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Exhibited in Salon of 1895. -ywmimmmm roRiLS OF I- 4"^ %C€,<1I M «>F THL \ IMS OF MANITOBA RY y^ E^^ \ I lM«>MFSON SEION .vtro' - it >Ur-.; :: IM^ 1 i \ 3. ^^^^'r 1 ^ •> *f' ^^jT 'W-:* ^ >' LIFE-HISTORIES OF NORTHERN ANIMALS AN ACCOUNT OF THE MAMMALS OF MANITOBA BY ERNEST THOMPSON SETON Natimlut to the Govenuncnt of Manitoba Author of An Aaatomy of Aaimal* Wild Animals I Htve Kaowa ' The Tna of the Ssndhill St«« The Bio«nphy of a Griuly The Uvn of the Hunted Pictiine of Wad Aatouli etc.* ece.« ete. 1 Volume IL Flesh-eaters WITH 68 MAPS AND 560 DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR Publithed by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS. New York CUy :: 1909 ^iS.' ti^x QLl2 I GUELPH Fl'-^^:-: LIBRARY UOST, I90( COPYRIOBT, 1909. BT BRKBST THOMPSOH SBTOH Published October, 1909 CONTENTS TITLE PAGE i COPYRIGHT PAGE ii PLATES V FULL-PAGE AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS . vii MAPS xi LIFE-HISTORIES OP THE FLESH-EATERS 675 A LIST OF THE CHIEF WORKS CITED . I20I SYNOPTIC INDEX 1 22 1 m 1 PLATES. Platb XLvn.— The lbader or thb Pack Fmtibtite* itcao »Aoi PLATE XLVm.— The Ltoz at bat 678 Plate XLIX.— Yomio or Canada lthz (lite size) .... 684 PLATE L.— Lite Studies or Various Foxes . .700 Plate ll— foxes Figbtiiio 714 PLATE LII.— The fox sprihoiho or the piht ailed Grouse that HE LOCATED BY SHELL AS IT SLEPT UKDER THB SHOW 736 Plate LIIL— The First Wmrr 730 Plate LIV.— the Last Glimpse 730 plate LV.— SCATOLOOY or RBD-FOZ (all natural SIZE) . 734 Plate LVL— M. F. Stevens and Ore or His Breeders . 740 Plate LVn.— Youhg at meal Tihe 740 Platb LVm.— Youno foxes oh Fur Farm 74.1 Plate LIX.— Youno foxes or Fur Farm 744 Plate LX.— YoxniG Foxes oh Fur Farm 744 Plate LXI.— Yourg foxes or Fur Farm 744 Plate LXn.— Gray- Wolf 750 Plate LXm.— Lite studies or Wolves 754 plate LXIV.— Gray-Wolf Scratchiro Himselt . . ?6o plate LXV.— gray-Wolf Approachirg to attack .770 Plate LXVI.— Blarco ir the Trap 774 PLATE LXVn.— LOBO IH THB TRAP 774 PLATE LXVm.— THE GREYHOURD THAT FOLLOWED TOO FAR . . 778 PLATE LXIX.— Blood or the Trail 786 Plate LXX.— Coyote Head 790 Plate LXXL— Coyote Famuy— Hire Pups— Thirveeh miles from Derver ......... 798 II vi Plates r ACDIO fhOM PLATE LXXn.— TBB RELAY CHASE 8oa PLATE LX3Cni.— COYOTE IH SUMMER COAT . . . . . 8o8 PLATE LXXIV.— Coyote ih Wihter Coat 814 PLATE LXXV.— COYOTE DEH 8«4 PLATE LXXVI.— THE DEMOH OF MURDER 850 PLATE LXXVn.— THE LEAST WEASEL .... .858 PLATE LXXVin.— THE MIHK .873 Plate LXXDC.— The Exploits of the Pet martehs . .918 plate lxxx.— skitll of mephitis hudsorica (hatdral size) . 968 PLATE LXXXI.— SKULL OF MUSTELA AMERICANA (BATURAL SIZE) . 968 PLATE LXXXn.— A SKUHK FAMILY 97* Plate LXXXnL— Skukks Fightwo for a Piece of Heat, while the Fox judiciously holds aloof. The Combatahts DID rot use their MUSK 984 PLATE LXXXIV.— BA1>GER studies FROM LIFE 1000 Plate lxxxv.— Skatology of certaih mustelida (all hatural SIZE) 1009 Plate LXXXVl.— Iuccooh Studies from Life 1018 PLATE LXXXVn.— Tracks of Raccooh (life size) .... 1024 Plate LXXXvm.— Grizzly Bear 1030 Plate lxxxk.—" A Harrow escape " 1046 Plate xc— Death gulch 1030 Plate XCL— The Old Grizzly in death Gulch .... 1050 plate xcn.— Skull of Blackbear 1054 Plate xcm.— Aspeb tree with marks of blackbear climbing io6a Plate XCIV.— Aspen with Grizzly claw-Marks .... 106a plate xcv.— bear's sign-post, much marked .... i06a Plate XCVL— Aspen once Climbed by blackbear. Each Claw- Mark IS now a bump io6a PLATE XCVn.— Ontario Blackbear 1068 PLATE XCVra.— A Bear Family 1074 Plate XCDC.— Scatology of certain bears xo86 Plate c— The Shrews found in Manitoba .... 1096 FULL.PAGE AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS. Kf. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. f* Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. VAOI 83. — Mastotogy of Canada Lynx 678 84. — ^Head of Can/ida Lynx in Summer. (Half life size) . . . 679 85.— Lynx Talia. (Half life size) 679 86.— Feet of Canada Lynx. (Half life lize) 680 87. — Right hind and right front tracki of a domeitic cat (natural size) for compariion with those of Lynx 687 88. — Study of Kit-fox in Philadelphia Zoo, August, x886 . . 703 80. — ^Life study of the Algerian Kit-fox 704 go. — Impressions of a Fox's fnet. (From life) 7x1 91. — ^Feet of Fox (K. maoeurm) Jta 9a. — Side view or elevation, and plan of the Fox-den opened by Geo. L. Fordyce 716 93. — Diagram of Fox-tracks (by 6. L. Fordyce), showing approxi- mately the tracks left by the mother Fox in moving her brood from the hollow tree to the new den 719 94. — Fox-tracks in snow 7^8 95. — ^The Fox playing at 'boulder' 730 96. — Life study of the Fox that attacked the Porcupine, Colorado . 735 97. — A model Fox-yard. Scale 50 feet to one inch .... 74a 98. — ^Distant views and ttharacteriatic outlines of Gray-wolf, Coyote, Fox 750 99. — ^Tracks of large Gray-wolf. (Life size) 777 100. — ^Diagram of the Coyote Den opened by A. S. Barton, at Boisse- vain, Man 796 lox. — Tracks of Coyote. (Life size) 799 03. — Otter poses. (From life) 838 103. — Ottei tracks; from caged specimen in Washington Zoo . 833 vUi Full-Page and Other Illustrations rut rif. M4. — Head of Short-taUad Weaici S44 tig. 105.— Skulli of Sbort-tailad Weaiel 846 Fig. 306.— Skull of Short-tailed Weaiel adult, from Elk River, Minn. . . 846 Fif . 207. — Skull of P. rixouu, the type 859 Fig. ao8.— Skulls of Long-tailed Weaeel 867 Fig. 309. — Right pawi of young Mink. (Life lize) . . 873 Fig. 310.— Young Mink. (Life lize) -874 Fig. 311. — Mink about one-fifth of life size ...... 878 Fig. 3X3.— Mink tracks 887 Fig. 313. — Mink poses. (From Ufe.) 889 Fig. 314.— A Model Minkery 898 Fig. 3IS. — Right feet of Rocky Mountain Marten (Af. c. orittna) . 903 Fig. 316. — Marten 909 Fig. 317. — British Martens rubbing their musk on projections in the cage. (From life) 9it Fig. 318. — Attitudes of Martens 915 Fig. 319. — Marten tracks 917 Fif. 330. — Section of deadfall, showing trig^ .-set 931 Fig. 331. — Front view of deadfall set for Marten 931 Fig. 333. — Life studies of Fisher 933 Fig. 333. — Tracks of a large Fisher 937 Fig. 334. — Right-side tracks of Wolverine 963 Fig. 335. — The right front and right hind paws of Hudsonian Skunk . 967 Fig. 336. — Head of Hudsonian SInmk, from Iowa. (Life size) . 969 Fig. 337. — Young of M. patlJa just before birth. (Life size.) Weight 15 grammes 974 Fig. 338. — Mastology of Skunk 975 Fig. 339. — Anal scent-gland of M. puiiJa dissected and raised to expose the rectum (R). (Life size, but a very small example) . . 977 Fig. 330. — Tracks of Skunk 987 Fig. 331. — Right fore and hind feet of Badger 999 Fig. 333. — Badger hole, 6 feet deep 1003 Fig. 333. — Mastology of the Raccoon xoii Full-Page and Other Illustrations ix tiHOM Fi(. 334.— Pawi of Raccoon, left hind and Itft fore. (Lift iIm) . 1014 Fig. a3S-— Tnicin of Raccoon 1037 Fig. 336. — Lift studiM of Orizzly pawi 1031 Fig. 337. — Life itudiaa of varioui OrisiliM 1033 Fig. 338. — Life itudiM of Oriszly 1036 Fig. 339.— Orizzly poiM. (From life) 1039 Fig. 340. — Montana Orizzly. Hew-bom. (Life liza) 1043 Fig. 341. — Yoitng Orizzliea, 3 monthi old; bom in Oolden Oate Park, San FranciKO. The offtpring of Monarch 1045 Fig. 343.— Pawa of a large Blackbear; right hind and right fore. (5iMini«r) 1053 Fig. 343. — Qnaldng aspen, witn Bear claw-icart grown out into bumpe j\ inches long 1063 Fig. 344.— Mastoto^y of Blackbear 1067 Fig. 345.— Bear poiea. (From life) 1076 Fig. 346.— Print of Blackbear'a left front paw, made by driring the Bear over freeh black paint then acroH atrong paper . 1079 Fig. 347.— Bear-track* ,085 Fig. 348.— Head of 5. pmonatui, to iUuatrate the mask .... 1091 "f* a40> — SkuU of Meadow-mouw {M. pmni/hmaeut). (Five timet natural i»*«) 1093 Fig. 350. — Skull of Cooper Shrew (S. ptnanatn). (Eight timet natural tize) . 1093 Fig. 351.— Teeth of the Longtailed Shrewt found in Manitoba. (Magnifitd about 10 diameten) 1093 Fig. 35a.— SkuU of Richardton Shrew (&rax rkharJtonf). (Double natural •«««) 1108 ^^K- >53< — %uU of Bltttbta knckauJa. (Double natural size) . ; 1117 PiX- >54< — ^The furrowed trail of the dhrew-molc or Blarina . .1130 Fig. 355. — ^Portion of Blarina labyrinth on tnow 1131 Fig. 356.— Bhuina labyrinth on tnow. March 6, 1907. Cot Cob, Conn. . xxti Fig. 357.— Tunnels of a pair of Blarinas. October 6, 1908. Cot Cob, Conn. 1133 Fig. 358.— Diagram of a typical burrow oi fitortna ire«.— Rarob or tbb Larob skurks or tbb obhus mbpbitis Map S3.— Rarob or tbb Ambricar Badoer ard its Four Racks map S4*— Raros or TBB Raccoors Fourd ir Rortb America Map ss>— PRIMrive Rarse or tbb Rortb Ambricar Bears . Map s6.— Rarob or tbb ambricar Blackbears ard Tbeir rrar kir Map s7 — Rarob or tbb commor sbrbw ard Its Four Races Map s8.— Rarob or tbb Black-backed Sbrbw .... Map S9.— Rarob or Hot sbrbw ard its Tbrbb races Map 60. — Rarob or tbb Watbr-sbrew ard its Four Racbs MAP 61.— Rarob or tbb Sbort-tailbd Sbrbw ard Its Six Races MAP 63.— Rarob or tbb star-rosed Mole MAP 63.— Rarob or tbb Littlb browr-bat ard its Tbrbb races xi rMt 681 703 708 753 793 819 84a 861 869 875 90s 939 947 97t 997 1013 103s 10S7 109s 1 107 IIIO 1113 11x9 1 138 1149 xii Maps VMS MAT ft4.— KAiioi or m Sat Bat ii«4 MA» «$.— RAROS or T» SiLVIK-BAlklO BAT llM Ma» m.— Ramob or TM Bio Bkowh-bat 1179 MA» 67.— RAROB or TBB RBD-BAT aid iTt nVB RACIB . . llSS MAT «8.— RAROB or TBB HOABT-BAT Iigj UFE.HISTORIES OF THE FLESH- EATERS ORDER CARNIVORA ■■■■■ XXX. Lynx, Canada Lynx, Bobcat, Gray Wild-cat, Lucivee or Loup-cervier. Lynx canadensis Kerr. (L. Lynx, the ancient name of its European kinsman; canadensis, of Canada.) Lynx canadensis Kerr, 1792, An. King., I, pp. 32a, 157. Type Locality. — Eastern Canada. French Canadian, le Loup-cervier, le Pichu, le Lynx ou le Chat. OjiB., Cree, & Saut., Pee-shoo'. Chipewyan, Chee'-say. Yankton Sioux, Ee-hee'-mo. Ogallala Sioux, Ig-mu-ho'-ta. By an unfortunate error the Canada Lynx is sometimes called 'Wolverine' in Quebec and in the Adirondacks. The Cat Family or Felidte comprises digitigrade carnivores of medium or large size; they have 5 toes in front, 4 behind; tail, various; head, short and round; claws, sharp, curved, and retractile; teeth, 28 or 30. The genus Lynx (Kerr, 1792) comprises large Cats, with very short tails (/. e., less than one-half the leiigth of the body), very long legs, large feet, usually with tufted ears, and with the following dentition: 3-7 i-i 2-2 Inc. =-^; can. — ; prem. — ; 3-3 '-I 2-2 mol. = i-i =28 In youth there are 2 additional premolars above. To these generic characters the Canada Lynx adds thesizi following: Length, about 36 inches (915 mm.); tail, 4 inches (102 mm.); hind-foot, 9§ inches (242 mm.). 677 WEIGHT 678 Life-histories of Northern Animals An extremely lean male from Halifax, Nova Scotia, wejghed i6 pounds;' another from Petersburg Mountains, easi of Troy, was 22 pounds.' The full-grown but lean female whose feet appear in Fig. 186, weighed 13 pounds. A young female taken on Great Slave River, I weighed at ,5 pounds. A small but adult female which I examined at Calgary, Alberta weighed 19 pounds 11 ounces. S. N. Rhoads accepts' and records the followmg weights for Canada Lynx in Pennsyl- Fio. 183— Mutology of Canada Lyiu9. Takea AUiabuka Ri«r, May t, tgar. vania: "about 40 pounds, as high as 44 pounds," but these are exceptionally heavy. COLOUR /„ summer: Grayish-brown, much darker on the head and back (where the long hairs are black with occasional white tips), and shaded into dull whitish below; the ears be- hind are black, with a central spot of whitish; a spot at the corner of the mouth, the bars on the ruflF, and the whole end 0/ the tail black; a few dusky spots show on the inside of each limb. In winter: The colour is much paler and grayer; at all times the tuft of hairs on the ears is long and black. When seen alive it looks and behaves exactly like a huge gray cat. Its tufted ears and short bobtail will distinguish it from Its near relatives. It might be mistaken for the American ' Aud. & Bach., Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. 138. 'Ibid. ' Mam. Pent!., 1903, pp. 137-8. PLATE XIVIII. — THE LYNX AT BAY. am Canada Lynx 679 Wild-cat or Bay-lynx {Lynx ruff us), but its tail is very dif- ferent and furnishes a sure guide; while the Lynx has the tip of the tail wholly black above and below and the rest of it grayish-white, the Bay-lynx has the tip black above and white below, and also has other broken bars on the upper part Fig. 185— Lynx Tails. (Half life sia.) I. Canada l.yux. 3. Bay-lynx. (Both Inm Mutkoka, Ont.) Fin. 184— Head of Canada Lynx $ in summer. (Half life size.) Nothwithstanding the fact that the Bay-lynx is said by Herrick* to be the prevailing species in Minnesota, I have failed to determine its occurrence in Manitoba. Three races of Canada Lynx are recognized: canadensis Kerr, the typical form. mollipilosus Stone, a browner race. suhsolanus Bangs, a darker race. * Mam. Minn., 189a, p. 73. 680 Life-histories of Northern Animals Life-history. RANGE I* •7 HOME- RANGE ABUN- DANCE This species ranges over the whole of Manii^ba wherever there is cover. In autumn it is often found three or four miles out on the prairies. Premier Roblin has supplied me with the record of a Lynx killed on his farm near Carman, among some willows, 3 miles from timber and lo from woodland of any extent. In the end of October, 1883, I met with a Lynx on the open prairie 20 miles west of Shelimouth. In the fall of 1905, E. W. Darbey says 2 Lynxes were killed within the limits of the city of Winnipeg. But its usual haunts are the woods, the thicker the better. The Lynx is generally believed to be a wide ranger. While the young are unable to travel it would be impossible for the mother to go more than four or five miles from home, but, in the autumn and winter, there is reason for believing they will go fully ten times as far. I remember meeting with a Lynx near Toronto in December, 1875, although it was com- monly believed that they were no longer found within 30 or 40 miles of that city. I met with but three or four Lynxes during as many years in Manitoba, so that in the poplar region about Carberry and westward they cannot be called abundant. In the sandhill tract between Carberry and the river, about 20 miles by 15, I doubt if there j ordinarily a dozen Lynxes resident. In the thickly wooded regions northward, they are said to be much more plentiful, and in the Peace River country, during the great Rabbit year of 1904, the Lynxes so abounded that nearly every hunter and trapper in the country got from 20 to 50 that season. If 1« Ai i^i ii SOCIA- BILITY So far as known, the only approaches to sociability in this animal are the bands of four or five that are seen together in autumn and winter, and it is the opinion of most hunters that MAP 39-RAHGE OF THE CAHADA LYNX AND ITS THREE RACES. Lynx canadensis Kerr. j.-.,,,.,!^. rhirtlv i:n rs-rnrrf". •:■.• T- R'tharik'-Tv E W N"l«'-n. r) H:.n!!i C Hart Merriam. I. Faniun. U , H. Osgiiod. R. Bfll. A. P. Low. R M... I'lrlani-, \V. Slonr, S. is'. kiiuads, E. A. IVtble. and t. 1. Silin. (iSl 682 Life-histories of Northern Animals these are the family of the year, still with the mother and occasionally accompanied also by the father. George Link- later assures me that he has often seen in the snow signs of Lynxes gathered together to chase each other and play, at a time when sex instincts were out of the question. But what the nature of the game was I have failed to learn. E. W. Nelson says:" "The fur-traders and Indians of the Upper Yukon claim that the Lynxes sometimes unite in parties of 5 or 6 and make Rabbit drives on the small islands in the Yukon. They claim to have heard the Lynxes utter a sharp whistling noise, and to have found their tracks in the snow where the line had swept the island, until each secured its prey, near the farther end." ■ I '1 h r II ti, INTER- COMMU- NICA- TION HATING The Stripes on the face, the black ear tufts, the whiskers, and the little nervous twitching black-tipped tail, are no doubt important direction marks to help the Lynx's own kind in recognizing it, but its voice is its chief means of communicating with its distant fellows. I never heard a Lynx purr, but all other sounds that a house-cat has, the Lynx has, and uses them in much the same way. I know nothing of the ' whistling ' mentioned by Nelson in a previous paragraph. It has, how- ever, another vocal effort which is even better developed than in the cat, and that is a yowling song. This begins with a long low 'me-ow,' followed by others in quick succession, with rising pitch and volume, till after three or four minutes continu- ous performance the final 'me-ows' are terrific screeches. I have heard this in August, October, and December, and do not know what it means, or which sex utters it. But the trappers tell me that the somewhat similar and frightful caterwauling of the males is mostly heard early in March and has a direct relation to the mating. The species is generally believed to pair, but I have no evidence beyond the opinion of hunters. The mating season is any time during the first half of " Nat. Hist. Alaska, 1887, p. 235. Canada Lynx 683 March. My Otiawa guide, Ned Crete, of Deux R.v.crcs, tells me that, in 1904. he saw 7 Lynxes together on March 15 or 20. It was the regular running season, and the year before a similar group was seen at the same place. There were 2 small and 5 big ones. They were cater- wauling like cats; it was this noise that called his attention to them Two were fighting exactly like tom-cats; the one down on his back had the better of it, being able to scratch with four feet instead of only two. The hunters generally believe that the Lynx is monog- amous, and Miles Spencer gives' it as the opinion of the Indians that the Lynx assists the female in rearing the young. Linklater takes the same view and maintains that though the male does not actually accompany the young, when they fol- low the mother, he is always found at no great distance, both in summer and in winter. This same trapper believes that Lynxes travel in families the year round, except in the spring. The period of gestation, according to MacFarlanc,' is young about 3 months. This would bring the young into the world about the middle of June in Hudson Bay Territories, but in Pennsylvania, Rhoads says, they arrive in May. Ihe mother prepares a comfortable nest for them in some hole or hollow log. Whether the father assists in this, I cannot learn The -young are, according to all accounts, from 1 to 3 or 4 in number, but Linklater tells mt that he has found up to 6 in the female. This discrepancy I have come across many times, the average number of young in the brood being less than the number of embryos in the female. It may mean that some are still-born, a parallel case being the addled eggs m nests; or, if too many for their food supply, the weak ones die. When born they are much like the kittens of t^e house- cat In 1886 1 made the herewith drawing of one (Plate XLIX) to illustrate a paper by Dr. C. Hart Merriam. The specimen •Mam. H. Bay, Low's Rep. Geol. Surv. Can.. 1888, App. IH, p. 76 J. 