CIHM 
 Microfiche 
 Series 
 (IMonographs) 
 
 ICMH 
 
 Coiiectioii de 
 microfiches 
 (monograptiies) 
 
 Canadian Instituto for Historical IMicroraproductions / Institut Canadian da microraproductions liistoriquas 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et blbllographlques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original 
 copy available for filming. Features of this copy which 
 may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of 
 the Images in the reproduction, or which may 
 significantly change the usual method of filming are 
 checked below. 
 
 r~7] Coloured covers / 
 uL} Couverture de couleur 
 
 Covers damaged / 
 Couverture endommag^e 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated / 
 Cr. . "-^urti restaur^e et/ou pellicul^e 
 
 ^ o"it y !e missing / Le tilre de couverture manque 
 
 i;c!,'L ed maps / Carles giographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black) f 
 Encre de couleur (I.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 Coloured plates and/or illustrations / 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material / 
 Relii avec d'autres documents 
 
 Only edition available / 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along 
 interior margin / La reliure serr^e peut causer de 
 I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge 
 intirieure. 
 
 Blank leaves added during restorations may appear 
 within the text. Whenever possible, these have been 
 omitted from filming / II se peut que cerlaines pages 
 blanches ajouties lors d'une restauration 
 apparalssent dans le texte, mals, lorsque cela Hi'A 
 possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6\6 filmies. 
 
 D 
 
 ( 
 
 D 
 IZI 
 
 IZI 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 
 6\6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem- 
 plaire qui sont peut-6tre uniques du point de vue bibli- 
 ographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, 
 ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m^tho- 
 de normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. 
 
 I I Coloured pages / Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged /Pages endommag^es 
 
 □ Pages restored and/or laminated / 
 Pages restaur^es et/ou pellicul^es 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or foxed / 
 Pages ddcolor^es, tachet^es ou piqu^es 
 
 I I Pages detached / Pages d^tachdes 
 
 U/\ Showthrough/ Transparence 
 
 I — I Quality of print varies / 
 
 D 
 
 
 D 
 
 Quality in^gate de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary material / 
 Comprend du materiel suppl^mentaire 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, 
 tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best 
 possible Image / Les pages totalement ou 
 partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une 
 pelure. etc., ont i\6 fitm#es k nouveau de fa9on k 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 Opposing pages with varying colouration or 
 discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best 
 possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant des 
 colorations variables ou des decolorations sont 
 film^es deux fois atin d'obtenir la meilleure image 
 possible. 
 
 ryi Additional comments / 
 
 LkU Commentalres suppl^mentaires: 
 
 Pagination is as follows: p. [i]-xxiii, 3-318. 
 
 La pagination est coirane suit: p. Ii]-xxlli, 3-318. 
 
 Thts itim It (ilmtd at tht rttfuctlon ratio ehiektd btlow / 
 
 Ca doeumant ast lilm< au taux da rMuelien !ndlqu4 ei-dtitoui. 
 
 
 10x 
 
 
 
 
 14x 
 
 
 
 
 18x 
 
 
 
 
 22x 
 
 
 
 
 26x 
 
 
 
 
 30x 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 V 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 12x 
 
 
 
 
 16x 
 
 
 
 
 20x 
 
 
 
 
 24 X 
 
 
 
 
 26x 
 
 
 
 
 32x 
 
Th« copy filmed h«r* hu b««n raproduead thanks 
 to tha ganaroaity of: 
 
 Toronto Reference Library 
 
 L'axamplaira filmi fut raproduit grica i la 
 ginirositi da: 
 
 Toronto Reference Library 
 
 Tha imagas appasring hara ara tha bait quality 
 pessibia eonsidaring tha condition and lagibiiity 
 of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha 
 filming contract spacif icationa. 
 
 Original copios in printad papar covara ara filmad 
 beginning with tha front covar and anding on 
 tha last paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- 
 sion. or tha back covar whan appropriate. All 
 othar original eopias ara filmad beginning on tha 
 first page with e printed or illustrsted impres- 
 sion, and anding on the lest psge with a printed 
 or illuetratad impreasion. 
 
 Tha laat recorded frame on eech microfiche 
 shell contain the symbol — •• (meening "CON- 
 TINUED"), or the symbol ▼ (meening "END"). 
 whichever epplies. 
 
 Meps. pletes. cherts, etc.. mey be filmed at 
 different reduction retios. Those too ierge to be 
 entirely included in one exposure ere filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hend corner, left to 
 right and top to bonom, as many frames es 
 required. The following diegrems illustrste the 
 method: 
 
 Les Images suiventes ont M reproduites svec le 
 plus grand soin. compts tenu de la condition at 
 do le nettet* de I'exempleire film*, at sn 
 conformity evec les conditions du contrst de 
 filmege. 
 
 Lee exempleires origineux dont le couverture en 
 pepier est imprimie sont filmis en commen^ant 
 par le premier plot et en termina.it soit per le 
 derniire pege qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustretion. soit per le second 
 plot, selen le eas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 origineux sont filmes en commen^ent par la 
 premiere pege qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustretion et en terminant par 
 la darniAre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 Un dee symboles suivents spperaitra sur la 
 derni*re imege de cheque microfiche, selon le 
 ces: le symbols — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE". le 
 symbols ▼ signifie "FIN ". 
 
 Les certes. plenches. tebleeux. etc.. peuvent *tre 
 film«s A dss teux de reduction diffSrents. 
 Lorsqus le document est trop grend pour *tre 
 reproduit en un soul clich*. il est filmi A psrtir 
 de I'engle supirieur geuche. de geuche * droite, 
 et de haut en bes. sn prenent le nombre 
 d'imeges n«cessaire. Les diegrammes suivsnts 
 illustrent le methode. 
 
 1 2 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
Mioocorr hsowtion tbt chart 
 
 (ANSI ond ISO TEST CHAUT No 2) 
 
 A 
 
 >'^PPLIED IN/HGE I 
 
 1653 Eml Han simi 
 
 «OCtl«ltif, Nm York 14609 USA 
 (716) «62 - 0300 - Phon. 
 (716) 268 - 59m - ra. 
 
AMERICAN 
 ANIMALS 
 
 \ 
 
 . / 
 
 :^ 
 
 .-*^i 
 
 ■<r^ 
 
 - J.. *.-*f^-. 
 
 WITMER. STONE 
 WILLIAM EVERITT CRAM 
 
^^mmimmamm'm^t^mmm 
 
 American Animals 
 
Hj/A. R'Vlrlilffi Ihtijmnre 
 
 BIGHORN, OR MOUNTAIN SHIEP (""« cmina) 
 
II lyn^jiiiippgpifw^^WIIBjBpwp 
 
 ^mmmnm_ 
 
^^^•^^^mmimm 
 
AMERICAN ANIMALS a 
 
 POPULAR GUIDE TO THE MAMMALS OF 
 NORTH AMERICA NORTH OF MEXICO, 
 WITH INTIMATE BIOG.IAPHIES OF THE 
 MORE FAMILIAR SPECIES 
 
 BY 
 
 WITMER STONE 
 
 AND 
 
 WILLIAM EVERETT CRAM 
 
 WM. BRIGGS 
 
 Toronto, Ontario 
 
 1902 
 
Coprrichi, 1901, by Doublcday. Page & Co. 
 Publifbcd October, 190a 
 
 //"^^"S 
 
PREFACE 
 
 IN PREPARING the pfcscnt volume the aim has been to produce 
 a work sufficiently free from technicalities to appeal to the 
 general reader and at the same time to include such scientific 
 information relative to our North American mammals as would be 
 desired by one beginning their study. The key at the end 
 of the volume will be found of service in identifying unfamiliar 
 mammals, and includes certain characters omitted from the body 
 of the book. As a guide to further study there has been appended 
 a bibliography of the principal works on North American 
 mammals. 
 
 To many of these I would express my indebtedness, especially 
 to the writings of Allen, Merriam, Miller, Bangs and Rhoads, 
 and also my acknowledgments to the Academy of Natural 
 Sciences of Philadelphia and Mr. Samuel N. Rhoads for the privi- 
 lege of studying the specimens contained in their collections. 
 
 The text figures are all reproduced from standard works, 
 while the plates are largely from the brush or camera of Mr. 
 A. RadclyfTe Dugmore, whose name is so intimately connected 
 with illustrations of nature. 
 
 WiTMER Stone. 
 
 September 7, 1^2, 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Preface ^ 
 
 Introduction ^jy 
 
 Edentates or Toothless AnimaJs . . . , , 9 
 
 The Armadillos o 
 
 Cetaceans , , 
 
 Whales ,3 
 
 Dolphins 20 
 
 Porpoises 22 
 
 Manatees and Dugongs 36 
 
 Ungulates or Hoofed Animals ag 
 
 Peccaries . . ^q 
 
 Deer and Their Allies . ; . . . . s] 
 
 Pronghorns 5^ 
 
 The Cattle -7 
 
 Rodents or Gnawing Animals 7, 
 
 Rabbits and Hares -, 
 
 P*"^" 93 
 
 Porcupines «. 
 
 Pocket Gophers og 
 
 Pocket Mice o_ 
 
 Jumping Mice ,03 
 
 Rats, Mice and Lemmings 10^ 
 
 Meadow Mice, Lemmings and Muskrats ... 107 
 
 American Long-tailed Mice and Rats . , 137 
 
 Introduced Rats and Mice ,,9 
 
Table of Contenta 
 
 Rodents or Gnawing \mmi\s — Continued. 
 
 Beavers 
 
 Sewellel • • • • 
 
 Squirrels and Marmots 
 
 Moles and Shrews 
 
 Bats 
 
 Carnivorous or Flesh-eating Animals 
 Eared Seals . • • • 
 Walruses . • • • 
 
 Seals 
 
 Weasels, Otters, etc. . 
 Raccoons and Their Allies 
 
 Bears 
 
 Wolves and Foxes 
 
 Cats 
 
 FA-.I 
 
 149 
 150 
 
 •5> 
 179 
 •93 
 207 
 309 
 
 313 
 314 
 319 
 247 
 
 364 
 
 38J 
 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 COLORED PLATES AND HALF-TONES 
 
 Bighorn or Mountain Sheep (Ocis cervina) 
 
 Frontispiece 
 •Possum Hiding in Palmetto, where he has been chased bv"""" '"' 
 
 a dog (Dtdelphis virginiana) ... 
 A Scared 'Possum ... 
 'Possum Climbing 
 'Possum Looking Out of Nest 
 A New Jersey 'Possum (Didelphis virginiana) 
 A Florida 'Possum .... 
 
 Opossum (Didelphis virginiana J Showing' Young at the 
 Mouth of the Pouch ' . . . ** 
 
 Six-banded Armadillo (Dasypus sexcinctus) 
 Manatees Under Water (Trichechus latirostris) '. 
 Collared Peccary (Tayassu tayassu) 
 Bull Elk or Stag (Cervus canadensis) 
 An Elk (Cervus canadensis) Getting His Antlers 
 The Rapid Growth of an Elk's Antlers 
 Elk Stag and Herd (Cervus canadensis) 
 A Startled Doe; she hears a whistle across the creek 
 White-tail Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) 
 Virginia Deer in the Maine Woods at Night 
 Deer, in Moose Co., Idaho 
 
 Western White-tail, or Virginia Deer (Odocoileus virgin- 
 tanus macrourus) in the Bitter Root Valley, Montana 
 A Young White-tail Buck (Odocoileus virginianw; t 
 A Bunch of Mule-deer Does (Odocoileus hemionus) . 
 Young Bull Moose ( Alces americanus) .... 
 A Pair of Bull Moose (Alces americanus) .... 
 
 4 
 6 
 8 
 8 
 8 
 
 lO 
 
 lo 
 
 12 
 
 30 
 
 32 
 
 34 
 36 
 38 
 40 
 40 
 43 
 44 
 
 44 
 46 
 48 
 50 
 53 
 
Uat of lUuMration* 
 
 Young Woodland Caribou (Rangifer caribou) . 
 
 Typical Heads and Antlers of Cervidae 
 
 Pronghorn ( Auiilocapra americana) .... 
 
 Young Pronghorns ( Antilocapra americana) 
 
 Pronghorns (AntUoeapra americana) 
 
 Male Pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) 
 
 Mountain Goat (Oreamnos montanus) ... 
 
 Young Cow Musk Ox, about i6 months old (Ovibos mos- 
 chatus) 
 
 Bull Bison (Bison bison) 
 
 A Herd of American Bison (Bison bison) . 
 
 Nest of Young Cottontails 
 
 Young Cottontail Among the Cabbages (Lepus floridanus 
 nallurus) 
 
 Varying Hare (Lepus amxricanus virginianus) 
 Little Chief Hare, or Pika (Ochotona princeps) 
 Canada Porcupine (Erethi^^Oi: dorsatus), with quiiis thrown 
 forward. In wild state 
 
 American Porcupine Swimming, with quills projecting (Ere- 
 
 thi^on dorsatus) 
 
 Western Pocket Gopher (Thomomys) 
 
 Western Long -tail Mouse, caught in the Bitter Root 
 Mountains 
 
 Long-tailed Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius) 
 
 Mice and Shrews of the Eastern States 
 
 Western and Southern Mice and Rats 
 
 Muskrat (Fiber ;fibethicus) 
 
 Western Wood Rat, female (Neotoma) 
 
 Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus littoralis) 
 
 Western Bushy-tailed Wood Rat (Neotoma) 
 
 White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus), enlarged 
 
 White-footed Mouse and Young (Peromyscus leucopus) 
 
 House Mouse on Trap (A4us musculus) . 
 
 Common, or Norway Rat (Mus norvegicus) 
 
 Canadian Beaver (Castor canadensis) 
 
 rAcmc tAOM 
 
 54 
 56 
 58 
 60 
 62 
 64 
 66 
 
 68 
 70 
 7a 
 76 
 
 76 
 86 
 9i 
 
 94 
 
 96 
 98 
 
 lot 
 
 I03 
 
 no 
 114 
 
 122 
 128 
 «^ 
 >30 
 U3 
 U4 
 14a 
 14a 
 146 
 
Beaver Lodges and a Dam .... 
 
 A Pair of Woodchucks by their Burrow (Arctomys monax) 
 
 Woodchuck (Arctomys monax) 
 
 Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludavicianus) .... 
 
 Western Spermophile (Spermophilus), photographed in 
 
 Coloradc 
 
 Say's Spermophile (Spermophilus lateralis) 
 White-tailed Spermophile (Spermophilus leucurus) 
 Young of Columbia Spermophile (Spermophilus columbianus) 
 Say's Spermophile in Snow (Spermophilus lateralis) 
 Young Prairie Dcg (Cynomys ludovicianus), about one-third 
 
 grown 
 
 Western Chipmunk (Tamias quadrivitatus) 
 
 Chipmunk (Tamtas striatus) .... 
 
 Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) . 
 
 Red Squirrels (Sciurus hudsonicus gymnicus) 
 
 Young Red Squirrel (Sciurus hudsonicus gymnicus) 
 
 Hoary Marmot (Arctomys Pruinosus) 
 
 Pine Squirrel (Sciurus hudsonicus richardsoni) 
 
 Flying Squirrel ( Sciuropterus volans) 
 
 Common Mole (Scalops aquaticus) 
 
 Star-nosed Mole (Condylura crisiaia) 
 
 Marsh Shrew (Sorex palustris) 
 
 Four Common Eastern Bats .... 
 
 Sea-lion (Zalophus calif ornianus) 
 
 Sea-lion (Zalophus calif ornianus), barking 
 
 Walrus Bulls and Cows (Odobenus rosmarus) . 
 
 Fur Seals (Oioes alascanus) .... 
 
 Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) 
 
 Otter (Lutra canadensis) 
 
 Skunk (Mephitis putida), crossing a stream 
 
 Mink (Putorius vison) 
 
 Weasel (Putorius naveboracensis) 
 
 American Sable or Pine Marten (Mustela americana) 
 
 Wolverine or Carcajou (Gulo luscus) 
 
 Ust of Uliutratiani 
 
 VACIMG FAGI 
 148 
 
 •54 
 156 
 
 158 
 160 
 163 
 162 
 164 
 
 164 
 166 
 168 
 170 
 172 
 •74 
 '74 
 176 
 178 
 188 
 188 
 188 
 198 
 208 
 210 
 212 
 216 
 216 
 222 
 226 
 
 234 
 244 
 246 
 
,f 
 
 Um of IllnMtatieiM 
 
 Raccoon (Procyon lotor) .... 
 
 PoUlt BtiT CTkalarctos maritimus) 
 
 Polar Bear (Thalarctos maritimus) 
 
 Florida Black Bear (Ursus floridanus) 
 
 Silver Tip; variety of the Grizzly Bear (Ursus horribilis) 
 
 Kadiak Bear (Ursus middendorffi) 
 
 Kadiak Bear (Ursus middendorffi) 
 
 Red Fox (yulpes fulvus) 
 
 A Young Red Fox (l^ulpes fulvus J . 
 
 Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) 
 
 Timber or Gray Wolf (Cams occidentalis) 
 
 Coyote (Cams latrans) .... 
 
 Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) 
 
 Cougar, or Mountain Lion (Felis oregonus hippolestes) 
 
 Jaguar (Felis onca) 
 
 VACSHG PAGI 
 
 3$0 
 
 264 
 268 
 
 278 
 282 
 286 
 290 
 292 
 
 
 ri 
 
 ! 
 
 B j 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Mammals and their Study 
 
 The first questions that present themselves in the study of 
 mammals are: What is a mammal and what is an animal? An 
 animal we are toL is anything endowed with life, that is not 
 a plant. Very true, but popularly we use the word in another 
 sense, meaning a beast as opposed to a bird, a fish or a rep- 
 tile — that is to say we mean one of the classes of back-boned 
 animals. 
 
 Unfortunately we have no English name for this group. 
 The term "quadruped," it is true, applies to a great majority 
 of its members, but does not fit the whales or bats which 
 belong here just as much as the four-footed beasts; nor does 
 'quadruped" apply to man who stands at the head of the 
 group. Therefore we have to adopt an abbreviation of the Latin 
 name for this class of animals and call them mammals. A mam- 
 mal then is characterized by having a more or less hairy body, 
 and in suckling its young, while it has warm blood like the 
 birds. 
 
 The relations between man and the lower mammals have 
 always been most important. He depends upon them for meat 
 and clothing, he uses them as beasts of burden, he hunts them 
 and trains them to hunt each other. With the exi option of the 
 beasts of burden and those which aid him in .he chase, man's 
 attitude toward mammals has always been that of a destroyer; 
 in whatever field he may meet them his object is always to kill. 
 
 Those which furnish good meat are slaughtered for food or 
 are pursued from pure love of the chase; those which furnish 
 valuable skins are killed by the trappers as a means of liveli- 
 hood; fierce beasts are everywhere shot on sight, while a relent- 
 less war is being perpetually carried on against the great army 
 of rats, mice and other despoilers of our crops. 
 
 Much of this slaughter is justified, but much is unwarranted 
 and is speedily effecting the extermination of all the large and 
 especially desirable mammals of the world. 
 
 Pure greed and wantonness are destroying many of the most 
 
 \ 
 
Introduction 
 
 ^ 4 
 
 \\ ' 
 
 i% 
 
 valuable and interesting mammals where moderation and proper 
 protection would ensure their preservation for an indefinite time. 
 In long past ages man learned the importance of protecting the 
 most useful mammals of the Old World — the ancestors of the 
 so-called domestic animals — and this he continues to do to-day, 
 but in the case of wild animals, which he finds in other coun- 
 tries, he seems blind to the importance of similar care. 
 
 In our own country the buffalo is gone, the moose and 
 elk are rapidly decreasing, and the fur seals are threatened with 
 extermination in spite of all laws and regulations. .< Africa all 
 the large "game" is being shot off by adventure-loving ex- 
 plorers and many species are even now nearing extinction; and 
 so it is elsewhere. 
 
 While the value of mammals from a purely economic point 
 constitutes their main importance to the world at large, their 
 scientific characters and the study of their life and habits are 
 most absorbing, and with the spreading interest in nature study we 
 can well afford to give them a share of our attention. 
 
 From their high position in the animal kingdom it seems 
 strange at first thought that we do not see more of mammals 
 in our woods and fields. It is only the most common species 
 that we are at all familiar with and though the country may be 
 teeming with bird and insect life we are not likely on an ordinary 
 ramble to see more of the mammals than a few squirrels, a mouse 
 or two and perhaps a rabbit, muskrat or woodchuck. 
 
 Mammals are, however, much more plentiful than we suppose. 
 Go out after a snowfall and see what a record of foot-prints is 
 presented. Evidently our four-footed friends are largely nocturnal 
 in habits, and it is this fact together with their general wariness 
 and extremely acute sense of hearing, smell and sight that render 
 them so hard to see. 
 
 The very difficulties which beset the study of mammals in the 
 field render it all the more attractive, and we envy the woodsman 
 whose long practice renders conspicuous to him signs that to the 
 beginner are passed again and again unnoticed. As we follow a 
 trail through the forest, his quick eye notes that a bear has pre- 
 ceded us. Here are some herbs that he has grubbed up, there 
 are 'lis muddy footprints on a log and the rotten bark *-. ■' peeled 
 off with his weight as he jumped down, and here -tj'ain he 
 has risen on his hind feet to claw and bite the bark of a tree. 
 
 I> \ .4 
 
latfoduetiaa 
 
 How clear the story 
 And we feel that in 
 have learned something 
 Tracks on the sno'- 
 to use Burrough's wtn 
 blabs as effectually as 
 know all that has ha( 
 mouse has visited hii> 
 indeed, a fascinating t; 
 the snow, to learn to 
 the blurred mark of 
 
 n once 1 as been pointed out! 
 i^ ttw Ri«> of his presence we 
 
 bear <maei' 
 
 <uch i4sier 
 
 ihe ^^-ow IS 
 srates ) po 
 
 oglyr' ' to decipher; 
 
 I great tell-tale and 
 
 to the woods and 
 
 1 cr<.»«s thf liold, and if only a 
 
 jjhbou the (act is r^ronicled." It is, 
 
 to re;, f the Mory u- thi mammals in 
 
 ow t^ -^ ir|> cle;ir-cit» lil of the fox, 
 
 he riibh> . rijii'. fooi. tiii. nervous tread 
 
 of the squirrels and « daint> »' siie- <* the mice and shrews. 
 A knowledge of n'«mm-iis ' iutes t«e interest of an ordinary 
 
 Rven thiugh we see but few, 
 
 nti v^c their work on every 
 
 li *'ays the more frequent 
 
 ramble to the lover if 
 
 we learn to know n'uaT r 
 side, and the mi ,ve 
 glimpses we get < aem. 
 
 The pleasure >t seein. 
 to me far outranks the gr 
 "bagging my game," and i 
 hunting were carefully anaiwi 
 being close to nature it re '^ bi 
 craft between hunter and gan 
 thing but a gratification. 
 
 studvin^ a wild animal in life 
 
 ! taking a good shot and 
 
 the pleasure men feel in 
 
 wiii be found that besides 
 
 ill the contest of skill and 
 
 •iiu that the mere killing is any- 
 
 Structure and Classification 
 
 Mammals form one of the great classes of vertebrate animals. 
 The most important character which they have in common, but 
 which is not possessed by any other animals, is that the young 
 are nourished for some time after birth on milk secreted by the 
 mother. Furthermore, all mammals are covered with more or less 
 hair* in distinction to the feathers of birds, and the scales of fishes 
 and reptiles. 
 
 Mammals are supposed to have originated from some early 
 reptilian animal and branched off long before the birds were 
 evolved. They first became abundantly distributed over the Ter- 
 tiary period though the earliest remains occur in the Triassic. 
 
 * Entirely disappears in adult whales. 
 
iBtfodnctiaa 
 
 lii 
 
 It 
 
 A 
 
 In the ages since then one type of mammal after another 
 has arisen, some being modified step by step into the forms 
 that inhabit the earth to-day while others have been entirely 
 exterminated. 
 
 In some cases the series of fossil remains are so complete 
 that we can easily trace the ancestry of several of our modern 
 mammals, as., for instance, the horse, which is shown to be 
 originally descended from a five-toed beast, while successive ages 
 show the specialization of the feet, first with four toes and then 
 with three, until finally we have the existing horse with his one 
 large toe or hoof on each foot. 
 
 At the present time the great bulk of mammals belong to 
 one group known as the f///Am<j— modern mammals-though 
 we have remnants of two other more primitive groups which 
 were much more extensively d veloped in the past. These :ire 
 now almost entirely restricted t Australia and the neighbouring 
 islands where they have been cut off from tK. ,• mainland rela- 
 tives at the time that Australia became separated from the Asia- 
 tic continent, and have there been preserved to the present dav 
 free from the inroad of the higher forms of mammals which 
 spread over the continents and, being better adapted to existing 
 conditions, crowded the earlier forms out o*' existence. 
 
 The most primitive o. ;he older mammals are the Prototheriu 
 —early mammals— comprising the duck bill and spiny ant-eater of 
 Austialia. animals which resemble in skeletal characters the eariiest 
 known fossil mammals, and which lay eggs somewhat like 
 those of the reptiles. 
 
 The second group, the Afari«/>M//j— pouched mammals— in- 
 cludes a large number of species in Australia and the opossums 
 of America. One of the leadii . peculiarities of these animals is 
 that their young are born at a very early stage of development 
 in a perfectly helpless condition and are then placed in an ex- 
 ternal pouch on the belly of the female where they continue 
 their development. 
 
 The modern mammals— £«/Am<i— comprise a number of dis- 
 tinct types the relationship of which is not ilways clear, though 
 they are all derived from a common origin and are more closely 
 related to one another than to either of the preceding groups. 
 
 The aquatic whales and manatees, while not closely related to 
 one another, differ so much from the land mammals that it is very 
 
1 
 
 iBtfOduCtiOQ 
 
 uncertain just where they branched off from the "family tree" 
 aiiJ it is convenient to consider them first, though they are 
 without doubt degenerate animals derived from some ancient ter- 
 restrial forms and are not themselves primitive. The remaining 
 orders fall naturally into two series, those with compress(J, 
 hooked "claws" on the feet and those with flat nails or hoofs. 
 We will have then the following table of "orders ' of mod- 
 ern mammals: 
 
 Aquatic, with no hind legs and with fore legs modified into 
 flippers for swimming, tail broad and flat; hair little or none. 
 Nostrils opening on top of the head in a "blow hole," 
 teeth, if any, simple and all alike, not tuberculate. 
 
 Cetacea, whales. 
 Nostrils at the end of the nose as usual, tuberculate 
 teeth in the back part of the jaws. Sirenia, manatees. 
 Terrestrial (except seals and bats) with all four limbs well devel- 
 oped, and body covered with hair. 
 Nails of feet compressed and hooked forming claws. 
 No incisor teeth; teeth without enamel. 
 
 Edentata, sloths, armadillos, etc. 
 With incisor teeth; enamel present. 
 Incisors large and prominent, two in each jaw, concealed 
 portion curved and reaching far back in the skull, canines 
 wanting, leaving a broad gap on each side of the mouth. 
 , „ Glires, rats, etc. 
 
 incisors small, generally mor than two, canines present 
 
 Chiroptera, bats. 
 
 leaving no gap at the side of the jaws 
 Anterior limbs modified into wings. 
 Anterior limbs normal. 
 
 Canines not prominent Insecthora, shrews, etc. 
 
 Canines prominent Carnivora, cats, dogs, etc. 
 
 Nails flat or developed into hoofs. 
 Nose modified into a trunk, toes s. 
 
 ., , , Prcboschiea, elephants. 
 
 Nose normal, feet never 5-toed, always armed with hoofs. 
 
 , , Ungulata, horses, cows, etc. 
 
 Nose normal, feet always 5-tced. 
 
 Primates, monkeys and man. 
 
 There are a few more or less obscure foreign mammals that 
 are not accommodated in the scheme given above, and which are 
 intermediate in their characters. 
 
 In North America we lack representatives of several orders. 
 The Prototheria are entirely wanting and of the Marsupialia we 
 
 xvii 
 
Introductiaa 
 
 hi 
 
 have only the opossum. Of the higher orders, the Sirenia «re 
 represented by the few remaining manatees of Florida, the Eden- 
 tata only by a species of armadillo which crosses into Texas from 
 farther south. Proboscidea (elephanu) are entirely lacking, and 
 of Primates our only native representatives are the Indian and 
 Eskimo. Of the remaining orders we have an abundance of species. 
 
 In the scientific study of mammals we are compelled to 
 make use of more or less obscure characters, and when separa- 
 ting species, we are unable to base descriptions entirely upon 
 the external appearance, as is possible in the case of birds. 
 
 Some mammals, especially among the mice, exhibit scarcely 
 any external differences, while an examination of their skulls 
 and teeth shows that they belong to quite different genera. 
 
 Indeed, few mammals are very brightly marked, doubtless 
 due to their general nocturnal habits and their need of protec- 
 tive colouration. 
 
 The necessity of studying some of the skeletal characters in 
 identifying mammals makes it desirable to have an idea of the 
 more important portions of their bony structure. While there is 
 no reason why the structure of any particular portion of an 
 animals anatomy should be regarded as of more importance than 
 another in studying its relationship, it is nevertheless a fact that 
 in every group of animals certain organs or parts of the skeleton 
 show a greater susceptibility to modification, and thus furnish a 
 much easier clue to the origin and development of the species 
 than is offered by those parts in which there is very slight 
 niodification. Thus in the mammals it is the structure of the 
 skull the teeth and the lower leg and foot bones that furnish 
 the basis for most of our classification. 
 
 The Skull.— Iht skull is really composed of a large number 
 of bones, each of which has a distinctive name, but in the 
 adult animal they have become so firmly joined together that 
 even the lines of juncture are nearly obliterated, and we may 
 therefore say that the adult skull consists of two parts-the 
 skull proper and the lower jaw or mandible, the latter being 
 separable into two symmetrical halves. The skull proper consists 
 of the bony box or brain case, the back of which is known as 
 tha occp.tal bone, and in it is the round hole or foramen through 
 which the spinal chord joins the brain. The forward part of 
 
 xviil 
 
latioduetiaD 
 
 the skull comprises the upper jaw, the nasal bones, surrounding 
 the nostrils, and the large eye sockets. The bones forming the 
 roof of the mouth constitute the palate and those forming the 
 
 Skull and one side of mandible of Musk Rat. 
 
 N nksal. P frontal P panetal. O occipital. Z tygomatic arch. B audita! bulla 
 
 Mx maxillary PMx pretnaxillary. I incisors. M molars 
 
 CP coronoid process. CD condyle. A angle. 
 
 forehead are the frontals, while on the posterior portion of the 
 iower part of the skull are two rounded "ear bones" known 
 as the anJitiii bulla:. 
 
 The Teeth. — The teeth of mammals are divided into four 
 groups, the incisors or cutting teeth placed across the front of 
 the jaws, the canines, four rather elongated teeth placed at the 
 front corners of the jaws, two above and two below, the pre- 
 molars placed immediately behind the canines, and back of these 
 the molars or grinders. Most mammals have two sets of teeth; 
 the milk teeth and the permanent teeth. The former are weaker 
 and are only retained during the early years of the animal's life 
 when they are succeeded by the permanent set. The premolars 
 are represented in the milk dentition, hut the molars are not, and 
 that is the reason for separating them. In structure, however, they 
 are quite similar and it is often impossible to distinguish them. 
 
 The simplest form of tooth is a single-pointed cone, 
 such as we see in the toothed whales; all canine teeth are 
 similar to this in struct'j-e, while the incisors are generally 
 more flattened and sometin-es slightly lobed. 
 
Introduction 
 
 f 
 
 Next we have tuberculaie teeth, with a flat crown from 
 which anse rounded or pointed tubercles; such are many molars 
 and premolars. Besides these there are the flat-topped teeth of 
 horses, cows, elephants and many mice with tortuous ridees 
 across their surface, these being the most complicated teeth kiiowt7 
 
 Sections of Teeth. 
 
 m„i r i"^'"''!,'"'' " ""'' °' Elephant w,th open pulp caWty at base , Hu,.:an 
 
 A tooth grows from a soft "pulp" and in its early stage 
 IS open at the base, the cavity being occupied by the pulp. 
 Some teeth remain this way and continue to grow' on indefi- 
 nitely while they wear away more or less at their tips. Such 
 are the tusks of elephants and the incisor teeth of rats and other 
 gnawing animals. Other teeth, on the contrary, gradually close 
 up at the base, forming one or more roots or fangs, the rem- 
 nant of the pulp being contained in the inside of the tooth. Such 
 teeth do not increase in growth after the roots are formed 
 
 The substances that make up teeth are three: (i) dentine 
 or ivory which forms the bulk of the tooth, (2) enamel, a very 
 hard bluish-white substance which covers the outer surface 
 and (3) cement, a bone like substance which fills up the cavities 
 
In' roduction 
 
 between the ridges on the large teeth of the horse, cow and 
 other similar animals. 
 
 The number of teeth varies greatly in different animals and 
 furnishes us with an excellent aid to classification. Sometimes 
 teeth are entirely wanting, as in certain whales, and again we 
 find one or other of the groups of teeth lacking, as the canines 
 in the gnawing mammals, or the incisors in the upper jaw of 
 the cattle and deer. 
 
 In other families of mammals special names are used for 
 some of the teeth; thus it will be noticed that in all carnivorous 
 mammals one of the back teeth on each side of the jaw is much 
 larger than the others, sometimes it is a molar, sometimes a 
 premolar, out from its peculiar prominence it is called the car- 
 nasal tooth. Again, in the insectivorous mammals, the incisors, 
 canines and some of the premolars are all simple in structure 
 and so much alike that they cannot be separated by their struc- 
 ture; they are therefore for convenience known collectively as 
 the unicuspiJ teeth. 
 
 In many mammals some of the teeth become immensely 
 developed and are termed tusks as, for example, in the elephant, 
 walrus, narwhal, etc. 
 
 Legs and /-V^.— Next to the variations in their skulls and 
 teeth mammals exhibit most diversity in the structure of theii 
 limbs. The limb of a mammal consists of four parts, and the 
 bones which compose the fore limb have different names from 
 '1, ve of the hind limb; thus we have 
 
 FORE LIMB HIND LIMB 
 
 I. Humerus (upper arm). Femur (thigh). 
 
 II. Ulna and radius (fore-arm). Tibia and fibula (lower leg). 
 
 III. Bones of the carpus (wrist). Bones of the tarsus (ankle). 
 
 IV. Phalanges (fingers). Phalanges (toes). 
 
 The two bones composing the lower leg or calf which lie 
 side by side are frequently joined together, or else the fibula is 
 only partially developed. 
 
 It is in the bones of the hands and feet, however, that we 
 find the greatest variation, especially in the long bones that form 
 the hack of our hand (metacarpals) and the instep of our foot 
 (metatarsals) and which support the fingers and toes. These 
 
 xxi 
 
IntrodnctioB 
 
 Where these bones are so^o^g That^Te LL^n'Te hind 'Z 
 
 ralsoTlu ""' °' r" '" *"' '*^- '" ^''-^ animals th"e 
 IS ako a reduction in the number of toes and we find that such 
 
 g t erwhife'"Ze h ■' "'''*""' *~"« "^ --^^ -» ^"-d to- 
 ?ve sp Jts. '°"^"«^ '° ^^'^ ■"•«'"» t°« «^« mere abor- 
 
 A y^l^ ^""^^ ^""^^ explanations we shall be better able 'o un 
 
 fu"C .%"''"*"? ^^"^ °f '''' mammalian odeSanS the" 
 further classifioition which follows. 
 
 If *■ 
 
 Limits of the Work 
 
 we fmd th'ni' H^r "^™? '^"'•'^** ^y ^""^ surroundings that 
 we fmd that differences m climate, temperature, humidity food etc 
 are immediately reflected in a difference in the size rn^n.'.r 
 s e.ta. characters of the individuals of TcrJn V^Si. "^h ' r^ 
 
 Sds o' LZT'' TTV "' ^''^'P'^'' ^^"«^'^'' of nearlv S 
 kinds o. mammals which have been carefully studied and seoa- 
 rated by systematic zoologists. ^ 
 
 ways^perctotib!e"7n tr'''^ f'"^''''^ ^'^"^ ''"''^'^' ^^ "«» ^•l- 
 ways perceptible to the popular eye, but as everyone wishes to be 
 
 as nearly accurate as possible, we have mentioned in th fol'owin. 
 
 ricf eaTTf r' Mi"' ''"''' °' '"^'""'^' ^^""'^ '" ^orthTme' 
 rica east of the Mississippi, and all the varieties of big came 
 
 n.mals north of Mexico. Of other mammals from the WeTt 
 however, only the most important species are described ' 
 
 r.u2 '?'"^^^ "'"'" ""'^ ^""^ ^f'o^e adopted in the most 
 S^n mLrr'^i'T^"'''^ '' '''' ''^y -' "° attempt ha 
 1 i« !. k'°'''' *^' ^"""^ ^"««'o" of ^^hat constitutes a 
 speces and what a subspecies. Those animals which wouW be 
 most readily recognized as different by one beginning t^e sUidv 
 
 ""sTatd :: "'"^'^'^ '''"''''• -'^"<=Urfphi':.tct 
 
 with Tk ^ '' "■' «^'"°"P"'^ *°»^t''*^^ ''t the end of the 
 fc .. Thll ''"^' '"'^ ' '■"^ °f t'^'^*^ "lo^t obvious dif. 
 
 Lpii Im ^h r '• ^'" *''"'"^ '^ ""''^^^*°°d ^'^''t ■•" - 
 
 rank but Zlv , " "° ^"''"'*°" *" '"^'"' 'f""'- t^'^onon^ic 
 rank, but simply to arrange them so that the general reader who 
 
 does not wish to study in detail the structure of every fo™? 
 
 all 
 
Introduction 
 
 may more e?.sily obtain the information that he desires. Those 
 who do desire to go deeper into the subject and study the cra- 
 nial peculiarities and minute differences between the numerous sub- 
 species are referred to the technical works quoted in the appended 
 bibliography. 
 
 siHi 
 
I* 1 
 
MARSUPIALS OR POUCHED ANIMALS 
 
 (Marsupialia) 
 
 The marsupials stand apart from all the other groups of Ameri- 
 can mammals having many peculiarities of structure and habit 
 not possessed by any other family. They are in fact the sur- 
 vivors of an ancient population which was spread over the earth 
 before the superior beasts of to-day made their appearance. At 
 about the time thnt the marsupials had reached the height of 
 their development Australia became separated from the mainland 
 of Asia, and until the present time these curious primitive ani- 
 mals have flourished on this isolated continent, while almost .yery- 
 where else they have been superseded by more highly developed 
 and more aggressive beasts. 
 
 Outside of Australia the only known marsupials are the opos- 
 sums, which are restricted to South and Middle America, with 
 thf, single exception of the well-known Virginia opossum of our 
 Southern and Middle States. 
 
 The variety of Australian marsupials is very great; the largest 
 and best-known are the peculiar kangaroos; others resemble in 
 general form our smaller carnivora, still others recall the squirrels, 
 while the flying phalangers are the counterpart of our flying 
 squirrels and there is even a "marsupial mole!" 
 
 Among the many peculiarities of structure exhibited by these 
 animals may be mentioned especially the mode of nourishment 
 of the young. Birth takes place when they are extremely small, 
 very much earlier than in the higher mammals, and they are 
 immediately placed in a peculiar pouch situated on the belly of 
 the female where, attached to the nipples, they continue their 
 development until able to shift for themselves. Even then they 
 return to the pouch for shelter, for a considerable period after 
 they can run about. 
 
 The teeth of the marsupials are more primitive than those 
 of most of the other mammals and are generally more numerous. 
 As might be supposed from the variation in form and size ex- 
 hibited by the marsupials their diet is likewise varied, some being 
 
The Opossum* 
 
 carnivorous, others herbivorous and still others like our opossum 
 omnivorous. 
 
 As before stated we have only one group of marsupials in 
 America, the opossums (Family Didelphidce) . 
 
 irf. 
 
 THE OPOSSUMS 
 
 Family Didelphidce 
 
 Virginia Opossum 
 
 Didclphis virginiaiia Kerr 
 
 Length. 27 inches. 
 
 Description. Hair long and rather coarse; general colour grayish 
 white, caused by a mingling of black-tipped white under fur 
 with long white overlying hairs; legs brownish black, feet 
 black, toes white; head, throat and middle of lowei parts 
 white; ears naked, black with white tips; tail prehensile, 
 nearly naked, black at the base, shading into dull flesh colour. 
 
 Range. Southern and Middle States, except in the mountains, north 
 to the Hudson and Connecticut valleys and to southern 
 Illinois, not ranging north of what is known as the "Caro- 
 linian Fauna." In Florida and Texas slightly different 
 varieties occur. 
 
 The opossum is our only representative of that remarkable 
 class of beasts in which the young are born at such an early 
 and undeveloped stage that the mother is obliged to carry them 
 about in her pocket for several weeks; when first born a kan- 
 garoo, an opossum and a mouse are of very nearly the same 
 size, about half an inch in length, 
 
 A mother opossum takes her half-dozen or more infants as 
 fast as they are born and drops them into her pouch, where 
 each seizes a teat and holds on; its mouth, which at first is open 
 almost to the angle of the jaws, rapidly contracts and grows 
 together when once it has taken hold of that which it is in- 
 stinctively feeling for from the very first, and for the next few 
 weeks the little family of brothers and sisters do nothing but 
 sleep and grow, the old one forcing her milk into their mouths. 
 

 < 
 
 '^. 
 
 m 
 
 X 
 'A 
 
 ar 
 
 
 X 
 
 X 
 
 C/3 
 
 _. 
 
,< . 
 
 ^ 
 
 3mm 
 
 flHM 
 
Tha OpoMnmi 
 
 In the meantime she i* obliged to forage the woods for food 
 and protect herself and her family as best she may. 
 
 At first thought one might very naturally infer that she 
 would be at a decided disadvantage in being so very literally 
 burdened with a family, yet on the whole she carries them but 
 litde longer than most other creatures of her size, the chief 
 difference being that she has them where she can do pretty 
 much as she pleases with them, and in case of injury is much 
 less liable to incur serious results. 
 
 Through the day she sleeps hidden in a hollow tree or 
 stump, or dozes half in sunshine and half in shade among the 
 branches. 
 
 But as daylight fades and the shadows creep through the 
 undergrowth she goes forth to see what the night has to offer 
 her, shuffling along among the dew wet leaves, pouncing on a 
 lizard here or a blundering dorbug that has chanced to upset 
 itself in midflight, or else she follows up the shrill throbbing of 
 a cricket and digs him out I'luin his hiding place. If luck happens 
 to be with her she may discovtr a nest full of eggs or young 
 birds or mice, it is all one to '.ler. 
 
 She can also climb to t'.ie top of the tallest tree in the 
 woods using her tail and hand-shaped feet almost like a monkey, 
 even har<ging head down by her tail and one hind foot if nec- 
 essary from ;. branch just over a bird's nest in order to reach 
 whatever it contains. Her prehensile tail moreover often proves 
 useful in supporting her whiie she gathers grapes and persimmons 
 and other wild fruits of the forest, and it is said that the young 
 ones when they first come out to see what the world is like, 
 have a way of taking a couple of turns of their own tails about 
 that of their parent and so anchored ride safely on her back. 
 It would seem that these youngsters are not in the habit of 
 occupying the pouch as long as do the young kangaroos, which 
 it is said, remain there for a space of something like eight 
 months, growing in that time from diminutive beings less than 
 an inch long to a fairly well-formed kangaroo of ten pounds 
 weight which thrust out their necks when their parent is graz- 
 ing and crop the grass beneath them. Even after they have 
 learned to go alone they often climb back into the pouch again 
 to ride whenever they are tired out. 
 
 Opossums are anything but attractive or intelligent beasts. 
 
[' I' 
 
 Th« OpoMnma 
 
 About the most marked exhibition of intelligence that they ever 
 appear to display is their well-known trick of feigning death or 
 playing possum as a last resort in danger. Even this has become 
 so habitual with the species as to be almost or quite instinctive 
 and it is doubtful if they ever knowingly pretend to be dead 
 any more than the numerous beetles and spiders which possess 
 the same habit. 
 
 Nature most effectually assists the possum in making the 
 ruse successful, as anyone who has ever seen it tried is bound 
 to admit, for the long lean dull white jaws and black withered 
 ears and skinny tail bear in themselves the very semblance of 
 death. And when the possum plays possum he invariably draws 
 back the gums from his glittering white teeth until he looks as 
 if he might have been dead for a month ; especially as his fur 
 has at al! times the faaed, colourless look and loose wind-blown 
 texture of hair that has been exposed to wind and weather for 
 an entire season. 
 
 In cold weather opossums retire to their dens and only 
 occasionally venture abroad when there is snow on the ground. 
 They are members of an almost tropical race that hates the 
 cold, and wherever winter is an actual fact they are rarely found. 
 
 "Opossums are very prolific, having two or three litters each 
 year, each litter composed of from six to thirteen, in rare in- 
 stances as many as fourteen or fifteen. The young remain with 
 their mother about two months, and at times a brood of suck- 
 lings may be found in the pouch, while a second brood the size 
 of rats may be seen on her back, clinging to her fur with their 
 hands and steadying themselves by winding their tails around her 
 tail and legs. 
 
 "The opossum somewhat resembles a little pig in his flexible 
 snout, small black eyes, and erect ears; but he resembles the pig 
 much more in his fondness for eating and the great variety of 
 food that suits his taste. 
 
 "His principal diet consists of insects, wild fruits, nuts and 
 berries, varied with r<)ots, reptiles, crayfish, carrion, eggs, small 
 rats and mice, with additions of poultry, com, sweet potatoes, and 
 other farmyard delicacies." "He is the natural enemy of the cotton 
 rat, a destructive rodent living in vast numbers in the seaboard 
 marshes of the Southern States. If all the food eaten by a possum 
 during the year were divided into two piles according to its 
 
 I: 
 
 mmti 
 
*: 
 
 = 3! 
 
 - i" 
 
 ■< Ts 
 
 •5t 
 
 »ai 
 
I i 
 
 
The Oposaumi 
 
 economic status in relation to tiie interests of mankind, there 
 can be little doubt that the pile containing the matter, animate and 
 inanimate, whose destruction is an advantage to us would be 
 notably the larger." 
 
 The Negroes of the Southern States feel that the possum 
 was especially created for their benefit and delight. They say, 
 perhaps with truth, that no white man can ever fully appreciate 
 the delicious joy of a moonlight possum hunt, or the delicate 
 flavour of roasted possum. There are plenty of white people 
 who do enjoy hunting possums by the light of the moon, and 
 eating their game the next day; but the varying degrees of 
 happiness are not to be measured, and the exquisite enjoyment 
 that the possum yields the darkey may only be guessed at. 
 There is considerable similarity between a possum hunt and a 
 coon hunt, so far as method is concerned. The Negroes like 
 best to go in parties with two or three cur dogs along. Besides these 
 there must be an axe, at least one antiquated fowling-piece and 
 a sack for carrying the game. When the dogs start oflf on a 
 hot trail, the darkies follow as best they may, stumbling along 
 over rocks and stumps among the shadows. The possum 
 frightened by the racket behind him soon takes to a tree for 
 safety and flattens himself down on a branch or snuggles up in 
 a crutch, trusting to remain unobserved. 
 
 But the Negroes flourishing their pitch-pine torches endeavour 
 to locate their game by the glitter of its eyes in the flickering 
 light, and if the tree is too big to cut down and difTicuit to 
 climb, the rusty old firearm is brought into play. But as a 
 general thing they much prefer capturing their possum alive if 
 possible, either knocking him from his perch with a pole or chopping 
 down the tree. 
 
 As soon as he strikes the ground, dogs and niggers fall up- 
 on him in one struggling, yelling heap, the dogs eager to kill 
 the possum and their masters to get it away from them un- 
 injured, and it is most astonishing how much rough handling an 
 opossum can put up with without serious injury. 
 
 Sometimes he is carried home swinging by his tail from the 
 end of a stick which has been split and snapped onto that 
 member in such a manner as to hold him perfectly helpless. 
 
 The darkies' idea in taking him home alive, is to fatten for 
 a few weeks in captivity, joyfully overlooking the mere question 
 
The Opossums 
 
 of economy in the matter; for the quantity of bread, yams and 
 apples consumed by the greedy little beast in laying up a few 
 additional ounces of fat is a thing to be marveUed at. 
 
 Varieties of the Opossum 
 
 The opossums of North America show but little variation, 
 but naiuraiii-ts have recognized three varieties as follows, the last 
 being Hied to the opossum of Mexico. 
 
 /. yirginia Opossum. Didelphis virginiana Kerr. Range and 
 description as above. . „ o- i 
 
 •^ Florida Opossum. Didelphis virginiana ptgra Bangs. Similar 
 but smaller with longer and more slender tail. 
 Range Florida and lowland of Georgia along the Gulf Coast 
 
 t 'S. 
 
 Tex s'sum. Didelphis marsupialis texensis Allen. Similar 
 
 '■ >^ longer than in either of the above, equal to nine- 
 
 ti-n .,o instead of three-fifths the length of head and body 
 and black at base for one-third of its length. 
 
 Range. Texas. 
 
CLIMBING 
 
 LOOKING OL'T OF NEST 
 
 "PUvind Pouum." 
 hour ur »i) lairr 
 
 A NEW JERSEY POSSUM {Didiif'his virtiiHiuHu) 
 
 TMa animal i* actually ulive. The put^ v uf the animal rlimbintf is thr 
 
 ia-iie in<tivi'lual i'lMt->rtra;ilie't au 
 
h i 
 
 ,: t 
 
EDENTATES OR TOOTHLESS ANIIVIALS 
 
 (Edentata) 
 
 The edentates stand at the bottom of the series of the non- 
 marsupial mammals. In distribution they are almost entirely re- 
 stricted to South America, the best-known members of the group 
 being the ant-eaters, sloths and armadillos. Of these only the 
 ant-eaters are strictly "edentate" or without teeth; so the name 
 is somewhat misleading, although none of them have any front 
 teeth (incisors) and such teeth as they do possess are often rudi- 
 mentary and decidedly primitive in character. 
 
 In former ise> we had in North America gigantic beasts of 
 this order, as shown by the fossil remains of the megalonyx 
 and mylodon, huge sloth-like animals, which existed along with 
 the mastodon and sabre-toothed tigers and doubtless served as 
 the chief source of food supply for the latter. 
 
 When we think of these former giants it is disappointing to 
 find that our only representative of the edentates within the 
 Hmits of the United States to-day is a single species of arma- 
 dillo which crosses the Mexican boundary into the state of Texas. 
 
 This curious beast, representing the family Dasypodidx, is 
 by no means without interest. 
 
 THE ARMADILLOS 
 
 Family Dasypodida 
 Nine-banded Armadillo 
 
 Tatu novemcinctiim Linnseus 
 Also known as Peba Armadillo, Mulita. 
 
 'oe&tion. 'Body" covered by a bony shell, consisting of two 
 larger portions connected in the middle by eight bmy rings 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
 The AnnadiUo* 
 
 with large daws 'o^ J'Kg^^,*^ below yellowish white, skin 
 rs^desVlice n'esK 'oK' with a ^ew scattered yellow 
 
 i?a«i'.'"'southern Texas and Mexico southward to Paraguay. 
 
 Covered from end to end with his bony armament the ar- 
 
 .adino afonce recalls the box tortc^se' ^d .^^^ t- -^^^^^^ 
 mation. when harassed, into a round bal °f ^'^'^y P'f /./""^X 
 one not a little of the snapping shut of the shell of the turtle^ 
 
 The armadillo is an habitual digger, making his burrows m 
 the dry soTof the arid regions in which he lives and ventur- 
 ng forth mainly by night. In the matter of food ^e.s not part, 
 cular vegetable and animal matter both appear on his '"11 of 
 fat and caSon forms no small part of his diet while the sects 
 and maggots which it attracts are not overlooked. 
 
 T^e range of the armadillo within our borders .s restricted 
 and he is really more of a Mexican than an American, being 
 one of a number of curious animals that push their way over 
 our south-western boundary from that interesting country. 
 
 
 M 
 
 kk 
 
 tttimmmtam 
 
A FLORIDA 'IXiSSUM 
 
 llv W. K. tjrli. 
 
 OPOSSUM {HidelpUis vi>giniiuui\ 
 ShovvinK y ninn at the numth of the p"Ufh 
 
 Hv llavid M.l'.i.W.-ii 
 
• I 
 
 ' i 
 
 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 •s 
 
CETACEANS 
 
 WHALES, DOLPHINS AND PORPOISES 
 
 (Cetacea) 
 
 Few persons associate whales with the four-footed beasts of 
 the land. So modified are they for the peculiar life that they 
 lead that practically no external resemblance to their true kindred 
 remains, and it is not surprising that the popular mind classes 
 them as fish, to which, however, they bear no relationship. 
 
 Whales are practically devoid of hair, which is characteristic 
 of most mammals, its place in retaining the heat of the body 
 being taken by the thick coating of fat or "blubber" lying just 
 beneath the skin. There is no external trace of hind limbs and 
 the fore-limbs are modified into flat flippers for swimming, while 
 the tail is flat and forked like that of a fish, but it is flattened 
 horizontally instead of vertically. There is practically no neck 
 and the head, which is often very large, joins directly with the 
 body. It is but natural, therefore, that the bones of the neck are 
 very short and often joined solidly together. Whales have no 
 close relationship with any other group of mammals and even 
 the oldest fossil whales that have been discovered present mucn 
 the same structure as the living species. Though they were 
 undoubtedly descended from some form of land mammal, the 
 change to an aquatic life must have taken place at a very remote 
 period. As has been suggested, the immediate ancestors of the 
 whales probably became adapted to a life on the shores of rivers 
 and acquiring the habit of swimming were eventually carried out 
 to '.ea, where peculiar environment has brought about their pre- 
 sent structure. 
 
 The cetaceans are entirely carnivorous, and their food 
 generally consists of small mollusks, shrimps and fishes. They 
 frequently associate in companies or "schools" and are for the 
 most part inoffensive and rather timid. In size they vary from 
 the smallest porpoises, somewhat less than ten feet long, to the 
 largest whales which reach a length of sixty to eighty-five feet 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 Whalebone Whales 
 
 and constitute the largest known animals. The whales and their 
 allies are grouped in several families as follows: 
 
 1 Whalebone whales (FamWy BalceuiJo'). Size very larae 
 
 (length 30-85 feet), mouth enormous, no teeth, but the 
 
 uDpfr jaw provided with long strips of whalebone. 
 
 II SperTwI^ales^Family Physetcridce). Teeth all along the 
 
 ^ lower jaw, but absent entirely from the upper. Length 
 
 III. Bottir-S°osed whales (Family Z.phMa^^ vi?iWe'°telth°at'S 
 side of the lower jaw or with no visible teetn at an, 
 1 narrow projecting snout. Length 20-30 feet. 
 IV Dolphins and porpoises (Familv Delphinid<^). . Teeth nume- 
 '^- °°Cs in both jaws (or wit^ one long horuontal tusk in 
 the narwhal). Head in some species rounded in front 
 while others have a projecting snout. Length 5-15 feet. 
 
 I 
 
 WHALEBONE (VH/tLES 
 
 Family Dalanida 
 
 This family includes all of the true whale-, or toothless whales, 
 as they are variously called, and the only large "whale" not 
 included here is the sperm whale which is really more closely 
 allied to the porpoises and dolphins. The whales are charac- 
 terized by their immense size, enormous head, and total absence 
 of teeth. Small teeth are, it is true, formed very early in their 
 development, but they are entirely absorbed before birth. 
 
 Another peculiarity of the family is the presence m the mouth 
 of "baleen" or whalebone. This consists of thin, flexible, horny 
 Plates somewhat triangular in outline, which are attached cross- 
 £e down each sido of the roof of the mouthy The inner 
 edges of these plates are much split up and frayed so hat the 
 slender filaments form a sieve reaching from the top to the bot- 
 tom of the mouth, by which the water is strained away from 
 the small marine animals that are scooped up by the whale and 
 which constitute its food. By raising the tongue '" the "e»r^ 
 closed mouth the water is expelled from the lips and the food 
 
 "^^"^ There is a popular idea that the water taken into the mouth 
 Is discharged through the nostril or "blow hole" situated on 
 
 la 
 
 ■HHi 
 
SIX-BANDED ARMADILLO {Dasypus scxciiuttts) 
 
 A tri»i>ual specie* allied t'lournine-banflffl Arniailill", but with shorter ears and tail ami . 
 
 ■ >iix rin«s. 
 
■ 
 
 / -•* 
 
Right WhiOe 
 
 top of the head, and forms the well-known "spout" of the 
 whale. This is quite a mistake, however, as the spout is simply 
 the discharge of air from the lungs when the animal rises to the 
 
 Longitudinal section through head of whale, showing position of 
 whalebone and nasal opening. (Ajur Lydckker) 
 
 surface to take a new breath, and the watery appearance of the 
 spout is due to the condensation of moisture in the discharged 
 breath and also to the fact that some water is thrown up if 
 
 Skeleton of whale (Balana), showing contour of body, (After Lydekker.) 
 
 the breath is expelled before the whale quite reaches the surface. 
 We have three quite different types of whalebone whales on 
 our coast, and from one to three species of each. 
 
 Rigrhi Whale 
 
 Ba/aena glacialis Bonnaterre 
 
 Length. 50 to 60 feet. 
 
 Description. Head enormous, equal to one-third of the total 
 length; highly arched above the level of the back; mouth 
 cavity consequently large and whalebone very long. Bones 
 
 »3 
 
■ ■ 
 
 Right Whale 
 
 of the nee": always fused together, no fin on the back and 
 no longitudinal groves on the throat. Colour black, some- 
 times slightly varied with white below. 
 Range. North Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 h 
 
 Few persons have opportunities to study the habits of the 
 large whales and those who follow the business of whaling do 
 not, as a rule, record the facts that they may discover regarding 
 the lives of these interesting creatures. The experience of most 
 of us is limited to the glimpse of an occasional spout far out to 
 sea or perhaps the sight of a stranded whale washed up on the 
 beach, a great shapeless mass partially imbedded in the sand and 
 often advanced in decay. It is not always easy to identify such 
 specimens until the skeleton is laid bare, and it is not surprising, 
 since much of our knowledge of whales is based upon skeletons 
 and stranded specimens cast up at widely distant points, that 
 zoologists are still in considerable doubt as to just how many 
 kinds of whales exist. 
 
 From the accounts of those who have studied these gigantic 
 animals in life we learn that when not frightened they remain at 
 the surface to breathe from one and a half to two and a 
 half minutes during which time they spout from six to nine times 
 and then disappear for ten to twenty minutes. When at the sur- 
 face the top of the arched head and the middle of the back are 
 the only parts which project from the water. 
 
 This whale and the allied bowhead (Bala-na mvsiicetus) of 
 the Arctic regions are especially prized by the whalers on account 
 of the great length of their whale-bone. 
 
 Speaking of the right whale of the Pacific, which is closely 
 allied to the Atlantic animal, Captain Scammon says: "We find 
 the habits of these animals when roaming over the ocean full of 
 interest. They are often met with singly in their wanderings, 
 at other times in pairs or triplets and scattered over the surface 
 of the water as far as the eye can discern from the mast head. 
 Toward the last of the season they are seen in large numbers 
 crowded together. These herds are called 'gams' and they are 
 regarded by experienced whalers as an indication that the whales 
 will soon leave the grounds." It is their habit, he states, to 
 blow seven to nine times at a "rising " and then "turning 
 flukes," as the whalemen «ay, and elevating the tail from six to 
 
 14 
 
Rifht Whale 
 
 eight feet clear of the water, they go down for periods of twelve 
 to fifteen minutes. 
 
 Whales of all sorts have been so persistently pursued and 
 killed that they are to-day very much reduced in numbers and 
 the survivors have become so wary that it is much more difficult 
 to hunt them than it was in former years. 
 
 Originally whales came regularly along the New England coast 
 and were hunted from shore, the boats putting out after them 
 as soon as they were sighted, but as years passed they learned to 
 keep farther out to sea and vessels had to be especially equipped 
 for their pursuit. In his account of whale-hunting Scammon 
 states that when the whale has been sighted the whale boats 
 with their full equipment and manned by their regular crews are 
 lowered from the vessel and start upon the chase. "The whale 
 is approached in the most cautious manner to avoid exciting it. 
 If necessary, the oars are used, but in calm weather the paddles 
 are resorted to. When within darting distance, which is about 
 three fathoms, the order is given to the boat steerer to stand up. 
 He instantly springs to his feet and, seizing the -a-noon (to 
 which a long rope is attached), he darts it into the wnale. If 
 opportunity offers a second iron is also thrown before the animal 
 gets out of reach. When the harpoons are darted the order is 
 given to 'stern all' and the oarsmen make every effort to force 
 the boat astern in order to be well clear of the animal in its 
 painful convulsions from the first wounds received. 
 
 "When struck the whale may attempt to escape by running, 
 if so, every exertion is made by the boat's crew to haul up the 
 animal so as to shoot a bomb into it or work upon it with a^ 
 hand lance or, if the creature descends to the depths below, 
 which is called 'sounding,' every effort is made to check the 
 movement by holding on to the line or by slowly slacking it. 
 In this manoeuvre the boat is occasionally hauled bow under water. 
 Sometimes all the line is taken out almost instantly, when it is 
 cut to prevent the boat from being taken down and the whale 
 escapes. 
 
 "The whale after being struck often runs to windward, thrash- 
 ing its flukes in every direction. After going a short distance 
 it frequently stops or brings to, at the same time making a ter- 
 rible noise called 'bellowing,' this sound is compared to that of a 
 mammoth bull and adds much to the excitement of the chase and 
 
 «s 
 
PinlMck Whale 
 
 capture. Other whales will not stop until they are hamstrung, as 
 it were, by 'spading.' The spading process is performed by haul- 
 ing the boat near enough to cut the cords that connect the body 
 and the flukes either on top or underneath. A large vein runs 
 along the side of the back, terminating at the juncture of the 
 caudal fin which, if cut, will give the creature its death wound." 
 Another method of bringing the animal to a stop is by lacerating it 
 with numerous harpoons detached from the ropes. " When brought 
 to, it usually remains quite stationary for a few minutes or will 
 roll from side to side, giving the officer of the boat a good 
 opportunity to shoot a bomb lance or use the hand lance with 
 good effect, which soon dispatches it." 
 
 The ship is then brought alongside or, in calm weather, the 
 whale is towed to it and the "cutting in," as it is termed, 
 begins. A cutting stage is lowered down over the animal upon 
 which tlie men may stand, the tackles are fastened to the carcass 
 and the head is severed and hoisted on deck while the remainder 
 is cut according to a regular system so that the blubber is re- 
 moved in several great masses • . hile the mutilated remnant of 
 the monster floats away or sinks to the bottom. The blubber 
 and baleen are removed from the head later. 
 
 Scammon states that the great bowhead whale will sometimes 
 yield as much as 27s barrels of oil and the right whale 130 bar- 
 rels, while the whalebone of the two m:iy amount to 3,00-) and 
 i,5SO pounds respectivclv. 
 
 Whaling has been engaged in since 17 12 by vessels from 
 New England ports, especially Nantucket and New Bedford, and 
 in England and Scotland it has been carried on for over a century. 
 
 Guns for shooting the harpoons have superseded the hand- 
 torowing process and improved harpoons have been introduced 
 carrying explosive bombs which are calculated to kill the whale 
 as soon as they strike, but so wary have the survivors become 
 that in this instance modern improvements will have little effect 
 in hastening extermination already so far advanced. 
 
 Finback Whale 
 
 Balanoptcra physalis (Linnaeus) 
 
 Called also Rorqual, Fiiiner. 
 Length. 40-50 feet. 
 
 16 
 
 mmmm 
 
Humpback Whale; Sperm Whale 
 
 Description. Head equal to or rather less than one-quarter the 
 total length. Not arched, but broad and flat above. A fleshy 
 fln is present on the back, and the throat is longitudinally 
 furrowed while the bones of the neck are separate. Colour 
 jet black above, including the flippers, white below, marbled 
 on the sides by a combination of the two colours. 
 
 Range. North Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 The fin-back is said to be a more active and rapid swimmer 
 than the right whale, but its general habits are much the saf se. 
 Judging by stranded examples fin-back whales are the most com- 
 mon of the large whales on our Atlantic Coast 
 
 Besides the common fin-back we have the blue whale (Balcrn- 
 optera musailtis), a larger species of a purplish slate colour, while 
 other closely allied varieties occur in other parts of Xhv ocean. 
 
 Humpback Whale 
 
 Megaptera nodosa (Bonnaterre) 
 
 Length, so feet. , . . . , , 
 
 Description. Similar \o the finback whales, but with the back 
 strongly convex and the flippers very long and scalloped on 
 the edges. Sooty-black above, white beneath. 
 Range. North Atlantic Ocean, represented elsewhere by closely 
 allied species. 
 
 THE SPERM IVHALES 
 
 Family Pliyscterida 
 
 Here belong two whales, one large and one small, but both 
 recognized by their regularly toothed lower jaw, toothless upper 
 jaw and high vertical forehead. 
 
 Sperm Whale 
 
 Physeler macroccplialus Linnxus 
 
 Also called Cachalot. 
 Length. 60-80 feet. 
 
 If 
 

 Pigmy Sperm Whale 
 
 Description. Head oblong, level with the back on top and square 
 and truncate in front, forming nearly one-third of tne total 
 length of the animal; lower jaw shallow and very narrow in 
 front, armed with 22 to 34 large teeth on each side. Back 
 with a hump on the neck and several humps farther back, but 
 no dorsal fin. Colour black or blackish brown, lighter below, 
 sometimes marbled. . 
 
 Range. Tropical and subtropical oceans, now very rare in the Nort'i 
 Atlantic. 
 
 The sperm whale or Cachalot is the largest of the toothed 
 cetaceans, and in its great bulk recalls the whalebone whales, 
 though the peculiar truncated head and narrow, shallow lower 
 jaw, with its formidable array of teeth, serve easily to distinguish 
 it. The nostrils of the sperm whale open at the extreme front 
 of the head instead of farther back, as in the whalebone whales, 
 and its "spout" issues diagonally forward instead of vertically up- 
 ward. This peculiarity enables whalers to identify the sperm 
 whale at very great distances. 
 
 This animal seems to feed at great depths and is able to 
 remain under water longer than any other species— sometimes for 
 over an hour at a time, according to Captain Scammon. When 
 at the surface it respires thirty to sixty times at short intervals 
 with great regularity and then, "pitching head-foremost down- 
 ward, turns his flukes high in the air and when gaining nearly 
 a perpendicular attitude descends to a great depth." 
 
 The food of the sperm whale consists of various "squids" 
 or cuttlefish. The "ambergris" discharged from its intestines is 
 a valued article of perfume. 
 
 Piermy Sperm Whale 
 
 Kog^id breviceps (Blainville) 
 
 Description^^ a^ general way much like the preceding, but differs 
 in its small size, slender curved teeth, and in the presence 
 of a fin on the back. ^ , • u 
 
 Ranee. North Atlantic and other oceans. Several specimens have 
 been taken on our shores of late years, although it is a rare 
 animal. 
 
 tS 
 
BOTTLE-NOSED IVHALES 
 
 Family Ziphiidce 
 
 These whales are rare on our coasts and comparatively little 
 is known of their habits. They are intermediate between the 
 sperm whales and dolphins, both in size and structure. They 
 all possess protruding snouts and have never more than two 
 teeth. The front of the skull enlarges with age, the forehead be- 
 coming vertical or even projecting in very old individuals. Three 
 species are known on our coast. 
 
 Bottle-nosed Whale 
 
 Hyperoodon ro stratus (Miiller) 
 
 Length, ao feet. 
 
 Description. Forehead more or less vertical, as described above, 
 beak prominent, a depression on the head around the blowhole, 
 flippers and dorsal fin moderate. No teeth visible, though 
 two can be found at the front of the lower jaw loosely bur- 
 ied in the gums. Colour blackish lead, somewhat lighter 
 below. 
 
 Range. North Atlantic and doubtless other oceans. 
 
 Ziphius Whale 
 
 Zip/tins cavirostris Cuvier 
 
 Length. 15-20 feet. 
 
 Description. Similar to the preceding, but with the teeth at the 
 front of the lower jaw usually visible. Three of the neck 
 vertebral bones are also separate, while in the bottle-nose 
 all are united. Colour light stone-giay, darker on the belly. 
 
 Range. Pelagic. 
 
 Cow-fish 
 
 Mesoplodon bidens (Sowerby) 
 
 Length. 16 feet. 
 
 Description. Similar to the preceding species, but the male with 
 
 «» 
 
['I 
 
 - 
 
 Bottle-noacd Dolphin 
 
 a tooth on each side of the lower jaw at about the middle, 
 female toothless. Skin very smooth and polished, unform 
 black all over with occasional lighter blotches. 
 Range. North Atlantic, apparently a deep-water species. 
 
 ! 
 
 DOLPHINS AND PORPOISES 
 
 Family Delphinida 
 
 The smaller cetaceans, popularly known as dolphins and por- 
 poises, compose this family. Properly speaking, the name dolphin 
 belongs to those species which have a projecting snout, while 
 porpoise refers to those with uniformly rounded head. With 
 their usual perversity, however, our earliest settlers christened the 
 commonest of these animals on our Atlantic Coast the " porpoise, '' 
 while in reality it is a true dolphin, the same as the "bottle- 
 nose" of the coasts of Europe. 
 
 Both dolphins and porpoises have a well-developed fin on the 
 back and with one exception (the Grampus) have a large number 
 of sharp teeth in both jaws. 
 
 The other members of the family, the white whale and the 
 narwhal are found only in the Arctic regions and are peculiar in 
 many ways. Both lack the dorsal fin and the narwhal is devoid 
 of teeth except for the single long protruding tusk. 
 
 Bottle-nosed Dolphin 
 
 Tursiops tiirsio (Fabricius) 
 
 Called also Porpoise on our Atlantic Coast. 
 
 Length. 9 feet. 
 
 Description. Stout, forehead sloping, beak short and depressed, 
 back fin about midway between the nose and the tip of the 
 tail. Colour plumbeous gray above, lighter on the sides, 
 shading gradually into pure white on the under surface. Teeth 
 22 in each jaw. 
 
 Range. North Atlantic coasts from Maine to Florida and through 
 the Gulf to Texas, also coasts of Europe. 
 
 This is the most familiar cetacean of our Atlantic seaboard. 
 
 ■pi « » ' ¥ * 
 
Common Dolphin; Spotted Dolphin 
 
 and few are the visitors to our seaside resorts who have not 
 seen a school of "porpoises" passing up or down the coast just 
 beyond the breakers, their arciied backs and pointed fins rising 
 at regular intervals above the surface of the waves and disap- 
 pearing again, as the animal continues on its undulating course. 
 Occasionally with a stronger leap than usual the powerful fluked 
 tail is seen above the water and sometimes the entire body is 
 exposed. 
 
 Like other members of the family, porpoises are sociable and 
 always gather in herds or "schools" of varying size and in 
 this way no doubt they pursue with better effect the mackerel, 
 herring and ctiicr fishes upon which they feed. 
 
 Often at sea porpoises will associate themselves with some 
 passing ship and for miles at a time plunge along close to her 
 side, perhaps taking the vessel for some gigantic member of their 
 own tribe. 1 have watched them travelling in this manner for 
 long intervals and they kept close to the prow, as if piloting 
 the ship on its way and apparently with no thought of the 
 scraps or refuse which they might have secured had they been 
 following in our wake. 
 
 Several species of similar habits occur in the north Atlantic 
 which are described below, while others are found in the other seas. 
 
 Common Dolphin 
 
 Delphinus dtlphi^ Linnaeus 
 
 Length. 7 feet. 
 
 Description. Beak longer and narrower than in the preceding. 
 Colour variable; back, fin and tail black, under parts white, 
 sides gray. The black descends on the sides to about the 
 middle, and there is a bl,ick ring around the eye and a black 
 hne to the beak. There is usually a dusky band from trie jaw 
 to the flipper and one or two stripes on the sides. Teeth 47 
 to 50 cbove, and 46 to 51 below. 
 
 Range. Pelagic. Apparently not common on our coasts, but has 
 been taken in New York Harbour, Wood's Hole, etc. 
 
 Spotted Dolphin 
 
 Prodelphinus plagiodon (Cope) 
 Length. 7 feet. 
 
 m 
 
f J 
 
 I.i 
 
 
 i 
 
 Striped Dolidlin; Hafbour PorpeiM 
 
 Descripiion. Very similar in shape to the last. Purplish gray 
 above, white below, upper parts spotted with white, lower 
 with dark gray. Teeth 37 above, 34 below. 
 
 Range. Atlantic and Gulf coasts north to Cape Hatteras. 
 
 t- 
 
 H 
 
 striped Dolphin 
 
 Lagenorhynchus acutus (Gray) 
 
 Lensih. 8 feet. . ^ . 
 
 Description. Beak very short, a mere rim with a depression 
 between it and the forehead on each side. Colour black on 
 back, rest of body rray, sides with white and yellowish 
 patches; a narrrow blajk stripe from the base of the tan half- 
 way to the middle of the body; eye surrounded with black 
 and black lines from it to the snout and flipper; dippers black. 
 Teeth 35 above, v] below. 
 
 Range. North Atlantic, southward to Cape Cod. 
 
 H: 
 
 Harbour Porpoise 
 
 Phocana phocana (Linnaeus) 
 
 Length. 5 feet. , , . c- «• 
 
 Description. Head rounded in front, no beak or snout. Hn of 
 the back more triangular than in the dolphins. Colour dark 
 slate or blackish, shading gradually to white on the belly, 
 sides somewhat tinged with pink or yellowish, and a dark 
 band from the lower jaw half way to the flipper. Teeth 26 
 in each jaw. . , ^ , 
 
 Range. North Atlantic south to New Jersey; also on coasts of 
 Europe and in the Pacific. 
 
 As the bottle-nose ( Tursiops tursio) is the commonest of the 
 dolphins on our coast, this is the best known of the round-headed 
 or porpoise group. It is apparently more common on European 
 coasts than with us and, being more northern in its range, is 
 not so familiar as the common bottle-nose to our sea-shore 
 visitors. 
 
 The five species which follow are all allied to the harbour 
 porpoise, but have striking peculiarities which have earned for 
 them distinctive popular names. 
 
 33 
 
BUekflah; Onmpua; KiUtr 
 
 Biackfish 
 
 Globiocephala tnelas (Traill) 
 Called also Pilot Whale, Ca'ing Whale. 
 
 Length, i; feet. 
 
 Description. Size large, forehead vertical, high, sometimes even 
 overhanging the lips which are slightly protruding; flippers 
 very long (4 feet); back fin situated in front of the middle, 
 and sloping backward. Colour uniform black with a V-shaped 
 white mark on the breast connecting with a white stripe down 
 the belly. Teeth 10 in each jaw. 
 
 Range. North Atlantic, south to Long Island on the American 
 side. Further south it is replaced by the southern biackfish 
 (G. brachypterus, Cope), entirely black, with much shorter 
 flippers and only 8 teeth in each jaw. 
 
 This large animal resembles somewhat the bottle-nosed whale 
 {Hype roif Jon), but is recognized at once by its long flippers and 
 numerous teeth. It is said to be more gregarious than other 
 species, associating in herds of two or three hundred individuals 
 which blindly follow their leader like a flock of sheep. 
 
 Grampus 
 
 Grampus griseus (Cuvier) 
 
 Length. 10 feet. 
 
 Description. Similar to the biackfish, with the same high fore- 
 head, but recognized by the higher back-fln, and the absence 
 of teeth in the upper jaw. Colour d.irk gray above, lighter 
 below and on the head, sides with irregulnr lighter stripes 
 flippers black mottled with gray. Teeth absent above. 6 to 
 14 in the lower jaw. 
 
 Range. North Atlantic southward to New Jersey, also coasts of 
 Europe and north Pacific. 
 
 Killer 
 
 Ona area (Linnaeus) 
 
 Length, ao feet. 
 
 Description. Size large, forehead flat, back-fin enormous (6 feet 
 
 •S 
 
White Whale; Narwhtf 
 
 high in the male), flippers short and rounded. Colours black 
 above and white below in strong contrast; the white extends 
 upward on the sides in two stripes and there is a white 
 spot above each eye and a purplish area behind the back 
 fin. Teeth lo to i) in each jaw, large and sharp. 
 Range. Oceans, generally distributed. 
 
 The other members of the dolphin family are easy going, 
 rather timid animals subsisting on fish and smaller marine animals, 
 but in the killer we find all the fierce predatory characteristics 
 of our carnivorous land animals or the sharks among the fishes. 
 They kill and devour the blackfish and larger whales as well as 
 seals and large fishes. Captain Scammon says: "The attack o( 
 these wolves of the ocean upon their gigantic prey may be 
 likened to a pack of hounds holding the stricken deer at bay. 
 They cluster about the animal's head, some of their number 
 leaping over it, while others seize it by the lips and haul the 
 bleeding monster under the water and, when captured, should 
 the mouth be open they eat out the tongue." 
 
 White Whale 
 
 Delphinaptems leucas (Pallas) 
 
 Length, ii feet. , „. 
 
 Description. Head rounded, neck slightly narrowed, flippers small 
 
 and rounded, no fin on the back. Colour entirely white. 
 
 Teeth 9 in each jaw. 
 Range. Arctic seas, straying southward rarely as far as Cape Cod. 
 
 The white whale is one of th. ^naracteristic animals of the 
 frozen north and though forced a little southward by the ice of 
 winter it rarely reaches the boundary of the United States. In 
 early summei when the ice breaks up and the herring and 
 other fishes throng the bays to spawn, the white whales pursue 
 them and large numbers of the cetaceans are frequently stranded 
 in shallow water where the Eskimos kill them with ease. 
 
 Narwhal 
 
 Monodon monoceras Linnaeus 
 
 Length. 12 feet. 
 
 Description. Head short and rounded, flippers short and broad. 
 
 •4 
 
 iiiim 
 
Nwwkal 
 
 no fin on the back. Colour dark gray above, white below, 
 sides and back with darker spots. No teeth in the lower 
 jaw and but onr above — a long horizontal twisted tusk, 5 
 to 6 feet in length. (A short rudimentary tusk is imbedded 
 in the skull on the opposite side.) 
 Range. Arctic seas, accidental iiarther south. 
 
 This curious "'sea unicorn" is another inhabitant of the far 
 north, and its immense tusk plays an important part in the 
 weapons and tools of the Eskimo. This tusk is really one of the 
 front teeth, and while it appears to protrude from the middle 
 line of the head, an examination of the skull will show that it 
 belongs wholly to one side, which is greatly developed at the 
 expense of the corresponding portion of the other side. A second 
 rudimentary tusk will also be found imbedded in the bone of the 
 skull. 
 
 n 
 
k 
 
 MANAT tS / D DUGOSGS 
 
 Thi^ anin- - on a"^ 
 fraiuently asstx *d wi 
 retail nship beiwc-nthen 
 
 fri ■ V. ■ str- / c>f the I 
 
 itr. ! their u->tic habits h. ■; 'tren 
 
 the 4»fhales, there seems o real 
 
 md it is probab.c that each has i parte 
 
 restrial mammals at a differ ' point 
 
 Jus: wnat t affinities of the manatees are we have « mo- 
 
 dennite kn. wit Ige than in the case of the whales, ir does 
 pabcontoiogv throw any light on the question. 
 
 • blance between the manatees and v prac- 
 to the flipper-like fore limbs, flat U ircity 
 hair on the skin. The tail of our nu ow- 
 irkid like that of the whales and the heau >ily 
 small and provided with a si .-^ re- 
 while some species have in- 11. 
 
 The • 
 
 tically Jim 
 
 ur >ibse 
 
 ever. IS 
 
 (Mef It. elative 
 
 topptxi n olar tt 
 
 Only alHJu' eight ecies of these curious animals aic m, 
 THE M/INATEES 
 
 Family Tru iccliidce 
 
 th. 
 
 It- lamily includes onlv the manatees. The dugongs of 
 Jlu World and the peculiar Steller's sea cow which formerly 
 
 inhabit', d the north Pacitic, being arranged in separate groups. 
 Florida Manatee 
 
 Trichechus latirostris (Harlan) 
 
 Called also Sea Coru.\ 
 
 Length. 9 eet. 
 
 Description. General shape cylindrical, neck short, not much con- 
 tracted, forehead oblique, nose, as seen from the front, trian- 
 gular, lips thick, upper one clothed with bristles and capable 
 
 a6 
 
 11^ 
 
II 
 
Florida Manatee 
 
 of much expansion. Tail flat and widened, tiien tnpering 
 to a point, flipper rather long (i foot), eyes small, skin with 
 a few scattered hairs. Colour bluish black, somewhat paler 
 below and gray on the muzzle. 
 Range. Formerly the Gulf and South Atlantic coasts of the United 
 States, now restricted to rivers and lagoons of south-eastern 
 Florida and becoming very scarce. 
 
 The exact number of species of manatee which occur on the 
 coasts of the New World is a matter of some doubt, but it is pretty 
 certain that the Florida manatee is different from the Trkhechtis 
 americanus of South America. 
 
 Unlike the whales, manatees are not lovers of the open ocean, 
 but remain close along shore, feeding in the bays and lagoons 
 on the various water plants and grasses. From the meagre accounts 
 that we have of these animals in their native haunts they seem to 
 spend their time lazily floating or wallowing about with the upper 
 part of the head generally exposed. Those kept in captivity usually 
 rest on the bottom of their tanks and rise to the surface for air 
 at periods of from two to six minutes. They accomplish this 
 " with the least perceptible movement of the tail and flapping 
 motion of the paddlts, raising the upper part of the body until 
 the head reaches the surface, when the air is admitted through 
 the nostril flap valves which are closely shut after the operation."* 
 They seemed ill at ease when the water was drawn off and were 
 apparently unable to progress on land. When feeding they seemed 
 to fan the strands of grass and sea weed into the mouth by means 
 of the copious bristles which surround it. 
 
 It is sad to contemplate the extinction of these curious beasts 
 which present so many interesting peculiarities to the naturalist, 
 and problems in evolution which he has yet to solve. Their 
 harmlcssness would seem to warrant their preservation, but it 
 seems on the other hand to aid in their destruction. As fast as 
 the settlement of the country makes their haunts more accessible 
 their numbers lessen and, being tropical in their nature, the frosts 
 and cold spells which have of recent years prevailed in Florida 
 with such ruin to the orange groves have also played sad havoc 
 with the remaining small band of manatees. 
 
 ♦ Crane. " Proc. Zool. Soc.," London, 1880, p. 456. 
 
' ' 
 
 I ■■ 
 
 ^ 
 
 Ml 
 
 UNGULATES OR HOOFED ANIMALS 
 
 (Ungulata) 
 
 To this order belong most of the largest mammals. Repre- 
 sentatives occur in all parts of the world except Australia and 
 Madagascar, but they are most abundant in the tropics of the Old 
 
 World. 
 
 Nearly all the "game" mammals belong to this order and 
 through the persistent efforts of the hunters quite a number ot 
 species are rapidly approaching extinction. Here too belong the 
 domestic animals which have served man as beasts of burden 
 and as a source of food and clothing from time immemorial— the 
 horse, ass, cow, sheep, goat and hog. 
 
 The ungulates are herbivorous, and many of them are gre- 
 garious, associating in large herds. 
 
 In structure they differ from all the other orders in the pos- 
 session of rounded horny hoofs which terminate the loes and cor- 
 respond to the claws of the rodents and carnivores. All ungulates 
 are also digitigrade, walking on the tips of the toes with the heel 
 much elevated. In most species the legs are decidedly long, and 
 the feet much elongated, while there is always a reduction in 
 the number of toes. This reaches its extreme in the horse which 
 has but one toe on each foot, though the remnants of two others 
 still remain in the slender bones known as "splints." 
 
 The smallest ungulates are the chevrotains and some of the 
 ,1 telopcs of Asia and Africa which scarcely reach a height of 
 I > elve inches at the shoulder, from these they range all the way to 
 ,ne gigantic rhinoceros and Indian buffalo, and the slender giraffe. 
 The order is divisible into two groups— the Perissodactyli or 
 odd-toed ungulates, including the horse and zebra (one toe); the 
 rhinoceros and tapir* (three toes), and \\\^t Artiodactyli or even-toed 
 ungulates; the hippopotamus (four toes); camel and giraffe (two 
 toes), and the pig, deer, sheep, ox, etc. (four toes, two of which 
 are rudimentary). 
 
 The deer and their allies constitute the section of rummanti to 
 which all the domestic cattle belong and which arc characterized by a 
 • The tapir has four toea on tha front laet. 
 
UngttUtH 
 
 p«uliar four-parted stomach and the habit of casting up the 
 hastily cropped grass for further mastication when resting Inter 
 on. This operation is called '-chewing the cud," and one of the 
 
 compartments of the stomach serves as 
 a receptacle for the food, wh'o it awaits 
 this supplementary chewing. The canine 
 teeth are oft wanting in the hoofed 
 animals and i the ruminant group the 
 front teeth or incisors of the upper jaw 
 are also lacking. The large grinders or 
 molar teeth are always present and exhibit 
 the most complicated type of tooth known. 
 Most of the ruminants are further peculiar 
 in the possession of horns or bony ant- 
 lers growing out from the top of the 
 ateill. 
 
 Great numbers of fossil ungulates 
 have been discovered and it has been 
 possible to show the gradual evolution 
 of the living species through a long 
 series of extinct ancestors. 
 
 Remains of extinct horses and rhi- 
 noceroses bave been found abundantly 
 within the United States as wel! a anirials for which we have 
 no familiar names. To-dav, however, ou' native ungulatvs are 
 comparatively few in numlwr and are grouped in four families, 
 all of them belonging to the even-toed division. 
 
 1. Peccaries (Family DicotvliJir). Pig-like animals, not ruminant 
 and without horns. Cmin-! teeth large and prominent, 
 front teeth (incisors) in bot'i jaws. 
 
 II. Deer, elk, etc. (Family Cerv-ia). Ruminant am nals with 
 bony branching antlers on the head of the males (and 
 females also in the caribou), which are shed every year. 
 Rudimentarv canines generally present but front teeth 
 (incisors) onlv 'n the lower jaw. 
 
 III. Prong horn (Fainilv Antilocabridce). Allied to the cattle 
 
 {Bovidix), but the hollow norns are forked and are shed 
 as in the deer. 
 
 IV. Cattle and their allies (Family BmiJcr). Ruminant animals 
 
 with hollow horns fitting over bony prominences on 
 the skull in both males and females. These horns are 
 
 Foot of a ruminanc (sheep) 
 
 \ Ankle bones. 
 H Met«t«ri«b futei. toiwth<T 
 S "Splints" nr remnants i^t 
 other mctatAfSAls The o»rT.'«- 
 ponding toe bones are seen lieim, 
 (.4;«'r l.ilitkkrr) 
 
 »■) 
 
Tmum Pcccaiy 
 
 Straight or curved, but never branched, and are not 
 shed annually. Teeth as in the deer, but the canines 
 are entirely lacking. 
 
 
 I| 
 
 PECC/IRIES 
 
 Family Dicotylida 
 Texas Peccary 
 
 Tayassu angiilatum (Cope) 
 
 D«fr/Mo«^ '"P'g^ike, with short erect ears, no tail, bristW hair 
 and a scent gland on the back. Individual hairs banded black 
 and white, producing a mottled appearance, the face, mane 
 01 the back, throat, legs, underparts, ears and hoofs are black, 
 while a white collar-like band reaches from the sides of the 
 neck over the shoulders. tu i i i »«i 
 
 Range. Texas and south-western Arkansas. The closely related 
 collared peccary is found in Mexico. 
 
 Peccaries are the American representatives of the pig family 
 and take the place of the wild boars of Europe. Like many 
 otiier products of the western hemisphere, they are an improve- 
 ment upon their like in the Old World inasmuch as they are 
 distinctly more advanced in development. They have a compli- 
 c.ited stomach, somewhat like that of the ruminant mammals, and 
 have three instead of four toes on the hind feet. 
 
 In general appearance the peccary resembles a small black 
 pig, with a mane and slender legs, and he is said to root and 
 wallow in a truly pig-like fashion. 
 
 The home of the Texas peccary is low river bottoms with 
 dense thickets and overgrown swamps. Here he may be found 
 singly or in small droves feeding on the acorns, pecans and wal- 
 nuts or grubbing up roots. Spots which are particularly fre- 
 quented by them usually smell strongly of the peculiar skunk-like 
 odor which they emit. 
 
 Whatever there mav be in the stories of the fierceness of 
 the South American peccaries, our species seems to be a harmless 
 
 If 
 
M 
 
 l( 
 
 1 
 
 I'i 
 
 
 f 
 
 rt, ■ 
 
 1 
 
 *V 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 f 
 
 f 
 
 
 
 « 
 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 « 
 
 "^^^^"^-^^^^^^^^^""'"^ iillM 
 
American Elk 
 
 beast, preferring to escape by flight rather than turn upon its pur- 
 suers, though its sharp teeth and well-developed tusks would make 
 it a rather formidable enemy. 
 
 DEER /IND THEIR ALLIES 
 
 Family Cerx'ida 
 
 To this family belong the majority of our American hoofed 
 animals. As has already been explained, their most distinctive 
 characteristic lies in their solid horns or antlers, which are shed 
 once a year. The new horn grows rapidly and is for a time soft, 
 full of blood vessels and provided with a downy covenng known 
 as the "velvet." When the full growth is attained the horn 
 becomes hard and the velvet wears off. The first antlers are 
 very simple, but each succeeding pair is, as a rule, more and 
 more branched, so that a large number of "points" indicates to 
 the hunter an old individual. 
 
 American Elk 
 
 Cervus canadensis (Erxleben) 
 
 Also talltd Wapiti. 
 
 Length. 8 Ket. Height at shoulder, 5 feet 4 inches. Length of 
 antler, 50-65 inches. . , ui .\. 
 
 Description. Body above yellowish brown, beneath nearly blacK. 
 head, chest and neck dark brown, legs clove brovvn. a yel- 
 lowish white area on the rump about the base of the tail. 
 Female rather lirhter coloured. The antlers borne only by the 
 male curve outward and backward with curved branches or 
 tines projecting forward at nearly uniform distances, the lowest 
 pair directly over the forehead. 
 
 Range. Formerly throughout the Northern states and Canada, ex- 
 tending southward in the mountains. Now nearly extinct m t..j 
 East. In the Northwest its place is taken by the closely related 
 Roosevelt's elk and in the Arizona Mountains by Merriam s elk. 
 
 This splendid game animal is now all but extinct east of the 
 Mississippi liver; a victim to the advance of civilization and the 
 
 3« 
 
Hi 
 
 AmvicaD Blk 
 
 greed of the hunter. But over the miles and miles of country 
 which he formerly roamed at will his memory will be preserved 
 for all time in che names of towns, counties, rivers, lakes and 
 mountains. Any locality where elk were particularly abundant 
 or where perhaps the last one was killed has been christened in 
 honour of the noble beast, and apparently then is not a State 
 lying within the former range of the species that has not its 
 Elk county or Elk township. The name, like many another be- 
 stowed by our early settlers, is unfortunate, as the elk of the 
 Old World is practically identical with our moose, while the Ame- 
 rican elk is a true stag, having its counterpart in the red 
 deer of Europe. Wapiti, the Indian name, is distinctive and 
 preferable, but, of course, a change in a name so well established 
 is out of the question, and all we can do is to remember that 
 elk in America and Europe refers to very different animals. 
 
