COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER, BLACK-TAILED DEER
_Odocoileus hemionus columbianus_ (Richardson)
The Columbian black-tailed deer is a typical member of the deer family,
about the size of its eastern relative, the white-tailed deer. The
antlers of the males are forked, rather than having the tines rise from
a single main beam as do those of the white-tail. The upper surface of
the tail is conspicuously dark brown or black over its entire length.
The color of the pelage varies with the season, but is the same in both
sexes. In summer the back and flanks are reddish to reddish yellow; in
winter gray, intermixed with black, with a dark line along the back,
black on the top of the head, and conspicuous white on the chin and
upper throat. The underparts are sooty, with white on the inner sides of
the legs. The young, at birth, are a dark, rich brown, profusely spotted
with creamy yellow. The dark coloration very shortly fades to a lighter
brown, or reddish, similar to the summer coat of the adult, and the
spots disappear in the early fall when the change to winter pelage
begins.
_Specimens in park collection:_ RNP-14 and RNP-113; Longmire Museum,
Park Headquarters.
The range of the Columbian black-tailed deer is the Pacific Northwest
from northern California to British Columbia and from the Sierra Nevada
and Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Coast.
[Illustration: The bleak and awe-inspiring grandeur of the
Arctic-alpine life zone is the summer habitat of the mountain goat.]
It is the most common large animal in the park, distributed in summer
throughout the forested areas and occasionally wandering above tree
line, the males generally ranging higher than the females and young,
preferring the sub-alpine parks and meadows. Deer in general exhibit a
preference for burned-over brush lands and other less densely forested
areas.
In winter they are found at lower elevations, usually below snow line,
generally outside park boundaries, although common along the Nisqually
River from Longmire Meadows downstream, along lower Tahoma Creek, and in
the vicinity of the Ohanapecosh Hot Springs and lower Carbon River.
Nearly all visitors to Mount Rainier National Park soon become familiar
with this graceful animal so commonly seen along the trails and
roadsides. Indeed, it is a rare occasion when one or more deer are not
seen in a short drive or hike in any section of the park. It is only
with the arrival of the snows that they are less frequently observed,
and even during the winter months they are quite abundant at the lower
elevations.
[Illustration: Columbian black-tailed deer and fawns. The young were
less than an hour old when this photograph was made.]
The seasonal migration is a noteworthy characteristic. With the coming
of spring, deer move upward from the lowlands, closely following the
retreating snow. The young are born in late May or June, usually after
the does have reached their summer range, although they may move higher
to find relief from flies. There is practically no banding together of
the deer at this time. Each mother and her offspring, usually twins,
sometimes one and rarely three, comprise a family group, and tend to
keep to themselves. The fawns are hidden at birth, and remain in some
secluded spot until they are several days old. The mother visits them at
intervals during the day so that they may be fed, and stays near their
place of concealment. Almost every season “abandoned” fawns are
discovered and brought in to one or another of the park’s ranger
stations by well-meaning but ill-informed park visitors. In
exceptionally rare instances the mother may have been killed by some
predator or a passing automobile, but under no known circumstances has a
fawn ever been deliberately abandoned. _Fawns, if found, should be left
unmolested._
At the time of the spring migration to the uplands, the older bucks
habitually move to higher levels than do the young bucks and does. They
prefer the subalpine parks and meadows, and often range in pairs or in
groups of from three to five or six individuals.
[Illustration: New-born fawns, if found, should be left unmolested.]
The first heavy snow starts the deer on their annual trek to the
lowlands, and the journey is ordinarily a consistent one, once begun it
is completed over a period of from several hours to a day or two,
depending upon the distance to be covered. Study has revealed that deer
follow regularly established routes during migration, returning year
after year to the same general winter and summer ranges. Well-worn game
trails along prominent ridges and watercourses are testimony to this
concentrated movement, the intersecting minor paths are but tributaries
to the major current of travel.
It is prior to the fall migration that the deer herds assemble, the
does, fawns, and yearling bucks banding together, the older bucks
breaking away from their summer associations and joining the does for
the mating season, which occurs in November and December.
Vicious battles are frequent at this season. Determined to assert
supremacy, the bucks are merciless antagonists, and at times the
struggle is fatal to the loser. In rare instances both may perish, with
antlers so tightly locked that escape for either is impossible,
exhaustion and starvation the inevitable result. At the conclusion of
the mating season the two sexes go their separate ways again, the bucks
often assuming again the easy companionship of the summer months.
