, 
we saw what, with the unsatisfac- 
tory glhmpses vouchsafed us, ap- 
peared to be the chestnut-backed, 
with top and back of head hair- 
brown, and back, sides, and flanks 
dark reddish brown. 


Family SYLVIID: Kinglets, etc. 


WESTERN GOLDEN-CROWNED 
Kineter: Regulus satrapa oliva- 
ceus.—On the park side of the 
North Fork of the Flathead at 
Belton, August 31, a  golden- 
crowned kinglet was seen with a 
flock of chickadees, and at Stanton 
Lake Mr. Higginson found one or more with every flock of chicka- 
dees. A few kinglets were seen by Mr. Bailey on April 16, 1918, at 
Kintla Lake. Dr. Grinnell says that he has seen them a number of 
times on the east side of the park. 


Photograph by E. R. Warren. 
Fic. 92.—Mountain chickadee. 


Rusy-crownep Kinerer: Corthylio calendula calendula—Fre- 
quently heard among the firs and spruces of the park, the rippling, 
charming song of the ruby kinglet, often given sotto voce, sometimes 
suggests the reading, “ Rowndelay, roundelay, rowndelay, cheery, 
cheery, cheery, cheery, cheer,’ ending with a tsche-da, tsche-da, 
tsche-da. 

When the lovely tripping song had been heard a great deal on the 
east side of Lake Josephine, on going along the west side of Lake 
McDermott one morning I caught sight of a little green woodlander 
with big eyes and a scarlet cap on his head, standing in a spruce near 
the trail. At the same time he caught sight of me, and after flutter- 
ing his wings and giving a few chattering notes, stopped short. 
Wanting to sing, he started with the first merry notes, but, remember- 
ing me, changed to a worried call—a single, rich, throaty note that he 


BIRDS. 195 


kept repeating for some time. Then, as I looked on quietly and unob- 
trusively, he apparently dismissed me from his mind and went about 
hunting insects. When he had gathered so many that they showed 
in his bill he could contain himself no longer and burst out with his 
gay, light-hearted round—Az-oh, hi-oh, hi-oh, hi-oh, hi. 

At Gunsight Lake, the last of July, I happened on a family of very 
spruce-looking, recently fledged little kings whose busy, harried 
mother looked as if she had not had time to plume herself. A 
month later, when family cares were over for the year, at Lake 
McDonald a ruby was seen going about with a flock of chickadees 
and warblers, again singing snatches of his carefree, light-hearted 
song. 

Family TURDIDZ: Thrushes, Solitaires, Bluebirds, etc. 


TownsenpD Souirarre: I/yadestes townsendi.—The solitaire—a gray 
bird a little smaller than a mockingbird, with a very short bill, in 
flight showing a line down the wing—was seen a number of times 
in the park. As I had generally seen the solitaires high up on the 
mountains I was surprised to discover one sitting in a tree a few 
yards from the back of Many Glaciers Hotel. While I stared he 
flew down on the edge of the lake looking about with utmost com- 
posure. The same one, as I imagined, was seen several times at the 
tepee end of the lake, and one day in the middle of July there were 
two evidently getting focd, as they flew low and then returned to the 
tree tops; but though I looked carefully for young and followed 
when they left, they quickly disappeared ahead of me in the dense 
forest. At all our meetings they had maintained strict silence—ex- 
cept for a rich call note suggesting the rare quality of their song— 
the silence, as I interpreted it, of parents guarding young. But on 
July 24, near Going-to-the-Sun Camp, one of the birds, apparently 
accompanied by grown young, sang soft broken snatches of song that 
made me long to hear again the full rhapsody of the mountain tops. 
My only other meeting with the rare songster was at Crossley Lake, 
when, silent and flitting, he stopped for a few moments in the top 
of a lodgepole pine on the moraine above the lake. In the nesting 
season of 1895 a pair were found above timberline near Midvale. 

Wunow Turusu: Hylocichla fuscescens salicicola—The pale buffy 
chest with its triangular spots, together with the uniform olive brown 
of the upper parts, identify the willow thrush when seen; but, like 
all the thrushes, quiet brown-backed birds of the woodland, in a coun- 
try of dense forest growth he is very difficult to see. His calls, among 
them the familiar bleat and the appealing whee’ you of his eastern 
congener, the veery, were apparently heard in the willow thickets of 
the lower part of the park, and Mr. Bryant, of California, reported 
hearing the songs at Lake McDonald and St. Mary Lake. The exqui- 


196 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


site song of the fuscescens has been described as a series of descending 
silver rings, but that only gives a hint of its rare quality and charm. 

Ouive-Backep Turusu: LHylocichla ustulata swainsoni.—The olive- 
backed—distinguished from the willow by its bright buffy throat, its 
more heavily marked breast, and especially by its buffy cheeks and 
eye ring—and distinguished from the red-tailed Audubon hermit 
by having the tail nearly the same color as the back, is said, by 
Mr. Bryant, to breed in the park. A nest that we took for a swain- 
soni was found near Glenn Lake, in a small balsam about 10 feet 
from the ground, and was loosely made of soft black and green 
bearded lichens, moss, and grass, lined with lichen. It contained one 
young bird and one dull-green egg lightly spotted with brownish. 

The loud beautiful song of the olive-back whose effect, as it is 
said, “is much enhanced by the evening hush in which it is most often 
heard,” must be listened to carefully to distinguish it from that of 
the Audubon hermit. Not only do its cadences ascend rather than 
descend, but, as Dr. Jonathan Dwight describes the song, it “lacks 
the leisurely sweetness of the hermit thrush’s outpourings, nor is 
there pause, but in lower key and with greater energy it bubbles on 
rapidly to a close rather than fading out with the soft melody of its 
renowned rival.” 