'Mam. N. W. Terr., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. XXVIII, 19^5, P- 69a- •Mam. Penn., 1903, p. 140- 084 Life-histories of Northern Animals was secured by Montague Chamberlain, of St. John, N. B. He says:' "It was dropped on the 20th of March, i88j, when the mother had been in captivity about a month. She gave birth to 5 kittens, but this was the only one rescued from her un- motherly jaws. When the first was born she at once prepared to clean it, and seemed fond of it. After a short time, however. It gave vent to a weak squeal, which caused her to eye it curiously for a moment, when another squeal was delivered. This settled the kitten's doom— it was devoured at once. The mother did not exhibit any tenderness towardr, the other 4, and the keeper made two unsuccessful efforts before he was able to get one away from her. This kitten lived two days, and then died from injuries received in its removal from the cage. Its *mew' was sc lething like that of a domestic kitten, but stronger and harsher; it was almost fierce and very pene- trating. The general strength of the animal was greater than that of a domestic kitten. Two hours after birth it stood firmly on its feet and turned around in its box, but it did not show any inclination to fight when teased. The eyes were open at birth." Miles Spencer states'" that they are born with closed eyes. Dr. Merriam adds in his description of the specimen figured : " It is but a trifle larger than "the young of the domestic cat at birth, and may have been born a little prematurely, though the fact that its eyes were open arjjues against this supposition. I am unable to give many measurements of value, since I did not see the specimen till after it came from the taxidermist. ***** »< * "The ground colour of the body is light fawn, paler below, and inclining to buff on the sides. It is much obscured above by the stripes and rows of concatenating brown blotches, and below by small dark stripes. * * "• •Bull. Nat. Hist. Soc. New Brunswick, 1886, No V pd io-u '" Loc. cil., note 6. ^' 6 S mi ■H Canada Lynx 08A "It is hardly necessary to call attention to the fact that this specimen is o c of unusual interest, since its very decided markings, of which scarcely a trace remains in the adult animal, cast some light upon the genetic affinities of the genus to which it pertains. A critical study of these markings leads to the interesting conclusion that the genus Lynx was derived from the group of Cats of which the Ocelot {Felts pardalts) is the nearest living representative." After the young Lynxes have been suckled for two or three months the family- mother, kits, and probably father-set out on their tiavels. At this time the young are weaned and have for a month or more been eating solid food, but now they begin to learn hunting for themselves. The instinctive habit of the race, stimulated by hunger and the mother s example, is doubtless the prime motive power. Although usually a shy creature, avoiding a meeting with faiuly man, the Lynx mother is very ready to fight for her family. On one occasion, while out on a camera hunt in Colorado, I heard a buck stamping in a little dale and, slipping off my horse, camera in hand, sneaked after the Deer. I found nothing but his iracks, and was peering across an open place, when I caught sight of a large animal close to me on thr right. On passing into the clear space it turned to look at me. It was a Lynx, but it seemed very small, and its expression was one of innocent curiosity, entirely without menace. I* Pju^a ac 30 feet. I hastened to adjust the camera, and as I did so a deep rumbling growl and a movement in a thicket dose at hand made me jump. I turned around, to see within 15 feet a Lynx three times as big as the first, and eyeing me savagely from behind some willows. My first thought was to wish for a gun, for I realized that the Lynx in the open was only a kitten; now I had to meet the mother. My second thought was that the old one would do me no harm if I faced her, and did not molest the kitten. So I tried to get her photograph, but she disappeared, and when I looked around the little one also was "^(im i\ Fig. i86— Feet of Canada Lynx. (Hall life sia.) Uppermost fii;ure, riffht hind-loot of Urge male in winter. Middle, right hind-Toot of female in iummcr. Lowest, nght front-paw of same. cso Mfi Canada Lynx 687 gone. On this occasion I saw nothing of a second old one, or indeed of any other young ones, for that matter ; but they may have been there, as the undergrowth was very thick. The date was September 8. The family continues together all autumn. As pro^f of this, Linklater tells me that in October, 1904, he saw , LynAcs together hunting at Desbarats; probably they were m thtr and kits. In 1894, at Green Lake, Ont., he saw 5 toget er about Christmas; all seemed fully grown. Charles G. D ro'.firts informs me that in New Brunswick a band of 5 or 6 Lynxes Fig. 187— Right hind and right front tndu of a domestic cat (natural si») for compariaoo with those of Lynx. are sometimes seen in company. All these cases are, I believe, incidents of family life, and the Rabbit drives Nelson tells us of have a similar explanation. The group may continue together ontil March comes, bringing with it that great disintegrator of the family band — the mating craze — which prompts the brother and sister to shun each other, and seek each one a helpmate for himself. Tn hunting the Lynx a single small dog is enough to make pursuit it take to a tree, but it is very apt to regain courage, come down and kill the dog, unless the hunter be close at hand to succour and support his noisy colleague. Although a desperate fighter when cornered, this animal is easily killed. If it is taken in a snare, the trapper usually picks up a stout stick and dispatches the victim with a blow on the snout or back. In following it in winter I have often been impressed by ^ssm 688 Life-histories of Northern Animals RUNNING SWIM- MINT, the admirable adaptation of its feet as snow-shoes. Although its weight be 30 or 40 pounds, its feet are so large and so spread with stiff hairs that it walks lightly on soft drifts where a dog would flounder in utter helplessness. As it rambles through the woods it usually walks every log it comes to. Sometimes, in the midst of a slow walk, it will spring for- ward 12 or 15 feet, apparently without any object other than a wish to see how far it can jump. Although a creature of superb activity among matted branches and labyrinthine logs or underbrush, the Lynx is surprisingly slow on the level ground. The cowboys of New Mexico on their ponies could catch a Bay-lynx in the open within half a mile, even though it had a quarter-mile start. Not only will any common cur dog overtake a Canada Lynx within a few hundred yards, but even a man who is speedy can run it down in open country, as attested by Alexander Henry. In speaking of Le Boeu'f, a famous Indian hunter and runner on the Red River, he says:" "He came in to-day with a Loup-cervier that he had caught in the plains in a fair chase and kl led with his small axe; he certainly is an extraordinary runner. He is a tall man, spare and lean, of a mild disposition, but wicked when provoked to anger." During my journey to the Far North in 1907, I often heard of such exploits on the part of hunters, and at length, on Great Slave Lake, was eye-witness of this very achievement. On the other hand, the Lynx seems very much at home m the water. The garrulous and ever-entertaining Henry says, in his Red River Journal, April 22, 1804:" "Caught 15 sturgeons and a Loup-cervier; how the latter came into the sturgeon net I cannot say. We saw his track on the beach until he came opposite the net, which completely crossed the river; he appeared to have then taken to the water, for what " Red River, November a, 1802, Journal A. Henry, 1897, P- ao6. " P. 242. Canada Lynx 689 reason I cannot tell. However, he was found drowned, en- tangled in the net about lo feet from shore." Richardson, in his Overland Journey, 184 , relates" that on June 26, at Buffalo Lake, "a Canada Lynx was seen swimming across a strait, where the distance from shore to shore exceeded a mi' . We gave chase and killed it easily. This animal is often seen in the water," and elsewhci " he remarks, "it swims well and will cross the arm of a lake two miles wide." I have several times known Lynxes to take to the water without being in any sense driven, and was sur- prised to find this member of the cat tribe as good a swimmer as a dog and far better than a Fox. It is noteworthy that most of our carnivora live chiefly food on prey smaller than themselves. The Fox preys on Mice, the Marten on Squirrels, the Badger on Gophers, the Lynx finds its chief support in the White-rabbit. A good Rabbit year is sure to be a good Lynx year, and the disappearance of the Rabbits is followed by a general disappearance of the Lynxes. In addition to Rabbits, the Lynx preys on various kinds of grouse — is, in fact, the chief enemy of the Canadian grouse or spruce partridge. It is a curious fact, as I have often witnessed, that the spruce partridge will allow a man to walk within ten feet and noose a member out of a covey, but the moment a dog or anything suggesting a Lynx appears in the distance the whole family take flight in alarm. This may be accepted as evidence that the Lynx, and perhaps the Fox, have for long been the only important enemies of this grouse. The food of this animal is thus detailed by Audubon and Bachman:" "The food of the Canada Lynx consists of several species of grouse and other birds, the Northern Hare, Gray-rabbit, " Arctic Search Exp., 1851, Vol. I, p. 106. " F. B. A., 1829, Vol. I, p. loi. " Q. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. 141. -■^;!n»F#« 690 Life-histories of Northern Animals FOX- KILLER Chipping-squirrel, and other quadruped It has been men- tioned to us that in the territories to the north of the Gulf of St. Lawrence they destroy the Arctic Fox, and make great havoc among the Lemmings (Georychus). Hearne informs us (p. 366) that in Hudson Bay they 'seldom leave a place which is frequented by Rabbits, till they ha e killed nearly all of them.' They are said to pounce on the wu«? goose at its breeding places, and to destroy many Marmots and Spermophiles by lying in wait for them at their burrows." We shall probably find in its food list every living creature that it can overcome, which means all smaller than itself, not excluding snakes, frogs, and insects. There are probably but two lesser fellow woodsmen that the Lynx lets alone; these are the Skunk and the Porcupine. Starvation, however, may overcome its fear of these, as is shown by Audubon and Bach- man:" "At a public house in Canada, we wer^ shown the skin of one of these Lynxes, the animal having been found quite helpless and nearly dead in the woods. It appears that, leaping onto a Porcupine, it had caught a Tartar, as its head was greatly inflamed and it was nearly blind. Its mouth was full of the sharp quills of that well-defended animal, which would in a day or two have occasioned its death." Most persons are surprised to learn that in the thickly wooded country the Lynx is a deadly enemy of the Fox. One of my guides in the Kippewa region of Quebec (Archie Miller) tells me that in January, 1904, as he crossed Askoe Lake near Kippewa, he saw a Lynx and a Fox about 80 yards off, fighting on the snow. He watched them for about 15 minutes. The Fox was trying to get away, but the deep, soft snow was against it, and finally it was overtaken and killed by the Lynx. When Miller came up the victor ran off into the woods. In the fight an acre of snow was trampled all over; they must have been at it for an hour. The tracks showed that they began the battle in a woods near by, where there were many Rabbits. The Fox's neck was torn open and its heart Canada Lynx 691 pierced in two places, apparently by the claws of its adversary. It was a prime Cross-fox, and brought five dollars. Similarly, Linklater tells me that once when carrying the mails down from Montreal River, Ont., in January, 1880, he had halted for noon at the edge of a small lake and saw on the ice, a mile or more away, two animals fighting, one either a Fox or a Fisher, the other a Lynx. After eating his dinner and resting an hour, he travelled on to the place and found the combatants to be a Cross-fox and a Lynx. They had had a long and desperate encounter, but the Fox, as usual, had succumbed to his foe's superior powers, and had been torn into pieces. The head and tail were lying on the ice, but the body had been carried oflF and buried under snow in the distant woods, where the traveller found it. The tracks showed that the Lynx had attacked the Fox in the woods and chased it round and round on the Rabbit trails for perhaps an hour before driving it onto the ice, where the killing took place. There were plenty of Rabbits, so that hunger was not the excuse. The Fox was at a disad- vantage, as the snow was three feet deep and very soft. The Lynx went over the surface on his snow-shoes, the Fox ploughed in deep, and the harder he leaped the deeper he sank. Both these trappers say they have often heard of Foxes killed by Lynxes and by Fishers. As soon as these two are trapped out, Foxes increase, but are everywhere scarce in the thick woods. J. K. McDonald writes me: "I have known of bodies of even full-grown Foxes being found dead, but uneaten, such having been killed by the Lynx." The latter, however, is not always master of the situation, as proven by the following incident in Nelson's "Alaska":" "Mr. McQuesten, a fur-trader living at Fort Yukon, wit- nessed one winter day a combat between a Lynx and a Red- fox, which he described to me as follows: 'The Lynx sprang upon the Fox, in comparatively open ground, evidently trymg to capture it for food. The Fox instantly made fight, " Nat. Hist. Alaska, 1887, p. 235. DEER- KILLER 69« Life-histories of Northern Animals and for a few moments the fur flew right and left. Then a short pause followed and the fight was renewed. A second pause ensued, and after the two had glared at one another for a few moments they slowly withdrew in opposite directions, the hair on each bristling defiance, but each apparently satisfied to close accounts.' This Lynx was probably weakened by hunger, for a vigorous Lynx is certainly more than a match for a Fox." In this case, I suspect further, that there was very little snow. The Lynx, mounted on his wonderful snow-shoes, has a sovereign advantage when the snow is deep enough to embarrass a Fox. In fact, the Lynx plays crust-hunter, while the Fox flounders helplessly in treacherous drifts. In my early days about Lindsay, Ont., I several times heard of farmers losing lambs or even small pigs through the attack, of Lynxes; and fawns were believed to be com- monly their prey. But the hunters were divided as to whether a Lynx would attack any creature so large as a full-grown Deer. One of our best naturalists writes:" "We have heard one or two accounts of the Canada Lynx having killed a Deer; we are somewhat sceptical in regard to this being a general habit of the species, although when pressed by hunger, which renders all creatures desperate at times, it may occasionally venture to attack a large animal." Linklater claims that he has conclusive evidence in point. At Green Lake, Algoma (H. B. Post), he once found the remains of a Deer on the ice with no tracks but those of one Lynx about it. The Deer was a two-year-old. He is satisfied that it was killed by the Lynx. In September, 1901, while camped in the Colorado Mountains, where the Deer and Lynxes both were abundant, my guide, Charles Erickson, told me of another case. About five years before, A. E. Muckey was hunting a band of Black- tails in the snow among the cedar brakes, between the mouth '" Bachman, Q. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. 141. Canada Lynx 698 of Deep Creek and the Sweetwater, along the Grand River, when the trails of two Bobcats joined on to those of the Deer. A Deer track left the band and one of the Bobcats' tracks disappeared at that place. Muckey turned aside to follow that one Deer. After a short time he came on its carcass with both Bobcats in possession, but they ran way at his approach. He put some poison on the kill, and re- turned next morning to find both Bobcats dead at their feast. S. N. Rhoads, after stating" "There is nothing in the habits of the Lynx differing from those of a Wild-cat, except what it accomplishes on account of its greater size and agility," adds: "They will not hesitate to fasten themselves on the necks of Deer, trusting to bring them down by sheer exhaustion and blood-letting before the Deer can manage to drag them off by running through brush or branches of thick trees, or by jumping into water. Mr. Seth Nelson on one occasion was trout fishing at a large pool in the woods of Clinton County, when a crashing through the forest made him seize his rifle in time to shoot both a Wild-cat and a doe, which plunged into the pool to free itself of its tormentor. They have been known to seriously wound hunters in their own defence, and even to make an unprovoked attack." Hearne states'" that he once saw a Lynx take possession of a Caribou that an Indian had just slain and "suffered Itself to be killed before it would relinquish the prize." In New Brunswick, according to Charles G. D. Roberts, a band of Lynxes do not hesitate to attack even a Caribou j and Linklater relates a similar case that he heard of from an Indian whom he considered quite reliable. It was at a place 35 miles north of Sudbury, Ont. The hunter found the place with all the marks in tree and in snow, showing that the Lynx had been in a tree by the runway and had dropped on a passing Caribou, but the Caribou, by dashing into the thickets, had managed to get rid of its enemy. From these records we may believe that the Lynx will If hard pressed, attack Deer and even Caribou, but these " Mam. Penn, 1903, p. 140. » journal, 179s, p. 37a. f 694 Life-histories of Northern Animals are not its usual prey, nor does it care to assail them except when able to do so in force. S^Iests ^° ^^^ ^ ^^^^ "°* '"^ ^'^h an authentic case of the Lynx MAN voluntarily attacking man. It may sneak along the hunter's trail after dark, and close behind him, hut it seems to be actuated by curiosity more than anything else, and having come close enough to inspect or w ind him, is most likely to glide away in search of its proper prey. I have several times been followed in this way, but usually did not know it till afterwards, when I happened to come back again to my old track in the snow. A hunter told me that he once secured a fine specimen through knowledge of this habit. Chancing on his own track again within a few min- utes, he saw the great pad-marks of a Lynx evidently