The abundance or lack of forage is an important factor, perhaps the most
important, in determining local abundance of deer. Densely forested
sections are not capable of supporting large deer populations because of
the lack of sufficient brush, shrubbery, and succulent plants which make
up the bulk of the deer’s diet. Primarily a browser, only in spring does
this animal show a preference for grass, and then only for a short
period.
Deer have many natural enemies. It is fortunate that nature has provided
for an abundant reproduction in this species. Snow is perhaps most
serious of all, since a heavy snowfall may cover the food supply, and
certainly hampers the movement of the animals when they must escape
predatory coyotes or cougars. Late spring snows, in particular, come at
a critical time. At best forage diminishes steadily during the winter
months, and when this period is followed by even a short space when food
is unavailable, starvation and death strikes the weaker and aged
animals.
Of the predatory animals, the coyote and cougar are most effective. The
fox, wildcat, and bear undoubtedly take an occasional fawn, but cannot
be considered dangerous to an adult deer. In view of the powers of rapid
reproduction shown by deer, it is well that they have numerous natural
enemies; otherwise wholesale destruction of brush lands and forest
reproduction would occur as the animals reached a peak of
overpopulation, followed by mass starvation. This frequently happens in
many parts of the West where the natural enemies of the deer have been
exterminated. Predators follow, in most instances, the line of least
resistance. As a consequence, it is the weaker, the diseased, or the
otherwise unfit animals that tend to be struck down first, and so the
fittest survive.
A reasonable balance seems to have been attained in the numbers of deer
in the park. For the past several years there has been no apparent
change, an estimated 600 range within park boundaries during the summer
months.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MULE DEER, MULE DEER
_Odocoileus hemionus hemionus_ (Rafinesque)
The mule deer is similar to the preceding subspecies in general
character. Perhaps the most noticeable field difference is the tail,
which in the mule deer is narrow and black-tipped, above _and below_,
rather than wider and dark brown or black over the entire upper surface
and entirely white below as in the black-tailed. The large ears, from
which this species derives its common name, are distinctive, the
black-tailed deer is the smaller and darker of the two subspecies.
_Specimens in park collection:_ None.
The mule deer ranges over most of the Rocky Mountain region and the
western United States, from the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma
westward to eastern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California.
The range of this species in the park is at present restricted to the
extreme northeastern section, where it is observed on rare occasions
during the summer months.
The mule deer is very similar to the black-tailed deer in habits as well
as in appearance. Seasonal migrations, food preferences, natural
enemies, and other characteristics are much alike in both species,
although the mule deer habitually favors a more sparsely timbered, less
rugged terrain.
The typical habitat is an open forest, with many parks, meadows, and
brush-covered hillsides. As a general rule the mule deer prefers the
Ponderosa pine and sagebrush region, and avoids densely wooded areas.
The occasional records of this species in the park are of those rare
stragglers which drift in from east of the Cascade crest.
Taylor and Shaw (_Mammals and Birds of Mount Rainier National Park_,
1927) state that mule deer “May occur in small numbers in the White
River region, on the east side of the park.” Although their parties did
not observe mule deer while in the field in 1919, they believed that
observations made by others familiar with the region were reliable.
A report submitted by the chief ranger of the park in 1932 states:
“While mule deer are rarely seen they do range along the east side.” It
was not until 1941, however, that this species was included in the
park’s annual wildlife census, when it was listed as, “Uncommon, only a
few have been seen. Tipsoo Lake, Deadwood Lake, and Yakima Park.”
The 1948 wildlife census estimates 10 to 20 mule deer observed
occasionally on the east side during the summer months in previous
years. While no reports were recorded in 1948, it is believed that the
status of the species is unchanged.
AMERICAN ELK, WAPITI
_Cervus canadensis nelsoni_ Bailey
The elk is the largest animal found in the park, and the largest member
of the deer family found in North America, except the moose. The adult
males have tremendous, wide-branching antlers, which are shed annually.
The sexes are slightly different in coloration, with females lighter
than the males. The head and neck are dark brown, flanks and back a
tawny to brownish gray, large yellowish rump patch, legs dark brown. The
young are light brown, spotted with white. An adult male in good
condition will weigh from 800 to 1,000 pounds; females are somewhat
smaller.
_Specimens in park collection:_ None.