Avupuson Hermit Turusu: Hylocichla guttata auduboni—Two 
Audubon thrushes seen at the Grinnell water-thrush pond on Lake 
McDonald close enough for a distinct view of their diagnostic reddish 
brown tails, were probably migrants, but four others were seen or 
heard during the nesting season, two of them close enough for iden- 
tification. 

The songs heard were, curiously enough, associated with particu- 
larly impressive mountain views. On the trail to Iceberg Lake, when 
we had been slowly climbing up through the dark forest of close-set 
shagey firs and spruces, with only an occasional sunbeam lighting up 
a green fern bed, a patch of lemon yellow lichen, or a clump of 
magenta Mimulus, suddenly, at a turn, we rode out of the shadowed 
forest and looked across a great space upon the Swiftcurrent glacier 
and the noble peak of Grinnell Mountain. As we gazed, spellbound, 
at the landscape, over our heads came the thrilling, exalted song of 
the Audubon hermit, unheard before in the mountains, with its sub- 
limated refrain—“High above you, high above you.” Farther along 
the trail, when once more we rode out of the shadowed forest for our 
first inspiring view of the uplifted head of Mount Wilbur and the 
glacier above Glacier Lake, we were again thrilled by the exalted 
song with its cool, serene notes—“ [Tigh above you, high above you.” 

Western Rosin: Planesticus migratorius propinquus,—Familar 
homelike robins, practically indistinguishable from the eastern, were 
nesting on beams under the eaves at Glacier Park Hotel and at Many 


Tanai adlipn net aeame Cd 
pee mere he F424 


- += eee 


Wild Animals Glacier Park. PLATE XXXVI 


SS 


From Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 


NORTHERN VARIED THRUSH. 


BIRDS. 197 


Glaciers, and they are said to nest commonly in suitable localities 
throughout the park. 

Some of the robins winter as far north as southern British Colum- 
bia, and from April 9-19, 1918, Mr. Bailey found them common from 
Belton up through the North Fork valley, especially from Dutch 
Creek to Big Prairie. “At Adair’s ranch they were numerous, and 
busy hunting worms in the meadow and singing from the tree tops.” 

Norrngern Variep Turusu: /voreus nevius meruloides—The va- 
ried thrush, whose size and rusty brown breast might suggest a rusty 
robin with a black necklace, was seen or heard in a number of places 


Photograph by E. R. Warren. 


Fic. 93.—Western robin. 

during the nesting season; and Mr. Bryant says it winters half way 
up the mountains, in the heavy timber near open water or springs, 
where it can doubtless find berries, such as mountain ash, high-bush 
cranberry, and yew. On April 9, 1918, Mr. Bailey found varied 
thrushes singing on both sides of the river at Belton, and during the 
next two weeks found them around Lake McDonald and at various 
points along the North Fork nearly to Kintla Creek, their long 
thrilling note often coming from deep woods where there was still 
two or three feet of snow. 

In August, on the Kootenai Trail near the home of the winter 
wren family, a spotted-breasted young varied thrush was seen in a 


198 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


spruce, and a whistled call brought a response of rare unmistakable 
quality from its parent. And once on the south side of Lake Jo- 
sephine my ear caught the famous note that holds the rapt sublima- 
tion of the songs of all the thrushes. It was only given twice, but 
that was enough to thrill me with the knowledge that the rare 
musicians were in the park. 

At the head of Grinnell Lake in July, after leaving our saddle 
horses at a large snowbank, I followed along the shore until I dis- 
covered a diving golden-eye. While quietly watching her, the voice of 
a varied thrush was heard, and soon two of the birds flew swiftly 
down through the evergreens, so close to me that I could see their 
brown, collared breasts. Another interval of silence and from the 
trees almost over my head came the split, vibrant note, later followed 
by a soft tinkling note as of birds undisturbed in their home. And 
what an ideal place for the Alaska mountain dweller—on the spruce- 
clad wall overlooking the milky glacial lake, with the notes of nut- 
crackers given in passing over from the peaks! Weeks passed before 
I was able to return to the home of the varied thrush, but then, on 
the way back from Gunsight and Piegan Pass, as I rode down into 
the beautiful secluded gulch beside Grinnell Glacier, the vibrant 
swelling note caught my waiting ear. Dismounting and answering 
each call as it came—now the split note and now the long swelling 
note—I followed the direction of the sound till I stood at the foot 
of a noble brotherhood of dark-green, high-pointed spruces, from 
which the rare song came. On recounting the circumstance to Dr. 
Grinnell soon after, when he was visiting one of our camps, he 
told me that he had found the varied thrushes in that very same 
gulch, as he remembered, some twenty-six years before, many years 
before the park had been established ! 

Tn still another of nature’s secluded chambers was the note of the 
varied thrush heard—in the amphitheater of Iceberg Lake, where 
the presence of man seemed an intrusion and the sublimed voice of 
the bird in rare harmony. Silenced by the arrival of the horse trains, 
only one note was given, but a quiet walker who had preceded us said 
that before we came the thrush had been singing marvelously. 


Mountain Buvesirp: Stalia currucoides.—Like its eastern relative, 
a bird of the open, the mountain bluebird, associated with the beauti- 
ful mountain parks and meadows of the West, in Glacier Park is 
found in the open lower margins, such as the region of St. Mary Lake 
and the North Fork of the Flathead. 