trot- tmg behind him. He crossed an open space into some brush and there sat down to watch. Within five minutes the Lynx came running the trail like a hound and, when withm twenty yards, was easily bowled over with a charge of heavy shot. Several of my companions about Carberry have met with Lynxes among the Sandhills. In most cases the creature walked away, retiring with great dignity, or uttering a deep, defiant growl. The only account I find of a Lynx facing a man is by Pro- fessor H. Y. Hind, and, although he did not witness the affair, he seems to believe it. In this case the Lynx did not attack voluntarily, but was at bay. The incident took place on an island opposite Mingan Post on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Peter Mackenzie, armed but with bow, arrows, knife, and snow-shoes, landed on the island in early spring while yet there was snow, and found the Lynx. After a long pursuit he struck it with two arrows. "At last he came within twenty yards; the Cat turned round, rose on his hind-legs, snarled, and began to paw the air. M^.ckenzie discharged another arrow, but at the same -^l**JS»c=. Canada Lynx 695 moment his snow-shoes tripped him up, and he fell head- long with his face in the snow. The Cat instantly sprung upon him, tearing with one stroke the coat from his back. Mackenzie turned round at once, and caught the Cat by the throat with onr hand, and with the other he drew his knife; but as he made a tunge ihey both rolled over together, and he received some very severe scratches. Still holding on firmly to the throat of the animal, he was not bitten, although he was in danger of having his bowels torn cut by the hind-feet of the Cat, who was making a vigorous resistance. A second lunge with the knife was fatal; it passed through the aniiaal's heart, but it left Mackenzie exhausted and bleeding on the snow. He soon recovered, and carried his booty in triumph to the Post."" Canadian hunters and trappers generally credit the Lynx storage with a well-developed storage habit. When it secures more food than it needs for the present, it carefully hides it in the earth or in the snow for less bounteous times. One case has already been cited. The Rabbit is the most diseased of our mammals, and the diseases Lynx feeding on the Rabbit should logically inherit the physi- cal troubles of its victim, but I have seen no proof that it does. As already noted, there is no evidence of epidemic among the wild Lynxes to account for their periodic disappearance. Those who have the opportunity of conducting post mortem examinations on the bodies of Lynxc. can render good service by recording in full their condition, as it is probable that the Lynx may be temporary host of a parasite that finds Its hnal and fatal development in the Rabbit. The specimen from which I made the drawing of feet (Fig. 1 86) died of sunstroke in the New York Zoological Park. Like all cats, the Lynx is scrupulously clean. Menagerie sanita. specimens usually set apart one corner of the cage for the "'''' "Labrador Peninsula, 1863, Vol. I, pp. 59-60. ?*. 696 Life-histories of Northern Animals cesspool department, and wild Lynxes are said to bury their dung like cats, but of this I have no conclusive evidence. CURIOUS An interesting kind of commensalism has been noted in rHrre'*^"the Lynx life. Linklater tells me that he has seen a horned owl and a Lynx together working a Rabbit woods, the owl hovering around the outskirts to pick up the Rabbits as the Lynx routed them out. Of course, in this case we must sup- pose that the owl was a parasite that the Lynx was helping unwittingly. But the same sort of thing is seen with various hawks; nor do they follow only the four-legged hunters, but will impudently try to utilize the terror spread by the gunner and sometimes, forgetting themselves, come within range, to be added to the common bag. USE TO MAN FLESH This animal is very easily caught by any of the usual methods of fur-taking, therefore the simplest — the snare — is most in use. In trapping it the half-breeds often use a lure or charm made of beaver-musk, oil of rhodium, asafoetida, and filings from the corn on the inside of a ' arse's front-leg. How far the practice is founded on mere ^ rstition I can- not say. This bait is set on a forked stick surrounded by a little fence with one opening. At the opening a noose of wire or cord is set 1 8 inches from the ground and fast to a short, thick stick. A Lynx coming to sniff the lure is caught in the noose; it tightens as he retires. He tugs till he is strangled, or, climbing a tree to get rid of it, he is haii^ed through the crosspiece catching in the branches. The steel trap and deadfall also are used, and in regions where Lynxes are abundant some hunters keep dogs trained to tree and hold them till the gunner can approach and use his fire-arms. Its flesh is a regular article of diet in the North-west. On the occasion when I tried it I found it white and well-flavoured but was debarred — by prejudice, I suppose — from enjoying MfeMH Canada Lynx 697 TION my meal of cat, in spite of the Hibernian dictum that a Lynx is nothmg but an animated Rabbit, anyway. That the Lynx population fluctuates greatly is well miora- known to all trappers and fur-traders— but does the species ^"" migrate? J. K. McDonald, after tnirty-five years oi srvice in the fur country as a Hudson Bay trader, writes me: " It is accepted as a matter beyond cavil by all Hudson Bay hunters, that the Hare, Lynx, and Marten do migrate, and the fluctuation in their numbers is not considered to be caused by epidemics— save in the case of the Hare. Were it so With the Lynx, for instance, their bodies would surely be found, yet I have not heard of such a thing. It is always the case that when Lynx and Marten are plentiful, so are the Hares, and I am inclined to think that the former is the cause, at least to a large extent; as they are known to destroy the smaller mammals that prey on the Hares. Thus an influx in Lynxes causes such a decrease in other fur-bearing animals that the fur-traders look upon it as a disaster. "These periodical waves of increase or decrease cover large tracts of country, and it might be found that where in one tract they were moving east, in another they were going west." George Linklater and Miles Spencer, nortnern hunters of life-long experience, reiterate the theory of migration. The former tells me that at Green Lake,Ont., Lynxes were so plentiful during the winters from 1888 to 1890 that he took in 300 pelts each season at the Hudson Bay post. They then nearly all disappeared, and for three winters he took in only 30 to 35 pelts a seaso... At the same time they appeared in great numbers at Lake Temagaming, 200 miles away, where they had been very scarce, and for some years several hundred pelts were brought in each winter, instead of 20 or 30. At the time of this change he saw many Lynx tracks pointing eastward from Green Lake towards Temagaming, and one day followed a band of half a dozen for many miles. They were not hunting, but travelling, and so close together that he could not be sure if there were 5 or 6 of them. There PLUCTU- ATIONS 6J>8 Life-histories of Northern Animals was plenty of food at both places, and no disease among the Lynxes, so it was impossible to say why they went, only he was quite certain that they JiJ go. A great deal of evidence of this sort could be presented. T^-. trappers generally agree that the Lynx is migratory and tha. .t follows the White-rabbit. The Rabbit, however, Joes not mi- grate, so we may understand this to mean that the Lynxes seek out the regions where the White-rabbit abounds. But an unex- pected difficulty arises. If the Lynx population merely shifted, the aggregate fur returns of the entire country would not change, for the trappers cover the whole region every year. After spending a life-time as fur-trader, Roderick Mac- Farlanc discusses the question as follows:" "This is one of the principal periodic fur-bearing animals which regularly increase and decrease in numbers about every decade. The experience of observers, largely corroborated by the Company's London sales, is pretty much as follows: The catch of Lynxes for each (say) three seasons, when they are least numerous, or rather comparatively scarce, fell sometimes as low as 4,000 or 5,000 skins, as the entire output for the immense extent of territory covered by the Hudson's Bay Company's business operations. The fourth year would double these quantities, the fifth often more than doubled the fourth, the sixth doubled the fifth, while the seventh almost invariably witnessed the maximum trade of skins. The eighth would still be good, while the ninth and tenth would each exhibit a startling de- cline in the returns, which in quantity would closely corre- spond with the sixth and fifth years, respectively, in each decade. * * *" A clear idea of the wax and wane of the Lynx population is found in Alexander Henry's" Journal in the Upper Red River in the Years 1800 to 1808." The old fur-trader thus records'* the Lynx skins taken in the successive seasons at 20, 67, 194, 167, 38, o, 4, and 4. » Mam. N. W. Ter., Proc. U. S. N. M., igos, pp. 691-2. " Journal, 1897, pp. 184, 198, 2ji, 245, 259, aSi, 422, 440. ■m Canada Lynx These, then, are the conclusions presented: (rt) The Lynx population rises and falls in cycles of about ten years, and when at its maximum may be as much as ten- fold the minimum. (b) There is no evidence that the decrease is due to epi- demic disease. (c) There is evidence of local migrations, but not of a kmd to explain the great changes. (! PLATE L.— LIFE STUDIES OF VARIOUS F0XF.8. 11) E. T. Selon. ' V , 11 I ir is If I [ Kit-fox 701 tail-tip is black. The tail-gland is marked by a black spot, as in the other species. There is no black on the ears. It may be distinguished from its nearest relative, the Big- eared Swift, by its yellower colour and shorter ears. Two races are recognized : velox Say, the typical form. hebes Merriam, larger, paler, and grayer. Life-history. This diminutive Fox, no larger than a house cat, is a range characteristic native of the Saskatchewan or upper Campestrian region. In Manitoba it was formerly found in the Pembina Hills and westward to the Souris, Alexander Henry, trading on the Red River in 1800-8, had one or two Kits brought to him from Pembina Hills, or, as he calls them. Hair Hills, nearly every season; one year, 1804-5, he had 57; of these, 26 were from Pembina Hills and 31 from Salt River.' In 1873, Dr. E. Coues found* Kit-foxes common along the Souris River at the Boundary Trail. These are all the Manitoba records I can find, and since then the species sees to have disappeared from the Province, though it still abounds along the Saskatchewan and westward to the mountains. It is strictly a prairie i-mal, harbouring in burrows and envi never venturing far fro , so that it is the most subter ranean of our Foxes. RON- MENT Nothing is known 01 ita mating, beyond the fact that the mating creature pairs, and that the pair continue together all summer, probably for life, as the male is active in the care of the young. ' Journal 1897, p. 459. • United States Geol. Surv., 1878, Vol. IV, BuU. 3, Art. XXV, p. 547. r^ : :1 DENS 702 Life-histories of Northern Animals One of my guides, Lee Hampleman, of Meeker, Colo., tells me that in 1897, when on Pawnee Creek, Colo., he found a Swift's den. It was reached by a tunnel about 9 feet long and was 5 feet from the surface. The chamber was nicely lined with grass and contained 5 young ones. 'Just the cutest, prettiest things he ever saw.' Fn;. iSS— Study iif Kit-f.)i in Philadelphia Zoo, August, iS«.is cage." One of the Indian names of the species is said to mean 'lousy iiiing,' hecause it is pestered with lice. The fur is of little toum.ercial value. At Lampson's sales in London, 1905, a total of 5,129 Kits were sold. ^ In the Match sale of 1906, the number fell to 1,404; 5 shillings and 6 pence ($1.32) was the highest price paid, and i shilling and 3 pence (30 cents) the lowest. ■^^s^iz:~i r^ i ■'\ t i XXXII. Royal Fox, Prairie Red-fox or Common Red-fox of Manitoba. Vu\pes regalis Merriam. (L. Vrdpes, a fox; regalis, royal, because of its superb appearance.) Vulpes regalis Merriam, iqcx), Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., Vol. II, pp. 672-3, December 28. Type Locality. — Elk River, Sherburne County, Minn. French Canadian, le Renard royal. Cree, Wah-kus'. OjiB. & Saut., Wah-gush'. Chipewyan, Nak-ee'-they. Ogallala Sioux, Shung-ka-ge'-lah. Yankton Sioux, Song-kee-na. The genus Vulpes (Brisson, 1762) comprises dog-like animals of small size, with long bushy tails (more than half the length of the body) ; long soft fur, long sharp muzzle, large ears; long, sharp semi-retractile claws; linear eye-pupils; and teeth as follows: T 3-3 i-i 4-4 1 2-2 Inc. ^^-^; can. — ; prem. -^— ^; mol. — = 42. z-i I -I 4-4 z-i The number is the same as in Cants, but they are different in detail, as well as much more slender in general. In addition to these generic characters, the Royal Fox has the following: 706 Prairie Red-fox 707 Length, about 44 inches (1,118 mm.): tail, 16 inches size ^o6 mm ); hind-foot, 7 inches (177 mm.). The females are about one-tenth smaller. An adult taken 10 pounds. at Carberry, October 27, 1884, weighed WEIGHT The general colour is golden-yellow, very pale on the hind- colour quarters, also on the forehead, where it is sprinkled with whitish hairs, and deepening on the back into a reddish-yellow, which extends in a band from shoulder to tail; beginning behind the shoulder, th is sprinkled with whitish hairs, giving a pinkish effect at a sh rt distance. Legs, dark buff; the black on the feet, very lii :d and mixed with whitish hairs; outer half of ears behind, black; tail, pale brown above, shaded into yellow- ish below with olive tinge; tip of tail, belly, breast, throat and lower jaw, white; on chin and lower parts is often seen dark or black tinge in the white. This is indeed a flat enumeration of its flat tints, but gives no conception of the marvellous colour beauties of its exquis- itely blended tawny-pinks, russets, and yellow-browns, set off by the old gold, dull silver, and shining ebony of its extremities. Black, Silver, and Cross Foxes occur in this species; these freaks forms are mere colour freaks, and may be found in the same brood with those of ordinary colour. A notable example of this is given by A. P. Low. in his Mammals of Labrador," as follows:' "On the Moose River, in 1887, the writer found a litter contaming 7 Kits: of these 2 were red, 3 were cross, and the remaining 2 blacks or silver— thus showing that the colour of l-oxes no more constitutes varieties than does the difference of colour m a litter of kittens of the common cat. There appears to be a greater proportion of dark-coloured Foxes in the northern region than in the southern." ' Mam. Labrador Penin., Can. Geol. Surv., i8g6, p. 314 L. sxssi 1 IJ ■ f ^ I MAP 41— RANGE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN RED-FOXES. nii\Zfi'H''rSSflr,?„''nr^?''lJI'i,''M '^^'i- •T^''^ ^.^ furthrr work, especially in the wuth and weit Anticcti Aould have heen Un-^. Tl» followtfic Bit the species: Vuhn Mtlrlx B«Op, yahtMfuivuM (Desmarest). r uuei m0cfounia Baird, Vuittt* nteaU^r Herriun, ^ulp€$ ca»caJentit Heniai t^ttlptt tatcadtnsii iKniaiii, !''u/pcj ruhHcoaa Bangs, wiui a ncei» 708 Ku6u .1 Jluccnrif Merriam. with a racM. Vuip€* ktnaiemii Mrrriam, Koteu harrimmni Merriam, Vulpea ng^U Mcniam. u Prairie Red-fox 700 Another freak is the 'scorched' or 'Samson Fox.' This has no long fur, nothing but wool; the cause of this is not understood, and the pelt is worthless commercially. When seen running on the prairie, the present species ap- pears a large straw-coloured animal, with black boots, and enormous -ars and tail. All Manitoba specimens hitherto examined belong to the species regalis, but it is quite likely that in the north fulvus will be found: Fulpes fulvus (Dcsm.) may be distinguished when alive by its much smaller size, general deeper and intenser colours, the greater amount of black on the ears and on each leg, and the black spot on the base of the tail above. Cranially, also, they are well apart; the bullae of regalis being much larger in proportion, etc. Life-history. So far as known, this Fox has a very limited range and range is confined to the nrairie country and adjoining woods. In Manitoba it is founc' in all the south and west parts, on the open prairie, in the poplar and pond country, and in much of the spruce country. Its favourite localities are the half-open regions— there are, indeed, very few creatures that like the sunless depths of unbroken forests. The great belt of half- timbered country from Roseau River to Dawson Bay probably produces more Foxes than any other part of the Province, and in this they especially affect localities that are broken by low hills and ravines, or that are close to marshes and cover. It would be safe to estimate that in the days fio... 1880 to abdn- 1890 there were 2 pairs of Foxes to every township of this great ^'^^^ belt, with half as many for the rest of the country. The number of fox-tracks across any section of prairie within three days of fresh snow made this easy to believe. According to these data, there wire at least 5,000 Foxes in Manitoba. I i " i I>fDIVID- UAL RANGE 710 Life-histories of Northern Animals That this is not an overestimate will appi on netting the facts side by side with those supplied in the )l(i ( ' )unfry.' After consulting many of my hunting friends, 1 K. m that about 11,000 Foxes are killed each year before the h«)unds in Great Britain; while the destruction by keepers, etc., at least doubles the number destroyed annually on the 80,000 squar • miles of the British mainland, and would argue a .'pin.- population in the autumn of fully 40,000, to compare wiia tiu* 5,000 that I give as a conservative estimate of the 1 ox s 0, Manitoba's 74,000 square miles. Most observers testify that Foxes are growing ics luirei- ous in the Province. This is generally traced direcr! i > r.\c increase of Coyotes; which does not necessarily me;.n attu;il conflict of the two, but that the changing conditions have st\ up new problems of life which the Coyotes have been better able to solve. The rate of increase among the Blue-foxes of St. George Island, Bering Sea, will help us to gauge the increase of Red- foxes. This island, about 36 square miles, has about 270 pairs of foxes, and, although they are fed and protected and the species has 5 to 1 2 in a litter, not more than 400 to 500 can be marketed each year without reducing the stock.' The fur returns (given later) show an annual catch of 74,000 Red-foxes with marketable coats. Considering other destruction and their rate of increase, this, I take it, assures a wild stock of at least 500,000, possibly 1,000,000, on the range covered by the Red-fox group. The home-locality of the individual Fox is, I think, not more than 5 miles across. Ordinarily, it does not range so far, but, under unusual stress oJ famine, will cover even a larger area. The evidence is— that when pursued bv dogs the Fox u.sually circles at a radius of 2 or 3 miles, differing, of course, with the character of the country; also that a number of well- •See James Jud^e on Blue-foxos of the Pribilof Islands' Rep. Am Breeders' Assoc., Vol. V, 1909, p. 338. Prairie Red- fox 711 known Foxes, 8U( h as the 'M. 