Elk are found in western North America, mostly in the Rocky Mountain
area and the far west. They formerly ranged over most of the United
States and southern Canada.
During summer elk occur in the park along the eastern boundary, north
and west to the Deadwood Lakes and Goat Island Mountain, up the Cowlitz
River and Stevens drainages to The Bench on the north side of the
Tatoosh Range. They are reported very rarely from the northern and
western slopes of the Mountain. In winter a few elk range along the
Ohanapecosh drainage in the southeastern part of the park.
The early settlers of this country gave the name “elk” to this
magnificent member of the deer family. This is an unfortunate
designation, since the animal in no way resembles the Old World elk,
which is actually a moose. However, elk it has been since early American
history, and elk it is likely to remain, although the Indian name
“wapiti” seems preferable and more appropriate.
The history of the elk in Mount Rainier National Park is an interesting
study. There can be little doubt that the Roosevelt or Olympic elk,
_Cervus canadensis roosevelti_, formerly ranged over much of the Cascade
Range in the State of Washington, and so must be considered the native
species of Mount Rainier, although no longer found in this region.
An attempt was made to reestablish the Roosevelt elk in the park in
June, 1934, when two young animals, obtained from the Washington State
Department of Game, were liberated at Longmire Springs. Two more were
released in October, 1934; all had been captured on the Olympic
Peninsula, and the four were to form a nucleus for the park herd.
However, to the keen disappointment of park officials, the transplanted
elk were unfavorably affected by their proximity to civilization, as is
often the case with wild creatures. So unafraid did they become that
soon they were regarded as a nuisance, a dangerous nuisance because of
their size, pugnacity, and their total lack of timidity, and recapture
and deportation to a nearby zoo was the final step in this attempted
repatriation.
The elk now ranging into the park have been introduced on lands outside
park boundaries by the Washington State Department of Game and the
Pierce County Game Commission. These animals belong to the species
called American elk, _Cervus canadensis nelsoni_, and were imported from
the Yellowstone region. They do not differ greatly from the native
species, though somewhat smaller and lighter in general coloration.
The seasonal migration of elk is well defined. Early in spring, with the
retreat of the snow from the uplands, they move to higher pastures,
where they remain until driven down by the approach of winter. During
recent years a gradual increase in numbers and an extension of range
within the park has been observed. The wildlife census for 1948
estimated the summer herd to number some 40 to 50 individuals, with
several animals wintering along the Ohanapecosh drainage in the
southeastern section of the park.
Bull elk are the most polygamous of all deer. During the mating season,
which occurs late in the fall, a single bull will gather together a
“harem” of from three or four to as many as two dozen cows with the
current year’s calves, and defiantly assert his mastery over the group,
driving away younger bulls of lesser strength. Should another bull
challenge his dominance, the ensuing battle is rarely fatal, although it
may result in a new master. It is not unusual to see the loser, reduced
to the status of a “bachelor bull,” ranging alone.
The “bugling” of the bulls, a shrill, high-pitched invitation to combat,
is a thrilling call, an unusual record of the music of nature.
The young are born in late May or June, usually one to a mother,
sometimes two, and rarely three. Like all deer, they are spotted,
somewhat lighter in color than the fawns of the black-tailed deer. The
spots are retained until replaced by the winter coat.
CASCADE MOUNTAIN GOAT, WHITE GOAT, MOUNTAIN GOAT
_Oreamnos americanus americanus_ (Blainville)
The goat is completely unlike any other park animal, and is easily
identified by its resemblance to a large white or yellowish-white
domestic goat. Both sexes have short, black, sharp-pointed horns, and
are otherwise alike, except that the males are generally somewhat
larger, and have a distinct beard.
_Specimens in park collection:_ None.
The Cascade mountain goat is found in the Cascade Mountains of
Washington. Records indicate that it probably ranged into the Oregon
Cascades some decades ago, but there are no recent authentic reports
from that area. Sub-species similar to the Cascades goat are found in
the northern Rocky Mountains, northward through Canada and into Alaska,
as well as on the Olympic Peninsula.
[Illustration: The mountain goat is an indomitable mountaineer.]
In the park in summer this denizen of the rocky crags is rather
frequently seen in the high country on all slopes of the Mountain. The
principal bands may be found in the region of Van Trump Park, Cowlitz
Rocks, Cowlitz Chimneys, Steamboat Prow, Burroughs Mountain, the
Colonnade, the Puyallup Cleaver, and Emerald Ridge, where they normally
range at elevations of from 6,000 to 10,000 feet.