 In parts of Quebec the elk may possibly still exist or, at any 
 rate did, not so many years ago and here are often found the cast-off 
 horns buried in moss and loam or washed from the bed of a 
 river. In northern Michigan and Wisconsin a few may still persist. 
 
 In the Eastern States the elk seems to have lingered 
 longest in the wilds of central Pennsylvania and men are still 
 living who can remember the killing of the "last elk" of their 
 several localities about fifty years ago. 
 
 The Rocky Mountains and ranges to the westward now con- 
 tain all the elk that are left and at the present rate of killing 
 their extermination would seem to be not far distant. 
 
 Like many of the CeniJcr, elk are gregarious and polygamous, 
 associating in moderate-sized herds, the strongest bull acting as 
 master of the cows and driving the other aspirants off by them- 
 selves until such time as they can prove their superiority and 
 acquire a herd of their own. 
 
 At the pairing season frequent savage encounters take place 
 between the bulls, which charge one another with lowered heads in 
 the manner of all the deer tribe. Occasionally two individuals have 
 been found with their great branching antlers locked inextricably to- 
 gether or perhaps merely the antlers themselves are discovered, silent 
 witnesses of a tragedy of former years, ending in starvation or 
 an attack by wolves, the elk in their unfortunate predicament 
 being unable to save themselves from either one fate or the other. 
 
 " Afterthe pairing season "writes Lydekker, "wapiti collect in 
 
 3» 
 
BUI-L KI.K, UK STAO ((Vriiij .,i</ii,/< nv.jj W, A K l.u«,. 
 
> I 
 
 i« 
 
Anwieui Blk 
 
 Urge herds, which used formerly to number several hundred 
 Individuals, a:id wander about for a time till they finally select their 
 winter feeding grounds. These are usually open hills where the 
 ground is kept more or less free of snow by the wind, so that such 
 food as there is at this season may be obuined with the least 
 difficulty. During the hot weather, when they are much persecuted 
 by flies and mosquitoes, wapiti resort to water, in which they wiJl 
 sUnd for hours ; and, in the pairing season at least, the old stags are 
 fond of wallowing in mud-holes from which they emerge coated with 
 dirt and presenting anything but a prepossessing appearance. The 
 antlers are shed in March and the new pair free from the velvet by the 
 end of August or beginning of September. Saplings of aspen or pine 
 appear to afford the favourite rubbing posts for freeing the antlers 
 from the last remnants of the velvet. In a wild state the hind breeds 
 when two or three years old ; the number of fawns ai a birth being 
 sometimes two, or rarely three, although one is the most common." 
 As to food the elk is not particular. Mr. Caton says: " All 
 the grasses and most of the weeds within his reach are taken freely 
 and the leaves and twigs of all the deciduous trees are alike enjoyed. 
 A considerable proportion of his daily food he desires to be arboreous, 
 yet if deprived of it he will keep in good condition on herbaceous 
 food alone. In winter he wiil Uke the coarsest food, and will eat 
 freely even that which the ox and the horse reject." Elk feed 
 leisurely during the morning and afternoon, usually resting at mid- 
 day, and unlike most deer they are not active during the night. 
 
 George Bird Grinnell has recently given us an excellent pen 
 picture of a herd of elk which we cannot do better than quote. He 
 writes : " From a distant ravine comes the shrill sweet whistle of a 
 great bull elk as he utters his bold challenge to all rivals far and near. 
 You can see him plainly as he walks out from the timber and slowly 
 climbs the hill, followed by the group of watchful cows: and he is a 
 splendid picture. Short-bodied, strong-limbed, round and sleek- 
 coated, he is a marvel of strength if not of grace. His yellow body is 
 in sharp contrast with the dark brown head and mane, and the hugely 
 branching antlers, wide spread and reaching far back over his 
 shoulders, seem almost too much for him to carry; so that as he 
 marches along with ponderous tread each step seems to shake the 
 earth. At intervals he throws back his head and utters his wild call, 
 and before its first notes reach the ear you can see the white steam of 
 his breath as it pours forth into the frosty air. His cows feed near to 
 
 33 
 
•V • 
 
 ii <i 
 
 * I 
 
 .i 
 
 Vailatits of tba Bik 
 
 him as he steps alo..^ or if one straggles too far he moves slowly 
 toward her. and shaldng his mighty horns warns her to return W 
 you nre a shot at one of that band, speedily t»« old bull w.U. how 
 himself the herder and protector of his fam.ly. f^»;.n8 ^^'".S 
 point to point he will gather up cows and calves mto a '««« b"n«J 
 Tnd wiU drive them off over the hills, threating the laggards with h«i 
 J«ns and using them too with cruel effect if the cows do not huny. 
 Nrchivalrythifonthepartoftheoldbull. . . . He dnves them for- 
 ward not because he wishes to protect them from death but became 
 tliecows are his and he does not intend to be robbed of h.s wives and 
 children." 
 
 Varieties of the Elk 
 
 As with most anima' 
 parts of its habitat. Tp. '- 
 is probable that the anin..': 
 diflered somewhat from the 
 will however probably leave 
 
 , vide range the elk varies in different 
 •.-.rities have been described and it 
 <:.rjiieMs' inhabiting the Eastern States 
 H. -y r'.oKr- tain elk. Lack of specirp ■ i 
 
 h ru!>stio 1 forever in doubt. 
 
 / American Elk. Cercus camdensts (Erxl.) Descn»- vnv, 
 
 range west to and including the Rocky Mounums. 
 
 2. Roosnelfs Elk. Cervus occiJentalis Smith. Urger anJ. d-..ier 
 
 coloured, with heavier horns. v.,wK.m 
 
 Ran^. Coast range of Washington. Oregon and Northern 
 
 , M^Ssf/A. Cm«5f»«frM«» Nelson. Nose darker and head 
 
 ^- and Tegs redder than C. canadensis, but not so dark as C 
 
 occidentalis. Skull very massive, broader than either of the 
 
 above. Antlers straighter at the tips. ^^.,^„ Mountains 
 
 Range. White Mountains of Anzona and Mogollon Mountoins, 
 
 New Mexico. 
 
 Virginia I>eer 
 
 Odocoileus virginianui (Boddaert) 
 
 Length. 6 feet. Height at shoulder. } feet i inch. Length of 
 Antler, ao 24 inches. 
 
 Describtion. Bright rufous chestnut above in sumnicr with a black 
 band on the^chin. throat, under Pf^s and ms-.de of legs wh^te 
 tail brownish above, white beneath. In winter the upper parts 
 are yeltowish gray With white about the eye. AnUers curving 
 
 .^4 
 
 I 
 
 ; ^ 
 
il 
 
 J 
 
VifginU Dmt 
 
 outwarJ and then upward, the tips curving in asain toward 
 one mother, there is a short upright spike near the base, beyond 
 whicii the beam gives off two upright branches making three 
 nearly equal prongs. At no point does the antler oranch 
 dichotomously. 
 Range. Eastern North America, separable into several geographical 
 varieties and represented westward to the Pacific by other closely 
 related races. (See below.) 
 
 The Virginia deer in one or other of its varieties was originally 
 spread abundantly over our entire country, but the encroachments of 
 agriculture upon the wilderness, the inroad of the lumberman, the fire 
 which ever travels in his wake and the spread of towns and cities 
 have driven the deer from a large portion of their former range and 
 sadly decreased their numbers elsewhere. Such conditions now pre- 
 vail through many parts of Pennsylvania where the devastation of the 
 lumbermen and the ruin of the magnificent primeval forest are 
 occurrences of yesterday. Farther north and south, in wilds as yet 
 untouched, the deer still hold their own, and in New Jersey a few 
 remain, thanks to tl e inhospitable pine barrens and impenetrable 
 swamps, as well as to wise legislation properiy enforced. 
 
 In New England within the last few years these beautiful 
 creatures have ventured to return and dwell again in the haunts 
 of their ancestors, wherever the destruction workea by civilization has 
 not been too severe. Wise laws passed for their protection have 
 yielded good results more quickly than the most sanguine could 
 have hoped. 
 
 In i8;3 Thoreau wrote: "ivdnot says his mother told him 
 she had seen a deer come down the hill behind her house and cross 
 the road and meadow in front. Thinks it may have been eighty years 
 ago." Evidently Thoreau supposed that that wild deer seen in 
 Concord about 1770 was one of the last of its race ever to visit 
 that part of the country. Yet if he had lived tu be an old man 
 he n.ight frequently have seen them, if not at Cor -.ord. at least 
 at other spots in New England from which they were supposed 
 to hav; been driven forever. Not the pampered stock bred in game 
 preserves, but the sturdy descendants of the native wil^l deer that the 
 red men hunted th.''ough rough forests when the whole country be- 
 longed to them alone. 
 
 Now they may be seen in quiet country places in various parts of 
 New England, browsing at the edge of leafy woodlands or retting in 
 
 M 
 
, ,; ' 
 
 1'^ 
 
 <1 
 
 \ 
 
 *>' 
 
 Vtaginia DmT 
 
 th«: shade of wide-topped elms in high windy pastures along with the 
 farmer's cattle. It would cerUinly be difficult to find a creature lead- 
 ing a happier, more care free life than our wild deer of the present 
 day. After generations of persecution and terror, reduced to lonely 
 individuals hiding afraid in distant forests, chased by dogs and shot at 
 by man, fearful of greeting one of their own kind even, lest it prove 
 an enemy in disguise, they are allowed once more to enjoy the land 
 in safety. True to their name they have already forgiven man his 
 savage treatment and show but slight alarm at his presence, taking 
 retribution only in an occasional visit to his growing corn and fields 
 of herd grass and c ■/^r. 
 
 They may now call to each other in the twilight without fear of 
 betraying themselves to the hunter and roam the conntry over in 
 families or alone as suits each one the best. 
 
 If a dog so much as chases them he may be shot lawfully and his 
 owner fined or imprisoned. What does it matter to them that in 
 certain counties they may be hunted for a few weeks each year; 
 who would not be willing to be shot at occasionally during so short a 
 period with the chances in favour each time of getting away 
 untouched, if in return he could enjoy such splendid health 
 throughout the year? 
 
 They now have probably fewer natural foes to contend with than 
 almost any other creature. 
 
 Foxes, it is likely, get a few of the fawns in early summer, but the 
 danger from them must be insignificant as compared with that the 
 deer were compelled to face or avoid when the land was wild and 
 Indians, panthers, wolves and lynxes hunted them winter and summer 
 
 alike. 
 
 It is said that in some parts deer are already making decided 
 nuisances of themselves by foraging on the farmer's crops; 1 trust it is 
 not a far look ahead to the time when it will be true of them where 
 I live in New Hampshire. 
 
 Only last August a full-grown buck with goodly antlers came 
 mto our field at noon, and, walking about in the tall grass, probably 
 made as good a meal of English grass and alsike clover as ha fore- 
 bears were in the way of getting when they had only the wild 
 growths of the forest and wild meadows to choose from. 
 
 When I see them enjoying all the splendid freedom of wind and 
 sky over the brown pastures, or bounding away with tails in the air, 
 I feel that of all the creatures driven away by the early settlers, no 
 
 i« 
 
TMK RAIMDC.HnWTM <»F AN KI.K S ANTI.KRS 
 
 Pl« I. |>h<it'<in'*l>!i>' I Apnl i FiK J April lo. fit i, April j) l-"i^ 4 N<» 
 

 I 
 
 ft 
 
 I 
 
Virfiaia Dmt 
 
 Other could bs so welcome a returner as the wild deer, even if he 
 does prove in a way destructive. 
 
 The deep snows and severe weather of 1898-9 yielded good 
 opportunities for noting their custom of yarding. 
 
 In February when out on my snow-shoes 1 came upon one of 
 these yards in the birch woods within a mile of the farm house where 
 I write; a series of deep irregular paths marking out a loose net- work 
 over about an acre of buried stumps and blackberry bushes, it had 
 already been abandoned a day or two when I found it, a straight path 
 leading off toward the northwest showing the most recent tracks. 
 The yard had evidently been made and inhabited by a lone doe, 
 possibly two or three with their fawns, the tracks all being alike and 
 of small size. 
 
 In many places where the snow was only two or three feet deep 
 they had tunnelled along beneath the heavy laden undergrowth for 
 short distances. Again I found narrow open paths, five feet or more 
 in depth, with almost perpendicular sides. Apparently they had fed 
 almost altogether upon the ground growths under the snow, the 
 twigs beside the paths showing little signs of having been 
 browsed upon. 
 
 Four strands of barbed wire proved no obstacle to them, they 
 passed under the bottom wire as freely as a fox or dog would do. 
 Once or twice during the winter I found the trail of what must have 
 been an unusually large stag in the swamps and young pine growths 
 near there and along the borders of cultivated fields; his big hoof- 
 prints with their widespread dew claws were separated by astonish- 
 ingly long intervals at times. 
 
 To go out into the forest with the fixed intention of killing 
 anything so beautiful and harmless as a deer seems brutal and heart- 
 less enough any way you care to look at the matter. Yet the kindest 
 hearted of men do $0 every fall, and though they may learn to hate 
 themselves for every deer they have shot, they cannot give it up, and 
 look forward just as eageriy to the next year's shooting, for there is no 
 other sport to be compared to deer-stalking in the autumn woods just 
 alter a rain in the night, when the west wind is rising to dry 
 the leaves and prevent the sound of a breaking twig from carrying too 
 far. Deer-stalking Is leisurely work. You move quietly along among 
 the trees, keeping your face to the wind and watching the ground for 
 fresh tracks. When you find tracks that lead you toward the 
 wind you follow them as noiselessly as possible, endeavoring to 
 
 J7 
 
 ■I 
 
i*i 
 
 ! 
 
 ^' 
 
 Virginia Deer 
 
 learn from their appearance just how long since the deer that 
 made them preceded you; when in wet places the water has 
 not yet settled in the foot-prints, it is time to look sharply ahead 
 among the trees for a glimpse of your quarry. Deer usually wander 
 about feeding all the morning, following a more or less direct 
 course according to the lay of the land. Along the foot of a ridge by 
 the edge of a swamp is a favourite feeding ground of theirs, and 
 they like to trace the windings of a trout brook between low hills. 
 In the middle of the day they lie down to rest in the lee of 
 a thick clump of evergreen, where they can watch their tracks for 
 any enemy that may be following them. Before lying down they 
 make a practice of going back a little distance on their tracks 
 to make sure that they are not followed. So when you have 
 been tracking them all the morning and toward noon perceive 
 three tracks ahead of you in place of one, you may feel pretty 
 certain the deer you are after is resting in some thick clump not 
 many rods ahead. But unless there is snow on the ground to 
 enable you to see the tracks a long way in front of you, you 
 will hardly notice the back tracks before you have come so close 
 as to alar n your game and send it (lying off among the trees, 
 showing you just the white flash of his tail as he disappears. 
 If not bidly frightened, however, he will probably not run very 
 far bef'.re stopping to look back at you, choosing, if possible, a 
 thickly wooded knoll or a hummock at the edgo of the swamp 
 and here you may perhaps get a shot at him if you will make 
 a slight detour and approach him from one side; to follow him 
 directly would be useless, for he is earnestly watching his back 
 tracks, and is certain to see you long before you can possibly see him. 
 
 I' 
 
 Varieties of the Virginia Deer 
 
 One or other form of Virginia or white-tailed deer is found 
 in nearly every part of the United Sates. They are all geographic 
 variations of the same stock and they exhibit differences in direct pro- 
 portion to the effect produced by the peculiar climate and surround- 
 ings in which they live. Whether they shade gradually into one 
 another as their ranges approach, or whether differentiation has gone 
 further and they are to be regarded as different "species" are ques- 
 tions that have not yet been definitely settled in many ctses. Without 
 
 i 
 
 it 
 
r 
 
 ■ i 
 
 I 
 
 R^iHrMr-i' , 
 
 •5^^ 
 
Mate OMt 
 
 considering the fine technical points of difference, the dcscrib«d 
 forms are as follows. 
 
 /. yirginia Deer. OJocoiUus virginianus (Boddaert). Southern 
 
 States north of Florida and Louisiana to the Middle States, 
 a. Northern Deer. O. virginianus borealis Millei. Katiier larger 
 and grayer. ^, ^ , 
 
 Range. New England States and Canada to northern New York. 
 ). Banner-tailed Deer. O. virginiatius matroiiru'i (R.ifinesque). 
 Smaller and paler coloured. 
 Range. Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. etc. 
 J. HoriJa Deer. O. osceola Bangs. Very small, ind exceedingly 
 dark coloured, about one quarter smaller than the Virginia deer. 
 kan,iC Florida. 
 5. l.oui<j..Ha Deer. O. louniamv G. Allen. Similar but larger. 
 
 Kauge. Louisiana. 
 ' icXJH or han-lailed Deer. O. texen^is (Mearns). A small very 
 pale deer with small antlers. 
 Range. Texas and northern Mexico. 
 7. Arizona Deer. O. couesi (Rothrock). Small and pale >n colour 
 but with no black edgings to the ears. 
 Range. Arizona and Northern Mexico. 
 *. White-tailed Dter O. leucurus (Douglass). Similar to the 
 banner-tail. 
 Range. California to Washington. 
 
 Mule Deer 
 
 OdocoHcHS kemioHHS (Kalincsquc) 
 
 Also called Btack-tailfd lA r. 
 
 Length. 6 to 7 feet. Height at shoulder. } feet 4 inches. Length 
 of antlers. 25-30 inches. ..... 
 
 Description. Body heavy, ears very large, thickly haircd.tail white with 
 black tip, n:»ked below at the base. Pale dull yellowish in summer, 
 bluish sjray m autumn, front of the face betwitii the eves dusky, 
 rest »t !ice, throat, abdomen and inside of le^s white. Antlers 
 fori<ir.fi .quiilly (dichotomous) and each prong ag.'in biturc.ite. 
 
 Range. N< tUi Dakota to Texas and Colorado ;md west to Wtishing- 
 ton, Oregon and northern Californa. Closely allied varieties occur 
 in CaliiorMi.i -xith of San Francisco. 
 
 Unles.s we .ire f;imiliar with an animal it is often difficult to know 
 the orgin of the popular names that have been bestowed upon it. In 
 the present case we should on first thought picture a large heavy 
 
 39 
 
 fSSS^ 
 
;i 
 
 ^1 
 
 t 
 
 r-' 
 
 ; ! : 
 
 ! 
 
 Mote 
 
 animal tpproaching the moose in build, but such a conception U 
 erroneous. The mule deer, like the jack-ass rabbit, owes its name 
 not to iU shape but to its enormous ears, which as we know are the 
 most characeristic feature of the mulf. 
 
 Though but little exceeding the Virginia deer in height, the 
 present species is a heavier, more coarsly built animal with shorter 
 legs and with very different antlers. 
 
 It inhabits usually the rough broken country but often ascends to 
 the higher valleys and plateaus of the mountains. Besides its peculiar- 
 ities of structure the mule deer has a distinctive gait. Instead of the 
 continuous easy springs of the Virginia deer it proceeds by a jerky 
 series of bounds, all four legs apparently touching the ground 
 together, or to quote from Lewis and Clarke who first discovered the 
 species: " It does not lope but jumps." u •. ti/ . 
 
 The range cf the mule deer is quite extensive through the West, 
 and as will be seen below, the Southern representatives form distinct 
 
 The mule deer was one of those many Western novelties which 
 Audubon and his companions met with on their memorable journey 
 up the Missouri River in 1843. He says of his first sight of it: "On 
 winding along the banks, bordering a long and wide praine. 
 intermingled with willows and other small brushwood, we suddenly 
 tame in sight of four mule deer which, after standing a mcmenii on 
 the bank and looking at us, trotted leisurely away, without appear- 
 ing to be much alarmed. After they had retired a few hundred yards, 
 the two largest, apparently males, elevated themselves on their hind 
 legs and pawed each other in the manner of the horse. They 
 occasionally stopped for a moment, then trotted off again, appearing 
 and disappearing from time to time, when becoming suddenly 
 alarmed they bounded off at a swift pacr until out of sight. They 
 did not trot or run as irregularly as our Virginia deer, and they 
 appeared at a distance darker in colour." 
 
 As time went on and settlers and hunters spread over the great 
 West the mule deer became a familiar „nimal. distinguished by all 
 from the Virginia deer by its curious gait, its equally forking antlers 
 and its black tail; the latter giving rise over a large part of its range to 
 the name "black-tailed deer." an appellation belonging more strictly 
 to the animal of the Columbia River region of the Pacific Coast. As 
 a game animal it is held by many to be unsurpassed. Mr. A. G. 
 Wallihan says of this species: " For me. at least, there is a charm 
 
 I 
 
 ¥> 
 
A STARTLED rx)E; SHE HEARS A WHISTLE AlROSS THE fREEK 
 
 WHITE-TAIL ItEER (.U..//, .<« : i>c;„/,ii„i ,) 
 
 ll> W K ( j,:m 
 
MKROCOrv RfSOlUTION TIST CHAIT 
 
 (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 
 
 1.0 
 
 \2B 
 
 1= 
 
 11.25 
 
 li£ 
 
 IS 
 
 IK 
 
 12.5 
 
 112 
 
 IM 12.0 
 
 ■ 2^ 
 
 IJiSi 
 
 ^ 
 
 /1PPLIED IN/HGE Inc 
 
 165:) Coat hkiin SIrvct 
 
 RochMttr, N«« Yorit 14609 USA 
 
 (716) 482 - 0300 - Phofw 
 
 (716) 2H- 5W9 -Fa» 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
Varieties of Mule Deer and Allied Speciea 
 
 about the blacktail or mule deer, that no other game possesses. 
 Barring the bighorn, their meat is the best, their hide tans into the 
 best bucicskin, and you turn from the large elk or the agile antelope to 
 the graceful beauty of the blacktail buck, and find there the greatest 
 satisfaction. The head of the bighorn is a finer trophy, no doubt, 
 and you are led to grand scenery in the pursuit of him, but it is heart- 
 breaking work. Where you find the blacktail you will find other 
 pleasures, for he delights in the most charming bits of country to be 
 found. He will jump up from the tall weeds and grass among the 
 aspens, so close as to startle you as you ride through them, or will 
 leap into view from the shade of a deep washout far in the desert, 
 where he finds in the feed and surroundings something to suit his 
 taste. He is crafty also, for if he thinks he is hidden 1 have known 
 him to lie in thick bush until almost kick i out after all sorts of 
 expedients to drive him out have failed. He, has perhaps the keenest 
 scent and the best hearing of all the deer tribe ... but cannot see as 
 well as the antelope, for I have stood within ten or twenty feet 
 of several passing bands which failed to distinguish me from a stump 
 or rock. Antelope will approach /ery closely occasionally, out of 
 pure inquisitiveness, but never a deer. If anything moves a deer sees 
 it instantly, but he cannot tell what a still object is." 
 
 Varieties of Mule Deer and Allied Species 
 
 Mule Deer. Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque). Description 
 
 and range as above. 
 Californian Mule Deer. O. hemionus californicus (Caton). 
 
 Similar, with smaller ears and with a dark median stripe on 
 
 the tail. 
 Range. Coast range of California south of San Francisco. 
 Desert Mule Deer. O. hemionus eremicus (Mearns). Paler 
 
 than any of the other varieties. 
 Range. Desert areas of lower California and Sonora. 
 Cerros Island Deer. O. cerrosensis Merriam. Similar to the 
 
 Californian variety, but much smaller. 
 Range. Cerros Island off the Californian coast. 
 Crook's Deer. O. crooki Mearns. Somewhat like the mule 
 
 deer, but reddish-fawn in colour, tail naked at base 
 
 beneath. 
 Range. New Mexico. 
 
 
 ill 
 
 'i 
 
Columbian BUtek-tailed Dmt 
 
 Columbian Black-tailed Deer 
 
 OdocoiUus columbianus (Richardson) 
 
 Length. 6 feet. 
 
 Description. Smaller than the mule deer, with relatively shorter 
 ears and finer hair; especially distinguished by the shorter 
 metatarsal gland and tuft which occupy a considerable part 
 of the upper half of 'he cannon bone segment. General colour 
 brownish gray, da .st along the back, with a tinge of reddish 
 brown on the head; chin, upper throat and posterior portion 
 of underparts white, rest as above. Tail black ..bove. basal 
 thira beneath white. Antlers similar to those of the mule 
 deer. Summer coat redder than winter. 
 
 Range. British Columbia, through Washington and Oregon, west 
 of the Cascade Mountains. Closely related varieties to the 
 north and south, in Alaska and Northern California. 
 
 Our Pacific coast region is favoured with more distinct kinds 
 of deer than any other part of the Union. Besides a represen- 
 tative of the widespread Virginia deer group, we find there also 
 the larger heavier mule deer and the smaller darker species above 
 described. The black-tailed deer, as seen above, has a very re- 
 stricted distribution and was unknown to naturalists until the 
 famous expedition of Lewis and Clarke across the Rocky Moun- 
 tains and into our northwestern territory. These observant natur- 
 alists recognized in both this and the mule deer species which 
 were unknown to them and have given in the account of their 
 travels excellent descriptions of both. The blacktail is in many 
 ways intermediate between the mule and the Virginia deer, but 
 has the same peculiarity of gait and much the same stv'le of 
 antlers as the former. 
 
 Lydekker writes of this species: "In its general mode of 
 life the blacktail is in some respects unlike the mule-deer, although 
 it resembles the latter in its bounding gait when frightened. 
 Such a fatiguing pace can, however, be maintained only for a 
 comparatively short distance, and the deer consequently soon be- 
 come blown when they start off in this manner. When starting 
 without being frightened, they run in a more ordinary way, and 
 are then able to hold out for a much longer time, as is also the 
 case with the mule deer. Unlike the latter, the present species is 
 a forest-loving animal, frequently the dense woods of conifers 
 bordering the Pacific Coast, whose deep shade affords ample con- 
 
 4a 
 
VIRGINMA DEER IN THE MAIN'E WOODS AT NIGHT 
 Carefully •ppniathitiK in a lamw, this picture i.f ilu- surpriiuvl ,\,w «■« wvured by flaihlijht. 
 
 By W. K.. Carlin 
 

MOOM 
 
 cealment. . . . The fawns are usually born in May, their number 
 being generally two, although triplets have been recorded. They 
 are more fully spotted than those of the mule deer, the spots 
 themselves being more sharply defined and arranged in more 
 definite longitudinal lines. In these respects the fawns are more 
 like those of the Virginian deer." 
 
 Varieties of Black-tailed Deer 
 
 Black-tailed Deer. Odocoileus columbianus (Richardson). 
 
 Description and range as above. 
 Sitkan Black-tailed Deer. O. columbianus sitkensis Merriam. 
 
 Similar, but ears shorter, and basal part of tail above fulvous 
 
 like the back. 
 Range. Southern Alaska. 
 Californian Black-tailed Deer. O. columbianus scaphiotus 
 
 Merriam. Colours paler and ears longer. 
 Range. Northern California. 
 
 Moose 
 
 Alces americanus Jardlne 
 
 Length. 9 feet. Height at shoulder, 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet 6 
 inches. Length of antler, 41 to 44 inches. 
 
 Description. A crest of stiff erect hairs on the neck, much elon- 
 gated and forming a hump on the shoulders, nose large, the 
 upper lip protrudmg well over the lower, ears large, tail 
 very short, legs long, a pendent mass of hair on the throat 
 called the " bell." Colour blackish-brown above, grizzled with 
 gray on the rump, shoulders and sides of the neck, under 
 parts black, inside of legs and their entire lower portions 
 quite gray, feet black, ears gray. Antlers broadly palmate, 
 solid portion nearly two feet at the widest point, several tines 
 project forward and the outer edge of the flat portion is 
 fringed by an irregular series of points. 
 
 .(.inge. Eastern British America, Maine, Minnesota and Montana 
 and formerly northern New York. Replaced in Alaska bv 
 the Alaskan moose {Alces gigas Miller), a still larger beast, 
 and the largest known member of the deer tribe. 
 
 The moose seems like some old pre-historic creature that has 
 lingered on into the present age, lonely and out of place, as if, 
 
 43 
 
f 
 I 
 
 MOOM 
 
 having outlived its age and generation, it must necessarily soon 
 become extinct from natural causes. 
 
 His massive scoop-shaped antlers and monstrous muzzle, in fact, 
 his whole great ungainly carcass, looks as if it might well belong to 
 some of those forgotten creatures whose bones are found in the 
 river-drift, or dug up from beneath clay strata, buried in some 
 long past interglacial epoch. 
 
 Yet the moose lives and breeds in our Maine woods, its flesh 
 serves as an article of food among us and may be bought in the 
 market. 
 
 Furthermore, he seems perfectly well fitted to look out for 
 his own safety. His speed and endurance are astonishing, and he 
 carries his large bulk and spreading antlers easily and swiftly 
 through thickets where a man might well hesitate to force his way. 
 
 His long legs are very convenient when wading about after 
 water lilies and equally so in reaching upward to peel the bark 
 from the young trees or biting off the tender shoots. When 
 browsing, however, he not unfrequently brings his heavy body 
 also into play and rearing up rides the tree down by sheer force, 
 thus bringing the upper branches within reach. Feeding off the 
 ground is another matter, however, the neck being too short to 
 compensate for the great length of leg so that the beast is forced 
 to kneel with the front feet in order to reach the ground in a 
 level spot. 
 
 The moose is eminently an animal of the forest and is par- 
 ticularly at home in the dense thickets surrounding the shallow 
 lakes, bogs and watercourses of the north woods, where he may 
 be found wading through the water in search of the yellow 
 splatterdocks, the roots of which at certain seasons form one of 
 his choicest articles of diet. Most of the peculiarities of the moose 
 are undoubtedly due to his habits which are in many respects 
 different from those of other members of the deer tribe. 
 
 In running his movements are described as clumsy, never 
 galloping or jumping, but executing a curious shuffling or ambling 
 gait, tossing his head and shoulders as if about to break into a 
 gallop, but only increasing his speed by lengthening his stride, 
 spreading his hind feet in order to straddle the front ones 
 without stepping on them, his hoofs clacking noisily as he goes. 
 
 He holds his nose up and his antlers laid back en his 
 shoulders to avoid the branches. When he comes to a fallen 
 
 44 
 
il 
 
 IN MOOSE CO., IDAHO 
 
 By W. E. Cailin 
 
 WESTERN' WHITE-TAIL, OR VIRC.IN'IA ')EER {OdoioiUiis vi,t;inia>uis mucroitrtu) Hy w. K. (..irlin 
 
 IN THE BITTKK Hum VALLEY, MONTANA. 
 
 These photoBr»t'l>» "' »''1'1 '•"'' *''"■ "'»''*' '" ""' ^prinit, whvn thi' animals are iiinre easi !■> apprciach. [n each case the 
 ca.ncra hunter lav in wait near the trail and rau.^nt the atninals nnawi>res. 
 
i-ii 
 
MOOM 
 
 tree, as high as a man's shoulder, he does not jump it, but 
 simply steps over without changing his gait. 
 
 In winter the moose keep to the hilly woods in the cover 
 of the evergreens and live by browsing on green wood and 
 moss and the resinous foliage of the evergreens. When the 
 snow gets so deep as to hinder their progress, they tramp 
 irregular paths, forming a sort of labyrinth over several acres, 
 making what is known as a "moose yard," where they pass 
 the hardest part of the winter, sometimes several families together. 
 
 As food gets scarce and hard to reach, they extend their 
 yards by breaking new paths through the snow, but are often 
 reduced to short commons before the winter is over. At the 
 approach of warm weather they move down to the swamps and 
 lake-side, where they browse on willow, striped maple, birch, 
 etc.; in order to get at the upper branches of a sapling they 
 will rear up against it and bend it down with their weight. 
 In summer they live largely on lily roots and succulent water- 
 plants, wading and running out into the lakes and feeding with 
 their heads partly immersed in the water. During the rutting 
 season, which occurs in the autumn, the old bulls become savage 
 and fearless, roaming the forest on moonlight nights, whistling 
 and calling fiercely and clashing their antlers against trees as a 
 challenge. The cow moose answers with a lower call, which 
 the hunters imitate through birch-bark trumpets, in order to call 
 the bull within gunshot. 
 
 When entice:' in this manner, the bull is likel" to come 
 upon the hunter with a ulind rush, and in the darkness of the 
 wood the hunter, whose nerves are liable to fail him at a pinch, 
 may find th'- sort of sport exciting, b-t not altogether safe. 
 
 The fawns who are born in early ummer stay with their 
 mouiers for two or three years before they wander oflf to seek 
 mates for themselves. It is said that they do not get their full 
 growth until they are fourteen or fifteen years old and, if they 
 escape a violent death, live to a great age. 
 
 Of one of the strongholds of the moose in the East, Frederic 
 Irland writes: "The camp was on the Crooked Dead water by 
 the side of a beautiful stream at the head of a great river. Just across 
 the narrow waterway one of the grandest mountains in New 
 Brunswick rises sheer and dark, a great pyramid of eternal ver- 
 dure, which in the winter is the feeding ground of hundreds of 
 
 45 
 
 i 
 
moose. It was into this inviting camp that we stumbled long 
 after dark, caring a litth moose out of the very d' ir-yard, not 
 two hundred feet from the cabin door. The frost came down 
 and cracked the trees that night till they popped with the cold 
 and the sound was like a skirmish of rifles. The next morning 
 when we awoke there was a thin glaze on the snow, and when 
 we walked abroad it was like treading on innumerable panes of 
 crackling window-glass. We heard three different moose get up 
 and run when we were a quarter of a mile off. . . . We 
 climbed the mountain for an hour. Then we came to the tracks 
 of two moose, fresh that very morning. The footprints were not 
 extra large, but the broken twigs on two trees showed where a 
 pair of antlers had scraped on either side and I could scarcely 
 touch the two trees at one time with my outstretched hands. 
 Moose with big horns do not always have large hoofs. 
 
 '"They lie down about this time in the morning' said my 
 guide, ... and after awhile, over the top of a fallen tree- 
 trunk I saw the mane of a great, black animal. The old fellow 
 has not seen us yet. He swings his great horns just a little. 
 The steam rises from his broad nostrils. Lazily he winks his 
 eye. I can see every hair on his back. Carefully I push the 
 camera above the prostrate tree-trunk first brushing the snow 
 away with my hand. Tick, goes the shutter and the great beast 
 is getting up. The antlers swing, he rises, two feet at a time, 
 like an ox, hesitates an instant, as a moose always does, shows 
 the little symptoms of fright so familiar to those w-i. know the 
 l.abits of the moose, and then goes down v.ie mountains like a 
 runaway locomotive.' 
 
 In the far Northwest moose were even more abundant, though 
 it is difficult to say how long they will withstand the sudden 
 flood of immigration which the gold fever has recently produced 
 in that direction. "The broad valley and mountain banks of the 
 Klondike" writes Tappan Adney, "are an admirable feeding ground 
 for the moose. The temperature in winter is exceedingly cold 
 and crisp, but the snowfall is light, and by reason of the intense 
 cold the snow does not settle or pack. There is so little wind, 
 especially through the early part of the winter, that the snow 
 accumulates on the trees in strange and often fantastic masses, 
 giving the landscape, especially on the mountain tops, the appear- 
 ance of having been chiselled out of pure white marble. On 
 
 46 
 
%, 
 
 i 
 
 '\\ 
 
 \ 
 
 i J 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 '1 , 
 
 l.,t 
 
 ^ 
 
Woodland Caribou 
 
 account of its lightness, tiie snow is no impediment to tiie long- 
 legged gaunt moose, which is not obliged to 'yard,' as in more 
 Southern deep-snow regions, but wanders at will from valley to 
 mountain top in search of the tender twigs of willow, white 
 birch and cotton wood. The Indians surround the moose in its 
 feeding grounds and as it runs one or more of them is tolerably 
 sure of a quick shot." The moose in this section has long been 
 the main support of the Indians and in their household economy 
 no part of the beast is wasted. To quote further, "The hides 
 were brought indoors, the hair was shaved off, and all the sinew 
 and meat adhering was removed by means of a sort of chisel 
 made of a moose's shin bone. . . . The skin was now 
 washed in a pan of hot water. The tanning, with a soup of 
 thf liver and brains, is done the next summer. The various por- 
 tions of the moose were divided among the village. One family 
 got the head, another a slab of ribs, another the fore shoulders. 
 The shin bones were roasted and cracked ' ' their marrrv; the 
 ears, although nothing but cartilage, were roasted and chewed 
 up; the rubber-like 'muffle,' or nose, and every particle of flesh, 
 fat or gristle that could be scraped from head or hoofs .Vf- 
 disposed of. Even the stomach was emptied of its contents 
 boiled and eaten." 
 
 In the Old World there occurs a near relative of the moose 
 in the forests of the Scandinavian peninsula as well as parts of 
 Russia and Prussia. The animal is known to the English by the 
 name of elk, which term has unfortunately been applied in this 
 country to the wapiti. 
 
 -ii 
 
 Woodland Caribou 
 
 Rangifcr caribou (Gmelin) 
 
 Length. 6 feet. Height at shoulder 4 feet. Length of antler }0 to 
 40 inches. 
 
 'Description. Differs from all the preceding members of the deer 
 family in the presence of antlers on the female as well as the 
 male, the muzzle is also entirely covered with hair and the feet are 
 more deeply cleft. Colour, dark dove-brown, lighter in the neck, 
 posterior part of the abdomen, and inside of legs as well as a 
 
 47 
 
Woodland Cariboa 
 
 band just above the hoofs white, muzzle and face dark except the 
 front of the upper lips. Grayer in winter with head and neck 
 nearly white. Antlers with one (rarely both) of the brow tines 
 flattened and palmate standing out vertically in front of the face, 
 above this is another branched tine more or less palmate and the 
 summit of the antler is again palmately expanded. The exact 
 pattern and extent of the palmation is exceedmgly variable. 
 Range. Wooded parts of British America, northern Maine and 
 Montana. 
 
 The caribou's hair in summer is brown to match the dun 
 coloured barrens and marshes. In the fall it grows longer and 
 thicker, the new growth being very much lighter so that in mid- 
 winter and early spring the general effect is smoky white— the 
 colour of a snowstorm in the woods, and the moss-hung, snow- 
 flecked spruce trees among which the caribou feed and seek pro- 
 tection during the cold weather. Their rough antlers looking like 
 dead, weather-beaten branches also help them in their everlasting 
 game of hide and seek. 
 
 It is evident to the most unscientific that the woodland caribou is 
 only a branch of the great reindeer family, which has either wandered 
 south into the woods of Canada and the northern United States, or 
 else lingered behind when the wide extended ice sheet of the glacial 
 period withdrew again to the Arctic regions thousands of years ago, at 
 the time the little alpine plants, still found on Mt. Washington, got 
 left behind by their kindred. In whichever case they certainly appear 
 to have found the conditions favourable and have increased in size 
 accordingly. 
 
 But the woodland caribou still feels at times the old inherited 
 desire for wide open stretches of treeless country, particulariy in 
 summer, when they wander out over the extensive barrens and flat 
 bog lands to pasture on the coarse sedge-grass growing there. 
 
 Although perfectly at home in the thickets where they winter, 
 browsing on moss and lichens; their power for leaping over windfalls 
 and bush is as yet an acquired art, not instinctive and hereditary as it 
 is with the true deer of the wildwood. W. M. J. Long in his " Wilder- 
 ness Ways" savs: "Caribou are naturally poor jumpers. Beside a 
 deer who often goes out of his way to jump a fallen tree just for the 
 fun of it, they have no show whatever; though they can travel much 
 further in a day and much easier. Their gait is a swinging 
 trot from which it is impossible to jump; and if you frighten 
 
 48 
 
— » 
 
Woodland Caribou 
 
 them out of their trot into a gallop and keep them at it they 
 never grow exhausted. 
 
 " Countless generations on the northern wastes, where 
 there is no need of jumping, have bred this habit, and modified 
 their muscles accordingly. 
 
 " But now a race of caribou has moved further into the woods, 
 where great trees lie fallen across the way, and where if there 
 is anybody behind them, or they are in a hurry, jumping is a 
 necessity. Still they do not like it and avoid jumping as much 
 as possible. The little ones, left to themselves, would always 
 crawl under a fallen tree, or trot round it. And this is another 
 thing to overcome, and another lesson to be taught in the caribou 
 school 
 
 "One afternoon in late summer I was drifting down the Toledo 
 River, casting for trout, when a movement in the bushes caught 
 my attention. A great swampy tract of ground, covered with 
 grass and low bush, spread out on either side of the stream. 
 
 "From the canoe I made out two or three waving lines of 
 bushes where some animals were making their way through the 
 swamp toward a strip of big timber which formed a kind of island 
 in the middle. Pushing my canoe into the grass 1 made for a point 
 just astern of the nearest quivering line of bushes. A glance at a 
 strip of soft ground showed me the trail of a mother caribou with her 
 calf I followed carefully, the wind being ahead in my favour. 
 
 " They were not hurrying and I took good pains not to alarm 
 them. 
 
 "When I reached the timbers and crept like a snake through 
 the underbush, there were the caribou, five or six mother animals, 
 and nearly twice as many little ones, well grown, which had 
 evidently just come in from all directions. They were gathered 
 in a natural opening, fairly clear of bushes, with a fallen tree 
 or two, which served a good purpose later. The sunlight fell 
 across it in great golden bars, making light and shadow to play 
 in; all around was the great marsh, giving protection from enemies; 
 dense underbush screened them from prying eyes — and this was 
 their school-room. 
 
 "The little ones were pushed out into the middle, away from 
 the mothers to whom they clung instinctively, and were left to 
 get acquainted with each other, which they did very shyly at 
 first, like so many strange children. 
 
 I ?1 
 
 iiitti 
 
 Hi 
 
f I 
 
 Woodland Caribou 
 
 "It was all new and curious; this meeting of their kind; for 
 till now they had lived in dense solitude, each one knowing 
 no living creature save its own mother. 
 
 "Some were timid and backed away as far as possible into 
 the shadow, looking with wild, wide eyes from one to 
 another of the little caribou, and bolting to their mother's side at 
 every unusual movement. Others were bold and took to butting 
 at the first encounter. . . . 
 
 " As 1 watched them the mothers all came out from the shadows 
 and began trotting round the opening, the little ones keeping 
 close as possible, each one to its mother's side. 
 
 " Then the old ones went faster; the calves were left in a long line 
 stringing out behind. 
 
 "Suddenly the leader veered into the edge of the timber and went 
 over a fallen tree with a jump; the cows followed splendidly, rising 
 on one side and falling gracefully on the other, like gray waves 
 racing past the end of a jetty. 
 
 "But the first little one dropped his head obstinately at the 
 tree and stopped short. The next one did the same thing; only 
 he ran his head into the first one's legs and knocked them out from 
 under him. The others whirled with a ba-a-a-a-ah, and scampered 
 round the tree and up to their mothers, who had turned now 
 and stood watching anxiously to see the effect of their lesson. 
 
 "Then it began over again. It was true kindergarten teaching; 
 for under guise of a frolic the calves were taught a needful lesson- 
 not only to jump, but far more important than that, to follow 
 their leader, and to go where he goes without question or hesitation. 
 
 "For the leaders on the barrens are wise old bulls that make 
 no mistakes. 
 
 "Most of the little caribou took to the sport very well, and 
 presently followed their mothers over the low hurdles. But a 
 few were timid, and then came the most interesting bit of the 
 whole strange school, when a little one would be led to a tree 
 and butted from behind till he took the jump. 
 
 "There was no 'consent of the governed 'in the governing. 
 The mothers knew, and the calf didn't, just what was good for him." 
 
 The caribou is such a restless wandering fellow that it is 
 . .lie use to attempt hunting him by following his trail; you 
 may succeed in getting a shot at him in this manner, but the 
 chances are that he will see you first, or at all events become 
 
 50 
 
m 
 
 ti 
 
Woodland Cariboa 
 
 =v. 
 
 aware of your presence in some way, and after that you might 
 as well be following the trail of a wood-nymph, as far as your 
 chances of success are concerned. 
 
 Still hunting is the most satisfactory method of getting caribou. 
 Keeping the wind in your face you wander silently through the 
 forest and along by the edge of the open barren and by the lake's 
 margin, keenly searching the skirts of the spruce thickets and 
 birch clumps for a sight of your game. If you should chance 
 upon a trail very recently made, it is sometimes possible, if the 
 wind is in your favour, to follow it cautiously and get a shot; 
 or perhaps after following it a little way the direction of the trail 
 will tell you the caribou are in all probability heading for a certain 
 open feeding ground or lake shore that you know of, in which 
 case a cross cut will often enable you to intercept them. 
 
 Caribou are full of inquisitiveness and not very keen sighted, 
 and in winter, v/hen the woods are white with snow, some 
 caribou hunters make a point of wearing a white flannel hunting 
 suit and a brilliant red cap; the caribou seeing this spot of bright 
 colour moving among the trees are tempted by curiosity to approach 
 within gunshot. 
 
 Varieties of the Woodland Carilaou 
 
 There are seven kinds of caribou in North America which appear 
 to be quite distinct and geographically separated from one another,and 
 all of them certainly different from the reindeer of Europe. They fall 
 into two groups; the larger woodland caribou and the smaller Barren 
 Ground caribou. The most striking differences between the members 
 of the former group are given below, and of the latter beyond. 
 
 /. Woodland Caribou. Rangifer caribou (Gmelin). Description 
 
 and range as above. 
 2. Mountain Cari ou. Rangifer montanus. Seton-Thompson. 
 Uniformly darker than the preceding with the white band 
 above the hoof very narrow. Size rather larger. 
 Range. Rocky Mountains of Idaho north into Southern Alaska. 
 J. Stone's Caribou. Rangifer stonei Allen. Dark like the last but 
 with a heavy white fringe of hair on the front of the neck in 
 strong contrast. 
 Range. Kenai Peninsula Alaska. 
 4. Newfoundland Caribou. Rangifer terrce-novce Bangs. Uni- 
 formly whiter than the woodland caribou, with a white ring 
 around the eyt. Antlers very massive and widespread with 
 numerous pomts. 
 Range. Newfoundland. 
 
 $» 
 
Bunn Onraiid Cuiboa 
 
 Barren Gi.and Caribou 
 
 Rangifer arcticus (Richardson) 
 
 Size. Smaller than the preceding. Antlers longer, 50 inches. 
 Description. Smaller than the woodland caribou and allied species, 
 
 colours light, almost entirely white in winter. Antlers slender 
 
 with comparatively few points. 
 Range. Barren Grounds of Arctic America. 
 
 Recent explorations in the Northwest have discovered a much 
 greater variety of caribou than were formerly supposed to exist, 
 in fact, no less than seven different kinds are now known to 
 inhabit North America. It is impossible at present to de- 
 termine the exact relationship between these animals until their 
 range has been more carefully ascertained. It is qui -> likely that 
 all may prove to be perfectly distinct species or ^^ ie of them 
 may be mere geographic races, shading imperceptibly one into 
 the other. However this may be, the Barren Ground caribou, 
 the smallest of the group, seems to be the most widely sepa- 
 rated both in appearance and habits from woodland caribou of 
 which we have just been treating. "Its range," writes Warbur- 
 ton Pike, "appears to be from the islands in the Arctic Sea to 
 the southern part of Hudson's Bay, while the Mackenzie River 
 is the limit of their western wandering. In the summer time 
 they keep to the true Barren Grounds, but in the autumn, when 
 their feeding-grounds are covered with snow, they seek the 
 hanging moss in the woods. From what I could gather from 
 the Indians, and from my own personal experience, it was late 
 in October, immediately after the rutting season, that the great 
 bands of caribou, commonly known as La Foule, mass up on 
 the edge of the woods, and start for food and shelter afforded 
 by the stronger growth of pines farther southward. A month 
 afterward the males and females separate, the latter beginning to 
 work their way north again as eariy as the end of February; 
 they reach the edge of the woods in April, and drop their young 
 far out toward the sea-coast in June, by which time the snow 
 is melting rapidly and the ground showing in patches. The 
 males stay in the woods till May and never reach the coast, 
 but meet the females on their way inland at the end of July; 
 
 s> 
 
J 
 
t! ' 
 
Barren Oroond Caribou 
 
 from this time they stay together till the rutting season is over 
 and it is time to seek the woods once more." 
 
 Of their curious migration he says. "They are extremely un- 
 certain in their movements, seldom taking the same course in 
 two consecutive years, . . . this is in a great measure accounted 
 for by the fact that great stretches of the country have been 
 burnt, and so rendered incapable of growing the lichen so dearly 
 loved by these animals." In the fall of 1889 he personally en- 
 countered one of the migrations. "With the increasing depth of 
 the snow there was a noticeable migration of life, from the 
 Barren Grounds. Ptarmigan came literally in thousands, while the 
 tracks of wolves, wolverines and Arctic foxes made a continuous 
 network in the snow. Scattered bands of caribou were almost 
 always in sight from the top of the ridge behind the camp and 
 increased in numbers till the morning of October 20th. \ hen we 
 were awakened before daylight by the cry of "La fotuc." "La 
 foule," and even in the lodge we could hear the curious clatter 
 made by a band of travelling caribou. La Foule had really come 
 and during its passage of six days I was able to realize what 
 an extraordinary number of these animals still roam in the Barren 
 Grounds. From the ridge we had a splendid view of the migra- 
 tion; all the south side of Mackay Lake was alive with moving 
 beasts, while the ice seemed to be dotted all over with black 
 islands, and still away on tli) north shore, with the aid of the 
 glasses, we could see them coming like regiments on the march. 
 In every direction we could hear the grunting noise that the 
 caribou always make when travelling; the snow was broken into 
 broad roads and I found it useless to try to estimate the num- 
 ber that passed within a few miles of our encampment. . . 
 This passage of the caribou is the most remarkable thiii^ that I 
 have ever seen in the course of many expeditions among the 
 big game of America. The buffalo were for the most part killed 
 out before my time, but I cannot believe that the herds on the 
 prairie ever surpassed in size La Foule of the caribou." 
 
 ) 
 
 4 
 
 I 
 
 Varieties of Barren Ground Caribou 
 
 I. Barren Ground Caribou. Rangifer arcticus (Richardson). 
 Description and range as above. 
 
 Si 
 
American Prong-Hom 
 
 2. Greenland Caribou. Rangifer graenlandicus (Gmelin). Some- 
 
 what like the last, a white ring around the eye and very 
 long slender antlers. 
 Range. Greenland. 
 
 3. Grant's Caribou. Rangifer granti Allen. Represents the 
 
 Barren Ground caribou in the extreme Northwest. Skull 
 characters quite different. 
 Range. Alaskan peninsula. 
 
 PRONG-HORNS 
 
 Family Antilocapridce 
 
 This family contains only the curious prong-horn of our 
 Western plains, an animal intermediate in many ways between 
 the deer and the cattle. 
 
 American Prong- Horn 
 
 Antilocapra atnericana (Ord) 
 Also called Antelope, Prong-buck. 
 
 Length 4 feet, 6 inches. Height at shoulder, 2 feet, 10 inches. 
 
 Description. Horns hollow, Mke those of the cattle, but regularly 
 deciduous, like the antlers of the deer, and forked. The 
 two small rudimentary hoofs, usually seen in ruminant animals 
 behind and above the large pair, are entirely absent. Muzzle 
 covered with hair except a narrow line down the middle, 
 eyes very large and a short mane on the back of the neck. 
 Colour above light yellowish-brown, throat, neck and under- 
 parts white; forehead, nose and spot below the ear dark 
 brown, sides of the head, spot behind the ear and triangular 
 patch on the shoulder joining the throat white. 
 
 Range Saskatchewan to Mexico; Missouri River to the Rocky 
 Mountains, and the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Wash- 
 ington. 
 
 The prong-horn or prong-buck is to be found in diminished 
 numbers from the Missouri River to the Pacific and southward 
 into Mexico. They are roving creatures, their movements being 
 largely determined bv the weather and the comparative abun- 
 dance or scarcity of ter and pasturage. In winter they seek 
 
 S4 
 
 i\ 
 
YOUNG WOODLAND CARIUOU Wangijer cariboU) 
 
 In Withinnt.m Z.i.,l„i.ical Psrk. 
 
 By A, R. Dufiaart 
 
 i 
 
American Pronf-Hom 
 
 sheltered valleys amonc; the hills and, as spring comes on, the 
 females separate from the rest of the herd and give birth to 
 their kids, usually two in number. These they keep in hiding 
 and watch jealously for a fortnight. At the end of a short 
 time they are strong .md reliant on their legs and capable of 
 following their mother wherever they go. 
 
 The herd now wanders oi t over the open plains and low 
 rolling foot-hills, where the wide free outlook makes it possible 
 for them to detect danger at an immense distance. When alarmed, 
 they crowd together and dash away like the wind and, being 
 easily the swiftest runners on the continent, are in little danger 
 of being overtaken. Their innate curiosity, however, often gets 
 them into trouble. A handkerchief on the end of a stick, or 
 anything, in fact, that excites their curious interest, will frequently 
 draw them within gunshot, unless they manage to get the 
 wind of their enemy, when, scenting danger, they are off and 
 away. 
 
 During the summer months the old bucks live apart fro ' 
 the females and their families; towards autumn, however, they 
 become more sociable and friendly, and join their mates once 
 more, the herds constantly increasing in size until November. 
 
 In defending their kids the females use their sharp hoofs 
 with savage effectiveness, striking a quick downward blow with 
 their forefeet that might easily disable a wolf that came too close. 
 It is said that they will cut a rattlesnake to pieces before he 
 has a chance to strike. 
 
 Like other distinctively Western animals, the antelope attracted 
 much attention from Audubon on his famous expedition up the 
 Missouri, and all its peculiarities of habit were carefully observed. 
 In his account of the species he says: 
 
 "Observe now a flock of these beautiful animals; they are 
 not afraid of man — they pause in their rapid course to gaze on 
 the hunter, and stand with heads erect, their ears as well as 
 eyes directed toward him, and make a loud noise by stamping 
 with their forefeet on the hard earth; but suddenly they become 
 aware that he is no friend of theirs, and away they bound like 
 a flock of frightened sheep — but far more swiftly, even the kids 
 running with extraordinary speed by the side of their parents — 
 and now the^' ■ ..n around a steep hill and disappear, then per- 
 
 55 
 
I 
 
 American Pronc-Hom 
 
 haps come in view, and once more stand and gaze at the in- 
 truder." 
 
 The wonderful watchfulness ' of the antelope is due naturally 
 to its continual exposure in the open country in which it lives 
 and the necessity of being ever prepared to get a clear start of 
 the wolves or such other enemies as may harass it, against 
 which flight is its only safeguard. . n , ' 
 
 Like many other animals that habitually associate in flocks, 
 the antelope has in its two white rump patches conspicuous 
 "recognition marks," as taey have been termed, by which, ac- 
 cording to Wallace's theory, individuals can at a glance recog- 
 nize their own kind, even though at a considerable distance. The 
 rump patches of the antelope, however, are different from those 
 of other ruminants and are of much more importance to the 
 animal. Ernest Seton-Thompson. writing of this matter in The 
 Century Magaiine, says: "Some years airo. while riding across 
 the upland prairie of the Yellowstone, 1 loticed certain white 
 specks in the far distance. They showea and disappeared seve- 
 ral times and then began moving southward. Then, in another 
 direction, I discovered other white specks which also seemed to 
 flash and disappear. A glass showed them to be antelope, but 
 it did not wholly explain the flashing or the moving which ul- 
 timately united the two bands. I made note of the fact, but 
 found no explanation until the opportunity came to study the 
 antelope in the Washington Zoo." He goes on to explain how 
 the approach of a dog to the enclosure of the captive animals 
 caused them to elevate the hair all over their rump patches. 
 "The wild antelope habit is to raise the head while grazing to 
 keep a sharp lookout for danger, and these captives kept up 
 the practice of the race. The first that did so saw the dog. It 
 uttered no sound, but gazed at the wolfish-looking intruder and 
 all the long white hairs of the rump patch were raised with a 
 jerk that made the patch flash in the sun like a tin pan. Every- 
 one of the grazing antelopes saw the flash, repeated it instantly 
 and raised his head to gaze in the direction in which the first 
 was gazing. At the same time 1 noticed on the wind a pecu- 
 liar musky smell -a smell that certainly came from the antelope." 
 Subsequent investigation showed the presence of a musk gland 
 in the centre of the rump patch and a mass of muscle connected 
 vkrith it and with the bases of the white hairs. This completed 
 
 s6 
 
1 
 
 ■M 
 
Il 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 |i 
 
 r! 
 
Mountain Ooat 
 
 the explanation of the whole matter. "As soon as the antelope 
 sees some strange or thrilling object this muscle acts and the 
 rump patch is changed in a flash to a great double disk or twin 
 chrysanthemum of white that shines afar like a patch of snow, 
 but in the middle of each bloom a dark brown spot, the musk 
 gland is exposed and a great quantify of the odor is set free 
 and the message is read by all those who have noses to read. 
 Of all animals man has the poorest nose, he has virtually lost 
 the sense of smell, while among the next animals in the scale 
 scent is their best faculty. Yet even man can distinguish the 
 danger scent for many yards down the wind and there is no 
 reason to doubt that antelope can detect it a mile away. Thus 
 the observations on the captive animals living under normal con- 
 ditions proved the key to those made on the plains and I know 
 now that the changing flashes in the Yellowstone upland were 
 made by the antelopes' heliograph, while the two bands signalled 
 each other; and the smaller band on getting the musky message 
 'Friend' laid aside all precaution and fearlessly joined their rela- 
 tives." 
 
 THE CATTLE 
 
 Family Bovidct 
 
 To this family belong all the domestic cattle and their allies 
 the bisons and buffaloes, wild sheep and goats as well as the 
 great host of antelopes found in Africa and Asia. Our American 
 representatives are few in number, comprising only the mountain 
 goat, mountain sheep, musk ox and buffalo. 
 
 Mountain Goat 
 
 Oreamnos montanus (Ord) 
 Called also White Goat. 
 
 Length. 4 feet. Height at shoulder, 3 feet. 
 Description. Body covered with long hanging white hair and 
 a short woolly under-fur, entirely yellowish white. Shoulders 
 
 57 
 
Ileontaln Ooat 
 
 rather humped and head carried below their level, nose hairy, 
 a short beard on the chin. Horns slender in both sexes and 
 curving slightly backward, black, as are also the hoofs. 
 Range. Higher Rocky and Cascade Mountains to Alaska. 
 
 The higher, almost inaccessible slopes of the British Columbian 
 Mountains are the stronghold of the mountain goats. There usually 
 above the timber-line, amid the wildest scenery, and surrounded by 
 glaciers and precipices they live practically unmolested except by the 
 insatiable hunters. Living in such isolation they are in little need of 
 speed or agility and are said to be rather slow and stupid beasts, easily 
 secured if the surroundings admit of an approach. 
 
 The mountain goat presents many points of interest In the 
 first place it is not a goat but rather an outlying member of the great 
 antelope tribe— to which by the way our American "antelope " does 
 not belong. The nearest relatives of the goat are the serow of the 
 Himalayas and the chamois of the Alps, though the long fleecy coat 
 and goat-like beard give it a very different aspect. 
 
 In colour too it is peculiar, being the only pure white ruminant 
 animal known; this is an excellent protection, rendering it practically 
 invisible during the snows of winter, though at other seasons it would 
 seem to render it equally conspicuous. 
 
 In describing his experience in pursuit of this animal Frederic 
 Irland writes: "The most charming innocent creatures that 1 met 
 in the Cascade Mountains were the white goats. What do you 
 think of a wild animal which, after he knows you are on his 
 track, will stop and turn back, to peer around the corner and see 
 what you are ? These stately animals, with their long white aprons, 
 coal black eyes, and sharp little horns, really seem to me too 
 unsophisticated to shoot. At Ashcroft and Lillooet people had told 
 me to get my hand in by shooting a goat and then perhaps I 
 could improve by getting a sheep. As usual we were seeking what 
 we might destroy, though as a fact we let many chances go. 
 We had nearly burst our hearts by climbing for an hour or two 
 up the mansard roof of North America and high above the deer 
 pasture. The winter on the mountain tops had driven the game 
 down and sent the bears to their winter dens. We had found 
 sheep tracks and were following along t. see where they led, 
 when suddenly we saw four white animals on the edge of an 
 abyss of the kind which Dord has portrayed in illustrating Dante. 
 
i 
 i 
 
 PRON'GH )RN' ( l>l/l7i'.,ir>r,l ,111) t/V,|im) lly W. KOrlir 
 
 Yf;- T,'.'A".'"' '" """" '""' ■■"'"''^""'' '\ t.-l.M'h..t„ i.irlur,- tr..7i, a ,li«,an,-,. .,f , -, var.h. taV.-n nn tlv ...itskirts nf the 
 
 I 
 
M eoataia Oom 
 
 The goats were not very far from us in a straight line, but it was 
 a long way around. They saw us and started on a rheumatic gallop. 
 
 un rJ^T!,!""'' 7.r^'""^ "^ '^'y ''''^"^ » tum.h5ddled 
 Zrl r°^f ^^'t ^' P"''"'* °"^ ^"yo^'^^ toward their last 
 place of abode, reachmg the opposite siue of the canyon by means 
 wholly unsuited to nervous people. There was just snow enough to 
 show heir tracks, which led along scandalous precipices. The 
 fever o pursuit was on my guide, and he walked uprightly in places 
 where 1 became a quadruped. This was trying to his patience, for he 
 caught ghmpses of the goats which 1 by realon of slower progre^ 
 
 7ol tnTh ^K ''T r'". ''" '''"'■ "^^ "'"«' ^° ' 8^«=«» <=himney of 
 I^nnnnM /;""'* «=''"«'"« ^'t^ fmgers anri moccasins, he went 
 around he face of .t. . . When I came out above him I saw he had 
 
 IJ^f '" t T u°^' "'*""' *"P' ^"'^ "'•^y ^^^^3" bunched up 
 
 tfnJlliJ T^u^ ' ^''°"«''* ""''* "°^ *'« P^-^^J- The biggest 
 
 Mm looTt .k'* t^T' ^'' '°"« ^'^'^^ ''^''^'* ^"'^ P^«'^^-t^ '"Sing 
 him look like the high pnest of some heathen temple. ' Don't shoot 
 
 he fall down yelled my guide. At the sound of the voice the goal 
 made a desperate attempt at the face of the rock, scrambling up at an 
 obtuse angle, then standing on his hind legs and throwing his fore 
 feet over, from right to left. 1 thought he surely would fall back but 
 he did not. The smaller goats followed and in a moment they were 
 ITV ■ • ^^^^'"^'Jeaflank movement and perhaps a quarter of a 
 mile from the first round-up we saw those four fool goats again the 
 big one and a small one looking back around the corner to see if we 
 were^really coming. Then we did shoot and curiosity broke up that 
 
 Mr.Owen Wister. in one of the Boone and Crockett Club's volumes 
 gives an interesting account of "The White Goat and his Country '• 
 Describing his first sight of the animal he says: •• We went cautiously 
 along the narrow top of crumbling slate, where the pines 
 were scarce and stunted, and had twisted themselves into 
 corkscrews so they . .ight grip the ground against the tearing force of 
 
 tT/'^oft T, ""V?" ' ""'"'''' °' ^'■"'^ goat-tracks in the snow or 
 t K ?u u ; ^*"'" ^'^ ^''^ '^""^'^ of '"^e mountain sheep, the V 
 
 U I'inl TK ""'*■' ^T^ ■ "P^" '"'^ '" '^' 'li'^tion the animal 
 IS going There seemed tc De several, large and small; and the 
 perverted animals invariably chose the sharpest slant they could find 
 
 nn':;^h r'n"**'" T ' V '""^"^ '^^^' '■"='* ^«"^« '^ t'^^'t we were glad 
 enough to have. If there was a precipice and a sound flat-top. they 
 
 S9 
 
 i 
 
 } 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 V 
 
 \ 
 I 
 
Mountain QoM 
 
 took the precipice, and crossed its face on juts that did not look as if 
 your hat would hang on them. In i is I think they are worse than 
 the mountain sheep, if that is possible. Certainly they do not seem 
 to come down into the high pastures and feed on the grass levels as 
 the sheep will. As we continued I saw a singular looking stone 
 lying on a little ledge some way down the mountain ahead. I 
 decided it must be a stone, and was going to speak of it, when the 
 stone moved and we crouched in the slanting gravel. ... I climbed 
 or crawled out of sight, keeping any stone or little bush between me 
 and the goat, and so came cautiously to where I could peer over and 
 see the goat lying turned away from me, with his head commanding 
 the valley. He was on a tiny shelf of snow, beside him was one small 
 pine, and below that the rock fell away steeply into the gorge. He 
 looked white, and huge, and strange ; and somehow 1 had a sense of 
 personality about him more vi'id than any since I watched my first 
 silver-tip lift a rotten log, and, sitting on his hind legs, make a 
 breakfast on beetles, picking them off the log with one paw." 
 "By eight the next morning," he continues "we had sighted 
 anothes large solitary billy. But he had seen us down in the path 
 from his ridge. He had come to the edge and was evidently watch- 
 ing the horses. If not quick witted, the goat is certainly wary; and 
 the next time we saw him he had t ken himself away down the other 
 side of the mountain, along a spi. j of rocks where approach was 
 almost impossible. We watched his slow movements through the 
 glass, and were reminded of a bear. He felt safe and was stepping 
 deliberately along, often stopping, often walking up some small point 
 and surveying the scenery. He moved in an easy rolling fashion, and 
 turned his head importantly. Then he lay down in the sun, but saw 
 us on out way to him, and bounced off. We came to the place 
 where he had jumped down sheer twenty feet at least. His hoof- 
 tracks were on the edge, and in the gravel below, the heavy scatter 
 he made in landing; and then, — hasty tracks round a corner of rock 
 and no more goat that day." 
 
 Mr. Wister says of the habits of the goat : "It has been stated 
 that in the winter season, like mountain sheep, he descends and comes 
 into the valleys. This does not seem to be the case. He does not 
 depend upon grass, if indeed he eats grass at all. His food seems to 
 b . chiefly the short, almost lichen-like moss that grows on the faces 
 and at the base of the rocks and between them in the crevices. None 
 of the people in the Methon country spoke of seeing goats come out 
 
 60 
 

 1 '^ 
 
 YOIXC, PKONCIlOkxs (.lm,V,. ,,/.r., ,„mr;V,,.,.„ 
 
 Hy A l; iMijn 
 
Mountain Sheep 
 
 of the mountains during winter. I have not sufficient data to make 
 the assertion, but I am inclined to believe that the goat keeps consis- 
 tently to the hills, whatever the season may be, and in this dilTers 
 from the mountain sheep as he differs in ap'pearance. temperament, 
 and in all characteristics, excepting the predilection for the inclined 
 plane; and in this habit he is more vertical than the sheep." Of 
 hunting them he adds; " There is no use in attempting to hunt them 
 from below. Their eyes are watchful and keen, .md the chances are 
 that if you are working up from below and see a goat on the hill, he 
 will have been looking at you for some time. Once he is alarmed, ten 
 minutes will be enough for him to put a good many hours of climbing 
 between himself and you. His favourite trick is to remain stock-still, 
 watching you till you pass out of his sight behind something, and 
 then, he makes off so energetically that when you see him next he 
 will be on some totally new mountain. But his intelligence does not 
 seem to grasp more than the danger from below. While he is stead- 
 fastly on the alert against this, it apparently does not occur to him 
 that anything can come down upon him. Consequently from above 
 you may get very near before you are noticed." 
 
 From the Copper River Mountains, Alaska, Mr. D. G. Elliot has 
 described a goat with very different skull and more divergent horns 
 which seems to represent a different species or geographic race. He 
 calls it Kennedy's mountain goat, Oreamnos kennedyi. 
 
 Mountain Sheep 
 
 Ovis ceniitia. Oesmarest 
 Also called Bighorn. 
 Length. 4 feet 6 inches. Height at shoulder, 3 feet 4 inches 
 base I inches" "'''"""' '''""''^' ^° '"'^'^^^" ^"''^"'"f^rence at 
 Description. Body heavy, legs rather slender, hair everywhere 
 closely appressed, no mane or beard. Horns in female short 
 n male very massive, curving backward and outward and 
 in old rams makmg a complete spiral circle. Colour grayish 
 brown, darkest on the back, under parts, inner side of legs 
 
 ^hF J w.i'^'^vP^^^^ *"? '■"'"P ''"'1 '»ro""d the base of 
 the tail whitish; lighter and grayer in winter. 
 
 Range. Higher niountains from British Columbia to Arizona. 
 and^elJ (SeeTeTow)"^'^'' '"°""*''"' *° '^' ^'""^^ ^"''^ 
 
 61 
 
Mountain Bhaap 
 
 The bighorn might be called the chamois of our Western 
 mountains, scaling the rugged cliffs and plunging over precipices 
 with the same agility and confidence that mark the famous in- 
 habitant of the Alps. 
 
 The elastic spring of the animal when started and the easy 
 poise of the splendid head as it settles back on the shoulders 
 are exceedingly graceful, and the animal seems built and pro- 
 portioned to the finest detail for the life that it leads. 
 
 From the edges of the Alaskan glaciers to the dry, water- 
 less crags of the Mexican Sierras we find one variety or other 
 of the mountain sheep. 
 
 During the breeding season an old ram presides over the 
 flock of ewes and lambs, driving the younger rams off by them- 
 selves, as is usual among polygamous animals. The flocks are 
 exceedingly watchful and at the slightest alarm are off instantly, 
 selecting a course that few animals or men care to follow. In 
 early spring the sheep venture farther down into the mountain 
 valleys in search of food, but soon return to theii rocky fastnesses 
 among the higher slopes 
 
 In the "Bad Lands," the easternmost part of their range, 
 Audubon made the acquaintance of these noble animals in 1843. He 
 says: "The parts of the country usually chosen by the sheep 
 for their pastures are the most extraordinary broken and pre- 
 cipitou' clay hills or stony eminences that exist in the wild regions 
 belonging to the Rocky Mountain chain. Perhaps some idea of 
 the country they inhabit— which is called by the French Canad- 
 ians and hunters 'mauvaise terres' — may be formed by imagin- 
 ing some hundreds of loaves of sugar of difierrnt sizes, irregularly 
 broken and truncated at top, placed somewhat apart and 
 magnifying them into hills of considerable size. Over these hills 
 and ravines the Rocky Mountain sheep bound up and down and 
 you mny estimate the difficulty of approaching them and con- 
 ceive the great activity and sure-footeuness of this spe'^s. They 
 form paths around these irregular clay cones that arc at times 
 six to eight hundred feet high, and in son situations are even 
 fifteen hundred feet or more above the adjacent prairies; and 
 along these they run at full speed, while to the eye of the specta- 
 tor below, these tracks do not appear to be more than a few 
 inches wide although they are generally from a foot to eighteen 
 inches in breadth. In many places columns or piles of clay or 
 
 6a 
 
 Bi 
 
■f. - 
 
 y. "■ 
 
 o z 
 y. -g 
 
 .h 
 

Mountain Sheep 
 
 hardened earth, are to be seen eight or ten feet above the ad- 
 jacent surface, covered or coped with a slaty, flat rock, thus re- 
 sembling gigantic toadstools, and upon these singular places the 
 bighorns are frequently seen, gazing at the hunter who is wind- 
 ing about far below, looking like so many statues on their elevated 
 pedestals. One cannot imagine how these animals reach these 
 curious places, especially on these inaccessible points, beyond the 
 reach of their greatest enemies, the wolves, which prey upon 
 them whenever they stray into the plains below." 
 
 Like all other big game the bighorn has been relentlessly 
 pursued by hunters and in many parts of its original range it 
 has been exterminated. In a number of localities, however, it 
 holds its own with remarkable persistency, thanks no doubt' to 
 its agility, wariness and the inaccessibility of its favourite ranges. 
 The sheep furnishes not only good sport in the chase but ex- 
 cellent meat as well, and has the misfortune to possess a pair 
 of horns that are prized perhaps more than those of any of our 
 other big game. Hornaday truly says, "The head of the male 
 bighorn is a trophy which appeals to all sorts and conditions 
 of hunters, except Indians. In the grandest head the noble red- 
 man sees nothing more than a pair of horn spoons for his soup- 
 kettle. Thousands of Ovis cervina have been hunted down and 
 killed for their heads alone and thousands more have met their 
 death before the rirtes of sportsmen because they are grand game." 
 "Their ideal haunts," writes Hornaday, "are the slopes o( 
 high mountains, above timber line, near the edge of the snow fields 
 that are perpetual." These he states are often covered with luxu- 
 riant grass as well as gray moss. In winter they seek lower altitudes 
 and frequent the glades of the pine woods known as "mountain 
 parks." "It is essential, however, that one side of the mountain 
 sheep's home ranch should fall away abruptly in ragged lines of 
 perpendicular rim-rock, with acres of slide-rock below, in order 
 that the sheep may have the means of escape from their numerous 
 enemies, particulariy hunters." 
 
 "I once had an illustration of the mountain sheep's tactics 
 on a mountain top where the rock seemed poorly provided for 
 means of escape. Two old rams were feeding at an elevation 
 of about 9,000 feet. The snow \v;is fourteen inches in depth 
 with a slight crust upon it. When first seen they were in a 
 fifteen-acre open meadow, near the edge of the rim-rock, bravt'- 
 
 <3 
 
Mountain Sheep 
 
 pawing through the snow to reach the longest of the dry, brown 
 stems of bunchgrass that thrust their heads half way up through it. 
 On finding themselves objects of a hunters special notice the two 
 rams quietly dropped over the sharp edge of the plateau, ploughed 
 down a narrow cleft filled with slide-rock and disappeared. Pur- 
 suit on their trail led down to the foot of a 200-foot wall of 
 rim-rock, and close along its base for a long distance. At last 
 the trail went farther down and dropped over the next lower 
 wall of rim-rock in a manner that seemed deliberately calculated 
 to make pursuit more laborious. As a change of tactics the 
 hunt was kept up along the top of the rim-rock, but the quarry 
 hugged the wall so closely that not even once was it sighted. 
 It became evident that only by hours of patient work could 
 those animals be encountered again, if at all." 
 
 Like the caribou the bighorns from different sections of the 
 country present a very different appearance not only in col.ur, 
 but in the size and shape of their horns, and instead of the one 
 species which was known to our early explorers we have now 
 seven species or varieties, all, however, animals of essentially similar 
 habits. 
 
 h^ 
 
 4- 
 
 Varieties of Mountain Sheep 
 
 Mountain Sheep. Ovis cervina Desmarest. Description and 
 
 range as above. 
 Audubon's Sheep. Ovis cervina auduboni Merriam. Slightly 
 
 different skull characters from the Rocky Mountain animal 
 
 to which it is very closely related. 
 Range. "Bad Lan3s." Western South Dakota and Eastern 
 
 Wyoming. 
 Nelson's Sheep. Ovis nelsoni Merriam. Similar, but much paler. 
 Range. Grapevine Mountains, between California and Nevada. 
 Mexican Sheep. Ovis mexicanus Merriam. Intermediate in 
 
 colour between the mountain and Nelson's sheep. Ears 
 
 much longer than those of the former. 
 Range. Northwestern Mexico and (?) southern New Mexico. 
 Stone' s Sheep. Ovis stonei Allen. Darker than the mountain 
 
 sheep, with much more slender horns. 
 Range. Headwaters of Pease River, Rocky Mountains, and 
 
 Cassiar Mountains to Stikeen Mountains, Alaska. 
 Ball's Sheep. Ovis dalli Nelson. White or yellowish-white 
 
 at all seasons. 
 Range. Alaskan Mountains, north of 60° to the Arctic coast. 
 
 64 
 
MAl.K I'RONCIIOKNS ( I ■■,■(,',. ,i,">,i ,i^(i rh nhi) 
 
 Hy A. H I! 
 
se^^s 
 
Mutk Ox 
 
 7. Fannin's Sheep. Ovis fannim Homaday. Similar, but shoul- 
 ders, back and upper parts of legs gray. 
 fiange. Rocky Mountains, about 75 miles east of Dawson. 
 Northwestern Territory. 
 
 Musk Ox 
 
 Ovidos mosc/tatus (Zimmerman) 
 
 Length. 6 feet. Height at shoulder, 3 feet 6 inches. 
 
 Description. Heavily built with rather short legs and horns of the 
 male very heavy, their bases meeting on top of the head 
 and curving downward and up again at the tip. Entire head 
 and body covered with a dense mane, matted and curly on 
 the shoulders, but hanging straight on the rest of the body 
 nearly to the ground. Colour very dark brown or blackish 
 on the head and sides; a saddle-shaped p.itch on the back 
 as well as short hair between the horns, muzzle and limbs 
 below the knees and hocks yellowish white 
 
 Raniv. Arctic barrens of Nortfi America, east of the Mackenzie 
 Kiver. In Greenland occurs the closely allied Peary's musk 
 ox (O. wardi Lyddeker). 
 
 The herds of musk oxen, now confined to the Arctic regions 
 of North America, would seem to be the last lingering represen- 
 tatives of a diminishing race. Related species formerly inhabited 
 most of Siberia and parts of northern Europe, as well as Ger- 
 many, England and France; their fossil remains having been found 
 in all those countries. 
 
 Musk oxen are curious long-haired shaggy beasts, in appear- 
 ance half way between bison and sheep, and combining both in 
 structure and habits the characters of each. The old males are 
 rank of musk, especially in the rutting season, when their flesh 
 IS practically uneatable. The females, as a general thing, are al- 
 most free from the musky odour to which the species owes its 
 name. 
 
 It has been observed by the musk ox hunters that when the 
 animals are fat the odour of musk is much less noticeable. The 
 long woolly coat of the musk ox is highly valued by the Esqui- 
 maux who use it for various purposes. 
 
 Musk oxen associate in herds numbering from about twenty or 
 thirty to as many as eighty or a hundred head. The herd-; ap- 
 pear to be largest in winter, the big bulls during the summer 
 
American Buffalo 
 
 being for the most part solitary, and the herds consisting of 
 cows and calves which go about in small bands of from ten to 
 twenty. The movements of the herds are described by Colonel 
 Feilden as very sheep-like, the old bulls, when present, taking 
 the lead, and the whole assemblage crowding together when 
 alarmed, much after the manner of a flock of sheep. The single 
 calf is produced in May or June and the cows are reported by 
 the natives to breed only once in two years, so that the rate 
 of increase is slow. In summer, according to Mr. Pike, their 
 food consists almost exclusively of the -es of the small wil- 
 lows scattered here and there over the B » Grounds, but grass, 
 moss and lichens are also largely consumed, and in winter these 
 two last, with perhaps bark, must form their sole nutriment. 
 In spite of their comparatively short and massive limbs, musk oxen 
 can run with considerable speed; and when thoroughly alarmed 
 they are stated to take to hilly ground, where they display 
 marvellous agility in climbing precipitous cliffs. Ir: spite of stories 
 to the opposite effect, Mr. Pike is of opinion that even old bulls 
 are by no means J ingerous animals."* 
 
 American Buffalo 
 
 Bison bison (Linnaeus) 
 
 Length. 1 1 feet (adult bull). Height at shoulder, 5 feet, 8 inches. 
 Description. Hind quarters light and short haired, fore quarters very 
 heavy, with a high hump on the shoulders, and densely haired; 
 head held well down below the level of the shoulders; horns 
 curved outward, upward; tail with a terminal tassel. Colour, 
 body and hind quarters pale gray brown, lower parts dark brown, 
 shoulders, hump and upper neck covered with a dense mass 
 of yellowish hair; head, lower part of neck and fore legs to 
 the knees with dense shaggy hair, dark brown above and 
 black lower down. 
 Range. Originally Great Slave Lake to northern Mexico, New 
 Mexico and Nevada; eastward south of the Great Lakes to 
 central Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia and Mississippi. 
 
 /« 1870. Great Slave Lake to Wyoming and central Texas, 
 
 eastward to central South Dakota, Kansas and Indian Territory. 
 
 In 1880. About 550 in the extreme Northwest; 350 in 
 
 Montana, Dakota and Wyoming, and 50 in Colorado and 
 
 Indian Territory.! 
 
 • Lydekker's " Wild Oxen, Sheep and Goats." 
 t From Homaday. 
 
 66 
 
^.v i 
 
 r 
 
 '.--y, - -.„ 
 
 t^^. 
 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 c 
 
American Buffalo 
 In 1890. Apparently restricted to Yellowstone Park and 
 
 ***''T/[h'e*'Jlorthwest of its range occurred a related variety 
 known as the wSLnd buffalo (fl. bison athabaska: Rhoads). 
 
 The bison can scarcely be reckoned as a creature oi o^r ^^y, 
 already it has taken its place with the aurochs of Europe as a th.ng o 
 the past. Both species have pro ■ , !y reached the hmi of their 
 decline in numbers, and the remaining herds.. f properly protecte ^ d 
 cared for. may increase considerably in the years to come Bu unm 
 our present civilization has worn itself out and this part of the ea.u. 
 surface returns to a state of nature, and the cities have grown 
 UP through weeds and bushes to forests and woodland once more 
 the North American bison must continue only in memory and 
 
 '''"^'pruncounted ages the bison held all the most fertile grazing 
 land in this country as their own. When the Europeans began 
 form settlements in North America ^hev occasionally found b.sons 
 in small bands near the Atlantic Coast. They were decidedly rare 
 however, everywhere east of the Appalachian Mountains. 
 
 From Kentuckv. all across the continent to Nevada, and from the 
 Great Slave Lake 'to Mexico and Georgia, they wandered in mighty 
 herds, migrating from one section to another as snowstorms and 
 drouffht cut down their pasturages. u ui »« 
 
 The first Western pioneers witnessed such sights as probably no 
 other w hite men have ever seen or will ever see again. 
 
 Wide rolling plains blackened as far as even their hawk-like eyes 
 could see with huge hump-backed shaggy beasts, the old bulls 
 bellowfng and fighfing and pawing up the earth which trembled 
 everywhere as at the approach of an earthquake. , , .. . 
 Syotes and timber wolves skulked here and there through 
 the herds watching for an opportunity to pull down an unprotected 
 cai and dodging the charge of the enraged parent as best they could 
 Sntrastv^th this the few hundred more or less degenerate 
 representatives of this noble animal which now survive within the 
 confines of preserves and parks or in the paddocks of zoologica 
 gardens, and all will agree that its extermination was one of the most 
 fhameful examples of mans greed and a nations lethargy that is 
 furnished in the history of our country. 
 
 The number of the buffalo that ranged over our Western States, 
 even in comparatively recent years is almost inconceivable. Some 
 

 AmerieaB Buffalo 
 
 idea, however, may be obtained from the statement of Col. R. I. 
 Dodge, who in 1871 passed through one of the immense herds while 
 travelling in Arkansas. For twenty-five miles he passed through a 
 continuous herd of buffalo. "The whole country appeared one great 
 mass of buffalo, moving slowly to the northward; and it was only 
 when actually among them that it could be ascertained that the 
 apparently solid mass was an agglomeration of innumerable 
 small herds of from fifty to two hundred animals, separated from the 
 surrounding herds by greater or less space, but still separated. The 
 herds in the valley sullenly got out of my way, and turning, stared 
 stupidly at me, sometimes at only a few yards' distance. When 1 had 
 reached a point where the hills were no longer more than a mile from 
 the road, the buffalo on the hills seeing an unusual object in their rear, 
 turned, stared an instant, then started at full speed directly toward 
 me, stampeding and bringing with them the numberless herds 
 through which they passed, and pouring down on me all the herds, 
 no longer separated, but one immense compact mass of plunging 
 animals, mad with fright, and as irresistible as an avalanche. Reining 
 in my horse I waited until the front of the mass was within fifty 
 yards, when a few well-directed shots split the herd, and sent it 
 pouring off in two streams to the right and left. When all had 
 passed they stopped, apparently perfectly satisfied, many within less 
 than one hundred yards. . . . From the top of Pawnee Rock I could 
 see from six to ten miles in almost every direction. This whole vast 
 space was covered with buffalo, looking at a distance like a compact 
 mass." • 
 
 From careful information furnished him Mr. Hornaday estimated 
 this herd to comprise at lest four million buffalo. He adds: "Twenty 
 years hence, when not even a bone or buffalo-chip remains above 
 ground throughout the West to mark the presence of the buffalo, it 
 may be difficult for people to beheve that the animals ever existed in 
 such numbers as to constitute not only a serious annoyance, but very 
 often a dangerous menace to waggon travel across the plains, and also 
 to stop railway trains and even throw them off the track." f 
 
 Buffalo were indiscriminately polygamous, very much as are 
 domestic cattle, and at the breeding season collected in much more 
 compact herds. The combined bellowing of the bulls at such times 
 
 • " Plains of the Great We«t." 
 
 f'The Extermination of the American Bison " Report U. S. Nat. Mus. 
 tt86-7, an exhaustive treatise from which the substance of this account is taken. 
 
 m 
 
YUlN(i CUVV MUSK OX. alM.m u. in.mths ohi (ih-ilh>s mosiiuiius) 
 
 This IP tlir *■» Mtn! or thin! fvt-r ■«t*ii in i aptivity in a IfiiiiHTaU- t limate. 
 
 Ky A. K liuKimtre 
 
I 
 
 h 
 
American Buffalo 
 
 made a roar that could be heard for several miles. In winter time the 
 herds migrated regularly to the Southern portion of their range. 
 
 After reaching their winter pastures in the South they separated 
 more or less and returned North in the spring in scattered herds, 
 making their migration much less conspicuous. 
 
 Their rate of travel was much faster than would naturally be 
 inferred from their lumbering appearance, and they seldom swerved 
 from their well-trodden "buffalo paths" for any obstacles. 
 
 Rivers a mile wide, when free from ice, were plunged into and 
 crossed without hesitation; in winter, however, the combined weigh* 
 of the herd sometimes broke the ice beneath them and large numbers 
 were drowned at such times to feed the wolves and other prowlers 
 along the banks when the river broke up in spring freshets. 
 
 The mating season was in the fall when the bisons occupied 
 their Southern feeding grounds, the pairs remained in company until 
 the spring when the cows went off by themselves to the most 
 sheltered spots they could find and gave birth to their calves. 
 
 The latter grew rapidly and were soon able to follow the herd, 
 though still jealously guarded and defended from all dangers by their 
 
 mothers. , , 
 
 bulls in the meanwhile had associates m droves by 
 
 The old 
 themselves. 
 
 In or-^ 
 sough< 
 and w 
 and pi: 
 a hideoc 
 
 The 
 
 .0 escape the attacks of the flies and other insects they 
 ' Idy sloughs and shallow ponds where they could roll 
 . their hearts' content and emerge with their coats filled 
 over with clay which soon baked in the sun and formed 
 
 uut most effective armour which would last for days. 
 
 mud-holes which the bisons made for themselves in this 
 
 manner have always been known as "buffalo wallows" and are still to 
 be found in regions where the great beasts that made them have been 
 
 long extinct. 
 
 While during the last few years of their existence buffaloes 
 became wary and realized to some extent the danger of close contact 
 with man, they were normally stupid to a degree. As Hornaday says: 
 " The buffalo was an animal of a rather low order of intelligence, and 
 his dullness of intellect was one of the important factors in his 
 phenomenally swift extermination. He was provokingly slow in 
 comprehending the existence and nature of the dangers that 
 threatened his life, and like the stupid brute that he was, would very 
 often stand quietly and see two or three score or even a hundred of 
 

 AinericaB Buffalo 
 
 his relatives and companions shot down before his eyes with no 
 feeling than one of stupid wonder and curiosity. His stolid indiffer- 
 ence to everything he did not understand cost him his existence." 
 
 In appearance the bull buffalo was easily the finest of our quad- 
 rupeds. "The magnificent dark-brown frontlet and beard of the 
 buffalo, the shaggy coat of hair upon the neck, hump and shoulders, 
 terminating at the knees in a thick mass of luxuriant black locks, to 
 say nothing of the dense coat of finer fur on the body and hind 
 quarters, give to our species a grandeur and nobility of presence, which 
 are beyond all comparison ;i',iong ruminants." * 
 
 * Homaday op. ciU 
 
^^^m^ 
 
 ^.M-4',% 
 
 
 ■7. 
 
RODENTS OR GNAWING ANIMALS 
 
 (Glires) 
 
 Animals of this group may be recognized at once by the 
 peculiar arrangement of their teeth. In the front of the mouth 
 are two large cdnspicuous teeth (incisors) m each jaw. which 
 meet vertically like two pairs of chisels, and form a very power- 
 ful apparatus for gnawing or cutting. The remaining teeth are 
 broad flat-topped grinders (molars) placed in the back of the 
 mouth while between the two. where the tearing teeth (canines) 
 of the carnivorous animals are situated, the jaws are quite bare. 
 The large gnawing teeth are further peculiar in being curved and 
 
 Longitudinal section through Beaver skull 
 I Ind»r tooth .hewing long curved b-.. M Th. Jour moUr.. (Aft^ LyMU,.) 
 
 deeply rooted in the jaws, while they also grow continuously 
 from the base as they wear away at the tip, so that they never 
 
 become "worn out." , 
 
 Rodents range in size from the beaver to the mouse and in 
 habits they exhibit the greatest diversity; some are burrowers as 
 fhe gophers and marmots, others are terrestrial as the rabbits 
 still others like the muskrat are aquatic, while the flying squirrel 
 is even able to launch himself through the air. 
 
 7» 
 
 J 
 
Rodant* or Onawinc Animala 
 
 Such diversity of habits naturaOy produces great differences 
 in structure, but no matter what individual peculiarities a rodent 
 may possess, the characteristic "gnawing teeth" remain the same 
 in alLand serve at once as the "ear-mark" of the group. 
 
 Our rodents are grouped in the following fimihes. 
 
 I. Rabbits and hares (^Family Leporidx). Hind iegs very n^uch 
 longer than the front pair, so that the animals progress by 
 leaps. Ears long, tail very short and up-turned, usually 
 wlSte on the under or exposed side. Peculiar m having 
 a small pair of rudimentary front teeth at the base of 
 the upper pair of large ones. 
 
 II. 
 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Lee of Beaver. I^K «* R»*- . . 
 
 Showing the Tibi. (T) «.d PibuU (F) Showing mU ."d IJbj|U amt«l. 
 wpumte for their entjre length. ('*'»*' l,yatmiMr., 
 
 Uffr LyithkT.) 
 
 Pikas rFamily Ochotonidai). Legs nearly equal, "o tail. 
 
 otherwise Hke the rabbits although the general form is 
 
 more like a large rat. (Exclusively Western.) 
 Porcupines rFamily Eretki^ontidaJ. Skin with numerous 
 
 sharp spines interspersed among the hairs. 
 Goohers ^Family Geomyida). Rat-like animals. "v>ng >n 
 ^sSfca!,ean"^b^urrows,-'eyes very .''"'^Vrn ofectr/' ar*^ 
 
 for digging like those of a mole. No Projecting ear. 
 
 curious pouches on each side of the face, opening out- 
 
 side near the mouth. 
 
 ■—'^^ 
 
V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 IX. 
 
 lUbbiti aad Hares 
 
 Pocket mice rHamily Heteromyida). Slender mouse-like 
 animals, many with hind legs much elongated, but with 
 pouches on the sides of the face as m the gophers. 
 (Exclusively Western.) 
 
 lumping mice ^Family Zapodidct). Mouse-like animals, 
 with hind legs much elongated, progressing by long leaps; 
 tail very long exceeding the head and body. 
 