Some of the pleasantest experiences of the summer, which was 
filled with delightful incidents, were at Glacier Park Hotel, at the 


BIRDS. 199 


entrance to the park, for there, be- 
sides being welcomed by the rich 
song of a thrush coming from the 
willow. thickets under our win- 
dows and hearing the homelike 
notes of nesting robins, we found 
a pair of the exquisitely tinted 
mountain bluebirds, most beautiful 
of all the lovely bluebirds, actually 
nesting in an old woodpecker hole 
in one of the great yellow-pine pil- 
lars of the hotel. How touching 
it seemed that the grand old tree, 
felled in its might and carried 
far from its forest home, had 
brought shelter for the gentle 
pair, helpless to excavate a nest 
of their own and otherwise unpro- 
vided! A pretty sight the father 
bluebird made sitting on a beam 
close to the nest while the mother 
brooded inside. 

At Many Glaciers nature had 
made no such kindly provision for 
the bluebirds, and, as the slen- 
der young trees around the hotel 
offered no natural nesting boxes 
and man had failed to supply the 
deficiency, a pair seeking the shel- 
ter and protection of the hotel 
were sorely put to it. At last, 
trying to forget family traditions, 
they built on a rafter at the end of 
the piazza, over the heads of the 
hotel guests promenading back 
and forth enjoying the wonderful 
views of the mountains reflected in 
the lake. Shy and nervous in such 
an unnatural position, the gentle 
birds made a pathetic appeal for 
hospitality; and how well they 
would repay it, numbered as they 


SSS 


are among the loveliest birds Ol sean quoi eee 


the West! 


Fic. 94.—Mountain bluebird. 


A. 


Acanthis linaria linaria, 174. 
Accipiter cooperi, 146. 
velox, 146. 
Acteea, 56. 
Actitis macularia, 133. 
zEchmophorus occidentalis, 110. 
Aéronautes melanoleucus, 162. 
Agelaius pheeniceus fortis, 169. 
Aix sponsa, 120. 
Alaska longspur, 175. 
three-toed woodpecker, 158. 
Alaudidse, 165, 
Alcedinidse, 157. 


Alces americanus americanus, 31. 


Alders, 21. 
Amelanchier alnifolia, 95. 
American elk, 32. 

moose, 31. 
Anas platyrhyncha, 117. 
Anatide, 115. 
Anseres, 115. 
Antelope, prong-horned, 31. 
Anthus spinoletta rubescens, 187. 


Antilocapra americana americana, 31. 


Antilocapridex, 31. 
Aquila chrysaétos, 148. 
Archibuteo ferrugineus, 147. 
Archilochus alexandri, 162. 
Arctic-Alpine Zone, 23. 
towhee, 179. 
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, 95. 
Ardea herodias herodias, 131. 
Ardeidx, 129. 
Arenaria, 22. 
Arnica, golden, 21, 22. 
Asio flammeus flammeus, 154. 
Aspen, 20. 
Aster, golden, 22. 
prairie, 19. 
purple, 21. 
Astur gentilis striatulus, 147. 
Asyndesmus lewisi, 161. 


INDEX. 


Audubon hermit thrush, 196. 
warbler, 187. 
Avocet, 132. 


Badger, 91. 
Bald eagle, 149. 
Baldpate, 118. 
Balsam root, 19, 
dank swallow, 182. 
Barn swallow, 181. 
Barrow golden-eye, 122. 
Bartramia longicauda, 133. 
Bat, brown, 101, 
hoary, 101. 
long-legged, 100. 
silver-haired, 101. 
3atchelder woodpecker, 158. 
Bear, black, 91, 
cinnamon, 91. 
grizzly, 96. 
silvertip, 96, 
Bear-berry, 94. 
Bear grass, 21, 94. 
Bear paw, 21. 
Beaver, 64. 
Belted kingfisher, 157. 
Bighorn, 26. 
Birch, paper, 21. 
shrubby, 21. 
western, 20. 
Bison, 25. 
Bittern, 129. 
3itterroot, dwarf, 23, 
Black and white warbler, 183. 
Black-bellied plover, 134. 
Blackbird, Brewer, 170. 
redwing, thick-billed, 169. 
Black-chinned hummingbird, 162, 
Black-headed groshbeak, 179. 
jay, 165. 
Blazing star, 19. 
Blueberry, little red, 21, 


purple mountain, 21. 
201 


202 


Bluebird, mountain, 198, 
Bluebonnet, 19. 
Blue-winged teal, 119. 
Bobeat, northern, 82. 
30b-white, 135. 
S3ohemian waxwing, 182. 
Bombycilla cedrorum, 182. 

garrula pallidiceps, 182. 
Bombycillide, 182. 
Bonaparte gull, 114. 
Bonasa umbellus umbelloides, 137. 
Botaurus lentiginosus, 129. 
Branta canadensis canadensis, 127. 
3rewer blackbird, 170. 
Broad-tailed hummingbird, 163. 
Brown bat, 101. 
Brown-eyed Susan, 19, 
Brown woodchuck, 53. 
Bubonide, 154. 
Bubo virginianus occidentalis, 156. 

subarcticus, 156. 

Buffalo, 25. 
Buffalo berry, Canadian, 21, 
3uffle-head, 124. 
Bunting, lazuli, 180. 

snow, 175. 
Buteo borealis calurus, 147. 
Buteonide, 146. 
Buteo swainsoni, 147. 
Buttercup, 22, 23. 


GC. 


Calearius lapponicus alascensis, 175. 
ornatus, 175, 

Calliope hummingbird, 163. 

Callospermophilus | lateralls 

cens, 48. 

Camp bird, 166. 

Canachites franklini, 136. 

Canada goose, 127. 
lynx, 81. 

Canadian curlew, 134. 

Zone, 20. 

Canidee, 82. 

Canis latrans, 83. 
nebracensis, 88. 
nubilus, 82. 

Canvasback, 121. 

Carnivora, 79. 

Carpodacus cassini, 172. 

Cassin purple finch, 172. 

Castor canadensis canadensis, 64. 