In winter it is not uncommon to observe small bands on Cougar Rock, the
southern slopes of Tum-Tum Peak, Mount Wow, lower Emerald Ridge, Mother
Mountain, and the western slope of Chenuis Mountain.
Here we have another example of an animal that has been misnamed.
Although it is called a mountain goat it is not a true goat, but is more
of a rock antelope. Its nearest living relatives are the Alpine chamois
of south central Europe and the Himalayan serow of Asia. At one time
near relatives of our present goats were spread over much of the western
part of North America and fossils have been found in caves in lower
Grand Canyon and as far south as Nuevo Leon, Mexico. While it is not
known what happened to cause their extinction over much of their
original range, it appears likely that early man had an important part
in it. It is known that the Indians of the Mount Rainier country hunted
the goats extensively at one time, and undoubtedly this awkward
appearing dweller of the remote and inaccessible sections is an animal
most park visitors hope to encounter.
Chief feeding grounds during the summer are on the heavily vegetated
slopes near forest line. In the early morning hours the goats move out
of their nighttime resting places and begin feeding as they climb to
higher elevations. They travel in a very leisurely fashion, seldom
running, and they select their course with considerable care. An old
billy usually takes the lead, the other following along behind in single
file. Young goats are “sandwiched” between the adults. In moving across
any slope area where the footing is treacherous or where rocks might
roll, it is customary for only one goat to cross at a time, the others
staying back until it is safe to cross.
Without doubt the characteristic of the mountain goats that excites the
most interest and admiration is their ability to travel across steep
cliffs and narrow ledges with no apparent difficulty or hesitation. Nor
does this trail lead only over perilous rock ridges. The goats may
venture out upon the ice fields of some of the glaciers. Even glare ice
does not present an impasse, it only serves to slow the progress of
these indomitable mountaineers.
The female usually has one or two kids born in late spring. By September
they are about half grown, and quite capable of keeping up with their
parents in even the most difficult going. They remain with their mother
through the first winter. Like most young animals, kids are quite
playful.
Apparently the goat population of this area is fairly stable, perhaps
increasing slightly under the complete sanctuary afforded by the park.
As long ago as 1894, John Muir reckoned that there were over 200 goats
on Mount Rainier. Ernest Thompson Seton, in his _Lives of Game Animals_
states that “There are certainly 300 now (1929).” The wildlife census
for the park lists from 250-300 goats in 1931, and census reports in
recent years indicate from 350-400.
[Illustration: Bears are a feature attraction of the park.]
OLYMPIC BLACK BEAR
_Ursus americanus altifrontalis_ Elliot
There are two color forms of the black bear in the park—the black and
the brown. The all black or mostly black is the phase most commonly
observed, but brown individuals may often be seen. The black phase
sometimes has a brown patch covering the muzzle and a white spot on the
chest. The color ratio is usually about five black to one brown.
_Specimens in park collection:_ None.
The black bear was formerly found over most of wooded North America, but
has now become extinct over much of the original range. The Olympic
black bear occurs in western Washington, western Oregon, and
northwestern California.
In the park it is likely to be encountered anywhere in the timbered
regions, with an occasional record coming from above forest line. One
record of an unusual nature was obtained several years ago by Mr. Harry
Meyers of the Mountaineers Club and Major E. S. Ingraham of Seattle.
They reported that while blizzard bound in the crater on the summit of
Mount Rainier they saw a black bear walk up to the rocks on the rim of
the crater and then disappear in the storm. They suggested that the bear
possibly was lost in the storm while on a glacier and instinctively
climbed higher and higher until it reached the top of the peak. In
October, 1948, a record was obtained of a bear well up on the Paradise
Glacier, 6,500 feet. This animal was climbing steadily higher, and
disappeared over the crest west of Cowlitz Rocks.
There can be no doubt that the bear is one of the feature attractions of
the park. The appearance of one of these animals is a signal for
visitors of all ages to come running to get a look. Unfortunately the
attention paid to the bear doesn’t always stop at this point, and
someone is almost sure to pull out a piece of candy or some other tidbit
to see if bruin will eat it. Thus a bear problem is soon in the making.
Loving sweets, bacon and grease as he does, the bear cannot be blamed
too much if he eats quantities of these items offered him and then makes
a shambles of tents and food stores looking for more.