 Rats and mice rFamily Muridcc). Hind legs little if any 
 longer than the front pair, the latter never modified like 
 those of moles, tail never longer than the head and body. 
 To this family belong all the mouse and rat-like animals 
 not included in IV. V and VI. 
 
 Sewellels rFamily Aplodontiidce). Thick-set animals with 
 verv short tail and short ears, and a peculiar fiat skull 
 somewhat like that of the beaver. (Exclusively Western.) 
 
 Beavers CFamily Castoridce). Tail curiously modified into 
 a broad, flat, naked appendage. 
 
 Squirrels and marmots (^Family Sciurida). Here belong all 
 the squirrel-like animals including the spermophiles and 
 chipmunks. They differ from the mice and their 
 allies in their bushy tails and many peculiarities in their 
 anatomical structure, an important one being that the two 
 lower leg bones are separate and not fused together as 
 in the mice, thus allowing them to use their limbs more 
 freely in climbing, a habit which is charactenstic of a 
 majority of the species. (See cuts page 72.) 
 
 RABBITS AND HARES 
 
 {Family Leporidce) 
 
 Rabbits are perhaps the most widely known of any o( our 
 wild animals. As our commonest "game" they are familiar to 
 e.erv gunner and equally so to those who are acquainted with 
 them only in the markets. Their distribution, too, is almost 
 universal and in America, from the polar regions to the tropics, 
 they exist in one form or another. Rabbits are also frequently 
 known as hares, and the careless usage of the two names has 
 given rise to much confusion in the popular mmd iS to )ust 
 what constitutes the difference between them. 
 
 As a matter of fact the European rabbit, the parent stock 
 of all the various domestic breeds, is the only one properly en- 
 
 73 
 
 A 
 
 mm 
 
RabMM and Haica 
 
 » 
 
 
 titled to this name. It differs slightly in its pnpnrti n . fror.i th. 
 other species and is habitually a burrowing initial. i i ; rest oi 
 the tribe, as a rule, make nests on the surfu; of the crround 
 and are, properly speaking, hares. It is useless, howe r, . try 
 to fix the application of names so firmly established and we nust 
 therefore take them as we find them. The big hares ot our 
 northern States are either varying hares or "snow-shoe rabbits 
 our little hares are "rabbits" or "cottontails" and the Li ge 
 hares of the plains are "jackass rabbits." 
 
 While rabbits fail to show much variation in structure among 
 themselves, differing for the most part in size and colour, they 
 are, however, sharply separated from all the rest of the gnaw- 
 ing tribe, and can be recognized at a glance. The popular eyi 
 notes at once the long hind legs and consequent jumping gait, 
 the large ears, and the stumpy upturned tail. Look more closely 
 and we shall find other peculiarities. The soles of the feet aie 
 not bare as in most rodents, but are covered with hair, which 
 accounts for the lack of sharp definition in their footprints. Open 
 the mouth and behind the two big front teeth of the upper jaw 
 — the sign of the rodent as i? were — we shall find another pair 
 of little teeth which do not .each far enough down to aid in 
 the gnawing. These are obviously of no use to the rabbit of 
 to-day, but are none the less interesting since they show us that 
 the ancestral rabbits of the past had four large front teeth instead 
 of two, and the species now living form in thi? respect a sort of 
 connecting link between other mammals and the rest of the 
 rodents in which all trace of these teeth has been lost. Such 
 characters, apparently most trivial, often throw much light upon 
 the history and relationship of animals. Looking further into the 
 anatomical structure of the rabbits, we find another interesting 
 peculiarity in the arrangement of the bones of the fore legs, 
 which aie placed so that they cannot be turned inward and used 
 as hands when the animal is feeding. 
 
 This habit is common to almost all other k-nawing animals 
 and is most familiar in the case of the squirrels w iiich hold their 
 food tightly in their fore paws as they sit upright upon their 
 haunches. Rabbits will often raise the fore part of the body 
 clear of the ground when reaching upward, bu; the fore feet 
 hang useless during such operation. In fact, beyond their use in 
 running the fore legs seem only to be brought into play in a 
 
 74 
 
rhe Cotwmail 
 
 curious tamping which rabbits ir Juljji-- 
 The me conspicuous pecies ol labbnb 
 beyond. In the West ire nnan spei 
 less closely allied to th e, and t. le vc 
 rabbit 
 
 n arigrv or excited. 
 
 thi^ F are described 
 
 i ties mo'e or 
 
 •tii -n, '' Jack 
 
 T ie Cot itall 
 
 Lepus 
 
 lUums (1 »mas) 
 
 Als known .=s -iabh.-f. C j) Rabbit. 
 
 Length. 17 inches. 
 
 Description. Ai -e, a fint. 
 russet, gray, on the ru! 
 an ,ndi;tinct Lisk- ■ 
 a brow band ac 
 pure wriite. 
 
 •iange. Lowlands of 
 nortriern Florida to Liie 
 V ginia . i Tennes^ . 
 
 ^ture of brown, cinnamon and 
 
 dusky edgings to the ears and 
 
 tween them; below, white with 
 
 :)ri :st; lower surface of the tail 
 
 out her 
 tds'-n 
 west 
 
 .i. ■;el, relate', varictii rt-place 
 
 md middle States from 
 
 'V in the East, and to West 
 
 the AUeghanies. Other 
 
 11 ,s form to the north and 
 
 south, nnd ^y alli^ species occur in the West. 
 
 For I., last jek 1 iiave been watching a rabbit that was 
 ca i^ht in .i box ir.ip It aicklv became tame ePi. 2'h to allow 
 its.cif t' '■►e stroked d p ted without exhibiting .-uch alarm, 
 and w!' 1 it escn'x'i rrorr ts cage, which it did several times, 
 offertM out little ri on being caught and replaced in 
 
 bondage, at last eve )wing itself to be taken up without a 
 
 strucgle. 
 
 ate readily whatever was offered it — apples, raw cabbage, 
 and en the drv hay of which its bed was composed, besides 
 gna !g all the bark from the twigs of apple tree which I placed 
 J! cage, but never while I was watching and, I think, only 
 
 ' night, apparently hardly changing its position while the day- 
 ht lasted. 
 
 Yesterday morning I found that it had not only escaped from 
 
 s cage, a frequent enough occurrence, but that it had also 
 
 iianaged to make its way to the outside world, and the snow 
 
 on the lawn has since been thickly marked with its tracks lead- 
 
 ng oflf across the orchard finally, and I trust that by this time 
 
 7S 
 
Tta« Cottontail 
 
 the little cotton-tailed chap is once more at home in the woods. 
 
 Like the white rabbit the cottontail has well-beaten paths, 
 which it follows winter and summer ahke, but these are usually 
 not so extended and regular as those of its larger cousin. 
 
 In winter the goshawk hr.s a habit of following these paths 
 on foot in a most unhawk -like manner, especially where they 
 are arched over by bushes that might prevent the hawks from 
 pouncing down from above, and I believe that it is done with 
 the intention of driving the rabbits out into the open woods 
 where, perchance, the hawk's mate is waiting to seize them, 
 for goshawks usually hunt in pairs throughout the winter. Even 
 the common crow, unless I am very much mistaken, not in- 
 frequently manages to kill rabbits when the new snow is suf- 
 ficiently deep and light to prevent them from making full use 
 of their power of running. 
 
 The rabbit's custom of resorting to burrows perhaps as fre- 
 quently proves a menace to its safety as otherwise, particularly 
 where, as is often the case, there is only one place of exit, for 
 the mink, the skunk and the weasel can all easily enter any open- 
 ing that will admit a rabbit and undoubtedly often get their 
 dinner in that manner. 
 
 Last winter I saw what looked like a rabbit crouching among 
 the stems of a cluster of wild rose bushes, but on approaching 
 more closely I discovered that the animal had been dead for 
 several days, having evidently been killed by a weasel, and in 
 the struggle became so wedged between the briars that its captor 
 was unable to move it and must needs satisfy itself with suck- 
 ing its blood and leaving it in that position. 
 
 Later some white-footed mice and a blue jay had also been at 
 work nibbling and pecking here and there, but by the time they 
 had discovered it it had evidently become frozen so h;ird as to 
 prevent their making much impression on it, so that at a dis- 
 tance of a few yards it looked as if still alive. 
 
 The gray rabbit prefers above all things briar-grown berry 
 patches with a sprinkling of young pines and birches and nu- 
 merous rotting stumps of a former generation of trees, but readily 
 establishes itself in any kind of woods, high or low, while any 
 isolated clump of bushes a few rods in extent, whether it be by 
 the road-side or on the edge of a meadow is likely to harbour 
 a fam: • of them. 
 
 7« 
 
NEST (JF Y(JL'N(i COTTONTAILS 
 
 T)u«nr>t trasin shav-firM. The v..unif whtn f.iiind wprc tovcn-.l with si)(t fur fnim the m.ilhir. m that thev were hardly vinili'n 
 This fur was retiinved in order that the little Idim! anitnaU nuKht Ite seen. 
 
 VOIXC, COTTONTAIL .UIOMi TlIK t AHHAC.liS (/.. /-i.v // rj./.i.niv iJM,7;.r/.>i lij. A k. I.ubm, . 
 
 
\ 
 
 I 
 
The Cottciuuil 
 
 Their food seems to be of much the same general character 
 as that of the white rabbit though perhaps a little more varied, 
 including fruit and all kinds of garden vegetables when convenient, 
 though the damage done in this way is hardly worth consider- 
 ing, in which respect it sets an example which the Old World 
 rabbit might profit by. 
 
 Like the other members of its race it often endeavours to 
 escape notice by crouching motionless wherever it may happen 
 to be, often allowing itself to be all but taken before it will 
 move, and at such times no amount of being stared at will 
 frighten it or put it out of countenance. There it will sit per- 
 fectly motionless except for the trembling of its whiskers and 
 the motion of its breathing until you seem to be just on the 
 point of grasping it, when it quietly slips from beneath your 
 hands and races away. 
 
 I have seer, one sitting in plain sight on the snow among 
 the scattered sumachs not ten yards from a path along which 
 loads of hay were being hauled from the salt marsh to the upland. 
 Five or six teams must have passed it, some of them followed 
 by dogs, and still it sat there undisturbed in the sunlight, ap- 
 parently absorbed in its own thoughts. 
 
 The young ones, four or five inches long, are often met 
 with in summer all alone beneath the ferns and brambles and 
 very serious and reserved little chaps they are, too, with their 
 great black eyes and absurd looking triangular mouths forever in 
 motion, as if repeating over and over to themselves some lesson 
 which they fear they may forget. 
 
 Varieties of t\ne Cottontail 
 
 Common ot Z^ui'.ern Cottontail. Leptis floridanus mallurm 
 (Thomas) K; • ge and description as above. 
 
 Florida CottL<\. Lepus floridanus Allen. Darker all over, 
 with no conspicuous black edgings to the ears nor black 
 spot between them. 
 
 Range. Southern Florida north to Micco. 
 
 Northern Cottontail. Lepus floridanus transitionalis (Bangs). 
 More richly coloured than the southern cottontail, with 
 many long black hairs scattered over the back, black bor- 
 ders to ears and spot between them very distinct. 
 
 Ranne. Alleghany Mountains and northward east of the 
 Hudson to southern Vermont and New Hampshire. To 
 
 77 
 
Vatying Hare 
 
 the southward it merges gradually into the southern cotton- 
 tail and westward into the following. 
 4. Prairie Cottontail. Lepus floridanus mearnsi (Allen). Much 
 lighter than any of the preceding, especially on the rump, 
 ears light, without black edgings, and no spot between 
 them. Size rather larger. 
 Range. Upper Mississippi Valley south to Indiana and east 
 to Central New York and Ontario. 
 
 Varylner Hare 
 
 Lepus americanus virginiamis (Harlan) 
 
 Called also Snow-skoe Rabbit, U^liite Hare. 
 
 Length. 19 inches 
 
 Description. Summer. Upper parts russet to dull ferruginous, 
 lower parts white. W^tnter. Entirely white, though in southern 
 part otits range some individuals remain partially brown through- 
 out the winter. 
 
 Range. Wooded regions of north-eastern North Americi south- 
 ward along the Alleghanies to West Virginia, becoming scarce 
 south of Maine. 
 
 Our northern hare or white rabbit is a perfectly typical hare 
 with the absurdly long hind legs characteristic of the tribe, dwelling 
 by preference in old growth evergreen forests on gently sloping 
 hillsides with here and there dense thickets of young spruce and 
 pine springing up between the trunks of the older trees. 
 
 Of all our wild animals they are beyond question the most 
 helpless and incapable. It is evidently impossible for them to use 
 their paws for grasping as most of the smaller quadrupeds 
 habitually do, and I have never seen any evidence of their carry- 
 ing things with their mouths. 
 
 Winter and summer and in all kinds of weather they have 
 no better shelter than the drooping boughs of an evergreen, 
 beneath which each crouches alone for protection against the storm 
 and concealment from its enemies, never more than half asleep 
 apparently and always on the alert to dash away the instant it 
 catches the scent of fox or ermine to the windward, or the crackle 
 of a footstep in the distance. Whenever they feel hungry they 
 
Vaiyinc Han 
 
 venture forth and hop away to the nearest regular path or road- 
 way used in common by all the hares in the vicinity. These 
 paths are usually pretty straight and follow the same course the 
 year round, often extending in an interrupted sort of way for a quarter 
 of a mile or more with numerous side paths or cross roads of less 
 extent, leading off in the direction of their feeding grounds. After 
 following them for a little distance the hares usually strike off at 
 random into the undergrowth, nibbling and browsing here and 
 there and nosing about for vagrant leaves of grass and clover 
 such as spring up at intervals even in the darkest forests. 
 
 Throughout the warmer months they have a large and varied 
 assortment of herbs to choose from, and it seems not wholly 
 improbable that they should also f'-ed occasionally on berries and 
 mushrooms. 
 
 The young hares from the very first are provided with no 
 more adequate shelter than that furnished by the leaves above 
 them, and evidently must be left quite unprotected as often as 
 their mother is obliged to find food for herself, as the old males 
 are said not only to exhibit no feeling of responsibility in the 
 matter of bringing up their offsprings, but even to kill them 
 wantonly whenever the opportunity offers. 
 
 As soon as they are able to take care of themselves, or even 
 before, judging from outward appearances, the young ones are 
 turned adrift to support themselves as best they may. The matter 
 of finding food at that season is easy enough, but to ivoid the 
 numerous enemies that beset them must be much more difficult 
 and I doubt if one out of a dozen ever attains its growth. 
 
 As winter approaches and the frosts cut off their supply of 
 food, they find themselves compelled to depend more and more 
 upon the bark of young trees and bushes, birch and soft maple 
 and wild apple trees. 
 
 When the buds of the gray birch begin to swell, as they 
 do late in the winter, the hares seem to prefer them to all other 
 food and often wander considerable distances in search of trees 
 with low growing branches, or clusters of young trees of last 
 season's growth whose tops are still within their reach; and a 
 hare standing erect on its hind feet, as is their habit at such 
 times, is able to reach much higher than might at first be supposed. 
 
 The tall stalks of the blackberry and young trees a half imh 
 or lesi in diameter they cut off close to the ground or the sur- 
 
 19 
 
Vuyiac Han 
 
 face of the snow in order to get at the twigs and buds that 
 grow beyond their reach. But it never seems to occur to them 
 to carry any of it away to the cover of the evergreens where 
 they sleep, and in consequence they are obliged to be abroad in 
 all kinds of weather or go hungry until the storm is over. 
 
 They usually pass the day crouching motionless, half asleep 
 in the shadow, though not averse to sunning themselves at mid- 
 day, especially during the latter part of the winter. 
 
 Toward sunset they start out in search of food and are back 
 in their forms again soon af^er sunrise, but whether they spend 
 the entire night in feeding or only the hours of twilight is 
 not easy to determine; I am inclined to think that they are abroad 
 more or less at all hours of the night, especially when there is 
 moonlight or in the winter when it seldom gets very dark, and 
 as they appear to depend at all times much more upon their 
 other senses than upon their eyesight they would hardly be in- 
 commoded by the most intense darkness, and it is hard to imagine 
 anything much blacker than the darkness beneath the hemlocks 
 on a summer evening, even while it is still twilight in the open 
 fields. 
 
 In spite of its size and the great strength of its hind legs 
 which it uses so vigorously us a final defence, kicking and strik- 
 ing savagely when seized, the Northern hare seems to be preyed 
 upon by all but the very smallest flesh-eating inhabitants of the 
 woods; in the North the sable is said to be one of its worst 
 enemies, and it is not at all unlikely that the mink in some of 
 his upland hunts manages now and again to seize one either by 
 stratagem or speed; for in spite of their short legs most of the 
 weasel tribe, of which the mink is a member, are able to beat 
 the hares at their own game, and although the latter have a 
 decided advantage at the start and quickly outdistance their 
 pursuers, the tireless muscles of the long-bodied hunters are pretty 
 sure to enable them to have their own way in the end. 
 
 Even the ermine and little weasel have been known to kill 
 full-grown hares, and though these cases are probably not very 
 frequent, they must find the young and half-grown unes the easiest 
 kind of victims. 
 
 Foxes are perhaps their most dangerous and persistent enemies, 
 and from what I have seen I am inclined to think that our Ameri- 
 can foxes work in concert when hunting them just as the English 
 
 Mil 
 
 -^-"'■^-^ 
 
 H 
 
 l_ 
 
Vaorinc Hare 
 
 foxes have been seen to do, one of them lying in ambush beside 
 the path followed by the hares in order to seize any that may 
 pass that way in their endeavours to escape from the other foxes 
 which are driving them from their cover. The henhawks and 
 goshawks, the great gray owl and the homed and snow owls 
 as well as the eagles either pounce upon them unawares from 
 the evergreens, or pursue them at full speed through the under- 
 brush, while in fall and winter men hunt them with dogs and 
 catch them with various kinds of traps and snares. 
 
 Although in the summer and early fall the dense undergrowth 
 of the forest assists the hares in their constant endeavours at con- 
 cealment, in the cold weather the leaves, with very few excep- 
 tions, either fall or, shrivelled to a fraction of their former dimensions 
 hang listless upon their stalks, allowing the eye to penetrate where 
 before everything was hidden, and, as if this were not enough, 
 the snow comes to flatten the ferns and grasses and lay on a 
 background of white against which all objects are conspicuous. 
 
 The Northern hare, however, like the ermine, has this advantage 
 over the other wood dwellers in that at the approach of winter its 
 fur, which from March to November is cinnamon or reddish brown 
 of a shade best suited to match its accustomed surroundings, becomes 
 in the course of a few weeks or even less perfectly white, and although 
 for a time the brown fur still shows in spots, the general effect 
 is such that of those that I have seen on .he snow I should say 
 that at least one half appeared actually whiter than the snow over 
 which they ran, and this similarity of colouring with their surround- 
 ings makes it possible for them to crouch in safety practically 
 invisible to human eyes, and undoubtedly often baffling the keener 
 glances of the hawks. 
 
 Much has been written on the change of colour of the varying 
 hare and other mammals and birds, but there are few ibjects 
 concerning which more mistakes have been made. We read of the 
 change taking place in a single night, coincident with the first fall of 
 snow and of the actual blanching of the the individual hairs; one- 
 statement being quite as erroneous as the other. The change is really 
 very simple. All mammals, in northern climes at least, shed their coat 
 twice a year, acquiring a thicker fur in winter and a thinner one in 
 summer, and in the present species the winter coat is white while 
 the summer one is brown and the individual hairs never alter their 
 colour from the time they appear until they fall out The change 
 
 
 .. 
 
Varjrinc Hare 
 
 from brown to white occurs in the autumn and for a short time the 
 animal is somewhat 'mottled.' Then in March as the weather gets 
 warmer the snow gradually disappears from the woods, the fur 
 c." the Northern hare, probably by reason of the wearing away of the 
 tips and the shedding of the long hairs gets more and more mottled 
 with brown, the change in most cases that have come under my 
 notice commencing at the back of the neck, on the feet and the under 
 surface of the body, and in an astonishingly short time the dark 
 summer coat is fairly resumed. Although belated snowstorms must 
 often give them occasion to regret the loss of their winter coats, 
 taking one year and another, the change seems to be wonderfully 
 well timed, and at most they are really no worse off than those other 
 inhabitants of the woods that wear their dark coats throughout the 
 winter. 
 
 When the white people first made their homes in this part of the 
 country they found only these big, long-legged Northern hares 
 dwelling in the uncleared forest, never a very numerous race in 
 ail probability in spite of the advantages of tremendous swiftness and 
 a coat which copied the colour of their surroundings at all times 
 of the year. 
 
 Preyed upon by Indians, wolves and lynxes and the various 
 members of the weasel tribe, which have since been exterminated, or 
 nearly so, because of the beauty of their fur, as well as their numer- 
 ous enemies which still survive in more or less reduced numbers, the 
 coming of the white man must have proved rather an advantage than 
 an added danger to this long suffering, thin-skinned defenceless race 
 of animals, and it seems probable that they did increase in numbers to 
 a certain extent for the first two hundred years or so. As recently as 
 fifty years ago they were still common and apparently the only species 
 in Southern New Hampshire, but somewhere about that time the little 
 gray rabbit or cotton-tail made its appearance ; no one could teU from 
 whence, though it seems generally to have received the title of cony 
 at first to distinguish it from the other which had always been called 
 rabbit, and though hardly one half as large and much shorter of foot 
 and even more timid and helpless, it now became evident that the 
 larger species was disappearing as the smaller increased in numbers. 
 
 I am told that at one time, something like thirty years ago, there 
 were no white rabbits to be found within miles of this place. Then 
 they appeared and even seemed to slightly increase in numbers for a 
 few years only to vanish as before, and it has been that way ever 
 
 s* 
 
 ifiUBiiai 
 
 ■tti 
 
Varying Han 
 
 since. At intervals of perhaps seven or eight years they came back in 
 scattered bands and endeavoured to establish themselves in their old 
 haunts but the result was always the same. 
 
 Rather more than twenty years ago they were quite numerous 
 for several successive seasons in a neighbour's wood lot only half a 
 mile from here. I can just recall a cool afternoon, which I am quite 
 sure must have been sometime in the last of autumn, when my 
 cousin and 1 raced up the western slope of those woods with the sun- 
 light streaming in beneath the pines, and the one distinct thing in my 
 memory of that time is the image of a big. yellowish brown hare 
 hobbling up the hill before us. That must have been about the last 
 oftheiroccupationof that place, and up to the present time I have 
 only on one occasion found as much as a track there. 
 
 Several years ago our cat caught a young hare of this species, and 
 1 think it must have been the following winter that 1 heard of several 
 having been killed in the neighbourhood. 
 
 From that time until the fall of 1894 I was unable to learn of the 
 existence of any of these animals for miles around, though it seems 
 that on the slope of a certain low pine-covered hill only three or four 
 miles distant a colony have dwelt uninterruptedly from all accounts 
 since the time of the red men. In the fall of 1894 a gunner 
 told me that only a day be.ore he had been shooting grouse along the 
 edge uf a swamp hardly a mile away, and in pushing into a thick 
 clump of hemlocks to secure a wounded bird had started a white 
 rabbit which he succeeded in shooting. In the course of the next few 
 weeks I heard of several that were killed in those woods and 
 there were doubliess many others which I failed to hear of. but all my 
 tramps in that direction for the purpose of finding them proved 
 unsuccessful— at least until the snow came. 
 
 Late in the winter I took a snow-shoe tramp in that direction, the 
 first tune I had been there since the first snow-fall of the season, and 
 within two miles found the unmistakable track of a white rabbit; 
 there was no mistaking the broad oval foot-prints, even if the distance 
 between them had not served to distinguish them from those of the 
 gray rabbit which crossed their line of march at frequent intervals. 
 
 The track, which apparently had been made several days, led me 
 from the swamp into the low rolling birch land, and now other 
 and fresher ones of the same kind join- i it until a well-beaten path 
 running east and west was formed and this presently joined another 
 
Vaijnaf Hare 
 
 at right angles. The latter proved to be the main highway with 
 several branch roads similar to the first. 
 
 But I was unable to catch sight of any of the members of the com- 
 munity which, judging from the tracks, must have numbered several 
 dozen at least, and as the snow was again falling rapidly and obliter- 
 ating the maze of tracks I was endeavouring to unravel, 1 was 
 obliged to give it up for the time being. 
 
 Several times in the course of the next month 1 visited those 
 woods, sometimes finding the tracks 1 was in search of and sometimes 
 not, for the colony was apparently an unsettled and roving one and 
 I seldom found it established twice in the same place, though at times 
 it must have stopped for several days or even weeks before starting 
 off in search of new feeding grounds and seldom moving any great 
 distance each time. I failed as at first, however, to see the hares 
 themselves, though a dog would undoubtedly have driven them into 
 sight for me had I chosen to take one along. 
 
 In March, with a companion, 1 was skirting the western border 
 of the swamp and while still half a mile or more to the south of where 
 I had seen any of their tracks, a white rabbit started out of the bushes 
 only a few yards away and after creeping rather slowly along under 
 cover of the ground laurel for a little distance, broke all at once into a 
 series of tremendous bounds that soon carried it out of sight among 
 the trees. 
 
 The snow was frozen hard, with patches of bare ground on the 
 southern slope, so that tracking was out of the question. We tramped 
 about there for some time and saw white rabbits running before us in 
 four or five different instances, and though we may have seen the 
 same rabbit twice, there were certainly more than one, and I believe 
 three or four that we saw. 
 
 At last on the very edge of the swamp, where the dry and frozen 
 swamp-gaass and bushes stood in clumps between the ice-bound 
 alders and maples, a big white fellow sprang out of the thick tussock 
 and in attemping to dash away over the ice got fairly caught between 
 the close-growing stems of a bunch of red willows and was easily 
 secured. 
 
 It proved to be a l.irge male whose smooth white fur showed but 
 little sign of the spring' shedding, only a spot here and there that 
 hardly showed at II when the animal was in motion. 
 
 A few days later there was no sign of them tu be found at that place 
 
VarylBcHare 
 
 or in the woods lear by, and I am convinced that purely by chance 
 we had intercepted the little band in its march southward and 
 that those itilled in this and the neighbouring towns that season 
 where none had been seen for years, were wanderers from some- 
 where farther north, impelled southward by the same unreasoning 
 impulse that is said once in every seven or eight years to drive 
 the lemmings southward from the Arctic Ocean, and which, to a 
 lesser degree appears to affect most of the smaller fur-clad animals 
 
 of the North. 
 
 Only the winter before I had tramped through these same woods 
 after almost every tracking snow, and I am able to say positively that 
 the gray rabbit was the only species to be found there, and 
 three years later it was the same again; the only one that has visited 
 these woods since then, as tar as I can learn, being a solitary 
 individual that the next winter passed within half a mile of the house 
 where I write, going due southeast without swerving more than a 
 few rods from a direct course at any time and crossing open fields 
 and meadows indifferently. 
 
 I followed its tracks closely for nearly two miles and saw 
 no evidence of its having stopped to eat or rest at any time. 
 Finally it struck off across a wind-swept field where the drifting snow 
 wholly obliterated its footprints, and 1 have often wondered what 
 eventually became of the solitary wanderer hopping away alone 
 towards the sea whose roar was already distinctly audible only 
 
 a few miles away. . . . ^ ^ 
 
 From what I can learn 1 should say that the border land between 
 the countries of the white rabbit and the gray is somewhere between 
 forty and fifty miles to the north of this southeastern corner of New 
 Hampshire; beyond that I have been unable as yet to find the gray 
 rabbits, though for the first thirty miles they are as abundant as they 
 are here, and further west their range is said to extend well up into 
 
 Canada. 
 
 Mr. P. C. True writing from Pittsfield. New Hampshire, under 
 date of March ist 1899, says: " I have consulted a number of veteran 
 fox hunters here and gathered what information I could on the 
 
 subject. 
 
 "The white rabbits, or jacks, as they are called here, have 
 almost disappeared; what few are left are found only in the big 
 forests. I am told that the cause of the departure is that the conies 
 devour their young; conies are very numerous as were jacks previous 
 
 «5 
 
ABMrican Polai Han 
 
 to the last decade. The first are said to have been brought here 
 from Massachusetts by an old fox hunter some thirty years a«o." 
 
 The earlier writers of the natural history of this country pretty 
 generally agree in giving the habitat of the northern hare as the whole 
 of the Eastern states south to Virginia, and scarcely allude to the gray 
 rabbit at all, some authors describinkj it as a Western species not 
 found east of the M' i; pi. But Thoreau's diary written in the 
 woods of Con<i)!.;, .' akhusetts, half a century ago .md more, 
 makes no ment r c. ifie larger species, all the hares referred to being 
 unmistakably cotici-tails. 
 
 Last winter, 1898-9. I paid frequ'-nt visits to 'Am- only permanent 
 colony of white rabbits that 1 know of m this regici., situated three 
 or four miles to the northeast, where they occupy perhaps one 
 hundred acres of old growth timber, only occasionally wandering into 
 the neighbouring woods and swamps where the cray rabbits abound. 
 
 But the latter in small numbers penetrate to all parts of the 
 white rabbits' domain, some of them even taking up their quarters in 
 the very heart of it, and I have sore misgivings that sooner or later 
 the original inhabitants will be forced to leave, for just as the white 
 men have driven away the dark-skinned native, so among the hares 
 matters seem to be reversed, and the dark-skinned new-comer 
 is driving off the native whites. 
 
 Varieties of the Varying Hare 
 
 1. Varying Hare. Lepus ameruanus virginianus (HaThn). Range 
 
 and description as above. 
 
 2. Labrador yarying Hare. Lepus ameruanus Erxleben. Yellow- 
 
 ish-brown to drab in summer, always pure white in winter. 
 
 Range. Replaces the former in the wooJed region' of 
 
 Labrador. 
 
 ). Nova Scotian (Varying Hare. Lepus americanus struthiopu-i 
 
 Bangs. Much darker and duller than the varying hare, with 
 
 no ferruginous tints. 
 Range. Takes the place of the common form in Nova Scotia. 
 
 American Polar Hare 
 
 Lepus arcliciis Ross 
 
 Called also Arctic Hare, H^kite Hare. 
 
 Ustgih. 7} inches. 
 
 Description. Hair somewhat curly, white at all seasons except the 
 tips of the ears which are blackish; a few long blackish hau^ 
 
 86 
 
, 
 
 ^■DMflH 
 
POlw Han 
 
 scattered over the back in summer and the ears and face 
 sllRhUy gray (the allied polar hares of Ubrador and New- 
 foundfand are subject to a greater change. See below). 
 Range. Northern Baffin Land and the Arctic Istands of North 
 America. 
 
 The polar hares are the Arctic explorers -f the great race 
 of hares and jack-rabbits, who, finding the climate and con- 
 ditions up there at the top of the world well suited to 
 their tastes, have esUblished themselves, and continue to raise 
 their families and live happily in that wide ice-sheeted country far 
 away from the sun. wearing their coats of winter white from 
 year's end to year's end. 
 
 A little farther south the hares put on their brown fur for a 
 few months in midsummer, and in most parts of Canada are 
 six months wmte and six months brown. The typical polar 
 har» of the Arctic region is a creature of the snow, depending 
 on it for protection against the weather and all other enemies. 
 Its home is a hole dug in a snow drift, or a cranny Ixneath 
 some outcropping ledge, and its food stone-worts and lichens 
 and the twigs of dwarfed alpine planU as hardy as itself. 
 
 In thf long dim-lighted winter, at the extreme north, it 
 probably has few enemies to fear, except the little blue fox; and 
 in the few weeks of so-called summer the gyrfalcons and the 
 Arctic owls. But the gray-wolf and the wolverine and the Canada 
 lynx have little fear of the cold and follow the polar hare well 
 up within the Arctic circle. , ,. . .u 
 
 When it is not looking for its scanty fare of herbage the 
 polar hare sits crouching in its form, careless of the dry drifting 
 snow which often completely buries it while it sleeps. If the 
 Kvrfalcon or the snowy owl should swing up in sight against 
 the dark sky. it only hugs the snow the closer trusting to remain 
 unseen; and when the Arctic fox comes prowling along the trail, 
 the hare is ready for a run with him across miles of unbroken 
 snow, just as eager to escape and go on living, as if there were 
 long summers and green fields to look forward to It is a little 
 curious that a member of the most thin-skinned and generally in- 
 capable race of mammals should be the one to prove itself best 
 able to withstand the hardship of an Arctic life; yet these polar 
 hares have been found living on ice fields over frozen seas twenty 
 miles from the nearest land. 
 
 8? 
 
Matah Han 
 
 Varieties of the Polar Hare 
 
 I. American Polar Hare. Lepus arcticus Ross. Range and 
 description as above. . „. . •• 
 
 a. Bangs' Polar Hare. Lepus arcitcus bangst Rhoads. Upper 
 parts gray in summer, ears black. 
 Range. Takes the place of the American polar hare m New- 
 foundland. , . . ,..„ _ , 
 
 I. Miller s Polar Hare. Lepus arcticus labradorius mWtr. Pelage 
 
 hair brown in summer. 
 Range. Replr -S the American polar hare in Labrador. 
 4 Greenland H. re. Lepus grcenlandicus Rhoads. Differs from 
 
 the American polar hare in the more protruding incisor 
 
 teeth and other skull peculiarities. 
 Range. Replaces the above in Greenland. 
 
 Marsh Hare 
 
 Lepus palusttts Bachman 
 
 Length. i8 inches. . , , u 
 
 Description. Above yellowish-brown, with many black hairs scat- 
 tered through the pelage. Underpart^ grayish, underside of 
 tail grayish, never white as in the cottontail. Ears much 
 shorter than in that species, and feet but scantily covered 
 
 with hair. ^ j ^i. > 
 
 Range. Coast of North Carolina to eastern Georgia and northern 
 
 Florida. 
 
 The marsh hare is an inhabitant of the low seaboard of 
 our Southern States. It is slightly larger than the cottontail with 
 wbich it is often associated, and differs in its nearly bare feet 
 and mi. e scanty pelage, it is distinctly an animal of the wet 
 sw.-'Tip-, nov hesitating to take to the water and plunge through 
 the (Uepest bogs v/hen disturbed. Bachman says that it runs 
 low on the ground -ind cannot leap with the same ease, strength 
 and agility as the cottontail. From the shortness of its legs and 
 ears and its general clumsy appearance, as we see it splashing 
 through the mud and mire, it somewhat reminds one of an over- 
 grown rat. 
 
 Varieties of the Marsh Hare 
 
 I. Marsh Hare. Lepwi palustris Bachman. Range and descrip- 
 tion as above. 
 
Watw HaM ; Jack Rabbit 
 
 Florida Marsh Hare. Lepus palustris paludicola (Miller & 
 Bangs). Darker, with less buff in its colouration. 
 
 Range. Southern Florida, grading into the former to the 
 northward. 
 
 Water Hare 
 
 Lepus aquaticus Bachman 
 
 Length. i\ inches. 
 
 Descriptim. Finely mottled above with buff, rufous and black 
 hairs, buff predominating more than in the cottontail; belly 
 and underside of tail pure white. Feet rather scantily haired 
 and ears longer than in the cottontail. 
 
 Range. Lower Mississippi Valley north to Southern Illinois. 
 
 The swamps of the lower Mississippi harbour still another 
 member of the rabbit tribe— the great water hare, an animal with 
 habits .so far as we know similar to those of the marsh hare, 
 but in size larger than that species or the cottontail. 
 
 The difficulty of following this and the last species into their 
 swampy retreats renders them but little known to hunters and 
 is responsible for our lack of knowledge concerning them. 
 
 
 Jack Rabbit 
 Lepus campestris Bachman 
 
 Called also Prairie Hare, Jackass Hare, White-tailed Jack 
 Rabbit. 
 
 Length, a? inches. 
 
 Description. Larger than any of the preceding, with very long 
 hind legs and ears. Colour above yellowish gray, sides and 
 back of neck lighter, below white, tail entirely white. In the 
 northern part of its range it turns pure white in winter, 
 farther south the change is partial or possibly does not occur 
 at all. 
 
 Range. From Western Minnesota and Iowa to the Sierra Nevada 
 Mountains and from Central Kansas and Colorado to the Sas- 
 katchewan plains. Represented southward and westward by 
 a group of allied species known as black-tailed jack rabbits. 
 
 h 
 
Jack lUbMt 
 
 Cottontails of one form or another stretch all across our Con- 
 tinent and varying hares occur Westward in the boreal forests 
 just as they do in the East, but the distinctively Western member 
 of the hare tribe is the jack rabbit. From the Eastern border of 
 the plains to the shores of the Pacific there is scarcely any spot 
 where one form or another of the jack rabbit does not occur, 
 but farther East it is unknown. The white-tailed jack rabbit is 
 the one found on the Great Plains and upper part of the Great 
 Basin. Southward and partly ove.lapping is the range of the 
 Texan or black-tailed jack rabbit while in California is found still 
 another species. 
 
 Living entirely in the open, jack rabbits are more than ever 
 dependent upon the protective colouration, speed and delicacy of 
 hearing which are so characteristic of the whole tribe. Dr. Coues 
 says, "The first sign one has usually of a hare which has squatted 
 tow in hopes of concealment, till its fears force it to fly, is a 
 great bound into the air with lengthened body and erect ears. 
 The instant it touches the ground it is up again, it does not come 
 fairiy down and gather itself for the next spring but seems to 
 hold its legs stiffly extended, touch only its toes and rebound by 
 the force of its impact. As it gains on its pursuers, and its fears 
 subside, the springs grow weaker, and finally the animal squats 
 in its tracks on its haunches with a jerk, to look and listen. 
 One fore foot is advanced a little before the other, and the ears 
 are held pointing in opposite directions. The attitude at such 
 times is highly characteristic." 
 
 For its home the jack rabbit has only an open " form " beneath 
 a bush or clump of weeds; here it sleeps in sunshine and storm 
 always on the alert for danger, ready to dash away on the instant. 
 When the "rabbit brush" grows thick they are comparatively 
 safe and well sheltered, but in certain bare stretches of unbroken 
 waste land they have to seek shelter as best they may. crouch- 
 ing beside some white wind-bleached stalk or in the shadow of 
 a telegraph pole. The northern species turns white in winter 
 and so escapes observation on the snow. 
 
 The young, from one to six in number, are brought forth in 
 the form, which is simply a little space among the weeds and 
 bushes where the grass, when there is any, has been trampled 
 flat and perhaps slightly carpeted with loose fur. 
 
 The time of birth varies from late winter to cariy summer 
 
 _g,i^._,aiMai 
 
Jack KabbU 
 
 according to latitude, in the North, where only one or two litters 
 are born each season. June is about as early as the young ones 
 ever make their appearance. 
 
 When first born they are well furred and have their eyes 
 open, by the time they are a week old they are active and pretty 
 well able to look out for their own safety, and at the end of a 
 month or two are weaned and may leave their parents and sUrt 
 out to get a living for themselves. 
 
 They feed on buffalo grass and weeds of various sorts and 
 the leaves and bark of shrubs and low bushes. In the South 
 where grass, wood and cactus are abundant they fare well; and 
 wherever men cultivate the land, the jack rabbits make themselves 
 at home at once and stuff on garden vegetables, alfalfa and 
 the bark of young orchard trees and so get themselves disliked. 
 
 In a natural state their numbers are apparently held in check 
 more by scarcity of forage than by the inroads of their enemies, 
 and just as soon as cultivation yields them abundant fodder, they 
 increase to an alarming extent, in spite of the farmers' efforts to 
 
 destroy them. , . , , j 
 
 The eagle, the Western red-tailed hawk, the praine falcon and 
 the marsh hawk occasionally kill jack rabbits, especially ihe young 
 ones, but their most destructive foes, next to man, are the wolves 
 and foxes. The coyote is particularly successful in hunting them, 
 and near the border of the woods the gray fox and bob-cat kill 
 them in considerable numbers. 
 
 In regions where the coyotes have been killed and driven off 
 it has almost invariably followed that the jack rabbits have so 
 multiplied as to prove a much more destructive nuisance than the 
 coyotes had ever been. 
 
 Occasionally an epidemic reduces their numbers locally, but 
 a very few seasons usually seems to establish them again in their 
 former numbers. 
 
 During the fall and winter jack rabbits are hunted and killed 
 in great numbers, the most popular method seems to be shoot- 
 ing them from waggons or buckboards with the assistance of dogs 
 who start the jacks from their cover and bring in the game when 
 it It killed. One man will sometimes kill five or six dozen jack- 
 rabbits in a day in this manner. 
 
 The greatest number, however, are killed in drives, an area 
 several miles in extent is beaten over by men on horseback who 
 
 91 
 
Jack lUbMi 
 
 close in as they advance, driving the game before them, usually 
 into some kind of enclosure or corral from which there is no escape. 
 The number of rabbits taken in one day in this manner runs 
 from a few hundred up to ten or even twenty thousand. 
 
 Driving jack rabbits, though on a much smaller scale than 
 just described, seems always to have been a favourite pastime 
 with most tribes of Western Indians. 
 
 By far the most exhilarating and sportsman-like method 
 of hunting jack rabbits is coursing with greyhounds, in the same 
 manner that coursing has always been followed in the Old Worid; 
 jack rabbits are if anything swifter and more resourceful in dodg- 
 ing the hounds than are the European hares. 
 
 The jack rabbits are started from their forms and go off like 
 the wind with the greyhounds in hot pursuit, while the rider 
 follows as closely as he can. The whole thing goes with a swing 
 and dash to the very end, the rabbit dodging, leaping and doubling 
 frantically, until either he has succeeded in reaching the brush 
 and safety, or the greyhound has seized him and both go rolling 
 over and ever together along the ground. 
 
 Although the fur of the jack rabbit seems to be well enough 
 suited for felting it is not much used at present, while the skin 
 is too tender and the fur itself too brittle to make it of much value 
 as fur. The Western Indians, however, have always held jack 
 rabbit skins in high esteem for clothing. They twist the skin in 
 narrow strips which are fastened together to make robes, the 
 skins being twisted in such a way as to leave the fur on both 
 sides making a warm durable robe of exceeding lightness. 
 
.ly W v.. Cuttm 
 
 I.ITTI.K I HIEF 1I.\KE UK I'lKA UiJwhma pn,u,r>t 
 Vntr nrr [>hf«l"«r«pt<« marU> in the lliltfr H.^il Mnuntaina. wcrr »■ . iirr I t-v vtlitiK up the ■■mrr* i-iisrrinB ■ r... k on whi 
 
 iin«l ««• HI til. I»l' ! .1 ssim-ltl! !-.! v,«<!l riX lll:.lril.!ll'Ml WH iSn'MliU iMMTTl » llil WnMli, (n'l IftVv ., *n'l tilt' |l||< itiiKra|>l 
 
 
 huh thr 
 ihcr r«- 
 
aim 
 
PIK/1S 
 
 Famify Ockolonida 
 
 Pika 
 
 Ocholomt primeps Richardson 
 Also caUed LitUe Chief Hare, Cony. 
 
 «„,^'°^'ffi"nf^ffif°^lS^s."'rd ,^o» ,n Colorado, 
 l^orthem California. Alaska, etc. 
 
 o their TeedTg pouna Th-v work diligently through the day 
 «t e g JaS Lourite alpine plan.s. which are piled up among 
 fhe rocks forming veritable hav-stacks for their wm er use. They are 
 watchful and alert, giving vent to their shrill bleating call when 
 rstranger approaches the vicinity of one of their colonies, dashing 
 
 nto thfir refreats only to emerge again to see ^^ ^^^^^'^;^^\ll 
 departed They seem never to become plump and '^t>nd their 
 
 emaciated appearance has gained for them the name of "starved 
 
 rats '■ among the miner' of certain reg. <ns. 
 
 At any Vate they are harmless little beasts and will well repay the 
 
 natural;.! who may visit their remote habitat and make a careful 
 
 So'l t'^'^'^'. ^^' ^'"« °"» °^'^''" -connecting hnks in nature s 
 
 chain everything *. learn aoout them seems to possess a peculiar 
 
 interest. 
 
 93 
 
 ■■■iflHlll 
 

 ¥ ^ 
 
 /1MERIC/1N PORCUPINES 
 
 Family Entkisontida 
 
 Wherever found porcupines may always be known by their 
 spines. The short legs, plantigrade feet and short thick tail are also 
 characteristic of our North American species, but foreign porcupines 
 exhibit many differences in their structure, one kind found in South 
 America having a long prehensile tail like our opossum. The quills 
 or spines of the porcupine are scattered about amongst the hair and 
 all point backward but may be elevated at will by the muscular con- 
 traction of the skin and being so loosely attached at the base are 
 frequently impaled in the face or feet of any animal which may come 
 in contact with them. 
 
 In the Canada porcupine the quills are usually shorter than the 
 hair but in certain foreign species they are greatly developed. 
 
 Besides the Canada porcupine we have one other ctosely allied 
 species in North America, the yellow-haired porcupine {EretkUon 
 epixanthus) of British Columbia and western United Sutes. 
 
 Canada Porcupine 
 
 Eretkison dorsatus (Linnaeus) 
 
 Length. 38 inches. 
 
 Descfiptim. Dark-brown to nearly black, quills tipped with yellow- 
 ish, two to four inches long mostly concealed by the hair, which 
 reaches a length of six inches; toes, four on the front feet and five 
 on the hind. 
 
 Ranee. Narthern parts of North America south to Maine anil in 
 the hichet mountains of Pennsylvania. Not found south of the 
 Canaaian faunal zone. 
 
 The porcupine is much more interesting as a species than as an 
 individual. Looked at either as an example o.'the beneficent protection 
 which is lendered to ov,rv creature according to its needs, or as a 
 branch of the rodent l.»mily that has succeeded in perfecting a most 
 unique method of defence through the law of the survival of the 
 fittest, it furnishes an interesting study. 
 
 MMi 
 
,- ..• , . .\ WITH nl'll IS THROWN FORWARD INWILDSTATB 
 CANADA WRlflMNE {hrflhttm Jotjo/mj). WITH gi ll-l.^ iMK»J"i> rw 
 
MKIOCOPV MBOIUTION TBT OMIT 
 
 (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 
 
 i:; |2^ 
 
 ■ 2-1 
 
 |S£ *^* 
 
 n^ 
 
 |. |12 
 
 ■ 2.2 
 
 :t'i^ 
 
 ■■■ 
 
 u 
 
 |2.0 
 
 tul 
 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 1.6 
 
 /APPLIED IM/OE II 
 
 1653 East Mom Slrtat 
 
 RocriMttr, f4B« York U609 USA 
 
 (716) ««2 - 0300 - Phont 
 
 (716) 288-5999 - Tok 
 
Canada Poreupin* 
 
 It is easy enough to imagine the long chain of successive steps 
 thai have led up from some far-off ancestor, who survived because of 
 the possession of a coat of rougher and more bristling hair than his 
 fellows, and in transmitting this to his decendants also insured them 
 a longer period of existence. But if the one owning the most effective 
 armour was safer from attack than his neighbours, he must also have 
 experienced greater difficulty in finding for himself a mate, for his 
 prickly coat and iwkward stumbling carriage would make him just 
 as unpopular with his own people as among his enemies. So instead 
 of choosing according to his taste he must needs take what he could 
 get, his heavy coat of mail preventing him from winning in any con- 
 test of activity with his rivals, and in all probability he would be 
 obliged in the end to put up with some equally ill-favoured and stupid 
 outcast of the other sex. 
 
 The Canada porcupine of the present day is apparently a result of 
 this sort of selection, stumping about the woods like a turtle in its 
 shell, intent only on filling his stomach with the green bark of trees 
 he hauls himself laboriously up ai.iong the branches and strips them 
 bare, killing a tree for his meal. 
 
 He lacks beauty either of form, motion or colour as well as softness 
 of fur; his eyes are little and dull with never a glimmer of thought 
 behind them, serving little better purpose than to direct him from 
 one tree to the next and to distinguish between daytime and 
 night. Being independent of the protection afforded by darkness, 
 which so many animals rely on for safety, he is free to go and 
 come as he pleases, and at least shows the good taste to pre- 
 fer the sunshine, at all events in cool weather. In fact he has 
 probably found it safer to go about by day, for with the ex- 
 ception of man, the greater part of his enemies are night prowl- 
 ers. The most persistent of these is the fisher, who manages 
 somehow to seize him by the throat where he is least protected 
 and so avoid serious contact with his quills. 
 
 The various big cats of the northern woods will also hunt 
 porcupine rather than go hungry, though it is often a sorry 
 choice for them. The porcupine's quills are hard to avoid, and 
 each one is fitted with numberless little barbs that, once the 
 quill penetrates the skin, keep forcing it deeper and deeper into 
 the sufferer's flesh with every involuntary twinge of his muscles, 
 until a vital part is stabbed and the hunter pays high for his 
 meal, many a porcupine avenging his own death weeks after 
 
 9S 
 
i I 
 
 Canada Porcupine 
 
 he has been eaten; even the wily fisher is said to be occasion- 
 ally killed in this manner. 
 
 The porcupine's home is usually a hollow log or cavern 
 among the rocks. 
 
 Here he can slep) in comparative safety curled up with his 
 back to the entrance, presenting a most formidable chevaux 
 de frise against attack. 
 
 In cold rough weather he stays indoors day and night, 
 probably endeavouring to sleep and forget his hunger. As soon 
 as it grows a little milder he crawls out and makes haste to 
 stuff himself with bark and green twigs to nourish him during 
 the next cold spell. 
 
 When the snow melts at the approach of spring and the 
 new sap starts up under the bark to swell the buds in the 
 March sunshine he fares somewhat better, and long before the 
 last drift has vanished is able to gather a taste of young green 
 leaves along sunny banks beneath the evergreens, together with 
 the hardier sorts that winter under the snow, now laid bare 
 again to the sunlight. 
 
 Porcupines are not prolific animals; a pair of twins to each 
 family early in the summer appears to be the general rule, the 
 youngsters being about as rough and ugly looking as their parents. 
 
 POCKET GOPHERS 
 
 (Family Geomyida) 
 
 These curious little animals are characterized by their large 
 cheek pouches opening outside the mouth, and their modified 
 fore feet with immense ^l.iws suited for digging. Their bodies 
 are heavy and their movements somewhat clumsy. The skull 
 is thick, and in the species of Geotnys which is the only genus 
 represented in the East, the upper incisors are grooved. In the 
 allied genus Thomomys, which is abundantly represented in the 
 West, this is not the case. 
 
 The gophers are nocturnal and live in communities, burrow- 
 ing in the ground like the marmots. They are very abundant 
 In our Western States and two species extend eastward into the 
 
X 
 
 c, 
 
 J 
 
 -I 
 
 X 
 
 X 
 
 X 
 
Oeorgia Oophet 
 
 Mississippi Valley, while several closely related forms occur in 
 the Southern States. 
 
 1^ 
 
 Georgia Gopher 
 
 Geomys ti sa (Ord) 
 Also called Pocket Gopher, Salamander. 
 
 Length, lo inches. 
 
 Description. Cinnamon-brown with a somewhat fulvous t'lge. 
 an indistinct darker median stripe on the back; below dull 
 ochraceous; hairs on the feet white, tail almost naked. 
 
 Range. Pine barrens of southern Georgia; represented in Florida 
 and Alabama by closely related geographic races. 
 
 This little animal furnishes another example of the ambiguity 
 of popular names. By all rights of priority and descent he is 
 entitled to the name of gopher given to their Western relatives 
 by the early French explorers, and signifying "honeycomb" in 
 reference to their numerous burrows. Unfortunately our Southern 
 pioneers bestowed this name upon a burrowing tortoise, while the 
 true gopher was christened the " salamander," a name which is 
 misleading and to which he has no just claim. Popular names, 
 however, are too firmly established to yield to argument, and so 
 the Georgia gopher will remain the salamander in spite of us. 
 
 Thoroughly adapted for a subterranean life, these animals 
 spend almost all their time in their burrows, and even where 
 they are abundant few people are acquainted with their appear- 
 ance or habits, their presence being known only by their bur- 
 lows and the gnawing of roots and vegetables. 
 
 "Gopher burrows seem to have neither beginning nor end," 
 writes Vernon Bailey. "They are extended and add?d to yeai 
 after year and in many cases those dug by a single animal 
 would measure a mile or more, if straightened out. At the end of 
 i year a gopher may often be found within twenty rods of the point 
 from which he started, but in travelling this distance he has paid 
 no attention to the points of the compass. He follows a tender 
 root for a few feet, then moves to one side, ncounters a stone 
 and makes a second turn. A layer of mellow soil entices him off 
 in another direction, and so on through a thousand devious crooks 
 
 97 
 
 fi ■ 
 
 
Prairie Gopher 
 
 .1 turns. At intervals openings are made through which to dis- 
 ■:'■■■ .ge the earth that makes the little piles called gopher-hills." 
 
 Gophers have regular storehouses where roots and other foods 
 are sto.-jd away, being carried in the peculiar pockets on each side 
 of the face. 
 
 Dr. Goode describes their digging habits as follows: "They 
 dig by grubbing with the nose and a rapid shovelling with the 
 long curved fore paws assisted by the pushing of the hind feet, 
 which removes the earth from beneath the body and propels it 
 back with great power a distance of eight or ten inches. When 
 a small quantity of earth has accumulated in the rear of the 
 miner, around he whirls with a vigorous flirt of the tail and, 
 joining his fore paws before his nose, he transmutes himself into a 
 sort of wheelbarrow pushing the dirt before him to a convenient 
 distance." 
 
 Except during the breeding season gophers live singly. They 
 are very pugnacious and fight viciously ant* when caught away 
 from their burrows, do not hesitate to '<i. . "■ captor. 
 
 Varieties of tlie Georgria ^paor 
 
 Georgia Gopher. Geomys tu^a (Ord). Description and range 
 
 as above. 
 Florida Gopher. G. tu^a floridanus (Audubon & Bachman). 
 
 Rather larger and duller in colour, with a white spot under 
 
 the chin. 
 Range. Eastern Florida, St. Mary's River to Eau Gallic. 
 fVest Florida Gopher. G. iu^a austrinus (Bangs). Paler, 
 
 with much more white below. 
 Range. Western Florida. 
 Alabama Gopher. G. tu^a mobilensis Merriam. Smaller and 
 
 darker than the Georgia gopher. 
 Range. Extreme Northwestern Florida and Alabama. 
 Island Gopher. G. cumberlandius Bangs. Larger than the 
 
 Georgia gopher, but like it in colour. 
 Range. Cumberland Island, Georgia. 
 
 Prairie Gopher 
 
 Geomys bursarius (Shaw) 
 Also called Pocket Gopher. 
 
m 
 
 I 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 tl 
 
Piairia Oopbar 
 
 Description. ' DaS,' pinkish-brown, inclining to chestnut in some 
 specimens, but with no fulvous lints. Darker on the middle of 
 the back; under surface slightly lighter, but not distinctly so 
 as in the Georgia gopher; hair on the feet white; tail hairy, 
 but scantily so toward the tip; hair of basal half brown, 
 terminal half white. i/^„e»c 
 
 Ranee. Mississippi Valley, from North Dakota to eastern Kansas 
 and southern Missouri and including southern Wisconsin and 
 most of Illinois. 
 
 The general appearance and habits of this animal are similar 
 to those of the preceding species. Farther South and West are 
 several other gophers, while from the Plains to the Pacific are 
 found the gray gopher and its aUies with ungrooved front teeth, 
 but otherwise much like the animals above described. 
 
 I 
 
 POCKET MICE 
 
 (Family Hetrromyidcr 
 
 These mice are restricted to the western United State nd 
 Mexico and are confined largely to the arid regions, so ch«ac- 
 teristic of that portion of the country. They comprise tw *m^ 
 different groups of animals— the true pocket mice, little ^ 
 
 like creatures with rather coarse hair, and the larger ka 
 rats, with immense hind legs and long bushy-tipped tai 
 calling the jerboas of the Old World. 
 
 Although so different in external appearance, these po 
 mice are allied to the mole-like gophers that we have just <' 
 considering, and it will be seen at once upon examining the 
 that they possess the same curious external check pouches. W- 
 have three modifications of the same type of animal just as wt 
 find in the true mice; the gopher corresponding to the meadow 
 mouse, the pocket mouse to the deer mouse and the kangaroo rat 
 to the jumping mouse. The first is adapted for a burrowing life, 
 the second for a life on the surface of the ground and the third 
 specially modified for leaping. 
 
 I 
 
 99 
 

 , il. 
 
 > 
 
 
 PUiM PodMt Mmm; Ofd'a iUiicanw Rat 
 
 Plains Pocket Mouse 
 
 Perognatkus Havtscens (Merriam) 
 
 Length. 5 inches. 
 
 ^«m>/»o« External cheek pouches lined with hair oDenina on 
 
 sAetn'cf thfeTe c£?^^^^^^^ ^>e and 
 
 Range Plains from South Dakota to northern Te^as and w«t to 
 
 British Columbia to Mexico^ and cSffomia. "^ '^^'" 
 
 Very little is known of the life history of the pocket mice 
 ma.n^y because they are strictly nocturn^ in habifs and paS 
 the daytime m their burrows in the sandy ground with the 
 openings generally stopped with earth. Like the goph^s thev 
 carry their food in their curious cheek pouch s and' ore U 
 away in their subterranean granaries. 
 
 Ord's Kangraroo Rat 
 
 Perodipus ordi (Woodhouse) 
 Length. 9.60 inches. 
 
 ^"'o?nose s^Jot'^bS ^" V°"^' ^^^'^^^ °" »he rump. Sides 
 01 nose, spot behind each ear and band acro«c th» tyXt^Z. 
 
 neci^r:^Th^-H^?.- a^^riirs ^'^ ^^^^ 
 
 aTTavel'Tn '^nm^' ?^ "'^"'^ ^•'™'"« ^ '^ hillock^rh 
 easily caves in and which horses and mules familiar with the 
 country have learned to carefully avoid. 
 
 of th^''"f«. ^^^^"-■'''^'""Pson gives an interesting account of a nest 
 of this little animal which he invesugated. It was situated unde 
 
 wLh "f /P'r °^ ' ^""^'^ °f Spanish bayonets and th.sUes 
 which guarded effectually from would-be pursuers the nineTpen: 
 
 100 
 
Ord't Kaofuoo Rat 
 
 ings through any one r' th? littie rat could plunge down 
 
 to his subterranean dv.t.ii';^ Ihese openings led to a rather in- 
 tricate series of passage . opening one into the other in such 
 a way as to lead the intruder to another exit rather than to the 
 nest. The latter he found was reached by a short branch lead- 
 ing from one of the above passageways, the mouth of which was 
 apparently plugged up with earth by the little animal before de- 
 partir . so as to further shield the nest from any intruders. The 
 nest had a thick felting of fine grass and weed silk and a soft 
 lining of feathers. Two other chambers were filled with over a 
 pint of sunfiower seeds and evidently served as storehouses. 
 Of the mouse itself, which Mr. Thompson kep for a time in 
 captivity, he writes: "He was the embodiment of restless energy. 
 Palpitating with life from the tip of his translucent nose and ears 
 to the end of his vibrant tail. He could cross the box at a single 
 bou 1 and I now saw the purpose of h' huge tail. In the 
 ext iinary long flying leaps that Perod ,'US makes the tuft 
 on end does for him what the feathers do for an arrow. 
 
 They keep him straight in the air in his trajectory. 
 He was the most indefatigable littk miner that I ever saw. Those 
 little pinky-white paws, not much larger than a pencil point, 
 seemed never weary of digging, and would send the earth out 
 between his hind legs in little jets like a steam-shovel. He 
 seemed tireless at his work. He first tunnelled the whole mass 
 through and through and I doubt not made and unmade several 
 ideal underground residences and solved many problems of rapid 
 Underground transit. Then he embarked in some landscape garden- 
 ing schemes and made it his nightly business to entirely change 
 the geography of his whole country, laboriously making hills and 
 canyons wheresoever seemed unto him good." Mr. Thompson had 
 reason to suppose that the faint bird-like twitterings sometimes 
 heard at night by cowboys and others on the plains are to be 
 attributed to the Perodipus, being analogous to the songs which 
 are uttered by some individuals of the common house mouse and 
 the white-footed mouse of our woods. 
 
 1 
 
1 
 
 it 
 
 a 
 
 ! 
 
 I, I 
 
 r 
 
 M. 
 
 JUMPING MICE 
 
 (Family Zapodida) 
 
 the SoXrs^"i5r ^s;;s ^r:^ ;;? ^^-^ - ^» 
 
 spects from the true mice and cTn h7^ ''.'" ""'"^ '"- 
 their extremely long ZT\ZJa\ .? '■«°«"'«<1 '»» once by 
 their fur. ^ ^ ""'* *^" ^'"l •'y »he coarseness of 
 
 Pouc. w.r.e^^^^^^ young- a 
 
 iand iumping mouse, easily told V^s wTt^^M t^lj' '''"''' 
 
 Meadow Jumping Mouse 
 
 Zapus hudsoniHs (Zimmerman) 
 Length. 8.80 inches. 
 
 back making it much darker th.nfK •^1'^ predominate on the 
 
 what suffusfd wSbuff eet £e*?:il'whL''?'^ \^'^ ^°'""- 
 above, i jo mm. long. In autumn VhlV-^^ beneath brownish 
 dusky above. * *"*"" ^''^ '^"'' '« yellower with less 
 
 *j«^e. From Hudson's Bav to NnrfK n .• 
 
 I"«ly long ,alls, ,he, 8o' bou„*d ^^ '*; i^l' J "«^ J''J f °"l*- 
 
 lot 
 
 II i 
 
 -^%s« 
 
i 
 
 A WESiERX LONGTAIL MOUSE. CAUGHT IN' THE BITTER ROOT MOUNTAINS By w k CarU: 
 
 1^ 
 
 LONC. TAILED JUMI'INO MOUSE •/■(."it^ i'((fr/-. '»)>»<) b, c. wi!!b„, Hf-.!^ 
 
^ I 
 
 I 
 
 u 
 
 ■I 
 
i 
 
 Meadow JnmpinK Moum 
 
 to be Stroked or even taken in the hand without offering re- 
 sistance or attempting to escape. They seem to be decidedly less 
 intelligent than other mice, trusting mainly to good luck and their 
 gift at jumping to carry them through whatever dangers threaten. 
 Apparently they never look before they leap, so that that which 
 should be their safety often proves their ruin, as they are about 
 as likely to spring directly into the clutches of a cat or other 
 enemy as in an opposite direction; in this manner they are frequently 
 drowned in milk-pans and tubs of water which a little ordinary 
 caution would have avoided. 
 
 The last one 1 saw was on the bank of a stream in the 
 woods where the wild grape-vines and smilax trailed along the 
 edge of the water. 
 
 At first it attempted to escape by crouching among the grass 
 and dead leaves, but when I stooped down to examine it it began 
 leaping in the characteristic aimless and erratic manner of the 
 species. Finally when I made an attempt to capture it with a 
 landing net it leaped well out from the bank and descended in 
 the water where the current was pretty strong; the mouse, how- 
 ever, proved equal to the occasion and swam swiftly enough 
 against the stream for several yards to a floating branch along 
 which it ran to the other end, where it again entered the water 
 to swim ashore and hide among the driftwood and rubbish under 
 the overhanging bank. 
 
 Jumping mice are oftenest seen just after the meadows and 
 hay fields are cleared in August, evidently driven from their ac- 
 customed haunts and wandering lost and bewildered looking for 
 new homes, or it may be that the summer drouth has compelled 
 them to start out in search of water. 
 
 Their food appears to consist, like that of the other outdoor 
 mice, largely of grass seeds, undoubtedly varied at times by the 
 addition of berries and mushrooms and probably insects. 
 
 Ordinarily they creep about in the grass and leaves in a 
 manner calculated to escape all notice, and it is only when 
 threatened that they bring into use their powers of leaping, the 
 value of which probably depends a good deal on its unexpected- 
 ness and tne sudden effect of surprise it produces on the enemy. 
 
 These mice are dormant through a much longer season than 
 are most hibernating animals, passing six months or more of 
 every year in this condition curled up in their nests underground. 
 
 i 
 
 i: 
 
 31 
 
 103 
 
^!' 
 
 i. 
 
 Meadow Jumping Mouie; Woodland Jumping Mouse 
 
 I have seen a family of .hem turned up by the plough in 
 May and they exhibited not the slightest symptom of life on 
 being handled and breathed upon; their bodies were soft and limp 
 and warm and had every appearance of an animal in a perfectly 
 dormant condition, *^ ' 
 
 Varieties of tlie Meadow Jumping Mouse 
 
 Though the jumping mice bear a close resemblance to one 
 another they exhibit slight variations in different parts of their 
 range so that the following have been distinguished. 
 
 I. Meadow Jumping Mouse. Zapus hudsonim (Zimmerman) 
 
 Kr,'^v 'p '^°r' !■'"«". !?"*'^ *° ^he mountain^ of New 
 J^^j^y^^^ Pennsylvania and North Carolina and in the Wwt 
 
 Labrador Jumping Mouse. Zapus hudsonius ladas Banes 
 
 pSn^in'ter ^ '^"^^^ '^«^ ^"'^ *^"- -^^P'-- '•^e 
 
 ^rfinnl ^TH"^ ^""'"l ^"^"^ hudsonius americanus 
 (Barton). Replaces the above in the lowlands from North 
 Carolina to tfie Hudson and Connecticut VaUeys 
 
 2. 
 
 Woodland Jumpingr Mouse 
 
 Zapus insignis Miller 
 Length. 9.80 inches. 
 
 "^"'^^ilT- ^"I" *''^" ^^^ meadow jump.ng mouse, with less 
 dusky on the upper parts, sides incAning to rich oranfe 
 brightest on the cheeks; underparls pure snow white fati 
 
 o^nly thre'r"back''(mo£r;'''yH^"°"«' I'"'^ """^ ^^^^ ha 
 oniy inree back (molar) teeth on each s de of the unner 
 
 law, while the meadow jumping mouse has four ^^ 
 
 '''"'1a1ns?o"Mar;°anS'" '"«'^"'' ^"^ ^^^^^ ^•'^"^'^'^he moun- 
 
 Similar to the meadow jumping mouse in most respects, but 
 far richer in colour; this beautiful little animal makes its home 
 
 IJ. ch .. "''/.K v'^°?'''. ''°"« '°'"" '"°'^"»'»'" stream, under 
 
 he shelter of the hemlocks and laurel bushes. It seems to shun 
 
 the society of man to which the other species is not averse. 
 
 104 
 
Rati, Mica and Lammioga 
 
 and we have in the distribution of these two a fair parallel to that 
 of the white rabbit and the cottontail. 
 
 2. 
 
 Varieties of the Woodland Jumplner Mouse 
 
 Woodland Jumping Mouse. Zapus insignis Miller. Descrip- 
 tion and range as above. . r),_Li^ 
 RoTn Mountain Jumping Mouse. Z. insignts roanensts Preble. 
 
 Smaller and darker. .„ . • 
 
 Range. Mountains of the Southern Aileghanies. 
 Nomern Jumping Mouse. L. insignis abietorum Preble. 
 
 Larger than the woodland jumping mouse. 
 Range. Quebec and Ontario. 
 
 RATS. MICE Am LEMMINGS 
 
 (Family Murida) 
 
 The late Dr Coues described the members of this family in 
 his usual terse style as "a feeble folk, comparatively insignificant m 
 size and strength, holding their own m legions against a host 
 of natural enemies, rapacious beasts and birds. 
 
 Few persons realize what a variety of them .there are; spread 
 over almost every part of *he world they constitute a large 
 proportion of the mammalian na and in eastern Nor h America 
 about one-quarter of our quaa ds belong to this family. 
 
 They are typical members of the rodent tribe in every res- 
 pect In habits they are for the most part nocturnal, while 
 many species live in burrows or tunnel-like runways on the sur- 
 face of the ground among the grass roots and seldom, if ever 
 venture forth into the light. Other species like the muskrat 
 are aquatic and have become excellent swimmers. 
 
 With few exceptions the members of this family are popu- 
 lariv known as rats or mice, a difference which has to do only 
 with size. These names being originated for the two semi- 
 domestic species-the house mouse and the Norway rat-which 
 accompany man wherever he estaWishes himself, were afterwards 
 bestowed upon our wild species, according as they approached 
 one or the other in size. Rats and mice do not therefore con- 
 
 105 
 
 ) : f- / 
 

 i 
 
 1 ? 
 
 Rata, Mice and Lemminfa 
 
 stitute satisfactory groups in which to classify our species The 
 
 which wTStT '^'t''"\'"*° '"^^ very 'natural 'as^fmbiage 
 
 The f.r^ Z ?" ''''°rt-^^"«d and long-tailed groups 
 
 a velv .hnrt t ,''' *^''-'''' ^"^rt-'^gged and short-eafed. with 
 
 ters s^mo ^h m' Tf "'"'■ '"' ^"'^"^ ''^- A" ^' ^"ich charac- 
 lers stamp them as burrowing animals 
 
 The long-tailed group, on the other hand, are sleek and 
 graceful, standmg higher on their legs, with us^al^ large ea"s 
 big eyes and a long slender tail. ^ ^ "' 
 
 VVe frequently find that it is impossible to properly classify 
 animals by external characters alone, and so in th^cSe we fS 
 
 y^rtg tTtf r ''' '"'' «™"P whe^eTl^n; 
 
 SI rLr^ ' ' ^^" "°*'"« *'''^ exception we may adopt 
 
 il nt . ■" ''•"^''^'"'■y ^''"""^ considering the more fun- 
 
 wTuTJ/r T' °'*"*' ^"^ ^'^"" "P°" which science reHes 
 We have then three groups of the Murida: 
 
 I. Meadow Mice. Lemmings and Muskrats 
 
 (Sub-Family Microtina) 
 
 th,n^^"'':^'^ short-legged, short-eared, short-tailed, i. e. tail less 
 than one-third the length of head and body {exceot muskrlt!? 
 usually much less, mainly burrowers. ^ muskrats) 
 
 II. American Longr-taiied Mice and Rats 
 
 (Sub-Family Cricetince) 
 
 More slender with longer legs and generally larger ears and 
 eyes and long ta,^ the latter always more than half he en«"h 
 of the head and body, generally much more. ^ 
 
 III. Introduced Mice and Rats 
 
 (Sub-Family Murina) 
 
 Resembling in a general way the last group, but with verv 
 different skull and teeth. All natives of the Old Wo ,d whln2 
 they have been brought by man. wnence 
 
 106 
 
 » I iwil* 
 
MEADOIV MICE, LEMMINGS AND MUSKRATS 
 
 (Sub-Family Microtina) 
 Cooper's Lemming Mouse 
 
 Synaptomys cooperi Baird 
 
 Length. 4.80 inches. 
 
 Description. Upper front teeth grooved, tail very short (.70 inch). 
 Colour sepia brown, with many black hairs interspersed, 
 iome individuals with a slight admixture of buff or reddish- 
 brown hairs, others somewhat grayer. Below plumbeous, 
 generally with whitish tips to the hair, ears very short, 
 overtopped by the hair, mammae six. 
 
 Range. Southern New England and Michigan to Indiana and 
 Virginia and in the mountains to North Carolina. 
 
 In external appearance the lemming mouse bears such a close 
 resemblanc* to the common field or meadow mouse, with which 
 it frequently associates, that it would -eadily be passed by. 
 Without considering its minute anatomy it will be sufficient to 
 call attention to its grooved front teeth by which it can always 
 be recognized, its rather coarser hair and very short tail. The 
 lemming mouse was first described by Professor Baird in 1857 and 
 for years after its discovery it was regarded as excessively rare. 
 Modern methods of trapping, however, have brought to light 
 many specimens and we have learned that it is pretty generally 
 distributed throughout our Northern States wherever conditions 
 suitable for its requirements are to be found. 
 
 In connection with its redii.overy in our Eastern States it 
 is interesting to know that science is indebted to that inde- 
 fatigable mouse hunter, the barn owl, for the knowledge of the 
 occurrence of the lemming mouse in several localities, the skulls 
 having been found in the pellets of hair and bones which the 
 owls had ejected about their nests. 
 
 Cold sphagnum bogs seem to be the favourite haunts of these 
 httle animals in the East, where they use the ample runways of 
 the meadow mice which form an intricate network of passages 
 beneath the damp moss and among the roots of the grass and 
 rushes. In winter the sphagnum freezes up, forming a solid 
 
 107 
 
 

 I 
 
 roof to the runways, but upon breaking into them abundant signs 
 of life are to be seen and a trap set in such a situation is 
 pretty sure to catch one or other of the several little animals 
 which make these spots their home. For beside the lemminjr 
 mouse and meadow mouse we find here also the red-backed 
 mouse and the little shrew. 
 
 ,ton!"hm ir '^'■■/' ^- ^J''^^'!'^' ^he lemming mice frequenting 
 stony hillside pastures, while their nests are placed under stumos 
 or logs. '^ 
 
 Their food seems to consist of roots and tender shoots of 
 grasses and rushes, though from the nature of their retreats it 
 IS practically impossible to gain much information as to their 
 habits. Even when we are fortunate enough to catch a glimpse 
 of one of the little animals it is usually merely a flash of brown 
 fur. as he disappears with lightning speed along one of his 
 passage ways. 
 
 Varieties and Related Species of Lemming Mice 
 
 '• ""T/iescripffafrve. "'^'"'^"""-^^ ""'^"'' ^''"'- '^-^^ 
 
 W« (M^rriam). Similar, but with larger head and more 
 massive skull. * '* 
 
 ^gmfa '^^P'""'' ^^* common species in Dismal Swamp. Vir- 
 
 3- Northern Lemming Mouse. Synaptomys faiuus Banes Smaller 
 
 and darker, with narrower skull. ^ ^ ^'"''"" 
 
 Range. Northern New England, Ontario, Qyebec and New 
 
 ming mouse. " "°"'"'" ''^'''''^''^^^ ^ C^pTr's \Z 
 
 ^' ^Tmhii'r'""'^-^'""^-- ^y'^'Ptomys innuitus True. Re- 
 sembles Coopers lemming mouse in general appearance but 
 has a very different sKull, with much narrowe paler 
 coloured incisor teeth. Female with eight mammT ' ^ 
 Range. Labrador (Fort Chimo and Rigoulette) 
 
 5. Preble s Lemmng Mouse. Synaptomys sphagnicola Preble 
 
 *fr;'''R° "-Kh'- "^i^ L"''««^ <5 ^5 inches'^lon^) 
 Range. Base of iVlt. Washington, Fabyans. N. fl 
 
 Pied Lemmingr 
 
 Dicrostonyx hudsonius (Pallas) 
 Length. 6 inches. 
 Description. Summer. Gray above, more or less dappled with rusty 
 
 108 
 
Pied Lemming 
 
 red and with a bUck line down the bacit, below dull gray 
 tinged with rusty. H^inler, nearly pure white. The most ex- 
 traordinary peculiarity of this animal is the enormous deve- 
 lopment of the nails on the two middle toes of the front 
 feet. They are square or rather club-shaped at the end and 
 fully a quarter of an inch in length. 
 Range. Barren Grounds of Arctic America from Labrador to Alaska. 
 
 The name lemming is usually associated with the Arctic re- 
 gions or with the barren mountains of Norway, in which latter 
 locality the term originated. While it is true that most lemmings 
 are found in these regions, it is also true that so far as struc- 
 tural peculiarities go, the lemming mice which have just been 
 considered are quite as much lemmings as their Arctic allies, but 
 it is hard to draw a distinction between the lemmings and 
 meadow mice, so perfectly do they grade into one another. 
 
 The pied lemming lives in burrows in the beds of moss 
 and lichens which cover the northern tundra and feeds solely on 
 vegetable matter. They seem like other species of lemmings to be 
 subject to great variation in abundance from year to year, and in 
 localities where they abound the snow owls are also plentiful, 
 nesting close to the haunts of the lemmings, which in such 
 cases constitute their sole food. 
 
 So far as we know, however, the lemmings of Arctic Am- 
 erica are not subject to such well-marked migrations as charac- 
 terize those of Norway, where probably from overcrowding and 
 consequent scarcity of food there often occurs a great exodus to 
 some other locality. Dr. Coues says of their migration: "Noth- 
 ing can stop them; they proceed straight on in their course, 
 urged by some restless impulse, swimming broad rivers and 
 lakes and invading towns which may lie in their way." 
 
 As to their habits Mr. E. W. Nelson states that some captive 
 Alaskan lemmings were amusing, inoffensive little creatures and from 
 the fust allowed themselves to be handled without attempting to bite. 
 "They would climb up into my hand and from it to my 
 shoulder without a sign of haste or fear, but with odd curiosity, 
 kept their noses continually sniffing and peered at everything 
 with their bright bead-like eyes. When eating they held their 
 food in their fore paws." 
 
 The change of colour in winter and summer is accomplished 
 by a complete spring and fall moult of the hair, the white coat 
 being much longer and heavier. 
 
 109 
 
 ! J 
 
 .4 
 
 ') 
 
 i 
 
Fala* Lemming ICoom 
 
 4 
 
 I ; 
 
 In Alaska there occurs another lemming (Lemmus trimucronatus) 
 which is of a rusty colour and never changes white in winter. 
 
 False Lemmingr Mouse 
 
 Phenacomys latimanus Merriam 
 
 Length. 5.30 inches. 
 
 Description. Strikingly like the meadow mouse in external ap- 
 pearance but with rooted molar teeth. Pale yellow cinnamon 
 brown above with an admixture of black hairs on the back 
 below whitish gray; tail dark above, white below. 
 
 Range. Known only from Ungava. Labrador and the north shore 
 of Lake Superior in Ontario. A somewhat larger species oc- 
 curs in Labrador and Qpebec (P. celatus) and others in the 
 Northwest. 
 
 The most interesting point 
 in the history of this rare 
 mouse is its close external re- 
 semblance to the meadow 
 mouse. Foi many years speci- 
 mens in the National Museum 
 passed as meadow mice until 
 Dr. Merriam discovered that 
 the back (molar) teeth did not 
 grow continuously from the 
 bottom as do those of the meadow mice, but possessed regular 
 roots as in the red-backed mice, a matter of small popular interest 
 but of great scientific importance as it shows us one more link in the 
 chain of evolution. Little is 
 known of the habits of this 
 mouse, though Mr. G. S. 
 Miller, Jr., states that in 
 Ontario he found it frequent- 
 ing high upland barrens 
 covered with stunted blue- 
 berry bushes. Its burrow 
 was found running down 
 by a decayed stump and 
 terminating in a hollow, 
 
 Lower jaw of Phenacomys, enlarged, to 
 show rooted molar teeth, (.\jter Miller.) 
 
 Lower jaw of Field Mouse, enlarged, to 
 show unrooted molars. (Ajter Miller.) 
 
 evidently intended for the winter nest. Blueberries appeared to 
 constitute its principal food at this season. 
 
MICE AND SHREWS OF THE EASTERN STATES 
 
 Phot.jKrapheJ triiin skins to sluiw relative jiropurtinns 
 Pinr V'.iiitu' < \f •^-r:^itts rtKCUfum) (unif'jrt!^ ilu!! <_ he^lnut. fu"- vitv sniii 
 Re.l-baclteii Mniisi- ((-.iMMinvs itafpfri) {ruslv chestnut, bnHlltest c.n (jai kl 
 \Vhite-f(X)tcii Mouse l/Vr.imvsiKS imu/iuj) linvn e.lc.r. with white Ih-IIv. ears larue) 
 I.onR-taileil Ju-npinK M'Mise (/jz-us iiiii«nii> (yelloviish bulT. hix.r . ither e.iarsel 
 Mea low Mnuse t,\fu:rotus fi-nnsvh\int<:us) (l>laikish. Krizzleil witti ».iay) 
 LemminR Mimse I.SvnjfUtmys cMIH-rit (si uilar. Imt tail very shiift au^l meisirs grooved) 
 Short-taileJ Shrew iliUritut brn'U-atUa) IpJUTTilx'ous Kray, tur very soft) 
 L'lnK-tailei Shrew iSorex pfrsonMus) (fur similar but tinKcd with br.iwn) 
 
 rAl>)ut three-tilths natural sisel 
 
I' t t 
 
Rad-bMkad Moum 
 
 Red-backed Mouse 
 
 Evotomys gapptri (Vigors) 
 Called also Wood Mouse. Bog Mouse. 
 
 Length. $.60 inches. 
 
 Description. Ears short, just visible above the fur, about as in 
 the meadov^r mouse. Colour bright reddish chestnut v^rith 
 numerous black hairs interspersed, sides buflfy, below whitish, 
 suffused with buff, feet light gray, tail brown above, gray 
 below. Colours generally darker in summer, m New Bruns- 
 wick, Ontario, and perhaps elsewhere in the northern part of 
 its range individuals occur which are entirely gray with no 
 trace of the red chestnut colour. ig. This seems to be a 
 purely -iirhromatic variety rot due to age or sex. 
 
 Range, /'lerta to Qyebec and south v/ard to the mountains of 
 Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 
 
 This little mouse is a smaller cousin of the meadow mouse, 
 similar in build but with a longer tail and always recognized by 
 it chestnut colour. Its mclar teeth, too. are rooted like those of 
 the false lemming mouse. They are found mainly in woodland 
 clearings, and open bogs, living in runways near the surface, or 
 sometimes in dense patches of grass, and building their nests 
 under a fallen log. The lumbermen of the Alleghanies see them 
 often scurrying away as some fallen tree frightens them from 
 their retreats, or the removal of a pile of bark lays bare their 
 passage ways. To them and to hunters ge'-ci..''y these animals 
 are known as wood mice, but the term bein-; un') \- h squal pro- 
 priety in other parts of the country for th wnils-fciUtiJ :r.uuse it 
 becomes ambiguous. 
 
 A closely allied variety of red-back- J >' 1 59 is the nost 
 abundant mammal on the Alpine summit i V. ■ . it V/ h,r ,ton, 
 where it occurs in all sorts of situations, . .on^' the .->r) s, in 
 the n ss and in the dwarf willows. 
 
 The red-backed mouse of southern New Jt-i .• ^'' /• ' >toadsi) 
 is an inhabitant exclusively of the cold, damp sphagnu.n bogs, which 
 intersperse the sandy pine barrens. Here it lives deep down in the 
 sphagnum, sharing the large runways wtth the meadow mouse, lem- 
 ming mouse and diminutive shrews. In winter the moss is frequently 
 frozen solid for several inches below the surface, which must force 
 
 
 •.t 
 
 !i 
 
' 81 
 
 2. 
 
 Meadow MonM 
 
 these little rodents to live on such vegetable matter as they have 
 stored away in their subterranean galleries. That either they or 
 their associates are carnivorous at times is evidenced by the partially 
 devoured specimens that the trapper often finds in his traps. 
 
 Young red-backed mice lack the rusty red tims and in some of 
 the varieties a gray form of the adult occurs, an exactly parallel 
 case to the red and gray screech owls which are simply dichromatic 
 without relation to sex or age. 
 
 Varieties of the Red -backed Mouse 
 
 /. Red-backed Mouse. Fvotomys gapperi (Vigors). 
 
 Description and range as above. 
 New Jersey Red-bached Mouse. E. gapperi rhoadsi Stone. 
 
 Darker, with more black hairs above. Teeth heavier 
 Range. Cold cranberry bogs of Southern New Jersey 
 Carolina Reu-backed Mouse. E. gapperi carolinensis Merriam. 
 
 Larger and darker than £. gapperi, resembling the last. 
 
 S£f" p ,'f ^'/J'?^''''"'"v'^°^" ^^' N- C. to Pennsylvania. 
 
 r( .1 '^^'^■•*'»'^*^<' ^ouse. E. gapperi ochraceous Miller. 
 
 Duller, paler, and more ochraceous than £. gapperi. 
 Range. Higher slopes of the White Mountains. 
 Labrador Red-backed Mouse. E. proteus Bangs 
 
 Larger than any of the above with longer ears. Paler than 
 
 b. gappert and like it in exhibiting a gray phase. 
 Range. Wooded regions of Labrador. 
 Ungava Red-backed Mouse. E. ungava Bangs 
 
 Resembles E. gapperi.hut has very small ears and peculiar skull 
 Range. Ungava, Labrador. *^ 
 
 Numerous species occur in the Northwest. 
 
 Meadow Mouse 
 
 Microtus pennsylvanictts (Ord) 
 Called also Field Mouse, Meadow Vole. 
 
 Length. 6.50 inches. 
 
 D«m>to« Body thick and compact, legs short, ears very short. 
 Dark brown above with a general admixture of black hairs 
 shading gradually into gray on the under surface. The colour 
 of the upper parts var:e? considerably, some individuals beinff 
 decidedly blackish, ot!;ers tinged with tawny and occasional 
 specimens quite chestnut with very few black hairs The 
 under surface also varies to dull buff. 
 
 6. 
 
 lit 
 
 ^^^ 
 
Meadow MouM 
 
 Range. Southern Canada to North Carolina westward to the 
 edge of the Plains. Replaced to the northward by four 
 closely related varieties, and one to the southward, while 
 there is also an island race. (See below.) 
 
 With us the meadow mouse occupies much the same posi- 
 tion that the field mouse does in England; in fact it is oftener 
 called field mouse than meadow mouse by the farmers, who, it 
 seems to me, are not so very wide of the mark in so classifying it. 
 
 It is perfectly true that it prefers meadows to dry fields, but 
 so too does the field mouse of the old country according to 
 
 Tops of upper and lower molar teeth of Meadow Mouse, to show 
 " triangles," enlarged. (After Miller.) 
 
 many writers, and the greater dryness of our summers might 
 well account for any difference that exists in that direction. 
 
 Except in the severest drouths, in New England at least, 
 even the driest and most sandy fields are populated by meadow 
 mice at all times of the year, and in times of abundant rain- 
 fall they are, I am confident, as numerous in fields as in meadows. 
 
 In summer they regularly resort to the grain lands like genuine 
 field mice, and beyond a doubt if grain were stacked in ricks here 
 as it is in England these would harbour as many mice and 
 suffer an equal amount of damage. 
 
 In the fields of Indian corn they do harm enough, making 
 their round nests of stripped up husks in the heart of a shock 
 and fattening themselves at the expense of the farmer until they 
 are routed out at harvesting. 
 
 Perhaps the most striking difference is that our species has 
 not yet contracted the habit of spending the winter in barns; 
 even this characteristic does not hold good farther North, as in 
 Canada it is said to be .1 regular custom with it to do so. 
 
 Although many of them have their homes in dry upland 
 fields and pastures, as a rule meadow mice show a decided fond- 
 ness fcr water and wet places. Those living on the banks of 
 streams become almost aquatic, and when^ pursued are as likely 
 
 113 
 
 5 -t 
 i 
 
I i? 
 
 tm > 
 
 •■' I; 
 
 I I ' 
 
 
 
 if 
 
 Meadow Mouae 
 
 as not to take to the water for safety; I have often seen them 
 swimming about beneath the ice in shallow water, and in summer 
 paddling along between the pickerel weed and rushes. I have 
 also seen them dive and swim for short distances under wnter, 
 and when they emerge, their fur after a few shakes proves its 
 fitness for that sort of thing by coming out as fluffy as ever. 
 Yet it frequently happens that on taking to the water for safety 
 they only find another enemy, for pickerel often seize them from 
 beneath at such times. 
 
 Meadow mice are even abundant on the salt marshes by the sea. 
 not only along the border where the marshes and forest meet, and by 
 the skirts of the sand-dunes, but well out on the flat grassy stretches 
 and by the margins of salt ponds that with each recurring moon are 
 daily inundated by the ocean. 
 
 How they manage to escape the floods at these times I know 
 not; It would appear that they are not much in the way of taking 
 refuge in haystacks, even when the marsh is thickly dotted with them 
 as it is from August until the winter is well spent. 
 
 Perhaps they have learned to watch the subtle movement of the 
 tide and are able to foretell each high run in time to remove 
 themselves and their families to higher ground. This would certainly 
 call for an astonishing amount of intelligence on their part, for the 
 treacherous thing will ebb and flow harmlessly day after day and 
 week after week, hardly wetting the roots of the thntch along the 
 creeks; and then suddenly without warning and perhars just because 
 a coast storm is harassing tht %ea somewhere out at the edge of the 
 gulf stream so far away that hardly a cloud shows above the 
 sky-lines, it lifts itself and spreads out across the grass, flooding the 
 paths of the mice and all their haunts in the space of a few hours. 
 But the meadow mice are a wise folk and I firmly believe that they 
 do manage to foretell the floods in most instances and camp along the 
 borders of the marsh until the danger is over. What if some of 
 them do occasionally get overtaken by the tide ? as I have said already 
 they are practical swimmers and there is pretty certa- to be an 
 abundance of eel grass in bunches and driftwood and ruobish of all 
 sorts floating about to serve as rafts until the waters recede to their 
 accustomed channels. But it is my belief that th- mice very rarely 
 allow themselves to be taken unawares in any .<f ;, manner. 
 
 I have spent considerable time on the marshes when they were 
 being overflowed for the flrst time in weeks and cannot recall ever 
 
 "4 
 
k I 
 
 I. KkngATnn KAt {PrroJif^us) 
 
 a. Cotton Rat {.SttimoJoH) 
 
 S. Kice-tielJ Muum {Oryiomys) 
 
 WESTERN AND SOUTHERN MICE AND RATS 
 
 rh.-l.-tirai^he.l fiutn kkinit to ihow reiative iiroporttuns 
 
 4. Harvt'st Mouse if\ctthroJtintomys) 
 
 5. I'mkft Mouse ii'vrognatkusi 
 ft. Scorjiion Mouse f^Onyvomys) 
 
 (About onc-h»l/ natural miei 
 
• 
 
 ' j: 
 
 II 
 
 I 
 
 1 ■ 
 
Meadow Mouse 
 
 having seen so much as one solitary meadow mouse swimming for 
 
 his life there. 
 
 Their paths are made by gnawing off the short stiff marsh grass 
 close down to the roots leaving an even roadway something more than 
 an inch wide. The closely ranked grass on either side bends just 
 enough to meet overhead for a screen against the prying eyes of hawks. 
 The grass that is cut away to make the paths disappears com- 
 pletely, probably having been eaten by the mice, though when it comes 
 to calculating the amount removed in the construction of the miles and 
 miles of little roads that thread the meadows one cannot help won- 
 dering just how much a meadow mouse is capable of consuming in 
 the course of a season, for they do not live upon grass alone; the isles 
 between the stems of the fox grass and black grass swarm with 
 brown sand-hoppers and various other salt-loving creatures which I 
 am inclined to think furnish the principal incentive that calls the 
 meadow mice away from the uplands; diminutive shellfish and other 
 small fry are also eaten by them. 
 
 Meadow mice inhabit alike meadows and pasture land, orchards, 
 gardens and cornfields and, wherever the lawns are not kept too 
 closely trimmed and the cats are not too officious, readily take up 
 their abode about houses, especially where there are woodpiles 
 beneath which they can find shelter. 
 
 In wet ground every stranded piece of driftwood and fallen fence 
 board is made to serve as roof for their crooked galleries and they 
 frequently make their nests of withered grass in such places. 
 
 They also dig simple burrows hardly a foot in depth.having nests 
 at the bottom where the young mice pass the first period of their 
 lives; these young mice soon learn to ascend the almost perpendicular 
 shafts leading up to the sunlight and may often be seen poking their 
 stub noses out into the air to learn what the world is like. 
 