Castoridee, 64. 


cineras- 


WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Catbird, 190. 
Cathartes aura septentrionalis, 145. 
Cathartide, 145. 
Ceanothus sanguineus, 20. 
Cedar waxwing, 182. 
Cedar, yellow, 21. 
Cerchneis sparveria phalna, 150, 
Certhia familiaris montana, 192. 
Certhiide, 192. 
Cervidee, 31. 
Cervus canadensis canadensis, 32. 
Chietura yauxi, 162. 
Charadriide, 134. 
Charitonetta albeola, 124. 
Chaulelasmus streperus, 118. 
Chen hyperborea hyperborea, 127. 
rossi, 127. 
Chestnut-backed chickadee, 194. 
Chestnut-collared Jongspur, 175. 
Chickadee, chestnut-backed, 194. 
long-tailed, 193. 
mountain, 193. 
Chipmunk, forest, 42. 
mountain, 42. 
yellow-bellied, 42. 
Chiroptera, 100. 
Chondestes grammacus strigatus, 176. 
Chordeiles minor hesperis, 161. 
Chordeilidx, 161. 
Cinclidee, 188. 
Cinclus mexicanus unicolor, 188. 
Cinnamon teal, 119. 
Cinquefoil, 22, 23. 
Circus cyaneus hudsonius, 146, 
Citellus columbianus, 45, 95. 
richardsoni, 49. 
tridecemlineatus pallidus, 50. 
Clangula islandica, 122. 
Clark crow, 167. 
nutcracker, 167. 
Clematis, 21. 
Cliff rat, 53. 
swallow, 180. 
Clintonia uniflora, 21, 
Coceyges, 157. 
Colaptes cafer collaris, 161. 
Colinus virginianus virginianus, 135. 
Columb, 145. 
Columbia ground squirrel, 45. 
Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, 145. 
Columbidee, 145. 
Columbine, dwarf blue, 23. 
yellow, 21. 
Colymbids, 110. 


INDEX. 


Colymbus auritus, 112. 
holbeelli, 111. 
nigricollis californicus, 112. 
Cony, 75. 
Cooper hawk, 146. 
Coot, 182. 
Cormorant, double-crested, 115. 
Corthylio calendula calendula, 194. 
Corvidse, 165. 
Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis, 167. 
corax sinuatus, 167. 
Cottonwood, black, 20. 
Cougar, 79. 
Cowbird, sagebrush, 169. 
Cow parsnip, 94. 
Coyote, northern, 83. 
Crane, sandhill, 131. 
Cratzegus douglasi, 95. 
Creeper, Rocky Mountain, 192. 
Crossbill, 173. 
white-winged, 173. 
Crow, Clark, 167. 
western, 167. 
Cryptoglaux acadica acadica, 155. 
funerea richardsoni, 154. 
Cuckoo, 157. 
Curlew, Canadian, 134. 
Currant, 21. 
Cyanocitta stelleri annectens, 165. 


D. 


Dafila acuta tzitzihoa, 120. 
Deer, mule, 33. 
white-tail, 35. 
Dendragapus obscurus richardsoni, 135. 
Dendroica estiva estiva, 183. 
auduboni auduboni, 183. 
townsendi, 184. 
Desert horned lark, 165. 
sparrow hawk, 149. 
Devil’s-club, 21. 
Diamond willow, 19. 
Dipper, 188. 
Dobson shrew, 99. 
Dogtooth violet, 21, 22, 47, 94. 
Double-crested cormorant, 165. 
Dove, western mourning, 145. 
Drummond meadow mouse, 63. 
Dryas octopetala, 22, 140. 
Dryobates pubescens homorus, 158. 
villosus monticola, 158. 
Duck hawk, 149. 
Ducks, 115. 


2038 


Ducks—Continued. 
baldpate, 118, 
Barrow golden-eye, 122. 
buffle-head, 124. 
canvas-back, 121. 
gadwall, 118. 
lesser scaup, 121. 
mallard, 117. 
pintail, 120. 
redhead, 121. 
ring-necked, 122. 
ruddy, 127. 
scaup, 121. 
western harlequin, 124. 
white-winged scoter, 127. 
wood, 120. 
Dumetella carolinensis, 190. 
Dusky shrew, 98. 
Dwarf blueberry, 22. 


i. 


Kagle, bald, 149. 
golden, 148. 
Eared grebe, 112. 
Elder, black-berried, 21. 
red-berried, 21. 
Elephant heads, 22. 
Elk, American, 32. 
Empidonax difficilis difficilis, 164. 
hammondi, 165. 
trailli trailli, 164. 
Iingelmann spruce, 20, 22. 
Eptesicus fuscus fuscus, 101. 
Erethizon epixanthum epixanthum, 66. 
Erethizontid, 66. 
Erismatura jamaicensis, 127. 
Hrythronium grandiflorum, 21. 
Euphagus cyanocephalus, 170. 
Eutamias luteiventris, 40. 
oreocetes, 42, 
umbrinus felix, 42. 
Evening primrose, mountain, 22. 
Eyvotomys gapperi galei, 60. 


F. 


Falcon, prairie, 149. 

Felide, 79. 

Felis hippolestes, 79. 

Fiber zibethicus osoyoosensis, 68. 
Finch, Cassin purple, 172. 
Vireweed, 21. 

Fir, grand, 21. 

Fish hawk, 150. 


204 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Fisher, 90. 
Flicker, red-shafted, 161. 
Wlickertail, 92. 
Flycatcher, Hammond, 165. 
olive-sided, 164. 
Traill, 164. 
western, 164. 
Tlying squirrel, 39. 
Forest chipmunk, 42. 
Forget-me-not, 23. 
false, 21. 
Torster tern, 114. 
Tox, cross, 84. 
kit, 85, 
mountain red, 84. 
Franklin grouse, 136. 
Tringillids, 171. 
Trrogs, 18. 
Fulica americana, 182. 