Contrary to popular belief the black bear is not a vicious animal, and
in the normal wild state is timid and takes to his heels whenever
anything of an unusual nature happens. Sudden loud noises will send him
off in a wild stampede. This can certainly be attested to by one visitor
whose car was invaded by a bear. Unwittingly the bear sat heavily upon
the car’s horn—and simply took out glass, door and all in his mad
scramble to get out!
The bear is an expert climber and handles himself with great skill. When
frightened the cub will almost always shinny up the nearest tree before
looking to see what caused the alarm. The mother bear will often send
her youngsters up a tree when she is afraid they may be in danger or
when she wants them to “stay put” for a time. Bear cubs in a tree are a
fair warning to stay away because the mother is bound to be somewhere
close by.
The baby bears are usually two in number and are born in January or
February while the mother is in her winter quarters. They are small and
helpless at birth, weighing only a few ounces. By the middle of June,
when most folks see them, they are about the size of raccoons, and by
the time fall comes around they are large enough to take pretty good
care of themselves, although they still remain with their mother. There
is nothing more humorous and clown-like in the forests than a young bear
cub. Filled with an endless desire to learn something new, he is forever
getting into difficulties. The cub loves to wrestle and box, and a play
session with a husky brother or sister is usually somewhat of a rough
and tumble affair.
Falltime is the time of year to see bears, because the abundance of
huckleberries on the many slopes and ridges above 5,000 feet brings them
out in large numbers. It is nothing uncommon to see as many as six of
these animals at one time in a berry patch, industriously stripping the
bushes of the luscious fruit. The bear is also in his best physical
condition at this time, as he prepares to go into hibernation and his
coat is rich-toned and glossy. The hibernation period varies with the
individual, some animals going into their winter sleep rather early
while others may prowl around for some time after the first snows have
fallen. Bears have been observed out of hibernation as early as February
26, near Longmire.
The kind of food available is really no great problem for a bear; his
main worry is getting enough of it. He seems to like almost anything,
with the list including such varied items as bumblebees, clover,
skunk-cabbage roots and many other succulent plants, frogs, toads, field
mice, ants, berries of all types and a wide assortment of meats.
PACIFIC RACCOON
_Procyon lotor psora_ Gray
The raccoon has a stocky body about the size of a small dog, with
relatively short legs and a sharp-pointed muzzle. The coloration is
grizzled gray-brown with black-tipped hairs sometimes giving a dark
appearance. The top of the head is blackish, and a broad, “mask-like”
black band extends across the face and eyes, bordered above and below
with white. The tail is brownish, encircled by six or seven blackish
rings. The underparts are light brown, silvered here and there with
whitish hairs. The soles of the feet are black.
_Specimens in park collection:_ Mounted specimen, Longmire Museum, Park
Headquarters.
Raccoons are widely distributed through the forested regions of North
America. The Pacific raccoon is found from southern British Columbia
south to northern California, in and west of the Cascade Mountains. In
the park it normally ranges up to around 3,000 feet, although some
individuals have taken up residence in the buildings around Paradise
Valley, 5,500 feet.
Cunning, clever, and inquisitive, with a truly remarkable ability for
adaptation to human influences, the raccoon has firmly established
residence in a few locations of the park during recent years. Formerly
uncommon, these animals are now abundant at Longmire, and are frequently
seen in other developed areas as well.
A comparison of the habits of the ’coons thus subjected to close contact
with man, and the traits of the true wilderness animals is amazing. The
semi-domestic raccoons are no longer strictly nocturnal in their
wanderings, but are often abroad at all times of the day. A whole family
may parade leisurely across the lawn or parking plaza at mid-day,
pausing to peer curiously through slitted eyes at an assemblage of
camera-laden visitors. Competition for food is keen, and so avid in
their pursuit of forage do the animals become that no time is wasted in
“washing” any morsel, it is bolted immediately.
Quarrels, squabbles, and vicious battles are waged vociferously. The
raccoon is a surly, short-tempered creature at best, and when two or
more get together, especially members of different families, a “gang
fight” may be expected to develop, with half a dozen clawing, biting,
snarling ’coons entangled in one furry mass. For some reason the ringed
tail appears to be a particularly vulnerable point of attack, as several
“bob-tailed” animals at Longmire attest.
In some regions this animal is reported as hibernating during the winter
months, but the local raccoons do not do so. They remain as active with
three feet of snow on the ground as during the summer, although not seen
in their normal abundance during periods of extremely inclement weather.