 In the winter they have their nests on the surface of the ground 
 beneath the snow, their galleries leading off through the matted grass 
 in all directions. I have found these nests with young ones .. ^ early as 
 February and think it quite possible that they may bu in the way of 
 breeding throughout the winter. 
 
 Their tunnels beneath the snow are being constantly extended, 
 allowing them to ramble about and explore the stubble for grass seeds 
 and tender shoots in comparative safety. They have frequent 
 doorways admitting them to the upper air, and at night are often 
 out scampering back and forth across the snow, leaving an 
 
 «XS 
 
Meadow Mouie 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 w 
 
 ' f^- 
 
 r 1 
 
 interesting tracery of footprints on its white surface, and are also not 
 infrequently seen out in the winter sunshine among weeds and bushes 
 that have remained uncovered Fn hard seasons they depend largely 
 on the bark of different fruit trees and shrubs, and even appear to 
 find the resinous bark of the ground juniper palatable, th- vanishing 
 snow in the spring frequently revealing stems and branches stripped 
 bare of their covering beyond all possiblity of recovery. 
 
 Lacking the agility of other mice they have learned to stand and 
 fight, no matter what the odds may be, employing the same manner 
 of defence that woodchucks do. And yet none of the regular mouse 
 hunters appears ever to hesitate to seize one of them; inexperienced 
 kittens, and no doubt other young animals of like appetite, often get 
 well bitten in a first attempt, but soon discover a better method of 
 attack. Few animals are more constantly pursued than the meadow 
 mice; while the warm weather lasts they have to be constantly on 
 guard against the marsh hawk and the hen hawks who diligently 
 search the grass land in regions where they are allowed to build their 
 nests. Crows, also, are fond of going a-mousing on foot, particularly 
 in late summer after the grass is cut, but naturally are not nearly as 
 successful as the haw\s. ^ 
 
 As winter approaches these foes gradually take their departure 
 but their places are usually more than filled by the owls of various 
 species. With the exception of the great horned owl and the arctic owl 
 these lovers of the twilight may be said to live on mice, the rabbits' 
 squirrels and birds which v.«iey capture being only side issues or 
 strokes of probably unexpected luck in a practically never-endina 
 mouse hunt. " 
 
 At uncertain intervals the rough-legged or winter hawks make 
 their appearance and bend their energies in the same direction- like 
 the owls they seem to be forever seeking for good mousing country, 
 and having found it are apt to gather in considerable numbers and 
 establish themselves for an indefinite period. 
 
 As quickly, however, as the meadow mice begin noticeably to 
 decrease in numbers or the snow becomes too deep for successful 
 hunting, these mousers from northern lands move on again to look 
 for better hunting grounds. 
 
 The four-footed hunters, the foxes, cats and weasels of various 
 sorts, are here at all seasons, and when meadow mice are abundant 
 chase them persistenUy, and when they are not go hunting for 
 other game. * 
 
 1x6 
 
Brewer's Beach Mouie 
 
 Varieties of the Meadow Mouse 
 
 Meadow Mouse. Microtus pennsylvanicus (Ord.) Description 
 
 and riinge as above. . „, . 
 
 Black Meadow Mouse. M. pennsylvanicus nigrans RIoads. 
 
 Much darker, black hairs predominating. 
 Range. Coast of Virginia and North Carolina. 
 Acadian Meadow Mouse. M. pennsylvanicus acadicus bangs. 
 
 Brighter and more strongly russet than M. pennsylvanicus. 
 Range. Nova Scotia. 
 Labrador Meadow Mouse. M. pennsylvanicus entxus (Bangs). 
 
 Similar to the meadow mouse in color but with peculiar skull, 
 
 and light projecting front teeth. 
 Range. Labrador. 
 Ungava Meadow Mouse. M. pennsylvanicus ungava Bailey. 
 
 Smaller than the meadow mouse with very broad peculiar 
 
 skull. 
 Range. Ungava, Northern Labrador. 
 Hudsonian Meadow Mouse. M. pennsylvanicus fontigenus 
 
 (Bangs). Smaller than the meadow mouse with no tawny 
 
 tints, skull narrower. 
 Range. Quebec and Ontario, in deep forests. 
 Gull Island Mouse. M. nesophilus Bailey. Very similar externally 
 
 to the meadow mouse, but with a peculiar skull. 
 Range. Little Gull Island N. Y. 
 
 Brewer's Beach Mouse 
 
 Microtus breweri (Baird) 
 
 Length. 7.80 inches. . , . , 
 
 Description. Larger than the meadow mouse with rather coarse fur, 
 pale grayish yellow-brown above, ashy white below, with a 
 
 tint of buff. ^ , , . , J c .u 
 
 Range. Muskeget Island, Mass. Formerly also on Adams and South 
 Point Island two small islets south of Muskeget. 
 
 This curious pallid mouse, originally derived from the same stock 
 as the dark meadow mouse of the mainland, is a striking illustration 
 of the effect of environment in moulding species. Not only has it 
 changed materially in color, but its habits and mode of life have also 
 undergone modification. 1 .le sandy soil of the island upon which 
 it lives precludes the possibility of burrows, except perhaps in winter, 
 and the mice pass the greater part of the year exposed to the full force 
 
 "7 
 
Reek Vol* 
 
 
 of the elements, their only protection being that furnished by fragments 
 of driftwood and wrecltage. Where the mice are abundant a labyrinth 
 of well-beaten paths crosses the sand in every direction along which 
 the mice run when pursued. The only burrows are short ones 
 evidently intended to reach the soft parts of the beach grass which 
 forms their food. They construct nests or forms, open at the top and 
 large enough to hold one animal, which are scattered about 
 everywhere. In autumn they lay up stores of the soft stems of the 
 beach grass {Ammophila) for winter use. These are buried in the 
 sand, as much as a peck being concealed in one place. (See Miller — 
 " The Beach Mouse of Muskeget Island.") 
 
 Rock Vole 
 
 Microtus chrotorrhinus Miller 
 
 Also called Yellow-cheeked Meadow Mouse 
 
 Length. 6.60 inches. 
 
 Description. Similar to the meadow mouse but with a yellowish or 
 
 fulvous patch on each side of the face at the base of the whiskers. 
 Range. New Brunswick and Quebec and southward to the White 
 
 Mountains, Adirondacks and Catskills. Allied varieties occur in 
 
 Labrador and Newfoundland. 
 
 Yt 
 
 Of the habits of the rock voles but little is known. Mr. Miller 
 found them in the White Mountains living in the crevices of rock 
 mounds overgrown with ..edges and bushes, and they seemed to 
 have no regular runways. In New Brunswick Mr. Bangs states 
 that they live in the deep spruce forests and appear to be diurnal 
 in habits. 
 
 lit 
 
 Varieties of the Rock Vole 
 
 /. Rock yole. Microtus chrotorrhinus Miller. Description and 
 
 range as above. 
 2. Labrador Rock (^ole. M. chrotorrhinus ravus Bangs. Similar, 
 but light patches larger covering nearly the whole face. 
 Range. Labrador. 
 J. Newfoundland Rock yole. M. terra: novce Bangs. Similar but 
 larger with duller cheek patches. 
 Range. Newfoundland. 
 
 iiS 
 
Pnirie Maadow MaoM 
 
 Prairie Meadow Mouse 
 
 Microtus austerus (Le Conte) 
 
 D«&ol'" Shape much as in the meadow mouse but "PP" Pf'^Js 
 ffrSv erav caused by a uniform mixture of grayish white 
 fnd blacKirs over the whole surface. No brown or ches nu 
 Tnt. such"as characterize the meadow mouse. Below Jgjt 
 e?av or ochraceous. The fur is harsher and more bristly than 
 anv of the other members of the meadow mouse tribe. 
 Ranie Upper Mississippi Valley, southern Wisconsin and Illinois 
 to' southern Missouri and west to Kansas. 
 The erizzly gray color and rather harsh pelage characterize 
 these little animals which are inhabitants of the prairies of the 
 Upper Mississippi Valley. Mr. Kennicott states that they frequen 
 moist localities in summer and drier regions in winter The r 
 winter burrows on the uncultivated praine are often in old an hills 
 r if not the earth thrown out from them forms little hillocks. 
 They are'not very deep, seldom over six inches or a foot, but are 
 remarkable for the numerous and complicated chambers and side 
 prages of which they are composed. In one of these chambers 
 Sderably enlarged, is placed the nest, formed of fine dry grass. 
 ?he first mter of young is apparently brought forth in this nest 
 but later in the spring the mice construct similar nests on the 
 surface of the ground. The prairie field mouse is not gregarious 
 and when more than one pair are four.d in the same spot they are 
 attracted by some particular food. 
 
 In cultivated fields they frequently establish themselves in corn 
 shocks in the same manner as the common field mouse. 
 
 Pine Mouse 
 
 Microtus pinetorum (Le Conte) 
 
 D«fe^t'" Uniform rusty biown on the upper surface, lighter on 
 the si^es where it passes gradually into the silvery-gray of the 
 under pa'rt^ Young individuals are auite gray above with no 
 "eddish^ tints. The^ short, dense silicy fur distinguishes the 
 
 /?a«rSu£n NLtSkTndConnecticut to Illinois and south- 
 ward to Florida. 
 
 tl9 
 
Pin* MeaM 
 
 w 
 
 This is the most distinct of all the meadow mouse tribe. So 
 soft and silky is its fur that we think at once of the mole, the 
 very small eyes and ears likewise resemble this animal, but the 
 teeth at once show it to be a mouse and the rusty colour is not found 
 in any of the mole tribe. The points that the pine mouse pos- 
 sesses in common with the mole are evidently the results of similar 
 habits, for this little beast is the most strictly subterranean of any 
 of the mice. He is not content with a runway on the surface 
 among the grass roots but must go strictly underground, and many 
 a one have I caught in raised tunnels that I took to be the work 
 of the moles. Much damage done to vegetables and plants in the 
 garden which is usually attributed to the meadow mouse is, I am 
 quite sure, really the work of this silky haired cousin, the pine 
 mouse. 
 
 r- 
 
 
 r:| 
 
 Varieties of the Pine Mouse 
 
 /. Pine Mouse. Microtus pinetorum (Le Conte). Description as 
 
 above, range Southern Atlantic States. 
 3. Northern Pine Mouse. M. pinetorum scalopsoiJes Audubon and 
 Bachman. Light in colour. 
 Range. Southern New England and Middle States. 
 J. Mississippi Pine Mouse. M. pinetorum auricularis Bailey. 
 Darker and richer in colour, with rather larger ears. 
 Range. Lower Mississippi Valley. 
 
 Round-tailed Muslcrat 
 
 Microtus alleni (True) 
 
 Also called Neofiber. 
 
 Length. 13.60 inches. 
 
 Description. This animal is essentially a very big meadow mouse 
 
 with a long tail. Colour above rich rufous brown, darker on 
 
 the head; beneath whitish, more or less tinged with rufous; 
 
 hairs plumbeous at base; tail sparsely haired, black "sh in co!'. '^ 
 
 Young gray above. 
 Range, Eastern Florida. 
 
 This curious animal is common in the fresh-water ponds and 
 marshes of interior Florida and on the salt savannahs of the Indian 
 River. 
 
MuakMt 
 
 According to Mr. Bangs it builds a large oval nest, sometimes, 
 like that of the muskrat, situated in the water and rising above 
 the surface, and at other times among the mangroves or even in a 
 hollow stump. The former nests have two openings below which 
 communicate, when not covered by water, with underground pas- 
 sage ways. While the Neofiber swims with ease it is rarely seen 
 swimming about in the manner of the muskrat. 
 
 Mr. Chapmaa states that their food consists of a succulent grass 
 which grows abundantly where they are found. "To procure the 
 younger and more tender portions Neofiber constructs a platform 
 of the larger stalks on which he sits and feeds at leisure on the 
 shoots growing in his vicinity; the size of the platform depends 
 upon the abundance of the food growing near It, the harder 
 rejected portions constantly adding to its bulk. 
 
 Muskrat 
 
 Fiber zibethicus Linnaeus 
 Called also Musquash. 
 
 Length. 24 inches. 
 
 Description. Body thick-set like a very large meadow mouse, 
 legs short, tail scaly, nearly naked and flat (compressed later- 
 ally). Fur thick, with a woolly underfur, colour dark brown 
 above, somewhat tinged with fulvous especially on the sides; 
 beneath dull white, with scattered fulvous hairs, white on 
 the throat, with white lips, and a brown spot on the chin. 
 
 Range. Eastern North Amenca, southward to Virginia and the 
 middle Mississippi Valley. Replaced in Labrador, Newfound- 
 land, lower Mississippi Valley and Dismal Swamp by closely 
 related varieties. 
 
 The muskrat, it seems to me, is just a little cousin of the 
 beaver. About the only striking outward difference between the 
 lives of the two is in the attitude each assumes toward man 
 and his works. 
 
 The beaver is wild and retiring, hating man in his destruc- 
 tive advance along the quiet forest streams, which the beaver 
 family had held as their own for untold centuries, and refusing 
 to settle contentedly within sound of his works even where most 
 protected and undisturbed. 
 
 tax 
 
t \*) : 
 
 Mmknt 
 
 The muskrat, on the contrary, quickly learned to profit by 
 the settlement of the country and the consequent thinning of his 
 natural enemies, and though hunted and trapped persistently for 
 several months in the year, still refuses to be driven away, and 
 may be found in colonies perfectly undisturbed by the jarring 
 racket of a sawmill or the smoke of a factory chimney, evi- 
 dently willing to put up with some of the nuisances of civili- 
 zation, in order to take advantage of the ponds dammed back 
 by man for his own personal use, and which, unlike the beaver, 
 the muskrat has apparently never learned to make for himself. 
 
 The adobe cabins of the muskrat are, however, very similar 
 and often practically identical except in dimensions to those of 
 the beaver. When in the hte fall the long cold nights and in- 
 creasing cloudiness toretell the coming sn "s and ice-!ocked 
 streams of winter, the muskrats erect these lodges to serve both 
 as living rooms and as air chambers to which they may bring 
 the freshwater clams and lily roots that they dig up from the 
 bottom when working at a distance from their burrows in the 
 bank. If possible, they prefer to begin the work when the water 
 is not very high. 
 
 On flat grassy reaches half overflowed they dig up sods, the 
 size of a man's (1st, sometimes arranging them in a little circle 
 to hold back the water while they are at work inside, sinking 
 a shallow well down into what will be the bed of the stream 
 when the water gets higher. At a depth of a foot or more 
 they hollow out a sort of chamber and from this make several 
 radiating tunnels or subways, some of which reach well up into 
 the high bank rods away and above high-water mark if pos- 
 sible, where the nest chamber is placed just under the turf or 
 the protecting roots of a tree. Other tunnels extend in an op- 
 posite direction to the deepest parts of the channel that never 
 freeze. 
 
 The sods and mud removed are piled up about the original 
 opening in a more or less dome-shaped heap, which usually contains 
 two rooms, one at the bottom partly or quite submerged, the 
 other above it and a little to one side, ventilated at the top, 
 and with a short passage leading down to the flrst. 
 
 In this way they are sure of a thoroughfare from their nest 
 in the bank to the bottom of the stream, with a breathing-place 
 
 
MUSKRAl" 'Fiber :ibclhitiis) 
 
 By W. E Carlin 
 
Iii 
 
 "f 
 
 •1* 
 
 
Muakxat 
 
 midway even in the coldest weather, when everywhere except 
 in midchannel the water is hard frozen to the bottom. 
 
 The upper chamber in the cabin is lined with soft grass and 
 moss and iiere the owners spend much of their time in winter 
 curled up asleep, often three or four together. Some of the 
 smaller cabins have only the upper chamber without any down- 
 ward passage whatever; others are large enough to contain four 
 or five apartments at least. Many of them are built in low 
 willow trees or on rough frameworks of sticks which the musk- 
 rats arrange among the alders; and here they exhibit much of 
 the constructive ability of the beavers, cutting their wood on 
 shore in a similar manner and often towing it long distances to 
 their building sites where they wattle it firmly between the older 
 stems for a foundation. 
 
 Cabins so placed are generally composed largely of cattail 
 stalks and green twigs, while those on the ground are more 
 often built of mud and pieces of sod. The cabins are not much 
 used except at times of high water and in winter, though 1 doubt 
 if they are ever wholly abandoned at any season. So long as 
 the streams remain frozen, the muskrat is practically free from 
 care and danger. The temperature about him hardly varies a 
 degree whatever the weather may be above the ice. He knows 
 nothing of snowstorms or sleet or high winds while the ice 
 holds firm, though the rushing wind-driven water may be deep 
 over the ice in times of freshet. Down where he is at work 
 it flows with the same gentle motions as in summer, barely 
 swinging the water weed and cresses as it slips between them. 
 There is generally plenty of air to be had close up under the 
 edge of the bank beneath the ice, and when this is not within 
 reach, he has only to expel the air from his lungs against the 
 undersurface of the ice when it is quickly purified by contact 
 with the freezing water. 
 
 It frequently happens that the water, falling away from the 
 ice, leaves extended caverns the width of the stream at high water 
 and roofed over with semitransparent ice, like ground glass, that 
 admits only a dim half-light from above. 
 
 The banks of coarse wet grass and mud show dimly along 
 this strange underworld with the quiet unfrozen water holding its 
 still course between them; and here the muskrats are free to come 
 and go as they please, and swim, with their heads out of water, 
 
 «»3 
 
 ' 
 
'I 
 
 Mniknt 
 
 I- '■ 
 
 f 
 
 I' ! t 
 
 u 
 
 as in summer, breathing the air as they go. About the only ene- 
 mies that follow them here are the minks and otters who come 
 ostensibly to fish, yet are ever ready to seize any unwary mus- 
 quash that comes their way. 
 
 This state of things seldom lasts for any length of time, how- 
 ever; either the ice sinks from its own weight or a thaw fills the 
 streams again, and in either case the muskrats are forced on 
 short rations of air once more, searching for stray bubbles aloni,' 
 the edge of the ice — a strange economy in the winter life of a 
 . warm-blooded creature. 
 
 Early in the spring ' '"'y begin to look for air holes under shel- 
 tered banks that gathc. ihe sun's heat and reflect it back at mid- 
 day from the bottom, and here they bring their sweet flags and 
 lily roots in order to enjoy them in the free air. The variou. 
 openings broaden and extend their boundaries, and run togethoi 
 until the ice is reduced to a rapidly diminishing border along eac. 
 shore. 
 
 While the streams are kept full by the melting snow and 
 spring rains, the muskrats are somewhat restricted in their choice 
 of landing places, and every projecting fence-rail and stump or 
 leaning willow tree is taken advantage of. 
 
 As the water recedes they resort to the tussocks as fast as they 
 are uncovered, and by mid-spring generally have their familiar 
 landing places and byways through the sedge well established. 
 
 But even now, when no longer imprisoned by the ice, they 
 swim oftener under water than on the surface, only rising from 
 time to time to renew their breath. Their families are raised, not 
 in their cabins but in their homes high up in the bank, two or 
 three litters in a season, the youngest seldom more than half 
 grown, before the still water is again skimmed over at night by 
 the new ice of the coming winter. 
 
 In summer, during the heat of the day, muskrats are 
 especially fond of swimming and floating about in the shadow of 
 old willow trees, where the water is deep and cool; sometimes 
 you will see one swimming around in short circles as if trying 
 to catch its own tail, and uttering a curious little whimpering cry, 
 which, although it sounds decidedly unhappy, is, I am inclined 
 to think, a note of contentment, rather than distress. 
 
 It is very seldom heard except when the little animal is 
 alone, and I have never been able to guess at its gnificance; 
 
 «M 
 
Mutkrat 
 
 it is quite different from tiie call-note wiiich they use to attract one 
 another's attention at a distance, or their more rat-liite squeaking. 
 
 The signal with which one warns the rest of danger is a 
 smart slap of the muscular tail on the water. 
 
 One morning, before the light had begun to come in the 
 east, I was sitting on the margin of a stream where there is a 
 muskrat colony, waiting for the wild ducks that come in from 
 the sea at daybreak. 
 
 Behind me was a dark swamp of heavy old 3rowth hem- 
 lock where the great horned owls were calling loudly to each 
 other. So long as they kept at that distance the muskrats ap- 
 parently paid no heed to their hooting; but the instant that I 
 replied to one of the owls, counterfeiting its hollow, low-toned 
 voice as closely as I could, the nearest muskrat swung his tail 
 in air and brought the flat of it down on the water with a 
 whack, and it was most amusing to hear the succession of whacks 
 that responded all along the edge of the water, farther and 
 farther away, each followed by the hurried plunge of its owner 
 beneath the surface. These great eagle owls are among the 
 worst enemies that the muskrats have to fear, for they will watch 
 patiently, hour after hour, from their ambush among the pine 
 boughs and then suddenly circle out over the meadows without 
 the whisper of a feather. 
 
 When a fox comes nosing along the stream's margin, at 
 dusk, you may hear the warning slap, slap, of rubbery tails 
 from hidden pools and nooks among the rushes, as the muskrats 
 get wind of his presence. But the muskrat's tail has other and 
 more important uses; it is both rudder and propeller as he 
 swims, and a most convenient third leg when he stands up- 
 right to look about, or reach a higher twig when he is browsing 
 in the undergrowth and, unless I am very much mistaken, it 
 also gives him added impetus as he dives headlong into the water. 
 
 All through the summer and early fall the young muskrats 
 live contented home lives with their parents, though not exactly 
 under their protection, except as each depends on all the rest 
 for timely warning at the first sign of danger; paddling and 
 wading about in the shrunken streams and ponds, or curled into 
 a little brown, furry ball, fast asleep on the edge of the bank, 
 hidden by the rank growth of flags and bullrushes, among which 
 they have well-trodden paths, leading from place to place. 
 
 «»s 
 
 Hi 
 
^,1 
 
 : 
 
 t 
 
 p 
 
 *-, 
 
 Muakrat 
 
 But in the late Indian summer comes their Wander-Jahre, 
 when they start out on their travels, roving and unsettled, ex- 
 ploring strange meadows and streams, at times all alone, and 
 again two or three families together; starting a new cabin here 
 or a burrow when the bank looks promising, and then moving 
 on again, leaving their work only half finished, until at last they 
 find the place '.liat suits them best and settle down for the 
 winter, ready for months of fish-like living beneath the ice. In 
 the spring they are hunted and trapped for their fur, shot while 
 swimming in the swollen streams or resting on the banks; and 
 caught in steel traps set under water at their landing places; 
 sometimes a piece of apple, parsnip or carrot on the end of a 
 stick a foot above the trap seems to entice them into it. A still 
 more effective bait is the musk found on the old males at this 
 season. It is contained in two flat, oval sacs, an inch or more 
 in length, situated between the hind legs beneath and laid bare 
 when the skin is stripped off. 
 
 This musk, which gives the animal its name, is so powerful 
 that professional trappers become fairly impregnated with the odour 
 in the course of the spring trapping. 
 
 The muskrat's fur is a rich, shiny brown, with pale silky under- 
 fur like that of the beaver, only shorter and not so dense. 
 
 In its natural state the fur is often made up into caps, etc., 
 and sold as mink and marten. Most of it, however, is plucked; 
 the long hair being removed and the silky underfur dyed to re- 
 semble seal. The fur sold as "electric seal" is really only musk- 
 rat fur dyed. 
 
 Varieties of thie Muslcrat 
 
 2. 
 
 Muskrat. Fiber ^ibethicus Linnsus. Description and range as 
 
 above. 
 Southern Muskrat. F. :(ibetkicus rivalicus Bangs. Smaller and 
 
 dull sooty in colour, " lacking all the beauty and lustre." 
 Ran^e. Lower Mississippi Valley and Coasts of Alabama and 
 
 Mississippi. 
 THsmal Swamp Muskrat. F. libe'hicus macrodon Merriam. 
 
 Much darker and richer coloured than the common muskrat 
 
 with larger teeth. 
 Range. Dismal Swamp, Virginia. 
 Labrador Muskrat. F. {ibethicus aquilonius Bangs. Smaller 
 
 and darker than the common muskrat. 
 Range. Labrador. 
 
 is6 
 
5- Newfoundland Muskrat. F. obscurus Br,.igs. 
 darker, with different skull. 
 Range. Newfoundland. 
 
 Alleghany Wood Rat 
 Still smaller and 
 
 1 
 
 AMERICAN LO}^G-T AILED MICE AND RATS 
 
 (Sub-family Cricetitta) 
 Alleghany Wood Rat 
 
 Neotoma pennsylvanica Stone 
 
 Length. 16.40 inches. 
 
 Description. Tail nearly as long as the body, ears prominent. 
 Colour plumbeous above, sprinkled with black hairs and with a 
 yellowish-brown undertone which is purer and brighter on the 
 sides of the Dody becoming almost pink on the flanks. Feet and 
 lower surface of the body pure white. Tail sharply bicoloured, 
 dark plumbeous above and white below, closely haired so as to 
 obscure the scales entirely. Some summer specimens are duller 
 coloured with much less of the buff or pinkish tinge. 
 
 Range. From the Hudson highlands and northwestern New Jersey 
 southward along the AUeghanies. 
 
 Rats and mice differ only in size and it does not follow that our 
 American wild rats are closely related to the common house rat simply 
 because both are big. On the contrary our wood rat finds a closer 
 relative in the white-footed mouse of which he is in many ways 
 simply a large edition. 
 
 House rats often wander into rather wild localities probably 
 following the camps of engineers or lumbermen, and are not 
 'requently taken for wood rats. The latter, however, can always 
 be told from his semi-domestic cousin by his hairy tail, softer fur and 
 much larger ear, while his teeth are flat-topped somewhat like those 
 of the meadow mice instead of having raised prominences or 
 "tubercles." 
 
 The Alleghany wood rat inhabits wild rocky ledges along the 
 
 mountains, where he can seek shelter among the loose piles of broken 
 
 cks or in the crevices and caves usually present in such localities. 
 
 here he gathers together a mass of sticks, shreds of bark leaves and 
 
 «»7 
 
Cotton Rat 
 
 Other debris to serve for a nest, building them sometimes into a more 
 regular dome-shaped structure." He seems to feed on whatever 
 forage the forest offers, both vegetable and animal, and in large caves 
 where foxes or wild cats have dragged their prey, the marks of the 
 wood rats teeth are found abundantly on the bones which the more 
 powerful beasts have left behind. 
 
 Although manifestly a rat he seems to lack the offensive odour and 
 repellent characters of the house rat, and his thick, soft fur recalls the 
 pelage or the squirrels. 
 
 The c!osely related Florida wood rat is said to build its nest in 
 dense swampy thickets but probably differs little in general habits 
 from its more northern relative. 
 
 t. 
 
 Varieties of the Wood Rat 
 
 Alleghany Wood Rat. Neotoma pennsylvanica Stone. Des- 
 cription and range as above. 
 
 Florida IVood Rat. N. floridana (Ord). Rather smaller and 
 plumbeous, tail more scantily haired. Skull not neariy so 
 
 Range. Lower parts of the South Atlantic and Gulf States 
 Mtsstssippi Wood Rat. N. floridana rubida Bangs. ' Much 
 
 brighter and decidedly reddish in colour. 
 Range. Replaces the last in the lower Mississippi Valley and 
 
 western Flonda. *^*^ ' 
 
 Cotton Rat 
 
 Sigmodon kispidus Say and Ord 
 
 Length. 12 inches. 
 
 Description. Peculiar among the long-tailed rats and mice from its 
 superficial resemblance to the meadow mice from which, how- 
 ever. Its long tail will at once distinguish it. It has the same 
 short legs, and short appressed ears with the aperture neariy 
 covered by the hair, and the fur is longer and coarse; than any 
 other member of this group. The molar teeth are round in out- 
 hne and divided into triangles on top as in the meadow mice. 
 Colour yellowish brown above thickly sprinkled with black hairs, 
 under parts whitish. Tail only scantily haired, the scales 
 visible. 
 
 Rann. Eastern North Carolina around the Gulf Coast to Louisiana 
 Represented in Florida by closely allied varieties. 
 
 lit 
 
 as 
 
li 
 
 liil 
 
Rice-fleld Moum 
 
 The cotton rats are Southern animals, the common cotton rat 
 being an inhabitant of the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast from North 
 Carolina to Louisiana. 
 
 Its favourite haunts are the hedges and ditches and deserted old 
 fields, bunks of abandoned rice plantations and similar situations. 
 Here it burrows and constructs its underground nest. Like the field 
 mouse of the North, the cotton rat is subject to great variation 
 in colour and the slightest diflerence in environment produces an 
 appreciable difference in the appearance of the animals. 
 
 Varieties of the Cotton Rat 
 
 /. Cotton Rat. Sigtnodon hispidus Say and Ord. Range and 
 
 description as above. 
 2. Chapman's Cotton Rat. S. hispidus littoralis Chapman. Very 
 
 much darker, nearly black above finely mixed with gray, with 
 
 no brown tints. 
 Range. East coast of Florida, Miami northward. 
 ). Bangs' Cotton Rat. S. hispidus spadicipygus Bangs. Smaller 
 
 than either of the above, and browner than the latter. 
 Range. Extreme southern tropical Florida north to Miami and 
 
 Tampa, 
 
 Rice-field Mouse 
 
 Oryzotnys palustris (Harlan) 
 
 Also called Marsh Mouse, Rice Rat. 
 
 Length. 9.40 inches. 
 
 Description. Similar in general external appearance to a young 
 Norway rat. Dull brownish above thickly mixed with black 
 hairs. Tail obscurely bicoloured, scantily haired, so that the 
 scales are visible. The best external characters distinguishing this 
 animal from the young of the common Norway rat are the longer 
 tail and browner colouration as well as the white fringe of hairs 
 on the lower part of the ear and the glossy brown hairs inside. 
 A young rat has narrow white front (incisor) teeth instead of the 
 orange ones and the tubercles on the molars form three rows 
 instead of two. 
 
 Range. Southern New Jersey to the Gulf States, chiefly in the coast 
 marshes, represented in Florida by slightly different geographic 
 varieties. 
 
 119 
 
 
Harveat Moum 
 
 
 h" 
 
 h- ' 
 
 4 
 
 The ri<-e-field mouse is an abundant inhabitant of the banks 
 of rice fields through our Southern states; though Mr. Bangs states 
 that it is by no means confined to such places, as it occurs in dry old 
 fields, heavy swamps, hummocl(s and sometimes even on sandhills. 
 
 Those which frequent the dry land burrow in the banks and con- 
 struct subterranean nests after the manner of the cotton rat. but the 
 marsh residents build their nest in the tall rank grass above the reach 
 of high water. In the northern part of their range, in southern New 
 Jersey, they frequent muskrat houses. 
 
 The rice-field mouse is decidedly aquatic in habits and is a good 
 swimmer. 
 
 Varieties of the Rice-field IMouse 
 
 /. Rice-field Mouse. Oryiomys palustris (Harlan). Description and 
 
 range as above. 
 3. Florida Marsh Mouse. O. palustris natator Chapman. 
 Larger and much darker. 
 Range. Florida as far south as Micco and Citrus County. 
 ). Bangs' Marsh Mouse. O. palustris coloratus Bangs. Still larger 
 and more richly coloured, decidedly reddish brown above. 
 Range. Southern tropical Florida south of Micco. 
 
 '■» 
 
 Harvest Mouse 
 
 Reithrodontomys lecontii (Audubon and Bachman) 
 
 Length. 5.05 inches. 
 
 Description. Front (incisor) teeth grooved. Colour russet brown, 
 
 darker with more black hairs on the head and middle of the back. 
 
 Grayish white beneath tail, white below, dusky above, rather 
 
 scantily haired, feet white. The ears are proportionately much 
 
 shorter than those of the white-footed mouse. 
 Range. Coast districts of North Carolina, Georgia and northern 
 
 Florida, two allied forms occur in West Virginia and South 
 
 Florida. 
 
 This is the smallest mouse of the Eastern States and resembles a 
 diminutive white-footed mouse with short ears. The grooved 
 incisor teeth, however, are peculiar and distinguish it from any other 
 long-tailed mouse. 
 
 The harvest mouse is another resident of the Southern States and 
 its favourite haunts according to Mr. Bangs, are grass fields, fence 
 
 tjo 
 
COTTON RAT (Sigmoaon itispidtis lilWr.ilis) 
 Photographed in Florida by cumertnfE him. when he sat abvilutelv still, paralyxcd with fear. 
 
 By W. K. Carlin 
 
 WESTERN BUi^UY-TAILED WOOD-RAT (Xeotoma) ByW. e. Carlin 
 
 Th«M rati infnt th« Idaho carr.ps at night. This one was drawn tii the sp»t where he was pictured by using iugar as a bait. 
 
 m 
 
 I 
 
 aim 
 
'■■■ 
 
 !• 
 
 i 
 
 ■i 
 
 ■i; 
 
 ^i 
 
 ^1 
 
 ft 
 
 » li- 
 
 lt f 
 
Whhe-footed MovM 
 
 rows and old fields partly grown up with deciduous trees where the 
 ground is covered with bunches of brown grass. Its nest is placed 
 on the surface of the ground among the tall grass. 
 
 3. 
 
 3- 
 
 Varieties of the Harvest Mouse 
 
 and Bach. ) 
 Slightly 
 
 H\! vest Mouse. Reithrodontomys lecontii (Aud 
 
 )escription and range as above. 
 Suroer's Harvest Mouse. R. lecontii impiger Bangs 
 
 smaller and richer in colour. 
 Ran^e. White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., and doubtless 
 
 Virginia. 
 Dickinson's Harvest Mouse. R. lecontii dickinsoni (Rhoads) 
 
 Darker and more sooty in colour. 
 Range. Southern Florida. 
 
 m 
 
 White-footed IVIouse 
 
 Perotnyscus leucopus (Rafinesque) 
 Also called Deer Mouse, Wood Mouse. 
 
 Length. 6.80 inches. 
 
 Description. Brownish fawn colour above, brightest on the sides 
 and darkest on the back where there is a considerable sprinkling 
 of black hairs. Below white, fur plumbeous at its base, tail 
 dusky above, light beneath, feet white. Young plumbeous gray 
 over the whole upper surface with no brownish or fawn tints, 
 white below. 
 
 Range. Eastern United States south of the evergreen forests and 
 north of the Gulf States. Represented farther north, south and 
 west by numerous related species and varieties. (See below.) 
 
 The white-footed mouse is the most beautiful of all our mice, 
 particularly in the winter, when its fur is thick and long and bright 
 golden-fawn-colour and white in almost equal parts; the white fur, 
 which is literally whiter than ermine, covers the entire under sur- 
 face and reaches well up on the flanks and shoulders, the line of 
 separation being clear-cut and as straight as is possible from the 
 tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. 
 
 The white-footed mouse has eyes like those of a flying squirrel, 
 very large and prominent and perfectly black, in brilliant contrast 
 to the surrounding fur. 
 
 m 
 
 13* 
 
White-footed MouM 
 
 J 
 It I' 
 
 Although the name wood mouse is not much used for this animal, 
 it has always seemed to me more suitable than any other, for it makes 
 its home in the woods at ail times and seasons; only a comparatively 
 small proportion of them, in this part of New England, live in the fields, 
 tempted by the ripe corn and other provender which the woods fail 
 to supply. Wood mouse is the name 1 first heard it called by, and 
 is apparently the only one ever given it in this immediate region. 
 Deer mouse is another name frequently given to our species, either 
 because of its speed or the colour of its fur. 
 
 The white-footed mouse does not seem to be at all particular 
 what kind of woods it inhabits; evergreens and hardwoods, and 
 thickets of blueberry bushes are alike suited to its taste ; sometimes, 
 indeed, a lonely old tree, standing by itself on a hillside, will harbour 
 a family. They make their homes in the hollow roots and branches 
 or knot holes, sometimes at a considerable height above the ground. 
 
 In summer they appropriate the nests of song birds, in bushes 
 and low trees, fitting them up for use, just as squirrels do those of 
 hawks and crows. It appears probable, moreover, that they are not 
 over scrupulous in the mattter of waiting for the rightful owners to 
 depart before taking possession, as they are great lovers of fresh 
 meat and have often been caught in the act of devouring both eggs 
 and young birds. 
 
 They are said sometimes to fashion nests of their own among 
 the branches, beginning with a platform of loose twigs laid cross- 
 wise for a foundation. Their lives, in fact, are pretty closely copied 
 after those of the squirrels. Their diet is almost identical; nuts, 
 berries, and grain being what they chiefly depend on. 
 
 Like squirrels, they often find a way into granaries and farm- 
 houses in search of food, particularly in the winter, when times are 
 hard, for though they lay up generous stores of nuts and seeds and 
 hibernate to a certain extent, large numbers of them are up and doing 
 at all times in spite of the weather, gathering seeds here and there, 
 and gleaning whatever scraps of meat may be left by the larger flesh 
 eaters of the woods, and gnawing hungrily at any pieces of bone 
 they may run across. 
 
 The great bleached and half prostrate stalks of the garget still 
 retain scattered berries, shrivelled and frozen to be sure, but packed 
 with seeds which the wood mice evidently find palatable, as they 
 make a point of gathering them every winter. 
 
 They also climb for rose-hips and red alder bemes and a little 
 
 M> 
 
•I 
 
 WHITK-FDOTEI) MOUSE U'eromysats leucopus) (Enlarged) 
 I'hotoKnphril in the Hittrr K<Kit MniinuitiK, Mnntani. 
 
 By W. 
 

 1 
 
 \ 
 
Whiu-footed MooM 
 
 coffee-like berry that grows abundantly everywhere in the swamps. 
 I believe that those living in the evergreen woods are in the way of 
 searching for hemlock and spruce seeds scattered by the pine finches 
 and cross-bills and other northern birds in their feeding. 
 
 As 1 have already hinted at, the winter sleep of the white-footed 
 mouse does not stretch along unbroken from winter until spring. 
 Many of them undoubtedly sleep for periods varying from a few 
 da^s to several weeks perhaps, though it is probable they oftener 
 contend themselves with naps of less duration, wakening two or 
 three times a day to nibble at the nuts and seeds in their 
 granaries, like Esquimaux on the edge of their frozen sea, content 
 with narrow quarters and each other's society so long as they are 
 warm and have enough to eat. 
 
 Few of them, however, are so limited for room as are the 
 Esquimaux, whether they winter underground or in hollow trees 
 and logs buried beneath the snow; every woodchuck's burrow 
 forsaken by its original owner and not yet appropriated by some 
 other dweller of the woodland, makes a winter home for several 
 families of wood mice who are all the better pleased if the entrance 
 has become partially closed and blocked up by the trampling feet of 
 cattle, and the slower yet more effective work of frost and rain and 
 melting snow. The rest of the burrow remains open and un- 
 obstructed for years, one hundred feet or more of warm, dry subway, 
 with its chamber stuffed with soft grass for the mice to curl up iu as 
 
 they please. 
 
 Yet these little, tender, round-bodied, white-footed mice in no 
 way fear the cold; on the bitterest nights of winter when the thick- 
 set stars seem close down among the tree-tops, and the frozen wind 
 hisses through the stiff branches and the dry snow is piled high 
 around the stems of the pines, they are still out in the wind in 
 numbers, skipping along the snow from tree to tree. 
 
 In the autumn the lindens furnish them with an abundant 
 harvest of little round nuts which th -y pack away in large quantities 
 among the roots of the trees that bear them. Living on these 
 and their other stores which they are able to pick up from day to day, 
 they generally manage to keep in good condition while the snow and 
 cold weather lasts, but they are tremendous eaters and evidently find 
 it difficult to get enough once their supplies begin to run short; at any 
 rate they get thin and shabby during the spring months before insects 
 and berries begin to get abundant again. 
 
 <» 
 
 i i 
 
White><taat*d ManM 
 
 w, 
 
 I 
 
 When their nests are beneath logs and woodpiles, they are 
 very like those of other mice, simple balls of soft grass lined 
 with feathers and thistledown. 
 
 I have never seen the young white-footed mice before they 
 were about half grown, at which time they are of a dull, pv.'.e. slate 
 colour. 
 
 White-footed mice are largely nocturnal in their habits and as 
 a consequence have most to fear from the night hunters, the owls, 
 especially the little saw whet and the screech owl which are forever 
 taking them unaware. I am not sure that I have ever seen one of 
 these mice come out in the sunshine, but in cloudy weather you will 
 once in a while catch a glimpse of one; only the other day i saw 
 one dart into a hollow log as I approached. 
 
 White-footed mice, like flying squirrels, are among the most 
 gentle and unsuspicious of living things and though armed with 
 long sharp teeth seldom offer any resistance when captured. I 
 cannot recall ever hearing one squeak as other mice do, but 
 they have a sharp little call of their own and at times a low 
 chattering cry almost like the dim echo of a real squirrel's chatter. 
 In captivity they soon become tame and familiar and are always 
 ready to eat whatever is offered them without hesitation. 
 
 Species and Varieties of Wliite-footed Wl\ce 
 
 A vast number of species and varieties of these mice occur 
 in the United States, especially in the West In the East we 
 have besides the red mouse (described further on) three groups 
 differing mainly in size. The Florida deer mouse (length 8.;o 
 inches) and the oldfield mice (length $ inches) are treated under 
 separate heads, but the remaining medium-sized species are so 
 closely related to the common white-footed mouse that they may 
 as well be treated together briefly and the foregoing sketch of 
 their habits, although based on numbers i and 2 of the following list, 
 applies pretty well to all. There are three distinct species of these 
 mice with several geographic varieties of each as follows: 
 
 A. Thb Common White-footed Mice 
 
 Tail shorter than the head and body, without a decided 
 terminal pencil of hairs. Underparts of body white, the gray of 
 the hairs not perceptible unless the pelage is disturbed. 
 
 >J4 
 
WhiM-footed MouM 
 
 '■ '*'scff£^l?f f '*'''r^"»' '"''"'P"' (Rafinesque). De- 
 scnption and range as above. >i / *^c 
 
 B. The Boreal White-footed Mice 
 
 spiJoS s'iiVLS; r J?r '"' ^"'^ •'^^y* -'*»• ' -"■ 
 
 ''■ ^''a"nf mnrT*"''"-^'"''"^ ^'"'u'''- ''• ^««'"''«i« Miller. Larger 
 nS. K-f-^^^J^'. '"^^ '°"?^'' t^"' and conspicuous tuft of 
 
 gS it."^ ' ' °" *^ ^""^ "'^^ '•'"^"y ^° '""""■ 
 
 ^aw^g Cold evergreen forests of Canada and New Eneland 
 southward along the mountains. In northern New vSrk 
 and elsewhere this and the more southerly whftr-footed 
 
 R^Zf ^^'Mooted Mouse. P. canadensis abietorum 
 
 fng ?he ruiTertinU.^' «"^ ^""^^ ^^ ^" ^«-' "^^ ^•^^ 
 
 ^a«^«. A riorthern form of the last replacing it in the 
 
 spruce and fir forests of auebcc and N^va Ltia nonh. 
 
 4. Dusky 'iVhtte-footed Mouse. P. canadensis umbrinus Miller 
 Smaller than P. canadensis and vellow with the duskv shad 
 ing on face, ears and tail deeper. 'ne ausKy snad- 
 
 Range. Replaces the above to the north of Lake Sun^Tinr 
 
 '■ "-'rR'S^ ^^ite-footed Mouse. P canadeS's ^nSra. 
 (Rhoads) Smaller and darker than P canadensis w t h a 
 distinct blackish dorsal band. <*nuaensts, witn a 
 
 Range RepLices P. canadensis in the spruce forests of the 
 southernmost Alleghanies. "^ 
 
 C. The Cotton Mice 
 Tail shorter than the head and body, without a rlkfinrt 
 
 owTnT'tP'?^" °^ ^^''- Underoarts wit^' a Tcided V«1^^ ias 
 owing to the greater extent of the erav base7 nf A- k • 
 These are distinctly southern as the las! 4re northern ^"''• 
 
 w"h1WV^£&/"^' - compares 't^tth^hTpire 
 
 Range Lowlands of the Atlantic slope from North Carolina 
 
 7 RhnJ-'^r^H' '■'.5''"'' ^"*'' ^"'l West by allied forms 
 
 ^- Pale wfrdu'^rstriJ:- o^fr^'r^ «4«/^^>L? Rhoads. 
 
 less deS. ^ '^"P" °" ''"''' '"** ""8f '"^"""^ the eye, 
 
 '35 
 
 |»i 
 
f% 
 
 Florida Oecr Mouse ; Oldfleld Mouie 
 
 Range. Mississippi Valley, northward to Tennessee. This 
 animal overlaps the range of the common white-footed 
 mouse in Tennessee and both occur together, just as the 
 latter, and the Canadian species do in the North. 
 
 8. Florida Cotton Mouse. P. gossypinus palmarius Bangs. Paler, 
 
 but dusky ring around the eye, well defined. 
 Range. Southern Florida, north to Brevard and Citrus County. 
 
 9. Louisiana Cotton Mouse. P. gossypinus nigriculus Bangs. 
 
 Smaller than any other cotton mouse, colours darker, with 
 a broad blackish stripe on the back. 
 Range. Bayou region of Louisiana. 
 
 In the West there are many other white-footed mice and 
 another allied group known as scorpion mice, Onyckomys. 
 
 Florida Deer Mouse 
 
 Peromyscus floridanus (Chapman) 
 
 Length. 8.60 inches. 
 
 Description. Ears very large, neariy naked, hind feet very large, 
 tail relatively short, sparsely haired. Colour bright tawnv 
 above, with black hairs sprinkled over the back and head, 
 a black ring around the eye and black spot at the base of 
 the whiskers. Underparts pure white, extreme base of fur 
 gray. 
 
 Range. Florida peninsula. 
 
 This is the largest and probably most beautiful eastern Pero- 
 myscus and is entirely restricted to Florida. Its size, together 
 with its very large ears, will serve to distinguish it at once. 
 
 Mr. Bangs says of this species: "It lives only in the higher 
 sandy ridges where there is plenty of black jack oak and where 
 the bare white sand is in places covered by scattered patches 
 of scrub palmetto. It is the characteristic small mammal of such 
 places commonly known as 'black jack ridges' and I have never 
 found it elsewhere." 
 
 Oldfield Mouse 
 
 Peromyscus subgriseus (Chapman) 
 
 Length. 5 inches. 
 
 Description. Smaller than any of the other white-footed mice. 
 
 Cinnamon brown above, very sharply contrasting with the 
 
 pure snowy white of the lower surface. 
 
 »36 
 
Oldflcld MouM 
 
 Range. Central and Western Florida, represented in Georgia and 
 
 elsewhere in Florida by related species and varieties and on 
 
 the prairies of the upper Mississippi by the closely allied prairie 
 
 mouse. (See below.) 
 
 These are the smallest and shortest-tailed of our white-footed 
 mice and with the exception of the prairie mouse of the upper 
 Mississippi Valley they are residents of our South Atlantic States. 
 They appear to be more animals of the open ground, as con- 
 trasted with the last group, which are essentially inhabitants of 
 woodland. 
 
 The Florida oldfield mouse is said by Mr. Bangs to "live 
 in fields and open places and probably before so much ot its 
 range was under cultivation was restricted to sandhills and open 
 drier prairies of interior Florida." The allied beach mouse, one 
 of our most beautiful animals, "is confined entirely to the sandy 
 beaches and adjacent sandhills of the east coast of Florida. Its 
 life depends on the sea oats {(Jniola) and it is never found where 
 that plant does not grow. It is very abundant in favourable 
 places and its presence can always be detected by the little foot- 
 prints which show distinctly in the white sand around the tufts 
 of sea oats." (Bangs.) 
 
 The dark-coloured Northern representative of this group, the 
 prairie mouse, is quite as much an inhabitant o( the open, and 
 bears the same relationship to the common white-footed mouse 
 of this region as does the prairie field mouse to the common 
 field mouse. 
 
 Mr. Kennicott states that the prairie mouse in the open prairie 
 makes burrows in the ground at the extremities of which the nest 
 is situated; but in cultivated districts often frequents corn shocki 
 and nests therein. 
 
 Related Species and Varieties of the Oldfield 
 
 Mouse 
 
 Oldfield Mouse. Peromyscus subgriseus (Chapman). Descrip- 
 tion and range as above. 
 
 Rhoads' Oldfield Mouse. P. subgriseus rhoadsi Bangs. 
 Yellower than the above. 
 
 Range. Western Florida (Tampa Bay). 
 
 Georgia Oldfield Mouse. P. subgriseus balioltis Bangs. Much 
 darker, with a decided dark dorsal stripe, tail nearly black. 
 
 Range. Sand hills of northern Georgia. 
 
 »37 
 

 R«d Monte; House Monee 
 
 4. Beach Mouse. P. niveiventris (Chapman). Beautiful pale 
 
 yellowish gray, rather brighter on the rump. Below snow 
 white, hairs pure white to the roots. 
 Range. Beaches of East Florida; Palm Beach to Mosquito 
 Inlet. 
 
 5. /stand Beach Mouse. P. phasma Bangs. Paler even than 
 
 the last, cheeks and nose white. 
 Range. Anastasia Island, Fla. 
 
 6. Prairie Mouse. P. michiganensis (Aud. and Bach). Dark- 
 
 fawn colour, with very dark-blackish dorsal stripe, white 
 beneath. Young, uniform, plumbeous. Ears rather small. 
 Range. Prairies of Illinois, southern Wisconsin, etc. 
 
 Red Mouse 
 
 Peromyscus nuttalli (HarLui) 
 
 Length. 7.40 inches. 
 
 Description. Differs from all the other long-tailed mice in its 
 bright fulvous colour above and strong fulvous suffusion 
 below and the absence of a sharp line of separation between 
 the colours of the upper and lower surface. No dusky 
 patch at the base of the whiskers, and young fulvous, 
 like the adults, not gray, as in the white-footed mice. Ears 
 rather short. 
 
 Range. Low grounds of South Atlantic States, southern Virginia 
 to Enterprise, Florida. 
 
 Although related to the white-footed mice, the red mouse is 
 very distinct in many respects, especially in its shorter ears and dif- 
 ferent colouration. It is not a common species. 
 
 INTRODUCED RATS AND MICE 
 
 (Sub-Family Murina) 
 
 House Mouse 
 
 Mus musculus Linnaeus 
 
 Length. 6.70 inches. 
 
 Description. General colour gray, slightly tinted with yellowish - 
 
 138 
 
 ■■ 
 
HOUM MOOM 
 
 brown, especially on the face and shoulders, dusky on the 
 back; below paler gray, sometimes suffused with buff. 
 Range. Cosmopolitan. Introduced into America from the Old 
 World. 
 
 I have in another place alluded to the house mouse as a 
 foreigner; but, as a matter of fact, it is no more of a foreigner 
 than are the descendants of the very first settlers in this country, 
 English or Dutch. Its ancestors came across with the earliest of 
 them, and while the white people were still but campers and 
 squatters on the borders of a bewildering forest of unknown 
 extent the youngest of these little hangers-on could already count 
 grand-parents and great grand-parents of American birth, so that 
 reckoning by generations there were even then American mice. 
 
 Still, it would hardly be safe to conclude that all or even 
 any considerable portion of the mice that inhabit our dwellings at 
 present are descended from these first-comers. 
 
 Immigration and emigration have proved as popular among 
 them as with members of the human race, and every ship that 
 crosses the Atlantic bears, among other things, its humble cargo 
 of mice from one shore to the other, so that some of those 
 which even now are nibbling at our pastry or the bindings of 
 books may very possibly have spent the first part of the season in 
 England or on the Continent, and just as possibly will be there 
 again next year. 
 
 Mice were originally natives of Southern Asia. From there 
 they have accompanied man in his wanderings to all parts of 
 the world, travelling, as he has travelled, in ox-teams and on 
 the backs of donkeys, by steamship and railway; taking up their 
 quarters wherever he does, first in log cabins with thatched 
 roofs, and finally, in some instances, on the nineteenth floor of 
 a steel building where generation after generation may live and 
 die in turn without having so much as touched foot to the 
 earth. 
 
 Strangely enough the race seems to be proof against the 
 changes wrought upon most animals by difference of environment. 
 Specimens from the opposite sides of the globe, or from widely 
 separated latitudes, are said to be practically indistinguishable, as 
 if at last the species had hit upon a style of form and colouring, 
 perfectly suited to all conditions of life. 
 
 •39 
 
iotw* Moua* 
 
 •4. 
 
 i 
 
 That peculiar tint popular kn Dwn as mouse colour sel Jom 
 ittracts .. .ention to the wearer, and the almost hairle tail, while 
 undoubtedly a most useful member, is not likel\ to become 
 bedraggled or in the way in places where the sort of taii carried by 
 the :i 'erage little beast would prove a nuisance or a positive danger to 
 its owner. A mouse's tail, although it looks naked, will be fo^nd 
 on closer inspection to be covered with short hairs, just long enou^jh 
 to turn iside the moisture inste;)d of retaining it. 
 
 Tr . to imagine what the tail of a squirrel or weasel wc iu look 
 like after having been dragged across cream and butter nd the 
 various other substances with which 'he aver ge nouse mouse 
 endeavours to surround itself ; its owner vould quickly reduced lo 
 amputating the bothersome member in sheer desperation. Mice it is 
 believed , en use the.r tails for skimming the cream from par ol 
 milk, when they are unable to reach it in any other way. 
 
 Neither is the tail of a mouse much source of danger to "he hiuc 
 beast as might be supposed. It certainly has the appearance of 
 a most convenient handle for cats or otht enemies to seize 
 upon, but the skin which covers it, like t i of a squirrel is 
 but loosely attached, and slips off iiiy ei jugh :o pern the 
 escape of many a desperate mouse. is not at aS uncomrmn 
 
 to find mice that have lost the st fron 'ir tail"; in as 
 manner. The process must necess. iy be .ecidi pai ^1 
 
 one, but the wound heals in course of time .* d the ouse s 
 still possessed of a tail, even ii it is bert of •nos! oi its 
 former suppleness. One would suppose that a tail nich could 
 easily be broken clear off like those of some repti . s would ce 
 an improvement. 
 
 Of all mice -he ones that dwell ih up in the mows of 
 nterest me most. T 7 are, ; -haps, as little 
 "v of their kind; an^. as comt ably situated, 
 their water supply, 
 are compelled to dmk t et 
 
 old-style barns, 
 mischievous as 
 except as regar 
 Mice I belie 
 
 when violent storm': drivi rain a 
 the building, those jving in the lay 
 trouble of descending to th» ground .■; 
 
 Their H >me are in the mortis 
 oak tenons badly or hav 
 
 little pockets the v jart of 
 
 with a pass; of s; oic ize leadin 
 
 y; and except 
 
 throi the cracks of 
 
 St dently go to the 
 
 >fte s they are thirsty. 
 
 **- Tiber wherever the 
 
 iway, leaving cosy 
 
 am, dry and warm 
 
 n to them, as if ex- 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
Hoan MottM 
 
 pressly desigrned to keep a family of mice comfortable and safe 
 When ' jngry they have only to penetrate the hay which is 
 plied high ai lut th* ^, and explore the fragrant labyrinths between 
 the ems of here ^ras > and clover for seeds and dried Id- 
 ">erries, and t' dessicated bodies of crickets and grass- 
 s pitched up -/ith the hay when it was unloaded >m 
 k the sumrriv bcEore. 1 h ve often in mic .inter ^ me 
 dried strawbe; es ir i\ xy, which still r 
 bit of their June s eetne .t a feast one 
 
 make for a foragir nouse ..d-winter! 
 
 :ie SC131 ,., of corn fodder, contn 
 
 of whole ears overlooked in tht 
 
 e: )ugh to support a family of m. 
 
 ves of these mice of the barn are rendered 
 
 orth while, by the simple possibility of 
 
 -easure as this at any moment. 
 
 ie life of those living in the granaries, 
 
 by bins of ripe com, and with never a 
 
 at is supplied by the capture of stray 
 
 stt 
 ho 
 the 
 acro; 
 
 Then there are 
 treasures in the shn 
 one of which w 
 Beyond a don 
 more interestin 
 discovering soine 
 
 Compare this v 
 encompassed on *1! 
 change of diet 
 
 <5ess' J every 
 vorld 
 
 .;. ..i.y 
 weeks. 
 
 spiders and bugs. 
 
 Sometimes at night the mice of the hay mows descend 
 to the floor and join those which have their holes in the out- 
 of-the-way comers of the bam, in their search for meat scattered 
 about the bins where stock was fed. 
 
 Many of them, instead of living in the mortises of the tim- 
 ber, make round nests of grass and shredded corn leaves 
 and husks in the recesses of the hay or in the middle of a 
 bundle of corn fodder. 
 
 These, though safe enough at first, are sooner or later sur 
 to be routed out by the farmer, and may well consider the- 
 selves fortunate if they are without helpless families at the t 
 
 Being less exposed to the weather and changes of tem^ 
 ture than are creatures living out-of-doors, mice breed at all tir 
 and seasons; and almost any time during the winter, the 
 ful youngsters may be heard squeaking in their nests, rese 
 perhaps of the discipline brought to bear upon them by 
 parents. At first they are hardly larger than blue bottle flies, pink, 
 wrinkled and transparent like shrimps; it is no exaggeration to 
 say that any substance on which they rest may be seen through 
 their diminutive bodies. 
 
 «4« 
 
Hous* Moua* 
 
 Mice are notorious for their versatility in selecting their rest- 
 ing places, empty coffee pots and bottles being often used by 
 them in this manner. Almost anything in fact that has an entrance 
 smaller than the cavity inside. 
 
 Once exploring the cellar of an old farmhouse I came across 
 something made of tin, which I was told was an old-fashioned 
 sausage filler. It was bottle-shaped and open at both ends, and 
 into the larger one was thrust a piece of wood which just 
 fitted it. The remaining space was occupied by a mouse's nest 
 of rags and scraps of paper, the funnel-shaped opening serving 
 as an entrance, through which the mother mouse had probably 
 come and gone hundreds of times in ministering to the needs 
 of her family. The nest was abandoned when I found it, but 
 if any one had chanced to pick it up when the little lodgers 
 were at home and attempted to put it to its legitimate use he 
 would very probably have been a good deal surprised at the 
 result. 
 
 In most old houses there are mice living in the walls 
 between the wainscoting and the plaster, their runways usually 
 permitting them to go literally ail over the house in compara- 
 tive safety. On stormy winter nights particularly they may be 
 heard scurrying excitedly about from place to place with no 
 apparent cause. 
 
 Too often they penetrate to those forbidden parts of the 
 house where food is kept and make themselves decidedly 
 troublesome, until their fate in the guise of pussy, or the trap, 
 overtakes them. 
 
 But it is my opinion that in cold weather at least most 
 of them live almost wholly upon insect food, flies, spiders, 
 wasps and the like, that have packed themselves away snugly 
 for the winter in secret crannies between the boards, sometimes 
 hundreds of them closely huddled together. 
 
 Norway Rat 
 
 Mus norvegiciis Erxleben 
 
 Called also Common Rat, Brown Rat. 
 
 Length. i8 inches. 
 
 Description. Heavily built with thick head and moderate ears, 
 tail medium, always shorter than the head and body. 
 
 «4» 
 
HOUSE MOUSE ON TRAP (.\/i,5 mmculus) 
 
 COMMON, OR NORWAY RAT (M», norfetuu,) ti, c. w m« H«i« 
 
Nocway Rat 
 
 Colour yellowish-brown thickly interspersed with long black 
 hairs, grayer on the sides and grayish-white beiow, feet 
 whitish. Tail very sparsely haired with the stales very con- 
 spicuous, ears dull brown. Young dull gray with no brown 
 tints. ^ _ 
 
 Range. Cosmopolitan. Introduced into America from Europe. 
 
 In many ways mice are our benefactors in a degree not 
 often suspected, perhaps even enough to offset much of the 
 trouble they cause by stealing. 
 
 With rats it seems to be different. These troublesome brutes 
 may be useful in a way as scavengers, but the «od that they 
 do in this way or in any other is constantly overs'^ ..dowed by the 
 damage wrought by them in a hundred ways, and they are 
 probably as little beloved by man as any beast that lives. 
 
 They appear to be on an entirely different scale from mice. 
 It is not altogether a matter of size, a brown rat reduced 
 to a mouse's dimensions would stiB be coarse and rough and 
 unattractive. 
 
 They copy in a general way the colour and proportions of 
 a mouse, because the lives of the two are really very much 
 alike; living as they do in the character of humble dependants 
 on man's production, in obscure out-of-the-way corners, where 
 a dust coloured coat has proved most useful. 
 
 But the fur of a full-grown rat is at all seasons harsh and 
 lifeless ; the expression of its eyes is apt to be dull and hate- 
 ful, in fact there is hardly an attractive feature that rats may 
 be said to possess. 
 
 It would be useless to deny that rats are extremely intelli- 
 gent, and careful witnesses have always given them credit for 
 looking after any helpless member of their family, old or young. 
 
 For my part I have seen but littlj to like or admire about 
 them, though I am not sensible of any personal antipathy 
 toward them, such as many feel for both rats and mice. 
 
 The black and white rats which make such amusing pets 
 belong to a different species than the common brown rat. 
 
 I believe that they are varieties of the old black rat, a 
 gentler and much more likable race that is said to have been 
 partly driven out of its native land by the other, and at pre- 
 sent only to be found in numbers in such scattered corners of 
 the world as the brown rats have not yet found. ■ I have never 
 
Black RM 
 
 come across any undoubted specimens of the black rat living in 
 a wild state; they are said to have been fairly common here 
 before the brown rats followed them across the Atlantic. 
 
 Young brown rats until they are nearly grown have rather 
 soft slatt -coloured fur, sometimes quite daric, and this together 
 with their slighter build causes them to be sometimes mistaken 
 for the black rat. 
 
 Black Rat 
 
 Mui rattus Linnxus 
 
 Length, i; inches. 
 
 Description. More slender, with more pointed head, larger ears, 
 and tail always as long or longer than the head and body. 
 Colour glossy bluish-black above, dark-gray beneath, a few 
 white hairs interspersed. Ears lighter coloured, n>iarly naked, 
 feet pale-brownish, tail sparsely haired, scales distinct. 
 
 Range. Q)smopolitan. Introduced into America from the Old 
 World, but everywhere disappearing before the advance of 
 the Norway rat. so that it is now rare, with the exception 
 of a well-marked variety— the roof rat— which is well estab- 
 lished in the Southern States. 
 
 The black rac, a much less aggressive and less troublesome 
 animal, was brought to America long before the Norway rat, but 
 upon the introduction of the latter it rapidly disappeared, being 
 apparently quite unable to cope with it, so that we now find 
 the black rat only at rare intervals in remote quarters where its 
 more powerful cousin has not yet established itself. The history 
 of this animal in America is but a repetition of its experience 
 elsewhere and in England to-day it is as scarce as in America. 
 
 A variety of the black rat, native of Egypt and adjacent 
 countries, has been introduced into our Southern States where it 
 finds the climate congenial and where it is known as the roof 
 rat. Owing probably to a diflTerence in habits, it does not come 
 into such direct competition with the Norway rat and succeeds 
 in holding its own. 
 
 Varieties of the Blacic R<it 
 I. Black Rat. Mus rattus Linnaeus. Description as above. 
 
 144 
 
C«n«di«n Baavar 
 
 2. Roof Rat. Mus raitus aUxandrinr^ (Geoflroy). Colours 
 above brown and gray, below pure /ellowish-white. Shape, 
 ears and tail exactly as in the black rat. 
 Range. In America, South Atlantic Sutes. 
 
 BEAVERS 
 (Family Castorida) 
 
 The beavers are our largest gnawing animals. They are 
 heavily built and thoroughly adapted for an aquatic life, with 
 their wonderful broad, flat, naked tail and webbed hind feet. Both 
 fore and hind feet are four toed, but the second toe of the hind foot 
 is peculiar in having two claws. 
 
 In the structure of its skeleton the beaver differs from all 
 the preceding "mouse-like" families and agrees with the squirrels 
 and marmots in having the two bones which form the lower leg 
 separate and not fused solidly together. 
 
 We find in many groups of animals one or more members 
 adapted for life in the water and the beaver is the aquatic re- 
 presentative of the squirrel tribe, just as the muskrat is of the 
 mouse family and the otter of the weasel tribe. 
 
 Canadian Beaver 
 
 Castor canadensis Kuhl 
 
 Length. 44 inches. 
 
 Description. Tail and feet as described above, ears short. Body 
 thick and heavy, closely covered with fur. Colour dark bay 
 or blackish-brown, hairs tipped with chestnut, becoming 
 brighter on the head, sides of the neck and rump; ears black, 
 feet, legs and underparts seal-brown. 
 
 Range. Northeastern North America, now nearly extinct within 
 the United States, represented to the South and West by 
 slightly different geographic races. 
 
 Beavers are creatures with whose life history everyone is sup- 
 posed to be more or less familiar; the outstanding features of their 
 lives having been written and read over and over again by Mch 
 
 MS 
 
Caaadhui BeaTW 
 
 following generation. Yet they are still objects of the most in- 
 tense interest to all who desire to read Nature either at first or 
 second hand. 
 
 They are so very like some humble, primitive race of people 
 of peaceful disposition and few wants, industrious and practical in 
 all their affairs, and apparently depending more upon reason and 
 less upon instinct than do the majority of the forest folk. For 
 while it is unquestionably true that almost all of the higher wild 
 animals must use their reasoning powers to think out the various 
 problems of their daily lives, it is equally certain that instinct is 
 of even greater importance to them. 
 
 Just as the lone trapper or hcnter, if lacking instinct similar to 
 theirs, and forced to rely wholly upon reason to wrest a living 
 from Nature, would be pretty certain to starve before the winter 
 was half gone. 
 
 Everyone knows that it is the beavers' custom to dam up 
 small streams and build their thatched and mud-plastered log 
 cabins on the margins of the ponds thus made. But the beavers 
 themselves have been so trapped and persecuted as to have been 
 fairly driven to the most remote and secluded parts of the wilder- 
 ness, with men still hot on their trail, and closing in doggedly 
 with murderous determination when with each recurring autumn the 
 beaver fur again becomes thick and silky to tempt their greed. 
 
 At present the scattered families of this inoffensive fugitive 
 race scarcely dare to raise a lodge of any sort, much less any- 
 thing so conspicuous as a dam, and so are compelled to hide 
 in secret burrows beneath the bank, like their cousins of the Old 
 World, who have suffered from man's unwelcome presence for so 
 much longer a period. 
 
 In most parts of this country beavers are supposed to have 
 the protection of the law; but along the hidden rivers, where the 
 few survivors lurk, law is little more than a byword, and just 
 as long as beaver skins are allowed to be bought and sold, any 
 attempt to protect them is bound to prove futile. 
 
 If England and America could agree to make the possession of 
 beaver skins illegal anywhere within their boundaries, and punishable 
 by a heavy fine or imprisonment, good results would certainly 
 follow; for the Hudson's Bay Pur Company would then be obliged 
 to refuse to handle beaver skins, and the trappers to leave them 
 alone. Even then it would probably be a number of years be- 
 
 146 
 
 I 
 
CANADIAN BEAVER {Castor camuU-nsh) 
 
 Hy A K llugmort 
 
1 
 
C>n«dl»n BuTvr 
 
 fore the beavers would venture within sound of civilization or 
 lose even a little of their well-founded terror of man. 
 
 When a pair of beavers, after having been driven in desper- 
 ation firom place to place, finally come upon some hidden forest 
 brook where they think that perhaps at last men will permit 
 them to settle and be happy in their own way for a few 
 years, their first act is to decide upon a suitable location for 
 their pond. 
 
 Then they go to work felling trees for the dam. In order 
 to cut down a tree they gnaw deep parallel grooves around the 
 trunk and then rip out the wood left between these grooves in 
 large chips, their broad teeth splitting them out like a carpen- 
 ter's chisel. Other grooves are then cut still deeper into the tree 
 and the chips split out from between them as before, and so 
 the work goes on until the tree tremftes and lurches slightly 
 in the direction of the deepest cut, hangs canting in air for an 
 instant while the last tough fibres hold and then, slowly at first, 
 swings over and comes smashing to the ground. 
 
 Although beavers have gnawn all around a tree, it has fre- 
 quently been stated on the very best authority, that it is their 
 rule to cut deepest next the water in order that the trunk may fall in 
 that direction and so lessen the distance it will have to be 
 dragged. 
 
 But others claim that they gnaw in equally on all sides and 
 let the tree fall where it will, or lodT'^ hopelessly tangled among 
 its neighbours. 
 
 All of which may only go to show that beavers, like other 
 animate, vary in intelligence, and while some still ftll their trees 
 haphazard, others have learned something of the woodsman's 
 craft of cutting. Judging from my own experience I should 
 suppose that hardly one tree in ten would be likely to come to 
 the ground if gnawed off carelessly without forethought, though 
 I believe that trees growing near a stream do usually have a 
 tendency to lean a little towards the water. 
 
 When the tree is down the beavers go to work trimming 
 off the branches and cutting the trunk into suiuble lengths to 
 be dragged down to the water. 
 
 The dam is made of these short logs and trunks wattled together 
 and filled in with stones and earth, the whole cunni.igly bent 
 against the current to withstand the pressure of the water. 
 
 »4T 
 
 "S 
 
C»nid<»n BtmTw 
 
 It is frequently reinforced by other dams just below, that 
 back up the water against the first and relieve it of a part of 
 the pressure. 
 
 As the water rises the beavers watch the shores carefully 
 and every depression in the bank likely to lead the water off 
 to one side is promptly dammed and the pond at last brought 
 to the desired level. 
 
 During the summer they live an easy and care free life 
 along the banks like muskrats, feeding on lily roots and bark 
 and green twigs generally; but with the coming on of autumn 
 their recreation ends and they go back to work once more, re- 
 pairing the dam against the coming of the fall rains and erect- 
 ing their winter cabin at the edge of the water. As before 
 stated the cabin is very similar to that of the muskrat, being 
 roughly built of sticks 'and brush, and finally plastered outside 
 with sods just before the pond freezes over. 
 
 Knowing that long before the ice melts in the spring the 
 natural food supply in the pond is likely to be exhausted, these 
 prudent creatures lay in an ample supply of birch, poplar and 
 cotton wood for the winter. 
 
 The trees, which at times are only to be found at consider- 
 able distances from the water, are felled and cut into con- 
 venient lengths and dragged down to the pond along paths 
 cleared through the undergrowth for the purpose. At times the 
 beavers even find it worth their while to dig channels in low 
 swampy ground, and along these they float their wood out into 
 the pond. It is stacked in a loose pile near the cabin, the ends of 
 the sticks buried in the mud so that they may not be floated 
 off when the water rises to till the pond. After the pond is 
 full and its surface frozen over in the winter, the beavers cut 
 strips off the bark under the ice wiien other food falls short ; 
 But all winter long they are still hunting for fresh supplies, 
 following the pond's winding margin beneath the ice and ex- 
 ploring the various inlets and little brooks that reach back into 
 the woods, digging up roots from the bottom and gnawing the 
 bark from bushes and trees surrounded by water when the pond 
 is filled. And so the winter passes quietly with them, allowing 
 them only an occasional obscure glimpse of the sun when the 
 wind chances to sweep a portion of the clear ice above them 
 free fi'oni snow. 
 
 14* 
 
'^i 
 
 BEAVER KOrKJES AND A DAM. 
 
 »r A R nHcm-^n 
 
C«n&dlan B««¥«r 
 
 I fancy that toward the end of winter they must get just a 
 little impatient and watch eagerly for the first sign of open 
 water at the edge of the ice; knowing that it is only a ques- 
 tion of time before their whole pond shall be free once more, 
 and they may splash and paddle in the shallow margin to their 
 hearts' content with the spring sun warm on their backs, and 
 their lungs filled with fresh living wind from the woods. As 
 their family increases in size they enlarge their cabin each fall to 
 accommodate the new members, or else construct new lodges 
 along the shore, until, if undiscovered by the trapper, they have 
 established a busy and cont -;i ed little settlement, for they are 
 a social folk and fond of one another's company, with the ex- 
 ception of certain ill-natured old bachelors who refuse to associate 
 with the rest but !!•* apart in burrows of their own digging. 
 
 Just as am , 'i;; muslT^its you will find a s.litary in- 
 dividual here ?><u thct making its lone mud-hut at the head of 
 any little m-' 'jv hr ):> , and apparently avoiding the rest of its kind 
 as much as .■:.-?.: the chief difference being that these recluse 
 muskrats are generally females — at least most of those that have coine 
 under my own observ.-<.tions have been; while among b«:avers 
 the hermits are almost always old males as already stated. 
 
 When in the course of years the beavers' colony gets so 
 large that the matter of getting food for the whole in the im- 
 mediate vicinity of the pond begins to look doubtful, the 
 youngest generation usually starts off with the purpose of found- 
 ing a new colony. 
 
 The trappers say that they always start off in pairs accom- 
 panied by the old ones; the time chosen for ti.e pilgrimage is 
 in the early part of the fall while the streams are still low and 
 food abundant. 
 
 The little party expiores together ever)' pro.Tiisir^ 'ream and 
 watercourse, until a suitable location is discovered io\ :he new 
 pond, when they all set to work, old and yo\sv<r ('p.-ther, and 
 it is not until the dam is completed and the new cabin raised 
 with a good supply of green wood beside it, that the old beavers 
 go back to their own pond, to attend to the regular fall work 
 of repairing the old dam and cabin and cutting and hauling 
 their winter's wood down to the water, and then settle down 
 to the dull routine and humdrum life of a beaver's winter. 
 
 «4» 
 
UtmtSUia 
 
 Varieties of the Beaver 
 
 I. Canadian Beaver. Castor canadensis Kuhl. Description and 
 range as above. 
 
 3. Carolinian Beaver. C. canadensis caroliiwnsis Rhoads. Some- 
 what lighter in colour; larger in size with a decidedly 
 broader tail. 
 Range. Southern and lower Middle States. Now almost 
 extinct, though still found in parts of North Carolina. 
 
 Two other races occur in the northwest coast region and in 
 the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 SEiVELLELS 
 
 (Family Aplodontidm) 
 
 The sewelleb are peculiarly isolated animals, having no close 
 affinity with any other existing rodents, but constituting one of 
 those interesting "connecting links" that have been preserved 
 from some former geological age. They are allied to the squirrel 
 and marmot tribe and come perhaps nearer to the beaver than 
 anything else in their skeletal peculiarities. They have extremely 
 broad flat skulls, thick clumsy bodies, with practically nu neck, 
 short ears and very short tail. 
 
 Sewellel 
 
 Aphdontia rufa (Rafiit,«que) 
 Also called Mountain Beaver. 
 
 Length. i» inches. 
 
 Description. Body thick-set, legs short, tail very short, projecting 
 but slightly beyond the fur. Above reddish-brown, with scat- 
 tered black hairs, grayish below, tail black. 
 
 Range. Cascade Mountams, eastern Washington and Oregon. 
 Several allied species or varieties are found in other parts of 
 these States and in Northern California. 
 
 These curious animals vre found only in the limited area above 
 described. They are more or less aquatic in habits, living in 
 
 ISO 
 
w 
 
 b irrowt, netr $ome stream of water, and feeding at dusk or 
 early in the morning on vegetable material of various kinds. 
 
 SQUIRRELS /1ND MARMOTS 
 
 (Family Sciurida) 
 
 The squirrels and their allies include some of our handsomest 
 and best-known rodents. They are active, intelligent animals, 
 as a rule, with large bright eyes, bushy tails and strong muscular 
 legs. Some species, as the marmots, are burrowers, though they 
 spend much of their time out in the sunlight about the mouths 
 of their holes, while others, comprising the most typical squirrels, 
 are climbers par excellence, scaling the tree trunks or traversing 
 the most ender branches with equal agility. This arboreal habit 
 reaches its highest specialization in the flying squirrel which 
 taunches itself forth in Its parachute-like flight from tree to tree, 
 despi5'ng the support of slender branches I'pon which the other 
 squirrels still rely. When one watches the rapid passage of the 
 red squirrel through the trees and his sudden leaps from bough 
 to bough, the evolution of the flying squirre» can easily be un- 
 derstood. 
 
 Woodchuck 
 
 Arctomys monax (Linnaeus) 
 
 Also called Grwnd Hog, Maryland Marmot. 
 
 Lentlh. 34 inches. . .^ ^ . ^ .u 
 
 Description. Heavy and thick-set. with short legs and rather 
 
 short brushy Uil. Colour grizzly or yellowish-gray varied 
 
 with black and rusty, undcrparts rusty, feet black. 
 Range. New York and southern New Fngland to Georgia and 
 
 >Jorth Dakota, represented northward by an allied variety, 
 
 others occur westward. 
 
 In every part of the wonu where the winters are sufficiently 
 severe, there is pretty sure to be found a certain proportion of 
 the wild animals that manage to do away with the most un- 
 
 
Woedehuck 
 
 pleasant part of the year, as far as they are concerned at least, 
 by tucking themselves up in some out-of-the-way comer and 
 sleeping or dozing or hibernating the time away, each according 
 to iu own particular taste, until spring comes round again. And 
 certainly no more satisfactory method could be devised for spend- 
 ing the winter, either as regards economy or personal comfort. 
 
 It is probably to this habit that the dormouse of the Old 
 World owes iU reputation of being the most ridiculously sleepy 
 and drowsy little beast in the universe, though 1 fancy that a 
 good many of the animals op this side of the Atlantic could 
 give him points on the matter of taking protracted naps, as 
 might naturally be expected In a climate where the temperature 
 is liable to vary over one hundred degrees in the course of a 
 twelvemonth. The dormouse, it would seem, does not depend 
 entirely on its faculty for sleeping, to while away the long winter 
 hours, but in the autumn puts by a store of h jelnuts and when- 
 ever the weather turns warmer for a few days, though it is In 
 the very depth of the winter, he wakes up for a luncheon and 
 a breath of fresh air, and then turns in again for another nap, 
 so keeping a general idea of the weather as the mild English 
 winter wears itself away. 
 
 But how much does the oldest woodchuck know of the New 
 England wintc ? He can only realize that there are spring, summer 
 and autumn, and then spring again, with only occasional flurries of 
 snow and severe frost occurring at long intervals, perhaps a 
 dozen times in the course of his life. If, as seems probable, 
 the woodchuck really sleeps all winter long, then his waking 
 hours occupy an extremely small portion of his life, for during 
 the entire summer he spends the greater part of his time in his 
 hole, and as he never takes his meals there, it is hard to imagine 
 how he can occupy himself at such times except in sleeping. 
 He is, perhaps, the least industrious animal in existence except 
 when engaged in digging his hole, when he works away 
 at a tremendous rate until it is finished, but once it is 
 completed, he .seldom attempts to enlarge or remodel it in any 
 way, but spends his days in luxurious ease, coming out to get 
 his breakfast soon after sunri.se, while the dew is still on the 
 gr;iss, at which time I fancy he makes his most substantial 
 meal, though he may occasionally be seen feeding at any time 
 of day. At noon he is pretty sure to make his appearance above 
 
 «5» 
 
Weedcboek 
 
 ground for luncheon, but apparently spends more time then in 
 sunning hiniself than in eating. Late in the afternoon he again 
 shows hiniself, and feeds until nearly sunset, when he descends 
 into his burrow for the night. It is not often that he is obliged 
 to go many steps from his doorway in order to fill himself, 
 and by autumn he has usually reached a perfectly ludicrous state 
 of obesity. There are usually several openings to the burrow, 
 connected by well-beaten paths; similar paths radiate off into 
 the grass in all directions, from one clump of clover to the next, 
 and only too often to the bean patch or garden where it pleases 
 him to eat out the tender Inside of several cabbage heads in a 
 single night. Beans he strips of leaves, pods and everything, 
 and he is not averse to ears of com and young pumpkin vines; 
 in fact, there are few things raised in an ordinary vegetable 
 garden which he does not occasionally exhibit a taste for. He 
 is also fond of sweet apples and fruits of various kinds, fre- 
 quently making his home in the orchard for the purpose of en- 
 joying them. When the grass is tall enough he likes to move 
 about in the various paths he has made, nibbling here and there, 
 as suits his pleasure, and sitting bolt upright from time to time 
 to look about him. His attitude toward his enemies is apt to 
 be one of obstinate defiance. Other wild animals of his size, 
 almost without exception, prefer, when in the proximity of houses, 
 to remain in hiding during the day, only venturing out under 
 cover of darkness. But the woodchuck often digs his hole within 
 a few rods of a farmhouse and swaggers boldly about the garden 
 at midday helping himself to whatever appeals most strongly to 
 his appetite. When pursued he scrambles in frantic haste for 
 his burrow, his black heels twinkling in the sunshine as he 
 goes, but on reaching safety he is likely to turn about and thrust 
 out his nose to chuckle defiance at his pursuers. If cornered, 
 he is always ready to fight anything or anybody, and a dog 
 lacking experience in such matters is likely to get the worst of 
 it, for a woodchuck's incisors are weapons not to be despised. 
 If their den is dug out, the woodchucks often manage to escape 
 by burrowing off through the soil, after the manner of moles, 
 filling up the holes behind them as they move along, and evi- 
 dently not coming to the surface until sufficient time has elapsed 
 to ensure their safety, though how they manage to avoid suffo- 
 cation in the meantime is a question difficult to answer. They 
 
 »M 
 
MfoodchttMi 
 
 are often killed with shotguns, though this is no easy matter 
 to accomplish; for though not a difficult animal to approach, 
 the skin of an old one is pretty neaily a quarter of an inch thick, 
 and the bones of the head are so solid that it requires the heaviest 
 kind of shot and a gun that carries close and hard at ordinary 
 shooting range to injure him. The majority of those that are killed are 
 caught in steel traps at the mouth of their burrows. As soon as the 
 woodchuck feels the grip of the trap on his foot, he settles back 
 into his den and pulls with an amount of strength that is simply 
 surprising, and often secures his liberty. If unable to free himself 
 in this manner, he usually digs away the earth and blocks up the 
 entrance of the hole with himself inside, and the owner of the 
 trap is obliged to dislodge him as best he may. This is hard enough 
 when the victim is a woodchuck, but if, as often happens, it 
 proves to be a skunk, the result is truly disastrous. If left in 
 the trap for any length of time, the woodchuck frequently re- 
 leases himself by biting off his foot just below the jaws of the 
 trap, but is less extravagant and wasteful in this matter than the 
 muskrat, who not uncommonly leaves half an inch or more of 
 leg sticking up above the trap, apparently gnawing it off wher- 
 ever it is easiest and most convenient. 
 
 This is the woodchuck of the fields and cultivated lands. 
 Many woodchucks, however, prefer to dwell in the pastures, 
 where the grass is shorter and sweeter and they are less likely 
 to arouse the ire of the owner *of the land. Here they are ob- 
 liged to wander farther afield in order to satisfy their appetites, 
 but are generally in good condition for all that, and never appear 
 to have any trouble in laying on a sufficient supply of fat dur- 
 ing the summer to carry them over the cold season. In the 
 pastures they are fond of sunning themselves on top of old 
 stumps and smooth bowlders, the colour of their fur serving to 
 make them comparatively inconspicuous when so engaged. 
 
 Then there is the woodchuck of the forest and woodlands, 
 who really deserves the name of woodchuck, as it was in all 
 probability first applied to the species by the early settlers- 
 chuck or chucky, I believe, being a term frequently used in De- 
 vonshire and other English farming districts to designate little 
 pigs, who were sometimes spoken of as barnyard chuckles; so 
 that woodchuck might very properly be translated as little pig 
 
 HB 
 
 MBb 
 
 ^^gggg. 
 
WCMJIJCHLCK (.\rtlomyi monax) 
 
 IJ> W.k. CmIIb 
 
mmi 
 
 ■aH^H 
 
Wi 
 
 of the woods — not an altogether inappropriate title, at least as 
 regards disposition. 
 
 The real woodchuck of the woods, instead of spending his 
 days in the sunlit fields or open hard-wood groves and orchards, 
 digs his hole among the rocks and ledges, beneath the roots of 
 great hemlocks and pines, where the sun hardly penttrates and 
 the decaying tree trunks are crossed and tumbled against tAch 
 other overhead, •upported and held in position by those that are 
 still standing. Here he scrambles about among the und la-ih 
 and fallen branches, subsisting on berries and wrtu^^- ;recn 
 stuff is to be had in its season, probably feeding i edlMe 
 mushrooms when they are to be obtained, like the partridges 
 and squirrels who are his asso:iates. He may frequently be seen 
 of a summer afternoon stretched in the sun along some half 
 prostrate log, evidently glad to take advantage of whatever of the 
 sun's rays manage to penetrate among the shadows of his retreat. 
 Enjoying as he <^oes comparative immunity from the attacks of 
 men and dogs, and having at the present day very few natural 
 enemies to avoid, he should, and in all probability often does, 
 live out his allotted time; and it is no uncommon thing to find 
 the bones of these animals in hollow logs and similar places, 
 showing no signs of having suffered a violent death. A careful 
 observer of Nature once told me tnat h^- had once seen a wood- 
 chuck, apparently very old and feeble, laboriously digging a shal- 
 low hole in the soft earth, and that on returning, some hours later, 
 he had discovered him curled up at the bottom of the hdo quite 
 dead, undoubtedly having died of r>'d age after digjjin^- his own 
 grave and crawling into it. He believed this to be a regular 
 custom with them, and said that he had met with a number 
 of people who asserted the same thing. 
 
 In one respect the forest woodchuck does not nave so easy 
 a time of it as his brethren who abide in the open country, 
 seldom attaining to such an extreme condition of corpulency, and 
 in consequence being compelled to awake and craw! out of bed 
 much earlier in the spring, often making his appearance when 
 the snow is still several feet deep. Such unfortunates are ohiiged 
 to worry along as best they can until warm weather, seeking 
 out the spots of bare earth beneath the evergreens and gnawing 
 ravenously at the bark of trees or anything that can possibly be 
 made to answer as a substitute for food. They are soon pUi- 
 
 >SS 
 
m 
 
 fully thin and so active as Lardly to be recognized by one familiar 
 only with well-fed summer specimens. 
 
 Woodchucks arc seldom seen in the open pasture until the 
 snow has about disappeared and the turf begins to feel soft under 
 foot with green grass and clover starting up in sheltered pUces. 
 while those of the cultivated grass lands are still later about 
 showing themselves, so that it would cerUinly seem that the 
 duration of their winter nap depended Urgely on the food supply 
 of the preceding summer. Still t is just possible that all the 
 woodchucks return to the woods to "den in." in order to obtam 
 a more even temperature than would be possible m the open 
 ground. Instances of woodchucks having been unearthed m a 
 state of hibernation in the winter are common enough, but 
 whether in the woods or in the open appears uncertam. 
 
 in the summer the rambler often meets little woodchucks 
 only a few weeks old. wandering about the fields alone and 
 unprotected, having been driven from their homes by their hard- 
 hearted parents as soon as they were able to shift for them- 
 selves. These little wjifs are not apt to show any alarm on 
 being approached, commonly settling back on their haunches and 
 attempting to bite anything that comes within reach, or else 
 charaing savagely at the intruder, with Uttle husky, gurgling 
 cries of anger. An old woodchuck will occasionally attack the 
 person who threatens him. sometimes it would seem even when 
 he is not cornered or confined in any way. But this is nothing 
 to the perfectly reckless courage with which the youngster en- 
 ters into the combat, as if he felt perfectly sure that he were 
 going to have an easy thing of it. As soon, however as he tt 
 auite convinc.d that you are not going to retreat, and that he 
 is hardly liK.ly to be able to dispose of you to his satisfaction, 
 he starts off on » paiop. but as yet without any especial 
 symptoms of fea . tho igh if you persist in heading him off. he 
 ai last .-.omes to .ealue that he is entirely at your mercy, and 
 a wholly different expression comes into his eyes, he begins to 
 tremble and shiver all over, and finally g -es up all attempts to 
 fight or run away, simply crouching in the gr..ss m abject 
 
 '""\ once obtained possession of a little woodchuck that had 
 been brought home uninjured by a dog. If I remember rightly, 
 the original price of the animal was. thirteen cenu. with a 
 
9 
 
 •♦ ■- 
 
 «i^" . 
 
 »*,>, 
 
 '^:^ ■■ 
 
 
 
 n 
 
 ■ r 
 ■ /■ 
 
 .V. 
 
 ■ -^ 
 
 E^Sf^ 
 
 ■p 
 
 __ 
 
 ♦ 
 
 *""_'3iwf ".alS.||v '-.-_-Z 
 
 •^4 
 
 II'' 
 
 1l 
 
 
 - -• 
 
 ■ ? ■ 
 
 ■ . • ■ ^--^ 
 
 
 
 PRAIRIE I)<m;S i('yn,ymvs /w./m r kihmO 
 
 By A. K. hugnmrc 
 
MKROCOPr IBOUmON TBT CNMT 
 
 (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 
 
 I.I 
 
 11.25 
 
 lU 
 
 Li 
 tli 
 m 
 111 
 
 u 
 
 ■ 2^ 
 
 
 y. 
 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 12.2 
 2.0 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1.8 
 
 1.4 
 
 i 
 
 1.6 
 
 A 
 
 /IPPLIEn IIVHGE I, 
 
 1653 E«t Moin Strtat 
 
 RochMttr, New York 14609 USA 
 
 (716) ♦aa - OJOO - Phont 
 
 (716) 2N-U89 -Fan 
 
Woodehuck 
 
 much damaged fish line and hook thrown in. He was much 
 too young to eat solid food, so we fed him on millc with a bottle 
 and rubber nipple. When being fed he always sat up perfectly 
 straight, grasping the rubber firmly between his little black hands, 
 which always looked as if clothed in close-fitting black gloves, 
 so sharply was the line drawn between the black of his paws 
 and the brown fur on his wrists and shoulders. When nearly 
 satisfied he would grip it so tightly that none of the milk could 
 escape ar '., taking it from his mouth, turn away his head for 
 a few seconds of breathing space and then fall to again. He 
 grew rapidly on this diet, and soon developed a liking for 
 green things generally, especially caraway blossoms. As these 
 grew far out of his reach, often three or four feet from the 
 ground, he found it necessary in order to get at them to sit up 
 beside the stem and, grasping it in his paws, bend it over 
 towards him, pulling it down hand over hand until he had 
 reached the umbel shaped cluster of flower, every particle of 
 which he ate, allowing the stalk to spring back into place when he 
 had finished. Strangly enough, he never troubled the vegetables 
 in the garden in any way, although allowed to wander about 
 the place at his own discretion. He managed to get along 
 fairly well with the cats, though there was not much affection 
 on either side. Whenever he saw one of them drinking milk 
 from a saucer, he liked to come up softly from behitd and nip 
 its heels, and then scuttle off to some place of concealment in 
 time to escape punishment. He often persisted in this amuse- 
 ment until the cats retired in disgust, whereupon he would pro- 
 ceed to help himself to the milk they had left. If he felt sleepy, 
 he would sit upright, letting his head hang down until his nose 
 almost reached his hind feet, and then drop over on one side, 
 rolled up into a perfect ball. Late in the season, he began to 
 make extensive tunnels about the doorsteps and underneath the 
 paths, the caving in of which was the cause of several mis- 
 haps to various members of the family. Although perfectly 
 famihar, he was never affectionate, and towards the close of 
 summer he left us for his native heath; and the rest of his 
 history is hidden in obscurity, though it is safe to assume that 
 he lived to grow up and eventually developed all the selfish and 
 bearlike traits characteristic of his family. 
 