G. 

Gadwall, 118. 
Galline, 135. 
Gallinago delicata, 132. 
Gambel sparrow, 177. 
Gurter snakes, 18. 
Gavia immer, 113. 
Gaviidee, 118. 
Gentian, 22. 
Geomyide, 71. 
Geothlypis trichas occidentalis, 186. 
Geranium, 19. 
Glacier hoary marmot, 50. 
Giaucidium gnoma pinicola, 157. 
Glaucomys sabrinus, 39. 

bangsi, 39. 

latipes, 39. 
Globe flower, 22. 
Godetia quadrivulnera, 22. 
Golden eagle, 148. 
Goldenrod, 21. 
Gooseberry, 21. 
Goose, Canada, 127. 

toss, 127, 

snow, 127. 
Gray-crowned leucosticte, 173. 
Gray wolf, 82. 
Great blue heron, 137. 
Greater yellow-legs, 138. 
rebe, eared, 112. 

Holbeell, 111. 

horned, 112. 

swan, 110. 

western, 110. 


Green-winged teal, 118. 
Grinnell water-thrush, 184. 
Grosbeak, black-headed, 179. 
Rocky Mountain, 171. 
western evening, 171. 
Ground squirrel, Columbia, 45. 
mantled, 48. 
Richardson, 49. 
striped, 50. 
Grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed, 145. 
Franklin, 136, 157. 
gray ruffed, 137. 
Richardson, 135. 
Gruide, 131. 
Grus canadensis mexicana, 131. 
Gull, Bonaparte, 114. 
California, 114. 
ring-billed, 114. 
Gulo luscus, 90. 


H. 


Halixetus leucocephalus leucocephalus, 
149. 

Hammond flycatcher, 165. 
Hare, little chief, 75. 
Harebell, alpine, 23. 
Hawk, Cooper, 146. 

desert sparrow, 149. 

duck, 149. 

fish, 150. 

marsh, 146, 

mouse, 146. 

pigeon, 149. 

prairie falcon, 149. 

sharp-shinned, 146. 

squirrel, 147. 

Swainson, 147. 

western goshawk, 147. 

western red-tail, 147. 
Hawk owl, 156. 
Hawk-weed, 22. 
Heather, purple and white, 22. 
Hellebore, green flowered, 21. 
Helodromas 

183, 

Hemlock, western, 21. 
Heracleum lanatum, 94. 
Herodiones, 129. 
Heron, great blue, 131. 
Herring gull, 114, 


Tlesperiphona vespertina brooksi, 171. 


Hierofalco mexicanus, 149. 
Hirundinide, 180. 


solitarius cinnamoneus 


INDEX. 


Hirundo rustica erythrogastris, 180. 

Histrionicus histrionicus pacificus, 124. 

Hoary bat, 101. 

Hoary marmot, glacier, 50. 

Holbeell grebe, 111, 

Honeysuckle, black-berried, 21, 136. 
red-berried, 21. 

Hooded merganser, 116. 

Horned grebe, 112. 

Hudsonian Zone, 22. 

Hummingbird, black-chinned, 162. 
broad-tailed, 163. 
ealliope, 168. 
rufous, 163. 

Hylocichla fuscescens salicicola, 195. 
guttata auduboni, 196. 
ustulata swainsoni, 196. 


I. 


Icteridx, 169. 

Indian paint brush, 19, 21, 22. 
Insectivora, 97. 

Iridoproene bicolor, 180. 
Ixoreus nevius meruloides, 197. 


J. 


Jack rabbit, prairie, 78. 
Jacob’s-ladder, 22. 
blue, 23. 
Jay, black-headed, 165, 
Rocky Mountain, 166. 
Jumping mouse, 69. 
Juneco, Montana, 177. 
Junco oreganus montanus, 177. 
Juniper, creeping, 19. 
mountain, 20. 
shrubby, 21. 
K. 
Kalmia glauca, 22. 
Willdeer, 134. 
Kingbird, 164. 
Kingfisher, belted, 157. 
Kinglet, golden-crowned, 194. 
ruby-crowned, 194. 


L. 
Lagomorpha, 75 
Lagopus leucurus altipetens, 159. 
Laniide, 183. 
Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides, 188 
Laride, 114. 
Larix lyelli, 22. 
occidentalis, 94. 
51140°—1S——_17 


205 


Lark, desert horned, 165. 

Larkspur, 19, 21, 22. 

Larus californicus, 114. 
delawarensis, 114. 
philadelphia, 114. 

Lasionycteris noctivagans, 101. 

Lazuli bunting, 180. 

Lemming mouse, mountain, 50. 

Leporide, 77. 

Lepus bairdi bairdi, 
townsendi campanius, 78. 

Lesser scaup duck, 121. 

Leucosticte, gray-crowned, 173. 

Leucosticte —tephrocotis 

173. 


Lewis woodpecker, 161. 


U7 


tephrocotis, 


Life zones, 18. 
Limicolz, 132. 
Lincoln sparrow, 178. 
Little chief hare, 75. 
Little mountain chipmunk, 42. 
Lobipes lobatus, 182. 
Loco, 19. 
Lodgepole pine, 20. 
Longipennes, 114. 
Long-legged bat, 100. 
Longspur, Alaska, 175. 
chestnut-collared, 175. 
McCown, 176. 
Long-tailed chickadee, 
Loon, 113. 
Lophodytes cucullatus, 116, 
Lousewort, 22. 
Loxia curvirostra bendirei, 1738. 
Jeucoptera, 173. 
Lumber jack, 166. 
Lutra canadensis canadensis, 85. 
Lutreola vison energumenos, SG. 
Lynx, bay, 82. 
Canada, 81. 
canadensis, 81. 
uinta, 82. 