'logany Fi'\' of Hirt-ord, 'Baldy' ot f" ikclcy, the ' lilack ! \' of Bl..cktail C're<-k, were known and watched for ont more vtars and usu- ally found >Aithiii ui 4 milt of il .r rcputrd lead-quuters. Fr< 100 — Imprttiic- -4 « ¥,.t Sctumi ! Mr., ',r;t.eG. Seltni. r- i,-ht fmu; Since writing tht ibo\ i f breeder of Dover M. ine, ha^ gi\ n me the tive information. I. If»-m life. tx*. iOn a the no'' n fox- uigco bora- In M.if with their '■ dij; i T out t were ii^.ippi was not vvor; the other, i w;is kille(! V. *' of t8^ iiiiiii-. 1 i ■ ed ! ■knini. n turned lin 4 mi h( ;ind his b- i to ru: Ihev s< It .jr thcr ci ut neai Dover 1 sh'- I ox to rarth and had I e holed up, but K in half-shed coat; he (> rhc\ ut tnc t^p off one car and slit in 10S Fiv ears afterwards he htic fir t ?v hi ! caught him. AtGr.-en ake, Ont a Silver-fc a i..nged there for a ..>uple ot> .. My intormant, Geoi , . ' inklater, says it cove^^^ lo mi . or nc more than 15, of country, and was t' re t e ye; r 1 ,und. 11 ff"^ It » I I. . 1 / i'^ \ Fic. 101— Feel o( Fox < V. mncftmms'). Sketthed in Color*du. Sept \h, 1903. r/^right from ; r*-inglit ►'inii , lioth are lih h2«. 712 - i fit Prairie Red-fox 7IS The habits of the English Fox affirm this. AH the keepers and hunters that I have consulted believe that a Fox rarely goes more than 4 or 5 miles from home, except when hunted. But in the winter it roams over an extent of country probably two or three times as large as its summer range A black Fox that lived on the 'Big Plain,' Manitoba, was s-.-n about Carberry as far north as Petrel, 9 miles, and sou'.:* to the Sandhills, 4 miles. There is no certainty that it was the same Fox but when one was killed at Petrel it also disappeared at Carberry, and if it had lived only about Carberry it would have been seen oftener. This seems to give it a winter range of at least a dozen miles in diameter. Since the relations of mates, or of the young to the parents, socia. are excluded m djscussmg sociability, we must consider the ""^'^ Fox but slightly a sociable animal. The only detailed cases 1 have of Foxes working together, refer to two (probably mates) that were combining in a hunt. This animal is not much given to social amusements, but amuse- Worton and Stevens both tell me that on their fur farms in *"^ Mame ,t IS a common thing for the Foxes to gather on moon- light nights and chase each other about with most uproarious bu;t'd-:nit7s^^^^^ '° "°^ ^^^- ^° -p-^ ^^y^^^^^ th.nTi?' 'Jfr'r "'",?' r'"-''^'"P'^°"« ^"'^h less, I think, voice ban the Wolf does. (See Wolf) Its principal method of in ' tercommunication is doubtless by the voice. It has a short bark followed by a little squall like ' yap-yurr.' That is the sound oftenest uttered, but it has also a long yell and two or three different yowls or screeches as well as softer churr-churrs that doubt ess have different meanings to its kind. The W of he male is notably heavier and coarser than that of his In the pairing season the she Fox utters a very character- •Stic shrill squall. The reply of the male is us7al5y mo or r mak A I M ATI NO PAIRING f 7U Life-histories of Northern Animals three short barks. In autumn, I have several times known a Fox come at night around the camp-fire and 'yap' in the man- ner of a Coyote. It seems to be a soHtary animal during the winter, but the mating instinct is awakened in late February or early March, and then the track in the snow is often doubled. Those who in New England have followed it for miles at this interesting period, tell me that all the chapters of romance are duly re- corded in the snow — the pursuit, the coquetting, the conquest, even the fight between rivals, are fully set forth in the tell-tale white. These fights I ha\ e never witnessed among w ild free Foxes, but L. W. Walker, living in the Yellowstone Park, writes' that there they are of daily occurrence in late winter, and the part played by the tail is quite important. When the rivals ap- proach each other with hostile intent, they stand sidewise with the tail raised and pointing forward over the back, ready for use as a parry or as a feint; dashing it in the eyes of his foe, the Fox distracts attention or prevents him seeing >/ a mo- ment, during which time he tries to gain some advantage. Thomas Anderson, of Fort Smith, Hudson Bay Post, tells me of a curious occurrence that he witnessed at Poplar Lodge River, on the east side of Nipigon Lake, early in March, 1896. As he drove his dog-train around a point he came on a pair of Foxes accoupl'e. Supposing that he could easily secure both, he set his dogs after them, but they turned their heads one way and raced off side by side, allowing no stick or sapling to come between them; and thanks partly to a slight crust, they left the dogs far behind and escaped, without parting company. There can be little doubt that this Fox truly pairs. I have never seen or heard of more than two full-grown Foxes together in .Manitoba, but this I have often seen, and have heard of times without number. Many observers, among them W. R. Hine, have found the home in cubbing time, and in each case ' Recreation Magazine, May, 1897, p. 339. .v^ V \ i« ' Ti Prairie Red-fox ns both parents were about; it seems quite certain that the father takes an active interest in the young and helps to care for them. All of which tends to prove that our Foxes pair. The argument of analogy is also in line, for I have ob- served that in Ontario both parents (f^. fulvus) take active care of the young. In Maine, E. Norton says, the male Fox has as much to do with raising the family as the mother has. A veteran fox-hunter (J. H. Whitcomb) writes me from Ayer, Mass., on April 3, 1909: "A day or two ago I saw a fox-den where I think there were young ones, and close by in the sand a Skunk half buried. I suppose it was for madam, to save her from hunting." In Wales, as T. W. Proger writes me, the male Fox is a faithful partner, bnnging food to the female while she is suck- hng the young, and has a great affection for his offspring, shar- ing with their mother the labour of feeding and caring for them. A touching case of this paternal devotion was sent mc later by this same naturalist: "Last spring our old keeper destroyed a litter of young cubs and stopped them into the earth. Four days afterwards the old dog Fox came right up to the earth and began to open It out again, I concluded, to seek his cubs, but he was caught in a trap which the man had set near the blocked-up entrance. "I think this is very strong proof that the dog Fox has affection for his young, because he knew very well that the trap was set there on the first night after the deed was done, but his strong desire to find the cubs overcame his habitual caution " In view of the evidence direct and by analogy, I think we are safe to believe that in life and manners the Manitoba Fox is as good as its near kin. Granting the pairing, the next question is whether it is for the season or for life. There is much evidence of Foxes consorting m pairs after the breeding season, and this points to union for life. The consensus of opinion among hunters and naturalists, according to Dr. Woods Hutchinson,' agrees With this conclusion. ^ * Animal Marriage, Cotem. Review, October, 1904, pp. 485-496. mmtm MiiiHi r* I 111 r ti; DEN 716 Life-histories of Northern Animals The den, or ' earth,' is the nursery of the Fox. Although used chiefly while the cubs are nursing, there are cases to show that some Foxes live at home the whole year round. It is approached by a burrow of 9 to 12 inches calibre, usually on the sunny side of a hill or bank. Sometimes the Foxes make it themselves; sometimes they adapt one that they find. A fox-den which I examined on a wooded hill, near To- ronto, had two or three entrances. This was m.ade like the il,.-nA Fig. 103 -Side view or flcvitioo, and plu of the fcn^dcn opened by Geo. L. Fordyor. home of a Chipmunk, that is, all the earth was scratched out of one hole, though there were several doorways. Those chiefly in use had no earth-pile about them to make them conspicuous. Indeed, one might have been within ten feet without suspecting their presence. I have, however, seen many newly made fox-dens which had no earth-pile whatever, though the tunnel was fully ten feet deep. Evidently the Fox had disposed of the earth by scattering it. The nest is made in a dry chamber a dozen or more feet from the door, and is sometimes lined with a little dry grass. Prairie Red-fox 717 George L. Fordycc* writes me that in northern New York State he once found a fox-den in a hollow log, another in the base of a hollow standing tree, and yet another in the ground, apparently dug by the old Fox. This was as here showii (Fig. 192). It consisted of two separate parts, the den and a store-room, with a quantity of food. "I think [he says] this was originally a Woodchuck uen, which the old Fox enlarged. I have double-lined the Wood- chuck part. Both the store-room and the sleeping room seem to have been made by the Fox. " The air-shaft was one of the Woodchuck entrances. The veoti- Foxes had only one, but this was the only fox-house I ever knew '^"°'' that did not have two or three different doors. "There was no bed or lining anywhere, just the clean clean- sandy clay m which the tunnel was made. I noticed in partic- "'^ ular also that there was no excrement or offal of any kind any- where in the den. In fact, everything was decidedly clean and t jdy, though, of course, there was the Fox odour. Some bones feathers, and one or two lamb's legs were found on the pile of dirt that had been thrown out in making the tunnel. There were, however, but few there, and I am inclined to believe that they were perhaps brought out and left there by the young and would have soon been carried away by the old Foxes! This IS a mere guess on my part, but it is very certain that the leavings at the den did not represent more than two or three days' meals. The scarcity of garbage about the den and the remarkable neatness of all indoors, make me believe that the old ones habitually carry away the dung and rubbish." * The period of gestation is now known to be 51 days. The young are born about the first of April and number from 4 to 9. N. E. Skinner, of Winnipeg, tells me, that at Wmnipegosis he found a Black-fox that had young so early • Of Voungstown, Ohio. Letter, April 14, 1905. YOUNO .f^'T Ti^iiMi'tlWi" T ! i • 'yi ll! ? f-- \ ^' 718 Life-histories of Northern Animals in the season that the mother's pelt was prime, bringing $75, though the young were big enough to rear by hand. The cubs are clad in lead-coloured fur and look as much like kittens as Foxes when they come. They are blind till 8 or 9 days old. They do not venture out of doors till they are three or four weeks old, and the den continues to be their only home for 3 months. Fordyce sends me also the following interesting notes on the Fox family that he observed near Auburn, N. Y.: "One !. orning in the end of March, 1877, a man came to the store in the country village where I lived and said that while cc ling across the fields of a neighbour, an old Fox had jumped out of a hole in a tree near which he was passing and run away bark- ing. I overheard what he was saying, and as it was the same wood-lot in which I had found the two young Foxes the previ- ous June, I at once thought there might be some cubs in the tree. I starte .ut across the fields and 'back-tracked' the man, there bei g snow on the ground, until I came to the place where he had stopped. The tree was a standing basswood about four ^eet in diameter. The Fox-track led from the hole at the base of the tree, but no track came to it. As it had snowed the night before, this indicated that the old one had gone in before the snow-storm, and remained there until the man had frightened her away. I reached into the hole and found that the hollow diameter of the tree was about two feet. I felt a warm bunch of little creatures, one of which I pulled out, looked at, and, as I had expected, it was a young Fox. I then removed my coat, laid it on the snow beside the tree, to put them on a warm spot, and took out the others, 9 in all. The little creatures did not look unlike new-born kittens, but were about twice as large. Their eyes were not open, and I do not think, from their condition, they were more than one or two days old. I selected one of the lot and took it home to raise, but, having no way to feed it prroperly, it died within a few days. I then followed the track which the old Fox ?-id made when the man had frightened her away from the tree. She had run directly to a hilltop, nearly a quarter of a mile away, si- Prairie Red-fox 719 and there stopped to watch him. I followed her track farther and found where she had stopped many other places and finally, where she had stood on a high stump and probably watched me while I was at the tree looking at her young. In fact, I believe she had watched me from this stump while I had pen " "'-^ - '"■^^"^^/^•d&.-^rii-^r- - ^ -^ — '« been following her trail, because her tracks showed that she th 'ope^clfr^ '"'^ '^°" ''' ^""^^ '''''''' '-^' '-'^ and thlvn.rn'''^ """'"'"^ ' Z?' '° '^"^ ''^'^ «°«" ^ft" daylight and tinrtn^.r'' ^°"'t ^^"' ^^' ^ ""^'^ ^^ ^^^^^s coming and gomg to th. tree. I started out to follow them settling acrun7oT:tr''^' V°"°-^^ ^'^'^ --d-ble difficu^ of S. °f°»her tracks crossing it, but I finally succeeded in locatmg the den into which she had carried them. It was an r-" '■ "J FATHER 7«0 Life-histories of Northern Animals old burrow in a hillside about a quarter of a mile from the tree. In going back and forth she had gone over a different route each time, sometimes far out from a direct line on either side, and sometimes far beyond. The number of tracks showed that she had carried the young one at a time. For the next two or three months I went to the locality of the den frequently, and occasionally, trom a distance, would see the young Foxes out playing in the sunlight. When I attempted to steal nearer to them, I would invariably hear the old one give a bark or two from some place on the hill, which was a signal for the cubs to disappear into one of the holes. About July i, wnen the young became larger, my desire to take one became irresistible. As the den was in ground that was filled with rocks and roots of trees, digging for them was out of the question, so I de- cided to set traps in each of the holes. The next morning 1 found one of the traps pulled out of the hole and sprung, likely by the old Fox. I set this trap again, but none of the traps were disturbed thereafter, the Fox family having moved away." On these occasions Fordyce saw only one Fox about, and assumed it to be the female. His observations, however, were made chiefly while the cubs were small. That the father Fox (of Fulpes vulpes) is never forgetful of the young brood is shown by evidence sent me from Wales by T. W. Proger: "When the cubs are very young, he will frequently bring food right up to the earth, but as they get older he does not do this, but drops it at a distance from the earth, a hundred yards or more. This may be done to teach the cubs to hunt for themselves, as the rabbit or bird, as the case may be, is often lightly covered with leaves and mould, and it would certainly be very good practice for the youngsters." The place around a fox-den is usually littered with bones and feathers of their prey, but they also have an indoor banquet- ing hall. As already noted, Fordyce dug out a fox-den early in May, 1878. "During the winter of 1878," he says, "I had Prairie Red-fox m tracked a Fox into this den. In early May it was reported that Foxes were killing lambs in the neighbourhood. I went at once to the place and found about the hole abundance of bones wool, and feathers, indicating that it was the home of a Fox family. The next morning two other boys went with me to dig them out. We followed the main hole, which went down with a gradual slope for about 3 feet from the surface of the ground. It continued nearly level for about 20 feet where we found 3 young Foxes grown to about the size of an ordinary house cat. After getting them into a bag wc went back to a branch from the main hole that wc had passed in digging Following It for about 4 feet, we found an enlarged dug-out space which was used as a store-room. " (Sec plan, page 716 ) Concerning one which he kept captive, my infor-nant writes: One day in June, 1876, my cousin and I chopped 3 young Foxes out of a long hollow log. They were about one- third grown and quite savage. " We each took one to our homes. After keeping mine for several months, until well grown, it was killed by a neighbour on account of catching chickens. It seems to me this Fox did some thinking in its method of taking the chickens. I had dug a trench in the ground, gradually sloping it down until tnX ] ^7 t'"" '"''Z ^"^ '°"«- At the bottom of the trench I placed a wooden box with a wooden arch leading tZT "• . ^^'"^ '^' '^•'■^ ^^^ fi"^*! '"' »his made rather f good den underground. The Fox was fastened with a chain at- Tut o?;h'"7" 1!^'"^^:°''' ^hichgave it free access in and sTde O .r n'" uu ' 't? °^ P^'^^P^ ^^ ^*^« °" the out- side. Our neighbour's chickens were running about the ya d more or less, and the Fox began catching them^. I watcSed to see how It was done, and found that when food was given the f^om T ' •"'''"/ u ^ '^"'•"S "' P'^" " ^'"^°«t as far away from the opening of the den as its chain could reach The Fox would then back down into the hole and wait until the chickens came for the food, and when one got nsSe the the food I had given ,t. One thing I noticed in particular was I \ ■ \ y 1 7«« Life-histories of Northern Animals that it seldom missed getting a chicken ^ [,cn it jumped for one; in fact, it never made a jump except the chicicen was inside the chain limit. During June and July I often visited ^he Ontario fox-d^n referred to above, sometimes going at night, and usually taking my hound with me. And on each occasion, long before nearing the place, we were mrf by one of the old Foxes, who *ould deliberately cross our path or bark at us from a hillside, tempt- ins the dog away in pursuit. The latter would dash off at full cry, and I could tell by his tonguing that the trail led to a distant part of the country, either along the railway track or down the nver, where the Fox easily got rid of him by some lAu J "*" *" *"*'''' ' witnessed in day.ight The Fox led the dog down the river, then, retracing his steps for forty or fifty yards, he scrambled along a steep bank of sand that edged the stream The sand apparently carried no scent; the liound could not follow it at all. 1 saw the Fox do this several times at the same place. In- deed, he was shot here by one of my friends, in the act of repeat- ing the performance. This turned out to be the male Fox hvidently he was actively interested in the care of the young' One day (July .5) I saw the mother Fox carrying a live hen from our barnyard across the river and up towards the den I believe she was keeping it alive with intent to let the youne ones have the practice of killing it, just as a cat will bring live game to her kittens. ^ As soon as the young are large enough to come out of doors, they romp and play about in a delightful fashion, com- bining the elegant suppleness of the Otter with the frolicsome ways of kittens, but are ever ready to fly heme at the slightest alarm. Usually the alarm is given by the ever-waichful Parents. There is, of course, only one brood to the season The young are nearly full grown by the end of August, but are still in the old home with their parents. Such quantities of game, dead and alive, have been brought to them during the summed Prairie Red-fox 7«3 that their front door is now dangerously marked with the bones and feathers of the victims. The young probably scatter voluntarily before winter, but it is interesting to remember that in England a systematic effort, called cu!)