 »lf 
 
Woodchttck 
 
 Only the other day an instance occurred which would seem 
 to indicate that the woodchuck of the woods retires to his den 
 much later in the season than his cousin of the fields, who is 
 seldom seen abroad much after the first of September. On the 
 first of November I came across a hollow ash tree, prostrate 
 above a litth brook in a swamp not far from my home, and 
 noticed that some creature or other had been carrying dead 
 grass into it quite recently. I fixed a trap in the hollow and 
 the next day found a woodchuck held captive there, a typical wood- 
 chuck of the forest, as lean and active as a squirrel, with soft 
 white-tipped fur almost as thick as a coon's. When I released 
 him, he refused to run, but showed fight pluckily enough for 
 several minutes, and then unexpectedly bolted by me into his 
 hollow log, down which I could hear him scrambling to his 
 nest, which appeared to be situated at the end of the cavity 
 where the tree forked into several braiiches, for on breaking off 
 a small branch here I could see that the interior was filled with 
 new dried grass and leaves. Undoubtedly he intended spending 
 the winter there, and 1 imagine would find it quite as com- 
 fortable as the usual underground retreat, if not driven out by 
 the rising waters in time of thaw. I recall once seeing what 
 looked like a woodchuck's track in the snow about the last of 
 November. The animal that made it had been wandering about 
 the woods, prying into every stump and hollow log, perhaps in 
 search of a bed; but that was years ago, and I am not even 
 certain that it was a woodchuck's track at all. 
 
 This year I have again seen a woodchuck out in Novem- 
 ber, a tawny old fellow whose den is near the »op of a little 
 hillock beside a meadow, the same that I saw a fox trying to 
 unearth last April. 
 
 As I crossed the meadow I could see him sitting in his 
 doorway in the dim sunlight of Indian summer, perhaps saying 
 goodby to his shadow and the sun and the clouds until spring returns ; 
 the turf beside hij path was yet green and moist, and from 
 deep among the grass-roots the dreamy notes of crickets 
 sounded miles away, and seemed always on the point of ceas- 
 ing forever. 
 
 A few days before I saw this same woodchuck carrying 
 home wild apples from a tree several rods from his hole; it may 
 be that last summer's drouth, which was unusually severe in 
 
 'S« 
 
Woodebuck 
 
 these parts, made it impossible for him to get fat enough to risk 
 turning in at the regular time for woodchucks to retire about the 
 first of October. 
 
 In the days of the uncleared forest before the white-men came, 
 woodchucks, it is safe to assume, had a much longer list of 
 enemies than now. Bears, wolves, lynxes and panthers, undoubt- 
 edly all preyed on them as occasion afforded, and it is hardly 
 likely that the Indian hunter felt himself demeaned by stooping 
 to the chase of such humble quarry. 
 
 At present the only native animal that the woodchucks have much 
 to fear from is the fox. From this determined hunter they are not 
 always safe, even in the depths of their burrows. In the winter 
 when the ground is unfrozen, foxes will even dig them out 
 of their winter quarters and kill them in their sleep. They dig 
 them out in warm weather as well, though I fail to see how they 
 ever manage to catch up with so accomplished a burrower in 
 an underground race. 
 
 But the little woodchucks I expect are in much greater danger, 
 for while they are still no bigger than rats, they begin to spend sunny 
 hours exploring the grass around the burrow, or sprawled out 
 asleep on the hot earth piled in front of it. 
 
 At such times hen-hawks or cooper's hawks might easily pick 
 them up, but I do not remember having seen evidence that they 
 often do. For awhile the old woodchucks make a point of look- 
 ing out for their safety, but in a most indifferent sort of way, 
 quite unlike the zealous watchfulness displayed by most wild 
 animals. The female has in fact on occasions been said to push her 
 offspring out of the hole one at a time in order to purchase 
 her own safety by distracting the attention of a dog that was 
 trying to dig her out. 
 « 
 
 Varieties of tlie Woodchuck 
 
 /. Woodchuck. Arctomys monax (Linnaeus). Description and 
 
 range as above. 
 a. Northern Woodchuck. A. monax canadensis (Erxleben). Darker 
 than the above, black and brown predominating, hairs 
 more variegated with white, cheeks gray. 
 Range. Borenl regions north of the preceding. 
 J. Labrador Woodchuck. A. monax ignavus Bangs. Similar to the 
 last externally. 
 Range. Labrador. 
 
 »» 
 
Praixt* Do( 
 
 Prairie Dog 
 
 Cynomys ludovidanus (Ord) 
 
 Called also Marmot. 
 
 Length. 15 inches. 
 
 Description. Resembles the spermophiles but the ears arc very 
 
 short, and the tail very short and flat, colour brownish 
 
 above varied with gray and black hairs, soiled white below, 
 
 tail black toward the end. 
 Ranne. Western Texas and Kansas to the base of the Rocky 
 
 Mountains north to Montana. Allied varieties occur in Arizona, 
 
 New Mexico and Wyoming. 
 
 The prairie dog is perhaps the most characteristic animal of 
 the higher drier prairies of the West. He reminds one of a 
 miniature woodchuck, though much more gregarious and more 
 active. Prairie Dogs associate in colonies or "dog towns," some- 
 times many miles in extent, where their burrows and mounds of ex- 
 cavated earth form a conspicuous feature of the landscape. Speaking 
 of the occurrence of the prairie dog in Texas Dr. Kennerly says : 
 "This interesting little animal never fails to attract the attention 
 of every traveller on the Western prairies; and on approach to 
 one of their settlements, after long and dreary marches, is always 
 hailed with delight as a pleasant change from the monotony of 
 lifeless scenes to one of cheerful activity and motion. Such 
 occasions never fail to excite a certain degree of pleasure in 
 every one as he watches the motions of these curious creatures 
 as they at first assemble in numbers as if in grave consultation 
 in regard to the intrusion of strangers upon their quiet 
 domain, and, upon the too near approach of apparent danger, 
 suddenly the assembly is dispersed, each one, retiring to his re- 
 spective home and standing upon the edge of his den, utters his 
 peculiar bark, as if in defiance, and then every one disappears sud- 
 denly and every voice is hushed when a single gun is dis- 
 charged." 
 
 Prairie dogs feed upon grass and such other plants as furnish 
 satisfactory fodder, and frequently strip the ground bare through- 
 out the extent of their towns. 
 
 In all the older accounts of the prairie dog we inevitably 
 find associated with him the rattlesnake and the burrowing owl, 
 the three forming the theme for many a "Happy Family " story. 
 
 ite 
 
SAVS SPERMOPHILE (Srirnwphilus lateralis) 
 Photographed in the Bitter Rwit Muuntains after much patient baiting and watching. 
 
 By W. E. Carlin 
 
Btiipad Spannophilc 
 
 Apart from Inhabiting the same region, and the fact that 
 young prairie dogs form an accepuWe article of diet for both 
 the other members of the triumvirate, they have little to do with 
 one another. The owls dig holes for themselves, though they 
 may not be averse to appropriating a prairie dogs burrow, just 
 as their relatives of the woodland will use an old flicker's hole 
 or a crow's nest. The rattlesnake, too, will no doubt take refuge 
 in a burrow of either of the others, though to the discomfiture 
 of the rightful owner and the probable loss of its offspring. The 
 stories of the peaceful cohabitation of the beast, bird and reptile 
 are, however, the result of a lively imagination. 
 
 Striped Spermophile 
 
 Spermophilus tridecemlituatus (Mitchell) 
 
 Also called Striped Gopher. 
 
 Length. lo inches. , „ . ^ . j 
 
 Description. Back striped with six buff bands and seven wider 
 brown bands, each of the latter containing a row of small 
 white spots; middle bands running ^rom the top of the head 
 to the tail, others shorter; tower parts dull bulT; tail rather 
 short, flat and rather bushy. 
 Range. Plains of the Saskatchewan; south to Texas and east to 
 southern Wisconsin and Michigan, nearly the whole of lUinois, 
 northern Indiana and northwestern Ohio. 
 
 The spermophiles, closely allied to the chipmunks, form as it 
 were the connecting link between the squirrels and the marmots. 
 They are restricted to the prairie regions of the West, where there 
 are a number of species, two of which cross the Mississippi. 
 The best known and most widely distributed form is the striped 
 spermophile or "striped gopher" as it is also called. Vernon 
 Bailey in his report upon these animals says: "Throughout the 
 prairies of the Mississippi Valley the little striped spermophile is a 
 familar object as it darts through the grass to its hole or is seen 
 standing upright on its hind feet, straight and motionless as a 
 stick. With its short ears, smoothly rounded head, and the fore- 
 feet drooping at its sides, there is no point about its outline to 
 catch the eye, and at a little disUnce it is impossible to dis- 
 
 i6i 
 
PrankUn't Spennophil* 
 
 tinguish it from old picket pin or fence $take. Standing thus the 
 animal will often allow one to approach within a few yards, then 
 quickly dropping on all fours it utters a shrill chatter and dives 
 into a hole close by. Remain quiet for a few minutes and its 
 head reappears at the entrance of the hole and the little black 
 eyes peer at you curiously. Walk away from the place and it 
 will soon come out and, standing up again, watch you as long 
 as you are in within sight, uttering an occasional note of alarm 
 or warning to its friends." 
 
 The burrows vary in length, some being short and appar- 
 ently only used for shelter, while others are long with the nest 
 at the end where the young are born, or where the animals hibernate; 
 other adjoining cavities are used for storehouses and a large supply of 
 grain is generally put away before winter sets in. 
 
 Franklin's Spermophile 
 
 Spermophilus ftanklini (Sabine) 
 , Also called Gray Gopher. 
 
 Length. 14.80 inches. 
 
 Description. Hair coarse and harsh, gray above suffused with 
 
 yciiowish brown and biirs banded with black; below paler gray 
 
 with a white throru, tiil clear gray. 
 Range. Saskatche«'an south to eastern Kansas and through northern 
 
 and middle Illinois and southern Wisconsin to the western 
 
 border of Indiana. 
 
 Although there are numerous spermophiles in the West, this and 
 the preceding are the only ones to range east of the Mississippi. 
 
 Peculiar interest attaches to this animal from the fact that it was 
 introduced into the sandy barrens of southern New Jersey where it 
 seemed to flourish for a time, though it did not spread to any 
 extent. 
 
 Chipmunk 
 
 Tamias striatus (Linnaeus) 
 Called also Ground Hackee, Ground Squirrel, Striped Squirrel. 
 
 Length. 9. 50 inches. 
 
 Description. Head brown, back grizzly gray, rump and hind legs 
 rufous chestnut; a narrow blacK stripe on the middle of the back 
 
 t6t 
 
WHITE-TAILED o^iiRMOPHiLE (Spcrmophilus ieurcurus) By lunt OK-lidj. 
 
 YOUNG OF COLUMBIA SPERMOPHILE {Spcrmopliltm cotumbiaiiHs) »y w. F, Cirlin 
 
Chipmunk 
 
 from the ears to the rufous of the rump, and on each side two black 
 stripes with a light buff stripe between them. Sides of the body 
 buffy mixed with blacic-tipped hairs, below white. Tail grizzly 
 gray above with black tips to the hairs, below rufous edged 
 with black. 
 Range. Southern New York to Georgia. Northward the closely 
 related northern hackee {T. striatus lystert ) takes its place. It is 
 murh brighter and lighter in colour, bright rusty red instead of 
 chestnut above. Numerous other species are found in the West. 
 
 Ground squirrels are unquestionably most intelligent creatures, lov- 
 ing the sunlight and hot weather and open groves of hardwoods where 
 the turf is cropped close by cattle. 
 
 h. ! they dig vlicir burrows in such a manner as to avoid 
 attracting the attention of their enemies and at the same time 
 allowing them an unobstr- ♦ed outlook on all sides from their 
 doorways. 
 
 Choosing an open a.ic 'awn-like spot they sink a perpen- 
 dicular tunnel down several feet ; after which the burrow is 
 carried along horizontally for a few yards and then ascends a 
 trifle to the chamber, which is perhaps a foot in height and 
 breadth and nearly twice as long and carpeted with soft grass. 
 
 A back stairway ascends to the surface by a somewhat 
 shorter route at a considerable distance from the other opening. 
 
 Now the amount of earth removed must necessarily be con- 
 siderable, yet the grass about the entrance shows no signs of it, 
 and it requires a sharp eye to detect the position of the bur- 
 row unless its owner betrays the secret himself. I believe that 
 in some instances, perhaps quite frequently, the hole is begun 
 beneath a hollow stump or tree, under the shelter of a thick 
 low growing bush, or between the rocks of a wall where the 
 pile of fresh dirt may escape notice ; and after other passages 
 are made from the chamber to the surface the original opening 
 is perhaps blocked with earth from the inside and abandoned. 
 Piles of newly dug earth are always to be found in the vicinity 
 of the chipmunk's home, but almost invariably at a distance from 
 any burrow, often so far away in fact that it is difficult to con- 
 ceive how they could have been constructed, even in the manner 
 just described. 
 
 I am inclined to think that it is a common practice among 
 chipmunk's to carry all the dirt removed in their cheek-pouches 
 
 as 
 
Chipmunk 
 
 to a safe distance where it may be left in a heap or scattered 
 about over the grass; it may be that the earth hidden beneath 
 stumps and similar places is brought there in this manner oftener 
 than is suspected. 
 
 In going to and from his burrow the chipmunk taices care- 
 ful leaps over the grass and appears strictly to avoid making 
 any path which might serve as a guide to his enemies. 
 
 Among themselves chipmunks are most talkative little peo- 
 ple, often a company of half a dozen or more may be heard 
 keeping up a most animated conversation on qaiet summer 
 afternoons ; each seated on his own particular rock or stump 
 separated by intervals of a few rods they exchange chirrup for 
 chirrup with varying inflections for hours together. At times 
 they get up a regular chorus or chant with a kind of rhythmical 
 movement running through it that is very pleasing. This chirrup 
 or chirping note is also used as a cry of warning by simply 
 changing the expression a trifle. 
 
 If a chipmunk is interrupted in his labours or his sunbath, 
 or whatever he may happen to be doing, by the approach of 
 a fox or other enemy, he not only looks out for his own safety 
 but remembers the rest of his family as well. 
 
 If possible he gets within easy reach of his hole and from 
 that position of safety he sends forth a steady series of alarm 
 notes as long as the enemy is in sight. 
 
 The alarm is taken up by the others as fast as they 
 catch sight of the fox, so that the most wily marauder finds 
 his approach heralded in spite of all his caution. 
 
 When one is directly attacked and compelled to dart into 
 his hole or seek safety among the rocks, a shrill, rippling, 
 sibilant cry informs his fellows still more exactly of the position 
 of the enemy. One afternoon last September 1 heard them sig- 
 nalling danger from one to another at the edge of the woods, and 
 approached cautiously, rather expecting to find a fox hunting 
 them, for the jays by their screaming gave me reason to believe 
 that there was one near-by. 
 
 Just as I reached the group of hardwood trees where the 
 chipmunks were, a cooper's hawk swooped down from among the 
 leaves overhead and gliding along beside the stone wall struck at 
 first one and then another of the little striped backs, but they 
 all dodged him successfully each sending along the alarm to the 
 
 lft4 
 
SAYS SPERMOPHILE I\ snow {S pernio phi! IIS lateralis) 
 Phot* grmphed near Crt-steil Butte, Colt .ratio, with the snow tlm't* tVot <k'fii, thf taint'ra Ijeinn oiK-rati-il l>v a strinK joo tVet long. 
 
 YOUNG PRAIRIE nOO ((>i,.i)ir.c /ii,Ai;i, ;uiihs) (alnml one-third growi) Hy K l> w.m. 
 
i 
 
Chipnuak 
 
 next as he disappeared. The hawk vanished among the trees and 
 evidently succeeded in deceiving the squirrels into thinking that 
 he had betaken himself to other hunting grounds, for ifter per- 
 haps ten minuies of anxious shouting between neighbouring door- 
 ways they quieted down and resumed the interrupted course of 
 their affairs; some of them searching about in the short grass 
 for beechnuts dropped by the jays, while others started on longer 
 excursions through the woods and a few of the younger ones 
 began playing together among the last year's leaves beside the 
 wall. 
 
 But one or two took prominent positions on the highest 
 stor.js of the wall as if standing sentinel, and at pretty regular 
 intervals called a warning to the others, or perhaps it was the 
 cry of "All's well," for by this time even the jays appeared to 
 have forgotten the danger and were chuckling and squealing 
 among themselves as they gathered beechnuts overhead. 
 
 None of them apparently paid any attention to the angry 
 stuttering of a red squirrel in a great oak, and 1 am inclined to 
 believe that red squirrels, like the shepherd boy in the fable, have so 
 often cried wolf without cause that the other wood-dwellers have 
 learned to distrust them. 
 
 But this one evidently knew wiu i he was about and a sudden 
 hysterical explosion in the midst of his clamour and then silence was 
 followed by the reappearance of the hawk from his ambush among 
 the oak leaves dashing this way and that after the scattering c •- 
 munks. He failed, however, as before in each attempt, and, 
 mistrusting that the red squirrel might be the cause of all his ill L. ., 
 rose in the air and rushed headlong at him as he clung to the under 
 side of the branch. There was a short and very exciting chase 
 before the squirrel succeeded in reaching the safety of his hole and the 
 hawk flapped away disappointed. 
 
 The winter hibernation of the chipmunk is much like that 
 of the dormouse of the Old World, though unlike the dormouse 
 and most other hibernating animals, chipmunks are seldom more 
 than comfortably fat on retiring in the autumn. 
 
 As several weeks are generally believed to elapse before the 
 final sleep of winter overtakes them, it is quite probable that 
 they occupy themselves in the meantime with acquiring a suf- 
 ficient amount of fat to carry them on until spring. 
 
 In April and May chipmunks are pretty sure to bv. out in 
 
 i6S 
 
Chipiiiiiok 
 
 .. 1 
 
 the sunshine of every warm day we have, to retire and become 
 dormant again, lilce the dormouse, at the approach of a cold 
 wave or snow weather. 
 
 Those first few weeks of confinement in November must be 
 a strange experience for such an active sun-loving creature as the 
 chipmunk. To go down out of the bright October sunlight into 
 a chamber utterly devoid of any light of any kind, there to remain 
 groping about in the dark among its companions, squeezing 
 through narrow side passages, depending on food packed away 
 in the nest itself or in side galleries branching off from the main 
 chamber, eating and sleeping in those cramped quarters and get- 
 ting ever drowsier and drowsier, at last losing onsciousness al- 
 together, to awake and become aware in some inexplicable man- 
 ner that it is time to come out into the daylight once more — this, 
 indeed, must be a life of strange contrasts. 
 
 But while the dormouse is supposed to be chronically sleepy 
 at all times, owing probably to its fondness for being abroad at 
 night and sleeping all day, even in the longest days of summer, 
 the chipmunk, when it is awake, is most unmistakably awake 
 from sunrise to sunset, apparently without even a nap at miaday 
 when the days are at their longest and hottest. 
 
 These ground squirrels are at times rather destructive neigh- 
 bours, about their worst vice being that of digging up newly 
 planted corn. They display a great deal of cleverness in the mat- 
 ter of locating the seed which is usually covered with an inch 
 or two of earth. Their cheek pouches, which reach back almost 
 to their shoulders, enable them to carry away astonishingly large 
 loads and, as they often persist in their nefarious work until the 
 corn is several inches high, the damage wrought by a few families 
 of them k sometimes considerable. 
 
 Generally speaking, it is only in the spring when their sup- 
 plies are running short and before the berries have begun to ripen 
 that they err in this direction. They seldom trouble the ripe 
 corn to any great extent, even in seasons when nuts are scarce. 
 In the West they appear to be much more destructive, and are 
 popularly looked upon as a decided nuisance. They eat all kinds 
 of berries, strawberries, raspberries and dewberries; while apples, 
 pears and tomatoes also find favour in their eyes. 
 
 Early in the spring they go searching for the coral-red berries 
 of the wintergreen and mitchella, where the crisp gray moss is 
 
 I66 
 
 ilHMI 
 
 ifli 
 
ChipiHimk 
 
 drying out around the stumps of long-forgotten pines. In 
 a way they are hunters, too; I have seen them chasing 
 the big, noisy, banded-winged locusts of late summer, running 
 beneath them, as they fly along and pouncing on them when 
 they finally come to earth. One of these big fellows must make 
 a very satisfactory luncheon for an animal no larger than a chip- 
 munk, everything being eaten but the wings and the extremities 
 of the legs. 
 
 Like most rodents, they are a little too fond of robbing 
 birds' nests; 1 am inclined to think, however, that they are less 
 destructive in this direction than either squirrels or mice. I once 
 watched a p^ir of them stalking some spotted sandpipers by the 
 edge of a mill pond. They would creep up under cover of the 
 water weed, or lie in ambush behind dried wood or a lily pad 
 standing aslant in the mud; when they fancied themselves near 
 enough they would rush out, sometimes both together, and the 
 frightened sandpipers would open their long wings and lose some 
 critical moments in getting their balance, and then take their 
 stiff-winged flight low over the water with anxious whistlings. 
 
 The chipmunks were so active and determined about it all 
 that, seeing them from the other bank, 1 at first mistook them 
 for weasels. The sandpipers at last betook themselves away up 
 stream to the meadows to be rid of the nuisance. 
 
 June 5th, 1900, 1 have just been examining the chipmunk 
 holes on the hill in the pasture. They are, evidently enough, 
 all constructed in about the same manner, the chief object in 
 view being concealment. All agree in having the opening no- 
 ticeably smaller than the rest of the tunnel. The short, thick grass 
 around it is green and untrampled to the very edge, and though 
 scarcely an inch in length, pretty well conceals the narrow door- 
 way. There is not the least particle of loose dirt scattered any- 
 where about. 
 
 The turf at the mouth of the burrow is soft and elastic, 
 but at the depth of an inch the hole becomes suddenly larger, 
 I should say at least twice as large as at the opening, and the 
 walls are packed surprisingly hard. 
 
 At a considerable distance, under the low-growing branches 
 of some young pines, I found a little pile of newly-dug earth, 
 something over a foot in diameter and two or three inches high. 
 Yellow subsoil undoubtedly brought there as fast as it was dug 
 
 167 
 
 
'm Sqniiid 
 
 out in the making of one or another of the burrows, the near- 
 est of which is several rods away. 
 
 Close by one of the recently made burrows I noticed where 
 the chipmunk had originally intended having his doorway and 
 twice been obliged to abandon his worK on account of unfore- 
 seen obstruction beneath the surface; roots or stones probably, for 
 it seems imperative that the shape should be almost perpendicular 
 for the first few feet One of these abandoned attempts was only 
 an inch deep and an inch in diameter at the surface, at the bot- 
 tom it was flat and decidedly larger. There was no dirt scattered 
 near, so that apparently even from the very beginning every par- 
 ticle that is removed is discreetly carrried away in the cheek 
 pouches of this wily little rodent. 
 
 The other hole that was started a few feet away is six inches 
 deep and correspond' xactly with the first six inches of the 
 finished burrow, the walls being packed equally hard. It looks 
 as if the little chap that made it had dug out a passage just 
 large enough to squeeze into, and as he worked along, had en- 
 larged it by continually turning around and packing it on all 
 sides with his feet, in this manner insuring firm walls for his 
 home, and at the same time lessening the quantity of earth to 
 be removed. 
 
 Fox Squirrel 
 
 Sciurus rufiventer neglectus (Gray) 
 
 Also called Cat Squirrel. 
 
 Length. 3J.50 inches. 
 
 Description. The largest of the true squirrels, with very long 
 bushy tail. Colour grizzly or yellowish gray, the hairs 
 banded with black, and with more or less rusty tints on the 
 upper surface; underparts pale, ferruginous to nearly white; 
 tail rusty beneath, bordered with black. Exact colours de- 
 cidedly variable in different individuals. 
 
 Range. Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, northward 
 through Pennsylvania and New Jersey to central New York. 
 Now nearly extinct through most of its range. Reoresented 
 to the West and South by related varieties. (See below). 
 
 Fox squirrels are big vigorous fellows, adapting their habits 
 to the kind of woods they live in. Those found among hard- 
 
 16S 
 
CHIPML'NK {Tiintuts striattts) 
 
 By A . K . I mgmortt 
 
If! 
 
 - ^ a 
 
 IM < 
 
 i« 
 
 a 
 
Fn Bqnimt 
 
 woods live very much as the gray squirrels do in summer, but 
 are generally less provident in the matter of preparing for the 
 cold season, preferring rather to avoid those regions where the 
 snow lies deep for any length of time and depending for food 
 on whatever they may find from day to day, scratching among 
 fallen leaves for acorns and nuts, and when these fail, living on 
 the buds of trees as best they may. 
 
 In rough weather they keep close at home in their hollow 
 trees, choosing to go hungry rather than face the cold. In warm 
 weather they gather wild fruit, berries and mushrooms and go 
 into the corn fields as soon as the ears have reached the milky 
 stage. Among the southern pines they make large nests of Span- 
 ish moss in the tree-tops, and here they bring the cones which 
 they cut off, ju t as the red squirrels do the cones of the white 
 pines in the No.th, biting off he scales in order to get it the 
 seeds in a similar manner. 1 .c scales scattered about the foot 
 
 of their tree often betray them to the squirrel-hunter. 
 
 A full-grown fox squirrel, owing to his size and strength, 
 
 has probably little to fear from hawks, though a red-tailed hawk 
 
 might not fear to attack one on occasion, or a goshawk when 
 
 driven s'.;*h by an unusually hard winter. The fox squirrels' 
 
 worst enemies are undoubtedly the wild cat, gray fox and raccoon. 
 In hardwoods fox squirrels build nests of dry leaves, a large 
 
 bunch frequently conspicuously bright yellow; the entrance to a 
 
 warmly lined nest of broken up leaves is a small hole in the side. 
 
 At other times they live in holes in trees, using dry grass and 
 
 strips of soft bark for a lining. 
 
 They are much hunted as an article of food, being we'' 
 
 flavoured and hcvy, but it requires skilful watching to kill marv 
 
 of them. 
 
 In Florida the "crackers" look for scattered chips of the pi--; 
 
 cones at the foot of each tree and. finding them recently droppr. 
 
 hide near-by and wait patiently for hours to get a shot. 
 
 Varieties of thie Fox Squirrel 
 
 Northern Fox Squirrel. Sciurus rufiventer neglectus (Gray). 
 
 Description and range as above. 
 H^estern Fox Squirrel. S. rufiventer Geoffroy. Similar, but 
 
 generally particlly black, sometimes all black above and 
 
 169 
 

 Qny Squirrel 
 
 rufous below, or mottled above and black beneath. Very 
 
 variable. ^ o ,. r^ , 
 
 Range. Mississippi Valley, north to South Dakota. 
 3 Southern Fox Squirrel. S. niger (Linnaeus). Larger than either 
 of the above (25.50 inches). Colours variable, generally 
 entirely black or black and buff above and reddish buff 
 belov^. Ears and nose always white, which is never the 
 case with other species. 
 Range. Pine woods of Florida, west to Louisiana and north 
 to Virginia, east of the mountains. 
 
 I- 
 
 Cray Squirrel 
 
 Sciurus carolitunsis Gmelin 
 
 Length. 18 inches. 
 
 Description. Similar in build to the fox squirrel, with large 
 bushy tail. Colour yellowish-gray, individual hairs banded 
 with rusty-yellow and black, decidedly rusty on the face, 
 feet and sides. Below white. Hairs of tail rusty-yellow at 
 base, black in the middle, with white tips. 
 
 Range. Florida to southeastern Pennsylvania, Hudson Valley, In- 
 diana and Missouri; replaced to the North and West by 
 slightly different geographic varieties. 
 
 The best opportunities for watching the ways of gray squir- 
 rels are to be found in the outskirts of towns and villages, 
 where they are not allowed to be shot at or otherwise molested. 
 For though less intelligent than the red squirrels, they are quick 
 to perceive the advantages to be had in a civilized community 
 while the love of stillness and the untainted air of the forest 
 does not appear to be universal among them. 
 
 Where they are sufficiently protected they make their homes 
 in shaded trees that have hollow branches, or any cavity in the 
 trunk that they can enlarge for their accommodation. Here they 
 live and raise their families and lay up stores for winter, above 
 rattling streets and humming wires, perfectly indifferent to the 
 noise and heating air that reeks of human beings crowded to- 
 gether like cattle. They are comfort-loving animals, and away 
 in the silent forest, a gray squirrel must be forever on the alert to 
 guard his hidden stores against the thieving red squirrels and the 
 wild mice of the woods, and always listening for the rustle of a 
 fox's footstep on the leaves, or the distant screaming of a hawk. 
 
 »7<» 
 
 MHi 
 
a 
 
 X 
 
 X 
 
 o 
 
■Mb 
 
Oray Sqniml 
 
 For the red-shouldered hawks are dangerous enemies, and the 
 ho':rs they habitually choose to spend in hunting correspond 
 exactly with the squirrel's woricing hours — from sunrise to ten 
 o'clock in the morning and from three in the afternoon until near 
 sunset. They watch cat-like for an opportunity to take some un- 
 happy squirrel unawares, or circling high above the treetops their 
 keen eyes penetrate the foliage from constantly varying positions, 
 searching branch and hole and the carpet of fallen leaves beneath 
 till, perceiving the flicker of a burly tail, the long wings close 
 of a sudden fan-like, and the hunter goes down with a rush to 
 match his quickness against the quickness of a squirrel. Or the 
 still more treacherous goshawk and cooper's hawk, with their 
 narrower wings and slender, yacht-like build, shoot along with baf- 
 fling swiftness through the undergrowth, just in order to surprise 
 the busy harvesters at their work. 
 
 The gray squirrels p\so know that, in the fall, the men that 
 are found in the wooas, unlike the town variety, carry guns 
 and feed on squirrels to a cm-'n extent. With very little en- 
 couragement gray squirrels wili soon learn to pay you frequent 
 visits, in your room, if you will only leave a window open for 
 them within jumping distance of their treetop, a few nuts or a 
 piece of cake quickly overcoming their shyness. In fact, they often 
 prove to be something of a nuisance about the house. Even in 
 places where they are looked upon as legitimate game they lose 
 much of their fear of man during the close season of spring 
 and summer. 
 
 Their habits vary but little whether they live in deep forests or 
 within the limits of a town. Finding a suitable hole in the tree, they 
 enlarge it to suit them, preferring to have plenty of room inside to 
 move about in. The other day I watched one gathering dead leaves 
 for his bed in an old apple-tree. He would run out along the 
 branches to where the brown leaves hung shrivelled in clusters oi 
 two or three, rustling in the November wind. Biting off the twig 
 that bore them, he would hurry back with it to his hole. 
 Once the leaves were all brushed from the twig as he went in, 
 and, if ever there was evident surprise and annoyance, it w.is 
 depicted on his little gray face when a few seconds later he peered 
 out of his doorway, looking for the leaves that he missed. Often 
 half a dozen or more will occupy the same hole, and though 
 the old males are apt to be unpleasantly i-'fjly and tyrannical. 
 
 «r» 
 

 Red Squinral 
 
 The, also -*. n«,s J^'^^",, J / * °Ues, wh«. .hey 
 
 or an ^htk of a mile or more in calm weather. 
 Varieties of the Cray Squirrel 
 
 , &«"-rn Gray Squirrel. Sciurus carolinensis Gmelm. De- 
 • s- ..tion and range as above .^ ^^^^^^.^ ^^^^^„^ 
 
 ICf ir"""o«ur'n^"i''tcaHt£ but' are merely 
 
 ^- ^To'U^r^dchr ^nl- daJki'tSThi (iU graV squirrel, 
 underoarts often tinted with ferrugmous. 
 Jif «ou region of the Lou-na -ast.^^^^^^^^ 
 
 ^- ^Tijer an'il^hSTan-the'outrn gray squirrel and much 
 
 smaller. 
 /?fl«^<;. Southern Florida. 
 
 Many very handsome squirrels of this and other groups are 
 found m the Western States. 
 
 Red Squirrel 
 
 Sciurus hudsonicus gymnicus Bangs 
 
 IP ' 
 
 \ ■■ 
 
 Called also Chickaree. 
 Length. la inches. . . f ^aji b^jght chest- 
 
 171 
 
RED SQUIRRELS (ViiirH.v ;iii,/>.>iu<»a gymni<:us) 
 
 liy W. 1.. Ciriiu 
 
tl I 
 
 1 
 
 «) 
 
 I 
 
 I I 
 
Red Squiircl 
 
 parts grayish-white. In summer no distinct rufous area on 
 the back, and lower parts pure white with a blacic stripe 
 on each side, separating the colours of the upper and lower 
 parts. 
 Range. Southern Maine, Nova Scotia and Quebec, and in the 
 mountains southward, replaced in the lower grounds and in 
 Labrador by slightly different varieties. 
 
 The red squirrel is possessed of more petty vices and fewer 
 virtues than any other beast that roams the woods. He is quarrel- 
 some, noisy and mischievous and forever prying into the affairs 
 of others. In the winter he makes a regular business of rob- 
 bing his neighbours of the stores of provisions they have gathered, 
 though he always has more than his share hidden away at home 
 and most zealously guarded; and in summer he robs birds' nests 
 high and low. 
 
 Yet one cannot help liking him, for a keen sense of humour 
 and never failing good spirits tip the balance against all sorts of 
 evil deeds. Even in northern New England the cold is never 
 fierce enough to curb his jollity any more than the blistering 
 heat of July. 
 
 You are sure to meet him when driving over country roads 
 at any time of the year, for, in most of the Northern States, red 
 squirrels are as common as robins. 
 
 Few people realize what thoroughly practical, thrifty and in- 
 genious little animals they really are; for, unlike most thieves, they are 
 not in anyway shiftless or lazy, but are steady hard-workers the year 
 round. There is no idle season for them. 
 
 Other squirrels live a careless, gipsy sort of life through the warm 
 weather, only commencing the labour of harvesting when the nuts 
 ripen. 
 
 But as early as July, while the young squirrels have still to be 
 watched over and looked after, the industrious red squirrels begin cut- 
 ting off the green cones of the white pine and work early and late 
 burying them, half a dozen in a place, under the pine needles, to be 
 dug up in the winter and early spring and opened for the seeds they 
 contain. 
 
 No amount of snow seems to bother them much when it comes 
 to locating their buried stores. 
 
 By the time the business of gathering pine cones is over for the 
 season, the nuts and acorns are beginning to ripen, and there are fall 
 
 «73 
 
i f 
 
 m 
 
 i> < 
 
 Red Squirrtl 
 
 apples to be picked and stored in hollow trees, for the red squirrel is 
 firm in exacting his tithe of the farmers and looks after the collecting 
 of it himself. In the matter of corn, however, he prefers to wait until 
 the farmer has gathered it into his bin, when the squirrel can generally 
 get it without much loss of time. 
 
 The hemlock cones hold their seeds all winter, and there is never 
 a day of snow or winter sunshine that the red squirrel may not be 
 seen gathering them from the very tips of the swaying outer branches, 
 in company with the chattering cross-bills and pine-finches, bent on 
 the same errand themselves. 
 
 Although with very few exceptions red squirrels refuse to 
 become tame in confinment, most of them are really fond of 
 human society, their keen intelligence enabling them very 
 quickly to decide whom they may safely trust. The lone chopper 
 frequently enjoys the company of the merry little forester who 
 greets him each morning with a volley of exclamations from the 
 top of a wood pile, and endeavours to steal his luncheon before 
 noon time, and later picks up any scattered crumbs, or runs off 
 with the tallow the chopper keeps to grease his axe helve with. 
 Red squirrels like nothing better than a chance to run a race 
 with you when you are driving. One will sit, tail in the air, on 
 the highest stone of a read-side wall, or a stake in the fence, 
 until you are just opposite, then off he goes. 
 
 If you manage to leave him behind for a little, and then 
 slow up to see what has become of him, you will see him 
 come tearing after you at the top of his speed, and go by with 
 a flourish, at last whisking up into a tree almost out of breath, 
 where, perched on a conspicuous branch, he may watch you out 
 of sight, hurling all sorts of epithets after you. 
 
 In the early spring red squirrels manage to keep pretty busy 
 tapping the sugar maples, climbing for the topmost buds of trees 
 as they begin to swell in the increasing sunlight, and watching 
 the movements of the newly awakened chipmunks and gray 
 squirrels, in the hope that even yet they may betray some un- 
 suspected hoarding of nuts. 
 
 Put it is no longer a matter of hoarding with red squirrels, 
 each meal as it comes is now his rule, trusting that the abund- 
 ance of summer is not far off. 
 
 In tapping the maple they gnaw saucer-shaped cavities in 
 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 ! 
 
 I I 
 
 174 
 
YOUNG RED SQUIRREL (Sciurus hmisonuus gymnicus) 
 
 By A. R. l>u;^inor« 
 
 HOARY MARMCJT (Arctomys fruinosus) 
 
 By W. E. Carlin 
 
11 
 
 
 l! 't 
 
 
Red Squirrel 
 
 the upper side of a branch and drink the sap that fills them, 
 coming back a dozen times a day for the sweet refreshment. 
 
 They are hearty meat-eaters at all times, though beyond 
 robbing birds' nests they are anything but successful hunters. 
 But they follow the more successful hunters to tnke advantage of 
 their luck, and annoy the trapper by stealing the bait from his 
 traps. Most red squirrels are not satisfied with a single habita- 
 tion. They must have an underground hole beneath the roots 
 of a tree at all events, and in addition either a nest among the 
 branches, or in a hollow tree, or both, 
 
 Whei. they can get possession of the deserted nest of a 
 hawk or crow, they roof it over with moss and strips of bark 
 and pine needles and have a snug home for all weathers. 
 
 In most pine groves there arc more such nests occupied by 
 red squirrels than by the origitial owners. 
 
 At other times they arrange a platform of twigs in a crotch 
 or against the trunk, and supported by small branches, build 
 their nest on this, using wet moss and cedar bark and thatch- 
 ing it over with pine needles. They also make nests of soft 
 grass in hollow logs and stumps or beneath a pile of wood. 
 Red squirrels are most erratic when it comes to laying up stores 
 for winter, sometimes they will pack away half a bushel of nuts 
 or apples in a hollow tree, but often it is two or three in one 
 place and a dozen in another. 
 
 Holes beneath stumps and flat stones are favourite hiding 
 places of theirs. At other times ♦hey make little piles of nuts 
 on the ground and cover them up with leaves, probably intend- 
 ing to transfer them to safer hiding when the rush of harvest- 
 ing is over. They will also wedge nuts, one in a place, in the 
 forks of small branches, and in cracks in the bark. 
 
 Varieties of thte Red Squirrel 
 
 /. Northern Red Squirrel. Sciurus hudsonicus gymnicus Bangs. 
 
 Description and range as above. 
 2. Southern Red Squirrel. S. hudsonicus loquax Bangs. Larger 
 
 and brighter red in winter with under parts always pure 
 
 white. 
 Range. Southern Maine, Michigan and Minnesota to Virginia 
 
 and Indiana, except in the Alleghanies. 
 
 I7S 
 
i 
 
 i' 
 
 li. 
 
 1 
 
 ' I . 
 
 V 
 
 r 1 
 
 Pljriaf Squiml 
 
 J. i.abrador Red Squirrel. S. kudsonicus (Erxleben). Red 
 colour in winter paler, fringe on tail yellowish or gray, 
 lower parts decidedly gray. 
 Range. Labrador and Hudson Bay region to Alaska. 
 Numerous red squirrels inhabit the Western States, those 
 on the North West coast being quite brown in color. 
 
 Flying Squirrel 
 
 Sciuropttrus volans (Linnaeus) 
 
 Length. 9.40 inches. 
 
 Description. Fur soft, dense and mole-like; skin of the sides 
 produced and susceptible of being spread o;it when ti^c legs 
 are extended, so as to form a sort of parachute. Drab above, 
 irregularly tinged with russet, slightly brighter in summer; 
 under parts pure white to the roots of the hair. 
 
 Range. Northern New York and Southern New England to 
 Georgia and west to the plains. A slightly different variety 
 replaces this in Rorida, while in the Northern part of its 
 range there occurs a much larger, quite different species. 
 (See below.) 
 
 Flying squirrels are so persistently nocturnal that it is ex- 
 tremely difficult to learn much about their habits. Yet they are 
 such beautiful, gentle, dreamy-eyed little forest folk, that one can- 
 not help wishing to know more about them. What do they do 
 with themselves in the quiet woods all night long, pattering 
 about among the leaves? 
 
 If you watch with exceeding patience, you may see them in 
 the dim light sailing from one tree to the next, but life is hardly 
 long enough to learn much about them in this manner. 
 
 When you have found a flying-squirrel tree it is easy 
 enough to rap on the bark with a stick and rout them out 
 into daylight, and make them show off their power of flying to 
 your satisfaction; but that will be about all you will get out of 
 them at such times. 
 
 I have made them come out on dark cloudy days and 
 watched them patiently, but their patience far exceeded mine; in 
 fact, I am not quite sure that they did not even go to sleep clinging 
 there against the bark, like lichens, which they so much resem- 
 bled as to suggest that their clouded cream buff colouring might 
 
 I7« 
 
A WVstern rrprpnt-ntativc 
 wit^i a sr'fcies ui cune. 
 
 ■f till' ICaaU-rn Rcl .S<,iiirrcl. Ph..t,«rai.lu-.l in llic HitU'r R.-it M.,„iii 
 
 By W. E. Cirlin 
 
 . alter n:any tnal-i, by baiting 
 
tt 
 
 ■fi 
 
 mm 
 
Fljrinc Squirrel 
 
 serve them well at imitating the fungus g.jwth or the bark of 
 a dead tree. Such protective copying is to be seen all through 
 the woods. On the same trees 1 noticed small dull-white half- 
 moon-shaped patches of fungus, and on closer inspection found 
 that fully two-thirds of them were moths flattened against the 
 under sides of the branches to avoid the drip of the rain. 
 
 But dark as it was that afternoon, it was not dark enough 
 to suit the flying squirrels, and I went away knowing them no 
 better than before. 
 
 Nor have the few tracks they leave in the snow ever told 
 me anything of much value concerning them; perhaps because 
 there is so very little to tell. They are easy animals to catch, 
 either in box traps or in their hollow trees when you have found 
 them, but a wild animal in captivity is but very little better than 
 a stuffed specimen. 
 
 Yet I am glad to know that there are flying squirrels '.n 
 my wood-lot, and trust that sometime I shall know them better. 
 About all that 1 do know about them, at present, is that most 
 of them live in thick woods and are social folk. Here a dozen 
 or more of them will occupy the same hollow tree and 1 have 
 heard of as many as forty being driven from the same hole. 
 At times they make use of a natural cavity, but most of those 
 that I have found appeared to have fashioned their own dwell- 
 ings. They generally choose a small dead tree with the top 
 broken off and with the wood soft and crumbling at the 
 heart. Near the top they gnaw a circular hole, usually beneath 
 a stub or branch, perhaps making use of the woodpecker's hole 
 already made. 
 
 Though it requires a pretty wide cavity to accommodate them 
 at times, there are seldom any chips scattered about, which would 
 seem to indicate intelligence enough on their part to perceive the 
 importance of concealing the traces of their work. 
 
 Species and Varieties of Flyiner Squirrels 
 
 We have two very different flying squirrels in the East, 
 each divisible into two slightly different races. 
 
 I. Southern Flying Squirrel. Sciuropterus volans Linnseus. Des- 
 cription and range as above. 
 
 m 
 
\ i! 
 
 Flying Squirrel 
 
 2 Florida Flying Squirrel. S. volans querceti Bangs. More 
 russet than the preceding, somewhat rusty on the under 
 
 Range. ' Replaces the last in southern Georgia and Florida. 
 J Northern Flying Squirrel. S. sabrinus macrotis Mearns. Larger 
 than the above (11.25 inches long) with the fur of the under parts 
 always gray at the base. Colour, cinnamon brown in summer, 
 sooty brown in winter, a black ring around the eye. 
 
 Range. Maine, southern Canada and the mountains of New 
 York (probably also in the AUeghanies). 
 4. Severn River Flying Squirrel. S. sabrinus (Shaw). SUU larger 
 (14. inches long), with shorter and broader ears. 
 
 Range. Arctic America to northern Canada. 
 
 178 
 
 Wh 
 
 m 
 
KLYINCI Syl'IRREL (Sritiroplrus volans) 
 
 Hy W. E. Carliii 
 
;i " 
 
 
 
 'I 
 
 f; 
 
 M 
 
 i 
 
 iitai 
 
 Mri 
 
MOLES AND SHREWS 
 
 (Insectivora) 
 
 The animals of this order are distributed in all parts of tht 
 world except Australia. The only representatives in North America 
 are the shrews and moles, and, indeed, these two groups make 
 up the bulk of the order throughout its range. 
 
 Nearly all the insectivores are terrestrial, the moles burrowing 
 in the ground, the shrews living in burrows and also on the surface. 
 They are mainly insectivorous as their name implies, though some 
 species vary their diet. 
 
 Our American species are all of small size and are clothed 
 with very soft, silky fur. The eyes are small and rudimentary, 
 while the teeth bear considerable resemblance to those of the 
 Carnwora. 
 
 Our two families may be distinguished as follows: 
 
 1. 
 
 Shrews. Family Soricidce. Fore feet similar to the hind 
 ones and not modified for digging. Appearance mouse- 
 like, but with a much more slender-pointed snout. 
 Scarcely a trace of .in external ear. 
 
 Moles. Family Talpidce. Fore feet very broad and turned 
 on edge, specially adapted for digging. No external ear 
 whatever. 
 
 SHREWS 
 
 (Family Soricida) 
 
 Our shrews are all of small size, some of them being the 
 most minute mammals known. They have the same soft fur 
 as the moles, but both eyes and external ears are better developed 
 though still inconspicuous, as we should expect, from their living 
 more or less in subterranean runways. 
 
 They form three w-U marked groups: the short-tailed shrewj, 
 long-tailed shrews and marsh shrews. 
 
 179 
 
Shott-tailed Shrew 
 
 u 
 
 Short-tailed Shrew 
 
 Blarina btevicauda (Say) 
 Called also Mole Shrew. 
 
 Length. 5 inches. 
 
 Description. Rather stout, tail short, about one-quarter the length 
 of the head and body. Coiour: sooty plumbeous, slightly 
 lighter below; varying in depth in changing light as the fur 
 is disturbed. Front teeth chestnut coloured at the tips. 
 
 Range. Atlantic State-, to Nebraska, south to Ohio, Maryland 
 and the mountain- of North Carolina. Replaced southward 
 by slightly differtr t varieties. 
 
 There is a class of little beasts common enough through- 
 out all our Northern States, yet hardly known by name or 
 otherwise. Resembling the mice in outward apppearance; in 
 their manner of living and getting their food they may almost 
 be said to copy the habits of the weasels. They have the lithe, 
 supple bodies and short legs of the weasel tribe without the 
 characteristic slimness of form; their flesh, like that of the weasel's, 
 is dark, fibrous and strong smelling. This might be attributed 
 to their similarly carnivorous habits, if it were not true that the 
 flesh of most meat-eating animals is comparatively light-coloured 
 and tender. 
 
 It might even be objected that shrews are not truly car- 
 nivorous but insectivorous, the fact that they are actually the smallest 
 of beasts rende.ing them powerless against all but a very few of 
 their kindred. 
 
 But ravenously fond of all kinds of flesh they certainly are, 
 and I believe that the young of the smaller ground-nesting birds 
 and perhaps young mice are frequently eaten by them. It would 
 not greatly surprise me to discover that they occasionally attack 
 creatures larger than themselves. Of the several distinct species 
 that should be found in most of the Eastern States, 1 have found 
 but one really abundant. This one is catalogued as the mole 
 shrew, and is found almost everywhere in great numbers. It is 
 commonly mistaken for a genuine mole, and small wonder; about 
 the only conspicuous difference being in the size of the fore feet, 
 A mole's fore feet are broad and hand-shaped to the extent of 
 
 180 
 
 mmm 
 
Shott-uUtd Shraw 
 
 being a deformity, and stand out from the shoulders lilce flippers. 
 A shrew's feet, on the contrary, including those of the little chap 
 under discussion, are perfectly normal in appearance and like those 
 of mice. 
 
 The mole shrew is four or five inches long, the tail about 
 one. It has a cylindrical, pig-like body, and dark ashy gray fur, 
 lighter beneath. They are obstinate, savage, little brutes, but are 
 unquestionably of immense service to the farmers, spending their 
 lives in a most vigorous pursuit of insects of all kinds. They 
 combine impartially the habits of the moles and shrews, some- 
 times burrowing along just beneath the turf which they push up 
 in low ridges which intersect each other, apparently quite at 
 random, without exhibiting any of the sy m characteristic of the 
 works of the mole. 
 
 This is evidently done in search of insects, though the tunnels 
 made in this manner are afterwards used as runways, and it may 
 be for nurseries. This partially underground existence shows its 
 effect on the species, not only in the mole-like shape of the 
 body, but in the size of the fore feet, which are a little larger 
 and broader than the hind ones, the fore feet of the other shrews 
 being small and delicate. 
 
 But the mole shrew in adopting the habits of the moles has 
 not given over the ways of its own people by any means. A 
 true mole on the surface of the ground is a creature completely 
 out of its element, its chief desire being to bury itself from 
 sight as quickly as possible. The mole shrew, on the contrary, 
 spends much of its time in the open air from preference, running 
 about over the fallen leaves of the forest or along the shaded 
 galleries of stone walls, which it is as fond of following as 
 is the weasel. 
 
 Their keen noses enable them to scent meat at a considerable 
 distance, and when they have succeeded in finding any that may 
 have been left by the larger hunters, they fall upon it ravenously, 
 tearing at it and devouring it with all the ferocity of wolves. 
 
 One that I caught in a trap had already, when I found it, 
 disposed of the raw meat, which had served as bait, and when 
 confined in a cage immediately seized upon whatever meat was 
 offered it, whether raw or cooked, without discriminating be- 
 tween kinds. Beef, pork and cold chicken — all went the same 
 way, while the fury of his appetite was being appeased. Both in 
 
 l8i 
 
i 
 
 Short-tailed Shrew 
 
 eating and drinking the projecting taper-liite nose or trunk was 
 turned up in order to enable him to use his mouth more freely, 
 for a shrew's mouth opens from beneath almost like that of a 
 shark The sensitive trunk is doubtless of service in pokmg 
 about beneath the leaves and in soft earth after worms, of which 
 the mole shrew is particularly fond. 
 
 Many of them take up their winter quarters in cellars where 
 they forage around in dusky corners for worms and insects, or 
 help themselves to whatever meat is left within their reach. 
 Their holes are dug into the surrounding soil and are probably 
 being multiplied and extended throughout the winter in search 
 
 of worms. . 
 
 There is no increasing pile of dirt at the entrance to mdi- 
 cate the little miner's progress, however. Like a true mole, he 
 disposes of the loose earth by pressing it aside as he goes 
 along, making a clear passage with smooth, compact walls. 
 
 None of the shrews appear to hibernate, and whether the 
 mole shrew ever passes the entire winter burrowing about in the 
 ground beneath the frost, or not, is hard to determine. The genume 
 moles are believed to occupy themselves in this manner all wmter 
 long and, of course, it is quite possible that the mole shrew 
 may do likewise, but 1 have my doubts about it 
 
 At all events, numbers of them are out on the surface of 
 the snow, even in th<; very coldest weather, when the ground 
 beneath is like stone. Part of their food at such times is ob- 
 tained by gleaning after the owls and foxes and other hunters 
 of the woodland. If they depended on this alone most of them 
 would starve long before spring, as even in warm weather they 
 require food oftener than almost any other creature of their size, 
 and though insects in small numbers are always to be found on 
 the snow, these would hardly suffice to appease a mole-shrew's 
 hunger. I believe that they get the greater part of their food at this 
 season by burrowing about among the dead leaves beneath the 
 snow in the forests, gatherinf the dormant insects that habitu- 
 ally pass the winter in such places. 
 
 The disagreeable, musky smeli which they emit when frightened 
 or angry serves to protect them from .lany of the marauders 
 of the forest, but not from all. Owls of all kinds appear to be 
 well pleased with their flavours, and catch and devour them in 
 large numbers. 
 
 i8l 
 
 ■k 
 
Short-tmUed Shrew 
 
 Neither are weasels to be deterred by their odour from in- 
 cluding them as a regular article of diet, but cats, and I believe 
 a majority of the hawks, only eat them when compelled to by 
 stress of hunger, though they frequently kill them, either mis- 
 taking them for mice, or else doing it for fun. 
 
 I have often picked up recently killed specimens that bore the 
 unmistakable marks of the claws of a bird of prey, while cats are 
 forever bringing them home from their hunting trips and leaving 
 them about on the lawn or in the paths. I have never known 
 a cat to bring one of them into the house, or show the least atom 
 of pride over its capture. Even the most inexperienced of kittens, 
 who invariably go off into perfect ecstasies of delight if they have 
 succeeded in bagging a baby mouse, or a fledgling fallen from the 
 nest, show only indifference or contempt when there is only a 
 mole shrew to exhibit. 
 
 Foxes, I believe, usually bring them home for the cubs to play 
 with, as they do everything else that comes within their reach in 
 summer, but 1 am inclined to think that such unsavoury mor- 
 sels are seldom used as food by them during the season of 
 abundance, though undoubtedly there are often times in midwinter 
 when many a fox is glad to get even a mole shrew for supper. 
 
 Species and Varieties of Short-tailed Shrews 
 
 Beside the common short-tailed shrew and its several geo- 
 graphic varieties, we have another quite distinct smaller species of 
 a different colour. The eastern species and varieties are as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 1. Northern Short-tailed Shrew. Blarina brevicauda (Say). De- 
 
 scription and range as above. 
 
 2. Southern Short-tailed Shrew. B. brevicauda carolinensis (Bach- 
 
 man). Smaller throughout, otherwise similar. 
 Range. Southern Indiana and Virginia to Florida. 
 ?. Everglade Short-tailed Shrew. B. brevicauda peninsulce (Mer- 
 
 riam). Grayer than the last, with larger feet. 
 Range. Tropical Florida, especially in the Everglades. 
 4. Brmvn Shrew. B. parva (Say). Very distinct from any of 
 
 the above; colour dark-brown or iron-gray, ashy below; 
 
 occurs in the same localities as the short-tailed shrew and 
 
 doubtless is identical in habits. 
 Range. Nebraska to southern Pennsylvania and New Jersey 
 
 and southward, except in the mountains. 
 
 183 
 
Common Shrtw 
 
 5. Florida Brown Shrew. B. floridana Merriam. Rather larger, 
 with narrower skull and white teeth. 
 Range. Tropical Florida. 
 
 :i(l 
 
 Common Shrew 
 
 Sorex personatus Geoffroy 
 Called -i»o Long-tailed Shrew. Shrew Mouse. 
 
 Lenith. 3.75 inches. 
 
 Description. Small and slender, with a long-pointed snout sup- 
 porting long "whiskers." Tail nearly as long as the head 
 and body. Colour dark-brown above, hairs slatv at their 
 base, brighter on the rump, and shading gradually to gray 
 on the underside. », , . „v 
 
 Ranee Canada to Indiana and southern New Jersey, and in the 
 Alleghanies to North Carolina. A somewhat similar shrew 
 is found in the low ground in North Carolina and several 
 others in the North. (See below). 
 
 The common shrew or shrew mouse is a smaller and much 
 more attractive little animal than the short-tailed shrew. The 
 smaller varieties are easily the smallest of our quadrupeds; a 
 common mouse looks overgrown and clumsy beside one of them. 
 
 Shrew mice are active throughout the winter, skipping about 
 over the surface of the snow from tree to tree, poking their 
 delicate, proboscis-like noses into crevices of the bark, and in- 
 vestigating the dark interiors of hollow trees at the bottoms of 
 which they have to root about in the crumbling wood and 
 vegetable mould for their accustomed prey. 
 
 Underneath wood piles and logs are favourite haunts of these 
 funny little beasts, and I believe that it is in such places as 
 these that they bring up their families. Both in winter and 
 summer they appear to prefer the neighbourhood of such little 
 streams as neither freeze nor become stagnant at either season. 
 
 Like all of the tribe of insect eaters this little shrew finds 
 the summer drought the most disastrous season of the year; at 
 such times many of them perish, evidently from thirst. 
 
 I have never had an opportunity of observing their method 
 of hunting in warm weather. All the living specimens that I 
 have found, except in winter, were crouching beneath old boards 
 
 184 
 
Comson Slmw 
 
 or wood piles, but knowing their choice of food and the places 
 they inhabit and their quaint way of getting about, it is easy 
 to imagine them stalking crickets and beetles in the shade of 
 the humbler growth of the forest. No doubt they get lots of 
 fun and breathless excitement and suspense before certain of the 
 larger and more active insects are subdued. With the exception 
 of some of the weasels they are perhaps the most hot blooded, 
 energetic, excitable little beasts alive. 
 
 Dr. Merriam, speaking of their voracious habits, states that he 
 once confmed three of these restless little beasts under an ordinary 
 tumbler. " Almost immediately they commenced fighting, and in 
 a few minutes one v/as slaughtered and eaten by the other two. 
 Before night one of them killed and ate its only surviving com- 
 panion, and its abdomen was much distended by the meal. 
 Hence in less than eight hours one of these tiny wild beasts 
 had attacked, overcome, and ravenously consumed two of its 
 own species, each as large and heavy as itself." Of the rapid 
 progress of the shrew when at large, he says, "if one is sitting 
 quietly in the woods it sometimes happens that a slight rust- 
 ling reaches the ear. There is no wind but the eye rests upon 
 a fallen leaf that seems to move. Presently another stirs and 
 perhaps a third turns completely over. Then something evan- 
 escent, like the shadow of an embryonic mouse, appears and 
 vanishes before the retina can catch its perfect image .... 
 Its ceaseless activity, and the rapidity with which it darts from 
 place to place is truly astonishing, and rarely permits the observer 
 a correct impression of its form." 
 
 I have never seen a live marsh-shrew though I have hunted 
 and set traps for them along various little brooks and similar 
 moist and watery places. It would appear that they occupy 
 much the same position among the shrews that minks and otters 
 hold in the weasel tribe, swimming about or diving beneath the 
 surface for minnows or water beetles, or racing along the margin 
 to stop here and there to overturn wet leaves or dig in the 
 mud for worms. 
 
 Tadpoles and caddis worms and the multitudinous variety of 
 wriggling larvae that inhabit the bottoms of little brooks must 
 furnish them with sufficient food at all seasons In all likelihood 
 they also make frequent excursions to higher and drier ground 
 as the whim seizes them. 
 
 ««S 
 
ComnoD Shrvw 
 
 They are considerably larger than the common shrew and 
 darker coloured, black above and white or ashy beneath; like 
 muskrats they have the hind feet and tail broadened and fringed 
 with stiff hairs for swimming. 
 
 Species and Varieties of Long-tailed Shrews 
 
 There are a number of minute long-tailed shrews which are 
 perfectly distinct from one another, but so small are they and 
 so much alike in superficial appearance that it is hard to dis- 
 tinguish them without dealing with technical terms. If we examine 
 
 
 Upper jaw of Shrew enlarged, showing " unicuspid teeth." (After Miller.) 
 
 the teeth of a shrew we will find in the upper ja.. three kinds: 
 first, a pair of large protruding incisor teeth in the front, almost 
 tusks when we consider the size of the shrew; second, three 
 large teeth (molars) on each side in the back of the mouth, and 
 third, four or five simple pointed teeth on each side, situated 
 between the other two. These last are called (in the shrew) 
 unicuspid or single pointed teeth, and furnish us the best aid in 
 distinguishing these little animals. 
 
 Our species may be grouped as follows: 
 
 A. Length 3.80—4.60 inches. Five unicuspid teeth on each side 
 Ai. Tail less than 1.80 inches 
 
 I. Common Shrm: Sorex personatus Geoffrey. Description and 
 
 range as above. 
 i Labrador Shrrd.'. S. personatus miscix Bangs. Larger, paler and 
 
 grayer. 
 Range. Labrador and Hudson Bay region. 
 3. Smohv Shrew. S. fumeiis Miller. Larger than the common 
 
 shrew, and dark slate coloured, shading into lighter ash 
 
 below, browner ni ;ummer. 
 Range. Colder and mountainous regions. New England, New 
 
 York and in the Alleghanies. 
 
 186 
 
Manh Bhnw 
 
 4. Southern Shrew. S. longirostris Bachman. Externally very 
 
 inuch like the common shrew, but with the snout and 
 skull much larger, and the third unicuspid tooth smaller 
 than the fourth. 
 Range. Bertie Co. and Raleigh, North Carolina. 
 
 5. Fisher's Shrew. S. ,'■ "ri (Merriam). Similar but larger and 
 
 duller. 
 Range. Dismal Sw«,i. Virginia. 
 
 A3. Tail very long (3.20 inches) and heavy 
 
 6. Long-tailed Shrew. S. macrurus Batchelder. Above, dark slate, 
 
 below, smoky gray. Easily known by the very thick tail 
 with a rather long pencil of hairs at the tip. 
 Range. Higher parts of the Adirondacks and Catskilis. 
 
 B. Very small; length j. 30— 3.40 inches. Apparently only four 
 
 UNICUSPID TEETH ON EACH SIDE, THE THIRD BEING EXCEEDINGLY SMALL 
 
 7. Hoy's Shrew. S. hoyi Baird. Brown above, shading to gray 
 
 beneath, a touch of fulvous between the front legs. The 
 smallest North American mammal. 
 Range. Minnesota to Nova Scotia and the Adirondacks. 
 
 Marsh Shrew 
 
 Sorex albibarbis (Cope) 
 Also called ]Vater Shrew. 
 
 Length. 6 inches. 
 
 Description. Shaped like the common sh^ew but much larger, 
 with a body nearly the size of a Blarina. Colour, blackish 
 slate, chin whitish beneath clouded with dusky. Tail, dark 
 above, white below. 
 
 Range. Labrador and Canada to the Adirondacks and Alleghanies 
 of Pennsylvania. From Minnesota west occurs a browner 
 species (S. palustris) and still others on the Pacific coast. 
 
 i«7 
 
li 
 
 MOLES 
 
 Family Talpida 
 
 Common Mole 
 
 Scalops aquaticus (Linnaeus) 
 Called also Naked-tailed Mole. 
 
 Length. 6.40 inches. 
 
 Description. Hands large and naked with powerful nails, hind 
 feet small and of usual shape, snout long and pointed, tail 
 short and naked. Fur glossy silvery gray, varying in shade 
 when disturbed or placed m different light ; often tinged 
 rusty. 
 
 Range. Southern Canada, southward in the lowlands to Florida, 
 where it is represented in the southern part of the peninsula 
 by the somewhat smaller Florida mole (S. aquaticus flori- 
 danus). A browner variety also occurs on Anastasia Island, 
 Fla., the island mole (5. anastasat Bangs). 
 
 Our common mole differs but little from the well-known mole 
 of Europe that for centuries has disfigured the rich English lawns 
 to the rage and disgust of the gardener. 
 
 Our species is responsible for the little heaps of new earth 
 which, with each recurring summer, are thrown up to deface 
 our own lawns. Morning after morning new hillocks stand 
 out defiantly, extending the line of diminutive earthworks along 
 the turf. 
 
 These heaps are not true mole-hills, but just the loose earth 
 thrown up by the little miner as the easiest way of being rid 
 of that which he displaces in digging for worms. 
 
 His work being usually carried out at a depth of five or 
 six inches, it is evident that he must dig the earth away with his 
 forepaws until it comes within reach of his hind feet with which 
 he kicks it still further back. 
 
 When a certain amount has gathered behind him, judging 
 from observations, I should say enough to fill the tunnel for a 
 space of five or six inches, he manages, somehow, to push the 
 whole along the narrow passage to the last opening made to 
 
 188 
 
COMMON MOLE {Scalops aqiialkus) 
 
 Hy A. K. Itugniora 
 
 STAR-NOSED MOLE ((xiulyliira .ri.sUiUi) 
 
 My I'. William Hccbc 
 
 MARSH SHREW {Sorry p.ihisiri^) 
 
 lly \V K ratlin 
 
 PhotuKraptuvl ill thr HitttT RiMit M.itnilaiTis ai ati all-'uiit' uf H.soo U-rt. Tin- j .'.rlv siirmuiKU- 1 hiin vvliile lit- \va* intsiing a 
 UrH« riK-k amt he henitativl l<«nu t>n«ii wh t«i atlnw Mr. Carliti t>i inakf an fxtHtaiirtv 
 
I I 
 
 [I 
 
 ji_ 
 
Common Mole 
 
 the surface. It must require a great deal of strength to accom- 
 plish this, taking into consideration the tendency lawns have for 
 packing under such conditions. By the time he has attained a 
 distance of a yard or more from his last dumping place, the exer- 
 tion apparently becomes too great and he opens up a new outlet 
 to the surface, and another heap is started. In this manner and in 
 sleeping the mole spends practically all his time ; forcing his un- 
 lighted way along with gimlet-like nose and scooping feet, the 
 confining earth crowding in all about him, restricting every move- 
 ment of his body. 
 
 In winter he conducts his labours at a greater depth in order 
 to escape the frost. In spring I have found recently made tunnels 
 in the subsoil four feet or more below the surface. 
 
 The American mole is also said to construct true mole-hills 
 similar to those of the more famous Old World species though 
 more deeply submerged. 
 
 A real mole-hill is an ingenious arrangement of galleries in 
 the hard-packed eart!, surrounding the nest-chamber as a safe- 
 guard and a means of escape. Two galleries encircle the 
 chamber at distance of a few inches one above the other, and 
 connected with it and with each other by numerous short passages, 
 insuring a quick and certain means of retreat in any direction. 
 From the lower gallery other passages decend to the main road- 
 way of the colony, which is an extended passage always kept 
 open and free from obstructing roots and earth, and used by 
 all the individuals of a colony in going from their nest to their 
 
 diggings. 
 
 I have never seen much evidence, however, that our common 
 mole works in colonies as the star-nosed and European species do. 
 It seems to me rather that each starts off by himself as soon as 
 he is able to dig alone, burrowing along at random in whatever 
 direction food appears to be most abundant. 
 
 Brewer's Mole 
 
 Parascahps breweri (Bachman) 
 
 Also called Hairy-tailed Mole. 
 
 Length. 5.80 inches. ,. . . 
 
 Description. Dark gray, tail blackish and thickly haired, rather 
 longer than that of the preceding; nose and hands similar. 
 
 i8g 
 
SUr-noud Mol* 
 
 Range. Northern North America, south to the mountains of New 
 Jersey and the Alleghanies. 
 
 This is a distinctly northern animal, occurring for the most part 
 above the range of the common mole. Its habits seem to be 
 essentially similar to those of the latter species, though, according 
 to Prof. Baird, it constructs its burrows at a greater distance 
 below the surface of the ground. Dr. Merriam, who found it 
 common on the edge of tht Adirondack wilderness, though not 
 in the coniferous forests, says: "Its habits, so far as 1 am aware, 
 resemble those of its nearest relative (Scalops aquaticus), except 
 that its mounds do not contain a chamber and surface-opening, 
 and its galleries are usually made a little deeper. Like this species, 
 it is most common in dry meadow lands, while the star-nosed is 
 usually found in moist and swampy places. It is not known to 
 indulge in the little 'noonday excursions' which are character- 
 istic of the last-named species." 
 
 On the Pennsylvania Alleghanies this mole occurs in com- 
 pany with various other northern animals and birds, which find 
 there, in the higher altitude, the same congenial conditions of 
 environment that prevail at lower levels much farther north. 
 
 ;L; tar-nosed Mole 
 
 Condylura cristata (Linnaeus) 
 
 Length. 6.80 inches. 
 
 Description. Dark brownish gray, paler beneath, tail long and 
 hairy -sometimes very thick at the base. Snout with a re- 
 markab. " naked appendage, somewhat resembling a star. 
 
 Range. Norths 'n North America, south through the middle states 
 and farther n the mountains. 
 
 The star-nosed mole is a creature almost as well-fitted for 
 a partially aquatic life as the otter and mink, and, as a matter 
 of fact, does pass most of its time about the watt : , pushing ex- 
 tensive tunnels through the black peaty soil of swamps and along 
 the borders of little brooks and ponds. The soft, black loam is 
 thrown up in frequent heaps a foot, more or less, in diameter; 
 the opening of the burrow being under the bank, and as often 
 beneath the water as above. The tunnel itself must frequently 
 be flooded to the great discomfort of its inmates. 
 
 190 
 
 jLi 
 
 mm 
 
 iJBKMwl 
 
Star-noMd Molt 
 
 I have never found their nests or young, and can not help 
 wondering how they manage in times of freshet, when the 
 meadows and swamps where they dwell are submerged. 
 
 But the old ones show no fear of the water; 1 have fre- 
 quently seen them swimming both under water and on the 
 surface, even where the current was pretty strong, and have 
 always observed them to be perfectly confident and unfrightened 
 at such times. • 
 
 Drought seems to affect them much more severely than 
 freshet, and in hot weather, after a few weeks without rain, 
 many of them are to be found dead, evidently having perished 
 from thirst. The star-nosed mole feeds principally upon worms 
 and whatever else of insect life it comes across in its under- 
 ground rambles, and judging by the carnivorous tastes of its 
 relatives, I have little doubt that it varies this diet with small 
 fish and reptiles and their eggs as well as the flesh of warm- 
 blooded creatures whenever it is to be obtained. 
 
 If they really hibernate in winter it must be only in an 
 interrupted sort of way, for it is not very uncommon for them to 
 be out along unfrozen brooks in the coldest weather, and certainly 
 either this or the common mole is often moving about just beneath 
 deep snow, the peculiar position of the fore paws of the creature 
 leaving a track not easily to be confounded with that of any 
 other animal. 
 
 The most feasible theory would seem to be that they pass the 
 winter deep down in the swamps, below the reach of the frosts, 
 where they may carry on their subterranean work at their leisure, 
 occasionally entering brooks to swim about beneath the ice in 
 pursuit of water-beetles and the like. 
 
 One, which I caught in the early part of last February, 1901, 
 must have ' ';en swimming near the middle of the brook not 
 far from the bottom, where the water was six or eight inches 
 deep; and although it had been in the trap under water for 
 several days where 1 found it, its fur still kept out the water 
 and dried as readily as otter fur, exhibiting the true quality of 
 the coat of a swimming animal. 
 
 What is the life of these little earth folk like? They see 
 and know little of the things most familiar to us and the other 
 creatures that love the sun-warmed air and the sky. 
 
 Most so-called nocturnal creatures are fond of the san and 
 
 191 
 
>.€^-«'*., 
 
 Star-noMd Mole 
 
 bask in it at mid-day, even those that are most active at night 
 lii(e their sun-bath at noon. 
 
 But these little "ground-dwellers" actually appear to dislike 
 the touch of the sun from the manner in which they avoid it. 
 They can know little more of the grass and flowers than the 
 moist touch of the colourless root fibres that fringe the ceilings 
 of their tunnels and the first tender shoots of the water-plants 
 they encounter beneath the ice months before winter shows 
 signs of breaking above ground. 
 
 Rare water-beetles and the larvx of insects, which famous 
 entomologists would gladly give years of patient study to learn 
 more about, must be every-day common-place matters to ih. 
 mole, but whether his "dim-eyed understanding" holds any 
 definite image of the things he so diligently searches for or not is 
 never to be known. Does he really distinguish between the 
 various kinds, 1 wonder, more than their taste and the crunch of their 
 crisp wing covers between his teeth ? 1 feel certain, that while he is 
 digging away earnestly down in the dark for his dinner, such dull 
 thought as he has is centred on the prospects of a lucky catch, 
 and naturally certain species of fat and well-flavoured grubs would 
 appeal more strongly to his appetite than others. 
 
 By the law of just compensation, his immense appetite and the 
 matter of eating, which occupies so very much of his time, ought 
 rightly to yield him a great deal of pleasure, there seems so little 
 else for him to enjoy. 
 
 !«• 
 
 mm 
 
BATS 
 
 (Chiropterd) 
 
 Bats are at once separated from all other mammals by their 
 peculiar modification for flight. The fore-limbs are much elongated, 
 especially the fingers, and a thin extensible membrane stretches 
 over this frame-work, connecting also with the sides of the body 
 and the hind legs. Another membrane stretches between th,- hind 
 legs, known as the interfemoral membrane. 
 
 Besides their flying apparatus, bats are peculiar in having their 
 hind legs twisted around in such a way that the knee bends back- 
 wards, which render it exceedingly difficult for them to walk, a 
 mere flapping shuffle being the result of their best efforts. On the 
 wing, however, their movements are exceedingly graceful, and they 
 turn and wheel in their varied evolutions with the greatest ease. 
 
 Other structures frequently mentioned in the description of 
 bats arejhe peculiar leaf-like appendages to the nose and the 
 "^ elongated lobe of the ear or tragus. 
 
 In their general anatomy and in their den- 
 tition, bats show a closer relationship to the 
 insectivora (shrews and moles), and may, indeed, 
 be regarded as a highly specialized off-shoot 
 from that group. 
 
 Bats are distributed in all parts of the world, 
 
 and vary in size from the small mouse-like 
 
 species to the big flying foxes of the Malay 
 
 region, the expanded wings of which measure 
 
 as much as thirty inches from tip to tip. 
 
 E«r of Bat, showint; These large bats and their allies are fruit 
 
 tr.^. (A/urMuur) gate^s, but the majority of the species, including 
 
 all our Eastern American bats, are insectivorous, and feed while 
 
 on the wing. 
 
 Bats are nocturnal in habits, and seem to be most active at 
 dusk and early in the morning, just before dawn. The hours 
 of day-time they spend at rest, hanging head downward by their 
 
 '93 
 

 Leaf-NoMd Prait Bat 
 
 hind feet, in some dark building, cave, or hollow tree. In 
 winter many bats hibernate in similar quarters, but there is also 
 a southward migration of certain species, like that of the birds. 
 
 The voice of bats is exceedingly high-pitched and squeaking, 
 and is most often heard when they have been captured or dis- 
 turbed during retirement in the day-time. 
 
 In such of our eastern bats as have been studied during the 
 breeding season, two young seem to be the regular number in 
 each litter, and they are usually bom in July. 
 
 Our American bats represent three families, as follows : 
 
 I. Leaf-nosed Bats. Family Phyllostomatidac. Size large, tail usually 
 wanting, a curious leaf-like appendage on the end of the nose. 
 
 II. Free-tailed Bats. Family Noctiliontda. Size rather small, 
 tail present but the terminal half free from the interfemoral 
 membrane, projecting bevond it. No appendage on the nose. 
 
 III. Common Bats. Family Vespertilionida. Similar to the last 
 but with the interfemoral membrane reaching to the tip of 
 the tail. 
 
 : I 
 
 LE/iF-NOSED BATS 
 
 (Family Phyllostomatida) 
 
 Leaf- Nosed Fruit Bat 
 Artibeus perspicillatus (Linnaeus) 
 
 Length. 3.7s inches. 
 
 Description. Head broad and thick, nose-leaf, consisting of a 
 high-pointed central lobe and two smaller lateral ones 
 separated from the middle one by the nostrils. No tail. 
 Interfemoral membrane reaching to the ankles, but much 
 hollowed out in the middle. Colour, deep brown or gray, 
 with more or less ashy tips to the fur. 
 
 Range. Tropical America, north of Key West, Florida. 
 
 This is only a rare straggler to our southernmost coast, and 
 is the only representative of the leaf-nosed or vampire bats that 
 we have in the eastern United States, though one occurs in 
 California and another in Texas. 
 
 «»4 
 
Florida Free-Tailed Bat ; Common Bati 
 
 In tropical America they are numerous, and feed mainly upon 
 fruit, as does the present species; two species, however, suck 
 blood from living animals, and concerning them many fanciful 
 stories have been written. 
 
 FREE-TAILED BATS 
 
 (Family Noctilionida) 
 
 Florida Free-Tailed Bat 
 
 Nyctinomus cynocephalus (Le Conte) 
 
 Length. 2.90. 
 
 Description. Ears nearly united on top of the head, sides of the 
 snout with deep wrinkles, short spines on the muzzle and on 
 the outside of the ear. Colour, plumbeous or dusky brown, 
 fur whitish at the base. 
 
 Range. South Atlantic and Gulf states. 
 
 hlabits apparently similar to the bats of the next family. 
 
 Common Bats 
 
 (Family Vesptrtilionida) 
 
 The bats of this family, found in the eastern United States, 
 may be distinguished as follows : 
 
 A. Ears very large, joined together by their bases in front.' 
 
 Big-eared Bat. 
 
 B. Ears moderate, not joined together in front. 
 
 i. Interfemoral membrane covered completely with fur on the 
 upper side, uniform with the back. Red Bat and Hoary Bat. 
 il. Interfemoral membrane naked or only sparsely haired, near 
 the base. 
 
 1. Fur black, with silvery white tips. Silver-haired Bat. 
 
 2. Fur light, yellowish brown, banded or mottled with 
 
 dusky. Pipistrelle and Leather-winged Bat. 
 
 ). Fur dark, glossy brown, not mottled. Big Brown Bat, 
 
 Little Brown Bat and Twilight Bat. 
 
 >9S 
 
Bi(-eared Bat; Little Brown Bat 
 
 Bier-eared Bat 
 
 Corynorkinus macrotis (Le Conte) 
 
 Length. 4.20 inches. 
 
 Description. Ears very large, joined togetiier in front ; a round 
 hump or swelling on each side of the head, between the 
 eye and the nostril. Hair above, yellowish brown; below, 
 grayish white, throat darker and tinged with yellow; all hairs 
 dark brown at the base. 
 
 Range. Gulf coast north to Kentucky and South Carolina. 
 
 !l 
 
 Little Brown Bat 
 
 Myotis lucifugus (Le Conte) 
 
 Length. 3.40 inches. 
 
 Description. Fur above, glossy brown; paler and more yellowish 
 below; wing membranes naked except a narrow strip near 
 the body. 
 
 Range. Whole of North America east of the Rocky Mountains. 
 Covering the same range there is a very similar species, 
 Say's Bat (M. snhulatus), with thinner membranes, longer 
 ears and narrower skull. These and the Pipistrelie are the 
 smallest of our bats. 
 
 Bats are easily the queerest things to be found in this part 
 of the world. 
 
 In spite of their general abundance, and their way of con- 
 gregating more thickly about dwellings than anywhere else, their 
 ways are little known. We know, at least, that they are warm- 
 blooded, funny, milk-giving little inhabitants of dark, stuffy cor- 
 ners of old buildings and hollow trees. Awake, at the most, 
 some four out of every twenty-four hours of their drowsy little 
 lives, they never make any nests or even attempt to fix ovei 
 the crannies where they hide and where the little bats are born. 
 These helpless things are not left at home at the mercy of fora- 
 ging rats and mice. When the old bat flits off into the twilight 
 the youngsters often go with her clinging about her neck, 
 swinging away over the tree-tops and along the foggy 
 water-side, while she chases the numberless little flying things of 
 the dark. 
 
 196 
 
Littl« Brown Bat 
 
 At times, however, she deposits them on the branch of a 
 tree, where they hang sheltered by the leaves, while she goes 
 oir foraging by herself. 
 
 The wings of a bat might be pretty accurately described as 
 abnormally-webbed fore feet. The bones of the fore arm and the 
 fingers are lengthened and drawn out to such an extent, that a 
 man in like condition would have fingers at least four feet long. 
 
 These slender finger bones are connected with each other, 
 and with the hind feet and tail, by a thin, dark-coloured, parch- 
 ment-like, almost naked skin. The wing, as a whole, corresponds 
 exactly with the accepted idea of a devil's or goblin's wing; 
 and the short, puggy head, with its big shapeless ears and wide 
 mouth and little blinking eyes, is of just as impish and devilish 
 an aspect. 
 
 Yet bats are the most gentle and friendly of living things. 
 Not only do they seek out the shelter of our buildings and pass 
 much the larger portion of their time there, but on hot summer 
 nights, when they are all flying abroad, they actually seem fond 
 of our society and flutter unafraid around us, just as swallows 
 do in the sunshine. 
 
 The chief attraction may be the mosquitoes and other pests 
 that come to torment us, but even if it is, the bats are still 
 performing a friendly office, though from a selfish motive; an J I 
 believe that outside of that, they are still sensitive to the attrac- 
 tion which nearly every small animal feels towards any larger 
 one who has never p'"en it cause to be afraid. 
 
 According to thv :,ooks there are four or five different species 
 to be found in this part of the country, but the only sort that 
 I have found in New Hampshire in any abundance is the little 
 brown bat, smaller than the others, with a soft, silky coat of 
 olive brown. 
 
 Most northern bats become thoroughlv dormant in cold 
 weather, and it has been stated, on good authority, that their 
 daily sleep is, in reality, hibernation, differing from the sleep 
 of other warm-blooded animals in the same manner that their 
 winter hibernation does. But this probably only refers to certain 
 species. The little bro^n bats that spend the days behind my 
 blinds apparently only sleep in the ordinary way, as they fre- 
 quently get to crowding and nudge and poke each other with 
 their sharp bony elbows, becoming half awake and squeaking 
 
 «97 
 
Little Brr ' 
 
 3jt 
 
 i! ; 
 
 peevishly a. the endeavou to arrange themselves more com- 
 fortably f»i 'he ren:"rder of their nap. But this . :tivity may be 
 due to th'j ncreaMtl iniubilitv of the muscuLir libre. v\ hich is 
 said to be an invariable .xcoi? iianiment of hibernation. When I 
 tnrew open the blind last October, exposing them to the full glare 
 of the afternoon sunlight, thev maintained the same position and 
 showed little sign of aw; kening, but half an hour later had 
 disappeared, though the s n was still several hours high. This 
 year the blinds were It-ft open for the first part of the summer, 
 and the bats were obliged to look up new sleeping quarters. 
 In July I closed the blinds, hopm^ to entice the bats I :k to 
 their former apartments; and. sure enough, about the first of the 
 month I was delighted to st - a solitary individual hanging by 
 his toes in one corner of the window fast asleep. Wishing to have 
 him pose as model for an illustration, I unceremoniously routed him 
 out and deposited him on mv desk, where he spent i most un- 
 happy morning, losing all patience with me before the portrai* 
 was half completed, — which was hardly to be wondered at, cot 
 sidering the circumstances. As often as I tried to (jf ' im t. 
 change his position, he would break forth into shrill tterin« 
 protests and snap viciously at everything within reach .lut 1 
 soon quieted down on being left alone, and slept coi jlacentl 
 close to my hand whik I sketched him. Several me& he 
 escaped and flew deliberately downstairs, which 1 unk few 
 birds wouM have the intelligence or coolness to do. All those 
 that I ha. J seen in similar circumstances fluttered elplesslv 
 against the glass or ceiling and absolutely refused to fl- down- 
 ward under any provocation; but n / bat flew up or do with 
 equal willingness, and from room o room, earnestly st chmg 
 for a passage to the open air. V ^never he felt tired he would 
 hang himself up in the fold of a . 
 fast asleep as soon as he was 
 learned to avoid as slippery and ' 
 
 screens turn -"d better foothold anj ihe way he x ouli 
 about over these was something in^-veilous. Fmally car- 
 outdoors and gave him his frped< .md, in pite < 
 he seemed to find no difficult n eeing, bi ■ arted a. 
 the barn window, which was pa cly oner? J entert 
 the swallows did. No one seein lim a' ne i me <:ould 
 ably have accused him of blindnt nor th vrm " bii 
 
 ijin to rest, apparently beir-; 
 
 - V settled. Glass 
 herous . but t ^e 
 
 SO' n 
 quit.-) 
 
 .it 
 h 
 
 198 
 
FOL-R ri)MM;iN' liASTICKN HATS 
 
 ■ I'lpislrelk- l/'ip;v/r,//„s jni.'.'.jMij] (fur v,ll..>vi>;, lin.ivii. 
 n'r.',!^''„ h'7', r " ''-•'•""""'■'" 'i<«'"'.Wi«s) (furlilaik with silv 
 u i I? , , ' '■>'^''"'"' "<■«"< ' (lur dark l.r..wiil 
 KrJ Mat (/.Jjinruj '> .rci/zsl (lur rusty n-ill 
 
 lAb Kit t ^ r fifths natural sizt-; 
 
 I't'dH AiuticU ApcL-imcns 
 
 -TV tips) 
 
 iMdi 
 
 riH 
 
 Bl 
 
II 
 
 1! 
 
 1!^ 
 
Uttl* Bfown Bat 
 
 a bat" seem applicable when you caught the gleam and sparkle 
 of his wicked little eyes, peering out from beneath his woolly 
 eyebrows. He evidently decided that he had chosen an unsafe 
 sleeping place, and tor a little while the window was deserted; 
 but in a few days 1 noticed a smaller specimen of his race in the 
 opposite corner, and the day following there were nine of varying 
 size ranged along the upper sash in their usual characteristic atti- 
 tudes. One near the middle of the row was wide awake; washing 
 himself after the manner of a cat, he would lick his foot or a 
 portion of his wing and rub his head with it the wrong way of 
 the fur, and scratch himself rapidly behind the ear with one of 
 his little thumb nails at the bend of his wing, the long bone of 
 his fore-arm beating a tattoo on the glass beside him as he did 
 10. The elasticity of the wing membrane is truly astonishing; he 
 would seize an edge of it in his mouth and stretch it into all 
 kinds of grotesque shapes in his endeavour to get it clean enough 
 to suit his fancy, and sometimes, when at work on the inside, he 
 would wrap his head up in it entirely, the thin rubbery stuff con- 
 forming to the general outline of his skull in the most startling 
 manner. 
 
 Judging from those in the window, it would appear that bats 
 are not given to occupying the same roosting places with any 
 great degree of regularity, but spend the night chasing insects 
 wherever these are t be found in great abundance, and hang 
 themselves up to sleep where daylight happens to catch them. I 
 kept an exact account of the number sleeping in the window 
 during the month of August of the year 1898, beginning with the 
 first Saturday, and soon noticed that for some inexplicable reason 
 they were given to congregating there on Sunday nighti, and that 
 their numbers usually fell off until the middle of the week, and 
 then increased again until Sunday. Here are their numbers as I 
 set them down each day on my calendar: Saturday, 4; Sunday. 16; 
 Monday, 9; Tuesday, 4; Wednesday, 2; Thursday, s; Friday, 10; 
 Saturday. 10; Sunday. 18; Monday, 10; Tuesday, a; Wednesday, o; 
 Thursday, o; Friday, 1; Saturday, 1. The third Sunday I was 
 away, and so failed to take account of them, but on Monday 
 there were ?. and 2 on Tuesday. For the next three days the 
 window was unoccupied. Saturday 1 found 1, Sunday 1 and Mon- 
 day ), after which they abandoned the window almost entirely. 
 though I occasionally found a solitary specimen snuggled in one 
 
 I9Q 
 
 ■Mi 
 
Little Brown Bat 
 
 corner of the sash. I find that they habitually sleep in the barn 
 in the narrow space between the ridge pole and the roof boards, 
 though whether their numbers vary there from day to day as they 
 do in the window. I am unable to ascertain. I have an idea that 
 they also spend the winter there, for they are -aid usually to choose 
 some such place to hibernate in. 
 
 As twilight comes on, the bats in the window h?gin to grow 
 somewhat more restless, scrambling down from time to time to 
 peer out befvecn the slats as if to pass judgment on the weather. 
 Then suddenly one of them launches oat and downward at an 
 angle toward the earth for a few yards, then sweeps up and away 
 among the tree tops. Another follows, and then two or three to- 
 gether, till in very short time the blinds are empty; but outside 
 Tn the darkness the bats are zigzagging about in pursuit of their 
 supper. 
 
 Large Brown Bat 
 
 Vespcrtilio fiiscus bt-uvois 
 
 Called also Carolina Bat. 
 
 Length. 4.60 inches. Expanse of uings. 12 inches. . 
 
 Description. Flight membranes naked except the baso of the m- 
 terfemoral membrane. Fur silky, dark brown, rather lighter 
 below 
 
 Raniic' Gulf Coast north to Maine and Ontario. One c the com- 
 monest bats in the lowlands of the Middle States. 
 
 This is one of the commonest bats through the southern 
 United States as far north as the upper limits of the Carolinian 
 f.mnal belt, through southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New 
 York and the Connecticut Valley. 
 
 In the Hudson Valley, Dr. A. K. Fisher sa. s: " They are the last 
 to make their appearance in the evening. In fact, when it gets 
 so dark that objects are blended in one unceruin mass, and the 
 bat hunter finds that he is unable to shoot with any precision, 
 the Carolina bats make their appearance as mere dark shadows, 
 flitting here and there while busily engaged in catching insects. 
 We have to make a snap-shot as they dodge in and out from 
 
 tee 
 
 fSE 
 
 iiHi 
 
 ifi 
 
Georgia Pipiiuelle 
 
 
 the dark tree tops, and are left in doubt as to the result until, 
 in the gloom, we may perchance see our little black and tan, 
 seemingly as interested in the result as we are, pointing the 
 dead animal." 
 
 About Philadelphia this is our commonest species, and any 
 evening throughout the summer ;md autumn numbers of them 
 may be seen circling aliout in localities where their favourite in- 
 sect-food abounds. One old garden that I recall, skirted by an 
 ancient grape-wall and surrounded by shade-trees, was always a 
 favourite resort for bats, and many an exciting evening has been 
 spent both in securing specimens and studying the habits of 
 these interesting animals. 
 
 The large brown bat was always distinguishais^ on account 
 of his size which, in the uncertain twilij^ht, w.is frequently ex- 
 aggerated, and more than once one of this common species was 
 mistaken for a possible hoary bat, an animal which, m sfrite 
 of our eflforts, was never detected in this spot. 
 
 The large brown bat is seen lat*" in autumn and on nwid 
 evenings in mid-winter, and they not infrequently fly into houses 
 during the latter season and seek temporary shelter only to sally 
 forth again the next night to the terror of certain of the ccru- 
 pants of the bedrooms, causing an excitement that could scarcely 
 be surpassed were they the famous vampires of the tropics. 
 
 In summer-time they still more frequently enter houses in 
 the evening in pursuit of flies and other insects which are at- 
 tracted by the lights, and pass back and forth wheeling and 
 twisting with the utmost dexterity, and always avoiding objects 
 which may stand in their path. 
 
 Since the introduction of electric lights along the streets of 
 the city, the bats are frequently to be seen flying about in their 
 radiance, reaping a rich harvest of their favourite food. 
 
 Ceorffia Pipistreile 
 
 PipistrellHS subflavus (Cuvicr) 
 
 Length. 3.40 Inches. Expanse of vings. 8.50 inches. 
 Description. Wing membranes thin, only furred near the base of 
 the interfemoral membrane. Fur, light yellowish brown. 
 
 amm 
 
fi 
 
 Silver-haired Bat 
 
 blotched or mottled with dusky, below uniform yellowish 
 brown 
 Range. Eastern United States, southern Pennsylvania and lower 
 Hudson VaUey, west to Iowa and Texas. About Lake George, 
 N Y and probably elsewhere northward occurs a closely re- 
 lated"'vane-y, the northern pipistrelle (P. subflavus obscurtis 
 Miller), which is darker and less yellow. 
 
 The Georgia bat or pipistrelle is quite common in south-eastern 
 Pennsylvania, apparently much more so than the little brown bat 
 which it so closely resembles when on the wing that identification 
 is practically impossible. 
 
 Silver-haired Bat 
 
 LasionycterU noctivagans (Lc Conte) 
 
 Letmih. 4 inches. Expanse of wings. 9 to to inches. 
 