193. 


M. 


McCown longspur, 176. 
MacFarlane screech owl, 156. 
Macgillivray warbler, 186. 
Macrochires, 161. 

Magpie, 165. 

Mallard, 117. 

Mantled ground squirrel, 48. 
Maple, mountain, 20. 

Mareca americana, 118. 


206 WILD ANIMALS OF 


Marila aflinis, 121. 
americana, 121. 
collaris, 122. 
marila, 121. 
valisineria, 121. 

Marmota caligata nivaria, 50. 
mobax petrensis, 53. 

Marsh hawk, 146. 

Marten, 88. 

Martes americana caurina, 53. 

Martes pennanti, 90. 

Masked shrew, 100. 

Meadowlark, western, 170. 

Meadow rue, 56. 

Melanerpes erythrocephalus, 160. 

Melospiza lincolni lincolni, 178 
melodia fallax, 178. 

Menziesia, rusty, 21. 
smooth, 21. 

Mephitis hudsonica, 91. 

Merganser, 115. 
hooded, 116. 
red-breasted, 116. 

Mergus americanus, 115, 
serrator, 116. 

Micropodidee, 162. 

Microtus drummondi, 63. 
mordax mordax, 62. 
richardsoni macropus, G1. 

Milk vetch, 22. 

Mimidie, 190. 

Mimulus, rose-red, 21. 

Mink, 86. 

Mniotilta varia, 183. 

Mniotiltidee, 183. 

Mockingbird, 190. 

Molothrus ater artemisize, 169. 

Montana junco, 177. 

Moosebird, 166. 

Motacillidze, 187. 

Mountain ash, 21, 56, 95. 
bluebird, 198. 
chickadee, 193. 
goat, 28. 
gooseberry, 22, 
lion, 79. 
pink, 28. 
red fox, 84. 
sheep, 26. 
song sparrow, 177. 
sorrel, 80. 

Mouse, jumping, 69. 
meadow, Drummond, 63. 

large-footed, 61. 
Rocky Mountain, 62. 


GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Mouse—Continued. 
mountain lemming, 59, 
red-backed, €0. 
white-footed, 58. 
woods, .58. 

Mule deer, 


99 
ov. 


Muride, 53. 

Muskrat, G68. 

Mustela arizonensis, 87. 
cicognanii cicognanii, 88. 
longicauda longicauda, ST, 

Mustelidse, 85. 

Myadestes townsendi, 195. 


Myiochanes riehardsoni  richardsoni, 


164. 
Myotis lucifugus longicrus, 109. 


N. 


Nannus hiemalis pacificus, 191. 
Neosorex navigator navigator, 97. 
Neotoma cinerea cinerea, 53. 
Nettion carolinense, 118. 
Nighthawk, Pacific, 161. 
Northern phalarope, 132. 
pileated woodpecker, 159. 
varied thrush, 197. 
violet-green swallow, 181. 
Nucifraga columbiana, 167. 
Numenius americanus occidentalis, 13 
Nutcracker, Clark, 167. 
Nuthatch, red-breasted, 193. 
Rocky Mountain, 192. 
Nuttailornis borealis, 164. 
Nyctea nyctea, 156. 
Nycteris cinerea, 101. 


oO. 


Ocean spray, 20. 
Ochotona princeps, 75. 
Ochotonidse, T5. 

Odocoileus hemionus hemionus, 33. 
virginianus macrourus, 35. 
Odontophoridse, 125. 
Oidemia deglanci deglandi, 1: 

Olive-backed thrush, 196. 
Olive-sided flycatcher, 164. 
Olor buecinator, 129. 
columbianus, 129. 
Oporornis tolniei, 186. 
Orange-crowned warbler, 183. 
Oreamnos montanus missoule, 28. 
Osprey, 150. 
Otecoris alpestris leucolwma, 165. 


INDEX. 207 


Otter, 85. 
Otus asio macfarlanei, 156. 
Ouzel, water, 188. 
Ovis canadensis canadensis, 26. 
Owl, Arctic horned, 156. 

great gray, 154, 

hawk, 156. 

MacFarlane screech, 156. 

Richardson, 154. 

Rocky Mountain pygmy, 157. 

saw-whet, 155. 

short-eared, 154. 

snowy, 156. 

western horned, 156. 
Oxyechus vociferus vociferus, 134. 
Oxyria digyna, 30. 


P. 


Pachystima myrsinites, 21. 
Pacific nighthawk, 161. 
Pack rat, 53. 
Faludicole, 131. 
Pandion haliaétus carolinensis, 150. 
Pandionids, 150. 
Panther, 79. 
Paride, 193. 
Passerculus 
176. 
Passerella iliaca schistacea, 178. 
Passeres, 164. 
Passerina amcena, 180. 
Pectoral sandpiper, 133. 
Fedicecetes phasianellus columbianus, 
145. 
Pelecanide, 115, 
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, 115. 
Pelican, white, 115. 
Penthestes atricapillus septentrionalis, 
193. 
gambeli gambeli, 193. 
rufescens rufescens, 194. 
Pentstemon, 22. 
blue, 21. 
purple, 21. 
Perisoreus canadensis capitalis, 166. 
Peromyscus maniculatus artemisiae, 58. 
osgoodi, 58. 
Petrochelidon albifrons albifrons, 180. 
Pewee, western wood, 164. 
Phacelia, 22, 30. 
Phalacrocoracide, 115. 
Phalacrocorax auritus auritus, 115. 
Phalarope, northern, aes 


sandwichensis alaudinus, 


Phalaropodidie, 1382. 
Phenacomys orophilus, 59. 
Phieotomus pileatus picinus, 159. 
Phyllodoce empetriformis, 22, 
Vhylodoce glanduliflora, 22. 
Physiography, 15, 
Pica pica hudsonia, 165. 
Pici, 158. 
Picide, 158. 
Picoides americanus fasciatus, 158. 
arcticus, 158. 
Pigeon, 145. 
hawk, 149. 
Pika, 75. 
Pileolated warbler, 186. 
Pine lily, 21. 
siskin, 174. 
squirrel, 37. 
Pinicola enucleator montana, 171. 
Pink snow, 17. 
Pintail, 120. 
Pinus albicaulis, 22, 
Pipilo maculatus arcticus, 179. 
Pipit, 187. 
Piranga ludoviciana, 180. 
Pisobia maculata, 133. 