[Illustration: The marmot is abundant in rock slides above 5,000
feet.]
The raccoon seems to eat practically anything, with meat of any type
freely accepted. Under normal conditions the diet is largely made up of
frogs, fish, small animals, birds, eggs, insects, and fruits.
CASCADE HOARY MARMOT, WHISTLING MARMOT, WHISTLER
_Marmota caligata cascadensis_ Howell
The Cascade hoary marmot is one of the largest North American rodents, a
close relative of the woodchuck of the East, with the head and body
about twenty inches in length, tail about nine inches. The body is stout
and clumsy in appearance; the legs are short and stout; the head is
short and broad with a blunt nose, small, broad, rounded ears, and small
eyes. Adults have a black face; the nape, shoulders, and upper back
gray; the remaining portion of the back and rump is black grizzled with
gray; the tail is brown. The young are darker in color than the adults.
In midsummer the pelage is in poor condition, with the darker portions
more brown than black. The large size, gray shoulders, and shrill,
whistling call are distinguishing characters which permit easy
identification of this animal.
_Specimens in park collection:_ RNP-40, RNP-41, RNP-112; Longmire
Museum, Park Headquarters.
The woodchucks (genus Marmota) are found over most of the United States,
well into Canada, and in the west north into Alaska. The Cascade hoary
marmot occurs in the northern Cascade Mountains from Mount Rainier
northward into southern British Columbia.
On Mount Rainier the whistler is abundant in the rock slides from about
5,000 feet to forest line and above. Occasionally the alpine parks and
meadows are chosen habitats; the animals are common in the Paradise
Valley and on the open slopes above Alta Vista.
A piercing, far-carrying whistle is often the park visitor’s
introduction to the marmot or rockchuck of Mount Rainier. A careful
scrutiny of the nearby terrain will often be rewarded by the sight of
one or several of these animals, old and young, perched on a rock above
the entrance to the burrow, or galloping clumsily but swiftly toward
home and safety.
It is usually possible to continue the acquaintance at closer range,
particularly if the observer approaches slowly and the animals are in
areas where they have become accustomed to having human visitors in
their neighborhood.
The whistler is almost strictly vegetarian in his food habits, feeding
upon green succulent vegetation in the near vicinity of the burrow. It
is common to find well-beaten paths from the animal’s “front door” to
the forage areas. Moving about on a grassy slope the fat, lazy rodent
seems anything but alert, as he crawls from one spot to another. But the
observer soon becomes aware that the chuck’s pauses to survey the
landscape are frequent; his head is raised, if no danger threatens his
tail flips and feeding is resumed. If frightened, swift retreat is
generally preceded by the shrill whistle, and the sluggish, crawling fat
one becomes a scurrying bundle of fur following a well-worn and familiar
route to the sanctuary of his den.
The marmot is a sun-worshiper. After an early morning feeding period, it
is his custom to sprawl, rug-like, on a favorite rock slab, sometimes
for hours, resting and obviously enjoying his sun-bath. Chucks are
rarely abroad for any extended length of time on cloudy, drizzly days.
They may appear if driven out by hunger, but seem to prefer the warmth
and comfort of the den during inclement weather.
The hibernating period of the marmot begins in September and lasts well
into spring, the time of emergence is usually late in April. There is no
evidence that any food is stored, and for some time after coming out of
hibernation the animals may travel a considerable distance over the
snowfields in search of open ground and green vegetation.
The famous naturalist, Ernest Thompson Seton, has well expressed the
marmot’s way of life:
“Convincing evidence there is that, during lethargy—the little death
of the winter sleep—the vital functions are suspended—the sleeper
neither grows, suffers, wastes, nor ages. He did not lay up stores of
food; yet, in the spring, he comes out just as fat as he went in the
fall before.
“If then, the Powers-that-Be have allotted to the Marmot five full
years of life, and he elects to live that life in ten bright summer
times, then must he spend the six dark months each year in deathlike
sleep. And this he does, in calm, deliberate choice.
“Oh, happy Whistler of the Peaks! How many of us would do the very
same, were we but given choice.”
Not many natural enemies threaten the marmot. Perhaps the most to be
feared is the golden eagle, which may drop from the blue to seize him in
the midst of his luxurious sun-bath. Because of his size the smaller
predators are harmless to him, but the coyotes and foxes are relentless
hunters and ever-present dangers.