 Description. Interfemoral membrane sparsely haired. Hir, aarK 
 brown or bUck, with silvery-white tips. Ear short and 
 rounded. „ , . j »i. 
 
 Range. North America, south throughout Pennsylvania and the 
 
 southern Alleghanies. 
 
 Generally speaking the silver haired bat is the commonest species 
 in the northern parts of the United States, though as all bats are 
 somewhat local in distribution, one kind will perhaps be more abund- 
 ant in one locality and another in another. It is frequently seen about 
 Philadelphia, although not nearly so abundant there as the large brown 
 and red bats. 
 
 It seems to be an early flier, and my experience coincides with 
 Dr. Merriam's, that it is far more plentiful in the early evening than 
 later on in the night. 
 
 In ni^ht it always seems to be slower and less erratic than the 
 
 larger species. 
 
 Dr. Merriam says : " Like many other bats it has a decided 
 liking for water-ways, coursing up and down streams and rivers, 
 and circling around lakes and ponds. . . • Next to water 
 courses, the borders of hard-wood groves are the favourite haunts 
 of the silver-haired bat. By standing close under the edge of the 
 
 £k 
 
 -.,.^..gKg: 
 
R«d Bat 
 
 trees one sees many that at a little distance would pass unob- 
 served. While searching for their insect prey, they may 
 be seen to dart in and out among the branches and to penetrate 
 in various directions the dense mass of (oliage overhead. 
 
 According to information furnished to Dr. Merriam, this species 
 passes the day in hollow trees, while the young have been found 
 clinging to the twigs of an old crow's nest. 
 
 Red Bat 
 
 Lasiurus borealis (Miiller) 
 
 Length. 4.40 inches. Expanse of wings. 1 1 inches. 
 
 Description. Base of wing membranes, whole interfemoral mem- 
 brane and base of the ears densely furred. Fur varying in colour 
 from bright rusty red to grayish tinged with rufous; always 
 lighter on the lower surface, hairs generally somewhat tipped 
 with white, and a whitish patch in front of each shoulder. 
 
 Range. Canada to Texas and Northern Florida. One of the com- 
 monest species. In Florida there is found a darker variety, the 
 Florida red bat (L. borealis osceola, Rhoads), though in winter 
 the Northern red bat migrates southward and both forms occur 
 together. 
 
 This species is nearly as common about Philadelphia as the 
 large brown bat, and seems to range rather farther north, being 
 by far the commonest bat in those parts of Pennsylvania lying 
 between the Carohnian belt and the mountains. 
 
 The red bat comes out eariier in the evenings than the other 
 kinds, sometimes when it is still quite light, so that the bright 
 rufous colour of the fur is easily seen. At such times 1 have 
 frequently been amused by the way in which they will pursue 
 a stone tossed into the air anywhere in their vicinity. Without 
 a thought of the possibility of its beinj; thrown at them, they 
 wheel suddenly and dart after the falling missile, followmi; it 
 closely almost to the ground. Where dark caves are to be 
 found, these bats congregate there in immense numbers during 
 the daytime, but in most localities thev frequent lofts and 
 garrets which offer them suitable shelter. One such resort, which 
 1 examined some years since, was in a garret usually kept dark 
 by closed shutters. The bats entered by little cracks between the 
 bricks and woodwork of the gable. When the window was 
 
 •«3 
 
 J 
 
 mdrnt 
 
.1 ( 
 
 Ilocrx Bat 
 
 opened and a flood of light admitted, several hundred of the 
 little animals were discovered clinging in a compact mass to the 
 rougii bricks and mortar of the chimney. They twisted up their 
 ugly little faces and uttered their shrill squeaking objections, the 
 whole mass looking like a great tawny "hydra-headed" monster. 
 Upon stirring them with a stick the air immediately became 
 f.ll.'J with bats, and there was a grand scurry for the openings 
 under the roof, whence they scattered in the unwelcome sunlight 
 in a iTi.id rush for another shelter. One summer two little bats 
 were discovered hanging close together on the bianch of a low 
 tree on the lawn; during the daytime the parent remained with 
 them, folding her wings about them, but at dusk she generally 
 left them while she foraged for food. After a couple of days, 
 however, they disappeared, doubtless transferred to some other 
 spot safe from prying eyes. 
 
 Hoary Bat 
 
 
 Lasiurus cinereus (Beauvois) 
 
 Lenrth. S.40 inches. Expanse of 'dings. 12 to 15 inches. 
 
 Description. Much larger than the red bat, but with the s.ime 
 distribution of fur over the interfemoral membrane. hur 
 mingled d.irk-brown and light yellowish-brown, more or less 
 tipped with silverv white. White predominating below. 
 
 Range Maine, Ontario and mountains of New England, New York 
 and the Alleghanies, migrating southward m winter through- 
 out the United States. 
 
 The hoary bat is the largest bat of the Northern and Mid- 
 dle States, and is the rarest of all our Eastern species. Even 
 in the North, where they make their home among the for- 
 ests and mountain wildernesses, they are only seen occasion- 
 ally, and stiil less frequently are specimens secured. Dr. C. 
 Hart Merriam has graphically described his efforts to obtain spe- 
 cimens of this rare animal in the Adirondacks. "The twilight 
 is fast fading into night," he writes, "and your eyes fairly ache 
 from the constant effort of searching its obscurity, when sud- 
 denly a large bat is seen rpproaching, perhaps high above the 
 tree tops, and has scarcely entered the limited field of vision, 
 when, in swooping for a passing insect, he cuts the line of a 
 
Hoary Bat 
 
 distant horizon and disappears in the darkness below. In breath- 
 less suspense you wait for him to rise, crouching low that his 
 form may be sooner outlined against the dim light that still 
 lingers in the northwest, when he suddenly shoots by, seemingly 
 as big as an owl, within a few feet of your very eyes. Turn- 
 ing quickly you fire, but too late! He has vanished in the 
 darkness. For more than a week each evening is thus spent, 
 and you almost despnir of seeing another hoary bat, when, per- 
 haps on a clear cold night, just as the darkness is becoming 
 too intense to permit you to shoot with accuracy and you are 
 on the point of turning away, something appears above the 
 horizon that sends a thrill of excitement through your whole 
 frame. There is no mistaking the species — the sizt, the sharp, 
 narrow wings and the swift flight serve instantly to distinguish 
 it from its nocturnal comrades. On he comes, but just before 
 arriving within gunshot he makes one of his characteristic zig- 
 zag side shoots and you tremble as he momentarily vanishes 
 from view. Suddenly he reappears, his flight becomes more 
 steady, and now he sweeps swiftly toward you. No time is 
 to be lost, and it is too dark to aim, so you bring the gun 
 quickly to your shoulder and fire. With a piercing, stridulous 
 cry he falls to the earth. In an instant you are stooping to 
 pick him up, but the sharp grating screams, uttered with a tone 
 of intense anger, admonish you to observe discretion. With 
 delight you cautiously take him in your hand and hurry to the 
 light to feast your eyes upon his rich and handsome markings. 
 He who can gaze upon a freshly killed example without feelings 
 of admiration is not wo ■ v to be called a naturalist." 
 
 To the southward of the Canadian fauna the hoary bat occurs 
 only as a migrant during the winter months, early spring and 
 Lite autumn, and it is here, if anything, a rarer sight than in 
 its true home to the northward. I have known of specimens 
 being secured about Philadelphia, but in spite of many evenings 
 spent in looking for it at times, when its occurrence .'^cemod 
 most likely, 1 have never been successful in obtaining a glimpse 
 of this interesting bat. 
 
 »o5 
 
 ■ittlk 
 
 mmmm 
 
1^ 11 
 
 : I 
 
 t' 
 
 i 
 
 LMiatr«winff*d Bat; TwiUght Bat 
 
 Leather>winfirecl Bat 
 
 Dasypttnu intermedius (H. Allen) 
 
 Length. 5.60 inches. Expanse of wings, 16 inches. 
 Description. Membranes thick and leathery. Fur light yellowish- 
 brown, with plumbeous bases; slightly tipped with dusky. 
 Range. Gulf States and Northern Mexico. 
 
 Twilight Bat 
 
 Nycticeius kunuralis (Raiinesque) 
 
 Length. 3.70 inches. Expanse of wings. 9 inches. 
 
 Description. Ears and membranes thick and leathery, fur sparse 
 and short, dull umber-brown above, lighter beneath. 
 
 Range. South Atlantic and Gulf States, rarely northward to South- 
 ern Pennsylvania. 
 
 A common bat in the South, with habits essentially like 
 those of other species. 
 
 H 
 
 iSaBBfib 
 
 ^mm 
 
CARNIVORES OR FLESH-EATING 
 ANIMALS 
 
 (Carnivore.) 
 
 Next to the rodents the carnivorous animals are probably the 
 most numerous order of mammals, and occur in all parts of the 
 world except Australia.* 
 
 These animals, as their name imphes, are typically flesh- 
 eaters, and most of them live on animals which they kill them- 
 selves. We therefore find them usually ferocious, strong and 
 agile, though many species become quite tame and gentle when 
 domesticated, and exhibit great intelligence. 
 
 The carnivora are divisible into two suborders — the peculiar seals 
 (Pinnipedia)\, which are adapted to an aquatic life, and the terres- 
 trial carnivora (Fhsipedia). The latter, which are the typical repre- 
 sentatives of the order, may be more minutely considered. Their 
 most distinguishing characters are, as usual, to be found in the 
 .skull and teeth. Of the latter the canines are very large and 
 
 Skull of Weasel 
 S S Carnauial T««th 
 
 easily distinguished, while the back teeth, or molars, are always 
 tubercuiate and generally more or less sharp and pointed, and 
 suited for cutting and tearing flesh. 
 
 • The Dingo or Australian dog was probably introduced, 
 t See under Phocidm, p. 114. 
 
 J07 
 
 titim 
 
i til. 
 
 n 
 
 iV 
 
 
 
 Cuniyorw 
 
 One tooth in each jaw is peculiarly large and modifled for 
 this purpose and has been named the "carnasjial-tootli" or 
 "flesh-tooth." 
 
 The feet of the carnivores are moderate and never elongated, 
 as in the hoofed animals, and are provided with sharp claws; 
 these are frequently "retractile," that is capable of being with- 
 drawn into folds of the skin and thus protected from wear and 
 tear while the animal is walking. The carnivores are said to 
 be plantigrade or digitigrade, according to whether the whole 
 foot touches the ground when walking, as in the bears, or only 
 the tips of the toes, as in the cats. 
 
 The families found in eastern North America are as follows: 
 
 I. Feet modihed into flippers, suborder Pinnipedia 
 
 I. Eared Seals. Family OtariidiT. Hind flippers capable of 
 being turned forward for walkinic when on land, head 
 seal-like, ears small, but well developed. 
 
 II. Walruses. Family Odobxnidcc. Hind flippers used in walk- 
 
 ing as in the last. Body enormous and unwieiJy, no 
 external ears, upper canine teeth immensely elongated 
 into long down-pointing tusks. 
 
 III. Seals. Family Phocidar. Hind flippers directed backward 
 
 and only capable of use for swimming, no external ear 
 and no tusks. 
 
 II. Feet not modified into flippers, suborder Fissipedia 
 A. Toes, five on all feet 
 
 IV. U^'easels, Otters, etc. Family Miistelidiv. Size generally 
 
 small and shape slender, with long tail (except the 
 
 wolverine and badger). Tail sometimes tipped with 
 
 black, but never annulated. 
 V. Ra ooits, lie. Family ProcyoitidiV. Size medium, tail 
 
 long, generally bushy and annulated, black and white 
 
 for Its w hole length. 
 VI. Bears. Family Ursida: Size large, tail very short, uniform 
 
 in colour with the back. 
 
 B. Toes, five on the fore feet, bi t four on the hind feet 
 
 VII. IVolves and Foxes. Family Canidat. Toes not retractile. 
 
 VIII. Cats. Family Felida. Toe-^ -etractile. 
 
 108 
 
 A 
 
 -ai 
 
; 
 
It 
 
EARED SEALS 
 
 (Family Otariida) 
 
 These large seals arc found in North America only on the 
 Pacific Coast, the best known being the fur seal of Bering Sea, 
 the hair seal and sea hon. 
 
 Fur Seal 
 
 Otoei alascanits (Jordan & Clark) 
 
 Called 
 
 ^.j 
 
 .•.T. 
 
 Length. 6 ft- . (Fii';.'.u 3 feet 10 inches.) 
 
 Description, ''i i\ ';o\.;,cd with a very fine . fr .1 r-rfur jrJ a 
 coarser, or ? wth of hair overlyir.;j it; : ^' jr chestnut- 
 
 brown to blaiK, m old individuals st .k : • " ix.d with gray, 
 especially above. Fei^ialcs very much i >'' . and generally 
 lighter than the males. 
 
 Range. Pribilof Isl-nds, Bering Sea in the breeding season, at 
 other times all along the coast of California. 
 
 Of all our native American animals none have been brought 
 so prominently to the attention of the general public as the fur 
 seal of Alaska. Ever since the discovery of their breeding grounds 
 in the North I'acilic and the realization of the value of their skms 
 in the markets of the world, they have bct-n the cause of legis- 
 lation and disputes in which Russia, the United Slates and Great 
 Britain have been involved. 
 
 The many government investigations, witli their voluminous 
 reports, have given us a more exhaustive account of ilio life and 
 habits of the fur seal than we possess of any of olu other ani- 
 mals; ani! indeed, a beast possessing so many peculiarities is 
 well worthy of the attention, entirely apart from the commercial 
 side of the question. 
 
 Originally all the fur seals of the North Pacific were regarded 
 as representing but one species, but it now appears that there 
 are three distinct herds which keep quite separate from one an- 
 other and which form three recognizable races or species, differ- 
 ing both in colour and structure. The most numerous <uid at the 
 
 209 
 
 i^ 
 
h 
 
 
 
 Fur 8m1 
 
 same time only strictly American »P"'«^ '.' ["j' ^i^^Ji;; 
 seal of the Pribilof Islands, the other spec.es /"h«b.t "g resp^^e^y 
 Bering anc" Medni Islands, and Robben IsUnd m the Sea ot 
 
 ^'^'ihe' fur seal is a migratory animal, spending the summer and 
 autumn in its breeding ground on the Pribilofs and ?««'"« ^« 
 winter at sea. ranging down the coast as ^^^ " .«'"»'^'^"J';'- 
 fornia. The females reach maturity at the end of their second 
 year while the males do not gain their full sue and strength 
 unti seven years old. As in most ^-egarious and polygamous 
 inimaLtJis' results in several distinct s..es of growth wh.ch 
 are designated by the sealers by special nanes. There are the 
 Idult "bulls" and 'cows." as well as the new-born "pups, 
 whl the young males of three years are the "bachelors" and 
 the older ones the "half bulls." ,.•...„ 
 
 The summer life of the breeding .{round or '•rookenes a 
 described by visitors is exceedingly interesting. About the first 
 of May the old bulls begin to arrive and take up their positions 
 on the bleak rocky beaches. By June the cows appear and as 
 ?ast « they land are Uken in hand by the bulls, each one 
 eventually surrounding himself by a "harem" which he guards 
 and rounds up. forcing back any cow that attempts to escape^ 
 The single pup is bom shortly after the arrival of the cow and 
 a, s<J!n as it has become suflRdently strong to be left she re- 
 pairs to the .sea to feed, returning to it at intervals. 
 ^Meanwhile the "bachelors" and "half bulls" arrive at the 
 rookery, but herd by themselves and make no attemp to intrude 
 Ton the harems. The late arriving bulls which f.,1 to secure 
 harems locate immediately behind their more fortunate rivaU and 
 by their efforts to encroach upon adjoining harems or steal cows 
 they continually precipitate desperate fights wh.ch frequently resul 
 !n their own destruction and cause great uproars throughout 
 
 ^^' The*1ld bulls, which often for a space of two months 
 have been forced to fast in order to maintain their positions in 
 the rookery, begin to seek their feeding ground at sea about the 
 middle of July. They are usually much emaciated as compared 
 with their fat sleek appearance at the beginning of the season. 
 Te great thick coat of blubber having been absorbed to supply 
 thdr bodies in lieu of food. The killing for the market is re- 
 
f 
 
 f ■ 
 
 1^ 
 
Stallcr's aa 
 
 stricted to the bachelor seals, which from their habit of herding 
 apart from the others can readily be driven aside, and those 
 desirable for killing selected. The skins of four-year-old animals 
 are less valuable and those of the old bulls worthless. 
 
 By the exercise of care and the enforcement of a definite 
 limit to the number to be killed in a year, the stock of seals 
 could easil be maintained, but the pelagic sealing when the 
 animals are away from their rookeries is most destructive. 
 
 Steller's Sea Lion 
 Eumetopics stelUri (Lesson) 
 
 Length, lo feet. (Female 8 feet 6 inches. ) 
 
 Description. Lacks the dense fur of the preceding. Hair, redaish 
 
 brown inclined to golden in summer, duller and browner 
 
 in winter. 
 Range. Bering Straits to California. 
 
 This animal is a hair seal like the following and lacks the 
 soft velvety underfur of the fur seal. It is the largest of the 
 group, considerably exceeding the fur seal, which in habits it 
 much resembles. Throughout the Bering Sea region it is the 
 onU sea lion, but farther south its range overlaps that of Gilles- 
 pie's hair seal, and in the neighbourhood of San Francisco both 
 occur together and are often confused under the same general 
 name. The present species is, however, much the rarer at this 
 point. 
 
 Gillespie's Hair Seal 
 Zalophus califomianus (LeMon) 
 Called also Sea Lion, Gitlespies Seat. 
 
 Lengtit. 7 feet. 
 
 Description. Dark reddish brown in summer. Much lighter in 
 winter, when the upper paru are pale grayish, though stifl 
 brown beneath and on the limbs. Form much more slender 
 than either of the preceding, with a much longer and more 
 slender snout than the fur seal. 
 
 Range. P.icilic Coast of the United States north to California 
 (San Francisco.) 
 
 til 
 
 ■■■liliii 
 
% 
 
 u 
 
 t 
 
 '(i fi 
 
 I 
 
 Adaati* Walrus 
 
 This is the common sea lion of the California coast and the 
 one generally seen in menageries and zoological gardens. It is 
 the smallest of our eared seals, as well as the most slender and 
 mos' agile. Its habits resemble those of the other species, and 
 on the islands of the California coast the same battles are waged 
 for I'lc masterv of the harems as aire conducted on the Pribiloft 
 by t'le fur seal. The short, barking cry of the hair seal is famil- 
 iar to all who have seen these animals in captivity, and is quite 
 different to the prolonged roar of the Stellers sea lion. 
 
 WALRUSES 
 
 (family Odobcnida) 
 
 The walruses are closely allied to the seals, being, like them, 
 carnivorous mammals modified for an aquatic life. From the true 
 seals they differ in their immense size and fat, clumsy form, also 
 in the structure of their hind feet, which can be turned forward 
 so as to assist in supporting the animal when on shore; and in 
 the enormous tusks in the upper jaw which represent the 
 canine teeth. Another peculiarity of the walruses is found in the 
 horny flaps which terminate the toes and project out beyond the 
 
 claws. 
 
 In the structure of both feet and toes, as well as m other 
 respects, the walruses are closely allied to the eared seals of the 
 Pacific. 
 
 Atlantic Walrus 
 
 Odobenus rosmams (Linnaeus) 
 
 Ungik. 10 feet 6 Inches. 
 
 Deuriptum. Body very thick and heavy, neck short, no external 
 ears or tail. Muzzle covered with stiff brisUes, tusks la to 
 iS inches long. Hair scanty, general colour of body yeUow- 
 ish brown; old males much wrinkled over the back and 
 shoulders and often nearly devoid of hair, showing numer- 
 ous bare patches. 
 
 -|f 
 
\ 
 
 t 
 
 mmmmm 
 
. \ 
 
 :i 
 
 ;i 
 
 ft 
 
 I 
 
 mm^gg^g^mm^m 
 
Atlantic Wabu 
 
 Range. Arctic regions of the Atlantic, south to the shores of 
 Hudson's Bay, Labrador and to latitude bs" on the Green- 
 land coast; also islands north of Europe. On the northwest 
 coast of North America south to Bering Sea and Norton 
 Sound occurs the allied Pacific walrus (O. obesus illig.), 
 with longer tusks. 
 
 The walrus is such a heavy, clumsy, ungainly beast that it 
 has small chance of success at fishing, but its great size and 
 strength are safeguards against the attacks of most of those 
 flesh-caters who find the seal easy prey; even the polar bear 
 hesitates to come within reach of an old walrus. 
 
 The walrus gets the greater part of its food by digging 
 with its tusks in the mud beneath the compai.iiivcly shallow 
 water, grubbing up mollusks, and such mud-loving fish as lack 
 sufficient activity to get out of its way. Seaweed and other 
 marine growths are also eaten in considerable quantities, and it 
 is probable that these, together with star-fish, sea-urchins 
 sea-anemones and cocitles, are gathered in and ground up 
 together between the molars that crush the heaviest oyster shell 
 without much effort. 
 
 The great tusks of the walrus are useful in other ways 
 besides raking over the seas bottom for food. They answer the 
 purpose of boat-hooks when the walrus desires to drag its lum- 
 bering bulk out on the ice or a shelving reef among the 
 breakers, and are stout, if unwieldy, weapons of defence in case 
 of attack. 
 
 The walrus is often seen in large herds lounging about on 
 the shore, one across the other like swine, all roaring and 
 grunting together. 
 
 The young are born on shore in spring or early summer, 
 at which time the old ones often go for weeks without either 
 eating or entering the water. 
 
 When attacked they show considerable courage and aggress- 
 iveness in defending their charge, endeavouring at the same time 
 to head off the enemy and roll their oflsio-.ng into the se.t, 
 when they are said to seize them in their moutlv;, and diving, swim 
 beneath the surface. 
 
 Though walrus at any age are far from attractive, the old 
 males are particularly repulsive. They i>ecome nearly devoid of 
 hair and present a most disgustmg appearance. Elliott says of 
 
 I 
 
 »«,i 
 
Seal* 
 
 them soeaking of the Pacific species: "They resemble distorted. 
 ™oMiV.eT shapeless masses of rtesh- the cluster of big. swollen. 
 waS pimpS "^^^^^ of n yellow, parboiled flesh-colour. 
 
 rndprincipaUy located over the shoulders and around the neck, 
 painfully suggested unwholesomeness. 
 
 i% 
 
 If 
 
 li r If'. 
 
 SE/1LS 
 
 (Family Phocida) 
 
 Seals are carnivorous animals modified for life in the water. 
 To this end their bodies are cylindrical, tapering a^'ay from the 
 middle; the limbs are short with the feet flattened and webtjd 
 for swimming, the forward pair acting as paddles ""^ /he hinder 
 ones, which are pUced close together and pernrianently directed 
 backward, forming a rudder or propeller. Seals have no external 
 ears and the first or "milk-teeth" are never fully developed, 
 being generally absorbed before birth. 
 
 Seals while most at home in the water, come out regularly 
 on the shore, especially at the breeding serson. Thev make their 
 way very clumsily on land, however, on account ot the structure 
 of their hind teet. and are much poorer walkers th.-in the eared 
 seals of the Pacific which can turn their hmd feet forward. 
 
 Seals are often popularly confused with whnles, w.th which 
 thev have no near relationship whatever, as can be socn at a 
 glance Their dog-like head and hairy body bear evidence of 
 their much closer affinity to the land mammals, while the pres- 
 ence of hind feet and the absence of the broad, tish-like tail 
 further distinguish them from the whales. 
 
 Seals occur in all oceans but are more plentiful toward the 
 
 '^^Our east c"..st species may bv disti.;«uished ar- follows: 
 
 a. Front teeth (incisors) six above and four below. No bladder-like 
 
 sack on the head. . r .i.« h«.ji- 
 
 b. Muzzle narrow, sloping gradually fn-. •■-- top of the heau, 
 
 first and second toes of fore fee>. {on^ti. 
 
 c. Teeth large, rather crowded and sei obliquely "• ^''f^^^/'^^: 
 
 »«♦ 
 
Harbour Saai 
 
 ee. Teeth small, distinctly separated and placed straight in the jaws. 
 
 d. First toe always longer than the second Ringed Seal 
 
 dd. First toe not longer than the second. Harp &d/. 
 
 hb. Muzzle broad, forehead convex, middle toe longest. Bearded Seal. 
 
 bbb. Muzzle broad, facial part of head very long, first, and second 
 
 toes longest, whiskers crenulated. Gray Seal. 
 
 aa. Front teeth 4 above, a below, a bladder-like sack on the head 
 
 of the male. Hooded Seat. 
 
 Harbour Seal 
 
 Phoca viUtlina (Linnxus) 
 
 Also called Common Seal. 
 
 Length. 4 feet. 
 
 Description. Colouration variable ; generally yellowish-gray above 
 irregularly spotted with black, beneath yellowish-white with 
 small black spots. Often dark-brown everywhere varied with 
 light spots. First toe never longer than the second. 
 
 Range. North Atlantic south occasiorally to New Jersey and in Europe 
 to Mediterranean, replaced on the Pacific by the closely allied 
 Palla's seal. {Phoca largha Pallas.) 
 
 Three distinct species of the genus Phota occur on the eastern 
 coast of North America: the harbour seal, ringed seal and h;irp 
 seal. The last two ;ire of Arctic distribution, while the first and 
 best-known species is found as far south as the coast of New 
 England and the Middle States. 
 
 All the seals are gregarious, especially during the breeding' 
 season, and are migratory to a greater or less extent, the harbour 
 seal being apparently less of a wanderer than the others. The 
 harbour seal is aLso distinctly a coast species, seldom venturing 
 far to sea, and living and breeding on the exposed rocky ledges 
 along the shore. The others, on the contrary, are found out in 
 the open ocean and frequent tlic ice floes of tlic northern seas. 
 
 Young seals at birth are covered with a thick white woolly 
 coat, which is later supplanted by the ordinary hair, and until 
 the change occurs they do not take to the water. As a rule, 
 but one young is produced each year; sometimes it is born 
 upon the bare rocks, v/hile in case of the ringed seal an excava- 
 tion is made under the snow communicating with a hole through 
 the ice, and here the young remains for several weeks, tended 
 by the nnother. 
 
 »•$ 
 
 i 
 
> " !» 
 
 tfi. 
 
 
 ■ ! 
 
 Harbour S«sl 
 
 The two northern species, more especiaUy the harp s^ which U 
 easily Wined in numbers on its breeding ground, furmsh m«it of 
 thTskin and oil of commerce. Their skins, however. whHe of 
 ^L^J ?able value for leather, are not to be -nfused wrth^ he 
 3iful hides of the Alaskan fur seal or "sea bear whtch 
 fiimi«h the valuable sealskin of the furner. ^ • i. j 
 
 On the New England coast the harbour seals may be looked 
 for at any time of the year, but farther south they are .eldom 
 
 *"\rL'"onT'tt 1 ever had an opportunity of observing I 
 .et in'it^"nau:e element in August. We were l.^h sw.mmmg 
 lust inside the rivers mouth at Hampton. N. H. , lU round neaa 
 LToket surface between myself and ^he boat showed wet and 
 sh.nmg for a few seconds and was K""'' *° 'P^^' "«"" 
 
 ,and';oitl';rin summer and autumn when^^^^^^^ may^^ seen 
 from time to time sw.mmmg by the »^e-^';"^; «;;; ^^^ « ^ 
 the wave-splashed rocks and beaches, the y°""8 » . 
 
 tn\ thi^eason in -es iust out^ -^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 Although the seals are ,ust as wa ^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ 
 
 mammals =» ^"^•^'^SL,^ „ ^"^J^^ as fish; in fact, fish chased 
 they t^fve become almos^ as aquaUc ^, .^ ^^^ ^^^,,^^ 
 
 by seals have \"\^''^^\,'^i\^i on sand-flats, as if aware 
 
 preference. harbours apr-t. ^ to be as little 
 
 The common seal of our ^"°^ *'' ,^ jn- „car the 
 
 adventurous and seafaring as any of us l.nd^ kcepmg _^^^^ 
 
 the oceans growUng. affectionate, quickly becoming 
 
 at6 
 
 mm 
 
HAKBOK SEALS {l*ho, tt vitHiina) 
 
 By A. 1.. I*rriceltfm 
 
 i 
 
 Fl'R SEALS ((ilofsahsiniis) 
 
 (.jHliirH of t* S lull i ••iiimiwian 
 
 I 
 
MicaocoPY iBOwnoN Tin quit 
 
 (AI4SI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 
 
 I.I 
 
 |» 
 
 ■tt 
 
 la? 
 
 ISA 
 
 14.0 
 
 12.0 
 
 1= 1^ 
 
 Jk 
 
 /iPPLIED IM/CjE I 
 
 16S3 toit Main Street 
 
 Rochtttvr. N«w York 14609 USA 
 
 (716) *«2 - OMO - Phofw 
 
 (716) 2ae-S9a9 -fok 
 
I m 
 
 i M i 
 
 I, 
 
 ;.| 
 
"JP"(J»U 
 
 IUB(«d 
 
 meet it fairly. Yet men persist in shooting at them on every 
 occasion, though a dead seal of this species is of little value, 
 either to commerce or science, and the fishermen and duck hunters 
 tell me that not one in every fifty that are killed is ever secured. 
 The harm seals do to sea fishermen must be of little account, 
 except on a few occasions, when they get into the habit of robbing 
 nets; and as they have few enemies in this latitude, they might 
 well be allowed to become familiar and common features of oar 
 beaches and summer resorts. Sharks and swordfish are about 
 their worst enemies, and it is ' id that the seals are not safe 
 from their attacks even when resting on floating ice far out of 
 the water, for these great ravenous brutes of the sea have been 
 seen to throw themselves half out of water on the edge of the 
 ice and overbalance it sufficiently as to force the unfortunate 
 seal to slide down its slippery surface within their reach. Along 
 the rough Labrador coast and still farther north, the polar bears 
 catch them in a somewhat similar manner; swimming well around 
 to the leeward of the unsuspecting seal asleep on the ice-floe, 
 they dive and make their hidden approach beneath the surface, 
 only rising once or twice for breath before reaching the edge of 
 the ice where they have effectually cut off the seal's retreat to 
 the water. 
 
 Ringred Seal 
 
 Phoca hispida Schreber 
 
 D«fr*W/o«. "similar to tht harbour seal, but more slender, with 
 narrower head and longer limbs. Colour variable; often 
 blackish above, darkest on the back, lighter on the sides, 
 with large oval whitish spots, below yellowish-white, some- 
 times lighter, irregularly mottled with black, sometimes marbled 
 with light dark-centred spots. First toe always longer than 
 
 Range. Arctic seas south to the northern Atlantic and Pacific 
 
 : 
 
 I 
 
 K A 
 
 i 
 
 Harp Seal 
 
 Pa gnenlandica (Fabricius) 
 
 Des?ripHM!^%^^\A more slender, as In the last. Colour of adult 
 
 »«7 
 
 1! 
 
;;]] 
 
 BMTdcd Seal ; Ony Seal ; Hooded Seal 
 
 male white or yellowish-white, with face black and a curved 
 bUck^and on Mch side, meeting over the shoulder and 
 S above the tail. Female anf young variously mottled. 
 Rret ' of forefoot (flipper) not longer than the second. 
 Range. A ctic seas to northern AUantic and Pacific. 
 
 Bearded Seal 
 
 Erignatk$ts barbatus (Fabricius) 
 
 ^&ivJ^"Gray above, darker along the middle of the back, 
 often more of less motUed. Young in the woolly stage gray 
 The fact that the middle toes are the longest matenariy alters 
 the shape of the "flipper," and this fact, together with the 
 Srffe size will serve to readily identify this species. 
 
 Ra,^J.^Sc s^to north AUa'ntic ani Pacific, south to New- 
 foundland. 
 
 
 Gray Seal 
 
 Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius) 
 
 ^m^''^ flippers shaped as in the harbour seal, face two- 
 third^ instead of one-half the length o the head, bns les of 
 he chieks curiously crenulated. Colour of adults s.lvery- 
 
 Range. 
 
 ^''CnS.S'io?rr^.wfL" uM- Gr.« Bduin. 
 
 Hooded Seal 
 
 Cystophora cristata (Erxleben) 
 
 f^^*:.' ^"cr«nt t^th four above and two below instead of 
 
 '^^"Hd fouTa^^'af other°Uue seals. Colour bluish-black 
 
 aS)ve lighter beneath, varied with whitish spots Some- 
 
 aoove. iij5"ici ^ .^^ J _|^ ,.,«»c Vniinor in woolly Stage 
 
 muscular 
 ti^^'^J:'':^^i.l^T.^-^'Z re Ui^-ted states. 
 
 Range 
 
 P 
 
 This and the harp seal are Arctic species frequenting the 
 
Otter 
 
 ice tloes. The latter is largely killed by the sealers, but the 
 present species is decidedly tare on the coast of North America. 
 
 1 
 
 ' 
 
 IVEASELS, OTTERS. ETC. 
 
 (Family Mustelidce) 
 
 Under this head are grouped a somewhat varied assemblage 
 of animals, which are closely related so far as their skulls and 
 skeletons are concerned, though they present considerable diver- 
 sity in their external appearance. 
 
 The typical members of the family are the slender-bodied 
 weasels. Then there is the heavy-bodied wolverine, which reminds 
 one of a bear; the semi-aquatic otters, which indicate the way 
 in which the seals have been evolved, and the flat-bodied 
 badger, the burrowing member of the family. 
 
 Otter 
 
 Lutra canadensis Schreber 
 
 Length. } feet 6 inches to 4 feet. 
 
 Description. Body long and somewhat flattened, feet short, toes 
 webbed, tail very broad and flat at the base, not abruptly 
 constricted where it joins the body. Colour uniforin seal- 
 brown, brighter beneath, size variable, males generally larger. 
 
 Range. Northern North America, south to Central New York 
 and Pennsylvania, replaced southward and in Newfoundland 
 by closely allied varieties. 
 
 The otter has followed a fisherman's life so persistently that 
 he has grown to look very much like a seal. 1 never see one 
 running under water, or with just its head above the surface, 
 without being struck by the resemblance. 
 
 The head and neck in particular, whether seen in profile or 
 as the animal faces you, are remarkably seal-like. Even when 
 the otter is splashing about in the shallow ripples, or climbs 
 out on the bank or some half-sunken log, his shape is still seen 
 to be more like that of a seal than a land animal. His short 
 
 % 
 
 It 
 
 1 4 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 H 
 
 I 
 
 in 
 
 119 
 
Il i' i 
 
 M 
 
 ^■a 
 
 teas are hardly to be distinguished at a little distance, while his 
 h«vy short-haired tail is almost as thick at .s base as the rest 
 of his body and tapers away fish-like to a point. The sea 
 otter of the North Pacific being nearly as much of a marine 
 animal as is the seal itself, shows the transformation tr a per- 
 fectly fish-like shape still further advanced. Even the common 
 otter of our fresh waters swims out from the river's mouth into 
 the sea at times, and has more than once been caught m nets 
 sunk deep in the ocean; undoubtedly the transition is still going 
 on and the otters born a few thousand years hence wiU look 
 even more like seals than do those of the present day. 
 
 Yet though their legs are short and their bodies so long 
 and heavy as almost to drag along the ground and leave a deep 
 furrow in the snow whenever the otters go about on land m 
 the winter time, they yet make regular journeys overland from 
 one stream or pond to the next They even essay to go hunt- 
 ing in the woods and thickets occasionally when fishing proves 
 
 unproductive. 
 
 I have never found much evidence, however, that they are 
 often very successful at such times, though their great strength 
 and suppleness would easily enable them to kill deer or sheep. 
 When travelling overland otters follow the smoothest course 
 they can find, going round stumps and hummocks and beneath 
 logs in preference to climbing over them. . , .,• 
 
 Following the same course week after week, often in fomihes 
 of four or five together, they soor estaolish a distinct path clear 
 of obstacles; crooked and tortuous yet keeping to the same 
 general direction, and in most cases leading to some rapid or 
 springhole beneath the bank where the water seldom freezes. 
 
 Otters are beautiful swimmers; they glide and shoot along 
 through the w...er. twisting and turning like the fish the> so 
 I have seen one pursuing a muskrat, as a 
 shiner, splashing through the shallow water 
 had overflowed its banks. At times both 
 WUU.U u= ».,...^.^ beneath the surface for reveral minutes, to 
 appear again perhaps out in the current at a distance, the mus.v- 
 rat always diving and dodging for its life. 
 
 Otters will also catch wild ducks on the water, raising and 
 seizing them from beneath. They catch their fish by fairly 
 swimming them down in spite of all their twistmg and darting. 
 
 delight in chasing, 
 pickerel pursues a 
 where the stream 
 would be invisible 
 
 1. !f,'- 
 
Oiur 
 
 Where fish are reasonably abundant an otter can in this manner 
 easily catch ten times as many as he can eat, and at such 
 times is apt to satisfy himself with just tasting a mouthful from 
 each, preferring the flaky meat just back of the head. Otters 
 are also excellent judges of the different kinds of fish, agreeing 
 with us in choosing Uout, salmon and cek from among those 
 that live in the rivers. Like seals, they are affectionate and genial, 
 fond of each other, and. when trained, exhibiting a dog-like 
 devotion to their masters. The old ones take the most solicitMJS 
 care of the offspring and defend Uiem against all comers; a dog 
 that discovers an otter's den and imprudently attempts to dig it 
 out is more than likely never to return to his master. 
 
 When the young otters are large enough, their mothers 
 take them into the water for their first swimming lesson. It is 
 said that at first they are mortally afraid of the water and have 
 to be carried into it by force. 
 
 1 have never had any opportunities of observing them at that 
 age, but as late as September, wher. the young ones were as 
 big as cats, I have seen one climb on its mother's shoulders, 
 as if tired, and ride there as she swam against the current. 
 They were hardly a dozen yards away, and when she saw 
 me the old one dived, Uking the youngster down with her. 
 A few moments later they came up again side by side, with 
 their heads close together, and a very attractive picture they made, 
 bobbing up and down among the pickerel weed, watching me 
 intently; from time to time the old one would lift her head 
 nearly a foot out of the water, as if to see me more distinctly. 
 Presently the young one climbed on her shoulders again, 
 whereupon she dived, and the next that 1 saw of them they 
 were playing about in the shadow of an old bridge twemy rods 
 further up stream. 
 
 The otter's home is a den beneath the bank, usually with 
 the entrance under water for safety. This is evidently not re- 
 garded as absolutely essential, however, for otters have been 
 known to have their nests in caves, high up in the banks and 
 at the bottom of hollow trees. 
 
 Last summer 1 found the home of a family of otters beside 
 a little muddy brook that is nowhere more than a few inches 
 deep. Their main entrance appeared to be through a hollow 
 I ig, the other end of which was buried in the swamp beneath 
 
 i 
 
 
 -V 
 
OMI 
 
 a tangle of old tree trunks fallen and leaning at all angles and 
 interlaced with a thick growth of smilax and nightshade. 
 
 It is quite possible that they had an underground passage 
 leading to a somewhat larger brook a few rods away, though I 
 saw no evidence of anything of the kind. 
 
 It was late in the season when I found the place and the 
 young otters were well grown, and apparently spent mo^t of 
 their time away on long tramps and fishing excursions with 
 their parents. From what 1 have seen of them 1 should say 
 that orters pair for life and that the male does his part in tak- 
 ing care of his offspring. 
 
 The whole family keep together for the first year at least, 
 probably until the young otters find their mates and set up 
 housekeeping for themselves. They are generally gone two or 
 three weeks on their fishing excursions, following the streams 
 and sleeping in certain hiding-places that they know of beneath 
 the steep banks. They w'll follow in Indian file up the course 
 of little brooks until there is scarcely water enough to wet 
 their feet, and then strike across lots through the dark woods 
 by well-remembered paths that lead to the head-waters of some 
 other stream. Down this they trace theT way among twisted roots 
 and alder stems, watching for trout as they go, until they reach 
 the river and swim out into the deep water, looking beneath 
 hly pads for pickerel that may be hiding there, then down 
 along the muddy bottom edges for horned-pout and eels. 
 
 Horned-pout are favourite fish of theirs and are caught in 
 large numbers in defiance of their ugly spines; in eating them 
 the otters make an exception to their rule, and begin at the tail, 
 leaving the head and armed neck on the bank. 
 
 Having reached the river the otters may go either up or down 
 stream, as suits them best. Inland they know there are quiet 
 ponds where they may catch perch and chub, and in the other 
 direction are thatch-fringed "eel creeks" winding through salt 
 meadows at certain seasons alive with herring and ale-wives. 
 
 They do not occupy the entire trip in fishing, however; 
 here and there they land on grassy banks, or among the pines, 
 and romp about like puppies, rolling over and over in the grass, 
 and clawing up the turf and throwing it about. A favourite 
 pastime of theirs appears to be the pulling at the opposite 
 ends of a stick as if to see which is the stronger. But they 
 
 \h 
 
f 
 
 OTTER (Luira canadensis) "^ ^ *''""" »«« 
 
 A very difficult .ninial to photograph. Th« pictures represent . Ktf at amount of work an,i ..ver a dc.Jcn attempt,. 
 
j»i ;i 
 
 Mi!- 
 
 I 
 
1 
 
 Sea OtMc 
 
 get the greatest fun from sliding; where the bank is suffidentiy 
 steep and sUnting they make a roundabout path leadmg up 
 to the top or the bank and from there they slide down the 
 slippery surface into the water one after another like boys slid- 
 ing down hill on the snow. .. . , v r 
 
 There is usually a playing ground at the head of each ot 
 their slides, where the turf is dug up and trampled and broken 
 sticks scattered about. 
 
 In places where the water remains open in the wmter tne 
 otters take advantage of the snow crust formed by the water 
 dripping from their fur and freezing on the snow, and when 
 travcHing overland in snowy weather they always slide down 
 any declivity they come to. 
 
 In the Northern States and Canada they pass most of the 
 
 winter under the ice. 
 
 Sea Otter 
 
 Latax lutris (Linnaeus) 
 
 DeiJribtion '^'ihick set. muzzle well beset with bristles presenting 
 much the same appearance as that of the fur seal; tail one- 
 Tarter the length of the body. Fore feet rather small, hind 
 feet very large, fully webbed between the toes, teeth curiously 
 blunt and rounded.^ Body covered with a dense ""der fur and 
 a loneer coarser outer coat as in the fur seal. ^Cotour, black 
 with whitrsh tips, head and neck grayish or yellowish white 
 
 «««« Shares of north Pacific, formerly south to northwestern 
 Ijnited States, becoming very scarce everywhere. 
 
 Varieties of the Otter 
 
 I. Northern Otter. Lutra canadensis Schreber. Description and 
 
 2 CaroUnTomr'^T canadensis lataxina (Cuvier). Much lighter 
 '• brown, becoming pale grayish brown on the throat. 
 
 Range. Lower Middle and South Atlantic States. 
 ? Florid! Otter. /.. ranarf^«s« wa Bangs Darker and redder 
 ^' than the last but not so h\A as the Northern otter, almost 
 
 Rrngt%S, southem^Georgia and along the Gulf Coast 
 
 4. NervMid^TotUr. L. degener Bangs. Very dark prac 
 tically black with brown reflections. Size smaller than 
 any of the preceding. 
 
 ••3 
 
I ■ '•■ 
 
 Skunk 
 
 This curious and interesting animal of our northwest coast 
 has been reduced to danger of extinction by the fur hunters, 
 who find in its slrin the most valuable pelt furnished by any 
 North American quadruped. .... .„ 
 
 H W Elliott says of it: "There fs no sexual dissnnilanty 
 in colour or s«e, ami both parents manifest the same intense 
 shyness and avetsion to man. coupled with the greatest solici- 
 tude for their young, which they bring into existence at all sea- 
 sons of the year. As the nartives have never caught the mothers 
 bringing forth their offspring on the rocks, they are disposed to 
 bdicve that their birth takes place on kdp beds in ?>"»"» "^ 
 not over-rough weather. The female has a single pup. bora about 
 fifteen inches in length, and provided during^ the first month or 
 two with a coat of coarse brownish grizzled fur, head and nape 
 grizzled, grayish, rufous white. The fur is prime at two ytars. 
 Though the animal is not fuU^jrown until its fourth or fifth year. 
 '•The sea otter mother sleeps in the water on her back, 
 with her young clasped between her fore-paws. The pup can- 
 not Uve without its mother. Their food is almost entirely com- 
 posed of clams, mussels and sea urchins, of which they are very 
 fond and which they break up by striking the shells together, 
 held in each fore-paw. sucking out th.= contents as they are 
 fractured by these efforts. They also undoubtedly eat crabs and 
 fish, and the juicy, tender fronds of kelp. They are not polyga- 
 mous, and more than one individual is seldom seen at a time 
 when out at sea. They are playful, it would seenn. lor I am 
 assured by se^ eral old hunters that they have watched the sea- 
 otter for half an hour as it Uy upon its back in the water, and 
 tossed a piece of sea-weed in the air from paw to paw ap- 
 parently taking great delight in catching it before it could fall 
 into the water." 
 
 Skunk 
 Mepkitis putida (Cuvier) 
 
 Called also Poluat. 
 
 ^^&Hm^^to&^ covered with long hair, tail very Ja-rge "ind 
 bush7; colour^ black with a white patch on the back of the 
 neck; from which two stripes extend down the back and 
 
 «»4 
 
T 
 
 Skuiik 
 
 along the sides of the tail, and a white stripe down the 
 forehead. Sometimes the white i? almost restricted to the 
 patch on the neck, and i- he c ler specimens the stripes 
 are united, making the wr,/ie h -k white. , . . .^ 
 Range. New England to Virginia «.id Indiana, replaced to the 
 North and South by closely allied varieties. 
 
 The skunk belongs in the ?ame group with the minks and 
 weasels, all the members of which are capable of emitting a 
 powerful, almost suffocating odour when angry, and this undoubt- 
 edly gives them a decided advantage in a hand-to-hand com- 
 bat. But the present species has made itself notorious by per- 
 fecting this gift to a degree that furnishes it with a complete 
 defense against all but the most desperate enemies. The general 
 effect on the race is very noticeable. 
 
 No longer being compelled to be forevc. on the ale. o 
 escipe or repulse the sudden attacks of an enemy the e 
 beast of the black and white fur has grown fjt and '-zy. It 
 still retains much of the slender and graceful form of ..\e weasels, 
 but has allowed its muscles to become *» and t;. r. iirid so 
 burdened with fat as to render rapid .^ prolonge . exertion 
 almost an impossib-'.. ,; its flesh in the meantime having become 
 palatable to every meat-eating creature, not even excepting 
 man. All those who through want or curiosity have ever tasted 
 it, agree in pronouncing it equ.il in flavour and tenderness to 
 that of any four-footed creature: while no one. not even an 
 Indian or a wolf, will eat the flesh of a mink or weasel unless 
 rendered desperate by hunger. Is it not possible that the peculiar 
 quality of the flesh of these weasels has been developed partly 
 as a safeguard ? 
 
 For large, warm-blooded game cf whose flesh it still retains 
 the fondness characteristic of its family, the skunk must depend 
 on luck or strategy to supply the want of the agility which its 
 race has thrown away. During the summer and autumn this 
 loss is hardly felt; grasshoppers, crickets and the like are to be 
 picked up everywhere in abundance, and compose the regular fare of 
 the species; snakes are also caught by them in considerable num- 
 bers, and birds' nests containing eggs or helpless young are to be 
 had for the seeking. The short burrows of the field-mice seldom 
 reach many inches below the turf, and the nests containing the 
 young mice are easily uncovered. 
 
i ^ ' 
 
 1 v 
 
 1 
 
 ; 
 
 ! 
 
 i 
 
 
 r 
 
 Skunk 
 "'"By the time the supply of insect food comes to an end the 
 
 "" TolnTwens tha, such . toil, will hi, "Po" » "<;« 
 
 vora, yet 1 have "^ver se ^^^^.^ ^_ 
 
 ai6 
 
 1) 
 
 Pi 
 
li 
 
 SKUNK CROSSINC. A STREAM (.U./>/i/7i,v pulida) 
 
 KrW. K. larlin 
 
r;i 
 
 Ml 
 
 
 I 
 
Skunk 
 
 without seeing so much as one of their footprints during either 
 of these months. And again, their tracics will be fairly numerous 
 throughout the winter ; and this does not depend entirely on the 
 mildness or severity of the season either. 
 
 Early in February they are pretty certain to put in an 
 appearance, sparingly while the cold weather lasts, but after the 
 first really penetrating thaw the snow in all woods is thickly 
 punched with their footprints, and for yards about their holes 
 it takes on the colour of the dirt brought up from the depths 
 on their feet. 
 
 Now that they are fairly awake and hungry, cold weather 
 is powerless to keep them indoors. During the still cold nights 
 of February they shuffle about over the snow-crust from sunset 
 to sunrise, judging from the amount of ground they manage to 
 
 cover each night. ■ .■ j 
 
 They are now very different creatures from the heavy-bodied 
 sluggards of the autumn. Those that can still boast a goodly layer 
 of fat on their ribs must soon part with it. Insects in February 
 are so scarce as hardly to be worth considering at all, an oc- 
 casional grub or beetle dug out of a moulding stump being 
 about all that can be safely counted on at this season. For 
 their daily sustenance the skunks are now obliged to kill creatures 
 far more active than themselves, and I have always wondered 
 how, even in their reduced state of flesh, they can possibly 
 compete successfully with the foxes and weasels in the chase. 
 
 It is hard to imagine one, even though half famished, making 
 so much as a short dash of sufficient speed to enable it to 
 seize so swift an animal as a rabbit, yet in one way or another 
 they manage to do so quite frequently. It is probable that they 
 often succeed* in surprising them in their holes, for while the 
 wood-chuck burrows, which the rabbits occupy, are nearly always 
 constructed with several openings, the simple-minded creatures 
 almost invariably make no effort to keep more than one of them 
 open, allowing all the rest to become closed with snow and ice 
 early in the winter. 
 
 As the snow grows less there is a marked tendency among 
 the skunks to abandon the woods and thickets for the more open 
 land, where they may hunt for meadow-mice about the newly 
 exposed patches of moist turf, and snap up such snakes as have 
 been driven from their winter retreats by the melting snow. 
 
 ; 
 
 **7 
 
u « 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 '' / 
 
 'i ', 
 
 Skunk 
 
 Whenever the frost has left the soil sufficiently, they dig out 
 
 ^T' h Jreaf rSity These little excavations, each with its 
 Tc olanySfp o' dirt, are to be seen anywhere during the 
 l"rCnt h's L regions -here skunks abound^ 
 
 ThPv are undoubtedly made in search of insects, dui ju 
 what pTrti^L kSnd are 'oftenest obtained in this way 1 have 
 never been able to discover. ... 
 
 "with the increasing warmth of the season bugs of all knds 
 bemn to crawl out of their hiding places on all sides to Dreea 
 A itinu and the- with mice and reptiles, serve to keep the 
 :klks ' oo^u^^^^^^^ season of birds comes on But 
 
 t is probably short rations at best, and with characteristic bold- 
 ne aTd ndifference they visit barns and farm bu'l^ings, whe e 
 theJ gener.illy do more good than harm, living largely on mxe 
 and rSsnd^ whatever meat is to be picked up about the 
 ^ronnd Still when temptation offers in the shape of fowls 
 Sng whn Teach, the' old weasel instinct is likely to be 
 aroused, Id the skunk proves his ability as a hunter of big 
 
 ^'""in May food begins to be fairly abundant and easily pro- 
 curei sZ as birds' nests and new families of mice, and the 
 steadily increasing supply of bugs and reptiles. 
 
 It is at this time that the little skunks are l^^/^J^Ytinl a 
 
 in her train like Indians on the war-path. 
 
 The black and white of the young ones is even more 
 
 ing beetles .™,. h,„,.,fc ,(,j undergrowth In the forest they go 
 ^SchTnglor^thf ne:rot t'Lhes L ground-buMlng warblers 
 and partridges. 
 
 ttS 
 
Skunk 
 
 The discovering of the partridge nest means a banquet for 
 the entire family— two big eggs apiece at least, and perhaps the 
 unfortunate hen partridge herself to be divided among them; for 
 it is quite possible that a partridge, driven from her nest m the 
 night in trying to avoid the one that first started her, might fall 
 into the clutches of one of the others, especially if she tried to 
 draw oflf the enemy by pretending a brolcen "'ing. 
 
 If birds' nests are not always to be had, there are families of 
 young rabbits in every thicket, helpless and practically unpro- 
 tected, for if the old rabbit were to attempt to act on the de- 
 fensive, which is hardly likely, she would simply be accepted by 
 the skunks as a welcome addition to the meal. There are also 
 the nests of the wood mice and shrews to be dug out from 
 beneath the old stumps and logs, and among tho rodden leaves 
 and decaying wood in the damp hollows are abundant snails 
 and other crawling things to fill in any vacancy when better 
 things are not forthcoming. 
 
 The skunk is one of the most likable little beasts in the 
 woods, being most intelligent and good natured, and without the 
 wildness of most of our native animals. Except on rare occa- 
 sions it is perfectly free from any unpleasant odour whatever, 
 and is at all times exceedingly neat and particular in ix. per- 
 sonal habits. It is easily tamed and makes a safe and amusing 
 pet. 
 
 Varieties of Skunks 
 Eastern Skuuk. Mephitis putida (Cuv.). Description and ran-e 
 
 CanaMSknilk: Mephitis mephitica (Shaw) Larger, with shoiter 
 and more slender tail (equal to half the length of bodv). 
 pattern more constant, the white stripes varying little in 
 length or width. 
 Ranee. Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. 
 Florida Skunk. Mepkitis elongata (Bangs). Medium in size, tail 
 very long (longer than the body), white stripes very broad. 
 Ran/c Florida to North Carolina and Southern Mississippi. 
 Louisiana Skunk. Mephitis mesomelas (Licht). Size very small 
 (14 inches long), tail very short, usually wholly black. 
 Range. Louisiana to Texas and Missouri. ^ _. ., ^ ^. 
 Illinois Skunk. Mephitis mesomelas avia (Bangs). Similar to the 
 
 Ra^nge. Prairie region of Illinois, Indiana and Eastern Iowa. 
 
 1! 
 
 
 »»9 
 
■ 
 
 Little Striped Skunk 
 
 Little Striped Skunk 
 
 Spilogale ambarvalis (Bangs) 
 
 Lensrth. i foot 3 inches. 
 
 Description. A diminutive of the common skunlt, with a diner- 
 ent colour pattern Biacic, with a broad white patch on tne 
 forehead, a crescent before each ear and four parallel stripes 
 on the back, interrupted and broken behind. Tail black with 
 a terminal tuft of white hairs. 
 
 Range Florida; local and most common on the eastern penin- 
 sula. In Mississippi, Alabama and Western Georgia north to 
 West Virginia occurs a somewhat larger variety, with the 
 white markings much reduced— the Eastern stnped skunk, 
 S. ringens (Merriam). Others occur in the West. 
 
 These little skunks have much the same habits as their 
 larger brothers, possessing the same attractive appearance and the 
 same ability to make their presence extremely disagreeable. 
 
 American Badger 
 
 Taxidca uxtts (Schreber) 
 
 Length. 27 inches. „ , .^ u^^ 
 
 Description. Body rather thick set and flat, feet rather short, 
 claws on fore feet very large, tail short. Colour, grayish, 
 mottled with black on the back in irregular transverse 
 bands; tail gray; lower parts dirty white; centre of face 
 black, including the eyes and region just above them, ? wn>« 
 median stripe from the nape nearly to the snout; smes 01 
 face and throat white; a large black patch m front of eacn 
 ear. Legs and feet black. 
 Range. Western North America, east to Wisconsin and Texas— 
 formerly to Ohio. 
 
 This nat, thick-hided, long-haired creature differs from its 
 long-suffering European cousin chiefly in its more carnivorous 
 diet, and in preferring wide-stretching flatlands to dark forests, 
 such as the Old World badger loves to hide in. 
 
 But if badgering and badger-baiting had ever been popular 
 in this country, our species would unquestionably have put up 
 as invincible a defence against the dogs urged on to torture it 
 as ever badger did, its skin being equally tough and its jaws 
 
 •30 
 
Mink 
 
 possessed of the same relentless bull-dog grip, locking them- 
 selves mechanically as they close. If left alone, however, the 
 badger is a very timid, gentle a.J. in a way, useful animal. 
 
 It lives in burrows of its own digging and is exceedingly 
 cautious about exposing itself by day; comparatively few people 
 have been so fortunate as to see one except when caught in 
 a trap in its doorway, or drowned out. 
 
 When by any chance a badger happens to be at any dis- 
 tance from its hole when approached, he usually prefers lying quiet 
 in the grass to making any run for it. being decidedly heavy 
 and slow of foot. At such time he will flatten himself down 
 almost like a door mat or a turtle. His long silky gray hair, 
 parted in the middle down along his spine, spreads out into the 
 grass on each side, so that he seems to be only a slight hum- 
 mock in the prairie, undoubtedly often deceiving 'he keenest 
 sighted into passing without so much as suspecting his presence. 
 Even in a cage he will practice the same ruse to escape notice. 1 
 have seen one spread himself out on the dirt which covered the 
 bottom of his cage, so successfully that out of every twentv 
 people passing close by him to stare at the niiserable captives in 
 the neighbouring cages, 1 am positive not more than one or two 
 at most realized that his cage had an occupant; his black and 
 white striped head, looking so conspicuous in a mounted skm, 
 was somehow no more in evidence than his fog-tinted fur. 
 
 The badger feeds principally on gophers, field mice, ground 
 squirrels, prairie dogs and such, like humble earth folk lavmg 
 open their burrows with his strong claws faster than they can 
 dig away through the earth in their efforts to escape him. He 
 also eats grasshoppers, beetles, small snakes, etc. 
 
 In cold weather he keeps to his den, probably wholly 
 dormant, for on appearing again in the spring, after months of 
 confinment underground, he is still almost as fat as in the pre- 
 ceding autumn. 
 
 Mink 
 
 Putorius vison (Schreber) 
 
 Dest%ti^. 'Targer than the weasel, with a thicker tail. Colour 
 always very dark-brown, nearly black, with a spot of white 
 on the chin and often on the chest or belly also. 
 
^ I Hi' 
 
 i 'U 
 
 4 
 
 • ' ( 
 
 1 
 
 ^'i: 
 
 ■ 
 
 f'[ 
 
 ■■! / 
 
 ii 
 
 «;>. 
 
 
 Mink 
 
 ent varieties. 
 
 The mink is endowed with boundless resources in the face 
 of danger as well as in the matter of getting a l.vmg. Wande 
 where he will day or night, it is of small consequence whether 
 tt enemy that attacks him is fox. dog. wildcat, otter or owl. 
 he is XVs within a couple of jumps of some place of refuge 
 If the water is near, he dives without a splash, and darts away 
 ke a fish, almost as much at home as the fish themsdves m 
 he sw ing depths of the eddies and dim passages beneath 
 sunken log! and drift-wood, only coming to the surface here and 
 there for a breath until the enemy is left hopelessly behmd. 
 
 When the water is not within reach, he can go up the 
 nearest tree like a squirrel, or dart into any hole or crevice that 
 wou d hide a rat; and lacking th'.. can out-run and out-dodge 
 Ty ordinary pursuer: for. though short of leg h.s body .s long 
 and so supple that he uses the entire length of his sp ne m 
 running, doubling himself into the form of a hoop and straight- 
 ening out again at every jump with incredible swiftness. 
 
 I have seen him show such speed on numerous occasions 
 that 1 have little doubt that the swiftest hawk or fox wou d 
 have to do his very best and be lucky in the bargain in 
 order to catch him. As a last resort he can fight, as many an in- 
 cautious creatuie several times his size has learned to its cost 
 
 Referring to the minks faculty for hiding anywhere they 
 may chance to be. I have seen them disappear instantly among 
 the dry oak leaves that carpet the open where hardwood grows^ 
 and they will do the same thing in short thin grass or shallow 
 snow with a suddenness that leaves the beholder wondering 
 At such times, if they deign to show themselves again it will 
 in all probability be several rods at least from where they dis- 
 appeared, and then perhaps only for the briefest glimpse. 
 
 Only yesterday I was sitting beneath a sheltered bank 
 warmed by the thin sunlight of late November and well out of 
 tTe Teach of the roaring north wind, when 1 heard a rustling 
 among the leaves eight or ten rods away. Looking toward the 
 Tund 1 saw. just for an instant, a beautiful httle female mink 
 wuS the sun full on her back, then saw only the russet coloured 
 
 »3» 
 
Mink 
 
 leaves sloping up between the tree tru"ks; but even while J 
 looked there was the mink again several rods farther away ana 
 i Kt in the act of vanishing as before. 
 
 '"' Tsque^ked like a mol to call her. ^ut the w.nd was ^o 
 loud in the trees that I failed to make myself '^eard, so 1 .m. 
 ated the chatter of a red-squirrel as closely as I ^o"^' •>"'^,. J^ 
 stantly the mink came skipping toward me over the ice of a little 
 pond that lay between us. . 
 
 ^ 1 do not think that 1 have ever seen any "J^er four-foo ed 
 creature, not even a deer or a fox, run with such baffling swift- 
 ness could just catch the one ioiage of her coming head up 
 
 ™ !he sunlit ice before she disappeared in the sere frozen 
 water grass almost at my feet. 
 
 Laft Christmas day 1 saw a very large mink hunting a l.tt^ 
 party of ruffed grouse among the pines and birches on a hilU 
 s'de The grouse kept taking short nervous flights here and there 
 while the mink beat the underbrush like a pointer and seemed to 
 be everywhere at once, and nowhere for more than ^ second at 
 a time until finally he turned up where 1 least expected to see 
 him a'lmos behind me, digging excitedly beneath an old log a te 
 Z'e apparently, scattering the wet willow leaves to r-ght and le t 
 S his eSerness On another occasion, when 1 was duck shoot- 
 L saw a Snk in the pines across a river, and cnllea h.m oyer 
 omvSei^ order to have a look at him. Running down the 
 sJeep bank he dived, and, swimming under water, only rose when 
 within a few yards of where I stood, and at once popped into 
 r burrow aT the waters edge. A few seconds later he emerged 
 from another opening half-way up the bank, and running a httle 
 way toward me. sat perfectly erect, eyeing me curiously hen 
 Topped to 11 fours and ran round to the other side to look 
 
 -' T^Jir^X'^S^'^^ time and the. was .- ^J^ 
 so he Sed to cftch my scent, and for some time continued to 
 examine at a distance of two or three paces without takmg 
 Trm When sitting upright he showed a nawow white me 
 down hUtSL broken into a chain of spots between his fore 
 wT A last having satisfied his curiosity, he started off along 
 he bank wih his head turned to one side, watching the ram- 
 dotted face of the water keenly, perhaps hoping to see the bulg- 
 ing eyes of a frog or a fish rising to break the surface. 
 
 «33 
 
I ^ 
 
 H 
 
 u 
 
 
 ; ,i 
 
 . *1 
 
 4^ ". 
 
 J 
 
 !/).<• 
 
 u 
 
 \. 
 
 m 
 
 1 1 
 
 i 
 
 
 |v 
 
 1 
 
 Bfti'. 
 
 Mink 
 
 Minks combine the habits of the land and water hunters 
 more successfully, perhaps, than any other animal In warm 
 weather they are fond of exploring wet swamps and 'ow lands 
 where they find an abundance of frogs and lizards, and dig all 
 sorts of grubs, beetles and earthworms from the black peaty 
 soil and leaf-mould around old weather-beaten stumps and rotten 
 
 '"^^They are most inveterate nest robbers and mousers. chasing 
 the little blunt-headed furry meadow mice along their runways 
 in the thick grass being their favourite sport. 
 
 In April the female fixes herself a cozy nest m some hoe 
 among the rocks, or inside a hollow log or stump generally 
 hidden away among fiags and bullrushes beside a stream. 
 
 The voung minks stay with their mother until cold weather, 
 learning to fish and hunt; the frogs, mice and young birds fur- 
 nish plenty of sport for them while the warn, eather lasts, and 
 they seldom wander far. until the sons of the family are as big 
 or bigger than their mother. But the frosty autumn weather 
 makes them restless, and" they soon get into the way of going 
 off separately on longer hunting excursions, to be gone several 
 days or a week, perhaps, at a time, no longer returning when 
 tired to sleep together in the same nest where they were born, 
 but camping each alone wherever the fortunes of chase happen 
 to lead them, for a mink is always able to find good sleeping 
 quarters anywhere at a moment's notice. 
 
 The mink is not properly either nocturnal or diurnal; when 
 well fed and tired, after a hard chase, he turns in and sleeps 
 until rested, and then yawns and stretches himself and starts out 
 again for another jolly hunt, perfectly indifferent to the time of the 
 day It may be black rainy midnight or a brilliant October morn- 
 ing- when he wakes, off he goes, hungry and eager for fresh 
 adventures, exploring unknown territory and chasing birds such as 
 he has never seen before, as the Northern cold drives them down 
 in fiight before it. His first snowstorm is likely to find him 
 dozens of miles from home. Now and again he runs across other 
 members of his species and the two hunt and fish together for a 
 few days, but they soon part company again in most instances; 
 one it may be, preferring to follow down along the tidewater 
 creeks after eels, while the other anticipates better fun chasn.g 
 partridges and squirrels in the upland woods. 
 
 »S4 
 

 MINK {Puliyrius vison) 
 
 By C. C. SpeiKhi 
 
 WEASEL (Puloriiis noxehoracensis) 
 Caoght by xhr ca:nera as he reappeared after lieints chased into hii hoi* in the rocto. 
 
 Br W. K. Carlia 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 J 
 
V 
 
 'if" 
 I 
 
 *' 
 
 4 
 
New York We«Ml 
 
 While minks are not social animals, they are I am certain 
 much less in the way of putting up Pitc^ed batt es when hey 
 meet than are the majority of the woodland folk Som^»'";f 
 half a dozen or more old males will gather about some par- 
 ticularly good fishing hole and to all appearances get along per- 
 
 ^"^I'Snl" whrthe still waters are frozen, thev haunt open 
 rapids and warm springs in the woods, or finding entrance beneath 
 the ice of a closed brook, make extended excursions al.ng the 
 dim buried channel, alternately running beneath the 'ce and 
 along the brook's border where the falling away of the water 
 has left a narrow strip of unfrozen turf beneath ice and snow^ 
 Here they catch small fish and meadow mice. or. tracing the 
 brook's bourse down to the wider reaches of the "je^ fin Ja.^r 
 fish and muskrats to try their strength upon. Water, however. 
 is not essential to the minks' happiness at any season, for th' - 
 can hunt rabbits all winter long in the snow as successfullv -. 
 the sable or fisher. 
 
 Varieties of the Mink 
 
 Northern Mink. Putorius vison (Schrebe.;. Description and range 
 
 -^th.fn^^Mink P. vison lutreocephalus (Harlan). Length. 28 
 •^inch^! Larger and lighter, dark chestnut-brown, with white 
 
 /?a«rCottVsou"thlrn New England through the lowlands 
 
 , ■ ■^'J.^MrJi ^P°'S« vtilgivagus (Bangs). Smaller and light 
 '''""";iloS^ro'wn!"cirin'a?d sLs !,n u^dW t,arts purer white. 
 
 ^.S^r ^^ t^lS^nS? — r to the last, but still 
 i^^r "Sair maSfs ' oftouthern States. South Carolina to 
 Florida. 
 
 New Yorl< Weasei 
 
 Putorius noveboraccnsis (Emmons) 
 
 •Si'^iu^n. '"T'lSfa.w';','?'!'.^ Sf one.,b„d ,h. .oU. length. 
 
 tSS 
 
 J 
 
New York Weasel 
 
 
 t1 
 
 .1, 
 'I! 
 
 I.' 
 
 Dark chocolate-brown above, white on under parts, terminal 
 third of the tail black. In winter pure white except the 
 black of the tail. This ch;inge in colour is complete only 
 in the northern part of its range. The difference m size of 
 the male and female is remarkable, and the latter is some- 
 times confused with Bonaparte's weasel, which has a much 
 shorter tail. 
 Range. Eastern United States, New Hampshire to Virgmia, and 
 westward to Illinois. To the north and west and in higher 
 parts of North Carolina it is replaced by very closely allied 
 varieties. 
 
 The various kinds of weasels in this country are much alike 
 in their habits, and there is probably as much difference to be 
 observed between the ways of individuals of each species as 
 between the dilTerent species. There are certain family charac- 
 te sties, however, which apply to all of them. First of all, they 
 are hunters; if they ever follow the example of the majority of 
 the flesh-eaters and partake of beechnuts, berries, mushrooms, or 
 herbs on occasions, they have evidently never been caught at it 
 and reported by the student of nature. 
 
 They hunt tirelessly, following their prey by scent, and kill 
 for the mere joy of kil'hg, often leaving their victims uneaten and 
 hurrying on for more; when game is abundant they content 
 themselves with sucking the warm blood. In cold weather they 
 frequently hide the game they are unable to eat as a provision 
 against period of hunger. 
 
 They like best to follow old tumble-down stone walls over- 
 grown with weeds, squeezing into every crevice that may har- 
 bour a mouse or chipmunk; white-footed mice in particular furnish 
 them no end of sport, for they are scarcely inferior to the 
 weasels themselves in leaping powers, and once very abundant 
 everywhere in the woods. In eating a mouse, the weasel first 
 sucks the Mood through the large veins of the neck, then bites 
 through the skull and eats the brains, and after that, if still 
 hungry, he e.its the flesh, turning back the skin as he docs so, 
 leaving it turned inside out with the feet and tail attached. 
 
 Meadow-mi'- moles, shrews, and the common mice and rats 
 of barns and v i ricks, are also hunted by the weasel, but 
 where white-footed mice are abundant they are pretty certain 
 to receive his first attention. 
 
 In winter the larger weasels kill large numbers of gray rabbits, 
 
 136 
 
New York Weasel 
 
 and are often to be found in thick growths of young pine and 
 birch that have sprung up, together with blackberry vines and 
 briers, on land cleared of old-growths of pine forests. 
 
 I have known the rabbits when chased by weasels to leave 
 the woods and rush frantically out into the open, as if aware 
 that their enemy was even better suited for rapid progress through 
 briers and brambles than themselves, though they usually seek 
 safety from their foes in just such places. And it certainly 
 seems as if they knew what they were about at such times, 
 for the weasels seldom leave the woods to follow them. 
 
 In summer they catch grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles of 
 various sorts, and rob every bird's nest they lind. Ground-feed- 
 ing birds are especially liable to be caught by them, and they 
 have even been seen to spring into the air and catch biros on 
 the wing. 
 
 Owing to their slimness and elastic muscles they have a 
 decided advantage over most of the other wood-dwellers, and 
 have little difficulty in killing birds and animals several times as 
 large as themselves. 
 
 I cannot learn of any other creature that is more thoroughly 
 possessed of the lust for blood than are these slim-bodied little 
 hunters. 
 
 The larger kinds, including the ermine or long-tailed weasel and 
 Bonaparte's weasel, appear to be the most savage and blood- 
 thirsty; the New York and the least weasel, from what 1 can 
 learn, are somewhat more civilized in their ways. A New York 
 weasel which I kept in captivity for a few days was gentle 
 and docile from the very first, and perfectly fearless. 
 
 Within less than an hour from the time she was first removed 
 from the trap to her cage, she would take meat from my hand 
 without the slightest hesitation, and never offered to bite my lingers 
 even when touching them with her nose. This tameness could 
 not have been brought about by hunger, for when I found her in 
 the box-trap she had not wholly eaten the rabbits head which I 
 had used for bait. 
 
 The weasels of the Northern States and Canada turn white at 
 the approach of winter. The end of the tail, however, does not 
 change colour, but remains perfectly black as in the summer. 
 
 1 am inclined to think that this black point serves its owner 
 in a variety of ways, though at first thought one might think it 
 
 »S7 
 
n ^f 
 
 \: 
 
 New York We««el 
 
 would prove conspicuous on the white surface of the snow and in 
 contrast with the intense white of the remaining? fur. But if you 
 place a weasel in its winter white on new-fuilcn snow in such a 
 position that it casts no shadow, you will find that the black 
 tip of the tail catches your eye and holds it in spite of your- 
 self, so that at a little distance it is very difficult to follow the 
 outline of the rest of the animal. Cover the tip of the tail with 
 snow and you can see the rest of the weasel itself much more 
 clearly; but as long as the black point is in sight, you see that, 
 and that only. 
 
 If a hawk or owl, or any other of the larger hunters of the 
 woodland, were to give chase to a weasel and endeavour to 
 pounce upon it, it vvould in all probability be the black tip of 
 the tail it would see and strike at, while the weasel, darting 
 ahead, would escape. It may, moreover, serve as a guide, enabling 
 the young weasels to follow their parents more readily through 
 grass and brambles. 
 
 One would suppose that this beautiful white fur of winter, 
 literally as white as the snow, might prove a disadvantage at 
 times by making its owner conspicuous when the ground is bare 
 in winter, as it frequently is even in the North; yet though 
 weasels are about more or less by day. you will seldom catch 
 so much as a glimpse of one at such times, though you may 
 hear their sharp chirrup close at hand. Though bold and fear- 
 less, they have the power of vanishing instantly, and the slightest 
 alarm sends them to cover. I have seen one standing within 
 reach of my hand in the sunshine on the exposed root of 
 a tree, and while I was staring at it, it vanished like the flame 
 of a candle blown out, without leaving me the slightest clue as 
 to the direction it had taken. All the weasels I have ever seen, 
 either in the woods or open meadows, disappeared in a similar 
 
 manner. 
 
 How hawks, owls or foxes ever succeed in catching them is 
 a mystery, yet they do from time to time, though certainly not 
 often enough to reduce the number of weasels at any season. 
 Still, though weasels breed rapidly, they never become very numer- 
 ous, for which there is reason to be thankful. 
 
 In summer the weasel's fur is a peculiar shade of soft red- 
 dish-brown, and in spring and fall the blending of white with 
 brown gives a curiously pied and mottled appearance; the tail at 
 
 »s8 
 
Bonaparte's Weasel 
 
 such times being divided in sections of brown, white and black. 
 
 Weasels make their homes under stumps and in the hollow 
 roots of c' 1 trees, or else they take possession of the burrows of 
 ground-sqi-iirrels, often having killed the original occupants. 
 
 They also make use of woodchucks' burrows, particularly 
 such as have been abandoned by woodchucks for a season, and 
 later appropriated by cotton-tail rabbits, who the weasels are un- 
 doubtedly glad to lind at home. 
 
 Weasels travel by silent gliding leaps, often covering several 
 yards at a bound, their hind feet falling exactly in the tracks of 
 the front ones. Their footprints in the snow are close together 
 in pairs, one foot slightly in advance, and the pairs separated by 
 intervals of from one to ten feet or more. In soft snow their 
 slender bodies leave their impress from one pair of footprints 
 
 to the next. 
 
 They are great wanderers, traveling miles in r single night, 
 and frequently being gone on long hupts for weeks tot;"t.;r. 
 
 Varieties of the New Yorl< Weasel and Related 
 
 Species 
 
 New York Weasel. Piiloritts noveboracensis Emmons. Description 
 
 and range as above. 
 hlorth Carolina Weasel. P. noreboraccnsis tiotitis Bangs. Similar, 
 bit darker, with belly yellow instead of white. Does not 
 lurn white in winter. 
 Range. North Carolina. 
 Maine Weasel. P. noveboracensis occisor Bangs. Larger, with 
 longer tail and heavier, broader skull. 
 Range. Maine, probably to Ontario. 
 Lone-tailed Weasel. P. longicanJa spadix Bangs. Larger than 
 any of the above (i8 inches long), with the under parts 
 strong buffy yellow. 
 Range. Eastern Minnesota. 
 
 Bonaparte's Weasel 
 
 Pittorius cicognatti (Bonaparte) 
 
 Length. 1 1 inches (female 9 inches). 
 
 Description. Smaller, diflference in sizes of sexes not so striking, 
 tail decidedly shorter— not much more than one-quarter the 
 
 
 >39 
 
Least Weasel; Florida Weasel 
 
 total length. Dark brown above, tail tipped with black, belly 
 and under parts white tinged with yellow. Pure white in 
 winter with a yellow tinge on the rump, and tail black 
 
 y?jH;e!'''''^BoreaI forests south to New England and the mountains 
 of Pennsylvania. A larger variety, Richardson's weasel P. 
 ckognani richardsoni (Bonaparte), occurs in Northern British 
 America. 
 
 This smaller, short-tailed weasel is an animal of the boreal 
 forests, overlapping in parts of its range one or other of the pre- 
 ceding long-tailed species, from which it probably differs little in 
 habits. 
 
 Least We sel 
 
 Putorius rixosHS Bangs 
 
 Len^h. 6 inches. .,,.■. .u 
 
 Description. Smallest of the weasels, with no black tip to the 
 tail, which is verv short. Colour, dark reddish brown above, 
 white below. In' winter pure white throughout. 
 Rame. Arctic America, south to Northern Minnesota, replaced on 
 "the Artie coast of Alaska by the Eskimo weasel P. nxosiis 
 cskiim Stone. In Western Pennsylvania occurs another little 
 weasel, allied to the least weasel, the Alleghany weasel P. 
 alleghaniensis Rhoads. 
 
 Florida Weasel 
 
 Putorius peninsula Rhoads 
 
 
 Leiieth. 15 inches. /-. , . u 
 
 Description. Never turns white in winter. Chocolate brown, 
 darker on the head, chin whitish, rest of under parts yellow- 
 ish, irregular spots of white sometimes present on the face, 
 between and behind the eyes. „.,,.,,. , d 
 
 Range. Peninsula of Florida. The allied bridled weasel P. 
 fremitus (Lichtenstine), with distinct white marks on the face, 
 occurs in Texas. 
 
 This is a distinctly Southern weasel, our other Eastern weasels 
 
 
Fisher 
 
 being all animals of the more northern States, or of the moun- 
 tainous regions. 
 
 Fisher 
 
 MustcLi pcnnanti Erxleben 
 Called also Fisher Marten, Peluin. 
 
 Leiis/li. 3 feet. 
 
 Description. Larger and heavier than the weasels and minks, with 
 longer and bushier tail. Grizzly grayish brown, lighter on the 
 fore part of the body and darker brown posteriorly; tip of the 
 tail black; darker also on the throat and legs; tai! lull and 
 bushv. , , 
 
 Range. Boreal regions of eastern North America southward 
 'through the Alleghanies; an allied variety replaces it to the 
 westward. 
 
 The fisher is by far the largest of the martens as well as one 
 of the handsomest, a long-bodied, vigorous hunter, with the agility 
 of a sable and the strength of a wolverine. 
 
 Possessing many of the habits of the pine marten, he has a 
 shrewder intelligence' and greater boldness in hunting; lor he man- 
 ages somehow to kill the Canadian porcupine in defiance of his 
 spiny armour, and will circumvent a savage old she bear and kill 
 her cubs while she is away. It is said that the fishers of the Rocky 
 Mountain region even kill young grizzlies in this manner. The 
 fisher's private hunting grounds are gloomy hemlock and spruce 
 covered hills and ridges, where they cover immense distances in a 
 single night, traveling by bounds, nose in the air, to catch every 
 scent that is in the wind. 
 
 They are as much at home in the tree-tops as are the pine 
 martens, and di^ib to where the partridges roost, and catch them 
 in thtir sleer 
 
 Hares' fi their regular diet, but they vary this accord- 
 
 ing to the sc ' and as thai, ppetites and the fortunes of the 
 chase shall determine, their bill of fare ranging from insects and 
 dead fish to bear meat and young venison. 
 
 They are also fond of beechnuts like the pine marten, and will 
 go long distances for a sprig of catnip, just as the mink or wild- 
 cat will, or an ordinary domestic tabbie. 
 
 »4I 
 
i 
 
 Pine Marten 
 
 Fishers sleep all day in hollow trees or logs, preferring a good- 
 sized cavity high up among the branches. In mild weather they 
 like to take their naps on the horizontal branches of fir-trees, 
 stretched at length, like a cat on a window-sill. 
 
 Although hating settled regions and cultivated lands, they ex- 
 hibit no special fear of man in the wilderness, often turnmg the 
 t ibles on the trapper and following his trail, just as the trapper 
 follows theirs. Many a trapper has been driven almost to despera- 
 tion by some sly old fisher who insists on looking after his traps 
 for him, pulling marten traps to pieces from behind in order to 
 get at the bait without risking his own precious skin, eating or 
 tearing to pieces any pine-marten or mink that may have been 
 caught, and dragging steel traps out of the snow to spring them. 
 If he should chance to get pinched in a marten trap, his great 
 strength usually sets him free again, teaching him only to be a 
 little more careful the next time. 
 
 When at last the trapper has succeeded in outwitting this wily 
 fellow-hunter, and brings his beautiful pelt back to camp, he feels 
 the thrill of triumph of a hard-won victory. 
 
 The fisher is one of the very wildest of all wild animals, and 1 
 believe that hardly another suffers so much from being caged. 
 Of course all of the hunters are rendered infinitely miserable and 
 unhappy by being deprived of the freedom which is their life ; 
 but of all those that 1 have seen imprisoned, not even the pine 
 martens or lynxes looked at me with such hopeless despair as 
 the fisher, and I earnestly hope that I may never have to see 
 another in a cage. There is cruelty enough m the woods, 
 heaven knows; but the trapper who sets his steel trap with a 
 spring pole that jerks the game into the air and keeps it hang- 
 ing by a leg through long days and nights, in all weathers, is 
 merciful by contrast with him who can be hired to catch a full- 
 grown fisher uninjured in order that it may drag out a wasted 
 life in prison for no fault of its own. 
 
 Marten 
 
 Mustela antericaria Turton 
 Called also American Sable, Pine Marten. 
 
 Deic%tion. 'sSer than the fisher, with less bushy tail. Colour, 
 
 342 
 
 
Pine Muten 
 
 rich brown, somewhat lighter below, throat with a light 
 tawny spot, ears high and pointed. 
 Range. Boreal forests south through the mountains to Pennsylvania. 
 
 Martens love best thick old-growth forests of evergreen, 
 where dead trees lean together and stretch along the ground 
 half buried and crumbling. 
 
 Here they live among the trees almost like squirrels, racing 
 along old windfalls and up among the branches, to leap over 
 into the next tree-top and so away through the woods ; chas- 
 ing the red squirrels in the pine boughs, and catching them too 
 in spite of all their quickness. Then down to earth again, 
 bounding off on the trail of a hare, eager and excited with the 
 scent of fresh game in their nostrils. 
 
 In warm weather they keep more to the swamps and low, 
 moist woods, where the dead leaves lie wet in the hollows. 
 
 Although martens kill all sorts of birds and animals indis- 
 criminately, they appear to prefer partridges, rabbits and squirrels, 
 hunting them most persistently. They will follow the trail of a 
 hare, nose to the earth, quartering along its crooked course until 
 their terrified prey starts up before them from its hiding place; 
 then for a little while it is a close hot chase by sight. If the 
 marten fails to seize him in the first few jumps, the hare may out- 
 distance him and go flying away over stumps and logs out of 
 siaht among the trees. The marten, however, merely drops his 
 nose to the trail once more and follows it up without a break, 
 perfectly certain of success in the end. Even in deep soft snow 
 the marten is able to chase the hare with success, his feet being 
 broad and well furred, supporting him on the surface, where a 
 mink's or even a weasel's would sink deep. 
 
 Like the mink and weasel, martens have little to fear from 
 native enemies; the much larger fisher is said to kill them occa- 
 sionally, and it is not improbable that the great horned owl now 
 :ind then manages to pounce on one unawares. 
 
 Rut though they are almost free from the strong musky 
 odour characteristic of the other weasels, very few of the car- 
 nivores care to taste their flesh unless driven to it by extreme 
 hunger. 
 
 Before the coming of the Europeans they must have multi- 
 plied exceedingly in all the northern forests, to the terror and 
 
 »41 
 
Pin* IfartMi 
 
 destruction of all kinds of small game. It has been observed, 
 however, that about once in every eight or ten years they 
 almost disappear in a most unaccountable manner from all parts 
 of the region they inhabit. 
 
 There is no evidence of disease among them at such times, 
 or that they have migrated in a body, as gray squirrels, hares 
 and lemmings do when they fmd themselves overcrowded. 
 
 The sable hunters all agree, however, that they invariably 
 refuse to be enticed into a trap by bait of any sort just before 
 the periods of scarcity, though commonly conspicuous and easily 
 taken. Martens prefer to make their nests in holes high up in 
 some old tree, and find the nests of the larger woodpeckers 
 perfectly suited to their needs. Having established themselves in 
 a woodpecker's or squirrel's hole, they like to watch whatever is 
 going on in the woods beneath them, with just their noses 
 poked out into the air, ready to slip back out of sight if danger 
 threatens. Their nests are made of moss and leaves in the bot- 
 tom of the cavity. 
 
 In the mountainous rocky country they often live in crevices 
 among the ledges oi a seam in the face of the cliff. They 
 multiply rapidly, the females having half a dozen or more kittens 
 early in the spring. 
 
 Although they exhibit much less apprehensiveness in man's 
 presence in the wilderness than the otter, for example, they 
 absolutely refuse to inhabit woods in the vicinity of any regular 
 settlement, disappearing completely at the approach of civilization. 
 While the otter, though quick to abandon his favourite slides and 
 playgrounds if he finds the merest suspicion of a man's tracks 
 near by, only moves to some other point along the stream, and 
 establishes a new landing place, though it may just be on the 
 outskirts of a village. Although martens are carnivorous animals, 
 they are said to be very fond of beechnuts, and I should not be in 
 the least surprised to learn that in the summer they eat berries 
 of various kinds as well, for most of the flesh-eaters make an 
 exception in favour of some son. of vegetable diet, just as almost 
 all rodents like meat for a change. 
 
 Varieties of the Pine Marten 
 
 Marten. Mustela 
 above. 
 
 americana Turton. Description and range as 
 
 244 
 
AMERICAN SABLE, OR PINE-MARTEN iMuHttia fimfriraJM) 
 
 Ity A. Rililcfyfft Ihit/iU'ne 
 
Wolvnine 
 
 Newfoundland Marten. M. atrata Bangs. Darker brown, almost 
 bUck ; throat patch orange. 
 Range. Newfoundland. 
 Labrador Marten. M. brumalis Bangs. Larger and heavier, 
 colour darker. 
 Range. Northern Labrador. 
 
 Wolverine 
 
 Guto lusciis Linne 
 Also called Glutton and Carcajou. 
 
 Length, yy inches. 
 
 Description. Heavy and bear-like, walking on the sole of the 
 foot. Hair long and shaggy; general colour blackish- 
 brown, lighter on top and sidies of the head: feet black, a 
 pale yellowish-white band from the middle of the body on 
 each side, widening out on the flanks and joining over the 
 basal portion of the tail. 
 
 Range. Boreal North America, Northern New York (formerly) 
 northward. 
 
 The wolverine is a most unlovable brute, sullen and greedy; 
 his home is in the north woods from the St. Lawrence and the 
 Great Lakes north to the very limit of the trees and beyond. 
 He is also occasionally found in the northern United States. 
 
 Like the skunk, he is a member of the active and sinuous 
 weasel and marten family; and just as the skunk has developed 
 a method of defense so eflfective as to allow its owner to dis- 
 pense with the agility of his race and become soft and fat 
 through laziness and lack of exercise, the wolverine has devel- 
 oped his native shrewdness and heavy strength at the expense 
 of his agii. '. 
 
 No longer capable of running down a hare or climbing for 
 birds and squirrels, he tramps it doggedly along through the 
 forest, cove ing imr-; nse distances, and never missing an oppor- 
 tunity of getting a eal without risking his own safety. He now 
 systematically robs the white and half-breed trappers of their 
 game, the meat with which they bait their traps, and their stores 
 of provisions, just as in past ages he undoubtedly robbed the 
 native red man of his frozen fish and venison; and he steals 
 from his fur-coated four-footed fellow-hunters as well. 
 
 Where winters are long and severe, lynxes, martens, weasels 
 
 »4S 
 
< 
 
 *i 
 
 * 
 
 m 
 
 ■if* ■ 
 
 Wolvcrjit 
 
 and foxes have been taught by hunger to practise the very 
 closest economy. When luck goes with them and they manage 
 to kill more than they can eat at one time, they usually bury 
 what is left in the snow, or drag it away to some more secrete 
 hiding place, knowing from bitter experience that all the other 
 flesh-eaters are forever on the prowl, and not a bit overscrupu- 
 lous about appropriating what they find. 
 
 But no amount of clever hiding is likely to avail them if 
 there happens to be a wolverine in the neighbourhood. He 
 seems to be gifted with a perfectly fiendish ingenuity in the 
 matter of searching ou' buried treasures of meat, and at the same 
 time meanly insuring himself against being robbed in return. 
 For his capacious stomach makes it possible for him to eat 
 more than most creatures of his size, and if anything is left 
 after he has gorged himself he buries it and so defiles the snow 
 about it and scents it with his disgusting odours that it is said 
 that no other animal, no matter how hungry, will touch it. 
 
 In warm weather he probably finds it easier to satisfy his 
 appetite in a more legitimate manner, following the summer 
 methods of hunting adop' d by most of his family, skulking 
 through swamps and thicket ; after birds' nests and young creatures 
 of various sorts that have not yet learned to take proper care of 
 themselves. 
 
 He also feeds on insects and reptiles, and digs out the under- 
 ground homes of mice and lemmings whenever his keen nose 
 tells him that he is likely to find the little owners at home. 
 He is even said to dig out foxes in early summer, killing and 
 eating the fox cubs when he is so lucky as to succeed in cor- 
 nering them at the extremity of their den. 
 
 The wolverines own home is a burrow, and here in mid- 
 summer the five or six little wolverines are born; they are some- 
 what lighter coloured and more attractive than their parent, who 
 shows her one admirable trait in her affection for them and her 
 fearless attacks on any man or beast that threatens their safety. 
 
 When I think of the wolverine 1 always seem to see him 
 through distant openings in low, dark northern forests, where the 
 pointed spruce trees thin out at the edge of the burrow, and 
 the dull snow-threatening winter sky hangs close over the end- 
 1* ' ii.-^w beneath; not even the little blue fox or musk-ox 
 Si IS ore suggestive of the northern cold. 
 
 346 
 
Ill 
 
Raccoon 
 
 The wolverine is thoroughly hated by Indian and white 
 trapper alike; he is often known as Indian devil, or north shore 
 devil, and his capture gives greater satisfaction than the value 
 of his fur alone would seem to warrant. 
 
 But his catching is no such easy matter, for he is slyer 
 than a fox when it comes to springing a trap without harm to 
 himself. The most successful method of trapping him seems to 
 be to bury both trap and bait deep in the snow, as if with 
 the intention of keeping it away from him. 
 
 RACCOOhlS AND THEIR ALLIES 
 
 Family Procyonidw 
 
 Small or medium sized bear-like animals, mainly tropical, 
 but represented in North America by the Raccoon and in the 
 west also by the Bassaris and Coati. All of these may be rec- 
 ognized by their black and white-ringed tails. 
 
 RACCOON 
 
 ProcyoH loior (Linnxus) 
 Called also "Coon." 
 
 Length. 32 inches. 
 
 Description. Form stout, tail thick, snout pointed, long hair, 
 rather coarse. General colour gray or yellowish at base of 
 hair, dusky or black at tips; dark on the back; face 
 whitish, with a black area on each cheek surrounding the 
 eye; feet black; tail very bushy, grayish-white, strongly 
 nnged with black. 
 