Planesticus migratorius propinquus, 
196. 


Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis, 175. 
Plover, black-bellied, 134. 
upland, 183. 
Pocket gopher, brown, 73. 
Saskatchewan, 71. 
Polemonium viscosum, 22. 
Pocecetes gramineus confinis, 176. 
Porcupine, yellow-haired, 96. 
Porzana carolina, 131. 
Prairie falcon, 149. 
Ptarmigan, southern white-tailed, 139. 
Pulsatilla occidentalis, 22. 
Puccoon, 19. 
Puma, 79. 
Pygopodes, 110. 


Q. 


Querquedula cyanoptera, 119. 
discors, 119. 


R. 


Rabbit, prairie jack, 78. 
snowshoe, 77. 

Rail, sora, 181. 

Rallide, 131. 


208 WILD ANIMALS OF 


Raptores, 145. 

Raspberries, 95. 

Raven, 167. 

Recurvirostra americana, 152. 

Recurvirostrida, 132. 

Red-backed mouse, GO. 

Red-breasted merganser, 116. 
nuthatch, 192. 

Redhead, 121. 

Red-headed woodpecker, 100. 

Red-naped sapsucker, 159. 

Redpoll, 174. 

Ned-shafted flicker, 161. 

Tkedstart, 187. 

Red-tail, western, 147. 

Redwing, thick-billed, 169. 

Regulus satrapa olivaceus, 14. 


Rhynchodon peregrinus anatum, 149. 


Rhyncophanes mecowni, 176. 
Richardson ground squirrel, +9. 
grouse, 135, 
owl, 154. 
pine squirrel, 37. 
Ring-bellied gull, 114. 
Ring-necked duck, 122. 
Riparia riparia riparia, 181. 
tobin, western, 196. 
Rock wren, 191. 
Rocky Mountain creeper, 192. 
hairy woodpecker, 158. 
jay, 166. 
laurel, 22. 
meadow mouse, 62. 
nuthatch, 192. 
pine grosbeak 
pygmy owl, 


algal 


Rodentia, 37. 

Rose, prairie, 19, 

Ross goose, 127. 
Ruby-crowned kinglet, 19-4. 
Ruddy duck, 127. 

Ruffed grouse. gray, 157. 
Rufous hummingbird, 163. 


S. 


Sagebrush cowbird, 169. 


Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus, 191. 


Sandhill crane, 131. 
Sandpiper, pectoral, 133. 
spotted, 133. 
western solitary, 133. 
Sapsucker, red-naped, 159, 
Williamson, 159. 


GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Saw-whet owl, 155. 
Saxifrage, 22, 23. 
Scaup duck, 121. 
Sciuride, 37. 


Sciurus hudsonicus richardsoni, 37. 


Scolopacidie, 132. 
Scoter, white-winged, 127. 


Scotiaptex nebulosa nebulosa, 154. 
Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis, 154. 


Selasphorus platycercus, 163. 
rufus, 163. 

Senecio, 22. 

Service berry, 19, 20, 95. 

Setophaga ruticilla, 187. 

Sharp-shinned hawk, 146. 

Shooting star, 28. 

Short-eared owl, 154. 

Shoveler, 119. 

Shrew, Dobson, 99. 
dusky, 98. 
masked, 100. 
water, 97. 

Shrike, white-rumped, 183. 

Sialia currucoides, 198. 

Sibbaldia, 23. 

Silene acaulis, 23, 140. 

Silver-haired bat, 101. 

Silver-leaf, 19. 

Siskin, pine, 174. 

Sitta canadensis, 193. 
carolinensis nelsoni, 192. 

Sittidze, 192. 

Skunk, northern, 91, 

Slate-colored fox sparrow, 178. 

Snipe, Wilson, 132. 

Snowberry, western, 19. 

Snow bunting, 175. 

Snow goose, 127. 

Snowshoe rabbit, T7. 

Solitaire, Townsend, 195. 

Sora rail, 131. 

Sorex obscurus obscurus, 95 
personatus, 100, 
vagrans dobsoni, 99. 

Soricidze, 97. 

Sorrel, mountain, 130. 


4) 


Southern white-tailed ptarmigan, 


Sparrow, Gambel, 171. 
lark, 176. 
Lincoln, 178. 
mountain song, 178. 
slate-colored fox, 178. 
tree, 177. 
vesper, 176. 


139. 