-hunting, is found necessary each year, in October, to disperse the families and improve the hunting by equalizing the distribution of Foxes. I have never seen the young accompanying their mother; indeed. 2 Foxes are the most I have known together. The Eastern Fox seems to hold its own very well, wherever mtm there is rough country for final retreat. I suspect that there are even more Foxes in New England and Ontario to-day than •n the early times, for the reason that food is more plentiful in wmter now, and at no time did th. Fox prefer the deep forest. I remember very well once in June, 1885, near Cobo- conk, Ont., scc.ng a Fox trot out of the woods ahead of me for htty yards along the path, then disappear without knowing 1 was near I mentioned this at a camp I came to in the evening. Two lumbermen were its total population, m; had been .6 years in the Muskoka wr >ds. the other a little les.s, but both said that they had never j ^ seen a live wild Fox i.. the country. The world-famed cunning of the European Fox is due in i.>- part, no doubt, to the ceaseless persecution it has suffered so ''^'^ Jong. Yet our American foxes are not unworthy of their trans-Atlantic cousins. From birth they have a deeHaid fear ot every strange or peculiar object, and they early acquire a horror of anything that bears the taint of man. Their ir.udc auickne """T^'l" r.''^"' sharpener of their wits. And the the hi .' T '''"? u'^'y ''^"^" *° distinguish and distrust he latest devices of the trappers, is wonderful evidence of their cunning, perhaps also of their power to communicate certain ideas. twi,t!!^" T''^^' ^^ '^' ^°°* ^ ^^'^ ^'» «t"^g^'''^ violently. tw.st.ng and tearing at the foot, sometimes till it is torn off! \: I 724 Life> * ?tories of Northern Animals i: Some trappers say u will amputate the leg if need be I have never seen this, but I have known the Fox to bite off the im- prisoned toes Mou. the trap. This, whether design or accident IS the best thmg It can do, as it can then jerk free with the leasJ possible loss and pain. Many hunters and farmers in England have told me that a Fox never kills near home. It has no wish for trouble with the near neighbours. The barnyard next its den is perfectly safe so far as this pair is concerned. I am not sure that this IS the case m Manitoba as yet. There is a device that I have several times known the Ontario Fox to resort to when pressed by the hounds, that is run along the railway ahead of a train, and cross a high trestl^ bridge. On one occasion I knew of a hound being thrown by he locomotive from the trestle into the river below, minus his tail, but otherwise unhurt. I was told, however, that all were not so fortunate, as some hounds had been killed at the same place in a similar way. It is very hard to say how much was intentional on the part of the Fox. T'le fox-hunters who know the animal, say ,/ was intentional throughout. Some maintain that it wac entirely accidental. It certainly was not necessary for the J ox to know anything about train times, as he could hear the tram coming miles away. The track is a notoriously bad place for scent to lie. the trestle was a place of difficult footing, like a sloping tree, which often furnishes refuge, or the steep sand bank already noted, where I several .mes saw the Fox baffle the hounds. He might run to the train just as I have known a Deer or Hare run to a wagon or sleigh when flying for its life, preferring the unknown terror to the certain death. Add to this the element of luck when first the box made the attempt; success that time would lead him to try again. I have several times been told by hunters, of Fox mothers poisoning their captive cubs because they could not free them 1 am more sceptical now than I was formerly of these accounts* not because, as some have illogically asserted, this would postulate a knowledge of the nature of poison and of death on I: Prairie Red-fox 725 the part of the Fox— it would be just as true to claim that a Cougar has a comprehension of locomotor paralysis because It aims to disrupt the spinal cord of its victim— but because the evidence was faulty. The possibility of murder under such circumstances is proved by the facts that cattle will often kill one of their own kind that is in dire extremity; a crow in trouble IS sometimes destroyed by his friends; a Mouse in a trap IS often devoured by its own companions. E Hofer reports a case in the Yellowstone of a little Bear cub that on the first night of its captivity was killed and eaten by one of Its adult wild kinsmen. In menageries many car- nivoro -s mothers, including Foxes, kill a large proportion o. their own young, especially when they learn that man has tampered wiui them. And, finally, Wolves and Foxes have certainly grasped the idea that poison is a. thing of danger These various facts bring us much nearer to accept- ance of the hunter's tradition, without, however, being con- clusi They at least remove it from the category of the lidiy impossible. It k well known that the English Fox will unite with another, probably its mate, to catch a Hare, by the old strata- gejr ^f drive and ambush. W. R. Hinc reports a similar subtkty >n the part of the Manitoba species ...U ?' ^u'""' '!^'^^5. he once saw 2 Foxes working to- ge her to stalk some Canada geese that were feeding on the open prame. One Fox was lying in wait in some slight cover; the other was approaching from the opposite direction, one hundred yards away. It crawled as close as possible, then, seeing that he ever-watchful geese were alarmed, it began to roll about on b ndl ofVri"" ""r"' T""'' ^^^^' '"^^-^ --h like a Ea^hLvehT ^T'^""' '' ''"'"^ ^'°^" ^''^"^ by the wind, for Jn r u^ ' " "'"■" '° '^^ P"'*^' ^ho, knowing it well for an enemy kept moving away as they grazed, and thus dnf^d towards the Fox in ambush. Hine was satisfied tha the two were working together, but did not see it out When he had got within about fifty yards he 'collected' the Fo^anS a goose with ' right and left.' * «= r ox ana r m 726 Life-histories of Northern Animals •ii-! { I I NON- MIGRA- TORY SPEED USE OF THE TAIL I have not seen any good evidence of migration among Manitoba Foxes. The fact that they are much more often seen in fall is due, of course, to the fact that the Fox population is then at its maximum; the families are breaking up, and the young are running about m search of the best hunting grounds. Their habits change but little, however, with »he changing season. The best speed of an average Fox for i mile is at the rate of about 26 miles an hour. This is faster than a Coyote, but slower than a Jack-rabbit. A. S. Barton, of Boissevain, sends me an interesting item on this head. "Once," he say.*, "while mounted on a fast saddle-horse I ran a Fox for half a niile, both of us doing our best, but it was an even race all e way. I should say the horse was doing two-minute time, as his record was 1.51 for the mile." Therefore this Fox was running at the rate of 30 liiiles an hour. Doubtless it was his highest speed, and he must have been an exceptional Fox. No one can long watch a caged Fox in winter time without discerning the use to which it f uts its great bushy tail. Its nose and pads are the only exposed parts, and these might easily be frost-bitten when it sleeps during severe weather. But it is ilways careful on lying down to draw these together, then cu ae brush around them ; it acts both as wrap and respirator. I have many t'mes seen wild ones do this same thing, and am satisfied that the tail is a necessary ol life to the Fox, as well as to the Squirrel and Wolf I believe a Fox or Coyote would die before spring if turned out in the autumn without a tail. The brush is large in proportion to the coldness of the climat ;. In Foxes fiom the Southern States it is a very meagre thing, but on the Sa^katciiewan and further north, it is enor- mous, looking at a distance almost as large as the Pox's body, and, of course, it reaches its greatest size in the depth of winter. The coat in general is developed by cold, but not apparently to the same extent as the tail. 1 111 K,\ M'KIVi.i^,,, , '^ "" "s:,:::';:,::::^ ^"'^ - ■— - .«.. !• AS IT SI KpT Jj W fe? - 1 V I I I ■ Prairie Red-fox 727 As already noted, this useful member serves further as a fender in fighting, but it has also it. disadvantage. Dunham Wheeler, of New York, tells me that once while hunting a Fox in the Adirondacks, during early spring, when the snow was deepest and wet, he sav he creature coming toward him- it stopped and seemed to worry its tail; again it did this when nearer. He shot the Fox and found that its tail was heavy with water, and, when the crafty one stopped, it had been to wring or stamp out the water with its front paws and so reduce the heavy burden of the water-logged brush. In the early part of the winter the Fox hunts chiefly at dusk hunt. but the growing scarcity of food increases the need for diligence '"'° and in h ebruary and March it may be seen abroad at all hours! h,J ' ' 17 'r'" ^ ^^^-^'^'"^ ^°^ »"''«« ^« 'earn this hunter s rnethods. He goes on a general up-wind course but turns aside to examine every promising thicket and sedgy hollow. He goes to all the places where he remembers havi^ good luck on previous hunts; he calls and sniffs at all the signal dCee" HeZ^/'r ^'^ '^^'^ ^"«""^' '^ough to a less He trots In . T" •"f ^""^ ^^ '^'''' «'^*^«dy '"«"ibed. which het' r^"^''' 'uf^ ^' '''^' ^"^ ^ ^-^'^ ^"oll on which he has voided .i.mg before now, and, finding the spot iToZlT''^' ^'^ ^"- "^ ^"P^ '' '^^ slightit cli k of leaf or twig, freezes to a statue in an instant, holding one foot up in a pose of wonderful grace. Sometimes he Lnds on hind-legs to overlook the grass or bounds aloft for an observa- wL whh'h ''' r""" °'^ J-'^-bb't. He searches the and n ' "''''' ^' ''"'' °" ^^ '^' h°"^' '"i^^ing nothing and passing from cover to cover, in a somewhat zigza| line buj with a general up-wind course. He sneaks by seftlefs' Somes Iook.ng for luck, and is not above feasting on 'offal He Zki out sharply for the dog. and, if pursued easily leaves his foe ba' Uni"efi' ''" '""'"' '''''' '^^ -" sometime tun and arm ' .h /"'u ' *'T''"« '^' ^^^ »° ^""h" Pursuit. He runs across the fresh track of a Rabbit, follows this for a time and may even succeed in springing on the crouching B nny; but the i 1 UM r ^■P 1 i M y\ I.I 4 'I I Fio. 194— Foi-lrmcl • in »po». .>. •h«ii>|i wliett: 111. I "■. «Bi«n»g »t lf>r ■« ■•■ ""A""' """, L, 728 * «tl *» Ibc toycha of the Utt ue -.!«*(:> bhovn. HU Prairie Red-fox 729 latter is as alert as the Fox, and has the advantage of awaiting approach. Usually it gets into the brush, where the hunter must give up the hunt. In following the trail of a hunting Fox once, I saw where he had dug out a torpid garter-snake, bitten it nearly in two, and left it lying on the snow, intending, it seemed, to come back for it if he found nothing better. But, farther on, the track recorded how the prowler had scented two prairie-chickens asleep in a drift of soft snow, had stalked them with nose worthy of a pointer and step worthy of a cat, had come just above them before they awoke to their danger, and when they burst out of the drift he had sprung and secured the nearest. Having now abundance of this finest food, he was not compelled to go back for the cold snake, which is never good eating, and on a cold day would have been a very cold lunch indeed. When satisfied or tired, he lies down for a nap, not usually in a hollow, but on some exposed place, the top of a bank a boulder, a log, or a stump. Here he curls up in a ball, his b anket is on his back, and his travelling rug is his tail, his big black ears, sticking a little above his tail, are the only things that break the rounded yellow of the ball. He looks like a yellow stone, and seems to know it. Once wh.le travelling on the Souris in 1882, my brother and myself no.iced a yellow boulder, among others, on a ridge. He said: Look at that; doesn't it look like a Fox ?" I said- "No I see nothing but a yellow boulder." We marched within 'thirty paces, ourselves, our wagon, and ox.-n. When twenty yards past a puff of wind seened to cause a crack in the boulder. My brother stopped and said: "I'm sure that's no boulder; h ooks to me like a Fox." He turned aside, took one siep towards ,t and at once the Fox sprang up and ran for dear life He skumed across a stretch of burnt black prairie, then, reach- ing a bi of unburnt yellow grass three hundred yards away, crouched down m this and watched us again, noi. I suspec^ colo ""h : "'^ 'u' ^'■^" '"^ ^' ^ ^"^^ -^»^h with his owr^ colour, but simply because it M'as cover. HI s I t 730 Life-histories of Northern Animals I do not think he was asleep when we passed him, because we had a heavy wagon and the oxen were driven with the usual noise. I believe he was watching over or through his tail, and would have lain still, trusting to escape notice, had not my brother alarmed him by leaving the trail and stepping towards him. The Fox does not have its regular hours of sleeping any more than of eating, except that it prefers to sleep in sunlight, Fio. 105 — The Fox pUying at ' buulder '. but its sleep may be broken into a dozen naps, for it curls up when it feels tired and has satisfied its hunger. Foxes have little use for a den in the winter. At one time I thought they kept entirely clear of them while the snow was on the ground, but in following one that had gone off with a trap on his foot, I found that he went into every den and Badger hole that he came to, apparently in hopes of leaving the trap behind. W. R. Hine tells me that he also has tracked Foxes into dens when there was snow. I have several times seen a Fox mobbed by birds, usually crows, but once by a lot of kill-deers. These noisy plover: seemed to be actuated by fear for the^r young, recognizing very clearly that the Fox was an enemy, but the crows could not E h ! t> I'l IMH Prairie Red-fox 731 have been inspired by such a thought; in one case, indeed, it was niid-Julv, bui the Fox had already secured a fowl, and the crows were mobbing him because, knowing his dislike of 'a scene,' they hoped he might abandon his plunder to get rid I.: hem, and so they would profit by his success. This animal is popularly supposed to subsist chiefly on food poultry. Rabbits, and game birds. I have known it to kill each of these, but I suspect that Mice form the largest part of its diet. The Fo.x spends so much time catching Mice that he is often seen in the act. Many times, by means of a telescope, I have observed one in broad daylight, while he secured his easy prey. Selecting some well-known mouse-haunt, usually a grassy hollow, he advances quietly, looking this way and that for the slightest rustle, alert to the finest sound, tiptoeing, even standing on his hind-legs to see more clearly over the grass. A stjii: ik, or perhaps the movement of the grass-tops, catches his eye, and he springs for the root of the long vibrating spear, slaying with a nip the Mouse that he probably does not see, then separates it later from the grass, to chew and swallow the morsel in a few seconds. His movements are full of elegance and his habits of graceful poses. I know of no prettier sight than a Royal Fox, red and rich in his sleek new coat with its black velvet facings and its trimmings of silver and gold, as he hunts for Mice among the rank foliage and flowers of a prairie- hollow in Manitoba. A similar scene has been described to me by W. R. Hine. Tn this case, however, the Fox was not a common yellow one, but a superb Silver-black. In the October of 1887, while out shooting grouse on the Emerson Trail, two miles south of Winnipeg, he saw a large Black-fox on the open prairie, some five hundred yards away. It was catching Mice, and paid little heed to him as he drove by in a rig with his father and brother. Hine whistled heed- lessly and passed the mouser at one hundred yard distance, MOUSE HUNT l.NO 732 Life-histories of Northern Animals i 'I S'i ;M I 1 1 STORAGE HABIT taking care not to go straight towards it. At length its sus- picions were aroused and it crouched; ahhough the grass was but six inches high, it sunk so low that he could see nothing but its black e?.rs. The gunner drove in a circle ever nearer with- out alarming it, except that the Fox crouched yet lower, and at fifty yards shot him with a charge of heavy shot. Although it was October, the pelt was already prime. The squeak of a Mouse has such a charm for the Fox that even a poor imitation will bring him at a run towards the squeaker. Even when pursued by the hunter he will jump at the sound of a mouse-squeak and, if the dogs be not too close, will turn for an instant to a statue, then try to locate that sound of sweetest promise. Most animals of the Dog Family store up food when they have more than they need. T. W. Proger writes me concerning the Fox {Fulpes vulpes) in Wales, that "it usually buries sur- plus food. These caches he returns to infallibly. I think it probable that the Vixen stores up food as her time draws near, so as to have plenty to eat while she is unable to hunt. I do not think one Fox would touch a cache belonging to another, unless hard pressed. They certainly never forget the place, though I do not believe the story that they mark it well by urination. " A cock pheasant killed by a Fox and cached for a week in cool beech leaves is considered by poachers the finest eating on earth." The Ontario Fox is said to hide food in this way, but I have no evidence for the Manitoba species. Observations on these points are much desired. On the fur farm at Dover, Maine, the Foxes {V. fulvus) habitually bury food. They watch near the place and are ready to fight any other Fox trying to appropriate the store. If it is interfered >vith by man they bury it elsewhere. They return to it as soon as hungry, and if there is more than they need, they re-cache the remainder. The Red-fox has not been seen to urinate or? its cache, but the Blue-fox does. Prairie Red-fox 733 In the den already described by G. L. Fordyce was a large separate apartment for stores. In it he found two lambs, one partly eaten, a ruffed grouse, a Cottontail Rabbit, and a Muskrat, all perfectly fresh, with the exception of one lamb, they had not been eaten at all. The Muskrat was not injured in any way by the old Fox, the only marks on the body being where she had crushed its back in killing it. He found this out in removing the skin, which he afterwards sold. B. R. Ross credits the northern Fox with the highest kind of storage. He says:' "When a Fox finds a piece of meat or a fish, he almost invariably hides it, and returns to eat it at some future time. I have remarked this trait even in cubs which I have reared in confinement, and which used previous to eating, to dig holes in the snow, to bury their food, pushing the snow with their noses to cover it. During the commencement of summer he will lay up a store of the eggs of the wild-fowl, for his winter consumption. These he deposits in holes dug in the sand bars of the river, or in beds ot moss, and at the expira- tion of several months will, when hard pressed by want, visit his caches. Even when there are several feet of snow, he will readily distinguish the place by scenting his urine with which a Fox usually sprinkles in a liberal manner all his secret hoards." This storage habit is asserted also by Thomas Anderson, of Fort Smith. He says that it is well known in that country that the Fox stores eggs for time of famine. Fox-dung is not an attractive study material at first, but dung after a few weeks' exposure to rain and sun it is dried, bleached, and purified. All foecal matter is gone, though it retains its shape. Now it is odorless and closely resembles owl-pellets. The undigested remains of Mice, birds, etc., their skulls, feet, hair, and feathers are easily separated and distinguished. A valuable chapter on Fox food can be gathered from such examinations. Those that I have conducted go to prove that •Fur-bearing Animals, Mack. R. Dist., Can. Nat., t86i, p. 17. I is i II' 734 Life-histories of Northern Animals by far the largest proportion of this food is Mice and Gophers, so that, on the whole, our Manitoba Fox must be considered a creature beneficial to agriculture. HYBRID- On January 28, 1902, at the Cincinnati Zoo, I was shown '^^ a curious creature supposed to be a cross between a Fox and a dog. The Director said it had been found in the woods near Cincinnati when it was perhaps two months old. It was lying in a hollow stump with two others of the same kind. The boy who found them carried them home without waiting to see of what sort the parents were. Two died, but this one was successfully reared on a bottle. Its appearance suggested Coyote rather than Fox, I thought, but there were no Coyotes within some hundreds of miles The creature was good- natured and friendly and had much the appearance of a slim, yellowish sheep-dog. On September 16, 1901, while camped in Colorado, on the South Fork of William's River, the boys of my outfit found a sick Fox (F. macrourus) in a willow thicket. It was very thin and weak, and its hind-legs were paralyzed; it could hardly walk. One of the men killed it with his riding-whip and brought it to me for examination. Its mouth was full of Porcupine quills, doubtless its inside also was suffering from the same, but its condition was such that I did not risk an autopsy. Though an adult male, it weighed only 6 pounds 10 ounces. There can be no doubt that in the northern wilderness Foxes are preyed on by Wolves, Lynxes, and Fishers, while their young are destroyed by every evil beast that can find them, as well as by most of the larger birds of prey. The killing of a Fox by an eagle is described in great detail by a correspondent of Forest and Stream.'' The eagle was the aggressor, and the Fox, being on the open prairie, had no chance to seek cover. As the tragedy took place near Estevan, Sask., the Fox was probably of the present species. ' W. M., Forest and Stream, February 9, 1896. ENE.MIES m ti Prairie Red-fox 735 There are several records of rabies among Foxes, but none db- of other epidemics, so far as I know. ^^ KTC. The following affords important light on the age attained age by this animal. Christian Sanderson, of Chadd's Ford, Pa., tells me (October 30, 1905) that in March, 1897, an old dog Fox, Fro. i96-m.-«udjr of the Fox diat attacked the Poreupine, Coloiado. locally famous as a runner, was trapped near the Ford A silver collar with inscription was put on his neck, and he was released on the one-hundredth anniversary of Bayard Taylor's fox-hunt in "Kennett." He lived and doubtless was hunted many times until 1905, when, after a good run, he was killed at a point 60 miles due south of Kennett. He was evidently aged when killed. Thus he had run for 8 years after he was fully aduit. This agrees with the belie; that a Fox is old at 10 years, and rarely reaches 15. I r 736 Life-histories of Northern Animals A corroborative note is supplied me by Dr. J. W. Walker, of Wakefield, Eng. He knew of a Fox that ran before the local hounds three or four times each year for 7 years, before \t was killed. FtRANGE An interesting case of a Fox cub that knew how to take cEr'' care of himself is vouched for by Dunham Wheeler, of New York. He had five young Foxes in a cage; one of these had the ill-luck to break his hind-leg. The others plagued him so that their captor gave him a little box m which was room only for one. Here he at once ensconce ' himself, snarling savagely and threatening, with back-t ] ears, whenever any of the others approached; anf ..e stayed there until the broken leg healed, when he leaped out as sound as ever. Possibly connected with the instinct for rolling on any strange strong ent, is the following related by L. R. Gridlcy, of Appleton, Wis. His wife's father, a trapper in Wisconsin, found a certain trap sprung again and again, but nothing in it except long Fox hairs. At length he sat up to watch. At four in the morning the Fox came and rolled over the trap. It sprung at once, but could not grip on his broad body; he ate the bait in comfort and went his way. But the trapper now set one of those abominations called a clawed otter-trap, and next night Reynard was caught by the back. TOR During the 85 years, 1821' to 1905 inclusive, the Hud- son's Bay Company collected 1,536,420 skins of this species; an average of 18,075 for each year. The lowest was 2,757 m 1826, the highest 52,693 in 1876. The average for the 10 years, 1895 to 1905, was 22,671. Poland's lists' show that during the 71 years, 1 821 to 1891 inclusive, 3,831,516 skins were taken by the other American • i8« was the firet year when the Hudson's Bay Company's operations ex- tended without opposition over all the fur country of British North America. • In using these lists one must remember that he gives year of marbeUng, whereas the fure were taken the year before; also certain returns had two years' catch represented, others but half a year's catch. Prairie Red-fox 737 companies, an average of 53,965 each year. So that the aver- age annual catch of American Red-foxes for fur is about 74,000. At the London annual fur sale held by Lampson's, fur or March, 1906, there were 25,496 Red-fox skins. The highest ^^ price reached was 41 shillings ({9.84) each for 288 dark skins. First-class skins brought usually 15 shillings to 30 shillings ($3.60 to $7.20), but inferior skins sold as low as i shilling and 2 shillings (24 cents to 48 cents). FOX CROSS- FOX The Cross-fox is the half melanism or partly black freak. At the above sales 3,697 Cross-foxes were sold. The highest price realized was 75 shillings (^18.00) each for 26 first-class dark skins, but 30 shillings to 35 shillings ($7.20 to U^ 40) may be considered ruling prices for first-class, from which they graded down to 20 shillings ($4.80) for second-class, and 7 shilhngs (51.68) to 15 shillings ($3.60) for third-class. The most valuable fur in the world is doubtless that of the the rare and wonderful Sea-otter. A prime skin of this brings lo^^ from $soo to ^800. Next to the Sea-otter comes the Black or Silver-fox. This is, of course, simply a superb melanism of the common Red-fox. It is intense black with more or less silver tipping of the hairs on head and rump, the less tipping the higher th.- -Ine * "A ^u ' *^"^^ "^^ ^^^ following interesting item: At the s Bay Company annual fur sale, held in London, lVi„..h, 1900, 601 Silver-foxes were sold, bringine an average prke each of £50 16.. iJ. ($247). and 3 especially hne pure black skins brought, respectively, £310 ($1,507), fofthe ^""^ ^^°° (^h9H); that is, £1,050 or $5,103 The record price for a Black-fox is, according to D. A Boscowitz £540 ($2,625), given by Grunwaldt, of Paris, in 1889. at C. M. Lampson & Co.'s sale. Such a purchase, however, can scarcely be considered a representative commer- cial transaction. I It 738 Life-histories of Northern Animals At the London annual fur sales, held by Lampson's, March, 1906, 992 Silver-fox skins were sold. The highest prices realized ^■ ere ;C320, £310, £310, ;C28o, £220, ;C2io, £190 (that is, $i,S5S> i^i.5"^, ;Si,5o6, $1,360, $1,070, $1,020, $883). These were for skins of unusual size and marvellous beauty. The ordinary run of fi:st-class skins brought only £$0 to £So ($243 to $388), and many Silver-foxes of inferior quality brought only £1 or £2 ($4.80 to $9.60). Lest the frontier trapper who sees the above be led into undue appreciation of his fur, it is well to remember that the fur-dealer has three great rirks to face, damage in transport, damage in storage, and, above all, damage through the freaks of fashion. The intrinsic value of Silver-fox as an article of clothing is little more than that of the Red-fox, say $5 or $10 a skin. But Silver-fox is beautiful, rare, and fashionable, hence the fancy prices paid. It is always within the range of possibility that the fashion may suddenly change and the prici of choicest skins drop to a fraction of the last ruling figures. The prices paid at the trading posts to-day have been fairly adjusted by keen competition; they certainly are not too low. The lustre, fulness, and beauty of the Silver-fox fur are unique and inimitable. Its market value is so high that suc- cessful attempts are being made to breed Foxes for their pelts. As the subject is of wide interest, I reproduce an article which I wrote for Country Life, in 1905. Fox-Farming for Fur The rapid disappearance of certain wild Fur-bearers, com- bined with the steady demand and ever-rising prices coni- manded by good furs, has led many to look for means of arti- ficially supplying tl'e want. It is years since the idea of breeding for fur was first discussed, but never were the times so ripe as now, and it is the object of this article to set forth the important branches of the new industry for the benefit of those who wish to embark in it. Prairie Red-fox 7S9 This kind of farming offers two distinct fields. First: the production of a new variety of some already domesticated and easily multiplied animal —as cat, dog, goat, rabbit, or cow— with a coat of such quality as to have a new value as fur. The second, the breeding, under protection, of certain wild animals whose fur has already an established market value. In this class are Beaver, Mink, Otter, Skunk, Marten, Fisher, and Fox. In other words, one makes a fur-bearer of an animal already domestic; the other makes domestic an animal already a fur-btarer. The second is the only department that will be treated herein. There are two ways of dealing with this; wc may call them the wholesale and the retail. The first is the instinctive choice of the beginner. He usually plans to get possession of an island, a mountain valley, or at least a couple of hundred acres of wild land with a high fence around it. This he expects to stock with fur-bearers that will increase speedily to thousands, after which he has nothing to do but shovel in a few tons of offal weekly and draw off a few thousand of the choicest pelts yearly. This is wha't I call the wholesale method. It has never yet succeeded with Red-foxes, nor indeed with any creature that I know of, except, perhaps to some extent, the Blue-fox on the islands of Alaska. Success in breeding any domestic animal turns on personal care that can be directed and adapted to each individual, if need be; which is, obliquely, a reason why the would-be fur- fermer is better off with five acres than with five hundred. This mdividual method is what I call the retail plan; it has been proved a success many times. Fur-farming is a good chance for small capital. A man of experience may put in 5i,ooo and get a remarkable percentage as soon as well started. But any one who thinks he can put m ^10,000 or §20,000 and do le same with little experience and labour is certainly going to end in disaster. There is no object in breeding cheap furs. A Muskrat Prairie Red-fox 780 This kind of farming offers two distinct fields. First: the production of a new variety of some already domesticated and easily multiplied animal —as cat, dog, goat, rabbit, or cow— with a coat of such quality as to have a new value as fur. The second, the breeding, under protection, of certain wild animals whose fur has already an established market value. In this class are Beaver, Mink, Otter, Skunk, Marten, Fisher, and Fox. In other words, one makes a fur-bearer of an animal already domestic; the other makes domestic an animal already a fur-bearer. The second is the only department that will be treated herein. There are two ways of dealing with this; we may call them the wholesale and the retail. The first is the instinctive choice of the beginner. He usually plans to get possession of an island, a mountain valley, or at least a couple of hundred acres of wild land with a high fence around it. This he expects to stock with fur-bearers that will increase speedily to thousands, after which he has nothing to do but shovel in a few tons of offal weekly and draw off a few thousand of the choicest pelts yearly. This is wha't I call the wholesale method. It has never yet succeeded with Red-foxes, nor indeed with any creature that I know of, except, perhaps to some extent, the Blue-fox on the islands of Alaska. Success in breeding any domestic animal turns on personal care that can be directed and adapted to each individual, if need be; which is, obliquely, a reason why the would-be fur- fermer is better off with five acres than with five hundred. This individual method is what I call the retail plan; it has been proved a success many times. Fur-farming is a good chance for small capital. A man of experience may put in 5i,ooo and get a remarkable percentage as soon as well started. But any one who thinks he can put in|ioooo or §20,000 and do : le same with little experience and labour is certainly going to end in disaster. There is no object in breeding cheap furs. A Muskrat ,1 / 740 Life-histories of Northern Animals with its fiftecn-ccnt pelt is almost as much trouble to raise as a $ioo Silver-fox, therefore only the high-class fur should be considered. ^, . , . c What is the most valuable fur of all ? No doubt the Sea- otter. But the animal is so rare that a large fortune would be exhausted in getting the stock, and nothing is known of the method necessary to its propagation. Next on the list is the Silver-fox. The Black or Silver- fox is nothing but a black phase or freak of the Common-fox, just as the black sheep is a colour freak of the common sheep. A pair of pure Red-foxes may have a Black-fox m their litter, and hat Black-fox may grow up to be the parent of nothing but Red-foxes, but a Red-fox will bring only a dollar or two, and the Silver-fox a hundred times as much. The thoughts of the fur-farmer, then, are likely to turn at once to the Silver-fox. The first objection usually made to it is its sterility in captivity. At one time, indeed, it was said that the Fox never breeds in confinement. This, however, is far from the truth. Experience proves that the Fox is as fertile in captivity as any other carnivore when properly managed. Another popular error that is wide-spread, even in books of good repute, is the idea that a Fox cannot be tamed. It is highly probable that some individuals will always continue wild and treacherous in captivity, but most of them respond to judicious treatment, and some of them, as I have seen, become as tame as cats. m r ci ■ I first saw Foxes successfully managed by IN. t. bkmner, of Bangor, Maine. He began a fur-farm in Winnipeg in 1 899. But the best working out of fox-farming as a paying commercial enterprise that I have seen, is at Dover, Maine, where I had the privilege of inspecting the farms of E. Norton and M. t. Stevens, in July, 1905- , , otevens's enclosures were 20 feet each way and sur- rounded by a mesh-wire fence 10 feet high with an i8-inch overhang at the top, and sunk 3 feet into the ground. Six feet would hav. been high enough, but at Dover they have to reckon on snow-drifts 4 feet high. The overhang above ^ PLATE LVI.— VAUKlrE F. »TF.Vi;S» AND ONE OF IIS BRKEDIKS. FI.ATK i.vii._Y„pj;c, AT MEAI. TIME. Vnxes im fur farm. From photiigraphs l.y E. T. Sctoo. ^^H 1 ■ ^ 1 mj f- BLifefi. i l Prairie Red-fox 741 is necessary, as the Foxes climb up the wires like cats. It is quite a common thing to see one or more of them clinging to the cage at a height of lo feet from the ground, and there they stay for minutes at a time trying to get out by forcing the wires. The Norton yards at Dover are considerably larger than the Stevens, his smallest being 50 by 25 feet, and the large runs 230 by 64 feet. The fences are alike. After inspecting these two farms, and hearing of the various problems to be met, I should thus plan a small fox-yard — and no wise man will go into a large one until after he has had enough experience to avoid the inevitable blunders that on a large scale would be fatal (Fig. 197). The whole space is 120 by 230 feet, a little over half an acre. All the fences should be 10 feet high, of ij inch mesh, No. 16 galvanized wire, as a Kit, that is a weanling in his first summer, can go through a 3-inch mesh, and a full-grown Fox can squeeze out of a 4 by 4. The netting should go 3 feet below ground, or down to hard-pan, and would be still safer with a turn in of 18 inches at the bottom, although a line of flat stones laid with the fence, inside, is usually enough to prevent any digging out. At the top it should have an overhang of 18 inches. This is simply the ordinary mesh wire supported on crosspieces nailed to the posts. The outer lane is 1 5 feet wide, that is, wide enough for a wagon, but it can be reduced to barrow width, if space is an object. In each of two corners is a kennel for a watch-dog that patrols the lane; for among the plagues of the fox-farmer are the sneak thief and the malicious neighbour, who might open the gate by night and thus cause the loss of all the stock. At each of the other corners is a long refuge box with a 5 by 9 inch hole at each end. In these any Fox getting out of his pen will take refuge from the dog and remain till put back where he belongs. The small cages are designed each for a breeding female. If more than 5 were on hand, these cages might be halved r I 'ii •'•1. lilt' ^ (L t [ri 742 Life-histories of Northern Animals '°"",°„tTh'°a,Tdri=s. point, a hole abou, 3 fe" -de and . fe« deep "hould belg and roofed over w,th some- Fig. 197- -A model Fox-yard. Scale 50 f«t to one inch. ,H„g .0 tun. the rai. ^^^^^^^l^^tS^Z.']