 Range. Eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains, replaced 
 in Florida by the Florida Raccoon P. lotor clucua Bangs, a 
 gaunter animal, more yellow in colour. Other varieties occur 
 westward. 
 
 It is interesting to note the pronounced difference which 
 exists between the various species of our native wild animals 
 as regards the readiness with which they manage to adapt 
 
fl 
 
 Rftccoott 
 
 themselves to the changed conditions forced upon them by the 
 settling of the country and the consequent thinning of the 
 forests and swamps. 
 
 In a previous chapter I have mentioned the pine marten, or 
 American sable, as a creature to all outward appearances, at 
 least well enough fitted for dwelling in a partially cultivated 
 region without departing so very widely from the ways of its 
 ancestors, but which has, nevertheless, been mvanably one of 
 the very first to disappear before advancing civilization, the 
 value of its fur alone certainly not being sufficient to account 
 for its extermination. 
 
 The raccoon, on the other hand, furnishes us with just the 
 opposite example. A creature of somewhat cl msy and delib- 
 erate movements as compared with the majority of the wood- 
 dwellers; requiring a pretty large space for a hiding-place or 
 bedroom, and generally insisting on a hollow tree of good size 
 or cavern among the rocks for its accommodation; persecuted 
 everywhere and at all seasons both by men and dogs, and in 
 spite of it all, not only holding its own in most places where 
 it has ever been found in any numbers, but apparently even 
 increasing and establishing itself in districts where, until quite 
 recently, it has been practically unknown. 
 
 I cannot discover that they have ever been abundant in 
 this vicinity (Southern New Hampshire) from the time when 
 the country was first settied to the present. In fact, all 
 those that I can obtain any accoi-nt of as having been 
 killed here, until quite recently, appear to have been regarded 
 almost as curiosities hardly to be recognized even by the 
 oldest hunters, yet one would suppose that formerly the 
 country must have been much better suited to their tastes than 
 
 now. 
 
 From all accounts the original growth of torests that stood 
 here was composed much more la 'ely of hard woods, white 
 oak, beech and maple than the woods now left us, composed 
 principally of white pine, hemlock and birch, furnishing neither 
 food nor lodging to the raccoon's taste. 
 
 Within the last two or three years, however, raccoons have 
 unquestionably become not uncommon in this and most of the 
 neighbouring townships, so that coon hunts are becoming quite 
 popular and usually prove fairiy successful, the barking of coon 
 
 ■4S 
 
Raceooa 
 
 dogs on moonlight nights in the autumn being now a com- 
 
 mon sound. , , . 
 
 Every now and then one also hears of some local sports- 
 man or other bringing home a raccoon which he had kiUed 
 quite unexpectedly when out after other game; only a week or 
 two ago a raccoon was caught in a mink trap near here. 
 
 They are also said to be increasing in the same way in 
 other parts of New England, even in the vicinity of large 
 towns— Boston, for example. 
 
 Of course it is impossible to say as yet whether this in- 
 crease is likely to continue indefinitely or to prove merely transi- 
 tory 1 see no reason why coons should not thrive here to a 
 certain extent as they do in other parts of the ^ourjtry, for 
 they are among the most widely distributed of our wild beasts, 
 and although hollo>. s are not perhaps of such frequent 
 
 occurrence here a<; ard-wood regions or in old-growth 
 
 forests 1 believe th t are as much so as in many places 
 
 where 'coons are and always have been abundant. 
 
 In some parts of the country they are said to dwell in 
 burrows which they dig in the high banks of streams by pref- 
 erence- in rough, ledgy land they appear to prefer cavities 
 beneath the rocks to hollow trees, even, probably finding greater 
 
 '^^^^ Coln^u" more generally raised here than almost any other 
 crop and furnishes the coon with his favourite diet, complaints 
 of the damage done by them in this direction having of late 
 become quite frequent. . 
 
 When the corn is in the milk the raccoons strip down the 
 ears that are within their reach, and in sheer wastefulness and 
 wanton extravagance usually manage to destroy several times 
 as much as they actually eat. , ^ ., , 
 
 Though so much smaller, they are said to be quite nearly 
 related to the bears, and it would certainly appear that they 
 possess about all of the characteristic traits of the ursine family, 
 shuffling about the woods in a wholly bear-like manner, pre- 
 pared to dine on anything that offers, either animal or yegetab e; 
 nuts, cherries, wild grapes and blackberries, bugs and reptiles 
 are aU on the list, which does not end there, however, for rac- 
 coons are skiUed both at fishing and hunting, though it is 
 probable that in both these pursuits they are compelled to de- 
 
 249 
 
 
Raccoon 
 
 r'' 
 
 pend largely upon strategy to accomplish their ends. Fish is 
 probably not a very steady article of diet with them at any 
 season, for, though good swimmers and not at all averse to 
 entering the water, they lack both the skill and the suppleness 
 of the mink and otter which would enable them to plunge in 
 boldly and seize their prey with their teeth. 
 
 From the accounts of numerous eye-witnesses it would ap- 
 pear to be a pretty regular practice with them to lie in wait 
 at the edge of the water and hook out any fish that comes 
 within reach by a smart stroke of the fore paw with claws 
 extended. 
 
 Being night wanderers, they undoubtedly often manage to 
 surprise sleeping birds, both on the ground and among the 
 branches, as it is a common custom with them in thick woods 
 to travel for long distances among the tree-tops without once 
 descending to earth, robbing the nests of birds and squirrels on 
 
 the way. 
 
 Try to imagine the terror of a family of squirrels, sleeping 
 snuggled up together within their thick walls, at having this 
 great shaggy monster come scrambling along the branches at 
 midnight and proceed to tear their roof to pieces above their 
 heads, compelling them to scatter as best they may, blind as 
 humans in the darkness, and wholly at a disadvantage against 
 this night-seeing enemy. 
 
 On the ground the raccoon prowls about wet places from 
 choice, along the borders of swamps and brooksides, following 
 the paths made by sheep and cattle where they go down to 
 drink. Every fallen tree on his path tempts him to mount and 
 run along it to the other end, this habit being so universal 
 with the raccoon family that coon-trapping is often successfully 
 followed by simply setting steel traps on prostrate logs without 
 any bait or other inducement whatever, though occasionally a 
 piece of tin or other shining metal is hung just over the trap 
 to attract his attention in the moonlight, the coon's curiosity 
 being proverbial. It is said that on discovering anything of the 
 kind one will amuse himself for hours sitting upright and strik- 
 ing it with his paws to make it whirl and spin in the air. 
 
 His thick fur enables him, like the bears, to rifle bee trees 
 in comparative safety, and to dig bumblebees' and hornets' nests 
 out of the turf. 
 
 a so 
 
RACCOON (Pfih:j»f» htor) 
 
 By W. K. CarUn 
 

 m 
 
Raccoon 
 
 Raccoons, like most other climbing animals, make frequent 
 use of the nests of hawks and crows to sleep in. At other times 
 they flatten themselves along the thick branch of a tree, their 
 gray fur harmonizing admirably with the colour of the bark, or 
 else they ascend to the tops of dense foliaged hemlocks and. 
 circling their fat bodies completely around the mam stem, doze 
 away the time in comfort, supported by the numerous elastic 
 branches about them, quite invisible from the ground. » a 
 company of blue jays discover one in this position there is sure 
 to be a tremendous racket right away, their shrill voices jarring 
 the quiet of the tree-tops like an alarm clock set to awaken 
 the coon from his slumbers. 
 
 Compared with most of our rtesh-eating beasts, raccoons 
 are regular stay-at-homes. Of course there are exceptions and 
 undoubtedly many of them are possessed of the wandering habit, 
 but 1 believe that the majority of them return regularly at day- 
 break, however they may have passed the night, whether peace- 
 fully gathering wild grapes or berries in the 'hickets. or robbing 
 the fatmer-s hen-roost. This last is perhaps about the worst form 
 of vice in which they ever indulge. A coon at large m a hen- 
 house appears to lose all discretion or fear of final retribution, 
 killing right and left while his enthusiasm lasts, and then gorging 
 himself on the results of his carnage. Unlike foxes, most of 
 whom carefully avoid a second visit to any farmyard that they 
 have once ravaged in this manner, a coon is likely to return the 
 following night to go on with his horrid work, and m most 
 instances is made to suffer the penalty of his misdeeds-a charac- 
 teristic which would appear to indicate a certain dullness of 
 intellect, at least as compared with that of the fox; for as long 
 as the latter is able to quietly capture two or three chickens 
 each week under cover of the corn, he seems to realize that 
 there is but little danger of calling down tb^ vengeance of the 
 farmer upon his head, and may keep up the game for months; 
 but wholesale robbery he knows to be a more serious matter. 
 and hardly to be repeated with safety. . 
 
 The uack of the raccoon is easily recognized either in soft earth 
 or snow, the footprints being long with a narrow and quite 
 distinct heel, almost like that of the human foot. They are com- 
 monly in pairs a few inches apart, one a little in advance, the 
 pairs separated by a distance of something less than a yard. 
 
 JSi 
 
Raccoon 
 
 though of course, as the coon varies his speed the order of his 
 footprints changes also. 
 
 The track of a skunk might be supposed to answer to this 
 description, having as it does the similar heel mark; its small 
 size, however, as well as the fact that its toes are not separated, 
 as in the raccoon's tracks, serves as a distinction between 
 the two. 
 
 The woodchuck's track is really almost the only one that could 
 well be mistaken for that of a raccoon. To distinguish the two 
 one has only to remembtr that the woodchuck's footprints are 
 shorter, and show the mark of a pretty well defined thumb like 
 that of a squirrel. 
 
 The young raccoons vary from three to six in number, and 
 are bom in April or May. At first they are as blind and help- 
 less as young kittens, and remain under the care and protection 
 of their parents for the first season at least. Their crying when 
 they are separated from the old ones is said to resemble that of 
 a human infant under similar circumstances. 
 
 The adults also have a kind of whimpering cry or call which 
 is often heard on moonlight nights. It seems to be of a somewhat 
 variable nature, at t - es resembling the quavering note of a 
 screech owl or laughing hoot of a barred owl, and again sound- 
 ing like a colt's whinnying. 
 
 This similarity to other sounds of the country renders it hard 
 to identify, and from various circumstances I am inclined to think 
 that it is never to be heard at any great distance. 
 
 On the arrival of cold weather young and old curt themselves 
 up together; occasionally several famihes will occupy the same 
 hollow tree. In this manner they pass the first and severest part 
 of the winter in a more or less lethargic condition, hardly relaps- 
 ing into such a state of unconsciousness that a few days of 
 warm weather will not tempt some of them out on the snow. 
 
 Back they go again, however, into winter quarters at the 
 advent of the next cold wave, and for the remainder of the 'sea- 
 son confine themselves to naps of a few days or at most a week's 
 duration. 
 
 By the time spring has fairiy taken possession of the woods 
 they are all out again, searching among the sodden leaves and 
 debris left by the last rain of the winter for newly awakened 
 snakes and beetles. It is at this season that they are oftenest 
 
 ajs 
 
Raccoon 
 
 coinpelled to go hungry, and, like the other hibernating beasts, they 
 lose flesh rapidly during the spring months, though the omnivo- 
 reus nature of their appetites gives them a decided advantage 
 over the woodchucks and the rest of the vegeUble eaters in the 
 general scramble for food. 
 
 It is curious that the quaint custom of washing meat ot all 
 kinds before eating it should be clung to so religiously by the 
 raccoons of all parts of the country. Raccoons are so easily 
 domesticated and prove such amusing pets that accounts of tame 
 coons are to be picked up almost anywhere, and although ex- 
 hibiting plenty of originality in most ways, they all seem to agree 
 in this one particular: that when meat is oftered them it must 
 be thoroughly washed or else eaten only under protest appar- 
 ently, many a coon preferring to go hungry rather than eat flesh 
 which it has not first been allowed to wash. Moreover, they 
 are not wilhng to let any one else do the work for them, insist- 
 ing rather on being allowed to do it all themselves, holding their 
 food in both fore paws and sousing it about in the water until 
 it is reduced to a pallid flabby, unappetizing mess which only a 
 coon could look upon without misgiving. 
 
 The latin tifle lotor, as well as the names applied to this 
 species by both German and French naturalists, and I think by 
 some of the Indian tribes of this country, have reference to this 
 washing habit. 
 
 The coon never has, and probably never will achieve, that 
 fame and popularity in the North which it holds in the South. 
 It undoubtedly owes the position which it holds there to the 
 peculiar mixture of insight and imagination with which the negro 
 observes the wild things about him, looking upon them as little 
 wild people dwelling in the woods and fields as best they may, 
 and hardly differing from his own race except as he himself 
 differs from the whites; the raccoon to them is "brother coon" 
 and the rabbit "brother rabbit." 
 
 Before the war, the white children on the Southern planta- 
 tions obtained most of their knowledge of natural history from 
 the slaves, and although they received real facts and quaint negro 
 ideas and superstitions wonderfully blended, 1 am convinced that 
 with it all they got an appreciation of the true innerselves of 
 the little beasts not to be obtained from books or any amount 
 of the scientific research of the trained naturalists. 
 
 a 5.1 
 
I i 
 
 r> ^'1 
 
 1^] 
 
 TasM BaMuis 
 
 The Northern farmer, lacking this early training, in too many 
 instances wholly ignores the wild creatures that inhabit his wood- 
 lot, except when compelled to defend himself against their inroads 
 on his property. It is the exception, even among farmer boys in 
 the North, to ever take the trouble to study their ways closely 
 in order more successfully to shoot or trap them for profit. Most 
 of those who endeavour to add to their pin money by trapping 
 and shooting during the comparatively idle season of late fall 
 and winter and early spring, si. "W follow the direction given 
 them by those who followed t profession before them and 
 who, undoubtedly, in their time received the same from their 
 elders. 
 
 Texas Bassaris 
 
 Bassariscus astutus flavus Rhoads 
 
 Called 3lso Ring-tailed Cat. Civet Cat, Cacomistle. 
 
 Length. 28 inches. 
 
 Description. Much more slender than the Raccoon, with a long 
 
 tail. Colour, yellov/ish-brown, inclining to gray above, below 
 
 white; tail ringed with black and white. 
 Range. Texas, with an allied variety in California and Oregon, 
 
 and others in Mexico. 
 
 The Bassaris is a beautiful little animal, with its slender, 
 almost weasel-like body and handsome ringed tail. It seems to 
 be more characteristic of Mexico than of our own country, and, 
 although it ranges well northward in suitable regions, but little 
 has been learned of its life history. Its nocturnal habits and 
 life among the rocks and trees probably has much to do with 
 this. In captivity it is said to be gentle and docile. 
 
 Mexican Coati 
 
 Nasiia narica (Linnaeus) 
 
 Called also Coati mondi. 
 
 Length. 3 feet. 
 
 Description. Coon-like; tail tapering to a point; nose much 
 
 •54 
 
u 
 
 i)l 
 
 rl 
 
Polar B«ar 
 
 lengthened and tapering, forming the most characteristic 
 feature of the animal. Fur thick and long. Colour, dark- 
 brown, sometimes with rufous tints, generally tipped with 
 white or gray, nose and region around the eyes white. 
 Tail usually faintly ringed with grayish-white, sometimes 
 only perceptible on the basal portion below, or occasionally 
 with rings entirely 1 lung. . ,. u x 
 
 Range. Mexico, crossing ine Rio Grande into Sot" -rn lexas. 
 
 This curious beast, reminding one of a cuon with lose and 
 tail pulled out to a point, is a characteristically tropi.«. animal, 
 which ranges just over our southwestern border. 
 
 BEARS 
 
 Fami/v Ursidte 
 
 Polar Bear 
 
 Tlialarctos maritimus (Phipps) 
 
 Leneth. 7 feet. ,. . . . . 
 
 Description. Entirely white at all seasons, or slighty tinged 
 
 with yellowish; fleshy parts of nose and lips black. 
 Range. Circumpolar regions South to Northern Labrador. 
 
 The Polar Bear is the beach r.inger of the northern seas. 
 Other bears the worid over keep to the shady thickets and 
 forest tangles, where, when the hunting is poor, they can 
 gather wild berries and nuts, and grub roots out of the black 
 earth. But the polar bear rarely tastes vegetable food except in 
 the few short weeks of an Arctic summer. In the desolate, 
 treeless north, he shuffles along over ice-crusted ridges, powdered 
 with snow. His favourite hunting grounds are along the margin 
 of the ice-fields, where the drifting tloes grind against the fixed 
 ice of the shore line, and rend and split with the heaving of 
 the ocean. Here he watches for seals at their breathing holes, 
 as patiently as a cat watches for mice, or stalks them under 
 cover of the ice cakes at the edge of the breakers. 
 
 if he sees one resting on the ice where there is small 
 chance of creeping on it undetected, he plunges into the sea 
 
 »55 
 
Polar Baar 
 
 and swims far out among the whitecaps to the leaward and 
 makes his approach under water. He is a powerful swimmer 
 even in a heavy sea, and catches salmon swimming like 
 an otter. 
 
 Anything eatable that floats or is cast ashore is his food, 
 a dead whale or a herring being alike acceptable. With com- 
 paratively few exceptions, it is only the old males of the species 
 that face the dull length of an Arctic winter out-of-doors. In 
 the autumn, when the snowstorms become heavy and frequent, 
 and the driving scud from the sea shuts out the low sun, 
 most of the she bears look round for some protected hollow in 
 which to pass the winter. 
 
 Under the projecting shelf of a ledge and between neighbour- 
 ing rocks are f vourite winter dens of theirs. Sometimes one 
 will dig a cave for herself in the snowdrift, or, curling up in 
 the bed of a rock, she lets the snow bury her as it will, the 
 one object in any case being to have plenty of snow piled 
 above her for protection against the coming winter. In those 
 northern latitudes the summers are far too short for a young 
 bear born in the spring to gain sufficient strength for with- 
 standing the hardships of the rough winter that closes in so 
 rapidly. 
 
 The young polar bears are born soon after the old one has 
 buried herself for the winter, and for months she hibernates 
 there under the snow with only a slender breathing shaft kept 
 open by the warmth that rises from her fat body. 
 
 For the entire winter the cubs draw all their nourishment 
 from her and grow strong and lusty, while she, being without 
 food of any sort, becomes lean and gaunt during her long 
 rest before the late spring releases them from their prison. 
 
 In the latter part of the winter the cave is gradually en- 
 larged by their breathing and the warmth of their bodies, which 
 melts away the snow around them, until finally they succeed 
 in breaking away a passage and come out into the flat rays of 
 the sun. There are now great companies of wild fowl and 
 sea-birds gathering to nest among the cliffs, and seals with their 
 young on the ice; so the old bear has a good chance to recu- 
 perate her strength and teach her cubs to hunt and fish for 
 themselves. 
 
 When more nourishing food is hard to get, she crops the 
 
 »56 
 
l»()I-.\R HKAK (ihiihtnti'y tthtritimtt:^) 
 
 Bv A. K. huHinwre 
 
 mm 
 
J 
 
 ¥, H 
 
 I 
 
BUck BMf 
 
 salt grass back of the beaches, and 
 roots from the bogs thawed for a little 
 the long hours of sunlight. The polar 
 of her young is well known. Almost 
 brought back vigorous accounts of her 
 If only the humans could have shown 
 bears in these encounters, they would 
 ful reading. 
 
 later gathers berries and 
 while at the surface by 
 beir's courage in defense 
 every Arctic explorer has 
 valour and self-sacrifice, 
 up half as well as the 
 make much more cheer- 
 
 Black Bear 
 
 Ursus americanus Pallas 
 Called also Cinnamon Bear. 
 
 Length. 5 feet. 
 
 Description. Colour entirely black, with a brownish tinge on the 
 face. Some individuals are uniform dark chestnut or cinna- 
 mon, with purplish reflections in certain lights, and are 
 called "Cinnamon Bears." For many years this colour phase 
 was thought to represent a distinct species. 
 
 Ran£ Forest regions of North America, except the Gulf States, 
 Labrador, where allied varieties occur. 
 
 black bear originally inhabited nearly all the woods of 
 \ ii imerica. It is still fairly common in lonely regions where 
 tl. ..e is much thick timber and rough land. 
 
 The black bear differs from the typical bear of literature in 
 a great many ways; the bear of folk-lore and story-books, that 
 roars and attacks people on sight, is the brown bear of Europe, 
 a rough, shaggy beast, clumsy and awkward, like our grizzly 
 bear. The black bear is a smooth-coated, well-shaped fellow, 
 savage enough when attacked and compelled to fight for its life, 
 or to protect its cubs, but at other times timid and inoffensive. 
 When you walk through the woods the shy rabbit allows you 
 to approach to within a few steps before it takes fright and 
 goes bounding away, but the black bear is much more easily 
 frightened. Long before you have got within sight of him he is 
 running for his life with almost the speed of a fox, yet in his 
 encounters with dogs he has proved himself a dangerous antag- 
 onist, plucky and ready to fight. The fact is, his terror of man 
 is the only thing that could possibly save him. If he had as- 
 
 •S7 
 
Blmck Bear 
 
 m )r', 
 
 sumed the same attitude toward man in this country that the 
 brown bear has in Europe, the last of his race would have 
 been shot in the days of our grandfathers. 
 
 Except in early spring, black bears live principally upon 
 vegetable food; blueberries are their favourite diet, though fruit 
 of any kind seems to suit them well enough. 
 
 They also dig for roots and bugs, and catch grasshoppers 
 and crickets in the grass. 
 
 When there is yhMy of such food to be had, they will, it 
 is said, pass the newly killed carcass of a deer or a sheep 
 without noticing it. 
 
 This, however, probably depends a good deal on the indi- 
 vidual, some of them being always fond of meat. Like all bears, 
 they are passionately fond of honey and very clever at finding 
 bee-trees. When a bear has discovered a bee-tree he courage- 
 ously attacks it with teeth and claws, endeavouring to enlarge 
 the opening sufficiently to enable him to reach the honey. But 
 the stings of the enraged insects about his nose and mouth 
 cause him to stop frequently. If the bear is at work at the 
 foot of the free, he can roll on the ground in order to get rid 
 of his tormentors when the pain becomes too severe, but if 
 he is high up on the trunk he can only rub them off ag.iinst 
 the bark and hold his ground, knowing it will not be 
 long after the honeycomb is broken into before the bees will 
 leave him in peace, each hastening to fill its honey-bags before 
 it is too late. Black bears hibernate throughout the winter, 
 stowing themselves away in hollow trees and caves among the 
 rocks. In the extreme north of this rang" they follow the ex- 
 ample of the polar bear, curling up in a c 'e or hollow where 
 the drifting snow will bury them and keep xltm warm until 
 spring. When they come out at the end of tiie winter the 
 skin on the feet cracks and peels off, leaving them soft and 
 tender. 
 
 They now have rather a hard time of it for a few weeks; 
 for food is scarce and diflficuit to get even for an animal in the 
 best condition; and to be handicapped with sore feet and 
 weakened by a four-months' fast at the same time is hard luck. 
 
 They now roam the woods in the hope of finding some 
 animal or bird uncovered by the melting of the snow, and sniff 
 for newly awakened snakes and bugs around mossy old stumps 
 
 »58 
 

Blmck Bmt 
 
 and decaying timber. Later, wiien the ice has melted, they can 
 get succulent plants along the margin of lakes and ponds, and 
 catch suckers and other fish that run up the "rattling shallows." 
 Then they go looking for checkerberries on sunny banks in the 
 woods, or, if the opportunity offers, kill cows and sheep that have 
 been turned out to pasture. In summer they keep to gloomy 
 swamps and mountain-sides, where they feed on roots, nettles, 
 etc., to a certain extent. In hot weather they get lots of fun 
 wallowing in the mud like so many pigs. 
 
 In August and later they visit the farmers' corn-fields and 
 munch the juicy ears and stalks ; pork is a favourite meat of 
 theirs, and they often show an astonishing degree of boldness, 
 for an animal asually so shy, in breaking into pig-pens in the 
 night. As autumn advances they gather nuts, acorns, wild grapes, 
 berries and mushrooms. It is at this season that they get the 
 most honey, and also dig up the nests of savage yellow-jackets, 
 in spite of all the stinging that inevitably follows. 
 
 The cubs are sportive creatures, full of pranks, running, 
 leaping, wrestling, boxing, and playing hide-and-seek, and attempt- 
 ing all sorts of tricks and jokes to tease the old one. But 
 though they do everything they can think of to worry her, 
 she thinks everything of them, and guards them jealously; and 
 when she is with them is about the only time that she is ever 
 really dangerous. She leads them all over the woods, teaching 
 them everything she knows : how to catch mice and dig ants 
 out of a rotten log, or slap a bull-frog out of the water. 
 
 Most bears retain a sense of the humorous, even after they 
 are full-grown and surly; in captivity they are less to be pitied 
 than most wild animals, for this keen sense of fun enables them 
 to get a great deal of amusement out of an old hat or an empty 
 barrel, especially if any one is watching and ready to take a hand 
 in the game. 
 
 The black bear, moreover, is almost always interested in 
 observing the curious ways of the humans in front of his cage. 
 Even in the woods he often exhibits a desire to study the habits 
 of men, creeping up under cover from behind to watch them 
 as they endeavour to catch fish for food, or gather blueberries just 
 as he himself does. There are more people who have been 
 watched and studied in their summer outings by bears than are 
 aware of it, for the bear is ever careful to keep well hidden, and 
 
 •S9 
 
WMiwBMr 
 
 I'L 
 
 I 
 
 hurries off the instant he thinks his presence is mistrusted. It 
 is not at all unlikely that the bears in Northern New England 
 are quite as well informed concerning the summer habits of men 
 in those parts as we are concerning them. 
 
 Varieties of the Black Bear 
 
 The black bears differ from the grizzlies in generally smaller 
 size, and in having the claws of the front and hind feet nearly 
 equal in size, and the hair nearly uniform in length all over 
 the body. The varieties have been separated almost entirely on 
 characters of the skull, as follows: 
 
 Black Bear. Ursus americanus Pallas. Skull rather short and 
 
 broad, lo by 7 inches. Range as above. 
 Labrador Bear. 0. americanus sornborgeri Bangs. Smaller, with 
 
 broader skull, 8 by 5 inches. 
 Florida Bear. U. americanus floridanus (Merriam). Skull long 
 
 and narrow; forehead miich elevated, 1 1 by 7 inches. 
 Louisiana Bear. U. luteolus Griffith. Skull large and long, much 
 
 flattened on the forehead, 11.5 by 7.5 inches. 
 
 Glacier Bear 
 
 Ursus emtnonsi (Dall) 
 
 V. 
 11/ 
 
 Length. 4 feet. 
 
 Description. General colour resembles that of the silver fox. Fur 
 remarkably soft, with a rich under-fur of a bluish-black shade, 
 many of the long hairs white. Dorsal line black; sides 
 mmgled black and silvery white, beneath grayish-white; 
 outer side of limbs black; sides of muzzle and lower 
 anterior parts of cheek bright tan colour; no shade of brown 
 elsewhere on the fur. Claws short, strongly curved, and 
 sharp; ears very short. 
 
 Range. Glacier region Mount St. Elias, etc., to Juneau, Alaska. 
 
 This curious and little-known animal is an inhabitant of the 
 St. Elias Alps, frequenting the edges of the glaciers. It is known 
 to fur-dealers by the name of blue bear, and is said to be shy 
 and less fierce than other species. 
 
 ■WIlMll 
 
b 
 
Otissljr 
 
 Grizzly Bear 
 
 Ursus horribilis Ord 
 
 Length. 6 feet 6 inches. .. u u a 
 
 Description. Fur shaggy, especially long on the shoulders and 
 flanks; front claws much longer than the hind ones, and strongly 
 curved; hind foot relatively longer than in the back bear. 
 Brownish-yellow; darker on the back and legs; long hair, 
 often reddish-brown. . 
 
 Ranee. Rocky Mountains of Utah to Alaska. Closely related 
 varieties occur in the Southern Rockies and at Norton Sound, 
 Alaska, while a smaller ally, the Barren-ground bear, U. rtch- 
 arJsoni Reid, ranges from Hudson's Bay to the Mackenzie and 
 northward. 
 
 The grizzly bear is a great rough brute, heavy and lumbering, 
 and easily the largest and most ferocious bear to be found in 
 any part of the world. At the present day, however, he seldom 
 ventures to attack man except in self-defense. In the land where 
 grizzlies are found, only those beasts have survived that excelled 
 in keeping out of sight. Wildness has therefore of late years 
 served the grizzly better than strength and courage in the 
 struggle for existence. He still finds his great muscles useful 
 in the matter of getting a living; there is nothing lives in his 
 country that the grizzly cannot kill and carry away, with the 
 possible exception of the cougar. Indians and certain old-time 
 hunters claim that the cougar will attack and kill a full-grown 
 grizzly; but beyond their storied there seems to be no evidence 
 whatever that a cougar ever killed a grizzly that ,;-, too old to 
 be called a cub. 
 
 In the earlier days the grizzly bear regularly hunted the 
 bison among the foot-hills ■ f the Rockies. 
 
 It is said that one was able to kill and drag off an old 
 bull bison weighing one thousand pounds or more. 
 
 At the present time, when the grizzly wishes to go after 
 big game he generally hunts the horses and cattle owned by 
 the herders, and so gets himself disliked. He also hunts deer 
 and wapiti, and in the most northern part of his range an occa- 
 sional moose. 
 
 But he lives to a large extent on much humbler fare; ram- 
 bling among the crags, with low-hung swinging head, he listens 
 
1 
 
 1 
 
 w 
 
 Oriuljr Bear 
 
 for mice in the grass, and digs them : ; with c'aws fashioned to 
 kill an ox at a blow. He also eats insect-, berr es a J wild 
 plums, and munches green fodder in the m^ . iows. Tne cubs 
 are said to be as funny and amusing as voung bears of any sort, 
 and being less unwieldly than the old ones, freq i n.ly .:!imb trees. 
 
 When an old grizzly has eitablished a hunting rai ge for him- 
 self, he writes his challenge with his massive claws and tusks on 
 the trunk of a pine as high as he cm reach. His tremendous 
 strength is generally known and respected by other ur-footed 
 hunters, who might otherwise be tempted to poach on his preserves. 
 If another bear, wandering in search of better huntmg grounds, 
 happens along this path, he is certain to see these warning claw 
 marks, and rising on his hind feet he also strikes the bark in a 
 similar manner. If he fails to scar the trunk as high as thr- other 
 bear has done, he continues on his travels, leaving the urn in 
 undisputed possession. But if the new-comer finds that he can 
 reach as high or higher than the one who first left his challenge 
 there, he is more than likely to remain in the immediate vicinity, 
 scarring other trees here and there, and hunting when and where 
 he pleases. 
 
 Unless the first bear has observed the challenge of the new- 
 comer, and, losing cc age, retires from the neighbourhood, the 
 tvvo are bound to meet sooner or later and a tremendous fight 
 ensues. 
 
 When the supremacy has been finally decided, the vanquished 
 bear, if indeed he has not been killed outright, betakes himself to 
 some distant part of the forest to nurse "k wounds in solitude. 
 
 The method of challenging all comers is common to a great 
 many wild beasts, large and small; not only bears of all 
 kinds and many of the smaller hunters, but deer and moose as 
 well. And I am inclined to think that when the house-c,n 
 stretches up to sharpen its claws on the trunk of a tree, it is .1 
 similar challenge for other cats to read. 
 
 And who knows but the same instinct, brought up from pas; 
 ages and more than half forgotten, urges domestic cattle to rub 
 their horns as high as they can reach a^. ist any smooth-b ied 
 tree in the pasture just as moose and wild deer do in the forest 
 
 •6* 
 
a-; 
 
 ^^ 
 
 rilMiiiiHMaMMi 
 
Kmdimk Bew 
 
 Varieties of the Grizzly Bear 
 
 /. Grizily Bear. Ursus horribilis Ord. Description as above. 
 Range. Northern Rocky Mountains from Utah to the interior 
 of British Columbia. 
 a. Alaskan Grimly. Ursus horribilis alascensis Merriam. Skull 
 larger, and other cranial and dental peculiarities. 
 Range. Norton Sound District Alaska. 
 J. Sonoran Grinlv. Ursus horribilis horricrus Baird. Frontal 
 region of skull not elevated at or behind the eye sockets, 
 as in U. horribil . but hollowed between them. 
 Range. Southern Rocky Mountains and outlying peaks and 
 ranges, Colorado to Arizona. 
 4. California Gri^^ly. Ursus horm .lis californicus Merriam. 
 Rather larger than the last. Ears longer. 
 Range. Southern California. (Rapidly approaching extinction.) 
 
 No satisfactory comparison of skins of these animals, nor the 
 large brown bears, has been made as yet, and they have been 
 studied mainly from skulls. 
 
 Kadiak Bear 
 
 Ursus middendorff Merriam 
 
 Ltngth. Skin, 10 feet. Skull, is inches. 
 
 Description. Largest of the American bears. Colour similar to 
 
 the grizzly but skull presenting many points of difference. 
 Range. Kadiak Island. 
 
 This enormous bear and the allied Yakutat and Sitkan bears 
 are restricted to Alaska and adjacent islands. They present differ- 
 ences of structure from both the grizzlies and black bears and 
 arc larger than either. 
 
 Species and Varieties of Brown Bears 
 
 ;. Kadiak Bear. Ursus middendorff Merriam. Range and de- 
 scription as above. „ . . r ■ n 
 a. Yakutat Bear. Ursus dalli Merriam. Frontal region of skull 
 flattened instead of arched. 
 Range. Yakutat Bay. Alaska. 
 }. Pavlof Bear. Ursus diilli gyas Merriam. Much larger than 
 the last. 
 Range. Pavlof Bay, Alaskan Peninsula. 
 
 •63 
 
WolvM and Foscs 
 
 4 Sitka Bear. Ursus sitkensis Merriam. Rather smaller than 
 
 the Yakutat bear but structure of teeth different from any 
 of the above and approaching the blaclt bears. 
 Range. Sitkan coast region, Alaska. 
 
 5 Kidder's Bear. U sus kidderi Merriam. Allied to the YakuUt 
 
 bear, but smaller, with smaller teeth. 
 Range. Alaskan Peninsula. 
 
 WOLVES AND FOXES 
 
 Family Canida 
 
 The dogs and their allies, the wolves and foxes, resemble the 
 cats in being digitigrade, or walking on the toes, and in having 
 only four toes on the hind feet, but differ in having their claws 
 duller, shorter, and not retractile. 
 
 % 
 
 Red Fox 
 
 Vulpes fulvui (Desmarest) 
 Called also Cross Fox. Silver Fox, Black Fox. 
 
 Length. 40 inches. 
 
 Description. Fulvous or rusty red, grayish on the rump and flanks; 
 hairs of the tail black toward the end, tip of tail whitish; legs 
 black, partly white on the inside; throat white; ears largely 
 tipped with black. Considerable variation occurs in the 
 colouration of the red fox. especially in the northern part of 
 his range. One phase similar to the above, but with a black 
 band across the shoulders and another along the back, is 
 known as the "cross fox." while the "silver fox" is a gray 
 phase and the "black fox" a black phase of the same 
 animal. 
 
 Range. Northern North America south to Georgia. Replaced in 
 Nova Scotia and Newfoundland by slightly different varieties. 
 
 The reputation for shrewdness and cunning which the fox 
 has always borne is well-earned and indisputable. One of the 
 most characteristic traits of the whole fox tribe is the quickness 
 with which they gather experience and learn to avoid new 
 dangers. The early settlers found little difficulty In trapping and 
 
 164 
 
KADIAK BEAR (rr,wi« iiiuhU-mUyrtfi) 
 
 B)r A K |IU|m>ir( 
 
■'^-- — 
 
 --iAa»MM«M£_-£. 
 
 KaflgMH 
 
WolvM and Fose* 
 
 shooting the foxes which sltuliied about their clearings, and even 
 now those found in wild, unsettled country are comparatively 
 easy to outwit. But the red fox of cultivated districts has 
 learned a great deal from watching the ways of men, and has 
 already very nearly caught up with Reynard of the Old World 
 in the matter of a highly developed intellect. 
 
 He now holds his own against man, as much by boldness 
 and audacity as by caution; few of our wild animals look on 
 man with so little awe. 
 
 Only last winter I saw two sturdy fox-hunters hurrymg 
 through the snow, eager to head off a fox. which, judging 
 from their remarks which 1 overheard, they imagined would 
 cross the stream at a point a mile ahead. 
 
 And all the time there was the fox they were after coolly 
 following in their footsteps at a safe distance, while the hounds, 
 baffled and outwitted, bayed dolefully in the woods somewhere 
 on the other side of the stream. 
 
 This trick of following the hunter is not in the least un- 
 common. 1 have frequently, when returning in my own tracks 
 from a tramp on snow-shoes, found the fresh trail of a fox 
 who had been following me. 
 
 But you will seldom catch him at it; the instant you stop 
 he slips behind a tree, and if you turn back, vanishes in the 
 shadow of the forests. 
 
 1 once saw my father driving home the cows on a sum- 
 mer evening with an old fox, of whose presence he was totally 
 unaware, trotting along the sunlit sheep-path scarcely one hun- 
 dred steps behind him. 
 
 The fox's boldness in robbing hen-roosts is well known; 
 and as most foxes know too much to visit the same place 
 twice, it is only rarely that they get caught at it. 
 
 1 know of one instance when an enthusiastic fox hunter, 
 arriving at daybreak in order to have an early start with the 
 hounds, heard a disturbance in his hen-pen. and looking \n to 
 see what was the trouble, met a fox just coming out. 
 
 The fox slipped by him and dashed away for the woods; 
 ind the hunter, thinking that this certainly was a good begin- 
 ning for a days sport, put his dogs on the trail, confident of 
 getting at least one new pelt that day. But all day the fox 
 eluded them, and when at nightfall they came home unsuc- 
 
 •«S 
 
It 
 
 >j<« ■< 
 
 Red Fox 
 
 cessful, beneath darkening skys. they were undoubtedly every 
 bit as weary as the fox they had been chasing. One bright 
 windy Sunday in February, a few years ago, a farmer of my 
 acquaintance happening to look out of the window saw a tox 
 stretching himself to his full height on two legs in order to 
 look through a crack into the hen-house. The farmer seized 
 his gun, and running to the door let fly both barrels, but be- 
 fore the shot could reach him, the fox had dodged behind a 
 corner of the building, and keeping it between himself and the 
 aiming, was quicklv out of range. 
 
 But the fox likes best to catch chickens in summer, when 
 the corn-fields, orchards and hedgerows furnish him safe am- 
 bush and effectually cover his retreat. One hot morning last 
 summer a fox cha.«ed some hens up across the new-mown 
 grass land to within one hundred feet of the open door where 
 we were standing, and catching the hindermost one. threw her 
 across his shoulders and started for the woods. I caught up a 
 rifle with one hand and shot-gun with the other, and thus 
 thoroughly equipped hurried to the rescue. 
 
 I was too late to save the unfortunate hen, however; the 
 fox stopped when he reached the lower end of the field, and 
 stretching himself in the warm grass, held her down with his 
 paws, biting her tentatively to make sure she was dead, i 
 made a slight detour and crawled cautiously to the top of the 
 nearest knoll, but even then the fox was much too far away 
 for the shot-gun to reach him; so, resting on my elbow, I 
 attempted to get his range with the rifle, but only succeeded in 
 throwing some dust in his eyes, and away he went like an arrow. 
 I have known a fox to kill three or four full-grown fowls 
 in an orchard close to a farm-house where the family were at 
 breakfast, and get away without being seen, carrying one of 
 his victims with him. 
 
 On another occasion, quite recently, one of my neighbours 
 had thirty pullets taken in a single night. Eighteen of them 
 were found next morning in a heap at the foot of an oak tree. 
 Another farmer tells me that he has lost one hundred and fifty 
 in one season, all presumably going to the foxes. 
 
 Yet, although the farmer and the fox are such inveterate 
 enemies, they manage to benefit each other in a great many 
 ways quite unintentionally. 
 
-•■¥;. 
 
 Red Pox 
 
 The fox destroys numberless field mice and woodchucks for 
 the farmer, and in return the farmer supplys him with poultry, 
 and builds convenient bridges over streams and wet places, 
 which the fox crosses oftener than the farmer, for he is as 
 sensitive as a cat about getting his feet wet. 
 
 On the whole. I am inclined to believe that the fox gets 
 the best part of the exchange, for. while the farmer shoots ut 
 him on every occasion, and hunts him with dogs in the winter, 
 he has cleared the land of wolves and panthers, so that foxe. 
 are probably safer than before any land was ploughed. 
 
 When the snow is deep the farmer's sled makes the best c.t 
 paths for the fox, who appropriates them for his own use just 
 as unconcernedly as he does the regular highway But to see 
 a fox get round the farmer's dogs, in order to make friends with 
 them is one of the most astonishing revelations of character. 
 Usually the dogs seem hardlv to know at first what to make 
 of his advances, but the fox is pretty certain to s"""<* '" 
 bringing them to his side in the end, and after that they may 
 be seen playing together day after day. 
 
 If, as 1 am sometimes tempted to believe, the fox really 
 works' this scheme with the deliberate purpose of making it 
 safer for him to get at the farmers chickens, he is gitted with 
 a degree of shrewdness beyond anything he has been credited 
 
 "^"^ it is only recently that I have come to realize what per- 
 sistent woodchuck hunters foxes really are. I find that the 
 shrill alarm cry of the woodchuck, heard echoing back and 
 forth across the pasture-land, is a pretty reliable foretelling of 
 the approach of a fox. 
 
 The appearance of a man or dog causes no -ch general 
 
 alarm among them. , ^ • u. . k» i c.«/ 
 
 Last April, on a windy afternoon of bright sunlight I saw 
 
 a biK dog-fox hard at work digging out a woodchucks hole 
 
 on the slope of a sandy hiilock at the edge of a meadow. 
 
 - Every few minutes he would back out of the hole. and. 
 shaking the loose earth from his yellow fur, look intently 
 across to the other opening of the burrow, as if expecting at 
 any moment to see the woodchuck try to make his escape by 
 way of the back door. A little distanre away a woodchuck 
 was signalling the dangers to any others of his kind that might 
 
 »6j 
 
 ^^am^^^ 
 
Rad Fas 
 
 be within hearing; he was safe enough at all events; the hole 
 beside which he was sitting was ringed in by corded beech 
 roots with an entrance much too narrow to admit a fox. 
 
 In summer time foxes like best to hunt the woodchucks 
 that ai-e just learning to go about alone. 
 
 1 have never seen an actual encounter between a fox and 
 a full-grown woodchuck; the fight must frequently prove a 
 sharp one, for the woodchuck, though clumsy as compared with 
 a fox, is a stubborn fighter, and knows how to use his chisel- 
 like teeth to good purpose. 
 
 In the autumn, when the hounds are out and the uplands 
 sing with their baying, it is only natural to think of the fox 
 with pity, and for the time being, at least, to forgive him a 
 portion of his sins. 
 
 If he is being hunted in the English manner, with horses 
 and hounds, your pity is certainly not misplaced. To be run 
 down and overtaken and torn to pieces by overpowering numbers, 
 when at last his strength fails him and all his wiles *^ave proved 
 in vain, is a cruel end for any animal to meet. Fox hunting 
 as it is practiced in most of our northern states, however, though 
 it may not be quite so good form, is yet perfectly sportsmanlike, 
 and a great deal pleasanter for the fox. 
 
 To say that the foxes frequently get their share of t;ie fun 
 while being hunted sounds absurd enough, but is nevertheless 
 true. Only two or three hounds are used, and the hunter, in- 
 stead of following, endeavours to head off the fox and shoot 
 him. About the only cruelty in this sort of hunting is when 
 an occasional fox is wounded ari escapes, and must heal his 
 shot wounds and get along as best he may for the next few 
 
 weeks. 
 
 When the fox first hears the hounds baying in the distance 
 he listens anxiously, and can soon tell by the course they are 
 following whether they are on his trail or that of another fox; 
 in the latter case he simply goes to sleep again, or watches 
 the course of the hunt at a safe distance. But if he finds that 
 the hounds are on his track, he stretches himself and starts off 
 leisurely, planning all sorts of stratagems to throw off the scent. 
 
 It does not worry him in the least to have the dogs close 
 on his heels; he knows that they are afraid to touch him, and 
 that he can easily leave them miles behind whenever he cares to, 
 
 a63 
 
RED FOX (rK//-' jiilruf) 
 
 Hy A K Dugmora 
 
 ^.-mMmE m 
 
 .aft't^wff?- -ii 
 
Rad Pm 
 
 i have more than once seen a fox turn and drive the 
 hounds back when they got too dose; so he trots a^ong a 
 his leisure, husbanding his strength and schemmg to keep ou^ 
 of the v^ay of the hunter. From time to time he will go bacK 
 ?n Ss own footsteps for a distance, and then leap awuy to 
 one side and go off in a new direction. Agam he runs along 
 on top of a rfil fence or .tone wall, or over the wet stones of 
 
 a shallow brook. , ,„,.», on 
 
 One of his favourite tricks is to cross over deep water on 
 thin ice just strong enough to bear him. knowmg that m all 
 ;ib"it ;.e hounds wm break though, and perhaps be swep 
 Snder the ice if the current is strong enough, more than one 
 liable dog has been drowned in th.s manner but have 
 never known a fox to miscalculate the strength of the >ce and 
 b eak through himself If the stream is not wholly frozen over 
 he runs along at the very edge of the deep water, where the 
 Tec is hin aSd treacherous, until he comes to a place where he 
 c?n Up across to the thin ice ti.at reaches out from the 
 opposite banl. ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ headed for some 
 
 sheltered nc^k^e knows of. where he may curl up m the sun 
 on the warm pine needles and sleep until the no.sy hound 
 ootlSJe and apparently all but exhausted. --/-""« ^^ ,^3° 
 awake him. When the snow is very light and dry and ,ust 
 d^ep enough to make it harder for the fox than for the hounds, he 
 hal a r^uch worse time of it; but it much oftener happens 
 Jhat while the hounds plunge in up to the. breasts at every 
 Iteo he skips off over the white surface without breaking 
 irough Although he knows of three or four dens w.thm easy 
 relch it is only when wounded or tired out by a long run in 
 St snow that an old fox ever takes to earth, though last 
 Sons lbs sometimes become frightened when the hounds 
 Ret too close, and allow themselves to be driven in 
 
 Except in very rough weather, foxes prefer to sleep m the 
 open air in cool weather choosing the south side of a hill away 
 
 ^■'"'"while'^thty do most of their hunting in the morning and 
 evenhig tw Sght. they are up and about more or less at al hours 
 of le day a^nd night, and are frequently to be seen out after 
 game at high noon in the hottest part of the summer, or sitting on 
 
 169 
 

 1^ 
 
 r. 
 
 R«d Fox 
 
 their haunches dog-fashion in the middle of a meadow, listening 
 for mice. Two years ago, in September, 1 was going through 
 a piece of low, swampy woodland where every leaf dripped and 
 shimmered from the late shower. The blue jays and thrushes 
 were scolding at a hawk somewhere among the trees, and in 
 order to find out what it was that disturbed them I imitated the 
 cry of a young b"'' 't distress, as well as I could. In a few 
 minutes a C"ir„. wk appeared and alighted in i low tree not 
 
 far awav; bu' "■■. v as not the only hunter that 1 had deceived, 
 for whiie . ' us watching the hawk 1 caught sight of a young 
 fox coming from another direction and alrea>lv within three or four 
 rods of me. The woods were fnirly free fr r underbrush just 
 there, and he was walking leisurely along over the wet leaves, 
 looking about eagerly on all sides and then up at the blue jays 
 that were screeching overhead. He looked as if just waked up 
 from his nap, and kept shutting his eyes and yawning until his 
 jaws stood at right angles with each other. Although but little 
 more than half-grown, he had lost al! trace of the fat, woolly 
 appearance of a fox-cub; his new autumn coat of red fur was as 
 bright and smooth and his legs as black as anything could be. 
 He was absolutely unconscious of my presence, and for a few 
 moments I saw the woods as they should be seen, and forgot that 
 I myself was there; but only the fox and the yellow-eyed hawk 
 and the blue jays and the wet leaves after the rain; all grouped 
 to be seen once so cleariy as to never grow indistinct in memory. 
 
 When the fox was within a few yards of me he stopped 
 short in his tracks and stared for a few seconds, but without tak- 
 ing fright; on the contrary, he came still nearer, until, when only 
 a few steps away, he caught my scent, and turning wen' bound- 
 ing off among the trees. Almost always when you meet a fox 
 in the woods he pretends not to see you. but changes his course 
 casually, as if, perhaps, he had just heard a n.ouse over there 
 among the stumps. He does not increase his speed in the 
 slightest degree until he is behind some tree or rock; then away 
 he goes at a tremendous rate, always keeping the tree between 
 you and himself until well out of gunshot. 
 
 The thin, querulous, husky barking of the fox is not by any 
 means an attractive sound, particulariy when heard in the distance 
 on still winter nighte; but at times they utter a long, wild screech 
 that would '.'o credit to a panther. This cry is heard oftencst 
 
 •TO 
 
 a 
 
 a. 
 
 mm 
 
 ^mmnmm 
 
A YDl'Nd RKK l-<».\ d ((/,". . ;.'i.:n5> 
 
 Hy VV ^. k. Jllii. 
 
I 
 
 ■ki 
 
 MHittHHitt 
 
R«d Pm 
 
 in the spring, when there are young foxes to be protected, and in 
 
 them much Te than upon his eyesight, both m hunt.n. an. 
 in avoiding his enemies. , 
 
 This morning. January )U I90». a >'»'<= b';;'' ^ ^^ ^^^ 
 cross.ng an open clayey pasture when ".head a "^J^ JJ ;" 
 
 !n a very few minutes he appeared and trotted out across the 
 ""HTwas at least one hundred and fifty yards away and go- 
 
 trotting towards me. us ng greater frightening 
 
 Jri VhThe g w^^^^^^^^ there were no more 
 
 u *T «, h.,n.hes of grass for concealment, only the smooth. 
 ^"'°'^LrleJ sod where Tcroucheu in plain sight, with my back 
 L w^'ha iJ^^^ su^^t- the necked and mottled clouds 
 
 to what ''«'««"" „ ^ ^^^^^ ,t n,e sharply as if mistrust- 
 
 that covered the sky He xo ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^ 
 
 «7« 
 
Kad Pm 
 
 circled around to get the wind of me, trusting more to his 
 nostrils than to his eyesight. 
 
 He was a large male, gray about the face and cheeks, and per- 
 fectly black on his legs and the backs of his ears. His tail was 
 a supurb white-tipped brush, well grizzled with black. When 1 
 spoke to him he sprang into the air and went bounding away to 
 the woods, then stopped and looked back at me for a few seconds 
 before disapp''-<ring among the trees. 
 
 Varieties of the Red Fox 
 
 While the "cross fox." "silver fox." etc., are merely indi- 
 vidual colour varieties, there are several well-marked geographic 
 forms of the red fox. 
 
 I • 
 
 Skull nf Rcl Fo« 
 
 Rel Fox. Vuipes fulviis (Dtsmarest). Description and range as 
 
 above. 
 \'o.-a Sii.Jij Red Fox. ^. fitlvus rubruosa Bangs target and 
 brifihtei riistv red. 
 Range. Nov . Scoti.i. ...... 
 
 Nnje/oiinJUinJ RiJ Fox. K Uktrix Bangs. Smaller than the 
 fed fox. with larger hind Sect and claws. Color paler and 
 less rustv. 
 Range. Newfoundland. 
 
 Kit Fox 
 
 Vu/fes ve/ox (Say) 
 
 Length a^ inches. 
 
 Deunphon. Yellowish-gray above, darkest on the back, hairs 
 
 
Armie Fos 
 
 tipped with whitish, legs lighter; under p.:rts white; tail buffy 
 bilow. tip white, very full and bushy; a black patch on each 
 side of the muzzle. , , .,. , 
 
 Range. Nebraska to Colorado and northward over the plains. 
 
 This is a much smaller animal than our red and gray foxes. 
 and is restricted entirely to the Western plains. 
 
 Arctic Fox 
 
 lii/fcs lagopus (Linn^us) 
 Also called Blue Fox, U^Hifc Fox. 
 
 D^sfr%tion. '"uJpeV parts brown, belly whitish, fur everywhere 
 bluish-arav at the base, and sometimes this colour predomi- 
 nates. In winter the whole animal is pure white. 
 
 Range. Arctic regions. There appear to be several geographic 
 forms. 
 
 The little blue foxes of the fir north live in communities or 
 fox-villages, digging twenty or thirty burrows together in places 
 where the soil is light and sandy. In summer they hunt lor 
 lemmings in the moss-grown tundras and barren grounds, dig- 
 ging them out of their holes or pouncing on them as thev 
 traverse their runways in the thick, wet sphagnous beds that cover 
 the swamps and boggy places. 
 
 At this season the Arctic fox lives in iuxurv, for besides the 
 lemmings there are numberless wild fowl nesting by the margin 
 of every stream; and on the ridges, willow grouse and snow 
 buntings hide their eggs in the reindeer moss and low bushes, 
 or in warm hollows where the short-lived blossoms ot the north- 
 iand crowd together in dense borders of bright colours. 
 
 The lemmings are so numerous and easily caught that a 
 very few hours each day spent in hunting them would easily 
 keep the fox supplied with meat. 
 
 But the little stub-nosed blue-fox. though he lacks something 
 of the wily shrewdness of the long-headed red fox of the wood- 
 land, is nevertheless a very intelligent beast. 
 
 Knowing that summer will soon be over, and the lemmings 
 safe in their hidden roadways beneath ice and snow, and the 
 
 »7J 
 
'f> 
 
 Arctic Fw 
 
 birds all driven north before the cold, he hunts diligently while 
 Kame is yet abundant, and brings home load after load of fat- 
 bodied lemmings to be packed away in cold-storage for the 
 
 winter. ^ „ , .. ^ 
 
 Where the blue fox lives the frost never wholly leaves the 
 ground; so he digs down in the moist turf until he reaches a 
 Temperature only just above freezing, and packs down several 
 dozen lemmings in a place, covering them with moss and sods. 
 These caches of frozen lemmings are his principal food sup- 
 ply for the greater part of the year. ^ u . .i. 
 ' Of course there are always polar hares to be found, but the 
 catching' of them is not so easy, for of the two the hares 
 legs are longer, and there is small chance of creepmg upon him 
 unawares in that snow-sheeted country. Yet though the hunting 
 is poor and he has plenty of meat laid by for the future and a 
 warm, cozy chamber underground, the arctic fox is not the sort 
 of fellow that sits at home and nods in the corner waiting for 
 
 spring to come back again. 
 
 In the fall his fur becomes perfectly white, uke that of the 
 Northern hare and the ermine, and the plumage of the ptarmigan, 
 in order that he may creep unseen among the snow-drifts, 
 avoiding the eves of the game he is seeking, and of the gray wolf, 
 who is his worst enemy. He may run cheerfully all day long 
 or all night long, without success, enjoying the chase for itself, 
 and the cold free winds across the barrens, knowing all the time 
 that he will not have to go hungry, unless, worse luck, the 
 wolf or the wolverine has found his stores and robbed him. In 
 that event he would probablv turn thief himself and steal from 
 his more fortunate neighbours, if his prowess at hunting failed 
 to keep him supplied with food. It is pretty generally affirmed 
 by the hunters that the young foxes of the year, who have as 
 yet not established homes of their own. travel southward as the 
 winter advances, killing their meat from day to day m new 
 hunting grounds, or going hungry if the fortunes of the chase refuse 
 to imile on them. But as the daylight lengthens and the sun 
 swlngt in sight again across the south, they turn back to join 
 the old foxes once more. 
 
 And now thev pair and dig new burrows for themselves, 
 where the little woolly fox cubs are born and brought up. 
 Their Wander-Jahre is now over, and they go seriously to 
 
 •74 
 
Orajr Fob 
 
 work bringing home all the lemmings they are able to kill 
 and packing them down against the coming of another winter. 
 
 But these stores are all for themselves and not to be shared 
 with their cubs, who, after their first summer of fun and care- 
 lessness is ended, must start south in their turn, each hunting 
 for himself and avoiding the wolf and the half-breed trappers as 
 best he may, until the season comes for him to return and 
 settle down as a member of the same remote colony of little 
 blue foxes on the shores of the frozen sea. 
 
 The Arctic fox is in many ways the most attractive of its 
 race, being wholly free from the rank odour characteristic of the 
 
 other foxes. 
 
 It is, moreover, remarkably neat and cleanly, both regarding 
 its fur and in the care of its burrow. Although, as before 
 stated, it is not so sly as the red fox, especially in the matter 
 of traps, it is intelligent and quick to learn, and, living on the 
 edge of a settlement, would undoubtedly soon be as difficult to 
 outwit as its long-legged cousin of temperate latitudes. 
 
 In its family life it is certainly the equal, if not indeed the 
 superior, of many of the native Eskimo tribes inhabiting the 
 same regions, at least in matter of lorethought. cleverness and 
 morality. 
 
 Gray Fox 
 
 Urocyon cinrrtoar^tntcus (Schrebcr) 
 
 Length. iq inches. . , ^, , j u. . 
 
 DescriMion. (.eneral colour gray, hair banded black and white, 
 darker ..ii the back. Side's of the neck, ears and band 
 across the breast justy red; tips of ears black, feet and 
 parts of leg rustv. as well as the under surface of the body. 
 Inner side of legs, throat and middle of breast white. I ail 
 much coirser than that of the red fox without the solt 
 under fur. , . ^ . 
 
 Ram'- Southeastern New York and New Jersey to Georgia 
 and north in the Mississippi Valley to Tennessee. Replaced 
 in Florida and in the West by slightly dilTerent varieties. 
 
 The grav fox is a creature of the forest, incapable of 
 holding his own for long in a cultivated country; not so much 
 
 '1% 
 
*: : 
 
 Onqr Fm 
 
 because of any inborn hatred of dviliiation, like that which 
 drives the beaver and marten forever off into the wilderness. 
 He would apparently be perfectly wiUing to dwell, like the red 
 fox as a free-booter on the borders of a ptantation, living on 
 mice and game birds, or stealing the farmer's chickens as occa- 
 sion offered; but the farmer usually proves too much for him. 
 
 The gray fox is sly and cunning by nature, but he lacks 
 that astonishing shrewdness and faculty for working out deep- 
 |;,id schemes which enables the red fox to turn the tables on 
 the hunter repeatedly in the most unpromising situations. 
 
 Physically the gray fox has the advantage in a number of 
 ways; being smaller and less conspicuously coloured, he hn ■ 
 much better chance of tricking. 
 
 He can also climb trees better than the red fox, and is 
 equally swift at running and more tireless, while his rough 
 gray-brown fur is much less eagerly sought after than is the 
 beautiful pelt of the red fox. 
 
 Gray foxes seldom live in burrows; most of them have 
 their camps in hollow logs and old tree-trunks, where they can 
 Uke reftigo in rough weather or when chased by dogs. At 
 other times they like to sleep in the open air, hidden among 
 the bushes and undergrowth. They are clever hunters, and living 
 as they do farther to the south, and avoiding those regions 
 where the snow lies deep in winter, seldom lack for food at 
 
 any season. u . i- 
 
 Thay catch and eat almost every small creature that lives 
 in the forest-insects, fish, reptiles, birds, and small mammals; 
 thev also at times eat wild grapes and berries, and very likely 
 acorns, chestnuts and mushrooms, like most of the carnivorous 
 
 animals, ^ , . .. ^ 
 
 The female hides her young in a nest of leaves at the 
 bottom of a hollow tree, and later brings them out to give 
 them lessons in hunting and woodcraft. When they have learned 
 to take care of themselves a litiie they separate, to wander 
 where they will, unprotected, picking up a living here and there 
 as best they may. The barking of the gray fox is thin and 
 husky, faintc-r than that of the red fox, and serves chieHy to 
 call the sexes together in the spring. 
 
 17A 
 
! . 
 
 i«aH 
 
 Hi 
 
 warn 
 
Orar Wolf 
 
 Varieties of the Gray Fox 
 
 Gray Fox. Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Schreber). Range and de- 
 scription as above. 
 
 Florida Gray Fox. U. cinertoargenteus floridanui Rhoads. 
 Smaller, fur coarser, and fulvous of breast paler, with no 
 white on the under parts. 
 Range. Southern Georgia and Florida. 
 
 Wisconsin Grav Fox. U. cinereoargenteus ocvthous Bangs. Larger 
 with more yellow and rusty tints and less pure gray than 
 the eastern gray fox. 
 Range. Upper Mississippi Valley. 
 
 Cray Wolf 
 Cams occidentalis (Richardson) 
 Called also Timber Wolf. 
 
 Length. 4 feet 9 inches. 
 
 Description. Prevailing colour gray; dark, almost black along the 
 back, with a dusky patch on the shoulder and hips. Some- 
 times more rufous. 
 
 Range. Formeriy over most of North America, now very rare 
 east of the Missies ppi River. The exact number of varieties 
 of American wolves hrs not been determined; probably the 
 Black Wolf Canis ater Richardson, which still exists in the 
 Florida everglades, is a distinct species, and also the Arctic 
 Wolf C. alhus (Sabine), which is pure white with a black 
 tip to the tail. 
 
 The gray wolf that formerly ranged in great packs over everv 
 part of this country is practically the same as the dreaded wolt 
 of Europe. Local varieties in both countries differ more wideiv 
 from each other than typical specimens from the same latitude in 
 Europe and America. Yet, while in Russia, Germany, and even 
 France, the wolves still menace the peasantry whenever an excep- 
 tionally hjrJ W'lter drives them to desperation, in this country 
 they v.'t're quickiv driven off and exterminated in most sections, 
 even v.'liere heavy forest-growth and broken country afforded 
 them the best protection. 
 
 Gray wolves were .ilwny; wandering, unsettled beasts at times, 
 especially m the winter, hunting up and down the cou.itry in great 
 
 *11 
 
R,f 
 
 h. 
 
 Otmr Weir 
 
 packs, and more rarely wandering alone or by twos and threes. 
 Any sort of a country appears tc suit them wfll enough, 
 provided there Is game to be had. If anything, they ^e« /"o^' 
 numerous in low. bUck swamps of hemlock and tamarack In the 
 North and the everglades of Rorida than in the dense forests 
 of mountainous countries and uplands. But above aU else they 
 preferred the wind-blown prairies of the West, where they followed 
 the bison herds in their wandering after new and green pastures. 
 The wolves seldom molested the buffaloes unless they were dis- 
 abled by wounds or sickness. The young calves were what 
 they were after when they skulked through the herd, dodging 
 the old bulls and angry cow-buffaloes in the tall bunch-grass 
 of the plains. At present the alkah deserts and badlands and 
 the barrens of the Hudson Bay country harbour the greater number 
 of those that still run in the open. In the heavy timber of the 
 Rockies those wolves that like to hunt in the shadow of the 
 forest find abundance of deer and smaller game and good hid- 
 ing that not only enables them to hold their own in numbers, 
 but even to increase in many sections. 
 
 Whether going in packs or singly, they almost never resort 
 to still-hunting or ambush, but run down their prey by com- 
 bined speed and endurance. 
 
 While they have been said to adopt as a member of their 
 own pack a dog that had deserted his master and taken to a wild 
 life, evidently sensible of the kinship that exists between them, 
 •hey look upon one that submits to the authority of man and 
 acts as his servant as the henchman of their worst enemy, and 
 their legitimate prey. 
 
 They will also run down and kill their cousins, the foxes, 
 who. though swifter than the wolves for a short distance, lack 
 their endurance and wind. 
 
 in summer the wolf packs separate to a certain extent 
 into pairs that seek out secluded retreats, and dwell for a 
 time in dens or burrows of their own digging, the she wolf 
 nursing ! er whelps at home while her mate keeps her supplied 
 with food. After the young wolves have learned to kill for 
 themselves, t'le family joins the pack again, knowing that their 
 peculiar method of hunimg depends upon numbers for success. 
 
 •T« 
 
TIMHER OK r.KAV WoM' (( .iiii\ . . > i./. iiM/ul 
 
 Br \ K HufliHirf 
 
Mioocopr nsouiTiON tbt chart 
 
 (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2| 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 11.25 
 
 |50 
 
 1^ y^ 
 
 137 
 
 116 
 
 Lio 12.0 
 
 12.2 
 
 1.8 
 
 UiUA 
 
 A 
 
 /1PPLIED IIVMGE Inc 
 
 t6S3 Eoit Main Strvcl 
 
 Roch«sttf. ^4••r York 14609 USA 
 
 (716) 482 - 0300 - Phof>« 
 
 (716) 260 '5909 - f o« 
 
r 
 
 0* 
 
 i:. 
 
 1 ' 
 
 . r .! 
 
 if 
 
 ■5 i 
 
 1 i ■ 
 
il 
 
 Coyote 
 
 Coyote 
 
 Canis latrans Say 
 Called also Prairie ]Volf. 
 
 Description. General colour fulvous, grizzled with black and white 
 hairs; under parts whitish; tail tipped with black. 
 
 Ranee. Northern Mississippi Vallev to the Rocky Mountains, 
 with allied species south to Texas and Mexico, and west- 
 ward to California and British Columb Dr. C. Hart 
 Merriam has shown that many of these coyotes are very 
 different from one another, and as in many of our other 
 larger animals, we find that instead of one wide rangmg 
 form of the older authors there are really several perfectly 
 • distinct species. The distribution of the various coyotes has 
 not yet been satisfactorily worked out. 
 
 Coyotes are small, slinking wolves that live in burrows on 
 the plains, where they feed principally on jack rabbits, ground 
 squirrels and mice. 
 
 They are often called prairie wolves to distinguish them 
 from the timber wolves or gray wolves. They combine the 
 swiftness, shy cunning and greed of the wolf and fox tribes, 
 but lack the ferociousness of their larger cousin, the timber 
 
 wolf. . 
 
 Being active, healthy brutes, they undoubtedly enjoy their 
 wild, unrestricted life of action and adventure, and are happy in 
 their own way, except when suffering from unusually hard luck 
 at hunting. Yet somehow they always look distressed and mis- 
 erable, and their whining howl at night seems to express all 
 the hopeless despair of some wretched spirit of the blind "view- 
 less wind" that whirls away before a storm "seeking for some- 
 thing lost, it cannot find." 
 
 Like the gray wolf, coyotes hunt in packs at night, yap- 
 ping and howUng as they run. 
 
 They often follow the hunter at a safe distance in the hope 
 of picking up the offal of the came he has killed. The coyote 
 is now rare east of the buni -gt - plains. In Arkansas, Mis- 
 souri and Illinois, where they .er once common, they are sel- 
 dom seen. But in the Butte regions of the upper Missouri an.! 
 
 479 
 
ill 
 
 CoyoM 
 
 the Colorado valleys they range in great numbers, making their 
 dens among the broken sandstone ridges of that lonely country. 
 In the flat lands they dig burrows for themselves or else 
 take possession of those tiready made by badgers and prairie- 
 dogs.' Here in the sprii the half-dozen or more coyote pups 
 are brought forth, and it is said that at this season the old 
 ones systematically drive any large game they may be phasing as 
 near to their burrow, where the young coyotes are waiting to 
 be fed, as possible, before killing it, in order to save the 
 labour of dragging it any great distance. When out after jack- 
 rabbits two coyotes usually work together. When a jack-rabbit 
 starts up before them one of the coyotes bounds away in pur- 
 suit while the other squats on his haunches and waits his turn, 
 knowing full well that the hare prefers to run in a circle, and 
 will soon come round again, when the second wolf takes up 
 the chase and the other rests in his turn. In this manner the 
 jack is finally tired out and overtaken. When some particularly 
 shy old jack-rabbit starts off for a straightaway run instead of 
 circling, the coyote in pursuit tears away to one side and gen- 
 erally succeeds in turning him back towards the spot where the 
 other wolf is waiting. 
 
 When hunting antelope and deer the coyotes spread out 
 their pack into a wide circle, endeavouring to surround their game 
 and keep it running inside their ring until exhausted. 
 
 Sage-hens, grouse and small birds the coyote hunts suc- 
 cessfully alone, quartering over the ground like a trained pointer 
 until he succeeds in locating his bird, when he drops flat in 
 the grass and creeps forward like a cat until close enough for 
 the final spring. 
 
 It IS a well-known fact that a coyote will follow a trapper 
 or a party of roving Indians, picking up the scraps left about 
 their camp-fire, or wherever they may have been skinning game. 
 If unmolested at such times, he soon loses much of his native 
 wildness and exhibits considerable boldness. 
 
 During hard seasons, when there is little food to be had 
 and even gophers and field-mice are hard to find, the coyote, 
 it is said, adopts a partially vegetable diet, eating the fruit of 
 the prickly pear, and in winter wild-rose hips and Juniper 
 berries. 
 
CojroM 
 
 Mr. Ernest IngersoU, in the Popular Science Monthly, gives 
 a most vigorous account of a coyote attacking a doe-antelope 
 and her fawn. He says: "1 remember at a place where 1 
 was encamped for two or three nights in Southwestern Wyo- 
 ming, the rough ledge of a butte-face just across the creek was 
 the home of a family of these wolves, and I often saw the 
 mother lying at the mouth of their den. and the four whelps 
 gleefully romping in the sunshine. 
 
 "The father of the family kept out of view at first; but 
 later I caught sight of him in pursuit of a doe-antelope and 
 her fawn. The doe wis backing away over the plain, keepmg 
 the little one, which seemed to understand its part perfectly, 
 close to her hind legs. 
 
 "Following her closely ran the wolf, often makmg a dash 
 to the right or left to get at the fawn; but each time the 
 brave little mother, whisking alertly, would present to him her 
 lowered head and make a dash at his skull with her sharp 
 fore-hoofs. Thus she retired, but 1 fancy that the pursuers 
 longer breath and varied tactics won the day at last. Mr. In- 
 gersoU goes on to say: "The nocturnal prowlings, secretive 
 disposition, and remarkable craftiness of this animal, together 
 with the annoyance it has the power to inflict, cause it to 
 figure prominently in the myths and religious history of the 
 Indians of the far West. Some of these stories I propose to 
 recall and 1 am sure that they will suggest to every reader at 
 least the Reynard of European folk-lore, if not other interesting 
 
 parallels. ,, . ,, 
 
 "The Deity and creator of the Karok religion was Kareya, 
 who made the fishes, the animals, and, finally, man. Him he 
 commanded to assemble all the animals, in order to assign to 
 each its rank, by distributing bows and arrows. The longest 
 to the most powerful, and so on down the scale. 
 
 "The beasts and birds came together the night before the 
 distribution, and all went to sleep except the coyote, who de- 
 termined to stay awake all night and go forth earliest in the 
 morning to get the longest bow. He took extraordinary pains to 
 keep awake, but over-reached himself in an excess of ingenuity 
 and fell asleep just before dawn. When he opened his eyes 
 only the very shortest bow was left for him. Bjt Kareya, pitying 
 his weakness and disappointment, gave him cunning ten times 
 
 iSi 
 
A 
 
 CoTOM 
 
 greater than before, so that he is sharp-witted above all animals 
 in the w-ods. In return the grateful coyote befriended the man 
 and his ....ildren ever afterwards, doing many helpful things for 
 
 them. 
 
 "When Kareya made the fishes he did not let the salmon 
 come up the Klamath, in consequence of which the Karoks, 
 who lived on its upper reaches, were sore pressed for food. 
 But Kareya had made a great fish dam at the mouth of the 
 river, and given the key to two old hags to keep, whu never 
 ceased their watching, even to sleep. Seeing that the Indians 
 were nearly starved, the coyote befriended them. He made a 
 visit to the hags on an ingenious pretext, but only succeeded in 
 discovering that the key was kept too high for him to reach it. 
 He stayed all night in the cabin with the hags, pretending to 
 sleep, but watching their movements all the time out of the 
 corner of his eye. 
 
 "In the morning one of the hags took down the key and 
 started to gei some salmon for breakfast. Then the coyote hap- 
 pened to think of a way to get the key. Jumping up, he darted 
 under the hag, throwing her down and causing her to fling 
 the key a long way off; before she could scramble up the coyote 
 had seized the key and opened the dam. 
 
 "Thus the salmon could ascend the Klamath and the Karoks 
 had plenty of food. But they had no fire to cook it with, be- 
 cause Kareya had hidden it in a basket which he gave to two 
 s'jepless hags far towards the rising sun. So coyote promised 
 to try to get this second boon for them. 
 
 "He stationed a line of animals all along the way from the 
 home of the Karok to the far distant land where the fire was 
 kept, the strongest near the fire, and last of all concealed an 
 Indian under a hill. This done, the coyote insinuated himself 
 politely into the good graces <■ : the old guardians, and lay all 
 night by their hearth, feeling very comfortable and pretending 
 sleep. But he was soon convinced that without help there was 
 no way to elude their vigilance; so in the morning he stole out 
 and had a talk with the Indian under the hill, after which he 
 went back and lay down by the hearth as before. Presently, 
 as had been preconcerted, the Indian was heard hammering at the 
 door, as if to break it in, and the old beldams rushed out to 
 drive him away. 
 
 aSi 
 
1 
 
 1 
 
 ;r »;♦ 
 
 .j|.? 
 
"This was the coyote's opportunity. As the hags dashed out 
 at one door, he seized a flaming brand in his teeth and leaped 
 through the other. He alnsost flew over the ground, but the 
 hags saw him and the sparks and gave chase, gaining on him 
 fast. By the time he was out of breath he reached the puma, 
 who took the brand and ran with it to the next animal, and 
 so on. Last of all was the frog, who caught the last spark of 
 fire in his mouth, swallowed it and dived, the hags catching 
 his tail, twitching it off in the act. The frog swam under 
 water a long distance, then came up and spat the fire into a 
 log of driftwood, and there it has stayed ever since, so that 
 when an Indian rubs two pieces of wood together the fire 
 comes forth." 
 
 Most tribes of Western and Northwestern Indians are friendly to 
 the coyote, and their dogs seem to be partly at least of coyote 
 descent. 
 
 The coyote is .: > cunning to allow himself to be 
 
 trapped. The trapp. j that there is only one animal that 
 
 is harder to catch, an*. ?hat is the wolverine. The coyote's rav- 
 enous appetite, however, frequently gets him into trouble, for 
 in winter he picks up and bolts every scrap of meat that he 
 can find, first making sure that there is no hidden tr.ip beside 
 it. But he cannot always tell when meat has been poisoned, 
 and large numbers are destroyed every season by scattering 
 scraps of poisoned meat where they will be sure to find it. 
 
 The soft yellowish-gray fur of the coyote is rather pretty, 
 but is not of the right quality to make it a valuable fur. The 
 best skins seldom sell for more than 50c. or 75c.; even at this 
 price large numbers are collected each winter. They are usually 
 made up into lap-robes or great coats, and sometimes into 
 driving gloves. 
 
 CATS 
 
 Family Felida 
 
 In addition to our American Wild Cats there belong to this 
 family also the Domestic Cat and the Lion, Tiger, Leopard and 
 other most powerful carnivora. Fossil remains found in both 
 the Eastern and Western States show that there were much more 
 powerful members of this family existing here in past geological 
 
WOd CM 
 
 ages, among which were several sabre-toothed tigers with enormous 
 teeth or tusks five or six inches in length. 
 
 ''K 
 
 ■" 
 
 r 
 
 : i 
 
 Wild Cat 
 Lytur ruffus (Guldenstaedt) 
 Also called Bay Lynx, Bob Cat. Catamount. 
 
 Length. 38 inches. 
 
 Description. Legs rather long, ears tufted, tail very short (6 
 inches). General colour yellowish-brown, tinged with rufous 
 (much redder in summer), spotted with darK brown or 
 black, narrow lines on the head and blackish stripe down 
 the back, chin and throat white, below white spotted with 
 black. ^ . 
 
 Range. Eastern North America, replaced in Florida. Nova Scotia 
 and the W est by allied varieties. 
 
 Wild cats or bob cats were once common in all the thick 
 woods of this country, but are now only to be found in the 
 most thinly settled backwoods districts. 
 
 These big stub-tailed cats do not appear to insist on deep, 
 dark forests for their homes, though they seldom remain long 
 in a region where much of the land has been cleared and cul- 
 tivated. Hillsides and clearings overgrown with brambles and 
 young growth are quite as much to their ta' ; as dense forests 
 of heavy timber. 
 
 For the greater part of the year they hunt alone or in 
 pairs, prowling on soft furry paws through bushes and tangled 
 berry patches where rabbits have their paths. 
 
 Lacking skill at following a trail, and the speed and tireless 
 perseverance which make foxes and weasels such successful 
 hunters, they catch most of their game by lying hidden in am- 
 bush and springing out suddenly on whatever small game comes 
 within reach. 
 
 They also go still-hunting after the manner of cats gen- 
 erally, trusting to luck that they may come unexpectedly upon 
 some little beast or bird busy about its own affairs. 
 
 When the wild cat hears the faintest movement in the 
 underbrush he instantly crouches with all four feet beneath him, 
 
 «S4 
 
Wild Cm 
 
 and remains perfectly motionless, watching and listening, intent 
 to learn whether it is an enemy to be avoided or possibly 
 game for his dinner. In the latter case he creeps forward with 
 the utmost caution, planning, if possible, to head off his victim 
 in order to seize it at the first alarm. When out hunting, the 
 bob cat utters a wild scream from time to time; its object 
 evidently is to startle any creature that may be in hiding near 
 by into betraying its presence by a startled jump. 
 
 And certainly any animal would require strong nerves to 
 remain unmcved when this jarring yell bursts through the still- 
 ness close at hand. It has been described as a low sort of 
 growling, followed by a sudden quick repeated caterwaul, or 
 yang-yang-yang. I have frequently heard just such a cry in the 
 woods at night, but have to confess that 1 have never been 
 able to trace it to the creature that made it. 
 
 Following up these various voices of the night is baffling 
 work at all times, and there is still much confusion of ideas re- 
 garding them and much yet to be learned. 
 
 1 have more than once heard a red fox utter a scream that 
 would d-> credit to a cougar, and the farmers here in New Hamp- 
 shire tell me that the skunk has a most blood-curdling yell of 
 its own. How much truth there is in this 1 am unable to say, 
 but the belief is too widely held in these parts to be wholly 
 overlooked. 
 
 Wild cats roam about in the twilight of early morning and 
 evening more than at midday. They sleep in hollow trees and 
 caverns amc ig the rocks and ledges, nd in some such place 
 in warm nest of leaves they hide ^neir kittens. In warm 
 weather they like to doze in the sun. either stretched along a 
 horizontal bough or curled up in a little patch of sunlight in 
 the midst of a berry-patch. They wander about all winter in 
 the snow and cold, living as best they may, stalking hares 
 and grouse among the evergreen, or watching patiently beside 
 a squirrel-hole in a tree-top, just as a domestic cat will stand 
 guard at a mouse-hole in the barn. 
 
 They resemble the domestic cat in a number of ways, being 
 great mousers and destroyers of small birds and their nests, and 
 equally fond of catnip, rolling over and over in the strong- 
 scented herbs and rubbing it into their fur and eating the blos- 
 soms and leaves. 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 »85 
 
Caiwda Ljmx 
 
 Ik 
 « I.' 
 
 fl! 
 
 Wild cats are at all times shy and exceedingly cautious 
 about showing themselves, but are savage fighters when cornered 
 or defending their kittens; a dog that offers to molest them is 
 pretty certairito be severely used before he is allowed to es- 
 cape. In thiniy~^settled towns wild cats will occasionally raid 
 the farmyards and caTiy. off turkeys and chickens, but as a 
 general thing they confine themselves to wild game. It is said 
 that when the country was new they had a habit of following 
 the fiocks of wild turkeys from place to place, lying in ambush 
 to waylay them as they fed among the beech woodj and 
 thickets. 
 
 In distant sheep pastures among the hills wild cats might 
 easily kill lambs and carry them off, or even pull down old 
 sheep, but I cannot learn that any such ravages have ever been 
 charged to them. 
 
 This may possibly be due to the fact that •vhen a farmer 
 finds that any of his lambs have been killed, he prefers to lay 
 the blame on stray dogs, knowing that the town is obliged to 
 pay him for all such damages, and Joes not assume responsi- 
 bility for the misconduct of the wild beasts in the woods. 
 
 Eastern Varieties of t!:s Wild Cat 
 
 lyild Cat. Lynx ruff us (Guidenstsdt). Range ?>nd description 
 
 ds above. 
 Florida Wild Cat. L. ruffus floridantts (Rafinesque). Similar to 
 the preceding but darker with stronger markings. 
 Range. Florida. 
 Naca SiOtia Wild Cat. L. gigus Bangs. Much stouter and larger 
 than L. ruffus, colour darker and blacker above. 
 Range. Nova Scotia. 
 
 Canada Lynx 
 
 Lynx canadensis Kerr 
 Called also "Loup Cervier." 
 
 Length. 40 inches. 
 
 Description. Feet much larger than in the wild cat, tail shorter, 
 fur much longer and looser. Colour light gray mottled with 
 brownish, caused partly by the dark bases to the hairs. 
 
 386 
 
 r I 
 
CANADA LYNX {Lynx canadensis) 
 
 Hy W. K. Carlin 
 
 Caught in a trap and then turned loose with a light dug on hind legs, the photograph being taken while the animal it 
 
 brought to bay by fox terriers. 
 
' !ii 
 
 m 
 
 B 
 
Canada Lyn> 
 
 tips of ears with tufts of long black hairs. Under parts white, 
 tail tipped with black, face-ruff long, white bordered with black. 
 Range. Boreal North America, south formerly to the niountains 
 of Pennsylvania. Replaced in Newfoundland by the alhed 
 Newfoundland Lynx L. subsolanus Bangs, darker and more 
 richly coloured ; 'and in Alaska by a paler form L. canadeiisn 
 mollipilosus Stone. 
 
 The Canada lynx is the real lynx of all the north, that 
 mysterious creature '*ii'AC\ the ancients believed possessed the 
 power of seeing through all substances, whether opaque or not 
 
 to other eyes. 
 
 The distinction between this species and the lynx of North- 
 ern Asia and Europe appears to be no more than may with 
 safety be ascribed to local environment. n.^se branciica of the 
 family which have strayed southward into the forests of a more 
 temperate climate have invariably decreased in size, showinr 
 that the true home of their race is in the north. 
 
 The Canada lynx is a savage, flat-faced beast, with encr 
 mous muscular legs and paws out of all proportion to the 
 size of its lean body and absurd retrousse tail. Its soft 
 fur of clouded gray is so blended with various shades of pale 
 buff and tawny as to be extremely difficult to distinguish in 
 any light or against almost any background ; even in the cruel 
 publicity of a barred cage it is still indistinct, and one might 
 well fancy the cage empty at a little distance. 
 
 In the northern woods the lynx travels with silent leaps, his 
 broad paws supporting him on the snow, or alighting without 
 a sound among brittle twigs or dry leaves of a past summer, 
 enabling him to pounce on grouse or hare before they have 
 time to take alarm. He can also climb trees with ease, to rob 
 the nests of birds and squirrels, or stretch himself along a lower 
 branch from which he can launch himself on whatever may 
 pass beneath. Yet since every creature that he hunts is equally 
 well fitted for the contest, and even more earnest and watchful 
 in its endeavours to avoid him and so enjoy its own wild life 
 in the woods a little longer, the lynx must necessarily go 
 without food often for days together in the winter, glad enough 
 perhaps to pull some frozen scrap of flesh or skin out of the 
 snow, dropped there by more fortunate hunters weeks before. 
 ''••' lack of insect scavengers is not felt in the woods in win- 
 
 >87 
 
 .^1 
 
 !'l 
 
f 
 
 it 
 
 I I 
 
 Confar 
 
 ter; every scrap of flesh that is scattered is wanted by one 
 warm-blooded creature or another before warm weather comes 
 again. The lynx appears to have its summer home in tangled 
 thickets and snarls of young growth, where the interlocking 
 branches of fallen trees afford protection. Here the ill-natured 
 kittens are raised and taught to hunt, so that when the bitter 
 struggle of winter is forced upon them they may, if possible, 
 hold their own and prolong their lives at the expense of others, 
 in order that their race may live. They hold on to life grimly 
 through long, cold nights in the dark Northern forests, believing 
 somehow that at last spring will be in the woods again, bring- 
 ing flight birds from the South, and awakening the small 
 creatures that sleep all winter down deep in the frozen earth where 
 the most desperate lynx can never reach them. Until then the 
 lynxes must hunt as best they can, tireless and in splendid 
 health, and quite unconscious of the cold, but oh, so hungry! 
 One of the most astonishing facts in nature is the length 
 of time that most flesh-eating animals can go without food, on 
 long hunts through deep snow, night after night, breathing frozen 
 air that drives a man hungry soon after the heartiest meal, they 
 maintain their strength ready for a desperate struggle when 
 at last the long pursuit draws to successful end. 
 
 Cougar 
 
 Felts cougiMr Kerr 
 
 Called also Puma, Mountain Lion, Panther, Painter. 
 
 Length. 8 feet, 6 inches; tail, ? feet. 
 
 Description. Body relatively longer than in the lynx, tail very 
 much longer, no tufts on the ears. General colour pale 
 rufous or yellowish-brown, darker along the back and tail, 
 tip of tail blackish; face grayer, under parts dirty white. 
 
 Range. Formerly Eastern North America, now probably extinct, 
 though a closely allied variety, F. coryi Bangs, the Florida 
 Cougar, still exists in Florida, and others from the Rocky 
 Mountains westward and south throughout South America. 
 
 Apart from the blood-curdling tales of most doubtful authen- 
 icity with which every one is familiar, accounts pretty gen- 
 
 388 
 
 M' 
 
CouKW 
 
 erally agree in stigmatizing the cougar as an arrant coward. 
 Tiie truth seems to be that, liite all the other wild beasts of 
 this country, his race has learned through bitter experience that 
 the only possible chance of life is to keep out of mans way. 
 Whenever an American wolf, bear or cougar has disobeyed this 
 rule, he has almost invariably been killed or badly wounded at 
 once. No wonder that the survivors have learned caution. 
 
 If India, for example, had been inhabited by tribes of wild 
 men, born hunters like almost every tribe of our American 
 Indian, and finally settled by frontiersmen and backwoodsmen, 
 who never entered the woods without an ax or a gun, it is 
 highly probable that reliable accounts of human beings having 
 been attacked by either leopards or tigers would be almost 
 unknown. 
 
 I am unable to learn that in any part of the world there 
 is a race of man-eating wild beasts that has survived genera- 
 tions of experience with native tribes of wild men capable of 
 driving an arrow through a panther body at half the range of 
 a gunshot, and of hitting any spot they wished. 
 
 Man-eating tigers have for so long been regarded by the 
 natives of most parts of India as invincible, or else protected 
 by the native religions, that they hr.ve had things pretty much 
 their own way. One determined hunter for every fifty frightened 
 unarmec en would scarcely serve to intimidate any animal. Many 
 tribes of North American Indians looked upon the bear with ven- 
 erafion; but for all that, any bear so courageous as to let him- 
 self be seen by them got an arrow between his ribs right 
 away, and in time the whole tribe of American bears learned 
 that the chances were against them, just as the wolves and 
 couf^ars arrived at a similar conclusion. Those that turned man- 
 eaters might for a few seasons hunt their human prey success- 
 fully, and if gifted with unusual cunning get away unscratched 
 for a while, but the vengeance of the tribe would be certain 
 to overtake them before very long, and only the more cowardly 
 ones of their species would survive to perpetuate the race. 
 
 When the white man came the wild beasts of the wilder- 
 ness found that they had a yet more dangerous enemy to face. 
 The guns of the early settlers were not very handy or reliable 
 weapons, but when they did go off they were capable of scat- 
 tering half a handful of slugs in the most painful manner; and 
 
 ••9 
 
r. 
 
 
 I'. 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
 .i I 
 
 Cougar 
 
 from that time to this there has hardly been an opportunity for 
 the slyest cougar to atuck man, woman or child without 
 bringing down sudden and awful retribution on his head. 
 
 Even now almost every farmhouse in the country has a 
 rifle or shot-gun behind the door. 
 
 I believe that if lions and tigers had been indigenous to 
 North America, they would long ago have learned to leave 
 man unmolested. 
 
 In Northern Europe bears, wolves and lynxes still occasion- 
 ;illy attack human beings, and very likely get away without 
 being shot at in many instances. There are plenty of dauntless 
 hunters and dead shots in all parts of the Old World, but they 
 are in the minority. The peasants who make up by far the 
 greater part of the inhabitants of the wilder districts are 
 generally unarmed, and in no way fitted to take personal 
 vengeance on any creature that should attack one of their 
 number. 
 
 When it comes to a question of fighting on anything like 
 equal terms, the cougar is by no means a coward. In a fair 
 fight, a full grown male cougar could kill the largest dog with- 
 out much trouble. Even now they kill cattle and horses from 
 time to time, though every such indiscretion on their part is a 
 challenge to the enraged owner, with his Winchester, bear-trap 
 or strychnine. 
 
 Although originally found in every wooded part of the 
 United States, they were so quickly driven off by the settlers that 
 not much is known of their habits here in the East. A few have 
 lingered along in the wilder districts of the Northeastern States 
 even down to the present day; but their every footprint has 
 been eagerly searched for and heavy steel iraps set where they 
 were likely to step; while the slightest rumour of a panther in 
 the region would call out scores of zealous hunters armed with 
 shot-guns loaded with buckshot and rifles of every description, 
 and accompanied by dogs of all breeds for tracking. 
 
 The last cougar killed here in Northeastern New Hampshire, 
 where 1 write, was shot in a neighbouring town something like 
 forty years ago. But there are still rumours from time to time 
 of them having been seen in the northern part of the State, 
 especially since deer have become more common. In the East- 
 ern States they appear to have made their homes in hollow 
 
 l< ! 
 
 •9« 
 
 k 
 
:t 
 
 m ' 
 
 [S- 
 
 m ] 
 
 bi' ^ ■' ' 
 
 MlMHMI 
 
CoOffM 
 
 trees oftener than among the ledges, while in fair weather they 
 were given to sleeping out-of-doors, stretc .d along a branch n 
 S^e shade. On their hunting excursions they steal noiselessly 
 and cat-like through the thickets, scarcely displacing a tw.g. 
 still-hunting being their favount« method of o^tammg fo^^^^ 
 Though usually silent, they at times utter a loud penetratmg 
 
 '"Tmong hunters there is a pretty wide-spread theory that the 
 cougar's change in colour follows the seasonal change of the 
 wild deers cSat. becoming more or less spotted m summer to 
 ^itate the young fawns. This is. however qmte erroneou 
 for although the kittens, like those of all the cat tnbe. a e 
 spotted, the adults are never mottled. The shade vanes m 
 winter and summer, and there seems to be a go"!^ deal c^ 
 individual variation, some being browner and others more ot a 
 
 "^n"Mr Theodore Roosevelt's admirable article on the cougar 
 in Scribner's Magazine he writes: "Fables aside the cougar .s a 
 very interesting creature. It is found fr^"',. ^^e "»" ^""'j;' 
 plains of Patagonia to north of the Canadian Ime. nd Uves 
 alike among the snow-dad peaks of the Andes and m he 
 steaming forests of the Amazon. Doubtless careful mvest.gat.on 
 will disclose several varying forms in an animal found over such 
 immense tracts of country and living under such utterly diverse 
 conditions. But in its essential habits and traits the big. slink- 
 ine nearly uni-coloured cat seems to be much the same every- 
 where, whether living in mountain, open plain or forest, under 
 Arctic cold or tropic heat. When the settlements become thick 
 it retires to dense forest, dark swamp, or inaccessible mountain 
 gorge, and moves about only at night. In wilder regions it not 
 infrequently roams during the day and ventures freely into he 
 open Deer are its customary prey where they are p enti ul. 
 bucks, does and fawns being killed indifferently. Usually the 
 deer is killed almost instantly, but occasionally there is quite a 
 scuffle, in which the cougar may get bruised, though as far as 
 I Know, never seriously. It is also a dreaded enemy of sheep, 
 pigs, calves, and especially colts, and when pressed by hunger 
 a big male cougar will kill a full-grown horse or cow. moose 
 or wapiti. It is the special enemy of the mountain sheep. In 
 1886. while hunting white goats north of Clarke s fork of the 
 
 agi 
 
t 
 
 '-^ 
 
 
 u 1 ■ 
 
 Jafutf 
 
 Columbia, in a region where cougar were common. 1 found 
 them preying as freely on the goats as on the deer. It rarely 
 catches antelope, but is quick to seize rabbits, other small beasts, 
 and even porcupines. 
 