Sparrow—Continued. 
western chipping, 177. 
western Savannah, 176. 
white-crowned, 177 
Spatula clypeata, 119. 
Sphyrapicus thyroideus natalise, 159. 
varius nuchalis, 159. 
Spinus pinus pinus, 174. 
Spirrea, 55. 
Spizella monticola ochracea, 177. 
passerina arizone, 177. 
Spotted sandpiper, 133. 
Spring beauty, 28 
Spruce, Canada, 21. 
Squatarola squatarola, 134. 
Squaw grass, 21. 
Squirrel hawk, 147. 
Squirrel, Richardson pine, 37. 
Steganopodes, 115. 
Stellaria, 22. 
Stellula calliope, 168. 
Sterna forsteri, 114. 
Streptoceryle alcyon aleyon, 157. 
Streptopus, 137, 
Striped ground squirrel, 59, 
Sturnella neglecta neglecta, 170. 
Subalpine fir, 20, 22. 
Surnia ulula caparoch, 156. 
Swallow, bank, 181. 
barn, 180. 
cliff, 180. 
northern violet-green, 181. 
tree, 180. 
Swan, trumpeter, 129. 
whistling, 129. 
Swift (fox), § 
Vaux, 162. 
white-throated, 162. 
Sylviidee, 194. 
Syringa, 20. 


Wu, 


Tachycineta thalassina lepida, 181. 

Tamarack, dwarf mountain, 22. 
western, 21, 94. 

Tanager, western, 180. 

Tangaridze, 180. 

Taxidea taxus, 91. 

Teal, blue-winged, 119. 
cinnamon, 119. 
green-winged, DS: 

Tern, Forster, 114. 

Tetraonide, 135, 


INDEX. 209 


Thick-billed redwing, 169. 
Thimbleberry, 21, 55, 56, 95. 
Thistle, mountain, 94, 
Thomomys fuscus fuscus, 73. 
talpoides talpoides, 71. 

Thornapple, black, 20. 

Thrush, Audubon hermit. 195. 
northern varied, 197. 
olive-backed, 196. 
willow, 195. 

Tiarella, 21. 

Tinnunculus columbarius columbarius, 

149 

Titmouse, 198. 

Toad, 18. 

Totanus melanoleucus, 125. 

Towhee, Arctic, 179. 

Townsend solitaire, 195, 

Trade rat, 53. 

Traill flycatcher, 164. 

Transition Zone, 19. 

Tree swallow, 180. 

Trochilids, 162. 

Troglodytes aédon parkanani, 191. 

Troglodytidee, 191. 

Turdidie, 195. 

Turkey vulture, 145. 

Tyrannide, 164. 

Tyrannus tyrannus tyrannus, 169, 


WE 


Upland plover, 133. 

Ursidie, 92. 

Ursus americanus, 91, 
horribilis imperator, 96. 


Vi. 


Vaux swift, 162. 

Venus’s-looking-glass, 22. 

Veratrum viride, 21. 

Vermivora celata orestera, 183. 

Vespertilionide, 100. 

Vetch, milk, 19. 

Vireo, western warbling, 183. 

Vireonide, 183. 

Vireosylva gilva swainsoni, 183. 

Vulpes fulva macroura, § 
velox hebes, 85. 

Vulture, turkey, 145. 


Ww. 
Wagtail, 187. 
Vapiti, 32. 


210 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 


Warbler, Audubon, 1838. 
black and white, 183. 
Macgillivray, 186. 
orange-crowned, 183. 
pileolated, 186. 
Townsend, 184. 
western yellow-throat, 186. 
yellow, 183. 

Water leaf, 22. 

Water shrew, 97. 

Water ouzel, 188. 

Water-thrush, Grinnell, 184. 

Waxwing, Bohemian, 182. 
cedar, 182. 

Weasel, Arizona, S87. 
Bonaparte, 88. 
long-tailed, 87. 

Western birch, 19. 
chipping sparrow, 171. 
crow, 167. 
evening grosbeak, 171. 
flycatcher, 164. 
golden-crowned kinglet, 194. 
goshawk, 147. 
grebe, 110. 
harlequin duck, 124. 
horned owl, 156. 
house wren, 191. 
lark sparrow, 176. 
mourning dove, 145. 
redtail, 147. 
robin, 196. 
solitary sandpiper, 133. 
tanager, 180. 
tree sparrow, 177. 
vesper sparrow, 176. 
warbling vireo, 183. 
white-tail deer, 35. 
winter wren, 191. 
wood pewee, 164. 
yellow-throat, 186. 

White-barked pine, 22. 

White-crowned sparrow, 177. 

White-footed mouse, forest, 58. 

White goat, 28. 
pelican, 115. 

White-rumped shrike, 185. 

White-tail deer, 35. 

White-throated swift, 162. 


White-winged crossbill, 162. 

scoter, 127. 

Wild cat, $2. 
Willow, 21. 

dwarf, 23, 1438. 

thrush, 195. 

Williamson sapsucker, 159. 
Wilson snipe, 132. 

Wilsonia pusilla pileolata, 186. 
Wind flower, 22. 

purple, 19. 

Woodchuck, brown, 53. 
Woodpecker, Alaska three-toed, 158. 

Arctic three-toed, 158. 

Batchelder, 158. 

Lewis, 161. 

northern pileated, 157. 

red-headed, 160. 

Rocky Mountain hairy, 158. 
Woodrat, gray bushy-tailed, 53. 
Wolf, gray, 82. 

Woods mouse, 58. 
Wolverine, 90. 
Wren, rock, 191. 

western house, 191. 

western winter, 191. 


Xx 
Xerophyllum tenax, 94. 
WG 


Yellow-bellied chipmunk, 40. 
Yellow-legs, greater, 133. 
Yellow pine, 20. 
Yellow-throat, western, 186. 
Yellow warbler, 183. 
Yew, western, 21, 
Z. 
Zamelodia melanocephala melanoceph- 
ala, 179. 
Zapodide, 69. 
Zapus princeps princeps, 69. 
Zenaidura macroura marginella, 145. 
Zone, Arctic-Alpine, 23. 
Canadian, 20. 
Hudsonian, 22. 
Transition, 19. 
Zonotrichia gambeli, 177, 
leucophrys, 177. 


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