^^^ a, one side, "mp'etes the den^ 1 ^_^ ^^^ these v" 5 fe« 1 inches '^^^ ^* (,,575 mm.) from nose-tip to tail- bone tip; of this, its tail was 16 inches (406 mm.); shoulders, 27 inches (686 mm.); girth of neck, 18 inches (457 mm.); girth of chest, a8i inches (724 mm.); girth of forearm, 8i inches (209 mm.). Its weight was 102 pounds; other males caught in the region weighed 90 and 78 pounds. W. R. Hinc weighed the Winnipeg Wolf (a male) at 104 pounds. T. P. James, of Clayton, New Mexico, assu'^cd rne that in the fall of 1892 he killed a huge Wolf that turned a standard scales at 150 pounds. This, however, is extreme, and the weights given above more nearly represent the normal male. A female taken at the same pl^^^*^. December 29, 1893, was 4 feet 7* inches long (1.410 mm.) ; tail, 12 inches (305 mm.) but imperfect; hind-foot, 10 inches (254 mm.); height at shouSs 25 inches (635 mm.); weight, 75 Po^nds. Another fS wiighed 80 pounds, and a third, a poor one. only 55 pounds. .n,.n» The skin of the first-mentioned male is now before me. It is,Tn genen^U dull, yellowish-white, becoming nearly pure \^ Fio. icjS Disuni vkwi ud chuBC- teriiuc uulltnrt i>f Coyol«, SIZE OF FEMALE jL\'i*»8l .'i .'.* ,■//, hh m ^^^" /' ■*',"., s <1 -1 9 i J! I \ '.fim i M-: it M Gray-wolf 751 white on cheeks, chest, and inside of hind-legs. The upper part of the muzzle, crown, and outer side of each limb and the entire plantar surface of each foot is tinged a clear pale sienna. On the backs of the ears the sienna is much deeper and stronger. Beginning on the muzzle between the eyes are many black-tipped hairs, which increase in length and num- ber and continue over head, upper neck, shoulder, and back to the basal third of the tail, where they end in a black spot an inch wide and two inches long. After this the tail hairs are faintly tipped brownish-black; the tail itself ending in a dark tip of blackish hairs, with a few white ones interspersed. The under-fur is brownish gray on the under parts, be- coming much darker on the limbs and much browner and darker on upper parts generally. The dark spot on the tail near its base is formed by a curious tuft of black-tipped hairs, below which there is no wool or under-fur, but evidently a skin odour-gland. The claws are dark horn-colour. Compared with a number of Coyote skins taken at the same place, there is no absolute difference. The Coyotes are more strongly tinged with sienna above, and more nearly pure white below. Also, their under-fur on the back is a rich brown instead of dark gray-brown. But they have the tail- gland, and there is little but size to distinguish them when living. The above colour description of the Gray-wolf agrees exactly with Merriam's colour description of the Coyote quoted on pages 790-791. So far as can be told from outside charac- ters, the Winnipeg Wolf killed near Winnipeg (see later) was a gray Buffalo-wolf. But E. W. Darbey had 6 skins from Riding Mountain that are puzzling; i is pure white, 5 arc nearly black, and yet all belong to one pack, probably one family; so that colour seems to count for little. The New Mexican specimen here detailed represents the prevalent colour. But individuals are found of any shade, from white to deep yellow and almost black. Its size, short tail, short, wide- 752 Life-histories of Northern Animals Ml i RANGE INDIVID- UAL RANGE •II spread ears, and pale, straw-coloured eyes are characteristic. Unfortunately for those who propose a friendly study of the living Wolf, the skull furnishes the most reliable means of identification. Life-history. The Wolf most common in Manitoba is probably the Gray-wolf or Buffalo-runner. But it soems likely that in the timbered country we have also the Timber-wolf or Cams nubilus Say. At present it is impossible to decide any of these points with t ertainty. Map No. 42 shows what little is known of their ranges. It is quite possible that all these forms are races of two or even more species. The type localities are given for the principal forms that have been recognized. The home-region usually corresponds somewhat with the size of the animal. It is probable that the Wolf's home area is larger than that of any other of our non-migratory animals, because it is a large animal — therefore compelled to find much food — a flesh-eater, whose food supply is notoriously uncer- tain, and a swift-footed animal that can travel great distances. Dr. James R. Walker and others of Pine Ridge, S. Dak., told me that in 1902 an enormous white Wolf had been living around there for three years. It was usually seen within 15 miles of Pine Ridge. In New Mexico, several Wolves were well known by their individual marks and believed to be permanent residents of a region about 30 miles across. In Dakota, near Medora, was a well-known Wolf, called Mountain Billy; he was so named because he was always found near a certain mountain called Sentinel Butte. This would limit i>ls r?age to a radius of a dozen miles. An extraordinary story of Wolf endurance is related by Archbishop Tache, of St. Boniface, Man.* A large Wolf had ' Esquisse sur le Nord-ouest, de rAmerique, 1901 (original edition, 1868), pp. lao-i. MAP 43— RAHOB OF NORTH AMBRICAH WOLVES. Canb oetiJarialb Richardion. Ill' 'rS^^J^^K^'i^J '^^ "* !!"""''."^f "> ™P f" 'f^^ therefore I lire : ... y.> 'T« Mtnts oj specin that haw been dnirriheH •n.^^i.r^-iik .\,~ 1 ^... SJiiTLi _i^^r!r CoooeraiMd' tr'buti I k Mexico I h'.«^ Sr^UoS'^'JwJilf.'ii'^i* '^" ■'^'1'^ .are'^ntePy'wiS'tV^l^.Hty l^lcTted when known. . .„ S.,i.th-w«i. """""""O- Originally there were Wolvea m all the regicn eaat o* the Rockies, but never, apparently, in the^i^^ ra^ ite ! region eaat c 753 ABUN- DAN'CE 754 Life-histories of Northern Animals escaped with a steel trap and clog on its foot, at Isle a la Crosse, one winter. A month afterwards it was killed near Green Lake, 90 miles distant, still dragging the trap. This is evidence of a very wide range. It is the opinion of all hunters that I have consulted that the summer range of a Gray-wolf is less than 50 miles across. In winter, however, it may be doubled by the scarcity of food, but at all times there is a region that it recognizes as home. Unlike the Deer, the Wo'.f, so far as known, does not have two home-regions, one for summer and another, entirely dis- tinct, to which it migrates for the winter; in other words, the Gray-wolf is a wide ranger, but non-migratory. In the early days when the Buffalo swarmed on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, there were hundreds, possibly thou- sands, of Gray-wolves in Manitoba. Henry writes,' October 4, 1799 [Junction of Park and Red Rivers], "Wolves are very numerous. They go in large droves and keep up a terri- ble howling day and night," and his fur reports of the region give: 1 800-1, 204 Wolf skins; the following years they num- bered, 256, 801, 360, 690, 862, 420, and 68. These included both Gray- and Prairie-wolves or Coyotes, probably equally divided, and most were from Pembina Hills. But the Gray- wolves disappeared with the Buffalo. In the late 70's and early 8o's the species was almost unknown on our prairies, and the few left were undoubtedly brought in through following the cart trains with loads of meat from the Plains each year. The introduction of cattle, however, has caused them to increase again, and now a few are found in most parts of our country. About a dozen were killed annually within our limits during the late 8o's; since then the destruction has increased, but so have the Wolves, and I think it probable that we have from 50 to 100 pairs of Gray-wolves in Manitoba to-day. Nevertheless, it is well to remember that ascertained figures are usually far in excess of the estimates when it is the question •Journal, 1897, P- ''*• ih '^' w PLATE LXm.— LIFE STUDIES OF WOLVES. Uy K T. Siton. That in the ccntn- and the Iwi. t.mard the ridht-hand upper comer are Gray-«ol«8 from the Buffalo rtainj. 1 he rest are from France. } 1^ I Ui. mBssammism ^^^^m Gray-wolf 755 of animal population. Vernon Bailey's recent investigations* in central Wyoming have shed much light on the habits and number of Wolves. In loo square miles of cattle country in Wind River, where Wolves are fairly numerous, he found in March, 1906, 20 breeding dens of Gray- wolves. The State of Wyoming has paid in eleven years for the killing of 20,819 Wolves. As a good third of those shot or poisoned are never found, we are safe to believe that 30,000 Wolves have been killed in that time, or 2,600 each year, and yet these numbers are rather increasing, from which I should infer that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 Gray-wolves in Wyoming alone, and that they are in like proportion over all of the cattle country from the Gulf of Mexico to the Saskatche- wan. Taking the lower figures as safer, they would show a total of 500,000 Gray-wolves still roaming the West, although their numbers are unquestionably much less than in primitive times. 1 The Wolves are the most sociable of beasts of prey. '* ot socia. only do they gather in bands, but they arrange to render each ""*'" other assistance, which is the most important test of socia- bility. The most Gray-wolves I ever saw in a band was 5. This was in northern New Mexico, January, 1894. The most I ever heard of in a band was 32 that were seen in the same region. These packs are apparently formed in winter only. I think, further, that this species is not gregarious in the sense that the Antelope and Wapiti are. The packs are probably temporary associations of personal acquaintances, for some temporary purpose, or passing reason, such as food-question or mating instinct. As soon as this is settled they scatter. No doubt these same individuals are ready to reunite as soon as a new occasion requires it, and would resent the presence of a total stranger. This I take to be true sociability. An instance in point was related to me by Gordon M. Wright, of Carberry, Man. During the winter of 1865 he was logging at Sturgeon Lake, Ont. One Sunday he anu some • Forest Service Bull 7a, U. S. Dep. Agri., Wolves, 1907. ^i i ' m ii : 11 1 '' j ml 1 Ii 756 Life-histories of Northern Animals f I' *"%":::£ rTtSyle" iTh^r,. press..., sight crust on the snow, e-v J . ^g ^ She was coming towards jh-'^^"^ J^ °^ 2„,e la^r six shout which caused her to sheer on. Timber-wolves appeared galloping on her trail nea , tails horizontal, and howling contmu-sly^ JJ^ y^r^.^y ing their hunting cry. but as soon ^\')^y 'l"^^^ [^^ ^J^ "'Hiz ^r n«s: Wot::::: itstTi *« overtook her and pulled •>" <''^"' !; ."^'""heep in distress; So he Detr but hair and so-ne of the larger bones -d. he Wolves fighting among themselves "r -" *»- Th'n *^^ itSg'tr Se h?n'drSr^^ "ivera. .— - „eeJ^]=;^^^t^SrS" differing according to the region; the colder it .s, the later. „„» Does the Gray-wolf pair ? ™s is - j™";^-"^':' •Contemporary Review, October, 1904- Gray-wolf 7»7 monogamous race," he says, "will, in the long run, defeat a polygamous," and then he claims that monogamy is the rule in all the higher animals. Hearne says* of the Wolves in the Barren Grounds: "They couple in spring and generally keep in pairs all summer." Miles Spencer, an observant fur-trader, at Fort George, Hudson Bay, is thoroughly conversant with the Wolves of that region and maintains that the male assists the female in caring for the young.* The Wolf hunters in New Mexico tell me that when they find a Wolf's den, two old ones are sure to be hovering about, and in January I saw there at least one case of a male being deeply devoted to a certain female. A good father is a good husband among animals. Bailey says:' " Men who have made a business of hunting Wolves for the bounty assert that they are usually able to shoot one or both of the old Wolves at the den by watching the trails, or hiding near the den early in the morning before the Wolves return from the night's round. These statements are fully corroborated by my own experience. While watching dens in Wyoming I could easily have shot the male who was doing sentinel duty; for although he watched from a high point, from which he could see a man long before being himself seen, still in his anxiety to dec(jy me away he often came within rifle range. **♦♦♦♦ 4- " It is now positively known that Wolves always pair, at least for the breeding season." For that season ufe- LONG How long does this ideal condition last ? or for life ? Probably for life. I have several times seen a male and female Wolf together at a time when the sexual passion was dormant; and yet the male showed the female more attention than he would have done had she been simply a smaller male. This points to permanent partnership. • Journey, 1795, p. 362. • A. P. Low, Expl. James Bay, Can. Geol. Surv., 1888, App. Ill, p. 76 J. ' Op. cil., Note 3, pp. 22-3. I > r UNION a m ffi; 158 Life-histories of Northern AnimaU I„ ,he London Zoo, at P««°' (D"'"''"', ''^♦l"' The pair ^ Wo,v«, «^f t|.r, ?1 Sa; I^ r.''Xpic:u::J«^r.hrGtay.. ,o be five years ^ T^gb^ -' y ^^^ ^„,y f r JouTlo it U n«toI whe.hl he ha, an, parental '""The« two old Wolves live In harmony except v,hen th. ""X SS:. if'£ see. that she ha. ^one too far. she apolti 'crby TckW Lobo'. face in a conciliatory manner. ''™¥hf fact".lt the male shows chivalrous feeling, and that -iin==.:a-;:^-^^^^^^^^^^ """a trhornbury. Superintendent of Schools. Grinnell. '°'^" rnihe r..*''par. of October or early November, .886. • Mi rf,ell Coumy Iowa, while we were hulling corn, my L" ^nimvSwtwoGray-wolve. come out of the wood., brother and myself ^w two I. y ^^^^^ .^ ^.^ i/ Thev seemed to know that we had no gun. 'The fact that mo Gray-wolves unhungry should be travel- Ung t^gtther In fall shows'a friendly alliance most easdy ex- plained by a life attachment between the pair. •In 1909 this same relationship continues. ^ I Gray-wolf 7A0 There is, however, some evidence for the other view. The Alaskan si gs are known to be domesticated Wolves; all are much mixed with wild Wolf blood, some even are Wolves captured when young. Captain Dick Craine, who spent nine yea.s among them, owning and handling in that time about 200, tells me that he has several times known a pair of half- wolf rrain-dogs to mate and remain together as mates until the pups "vere well grown, after which they parted. Two very marked cases happened at the same time. In these the father took an interest in the pups and the mother allowed him to approach them, but warned all others away. He never saw the f:^thcr feed the pups, but the mother often did so by dis- gorging. From these cases he infers that the Wolves mate for one season but not for life. Dr. Woods Hutchinson, in his paper on "Animal Mar- riage," says:* "There is a general impression among field-naturalists and trappers that many of these animals, having once paired, come together again in the u. .ceeding seasons, although they may be widely separated during the intervening part of the year. Indeed, some of them positively declare that the union among Wolves, Foxes, Panthers, Lions, and Seals, is practically for life. In a few species, however, does it terminate until the expiration of the period required for the young to become able to shift for themselves. In some of these, like certain Wolves, the father practically disappears during the nest period of the young, but joins the family again when the cubs are able to run." A degree of this latter custom is seen in Foxes, Coyotes, and several other carnivores. It "^eems that in all these crea- tures there is a deep-laid instinct to leave the mother quite alone during parturition, and until the young are some days, or in some cases weeks, old, after which the father is allowed to join the family. This, it will be remembered, is closely paralleled by the practice of many tribes of human savages. •* Note 4. I n, ft f. 760 Lifc-historics of Northern Animals As a general argument, mating customs are so deeply rooted as to be very uniform in a given family; thus all the true pigeons pair, all the true Deer are polygamous; and every evidence, direct or collateral, I can find on any of the true Dogs, except the case of the Alaskan team dogs (in domestication), points to perfect and permanent monogamy as the ru'e. DEN The nursery den is cither a natural cave, a hollow log or stump, or a hole in the ground, dug out by the parents them- selvjs. Sometimes they enlarge a Badger hole, and in any case the bed is not far from the entrance. The Gra>-wolf apparently does not line its nest. Roland D. Carson, of the Philadelphia Zoo, writes me com-.-ming those that bred in the gardens: "The females dug a hole in the earth but made no attempt at lining the nests, and when hay and other materials were put in it to form a bed they were promptly thrown out." As the lining habit is instinctive in the kinds that practice it, we note with interest that many animals are tormented with parasites which harbour and breed among the nest material, so that lining is a dangerous comfort. GKTA- According to all observers the period of gestation is 63 ^"''' days in the Gray-wolf, as in most, if not all, of the true Dogs. vouNG Th<; young number 3 to 13, but are usually 6 or 7. When born they are blind and almost naked, and, like young dogs, their eyes a» ? no* opened until the ninth day. Carson says that the only litter of tiie Wolf pups that he was able to watch closely "did not get their eyes opened till the thirteenth day." Pos- sibly these were prematu»ely born. W. H. Blackburn reports that he has watched several litters in the National Zoo at Washington and found their eyes opened a little on the seventh day and fully opened on the ninth. Lit- ters have been born there on March 23, 27, 29, and April 4. Those in the London Zoo (parents from Texas) were born March 28; all the four litters bred in the Philadelphia PLATE l.XIV.— <;RAVW0I.F SCRATCHINli HIUSELF. Life itudics by E. T. Scluo. iU i Gray-wolf 761 Zoo wee born in March and April, the earliest March i8, the latest April 19. Even in the Red River Valley they are born about the same time, as the following from Henry's Journal attests:'" [Park River Post o:. Kt rj Kiver] "April 7, 1801. One of my men brought in ; 'Volves of icis year which he had found in a hole in t! •-' j;,iound; tiey sometimes have their young in a hollow 1 :;; <.'