 "No animal, not even the wolf, is so rarely seen or so 
 difficult to get without dogs. On the other hand, no other 
 wild beast of its size and power is so easy to kill by the aid 
 of dogs There are many contradictions in its character. Like 
 the American wolf, it is certainly very much afraid of man; 
 vet it habitually follows the trail of the hunter or solitary trav- 
 eller dogging his footsteps, itself always unseen. When hungry 
 it ^m seize and carry off any dog. yet it will sonrietimes go 
 up a tree when pursued even bv a single small dog wholly 
 unable to do it the least harm. It is small wonder that the 
 average frontier settler should grow to regard almost with super- 
 stition the great furtive cat which he never sees but of whose 
 presence he is ever aware. The cougar is as large, as powerful 
 and as formidably armed as the Indian panther, and quite as 
 well able to attack man; yet the instances of its having done 
 so are exceedingly rare. But it is foolish to deiiy that such 
 attacks on human beings never occur. ... It cannot be 
 too often repeated that we must never lose sight of the individ- 
 ual variation in character and conduct among wild beasts." 
 
 Mexican Jaguar 
 
 Felts hernandezii 
 
 D«ffW«.^*A' iSge leopard-like animal, tawny yellow above 
 white below, fpotted^ with black along the back, and with 
 black, light-centered rosettes on the sides, each with a cen- 
 tral black dot. Tail ringed black and yellow. ^ ,, . „„. 
 
 Range. Lower Louisiana, ^exas, New Mexico and Mexico and 
 represented by allied varieties in Central and South America. 
 
 This large cat, though common in Mexico, is of rare 
 occurrence within the borders of our country, and like other 
 species of Southern Texas, is only a straggler from farther south. 
 Where plentiful, it preys on all sorts of animals, even 
 overcoming the Upir with ease. Stories are told of its attacking 
 
 U 
 
 If 
 
■i '1 
 
 M 
 
 u 
 
Oc«lot; CacomiU CM 
 
 Indians, but. as has been said, "truth and fiction" are so 
 hopelessly mingled in such tales that it is best to withhold 
 credence in most cases. 
 
 Ocelot 
 
 Felis pardalis Linnaeus 
 
 rosettes and stripes, very variable in pattern. Below white 
 
 Range!^ Lower Louisiana and Texas, throughout South America. 
 
 This is a small spotted cat, ranging from the tropics to just 
 within our borders. It is very variable in colour and doubtless 
 when carefully studied will prove to present several well marked 
 varieties. Us habits within the United States are very little 
 known. 
 
 Cacomitl Cat 
 
 Felis cacotnitli Berlandier 
 
 Length. 40 inches, tail 20 inches. ^ . . u. u 
 
 Description. Nearly uniform smoky gray, somewhat lighter be- 
 neath, darker in winter. 
 Ranee. Rio Grande Valley: exact range not ascertained. A 
 similar animal, the Yaguarundi. ranges farther south through 
 South America. 
 
 This is another Mexican visitor, belonging to the plain- 
 coloured group of cats. A somewhat similar species, the Eyra 
 {Felis eyra Fischer), may also occur within our limits. It is 
 plain, reddish-brown, 33 inches in length. 
 
 •93 
 

 
A KEY TO THE GENERA OF NORTH 
 AMERICAN IWAiWNlALS 
 
 ou, .^.s --^.t^^r/; uSIheJen, glta and ,h. ™„ 
 ,n a worK of this Kina ^^ "^'' ^ j ^nder separate 
 
 minute characters "P°";;;J'^;/,J:% "eric character, are g>vea 
 headings, especially as many ot tne gene. 
 
 in the descriptions "^ /'^•'^/P"'";^^^ ^^e identification of any 
 
 '" rttch trr«d"n,ay ave In hand, the follo^-ing key 
 
 mammal which ^ J"<^J 7^^ be traced to its genus, 
 
 found. In this key tne luosv j,„ 
 
 rTr^al ^f^lS: inrbetnS;lfd"that' th^e figures indicate 
 
 : mber^ tth o^ one sUe of the iaw^^^low T hi 
 above the line referring to the upper ,aw h below to 
 lower; the letters indicate : .. incisors, c, canines, p. pre 
 
 "• "on?r'genera treated in the foregoing pages are included. 
 
 »95 
 
 i 
 
i i 
 
 i t 
 
 p: 
 
 kjl: 
 
 J . 
 
 A Key to the Genera of North American Mammals 
 
 I. AQUATIC MAMMALS WITH THE LIMBS MODIFIED INTO FLIP- 
 PERS FOR SWIMMING. 
 
 A. No external trace of hind limbs ; fore pair of flippers fin-like without claws ; 
 tail broad and flattened horizontally; little or no hair on the body. 
 B Tail rhomboidal in outline, bluntly pointed at the tip; teeth, ij, eg, 
 
 " jn jii (Manatee) Trichechus, 26 
 
 BB Tail broadlyforked at the end into two flukes (Whales and Dolphins) . 
 C Mouth enormous, without teeth, but provided with whalebone. 
 ■ D No tin on the back; throat not furrowed. . . . . . . Bal^na, 13 
 
 DD Dorsal fin present; throat furrowed longitudjnaUy. 
 
 E Flippers moderate, edges not scalloped .... BaLvENOPTERA, 16 
 
 EE Flippers \-ery long, edges scaUoped.. . . ..Megaptera, 17 
 
 CC No \-isible teeth and no whalebone Hyperoodon, 19 
 
 CCC. Jawsprov-ided with teeth; no whalebone. „*i,„, tpp.i, 
 
 D. 'a single long tusk, projecting for^v-ard, "^^^tj^.'^'^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 DD. No protruding tusk. 
 
 E. No teeth in the upper jaw. 
 
 F Teeth in the lower jaw 30-25 on each side. .Physeter, 17 
 
 FF. Teeth in lower jaw 4-14 on each side. , /• i. ^ 
 
 G Head protruding beyond the mouth, dorsal tin short, 
 
 tail nearly square behind ■ ■ .KOGIA, i» 
 
 GG Head not protruding, dorsal tin high, tail deeply cleft. 
 '^ Grampus, 23 
 
 FFF Teeth in lower jaw one on each side. 
 
 G Teeth at the front of the jaw .Ziphius, 19 
 
 GG. Teeth at the middle of the jaw Mesoplodon, 19 
 
 EE. Teeth in both jaws. 
 
 F Teeth few; 8-13 on each side above and below. 
 
 " G Teeth confined to the front portion (f the jaws. 
 
 Globiocki'Halus, 23 
 GG Teeth distribute U all along the jaws. 
 
 H An enormous dorsal tin, teeth U'U Orca, 43 
 
 HH. Dorsal fin wanting, teeth ?. . Delphinapterus, 24 
 FF. Teeth numerous, 22-50 on each side above and below. 
 G. A projecting snout or beak. 
 
 H Teeth '^ TiBsiops, 90 
 
 HH. TeethV rt Prodei-PHINUS, ai 
 
 HHH. Teeth. 11-11 Deli HiN-us, 21 
 
 GG. No projecting beak. 
 
 H Beak a distinct rim; teeth. 5 1, Lagenoiuvnchus, 22 
 
 HH Beakcntirclywanting; teeth, 55 Piioc^na, 22 
 
 AA Both fore and hind flippers well developed, cUiws or nails present. 
 TaU rudimentary; ^'^y co\-ered with hair (Seals etc.) . 
 B Bodv Inrge and shapeless; long down-pointing tusks in the upper jaw, 
 
 toeth.1 5, c }. n i. m ;; ODOBENfS, 2.2 
 
 BB. Shape more graceful; no tusks. 
 
 C. Hind flippers cipablc of being turned forward for walkmg when on 
 
 D aT-hso soft under fur in addition to the long hairs which cover 
 
 the body; teeth, i i. c i, p }. n> f Otoes, 209 
 
 DD No perceptible soft under fur; molars f .. ., 
 
 E B.ilk teeth separated from last premolar by a considerable 
 
 space Elmetopias, 211 
 
 EE Back teeth 1 continuous senes ^alophis. 211 
 
 CC. Hind flippers pei-mai.cntly directed backw-ard. ...■.„, 
 
 D A hood-like appendage on the head of the male; teeth, if c } , 
 
 J m ' Cystophora, 218 
 
 DD. No hood on the head of the male ; teeth i i, c j, p J, m } . 
 
 296 
 
 f r 
 
A Key to the Genera of North American Mammals 
 
 E. Facial part of head very long; whiskers '-^''Y/^tecV ^^^^ ^ ^^ 
 
 EE Facial portion of head short, about equal to the brain-case; 
 whiskers not crenulatcd. 
 
 F Muzzle broad, forehead convex . Ericnatuls, 2i8 
 
 FF. Muzzle nairow, forehead sloping gradually. Piuka, 215-217 
 
 II AERIAL MAMMALS WITH THE FORE LIMBS MODIFIED FOR 
 FLIGHT AND COVERED BY AN ELASTIC MEMBRANE WHICH 
 EXTENDS DOWN THE SIDES OF THE BODY AND BETWEEN 
 THE HIND LEGS (BATS). 
 
 A. Tail wanting; a curious leaf-like appendage on the "'"-j^^^^^-^l; 
 
 CC. Interfemoral membrane not completely furred , ,, 
 
 "-"■d. Ears very lar^e united by their bases; '-^»>;;,^^^.|;j;„'^,'",,?-.,6 
 
 nn Fars not united bv their bases. 
 
 E Upp"r incisor xMh .me on each side close to the canine. 
 • F. "^^ize large (length 5.60 ins.) ; teeth, 1 •„ e |, P ^.^^'M :^^.^_ ^^^ 
 
 FF. Size small (length 3-70 ins.); teeth ^h^' ^/^'^.'^^^^.^.^^ ,,,6 
 
 EE. Upper incisors two on each side. .. ; o ^ , „ j „ .? 
 
 '^ F. JSor of fur black with white tips; t-th.^t^ ,, c^, .^P . m ,.^^ 
 
 FF Color of fur brown or yellowish brown. 
 
 G. Size large (length 4.601ns ) ; teeth, 1 I ^^.l.J^j^' -,-• _ ,„, 
 
 on Size small (length 3.4= ins). 
 
 H T«-th^ i I c i, p ].m I P.r.sTRKLUS, 20. 
 
 HH. Teeth, i |, c' l.'p i. m } Mvotis, .96 
 
 III MAINLY TERRESTRIAL MAMMALS WITH FOUR WELL- 
 DEVELOPED LEGS. ADAPTED FOR WALKING.. 
 
 A Body covered bv a bony carapace or shell; teeth, X— ; Tatu, 9 
 
 ^B ^Tf((rakrdlnd%'h"nsife "ears naked; female with tea.s opening in 
 «■ ^""^Pl on "the^ belly in which the young are^^^ie.U U.ctl. 
 
 BB till not' pn'hensile ; ears not naked ; no marsupial p. .uch. 
 
 C. Toes terminating in hoofs. , „ , Tayassi- to 
 
 go. 'T:nf^^::r.^-^ U le.^l^s ofsamei;:.cies) wi^h 
 
 E. ll^imT'hollow, not branched, fitting over a solid bony core; 
 
 F Shaggy mane 'over the "head and shoulders .... Bison, 66 
 FF Umghair over the whole body; honis massive, Ov.dos 65 
 FFF Form sheep-like; hai^^hort; horns spiral . Ov.s, 61-65 
 
 297 
 
2d 
 
 n 
 
 , u 
 
 lf.i 
 
 A Key to the Oenerm of North American Mmmmala 
 
 FFFF Form goat-like, hair long, pure white ..Oreamnos. 57 
 EE Horns hollow, forked, and shed periodically; teeth. 1 ?. c „, 
 
 o'm' Antilocapra. 54 
 
 EEE Horos solid ' bran -hing antlers, which are sh.r\ periodi- 
 cally ; teeth, i i. c S— J, p J, m |. 
 
 F. Nose completely covered with hair Rangifeh. 47-54 
 
 FF Nose not completely haired. - . . 
 
 G. Antlers broadly palmate or flattened. .. .Alces. 4? 
 GG. Antlers not flattened. 
 
 H Animals medium or small; antlers not more than 
 
 twenty-five inches long Odocoileus, 34-4.3 
 
 HH. Animals large; antlers four to five feet. 
 
 Cervus. 31-34 
 
 "^^D ""Tgrp^nTach'siile'of'The jaws caused by the absence of canine 
 U^th. Incisors two in each jaw. large and protruding, 
 working against each other like a Pair of chisels^ 
 E. A pair of small rudimentary incisors behind the upper pair 
 
 F Taillhort; Wnd legs much longer than the front ones; 
 
 teeth if c 8. p t m ? Lepis. 75-92 
 
 FF. No external tail; le^ about equal; p i-.- Ochotona, 93 
 
 EE. No extra incisors. .t, : 1 „ 
 
 F Hair interspersed with sharp spine-hke quills; teeth, 1 ! , c g, 
 
 jp8,mir Erethizon, 94 
 
 FF. Without spines. .n . t a: :«„. -,« 
 
 G Form mole-like; fore feet modified for digging, .lo 
 external ear; teeth, i 1. c Ij. p 8. m }. 
 
 H. Incisors grooved Geomvs. 97-99 
 
 HH. Incisors not grooved • • Thomomvs. 96 
 
 GG. Form not mole-like; fore feet normal. 
 
 H. Body heavy and thick-set. 13-20 inches long exclu- 
 sive of tail; legs short. 
 
 I Tail very broad, flat, covered with scales; teeth. 
 
 i^. eg. pi, mi! Castor, i45-« 50 
 
 II Tail long and narrow, flattened vertically, and 
 
 nearly naked teeth, i 1. c §, p J, m l 
 
 Fiber, i21-i»7 
 
 III. Tail hairy ; teeth, i 1, c g, P^?— t m f • 
 T Tail very short, less than the head. 
 ■*■ ' Aplodontia, 150 
 
 IT Tail moderate, longer than the head, 
 ■'■' Arctomys, 151-150 
 
 HH. Form mouse-like or rat-like; size not larger than a 
 common rat (body less than 10 ins. without 
 tail); teeth usu.illv.i j, c §, p ;:. m j. 
 
 I. Pouches on the sides of the face opening near the 
 
 r Ta^il verv long; teeth as above. Perodipus, 100 
 ri Tail moderate; teeth, ij,c8,pl.mj. 
 
 ■'■'' PeROONATHI'S, 100 
 
 II. No external check pouches. ^. , » ... 
 
 I Hind legs much longer than the front ones. 
 
 tail exceeding head and body; teeth in one 
 species, i }, c g. p }, m 3 . . . .Zapus 102-105 
 
 II Hind legs not markedly longer than front ones 
 K. Thick-set, short-legged, short-eared mice of 
 
 the meadow mouse type. , , _^. , 
 L Tail less than one-third the length ol 
 head and body, ge.nerally much less. 
 
 aqS 
 
A Key to th« OencM of North Americui M«mm»l» 
 
 O. 
 OO. 
 
 NN. 
 O. 
 
 HHH. 
 I. 
 
 II. 
 
 M. Upper incisors grooved. 
 
 •^ Synaptomys, 107-108 
 
 MM. Upper in-sors not grooved. 
 
 N TmI so short as to be barely visible 
 beyond the hair. 
 Color mottled (white in winter) . 
 DiCROSTONYX, 108 
 Color tawny orange. 
 
 Lemmls. iio 
 Tail plainly visible, usually about 
 one inch long. 
 Molar teeth rooted (See p. 1 10). 
 P Color dark -brown ; tooth 
 heavy . .Phenacomvs. iio 
 PP. Color rusty; teeth lighter. 
 
 EVOTOMYS, III-II2 
 
 00. Molars not rooted. 
 
 MicROTCS, 1 12-120 
 LL Tail equal to two-thirds the head and body . 
 M Fur coarse, many buff hairs among 
 the brown ones, molars rooted. 
 
 SioMODON. 12S-129 
 MM Fur fine uniform, like that of the 
 Muskrat; molars not tooted. 
 
 MiCROTUS ALLENI. --O 
 
 KK. Slender with longer logs and pr<miinont 
 ears and eyes; tail always more than 
 half the head and body (except Ony- 
 chomys) , generally much more 
 L Tubercles on molar teeth in three rows 
 (introduced species)... .Ml- s, US-US 
 LL Tubercles on the molars, if present, in 
 two rows (native species) . 
 Sire large, rat-like; molars flat on top, 
 divided into triangles. 
 
 Neotoma, 1J7-1JS 
 Size medium, ra.-like; molars tuber- 
 culate ; stronglv resembling a 
 voung Common Rat. 
 
 Oryzomvs, 1 29- '3" 
 MMM. Size small; mouse-like. 
 
 N Tail always more than half the head 
 and body; often about e<iual. 
 O Upper incisors grooved. 
 
 Reithrodontomys, i3o-'3i 
 00 Upper incisors not grooved. 
 
 Peromyscus. 136 
 
 NN Tail short, less than half the head 
 
 and body ... Onychomys, i,^o 
 
 Form squirrel-like; teeth, i }, c 8 p i, m J. 
 An extensible fold of skin on the sides of he 
 body for flying... SciuROPTERVs, 176-178 
 No extensible skin lor flying. 
 
 Burrowing animals; tail not bushy. 
 K Tail very short, 1-3 to 1-4 head and body. 
 
 Cynomys, 100 
 
 KK. Tail 1-3 to i-J head and body. 
 
 Spermophii-US, 161-162 
 
 KKK Tail 1-2 head and body; body pronii- 
 
 nently striped Tamias. 162 
 
 M. 
 
 MM. 
 
 J 
 
 *99 
 
*; 
 
 A Key to the Qenera of North American Mammala 
 
 TI Arboreal species, tail long and bu^y. 
 •'■' SciURUS, 168-176 
 
 DD Tooth row nearly continuous, leaving no large gap at the side 
 of the jaw. Incisors small and always more than two. 
 E Size smaU (less than seven inches long) , fur always drab or 
 iron gray, soft and silky: eyes rudimentary. 
 F Fore feet flattened for digging (Moles) , . , 
 G A fleshy star on the nose; teeth, 1 3, c +. p j, m J. 
 
 CONDYLURA, jgO 
 
 GG. No fleshy star on the nose. 
 
 H. Tail naked; teeth, i ], c J, p t m ?, . . . .Scalops, 188 
 HH. Tail hairy ; teeth, i J, c^.p}, mi. Parascalops, 189 
 
 FF. Fore feet normal. . ■ ., , , j 
 
 G Tail short 1-4 the head and body; teeth, 1 |— 3, c /,, p f , 
 
 ^ .1 Blarina, 180-183 
 
 GG Tail at least 1-3 the head and body; teeth, i J, c J, 
 
 p I, m I SoREX, 184-187 
 
 EE. Size medium or large; eyes well developed. 
 
 F. Toes webbed. , ^ ^ ,. 
 
 G Hind feet large and very different from the front ones, 
 resembUng flippers; teeth, i |, f ', . p J, m i, Latax, 323 
 GG. Feet all alike; teeth, i ?, c i, p ; i- .Lutra, 219-223 
 FF. Toes not webbed." 
 G. Toes, five on all feet. 
 
 H. Teeth.i |,c [, p t. m 5. . 
 
 I Nose produced into a slender snout; tail obscurely 
 ringed Nasua, 254 
 
 II. Nose pot lengthened; tail strongly nnged with 
 
 black and white. 
 J Body thick-set; feet plantigrade. Procyon. 247 
 It Body slender, weasel-like; feet only partially 
 
 plantigrade Bassariscus, 2S4 
 
 HH. Teeth. 1 i,c }. p }, m 5. .... 
 
 I Body heavy, bear-like; feet slightly plantigrade. 
 
 GULO, 245 
 
 II Body more slender; feet digitigrade. 
 
 MusTELA, 241-245 
 
 HHH. Teeth, i f, c }. p |— 3. m, J. 
 
 I Claws long and conspicuous; colors black and white. 
 J. White in two long stripes. .Mephitis, 224-229 
 jj. Markings more complicated. .Spilooale, 230 
 
 II Claws very long and conspicuous; color gray. 
 
 Taxidea, 230 
 
 III. Claws short; color brown (often white in winter) 
 
 PuTORivs. 231-240 
 HHHH. Teeth, i i, c i, p J, m | ; size vcrj- large (Bears) . 
 
 I. Color white Thalarctos, 255 
 
 II. Color, black, brown or tawTiy. .. .Ursls, 3S7--04 
 GG. Toes, five in front and four behind. 
 
 H. Toes not retractile; teeth, i J, c |. p j. m ^ 
 
 I. Upper incisors lobcd Canis, 277-283 
 
 II. Upper incisors not lobed. 
 
 T. Tail with soft under fur Vulpes, 264-375 
 
 )). Tail coarse Urocvon, 275-377 
 
 HH. Toes retractile. , , . 
 
 I. Tail very short (4-6 ins.) ; teeth, 1 ?. c }, p j. m ^ 
 
 Lynx, 384-288 
 
 II Tail long, equal to more than half the head and 
 
 body; teeth, 1 1. c J, p J, m t . . Felis, 288-393 
 
 300 
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
 •e foUowine list is not intended to be complete, but will refer the student 
 to th. most recent reviews of the various groups of North American mammaK 
 Ts ^.U as to the principal general works on the subject and some of the more 
 important local lists. 
 
 MAMMALS IN GENERAL. 
 
 iSoi Flower W H., and Lvdbkkbr. R- — 
 
 An Introduction to the Study of Mammals, 
 Living and Extinct, pp. t-7<>} , . ,. 
 Ct also, volumes on Mammals in the 
 Standard and Royal Natural Histones. 
 
 ANATOMY OF MAMMALS. 
 
 iISi MivART. St. G.— The Cat. An intro- 
 duction to the study of backboned animals, 
 especially Mammals, pp. i-557. 
 
 GENERAL WORKS ON NORTH 
 AMERICAN MAMMALS. 
 
 iSjs. Harlan, R.— Fauna Americana; being 
 
 a description of the Mammiferous animals 
 
 inhabiting North America, pp. '-J'"- ,„, 
 ■ 8a6-H. GoDMAN, J. D.—Amencan Natural 
 
 History, ) Vois.. pp. U) --55o; (II) «-3J' • 
 
 i&»6^V.* Audubon, }J., and Bachman J_^ 
 1110 Viviparous Quadrupeds of North 
 America. 1 Vols., Roy. 8vo. There is a 
 large edition of foUo plates and an edition 
 of the text wth small plates intercalated. 
 
 l8<g. Baird, S. F.— Mamma s of North Amer- 
 ica. 1 Vol.. 4', with 87 P »f"i„P,"S fie 
 
 published in 1857 as Vol. Vlllof the 
 
 Pacific R. R. Survey .Senes. (Does not 
 
 include Whales. Seals or Bats > 
 ,000. MiLLiR, G. S., JR — Key to the Land 
 
 Mammal! of Northeastern North Amenca. 
 
 Bull. N. Y. Stale Museum. No. 38. Vol. 
 
 VIII, pp oi-ifto. , ^ ^ 
 
 1001 . Elliot, D. O — A Synopsis of th».Mam- 
 
 mals of North America and the Adjacent 
 
 Seas Field Ck>lumbian Museum; publica- 
 tion 45. pp. 1-471 Contains descriptions, 
 
 ranges, and figures of skulls. , . „ 
 
 looi . Miller, G. S., Jr., and Raiiw, J- A O^ 
 
 Systematic results of the stud" North 
 
 American Land Miimmals to ' 
 year 1900. Prtn- Host. So 
 
 •ftho 
 
 ist., 
 
 nost 
 
 .encc 
 
 •very 
 
 Vol. XXX, No. 1, pp. i-i 
 accurate list ever puolished, 
 to original place of publica 
 species. 
 
 HABITS OF OUR WILD 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 Cf Publications of the Borne and Crockett 
 Club. American Sportsman's Library. 
 Lydekker's Great and Small Game of 
 Europe, Asia and America. Ernest Seton 
 
 Thompson's "Wild Animals I .Have 
 Known ' " Lives of the Hunted, etc., 
 and ii.any articles in the ma^Mmes, as 
 well as a number of the special papers 
 given below. 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 1871. Allen. J. A.— Mammals and Winter 
 Birds ..f East Florida. Bull. Mus. Comp. 
 Zool. II ;pp. 375-4'5 treat ot Geographical 
 Distribution. „ „ ... , rv 
 
 iSoJ. Allen, j. A —The Geographical Dis- 
 tribution of North American Mammals, 
 Bull. Amer. .Mus. Nat. Hist., IV, pp. igg- 
 
 i89/''\lERRiAM, C. H. — The Grographic 
 Distribution of Life in Nortli America 
 with special reference to the Mammalia. 
 Proc. Biol. S.ic. Wash., VII, rp. i-')4. 
 
 1894. Mbbriam. C H -La«-s of Temperature 
 Control of the Geographic Distribution of 
 Terrestrial Animals and Plants. Nat. 
 Geogr. Mag., VI, pp. 229-J.18. 
 
 PAUNAL PAPERS. 
 
 (partial list.) 
 
 1000. OsoooD, W.H.— Mammals of the Yu- 
 kon River region. N. A. Fauna No. 19. 
 
 1900'''' sVoNE,' W.— Mammals of Pt. Barrow, 
 Alaska. Proc. .^caJ. .Nat. Sci., Phila., igoo. 
 
 1901'' Osr.ooD. W. H.— Mammals of Cook 
 inlet. Alaska. N. A. Fauna No. 11. 
 
 1898. Ban^s, O.— a Ust of the Mamina^ of 
 Labradi-r. American Natur,ilist, XAXli. 
 
 i8o7!'''MfLLBH, G S.. Jr— Notes on the Mam- 
 mals of Ontario Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. 
 Hist.. Vol. XXVIII. pp. 1-44, , „. 
 
 1801 Herric-k, C. L.— Mammals of Minne- 
 sota. Bull. No. 7. Genl, and Nat. Hist. 
 Survey Mmn. pp. 1-290 „„ . / 
 
 1894 MiLLRR, G S . Jr — On .1 Collection of 
 Small V-. r^mals from the New Hampshire 
 Mou- ■ Proc Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist 
 
 Vol. A.' .. pp 177-197. , . ,, 
 
 1860. Allen, I. A.— CaUloguo of the Mam- 
 mals of Massachusetts. Bull. Museum 
 Comp. Zool . 1. pp. I41-JSJ , , „ 
 
 1898. Mbahns, E. A.— A Study of the Fauna 
 of the Hudson Highlands. Bull. Am«r. 
 Mus. Nat. Hist , XVI, pp. 303-JJ>. , 
 
 1898 Mearns, E. a— Notes on the Mammals 
 of the Caukill Mountain*, N. Y. Proc 
 U. S. Nat. Mus., XXI, pp. 3«i-3<>o. 
 
 301 
 
i'» ^ 
 
 
 1'\ 
 
 I' t» 
 
 'J 
 
 I! 
 
 Bibliography 
 
 ,(,,. MILL!.. G. S.-PreUminwy Lirt Of 
 ^'New York Mammals. Bull. N. Y. bt»u 
 
 Mu*., Vol. VI, No. i», pp. J73-.1.90- 
 Igor Rhoads, S.N. —a CootnbuUon to the 
 
 iUmSSiogi- of Northern New Jerwy. 
 
 Proc™a5 Nat. Sci. Phila., 189;. pp. >J- 
 
 igol'^RHOADS. S. N.— A Contribution to the 
 
 ^'jlammVSogir of Central Pennsylvania. 
 
 Proc. Acad Nat. Sci. PhiU.. iSgJ. PP- "4" 
 
 ,8«6"'ba.lev, VERNOS.-Ust of Mamn«^ of 
 the District of Columbia. Proc. Biological 
 Soc. Wash., 1896, PP- 03-101. 
 
 1806. Rhoads, S. N. -Contributions to the 
 Zoology of Tennessee. No. 3. Mam..-ials. 
 Proc Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.. 1897. PP ns- 
 
 i8o4""rhoads. S. N.— Contributions to the 
 Mammalogy of Florida. Proc. Acad. Nat. 
 Sci. Phila.. 1894, pp. "Sa-iS"- , , 
 
 iloS Bancs. O.— The Land Mammals of 
 Peninsular Florida and the Coast Region 
 of Georgia. Vol. XXVIII. pp i57-»,}5. 
 
 Cf. also "North American Fauna, and 
 various reports of explorations and con- 
 tributions to p'nceedings mentioned at 
 end of bibliography. 
 
 MARSUPIALS. 
 
 looi. Alum. J A.— A PreUminaiy Study of 
 the North American Opossums of the Genus 
 Didelphjs. Bull. A:;ier. Mus. Nat. Hist.. 
 XIV, pp. M9-I88 
 
 WHALES AND DOLPHINS. 
 
 1874. ScAMMON, C. M.— The Marine Mammals 
 of the Northwestern Coast of North Amer- 
 
 i884"^*GoobE, g' Brown.— Natural History 
 of Useful Aquatic Animals, U. S. Fish 
 Com.; Fisheries and Fisnery Industnes of 
 the U. S. Section I (text and atlas of 
 pUtes), pp. 1-136, treats of Mammals, 
 Whales, etc., by Goode; Seals, by Allen; 
 Manatee, by True; Fur Seal, by Elliot. 
 
 1889. Thub, F. W — a Review of the family 
 DelphinidK. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus.. No. 36. 
 pp. 1-191. 
 
 1898. Lydbkkir. R.— The Deer of All Lands. 
 A History ot the Family Ceriida. Living 
 and Extinct, pp. i-3»9. . „, . „. 
 
 1900. AiLBN. J. A.— Note on the W.x)d Bis<m. 
 BuU. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XIII. pp. 6j- 
 
 1900.' Allen. J. A— The Mountain Caribou 
 of Northern British Columbia. Bull. 
 Amer. Mus Nat. Hist.. XIII, pp. i-i8- 
 Cf. also XIV,^ pp. 143-148 „ 
 
 1901— Allen, J. A.— The Musk Oxen of Arctic 
 America and Greenland. Bull. Amer. 
 Mus. Nat. Hist., Xry. pp. 69-80. 
 
 looi. HoRNADAY. W. T.— Notes on the Moun- 
 tain Sheep of North America, with a De- 
 scription of a New Species. Fifth Annual 
 Report N. Y. Zool. Soc.. pp. 77-m- 
 
 RODENTS. 
 
 1877. CovEH, Elliott, and Allen, J. A — 
 Monographs of North American Rodentia. 
 Vol. XI of U. S. Geol. Survey of the Terri- 
 tories under F. V. Hayden. Contains in 
 appendix a bibliography of papers relating 
 to North American Mammals, up to 1877- 
 
 (a) RABBITS. 
 1894. Bancs, O- Geographical Distribution 
 of the Ea.ster.1 Races of the Cottontail. 
 Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.. XXVI, pp. 404- 
 
 i894*'*Allen, J. A— On the Seasonal Change 
 
 of Colour in the Varying Hare (Lepus 
 
 americanus Erxl). Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. 
 
 Hist Vl, pp. 107-138. 
 1896. Rhoads, S. N.— Synopsis of the Polar 
 
 Hares of North America. Proc. Acad. 
 
 Nat. Sci. Phila., 1896, pp. ,!Si-376. 
 .S96. Palmer, T. S— The Jack Rabbits of the 
 
 United States. Bull. No. S. U. S. Dcpt. 
 
 Agric, Div. Omith. and Mam., pp. 1-84 
 1898. Bancs, O— The Eastern Races of the 
 
 American Varying Hare. Proc. Biol. Soc. 
 
 Wash.. XII, pp. 77-8»- 
 
 MANATEES. 
 
 1895. Bancs. O — The Present StandiM of 
 the Florida Manatee in the Indian River 
 Waters. Amer. Nat.. XXIX. pp. 78.1-787. 
 
 1884. Stejnbubr, L— Investigations Relating 
 to the Date of the Extermination of Steller s 
 Sea Cow. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1884, 
 pp. 181. 
 
 HOOPED ANIMALS. 
 
 1881 Caton, J. D.— The Antelope and Deer 
 of America, pp. i-4a6. 
 
 1877. Allen, J. A —History of the American 
 Bison. Ann Rep U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr., 
 1 87 5, pp. 443-587 An earlier edition 
 publiahed in Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool , IV, 
 No. 10 (1876). ^ „ . . 
 
 1M9. HOENADAV, W. T.— The Extermination 
 of the American Bison. Rep. U. S. Nat 
 
 iSaS Ltobkkeh, ft— Wild Oxen. Sheep and 
 Goats df All Lands, pp. 1-318 
 
 (b) RATS AND MICE. 
 1894 Rhoads, S. N— A Contribution to the 
 Life History of the Alleghany Cave Rat. 
 Proc. Acad. Nat, Sci. Phila., 1894. PP- "3" 
 
 i89s'"allbn, I. A.— On the Species of the 
 Genus Reithrodontomys. Bull. Amer. 
 Mus. Nat. Hist., VII, pp. 107-14^, „ . 
 1896. Miller. G. S., Jr.— Genera and bub- 
 genera of Voles and Lemmings N. A. 
 Fauna (O. S. Dept. Agriculture) No. u, 
 pp. 1-78. , _ 
 
 1896. Merriah, C. H— Revision of the Lem- 
 mings of the Genus Synaptoniys, with 
 descriptions of New Species Proc. Hiol. 
 Soc Wash . X. pp. 55-64 „ _ , 
 
 1896. Bancs, O.— TTie Cotton M.xise, Per- 
 omyscus gossypinus. Proc Biol. boc. 
 Wash., X, pp. 119-135. _ „ ,. „ „ 
 1896. MiLLF.., 6. S., Jr.— The Beach Mouse 
 of Muskeget Island. Proc. Bost. Soc. 
 Nat. Hist.VVol. XXVII, pp. 75-H7. 
 J897. "T'JIER, G. S., Jr.— Synopsis of the 
 Voles of the Genus Phenacomys. Proc. 
 Biol. Soc. Wash., XI, pp. 77-87 
 i8q9 Preule, E. a —Revision of thr lump- 
 ing Mice of the Genus Zapus. N. A tauna 
 (U. S. Dept. Agriculture) No. 'i. PPi,'-39; 
 1 900 . Osgood, W H —Revision of the Pocket 
 Mice of the Genus Perognathus N. A. 
 Fauna (U. S. Dcpt. Agriculture) No. 18, 
 pp. i-6j. 
 
 302 
 
Biblio(Tmpby 
 
 n.iLXY v.— Revision of AmericMl 
 
 " VnW of the Gtnus Microtu.. N. A. 
 f2u". (U. S D^t Agriculture) No. .7. 
 
 PP-mVrbiam C H— Synopsis of the Rice 
 
 • R.t."Gi.nus Oryiomys) of the Umted 
 
 site, a^d Mexico. Woe. W«h. Acad. 
 
 Sci., III. PP a7.1-»95 
 
 (c) GOPHERS. 
 .a„. MxiaiAM C. H.— Monogrmphic Revi- 
 '*"vi«"n o the P.^ket Gophers. Fam.ljr 
 
 STomyidae (exclusive of Thomon-ys.); N. 
 
 A^FSuna (U. S. Dept. Agriculture) No. S. 
 
 .gss"" BmVk" V.-The Pocket Gopher, of the 
 United States. Bull. N". 5. Ij *>• •*?'■ 
 AgnC. Div. Omith. and Mam., pp. 1-46 
 
 (d) BEAVERS. 
 .MS. Morgan. L. H.-The American Beaver 
 
 .gos" CoArs^s'-lf-^mribution. to a Re- 
 '••'viBorofihe North American Beavers 
 
 oners and Fishers. Trans. Amer. Philo.. 
 
 Soc.. XIX.pp. 417-4J9- 
 
 (e) SQUIRRELS. 
 .-^ AiL«M I A —A Review of Some of the 
 
 .8oo"'AiLi"' fA^ioi'seasonal Variation, 
 •*' in Cotou; in Sciuru. hudsomus. Bull. 
 
 \ °' l^ir,''r''N-A'Re^'»5'o''n"'<?f Jth'e 
 ""'We«" AmVrictt P yi""! ,Snuirrel.^ Proc. 
 
 Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., .'Ss'^PP -.^J-tie'vI: 
 .•«a AtT«>j I A — Revision of the cmcKa- 
 1898. AILIN. J. A. 1^'^ „ Red Squirrels 
 
 re«. or North American "^E".. ^»_er. 
 
 (Subgenus Tamiasciurus) . Bull. Amer. 
 
 Jlu» Nat. Hist.. X. pp. a4(>->»8- 
 
 SHREWS AND MOLES. 
 
 -"sh»^eAS,.ri^,:».£S 
 
 gh°;i^^r^thett'so^V ^- ^™^"" 
 
 No 10. pp. 'p'* •"'',"I?fhe Long-tailed 
 
 '"'^Snl-^u^-rs^^iss 
 
 .8,6''"TR°f-E^'F.^'-AReyi.ionof.theAmeri. 
 
 can Moles, 
 pp. l-iiJ 
 
 SBALC 
 
 ,»»n Allbh J. A.— History of North Amer- 
 ican Pinnipeds. A Monwraph of the 
 wSruiw. sTa Lions. Sea Bears and Seal, 
 of N?rSl America. U .? G^' .S^fY'V"" 
 ?he iriTitories. F. V. Hayden in charge. 
 Miscellaneous Publication No. u. Pp. ■" 
 
 .««A'''Renort on the Condition of Seal Lite on 
 •*'*the Rffiries^-f the Pribilof I'lana. .»->',; 
 
 ,5. Senate Doc. .,17. 54th Congress, ist 
 
 lision 2 V.'l»„an<l »' " Sl^'i'"- Seals 
 -'U FT&a?.s?andV oM'o^P^g 
 
 Ocean. U. S. Treas. Dcpl Doc. aoi7. 
 
 Division of Special Agents. 4 Vols. 
 
 OTHER CARNIVORES. 
 
 ,8,6. Merriam. C. H^-Prelimnary SynoMis 
 of the American Bears. Proc. Biol. Soc. 
 Wash.. X. PP <>s-».i. ^ . 
 
 ,806. Merriam. C. H -S>-n°P«» . °L X 
 Weasels of North America. N. A. Fauna 
 (U. S. Dept. Agriculture) No. 11. PP 1- 
 
 ii»A B»vns O —A Re\-icw of the Weasels of 
 '"'Eastern liSth America. Proc. Biol. Soc. 
 
 Wash., X. PP 1-J4. 
 .Rofi Bangs, O.— Notes on the Synonymy oi 
 
 the North American Mink l-roc Bost. 
 
 aS: Na" Hist. Vol. XXVII. pp. 1-6 
 ,877 Coves, E.— Fur Bearing Animals. A 
 
 Monograph of North American MusteUto. 
 
 U S Cfcol. Survey of the Temtones 
 
 Misc. Publ. No 8. pp i-J4». 
 • nn. Howell A. H.— ReWsion of the Skunks 
 "°'of the Genus Chincha l-Mephitis). N. A. 
 
 Fauna (U S. Dept. Agriculture) No. ,0. 
 
 ,R9,'"'rhoads, S. N -Geographic Variation 
 
 in Bassariscus astutus Proc. Acad. Nat. 
 
 Sci. Phila. i!l94. pp 41 3-4'» 
 
 .a„, Mrrriam C. H— Revision of the 
 
 '""Coyous" or Prairie Wnlvcs -nh Descnp- 
 
 tions of New Species. Proc. Biol. boc. 
 
 Wash., XI. PP 19- .ii. . . 
 
 „« Mrdriau C H.— Preliminary Revision 
 
 """of t^e North A,rerican Red Foxes. Proc. 
 
 Wash. Acad. Sc;., II. PP bi"-<>T'- 
 ,>in7 Bangs. O.— Notes on the Lynxes of 
 "Eastern North America. Proc- 6.0I. boc. 
 Wash.. XI. pp. 47-51. 
 
 Merriam. C_H -Preliminary Re^aon 
 
 W — A Revision o> ju= "^71? 
 
 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIX, 
 
 BATS. 
 
 .ra, Allen Harrison.— A Monopanh of 
 "ihe Bats of North America. BulV 43. 
 
 .8„,"m.l'',.''er''g •|.^>'-Revi«on of the 
 ""NoJJh American '^ats of the Family 
 
 vSpertiUonids. N. A. Fauna (U. S. 
 
 Dept. Agriculture), pp. i-US- 
 
 of the Pumas (Felis concolnrgroup). Proc. 
 Wash. Acad. Sci., Ill, pp. 577-Ooc- 
 
 Cf. also many papers in P'nSK.'il'S' A^ 
 ademv Natural Sciences PhiladMphifc 
 Bui letin American Museum Natu^l H»- 
 iory New York. Proceedings B'ologica So- 
 riety of Washington and of the W ash- 
 ington Academy of Sciences Proceedings 
 Boston Society Natural Sciences etc, 
 for descriptions oi species and reports on 
 coUeltion, from various parts of t{ie coun^ 
 tIT- 
 
 303 
 
\ »: 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 bw 
 
INDEX 
 
 Abietorum, Peromyscus, 135 
 
 Zapus, 105 
 Acadian Meadow Mouse, 1 1 7 
 acadicus, Microtus. 117 
 acutus, Lagcnorhynchus, a2 
 Alabama Gopher, 98 
 alascanus, Otoes, 209 
 alascensis, Ursus, 263 
 Alaskan Grizzly, 263 
 
 Moose, 43 
 albibarbis, Sorex, 187 
 albus.Canis, 277 
 Alecs americanus, 43 
 
 giKas,43 ,, 
 alexyndrinus, Mus, 145 
 alleghaniensis, Pretorius, 240 
 Alleghany Weasel, 240 
 
 Wood Rat, 127 
 alleni, Microtus, 1 20 
 ambarvalis, Spilogale, 230 
 American Badger, 230 
 Elk, 31 
 Marten, 242 
 Sable, 242 
 americana, Antilocapra, S4 
 
 Mustela, 242 
 americanus, Alces, 43 
 Lepus. 86 
 Tnchechus, 27 
 Ursus, 257 
 Zapus, 104 
 anguiatum, Tayassu, 30 
 Antelope, 54 
 
 Antilocapra americana, 54 
 Aplodontia rufa, 1 50 
 Aplodontidae, 150 
 aqaaticus, Lepus, 89 
 
 Scalops, 188 
 aqjilonius, Fiber,i26 
 Arctic Fox, 273 
 Hare, 86 
 Wolf, 277 
 articus, Lepus, 86 
 Rangifer, 52 
 
 Arctomysmonax, 151 
 canadensis, 159 
 ignavus, 159 
 Arizona Deer, 39 
 Armadillo, Nine-banded, 9 
 
 Peba,9 
 Artibeus pcrspicillatus, 194 
 Artiodactyli, 28 
 astutus. Bassariscus, 254 
 athabascae, Bison. 67 
 Atlantic Walrus, 2 1 2 
 atcr.Canis. 277 
 atrata. Mustela. 245 
 auduboni, Ovis. 64 
 Audubon's Sheep, 64 
 auricularis. Microtus, 120 
 austerus, Microtus, 1 19 
 australis, Scalops, 188 
 austrinus, Geomys, 98 
 avia. Mephitis. 229 
 Badger, American, 230 
 Bakenidae, 1 2 
 Bakvnaglacialis, 13 
 
 mvsticctus, 16 
 BaU-ennptcra Musculus, 17 
 
 physalis, 16 
 Baleen, 12 
 
 baliolus, Pcromvscus, 137 
 Bangs' Cotton Kat, 129 
 Marsh Mouse, 130 
 Polar Hare, 88 
 bangsi, Lepus. 88 
 Banner-tailed Deer, 39 
 barbatus, Erignathus, 218 
 Barren-ground Bear, 261 
 
 Caribou, 52 
 Bassaris. Texas, 254 
 Bassariscus astutus flavus, 254 
 Bat, Big-eared, 196 
 Carolina, 200 
 Fruit, 194 
 Hoary, 204 
 Large Brown, 200 
 Leal-nosed, 194 
 
 30s 
 
.n 
 
 i 
 
 ■%:i 
 
 s 
 
 Ind«S 
 
 Bat, Leather-winged, »o6 
 Little Brown, 196 
 Red, 103 
 Say's. 196 
 Silver-haired, 102 
 TwiUght, 306 
 Bats, 193 
 Common, 195 
 Free-tailed. 195 
 Bay Lynx, J84 
 Bavou Gray Squirrel, 1 7 2 
 Beach Mouse, 138 
 Brewer's, 117 
 Island, 138 
 Bear. Barren-groimd, a6i 
 Black, 357 
 Cinnamon, 257 
 Florida, j6o 
 Glacier. 260 
 Grizzly. 261 
 Kadiak. 263 
 Kidder's. 264 
 Labrador, 260 
 Louisiana, 260 
 Pavlof, 263 
 Polar, 255 
 Sitka. 364 
 Yakutat. 263 
 Bears. 35s 
 Bearded Seal, 218 
 Beaver. Canadian, 145 
 Carolinian, 150 
 Mountain. 150 
 bidens. Mesoplodon, 19 
 Big-eared Bat, 196 
 Bighorn, 61 
 Bison, American, 66 
 
 Woodland, 67 
 Bison athabascal, 67 
 
 bison. 66 
 Black Bear. 257 
 Fox. 264 
 
 Meadow Mouse, 117 
 Rat, 144 
 Wolf, 277 
 Blackfish, 33 
 Black-tailed Deer. 39 
 Black-tailed Jack Rabbit, 89 
 Blarina brevicanda, 180 
 carolinensis, 183 
 peninsulae, 183 
 parva, 183 
 floridana, 184 
 Blubber, 1 1 
 Blue Fox, 273 
 
 Whale, 17 
 Bob Cat, 384 
 Bog Mouse, III 
 
 Bonaparte's Weasel, 239 
 borcalis. Lasiurus, 203 
 
 Odocoilcus, 39 
 Bottle-nosed Dolphin, 20 
 
 Whales, 19 
 Bovidac, 57 
 Bowhead, 16 
 brevicanda. Blarina, 180 
 brcviceps. Kogia. 18 
 breweri, Microtus. 117 
 
 Parascalops, 189 
 Brewer's Beach Mouse, 117 
 
 Mole, 189 
 Bridled Weasel, 240 
 Brown Rat, 142 
 Brown Shrew. 183 
 
 Florida, 184 
 brumalis, Mustela, 245 
 Buffalo, American, 66 
 
 Woodland. 67 
 bursarius, Geomys, 98 
 Cachalot. 17 
 Cacomistle. 254 
 CacomitlCat. 393 
 cacomitli. Felis, 293 
 C'aing Whale, 23 
 Califomian Black-tailed Deer, 43 
 Grizzly, 263 
 Mule Deer, 41 
 califomianus. Zalophus, 3 1 1 
 calif omicus, Odococleus, 41 
 
 Ursus, 263 
 Camel, 28 
 
 campestris. Lepus, 89 
 Canada Lynx, 386 
 Porcupme. 94 
 Skunk, 2 29 
 canadensis. Arctomys, 159 
 Castor. 145 
 Cervus. 31 
 Lutra. 219 
 Lynx. 286 
 Peromyscus, 135 
 Canadian Beaver, 145 
 
 White-footed Mouse, 135 
 Canidae, 264 
 Canisalbus. 277 
 ater, 277 
 latrans, 379 
 occidentalis, 377 
 Caribou, Barren-ground, s» 
 Grant's, S4 
 Greenland, 54 
 Movmtain, 51 
 Newfoundland, 51 
 Stone's. 51 
 Caribou, Woodland, 47 
 caribou, Rangifer, 47 
 
 306 
 
Carnivora, 107 
 Carnivorous Animals, 207 
 Carolina Bat, aoo 
 Otter, 223 
 
 Red-backed Mouse, 1 1 3 
 carolinensis, Btarina, 183 
 Castor, I so 
 Evotomys, 112 
 Sciurus, 170 
 Carolinian Beaver, 150 
 Jumping Mouse, 104 
 Castor canadensis, 145 
 
 canadensis carolinensis, 150 
 Castoridse, 145 
 Cat, Bob, 184 
 Cacomitl, 293 
 Civet, 1(4 
 Ringtailed, 254 
 Wild, 284 
 Ca.Sqvlrrel, 168 
 Catamount, 384 
 Cats, 283 
 Cattle, 57 
 
 celatus, Phenacomys, 1 10 
 cavirostris, Ziphius, 19 
 Cerros Island Deer, 41 
 cerroseusis, Odocoilsus, 4 1 
 Cervidae. 31 
 cervina,0vis.6i 
 Cervus canadensis, 31 
 merriami, 34 
 occidentahs, 34 
 Cetacea, 1 1 
 Cetaceans. 1 1 
 
 Chapman's Cotton Rat, 1 29 
 Chickaree, 172 
 Chipmunk, 162 
 Chiroptera, 193 
 chrotorrhinus, Microtus, 118 
 cicognani, Putorius, 239 
 cinereoarcenteus, Urocyon, 275 
 cinereus, Lasiiirus, 204 
 Cinnamon Bear, 257 
 Civet Cat, 254 
 
 Cloudland White-footed Mouse, 135 
 Coati, Mexican, 254 
 
 Mondi, 254 
 Collared Peccary, 30 
 coloratus, Oryzomys, 130 
 Columbian Black-tailed Deer, 42 
 columbianus, Odocoileus, 42 
 Common Bats, 19s 
 Dolphin, 21 
 Mole, 188 
 Rat, 142 
 Seal, 2 IS 
 Common, Shrew, 184 
 Condylura cristala, 190 
 
 Cony, 93 
 Coon, 247 
 
 cooperi,Synaptomys, 107 
 Cooper's Lemming Moiise, 107 
 coryi.'Feli! 288 
 Coi^norhinu- macrotis, 196 
 Cotton Mouse, 135 
 Florida, 136 
 Louisiana, 136 
 Rhoad's, 13s 
 Cotton Rat, 128 
 Bangs's, 1 29 
 Chapman's, 129 
 Cottontail, 75 
 Florida. 77 
 Northern, 77 
 Prairie, 78 
 Southern, 7 < 
 couesi, Odocoileus, 39 
 Cougar, 288 
 
 Florida, 288 
 couguar, Felis, 288 
 Cowfish, >9 
 Cricetinse, 127 
 cristata, Condylura, 190 
 cristata, Cystophora, 218 
 crooki, Odocoileus, 41 
 Crooks, Deer, 41 
 Cross Fox, 264 
 cumberlandius, Geomys, 98 
 cyanocephalus, Nyctinomus, 195 
 Cystophora cristata, 2 1 8 
 dalli,Ovis,64 
 Ursus, 263 
 Dall's Sheep, 64 
 Dasypodidse, 9 
 Dasyp terns intermedius, 206 
 Deer. 3 1 
 Arizona, 39 
 Banner-tailed, 39 
 Black-tailed, 39, 4* 
 Cerros Island, 41 
 Crook's, 41 
 Fan tailed, 39 
 Florida, 39 
 Louisiana, 39 
 Mule, 39 
 Northern, 39 
 Texan, 39 
 Virginia, 34 
 White-tailed, 39 
 Deer Mouse, 131 j 
 
 Florida, 136 
 degener, Lutra, 223 
 defetrix, Vulpes, 272 
 Delphinapterusleucas, 24 
 Delphinidae, 20 
 Delphinus delphis.s i 
 
 307 
 
 I 
 
Ib4m 
 
 -li' 
 
 III 
 
 rlclphis, Dclphinus. ii 
 Ucsert Mule Deer, 4 1 
 (lickinsoni, Reithrodontomy*. 131 
 Dickinson's Har\-CTt Mouw, 131 
 Dicrostonyxhudsonius, 108 
 Didelphidae. 4 
 
 Didelphis Marsupialis texensis, 8 
 virginiana, 4 
 pigra, 8 
 Dismal Swamp Lemming Mouse, 108 
 
 Muskrat. 136 
 Dolphin. Bottle-nosed, 10 
 Commnn, 11 
 Spotted. II 
 Striped. 21 
 Dolphms. JO 
 dorsatus, Erethizon, 94 
 DuRongs. 26 
 
 Dusky White-footed Mouse, 13s 
 Eared Seals. ;oq 
 Eastern Skunk, jjq 
 
 Striped Skunk, 230 
 Edentata. 9 
 Edentates. 9 
 Elk. American, jr 
 Merriam's, 34 
 Roosevelt's, 34 
 elongata. Mephitis, 229 
 elucus. Procyon, 247 
 emmonsi. Ursus, 360 
 enixus. Microtis. 117 
 eremicus. Odocoileus. 41 
 Erethizon, dorsatus, 94 
 Erignathus barbatus, 218 
 Ermine, 237 
 eskimo. Putorius, 240 
 Eskimo We«sel. 240 
 Eumetopias stelleri, 211 
 Eutheria. xiv 
 
 Everglade Gray SquiTrel, i"a 
 Evotomys gapped, m 
 carolinensis, 1 1 1 
 ochraceus. 112 
 rhoadsi, 1 1 2 
 proteuR. 112 
 ungava. 112 
 cxtimus, Sciurus, 172 
 Eyra. 203 
 
 False Lemming Mouse, no 
 fannini.Ovis. 6s 
 Fannin's Sheep, 6s 
 Fan-tailed Deer, 39 
 fatuus, Synaptomys, 108 
 Feet, >'-i 
 Felidae, 283 
 Felis cacomitH, 193 
 
 coryi, 288 
 Felis cougar, ?88 
 
 eyra. 293 
 onca, 292 
 pardalis. 293 
 Fiber obscurus, 127 
 zibcthicus. 121 
 aquilonius. 1 20 
 macrodon. 126 
 rivalicus. 126 
 Field Mouse. 1 12 
 Finback Whale, 16 
 Finner, 16 
 Fisher. 241 
 Fisher Marten. 241 
 fisheri. Sorex. 187 
 Fisher's Shrew, 187 
 Fissipedia. 207 
 flaviscens. Pcrognathjis lOO 
 (lavus. Bassariscus. 254 
 Florida Bear. 260 
 Cougar. 288 
 Cotton Mouse, 136 
 Cottontail. 77 
 Deer. 39 
 
 Deer Mouse. 136 
 Free-tailed Bat. 195 
 Flying S<iuirrel, 178 
 Gopher. 98 
 Gray Fox. 276 
 Manatee. 26 
 Ma' h Hare. 89 
 Ma- > Mouse, 130 
 Mink .•35 
 Mol.-, 1S8 
 Opossum, 8 
 Otter. 223 
 Raccoon. 247 
 Skunk. 229 
 Weasel. 240 
 Wild Cat, 286 
 Wood Rat, I j8 
 floridana. Blarina, 184 
 Geomys.98 
 Lepus, 77 
 Lynx. 286 
 Peromyscus, 136 
 Urocyon, 277 
 Ursus. 260 
 Flying Squirrel, 176 
 Florida. 178 
 Northern. 178 
 Severn River, 178 
 Southern. 177 
 fontigenus. Microtus, 117 
 Fossil Ungulates, 28 
 Fox. Arctic. 273 
 Black, 264 
 Blue, 273 
 Fox. Cross, 264 
 
 308 
 
iBdn 
 
 Fox, Gray, 375 
 Kit, IT2 
 Red, 264 
 Silver, 364 
 White, J? 3 
 Foxes, 264 
 Fox Squirrels, 168 
 Northern, 169 
 South^'rn, 170 
 Western, i6q 
 franklini. Snermophilus, i6a 
 Franklin's Spermophile, 162 
 Free-tailed BaUs, igs 
 frenatus, Putorius, 240 
 Fruit Bat, 194 
 fulij;inosus, Sciurus, 173 
 fulvus, Vulpes, 264 
 fumtus, Sorex. iS6 
 Fur Seal, 209 
 fascuji, V'esi)ertiUo, 200 
 catiperi, Ei 'loiii^ -, til 
 Geomyidae, q6 
 Geomys bursarius, 98 
 cumberlandius, 98 
 tuza. 07 
 
 tuza rtoridanus, 98 
 mobileu:iis, 98 
 Austrinus, 98 
 Georgia Oldlield Mouse, 137 
 
 Pipistrelle, 201 
 gigas, Alces. 43 
 
 Lynx, 286 
 Gillesp'-''sSeal, 211 
 Giraffe, 28 
 glacialis, Bala?na, 13 
 Glacier Bear. 260 
 Glires, 7 1 
 
 Globi(x:cphalus mclas, 23 
 Glutton, 24S 
 Gnawing Animals, 71 
 Goat, Kennedy's, 61 
 Mountain, 57 
 White, 57 
 Golden Mouse, 138 
 Gopher, Alabama, 98 
 Florida, 98 
 Georgia, 97 
 Gray, 162 
 Island, 98 
 Pocket, 96,98 
 Prairie, 98 
 Striped, 161 
 West Florida, 98 
 gossypinus, Peromyscus, 135 
 Grampus, 23 
 Grampus griseus, 23 
 granti, Rangifcr, 54 
 Grant's Caribou, 54 
 
 Gray S^iuirrct, 170 
 Buyou, 172 
 Everglade, 172 
 Northern. 172 
 S<puthem. 172 
 Gray Fox, 275 
 Florida. 276 
 Wisconsin, 377 
 Gray Gopher, 163 
 Rabbit, 75 
 Seal, 2 18 
 Wolf, 277 
 Greenland Caribou, 54 
 
 Hare, 88 
 griseus. Grampus, li 
 Grizzly Bear, 261 
 Alaskan, 263 
 California, 463 
 Sonorun, 263 
 groenlandica, Phoca. 217 
 ^.r.M nlandicus, Lcpus 88 
 
 Uangiter. (4 
 Ground Hackee, '62 
 Hot'. 151 
 Siiuirrel. 162 
 grvpus. llalich<rrus. 218 
 Gull Island Mouse, 1 17 
 Guloluscus. 245 
 gyas, Ursus, 263 
 gj-mnicus, Sciurus. 17a 
 Hackee, Ground, 162 
 
 Northern, 1O3 
 Hair Seal. 211 
 Hairy-tailed Mole, 189 
 Halichierusgrypus. 218 
 Ilarbor Porpoise, 22 
 
 Seal. 215 
 HarijSeal. 217 
 Harvest Mouse, 130 
 Dickinson's. 131 
 Surber's. 131 
 ll.are. Arctic, 86 
 Jackass. 89 
 Little Chief, 93 
 Marsh. 88 
 Prairie. 89 
 Varying. 78 
 Water. 89 
 White. 78. 86 
 Hares. 73 
 
 helalctes. Synaptomys, 108 
 hemionus. Odocoileus. 39 
 Heteromyidae. 99 
 Hippopotamus. 28 
 hispida. Phoca, 217 
 hispidus. Sigmodon. 128 
 Hoary Bat, 204 
 Hooded Seal, 218 
 
 309 
 
r « 
 
 
 ,''i: 
 
 -!«'• 
 
 Indcs 
 
 Hoofed Animals, 28 
 
 horrisus, Tj'rsus, 263 
 
 horribilis, Ursus, a6i 
 
 Horse, 28 
 
 House Mouse, 138 
 
 hoyi, Sorex, 187 
 
 Hoy's Shrew, 187 
 
 Hudsonian Meadow Mouse, 1 1 7 
 
 White-footed Mouse, 135 
 hudsonicus, Sciurus, 176 
 hudsonius, Dicrostonyx, 108 
 
 Zapus, 102 
 humeralis. Nycticcius, 206 
 Humpback Whale, 1 7 
 Hyperoodon rostratus, 19 
 ignavus. Arctomys, 159 
 Illinois Skunk, 229 
 impigcr, Reithrodontomys, 131 
 innuitus, Synaptomys, 108 
 Insectivora, 179 
 insignis, Zapus, 104 
 intermedius, Dasypterus, 206 
 Island Beach Mouse, 138 
 Gopher, 98 
 ack Rabbit, 89 
 \ ackass Hare, 89 
 ] aguar, 202 
 [ umping Mice, loj 
 Jumping Mouse, Carolinian, 104 
 Labrador, 104 
 Meadow, 102 
 Northern, 105 
 Roan*Mountain, 105 
 Woodland, 104 
 KadiakBear, 263 
 Kangaroo Rat, Ord's, 100 
 Kennedy! , Oreamnos, 6 1 
 Kennedy's Moimtain Goat, 61 
 Killer, 23 
 
 Kidderi, Ursus, 264 
 Kidder's Bear, 264 
 Kit Fox, 272 
 Kogia bre\'iceps, 18 
 Labrador Bear, 260 
 lumping Mouse, 104 
 Marten, 245 
 Meadow Mouse, 117 
 Muskrat, 126 
 Red Squirrel, 176 
 Red-backed Mouse, 1 1 2 
 Rock Vol^ 118 
 Shrew, 186 
 Varying Hare, 86 
 Woodchuck, 159 
 labradoreus, Lcpus, 88 
 ladas, Zapus, 104 
 Lagenorhynchusacutus, 2a 
 lagopus, Vulpcs, 273 
 
 Large Brown Bat, 200 
 largha, Phoca, 215 
 Lasionycterisnoctivagans, aoi 
 Lasiurus borcalis, 203 
 
 cjnereus, 204 
 Latfjt lutris, 223 
 lataxina, Lutra, 223 
 latinianus, Phenacomys, no 
 latirostris, Trichechus, 26 
 latrans,Canis, 279 
 Leaf-nosed Bats, 194 
 Least Weasel. 240 
 Leather- winged Bat, 206 
 lecontii, Reithrodontomys, 130 
 Legs, xix 
 
 Lemming Mouse, Cooper's, 107 
 Dismal Swamp, 108 
 False, no 
 Northern, 108 
 Preble's, 108 
 Truc's. 108 
 Lemming, Pied, 108 
 Lemmings, 105, 107 
 Lemmus trimucronatus, 1 10 
 Leporidae, 73 
 Lepusamericanus, 86 
 
 amcricanus struthiopus, 86 
 
 virgianianus, 78 
 articus. 86 
 bangsi, 88 
 labradorius, 88 
 aquaticus, 89 
 campestris, 89 
 floridanus, 7 7 
 mallurus, 75 
 meamsi, 78 
 transitionalis, 77 
 groenlandicus, 88 
 palustris, 88 
 palustris paludicola, 89 
 leucas, Delphinapterus, 24 
 leucopus, Peromyscus, 131 
 leucotis, Sciurus. 172 
 leucurus, Odocoilcus, 39 
 Lion, Mountain. 288 
 Little Chief Hare. 93 
 Striped Skunk. 230 
 Brown Bat, 196 
 littoralis, Sigmodon, 129 
 Long-tailed Shrew, 184, 187 
 
 Weasel, 239 
 longirostris, Sorcx, 187 
 loquax, Scuirus, 175 
 lotor. Procyon. 247 
 Louisiana Bear, 260 
 Cotton Mouse, 136 
 IXir, 39 
 Mink, 235 
 310 
 
Index 
 
 Louisiana Skunk, 129 
 louisianx. Odocoileus, 39 
 Loup Cervier, 286 
 lucitugus, Myotis, 196 
 ludovicianvis.Cynomys, 160 
 luscus.Gulo, J4S 
 lutcnsis, Putorius. 235 
 luteolus, Ursus, 260 
 Lutra canadensis, 219 
 lataxina, 223 
 vaga, 223 
 degener, 223 
 lutreocephalus, Putorius, 235 
 lutris, Latax. 223 
 Lynx, Bay, 284 
 Canada, 286 
 Newfoundland. 287 
 canadensis, 286 
 gigas.286 
 ruffus, 284 
 
 ruffus tloridanus, 286 
 subsolanus, 287 
 Ivstcri.Tamias, 163 
 Maine Weasel, 239 
 mallurus, Lepus, 75 
 Manatee, Florida, 26 
 Manatees, 26 
 
 maritimus, Thalarctos, 255 
 Mannot, Maryland, 151 
 Marmots, 151, 160 
 Marsh Hare, 88 
 Florida, 89 
 Marsh Mouse, 1 29 
 Banc's, 130 
 Florida, 130 
 Nlarsh Shrew, 187 
 Marsupialia, xiv, 3 
 Marsupials, 3 
 Marten, American, 24a 
 Fisher, 241 
 Labrador, 245 
 Newfoundland, 245 
 Pine, 242 
 Maryland Marmot, 1 5 1 
 Meadow Jumping Mouse, 103 
 Meadow Mice, 107 
 Meadow Mouse, 112 
 Acadian, 117 
 Black, 117 
 Gull Island, 117 
 Hudsonian, 117 
 Labrador, 1 1 7 
 Prairie, 119 
 Ungava, 117 
 Yellow-cheeked, 1 18 . 
 Meadow Vole, 112 
 meamsi, Lepus, 78 
 Megaptera nodosa, 17 
 
 melas, Globioccphalus, 23 
 mephitica. Mephitis, 129 
 Mephitis a via, 229 
 eiongata, 229 
 mephitica, 229 
 mesomelas, 229 
 putida, 224 
 Merriam's Elk. 34 
 mesomelas. Mephitis, 229 
 Mesoplodonbidens, 19 
 Mexican Coati. 254 
 
 Sheep. 64 
 Mexicanus. Ovis, 64 
 Mice, 105 
 
 Introduced, 138 
 Jumping, 102 
 Long-tailed, 127 
 Meadow, 107 
 Pocket, 99 
 michiganensis, Peromyscus, 138 
 Microtinae, 107 
 Microtus alleni, 1 20 
 austcnis, 119 
 breweri .117 
 chrotorrhinus, iiS 
 ravus, 1 18 
 Microtus, ncsophilus, 117 
 pennsylvanicus, 1 1 2 
 acadicus, 1 1 7 
 enixus, 1 17 
 fontigenus, 1 1 7 
 "igrans, 1 1 7 
 ungava, 1 1 7 
 Microtus, pinctorum, no 
 pinetorum auricularis, 1 20 
 
 scalopsoides, 1 20 
 terr:rnovae, i iS 
 Middendorffi, Ursus, 263 
 Miller's Polar Hare, 88 
 Mink, 231 
 Florida, 235 
 Louisiana, 235 
 Northern, 235 
 Southern. 235 
 miscix.Sorex. 186 
 Mississippi Pine House, 120 
 
 Wood Rat. 128 
 mississippiensis, Peromyscus, 135 
 mobilensis. Geomys, 98 
 Mole, Brrwer's, 189 
 Common. 188 
 Florida, 188 
 Hairy-tailed, i8q 
 Naked-tailed. 1S8 
 Star-nosed, iqo 
 Mole Shrew, 180 
 Moles, 179. 188 
 monax, Arciomys. 1 5 1 
 
 3" 
 
Indn 
 
 monoceras, Monodon, 24 
 Monodon monoceras, 34 
 montanus, Oreatnnos, 57 
 
 Rangifer, 5 1 
 Moose, 43 
 
 Alaskan, 43 
 moschatus, Ovibos, 65 
 Mountain Beaver, 150 
 
 Caribou, 51 
 
 Goat, 57 
 
 Lion, 288 
 
 Sheep, 61 
 Mouse, Beach, 117, 138 
 
 Bog, III 
 
 Cotton, 13s 
 
 Deer, 131 
 
 Field, 112 
 
 Golden, 138 
 
 Gull Island, 117 
 
 Harvest, 130 
 
 House. 138 
 
 Lemming, 107 
 
 Marsh, 129 
 
 Meadow, 113 
 
 Oldfield, 136 
 
 Pine, 119 
 Mouse, Prairie, 138 
 
 Red, 138 
 
 Red-backed, iil 
 
 Rice-field, 129 
 
 Scorpion, 136 
 
 Shrew, 184 
 
 White-footed, 131 
 
 Wood, lit, «3i J-' 
 Mule Deer, 39 
 
 California, 41 
 
 Desert, 41 
 Mulita, 9 
 Muridae, 105 
 Murinae, 138 
 Mus musculus, 138 
 
 norvegicus, 142 
 
 rattus, 144 
 
 alcxandrinus, 145 
 musculus, Balienoptera, 17 
 
 Mus, 138 
 Musk Ox, 6s 
 
 Pe«ry'», 65 
 Muskrat, 121 
 
 Dismal Swamp, i jS 
 
 Labrador, 1 26 
 
 Newfoundland, 127 
 
 Round-tailed, 1*0 
 
 Southern, 126 
 Musrjuash, 121 
 Mustela, amcricana, 34a 
 
 atrata, 245 
 
 brumalis, 245 
 
 pennanti, 241 
 Mustelidx, 219 
 Myotis lucifugus, ig6 
 
 subulatus, 196 
 mysticetus Balxna, 13 
 macrocephalus, Physeter, 17 
 macrodon , Fiber, 126 
 macrotis, Corynorhinus, 196 
 
 Sciuropterus, 178 
 macrourus, Odocoileus, 39 
 macrurus, Sorex, 187 
 narica, Nasua, 254 
 Narwhal, 34 
 Nasua narica, 254 
 natator, On-zomys, 130 
 neglectus, &iurus, 168 
 nelsoni,Ovis,64 
 Nelson's Sheep, 64 
 Neofiber, 1 20 
 
 Neotoma pennsylvanica, 1*7 
 floridana, 128 
 floridana rubida, 128 
 nesophilus, Microtus, 117 
 Newfoundland Caribou, 51 
 Lynx, 287 
 Marten, 245 
 Muskrat, 127 
 Otter, 23 J 
 Red Fox, 27a 
 Rock Vole, 118 
 New Jersey Red-backed House, iia 
 New York Weasel, 235 
 niger, Sciurus, 170 
 nigriculus, Peromyscus, 136 
 nigrans, Microtus. 1 17 
 Nine-banded Armad^'lo, 9 
 niveiventris, Peromyscus, 138 
 Noctilionidae, 195 
 noctivagans. Lasionycteris, aoa 
 nodosa. Mcgaptera. i;;^ 
 North Carolina Weasel. 239 
 Northern Cottontail, 77 
 Deer. 39 
 
 Flying Sfjuirrel, 178 
 Fox^uirrel. 169 
 Gray Sciuirrel. 173 
 
 {umpinjj Mouse, 105 
 .emming Mouse, 108 
 
 Mink, 23s 
 
 Otter, 323 
 
 Pine Mouse, 130 
 
 Pipistrelle, 303 
 
 Red Squirrel, 175 
 
 Woodchuck, 159 
 norvegicus, Mns, 14a 
 Norway Rat, 142 
 notius, Putorius. 239 
 
 Nova Scotia Red Fox, 372 
 
 3«« 
 
IndM 
 
 Nova SootiaVarying Hare, 86 
 
 Wildcat, 286 
 noveboracensis, Putnnui, ajs 
 noveincinctum, Tatu, 9 
 nubiterrae, Peromyscu*. 13$ 
 nuttalli, Peromyscus, 138 
 Nycticeius humeralis, to6 
 Nyctinomuscyanooeplialu*, 195 
 obesus. Odobenus. 213 
 obscurus, Fiber, la? 
 
 Pipistrellus. loa 
 occidentalis, Canis, 277 
 occisor, Putorius, 239 
 Ocelot, 293 
 Ochotonaprinceps, 9S 
 O vthouf Urocyoo, »77 
 ochraceus, Evotomy», i it 
 Odobenidae, 212 
 Odobenus obesus, 2 1 3 
 
 rosmanis, 112 
 Odocoileus cerrosensis, 4> 
 columbianus, 4a 
 sitkensis, 43 
 scaphiotus, 43 
 couesi, 39 
 crooki, 41 
 hemionus, 39 
 hemionus califortuciis, 41 
 
 eremicul, 4 1 
 leucurus, 39 
 louisianae, 39 
 osceola, 39 
 texensis, 39 
 virginianus, 34 
 borealis, 39 
 tnacrouruf, 39 
 Oldfield Mouse, 136 
 Rhoad's, 137 
 Georgia, i37 
 onca, Felis. 292 
 Onychomys. 136 
 Opossum, Florida, S 
 Texas. 8 
 Virginian. 4 
 Opossums, 4 
 ordi. Perodipus, 100 
 Ord's Kangaroo Rat, 100 
 Orcamnos kennedyi, 61 
 
 montanus, 57 
 Orcaorca, 23 
 Oryzomyspalustns, 129 
 palustris natator. 130 
 coloratus, 1 30 
 osceola, Odocoileus, 39 
 Otariidae, 209 
 Otoes alascanw, 809 
 Otter, 219 ^ 
 Carolina, 2*3 
 
 Otter, Florida, 223 
 Newfoundland, 223 
 Northern, 2 2i 
 Sea 2 2 1 
 Ovibos moschatua, 65 
 
 wardi, 65 
 Oviscervina, 61 
 
 cervina auduboni, 64 
 dalli, 64 
 {annini,65 
 mexicanus, 64 
 nelsoni,64 
 stonei, 64 
 Ox, 28 
 
 Ox, Musk, 6s 
 Pacific W^ni«,«i J 
 Painter, 288 
 Pallas's Seal. 215 
 Pallid Red-backed Mouse, 1 1 a 
 palmarius. Peromyscus, 136 
 paludicola, Lcpus, 89 
 psl'if'ris. Lepus. 88 
 •omys, 129 
 187 
 ■ - 288 
 1 ■ lops bre wen, 189 
 p...uaiis, Felis. 293 
 
 farva, Blarina. 183 
 'avlof Bear. 263 
 Peary's Musk Ox, 65 
 Peba Armadillo. 9 
 Peccaries. 30 
 Peccary. Collared, 30 
 
 Texas, 30 
 
 Pekan,24> 
 peninsulae. Blarina. 183 
 
 Putorius. 240 
 pennanti. Mustela, 241 
 pennsylvanica. Ncotoma, n7 
 pennsylvanicus. Microtus. 112 
 Perissodactyli, 28 
 Perodipus ordi. 100 
 Perognathus flavesccns, 100 
 Peromyscus canadensis, 135 
 abietorum. 135 
 umbrinus. 135 
 nubiterrae. 135 
 floridanus. 136 
 gossypinus. 135 
 
 mississippiensis, 135 
 palmarius, 136 
 nigriculus, 136 
 leucopus. 131 
 michiganensis. 138 
 niveivcntris. 138 
 
 nuttalli, 138 
 Peromyscus, phatma, 138 
 subgriseus, 136 
 
 S»3 
 
 d 
 
Index 
 
 Peromyscus balioltis, 137 
 
 rhoadsi, 137 
 personatus, Sorex, 184 
 perspicillatus, Artibcus, 194 
 phasma, Peromyscus, 138 
 Phenacomyscclatus, no 
 
 latimanus, no 
 Phoca groenlandica, 217 
 
 hispida, 317 
 
 largha, 215 
 
 vitulina. 215 
 Phoca.>na phocsena, 33 
 Phocidii:-, 314 
 Phyllostomatidac, 194 
 physalis, Balxnoptera, 16 
 Physctcr macrociphalus, 17 
 Physeteridae, 17 
 Pied Lemming, 108 
 Pig. 28 
 
 Pigmy Sperm Whale, iS 
 pigra' Didelhpis, 8 
 Pika, 93 
 Pilot Whale, 23 
 Pine Marten, 343 
 Pine Mouse, 119 , 
 
 Mississippi, 130 
 
 Northern. 120 
 pinctorum, Microtus, 119 
 Pinnipedia, 207 
 PipistrcUe, Georgia, 201 
 
 Northern, 202 
 Pipistrellus subflavus, 201 
 
 obscurus, 302 
 pla^iodon. Prodelphinus, 31 
 Plams Pocket Mouse, 100 
 Pocket Gophers, 96, 98 
 Pocket Mice, 99 
 Pocket Mouse. Plains, 100 
 Polar Bear. 3^5 
 Polar Hare, 86 
 
 Bangs', 88 
 
 Grceland, 88 
 
 Miller's, 88 
 Polecat. 334 
 Porcupine. Canada, 94 
 
 Yellow-haired, 94 
 Porcupines, 94 
 Porpoise, 30 
 
 Harbor, 33 
 Porpoises. 30 
 Pouched Animals, 3 
 Prairie Cottontail, 78 
 
 Dog, 160 
 
 Gopher, 98 
 
 Hare, 89 
 
 Meadow Mouse, 119 
 Prairie Mouse, 138 
 
 Wolf 379 
 
 Preble's Lemming Mouse, 108 
 Primates, XV, xvi 
 princcps, Ochotona, 93 
 Proboscidca, xv, xvi 
 Procyon lotor, 347 
 
 elucus, 347 
 Procyonidae, 347 
 Prodelphinus plagrodon , 3 1 
 Prong Buck, 54 
 Prong Horn, American, 54 
 
 froteus, Erotomys, 1 1 3 
 tototheria, xiv 
 Puma. 288 
 
 Florida, 288 
 putida. Mephitis:, 224 
 Putorius alleghaniensis, 340 
 
 cicognani, 339 
 richardsoni, 239 
 
 frenatus. 340 
 
 longicandaspadix, 339 
 
 lutensis. 335 
 
 noveboracensis. 335 
 notius, 339 
 occisor, 339 
 
 peninsula;, 340 
 
 rixosus, 340 
 eskimo, 340 
 
 vison, 331 
 
 lutreocephalus, 335 
 vulgivagus,23s 
 querceti. Sciuropterus, 178 
 Rabbit, Snow-shoe, 78 
 Rabbit, Grav, 75 
 
 Jack. 89 
 Rabbits. 73 
 Raccoon, Florida, 247 
 Raccoons. 247 
 Rangifer. artcicus, 52 
 
 caribou, 47 
 
 granti, 54 
 
 groenlandicus. 54 
 
 montanus, j i 
 
 stonei, 51 
 
 terrae-no vae, 5 1 
 Rat, Black, 144 
 
 Brown, 142 
 
 Common, 143 
 
 Cotton, 128 
 
 Kangaroo, 100 
 
 Norway, 143 
 
 Rice, 139 
 
 Roof, 145 
 
 Wood, 137 
 Rats, io> 
 
 Introduced, 138 
 
 Long-tailed 137 
 rattus, Mus, 144 
 ravus, Microtus, 118 
 
 3U 
 
Index 
 
 Red Bat. 203 
 Red Fox, 264 
 Nova Scotia, 272 
 Newfoundland, 272 
 Red Mouse, 138 
 Red Squirrel, 172 
 Northern, 17, 
 Southern, 175 
 Labrador, 176 
 Red-backed, Mouse, 11 1 
 Carolina, 1 1 2 
 Labrador, 1 1 2 
 New Jersey, 1 12 
 Pallid, 112 
 Ungava, 1 1 2 
 Reindeer 52 
 
 Reithrodontomyslecontii, 130 
 impiger, 1 3 1 
 dickinsoni, 131 
 Rice Rat, 129 
 Rice-field Mouse, 129 
 richardsoni, Putorius, 239 
 
 Ursus, 261 
 Richardson's Weasel, 239 
 Right Whale. 13 
 Ring-tailed Cat, 254 
 Ringed Seal, 217 
 ringens, Spilogale, 230 
 rivalicus. Fiber, 1 26 
 rixosus, Putorius. 240 
 Roan Mountain Jumping Mouse, 105 
 rcanensis. Zapus. 105 
 Rock Vole, 118 
 Labrador 118 
 Newfoundland, 118 
 Rodents, 7 1 
 Roof Rat, 1 45 
 Roosevelt's Elk, 34 
 Rorqual , 16 
 
 rosmarus, Odobenjis, 212 
 rostratus, Hyperoodon, 19 
 Round- tailed Muskrat, 120 
 rubida, Neotoma, 1 28 
 rubricosa, Vulpes, 272 
 rufa, Aplodontia, 150 
 niffus, Lynx. 284 
 rafiventer, Sciurus, 169 
 Ruminants, 28 
 Rhinoceras. 28 
 rhoadsi. Evotomvs. 111,112 
 
 Peromyscus. 137 
 Rhoad's Cotton Mouse, 135 
 
 Oldfield Mouse, 137 
 Sable, American. 242 
 sabrintis, Sciuropterus, 178 
 Salamander, 97 
 Say's Bat. 196 
 Scalops, aquations, 188 
 
 Scalop , aquaticus, australis, 188 
 scalopsoides, Microtus, 120 
 scaphiotus, Odocorlcus, 43 
 Sciiu-idas, 151 
 
 Sciuropterussabrinus, 17S 
 macrotis, 178 
 volans, 176 
 querceti, 178 
 Sciurus carolinensis, 170 
 leucotis, 172 
 fuliginosus. 172 
 extimus. 172 
 hudsonicus. 176 
 g>'mnicus, 172 
 loquax ,175 
 niger, 1 70 
 rufi venter, 169 
 neglectus, 168 
 Scorpion Mouse, 136 
 Sea Bear, 209 
 Cow, 26 
 
 Stellcr's, 26 
 Lion. 21 1 
 
 Stellcr's, 211 
 Otter, 22^ 
 Seal. Bearded. 218 
 Common .215 
 Fur, 209 
 Gillespie's, 211 
 Gray, 218 
 Hair, 2 1 1 
 Harbor. 2 1 5 
 Harp. 217 
 Hooded. 218 
 Pallas' ,215 
 Ringed. 2 1 7 
 Seals, 214 
 
 Eared. 209 
 Severn River Flying Squirrel, 178 
 Sewellel, 150 
 Sheep, Audubon's, 64 
 Dall's, 64 
 Fannin's. 65 
 Mexican. 64 
 Mountain, 61 
 Nelson's. 64 
 Stone's. 64 
 Short-tailed Shrew, 180 
 Northern. 183 
 Southern, 183 
 Everglade, 183 
 Shrew, Brown. 183 
 Common. 184 
 Fisher's. 187 
 Hoy's. 187 
 Labrador. 186 
 Srr-w, Long-tailed, 184. 187 
 .Marsh, 187 
 
 t 
 
 ;d 
 
 ^Ht 
 
 :1 
 
Indes 
 
 ■^ ^i 
 
 1$ . \ 
 
 ii' 
 
 
 Screw, Mole, i8o 
 
 Short-tailed, i8o 
 
 Smoky, i86 
 
 Southern, 187 
 
 Water, 187 
 Shrew Mouse, T84 
 Shrews, 179 
 Sigmodon hispidus, 118 
 
 hii^pidus littoralis, 119 
 spidecipygus, 139 
 Silver Fox, 264 
 Silver-haired Bat, 20* 
 Sireiiia, 26 
 Sitka Bear, 264 
 Sitkan Black- tailed Deer, 4j 
 sitkensis, Odocoileus, 43 
 
 Ursus, 264 
 SkuU, The, xvi 
 Skunk, 224 
 
 Canada, 229 
 
 Eastern, 229 
 
 Florida, 229 
 
 Illinois. 229 
 
 Little Stnped, 230 
 
 Louisiana, 229 
 Smoky Shrew, 186 
 Snowshoe Rabbit, 78 
 Sonoran Grizzly, 263 
 Sorecidae, 179 
 Sorex albibarbis, 187 
 
 fumeus, 186 
 
 hoyi, 187 
 
 longirostris, 187 
 fisheri, 187 
 
 macrurus, 187 
 
 palustris, 187 
 
 personatus, 184 
 
 personatus miscix, 186 
 somborgeri, Ursus, 360 
 Southern Cotton-tail, 77 
 
 Flying Squirrel, 177 
 
 Fox Squirrel, 170 
 
 Gray Squirrel, 172 
 
 Mink, 235 
 
 Muskrat, 1 26 
 
 Red Squirrel, 175 
 
 Shrew, 187 
 spadicipygus, Sigmodoo, lag 
 spadix. Putorius, 239 
 Sperm Whales, 1 7 
 Spermophile. Franklin's, t6a 
 
 Striped. 161 
 Spermophilus franklini, 161 
 
 tridecemlineatus, 161 
 sphagnicola, Synaptomys, 108 
 Spilogale ambarvalis, 130 
 Spilogale lingeiiE, 250 
 Spotted Dolphin, 21 
 
 Squirrel, Cat, 168 
 
 Fox, 168 
 
 Flying, 176 
 
 Gray, 170 
 
 Grotuid, 162 
 
 Red, 172 
 
 Striped, 162 
 Squirrels, lei 
 Star- nosed Slole, 190 
 Btelleri. Eumetopiu, atl 
 StcUer's Sea Cow, 26 
 
 Sea Lion ,211 
 stonei. Ovis, 64 
 
 Rangifer, 5 1 
 Stone's Caribou, 51 
 
 Sheep, 64 
 striattis, Tamias, i6t 
 Striped Dolphin, 22 
 
 Gopher, 161 
 
 Spermophile, 161 
 
 Squirrel, 162 
 struthiopus, Lepu(, 86 
 Striped Skunk, Eastern, 230 
 
 Little, 229 
 subflavus, Pipistrellus, aoi 
 subgriseus, Peromyscoi, 136 
 subsolanus. Lynx. 287 
 subulatus, Myotis, 196 
 Surber's Harvest Motise, 13X 
 Synaptomys cooperi, 107 
 belaletes, 108 
 
 fatuus, 108 
 
 inninittis, 108 
 
 sphagnicola, 108 
 Talpidae, 188 
 "Tamias striatus, 162 
 
 lysteri, 161 
 Tapir, 28 
 
 Tatu novemcinctum, 9 
 Taxidea taxus, 330 
 taxus, Taxidea. 230 
 Tayassu angulatum, 30 
 Tayassuidse, 30 
 teeth, The, xvii 
 terrae-novae, Microtui, ilB 
 
 Rangifer, 51 
 Texas Bassaris, 254 
 
 Deer, 39 
 
 Opossum, 8 
 
 Peccary, 30 
 texensis. Didelphi*, 8 
 
 OdocoileuiJ, 39 
 Thalarctos maritimiM, 455 
 Thomoinys, 96 
 Timber Wolf, 277 
 Toothless Animals, 9 
 transitionalis, Lepus, 77 
 Trichechidae, a6 
 
 3«« 
 
Indts 
 
 Trichcchus americanus, 27 
 
 latirostris, 26 
 tridfcemlineatus, Spennopiulus, lOl 
 trimucronatus, Lemmus, 1 10 
 True's Lemming Mouse, loS 
 tursio, Tursiops, 20 
 Tursiops tu-sio, 20 
 tuza.Geomys, 97 
 Twilight Bat, 206 
 umbnnus. Perorayscu», 135 
 Ungava Meadow Mouse, 117 
 
 Red-backed Mouse, 1 1 a 
 ungava, Erotomys. 1 1 2 
 
 Microtus, 117 
 Ungulata, 28 
 Ungulates, 28 
 
 Urocyon cinereoargenteus, 275 
 floridanus, 276 
 ocythous, 277 
 Ursidae, 255 
 Ursus americanus, 257 
 floridanus, 360 
 scruborgeri, 260 
 dalli, 263 
 
 gyas, 263 
 emmonsi, 260 
 horribilis, 261 
 alascensis, 263 
 califomicus, 263 
 horria:us, 263 
 kidderi, 264 
 luteolus, 260 
 middendorffi, 263 
 richardsoni. 261 
 sitkensis, 264 
 vaga.Lutra, 223 
 Varying Hare, 78 
 Labrador, 86 
 Nova Scotia, 86 
 Vespcrtilio fuscus, 200 
 Vespertilionidae, 195 
 velox, Vulpes, 272 
 Virginia Deer, 34 
 Virgjinian Opossum, 4 
 virginiana, Didelphis, 4 
 Lcpus, 78 
 Odocoileus, 34 
 vison, Puto ius, 231 
 vitulina, Phoca, 215 
 volans, Sciuropterus, 176 
 Vole, Meadow, 1 1 2 
 
 Rock, 118 
 vulgi vagus, Putorius, 235 
 Vulpes deletrix, 272 
 fulvus, 264 
 fulvus rubricosa, 27a 
 Vulpes lagopus, 273 
 velox, 272 
 
 Walrus, Atlantic, a 1 2 
 
 Pacific, 213 
 Walrusses, 212 
 
 Wapiti, 3' 
 wardi.Ovibos, 65 
 Water Hare, 89 
 
 Shrew, 187 
 Weasel, Alleghany, 340 
 Bonaparte's, 239 
 Bridled, 240 
 Eskimo, 240 
 Florida, 240 
 Least, 240 
 Long-tailed, 239 
 Maine, 239 
 New York. 23s 
 North Carolina, 239 
 Richardson's, 239 
 West Florida Gopher, 98 
 Western Fox Squirrel, 169 
 Whale, Blue, 17 
 Bottle-nosed, 19 
 Ca'ing. 23 
 Fin-back, 16 
 Humpback, 17 
 Pigmy Sperm, 18 
 Pilot, 23 
 Right, 13 
 Sperm, 17 
 White, 24 
 Ziphius, 19 
 Whales, 1 1 
 
 Whales, Whalebone, 12 
 Whalebone, 12 
 WbpVbone Whales, 12 
 Whaling, 14 
 White Fox, 273 
 Goat. 57 
 Hare. 78 
 Whale. 24 
 White-footed Mouse, 131 
 Canadian. 135 
 Cloudland, 135 
 Dusky, 135 
 Hudsonian. 135 
 White-tailed Deer, 39 
 
 Jack Rabbit, 89 
 Wildcat, 284 
 Florida, 286 
 Nova Scotia, 286 
 Wisconsin Gray Fox, 277 
 Wolf, Arctic, 277 
 Black, 277 
 Gray. 277 
 Prairie, 279 
 Timber, 277 
 Wolverine. 245 
 Wolves, 264 
 
 3«7 
 
 
 I 
 
 I* 
 
Index 
 
 Si 
 
 '» -- ill 
 
 I 
 
 Wood Mouse, III, 131 
 Wood Rat, Alleghany, 127 
 
 Florida, 118 
 
 Mississippi, 138 
 Woodchuck, 151 
 
 La'-rador, 159 
 
 Northern, 159 
 Woodland Caribou, 47 
 
 Jumping Mouse, 104 
 Yaguarundi. 293 
 Yakutat Bear, 263 
 
 Yellow-cheeked Meadow Mouse, 118 
 Yellow-haired Porcupine, 94 
 
 Zalophus califomianus, 311 
 Zapodidae, 103 
 Zapus hudsonius. 103 
 
 americanus, 104 
 
 ladas, 104 
 insignis, 104 
 
 roanensis, 105 
 
 abietorum, 105 
 Zebra, 38 
 
 zibethicus, Fiber, 131 
 Ziphiidae, 19 
 Ziphitis cavirostris, 19 
 Ziphius Whale, 19 
 
 i': 
 
 318 
 
u 
 
 It, 
 
 '•i 
 
 J 
 
 rt 
 
 1: 
 
 I)