- stnmr,. * * * Another of my STINCT men brought in 6 young Wolves he had found in one hole." "Shortly after b'rth and long before their eyes were open mater- the mother-wolf [in the Philadelphia Zoo] would come to the ^^^ front of the enclosure with one of her pups in her mouth, some- times returning for another one or two, but all were never brought out at one time; one was carried about for a while and then returned. This was generally done when the keeper was in the back passage or adjoining cage. Nervousness from fear of harm to her babies seems, in most cases at least, to have been the cause of this habit." The maternal instincts of the she-wolf are of a high order. Carson, above quoted, remarks: " We have no instance of a Gray-wolf killing or eating her young, but Prairie-wolves in our Zoo have not only killed their young, but eaten them when they have died from other causes." When I was at Sidney, Ohio, March, 1902, I met an old hunter who related a curious and interesting story that illus- trates the motherliness of the she-wolf. About twenty years before, when he lived in Wisconsin, a bounty of ten dollars each was put on Gray-wolves, and he spent a good ileal of time hunting them. One day he saw a Wolf come to the river to drink. He shot and killed it, then found that it was a female suckling young. He searched many days for the nest and could not find it. Two weeks later he shot another female Wolf coming out of a hollow log. She also was suckling young. He crawled into the log and found 13 Wolf pups of two different sizes — "Journal, 1897, pp. 174-5. GROWTH OF YOUNG FEEDING YOUNG 762 Life-histories of Northern Animals 6 very small ones, 7 much larger. She had but 6 teats in commission, so he concluded that this she-wolf had rescued the young of the first female he had shot. The young ones of the Philadelphia Zoo would whine like puppies as soon as they were born, and the mother would an- swer and call them in the same manner. As soon as they could see they began to play together like the voung of the domestic dog. , . . n 'At from three to four weeks, according to their vigour, all would come out daily, never at night, and sit or play in the sun about the door of the den, but were ever ready to skurry in again at the slightest alarm. According to Lee Hampleman, my Rocky Mountain guide, the young ones in Colorado hrst began to follow the mother for short distances from the den in June when they were about three months oid. The question how they are fed has been much discussed; and siiing down the evidence of many observers, it may be considered sure that they are simply suckled for about six weeks, during which time the father has little to do with them. Now the mother begins to disgorge solid food for them. Many observers say that they have watched closely but never saw anything of this. Carson, however, states positively and conclusively." , r . j- j " At five or six weeks they began to eat the food disgorged for them by the mother, and later, when they wanted food of this kind, they would jump at her mouth, sometimes several at once, until she supplied them." The father soon becomes active, not disgorging, so tar as we know, but bringing fresh game to the den. On this point D A Thornbury, Superintendent of Schools, Gnnnell, Iowa, also writes me: "My father has many times found in the mouth of the hole in which he took some young Wolves, bodies of Rabbits and chickens, and in one instance he took from the hole thf partly eaten body of a lamb." " In penomd letter. ll ■? Gray-wolf 768 Of the bove-mentioned brood of 8 young Wolves in the London Zoo, 4 were raised by a collie foster-mother, and they became very tame as well as unusually fine specimens. The rest were left with the mother; 2 died. The others grew up, but were weaklings ard very shy and wild. The collie was fed on dog-biscuit, the moi.:er Wolf on raw meat, the only food she would touch. "After the collie-raised 4 were put in a paddock by them- selves they also grew wild and timid, except i, which for some unknown cause remained tractable and dog-like. This is a most interesting case of individual variation in temperament and suggests how breeds of d .nestic dogs have been brought to their present condition of tameness by breeding from stock artificially selected for that attribute." (R. /. Pocock in letter.) "One was sold to a member of the Society, who lives in the country, where the young Wolf has all the liberty of a dog. It follows a carriage, attends garden parties, and is a favourite with children. It is larger than either of its parents." (Dr. J. D. Drewitt in letter.) The following year Dr. Drewitt wrote me, June 25, 1905: "Blanco has had another litter of puppies, and, as usual, those that were brought up by a collie wet-nurse were tame, and those which were nursed by the mother, wild. All the puppies had lead-coloured iris. Miles Spencer says" that the young are suckled for two months after birth, in the region about Hudson Bay. Carson, however, writes me: "It is probable they would nurse for five or six months, but as a rule we took them from the mother before they were entirely weaned. The weaning was very gradual, and towards the last the mother would snap when they attempted to suckle her." At this time the only enemies that the young Wolves have enemies to fear are eagles, man, insects, and disease. Eagles very often pick up the youngsters, as they play around the den door; man " See Note 6. 'fs li EDUCA- TION 764 Life-histories of Northern Animals destroys the mother, and digs out the pups, if he can locate the den; parasites, insects, and disease also are to be dreaded^ Hearn. makes some remarks which show the Northern Indians and ti.- Wolves on a very friendly footing. The Wolves, he says," "always burrow underground to brine forth their young; and though it is natural to suppose th m' verTfierce at tho!e times, yet I have frequently seen the Indians go to their dens and take out the young ones and play with them. I never knew a Northern Ind.an hurt one of Them- on the contrary, they always put them carefully mto the";n again; and I have sometimes seen them pamt the faces of the voune Wolves with vermilion or red ochre. In August the young .re so far grown that they be^n to fol- low the mother about in her hunting expeditions, and the de .s abandoned. By this time the doorway is littered with the bones, fur, and feathers of the game brought home by the parents. The education of the cubs now begins in earnest. The chief means is example. Whether consciously «; ";»' °" ff^ oart of the teacher or of the class, there can be no doubt that itTs by seeing the mother do, or not do, that the little ones earn much that is necessary to their success in life. Thus she ^piref them with terror of a trap, by showing her own terro of if no matter whether conscious or unconscious thts ts tealnT The same is true, I suppose, of all the ideas that modern Wolves have; that is, the ideas so recent that theyhave not yet had time to become ingrained as instinct^ "They are still puppy-like at one year, and hardly full grown until eighteen months old; even then they did not have fhe fully adult look. The females in the Ph|ladelphia Zoo did not come in heat till they were two years old. (j;«7°"''. This agrees with observations made on the Wolves m the London Zoo. It is likely, therefore, that the Gray-wolf is not manure until its third year, thenceforth thejemale breeds on^^^^ each year while in vigour; that is, probably, till her ninth or tenth year. "Joumey, 1795. PP- 36a-3- Gray-wolf 765 The range of the Gray-wolf has a known history. When history the Buffalo swarmed over Western America from the AUegha- nies to the Rockies, and from Great Slave Lake to Central Mexico, their herds were followed by troops of Buffalo-wolves that preyed on the weak and helpless. As the Buffalo disap- peared the Wolves were harder put for a living. When the last great Buffalo herds were destroyed and the Wolves were left without their usual support, they naturally turned their attention to the cattle on the ranges. The ranchmen declared vigorous war against them: traps and poison were imported in vast quantities, a bounty was offered for each Wolf scalp, and every inducement held out to wolf-hrnters. In those days the Wolves were comparatively unsuspicious, and it was easy to trap or poison them. The result was that enormous numbers were killed in the early days of 1880 to 1888 or 1889; so many, indeed, that the species seemed on the verge of extinction. The remnant of the race continued on the foothills of the Rockies or the Badlands, but they were so rare as to be no longer a factor in the cattle question. Then new knowledge, a better comprehension of the modern dangers, seemed to spread among the Wolves. They learned how to detect and defy the traps and poison, and in r>ome way the knowledge was passed from one to another, vill all Wolves were fully possessed of the information. How this is done is not easy to say. It is easier to prove that it is done. Few Wolves ever get into a trap, fewer still get into a trap and out again, and thus learn that a steel-trap is a thing to be feared. And yet all Wolves have that knowledge, as every trapper knows, and since they could not get it at first-hand, they must have got it second-hand; that is, the information was com- municated to them by others of their kind. It is well known among hunters that a piece of iron is enough to protect any carcass from the Wolves. If a Deer or Antelope has been shot and is to be left out over night, all that is needed for its protection is an old horseshoe, a spur, or even any part of the hunter's dress. No wolf will go near such i' ;■ )• 766 Life-histories of Northern Animals suspicious looking or human-tainted things; he will starve rather than approach the carcass so guarded. With poison, a similar change has come about, btrycri- ninc was considered infallible, when first it was miroduced. It did vast destruction for a time, then the Wolves seemed to discover the danger associated with that particular smell, and will no longer take the poisoned bait, as I know from number- less experiences. It is thoroughly well known among the cattle men now that the only chance of poisoning Wolves is in the late summer and early autumn, when the young are beginnmg to run with the mother. She cannot watch over aH of them, the whole time, and there is a chance of some of them finding the bait and taking it before they have been taught to let that sort of smell-thing alone. . The result is that the Wolves are on the mcrease, have been, indeed, since the late 8o's. They have returned to many of their old hunting-grounds in the cattle countries, and each year they seem to be more numerous and more widely spread, thanks to their mastery of the new problems forced upon them by civilization. HABITS The Gray-wolf is one of the shyest of wild animals. I have talked with men who have lived their whole lives in regions where Gray-wolves were far from rare, and yet they have never seen one. They hear them at night, they see their trails and their work in the morning, but never see the animals themselves until after they have been trapped or poisoned. Their extreme shyness is partly a modern development, as also is the respect for man, which now fully possesses every Gray-wolf in the cattle country. There are many records that show the Wolf to have been a continual danger to mankind in the bow-and-arrow days. There can be no doubt that then man was considered a fair prey, a difficult and wide-awake one, no doubt, but still a creature to be eaten in times of scarcity. Consequently, each winter i America, as in Europe, a number of human beings were kilU ind devoured by hungr, Wolves. ■n u '•H Gray-wolf 767 During the last twenty years, however, I cannot find a never rehable instance of Western Wolves, or especially Manitoba iZi^i'*"' Wolves, killing or even attacking human beings. The following, related by George Frascr, of Winnipeg, aptly illustrates the disposition of Wolves to-day: In 1886^ he was travelling near Whitewater Lake, in southern Manitoba! He came on a Swede who was drawing a long box wagon in which were three or four quarters of beef. Sometimes on the load and sometimes running around were two large Gray- wolves, feeding on the beef in spite of the Swede's efforts to keep them off with a pitchfork. The driver and the Wolves dodged around the wagon for some time before the man heard Eraser's shouts to stand aside; when he did, Fraser shot both Wolves. The Swede said these two had been a pest for some time, killing his sheep and one colt. They had never offered violence to man. ;m| I have seen many recent newspaper clippings that re- corded harrowing tales of men, women and children devoured by grewsome packs, but each and all have crumbled into newspaper stories when fully investigated. The question then arises, are the old records wrong, or are the modern Wolves of different species ? The answer is, the modern Wolves are the same as the old ones, except in one particular, viz., that they have been educated by fear to let man alone. Man with the modern gun is a different creature from man with the bow and arrow. The Wolves have learned this, and are now no -nore a menace to human life than are the Prairie-wolves or Coyotes. Not only do they abstain from harming man, but they have learned that they ure likely to be harmed by him, unless they keep out of sight in the daytime. This, I think, is why Wolves are so rarely seen, even when com- paratively common. In accounting for these changes it is not necessary to at- tribute human intelligence to this animal. Evidently much hard luck and many unpleasant surprises have engendered in it a deep and general distrust of all strange things, as well as • ^l IV 768 Life-histories of Northern Animals a well-founded fear of anything that bears the taint of a human being This distrust, combined with its exquisite sense ot smell, may explain much that Iooks like profound sagacity in this animal. Nevertheless, this will not explain all, as I have had very good reason to remark again and again, when 1 have endeavoured to trap or poison Wolves on the catde ranges. . j ♦ And even ascribing much to mere shyness does not remove it from the sphere of intelligence, though doubtless ranking it lower in that department, making it a vague fear of the unknown, in place of a dread of danger well compre- hended. FisHiNQ One of the most curious instances, I find, is given by B. R. Ross. The evidence is purely circumstantial and not complete at that, but Ross was a good naturalist and evidently believed the case proven: "In the month of May," he says," "when the holes cut in the ice do not freeze up, ihe fisherman at Fort Resolution on visiting his trout lines, set at some distance from the Fort, discovered that several had been visited; the lines and hooks were lying on the ice, as well as the remains of a partly eaten trout, and a Wolf's track was observed about the place. The fact was the Wolf had hauled up the lines and helped himself to what fish he required. This occurred again and then ceased, the animal having been probably driven away by the .ogs of the Post." FOOD The diet of this species includes every kind of animal food, that he can secure, from Mice to Moose. Through- out the summer Mice and such 'small deer' are doubtless the staples. The coming of winter makes a radical change. First, it puts the small game beyond reach; second, it robs the Moose and Deer of the safe refuge afforded by the lakes and rivers, and thus brings these great niminants into the dietary of the Wolves. » Fur-bearing Anim., Mack. R., Can. Nat., January, 1861, p. 10. ^Ji' Gray-wolf 769 MOOSE- KILLER Writing of the northern species, R. MacFarlane says:" "These Wolves yearly succeed in killing as picy quite a large number of Reindeer and not a few Moose. On one occasion, vhile travelling upon the ice between Forts Liard and Nelson, in the Mackenzie River District, we came across a big patch of hard-packed snow on the Liard River where a large buck Moose had evidently been surrounded and no doubt overpowered, after a most gallant fight for life, by perhaps a score of ferocious and cowardly Wolves. A few well-picked bones and the skull were the only relics left. At a short dis- tance, however, we perceived a full-grown Gray-wolf, which was at once shot. It had one of its hind-legs shattered by a kick from the Moose, which so disabled it that it could scarcely crawl. Had its companions not been fully gorged, they would doubtless have fallen upon and eaten it, too." The havoc wrought by Wolves during winter among the Whitetailed Deer is well known, but at all times they prefer an easier prey, the easier the better; even carrion is always acceptable food, and I have several times heard of Wolves hard pressed in winter, filling their bellies with horse dung gathered on the highway. The habit of burying surplus food seems to be common to stor- all the Wolf tribe. Roland D. Carson writes me of the Wolves *°^ m the Philadelphia 7 no: "Our males and females often bury surplus food, but the females have not been observed to do so more than usual just previous to the birth of the young." Captain Craine's half-wolf train-dogs, if not hungry, would bury their food, and water on the place or even on the food. This latter performance is explained in the Wolverine chapter. These train-dogs afford much light on the ways of their phop- wild kinsmen. One of them will watch his cache all day and fN-" in Its defence fearlessly attack another that ordinarily he was ^"*" afraid of The big dog rarely presses the point under these " Mam. N. W. Ter., Proc. U. S. N. M., 1905, p. 69a. in n 770 Life-histories of Northern Animals circumstances, but acts as though he knew his cause was weak. This beginning of property law is of cardinal interest. These hoards may be of vital service to the Wolf, but the instinct, as at present developed, is very crude, and scarcely to be compared with the fine providence of Beaver and Squirrel. DOPING Wolves, as well as dogs, have a singular habit of rolling in carrion, or 'doping,' as it is called. They seem delighted with the opportunity of making themselves reck with stench of the foulest flesh or fish they can find. Although the dogs arc without the personal nicety of cats, they do have some habits of cleanliness, and spend a certain amount of time in dressing the fur. Who has not seen a dog bite the burrs out of his coat, or the ice balls from his legs ? A dog or a Wolf which is wounded or bleeding will take the trouble to remove the stains from his fur, and the myster>- of his rolling in carrion is unex- plained. It cannot be a pleasant smell to him, one would think, because often :s it is stuflF he will not cat. The suggestion i..at it is based on the sexual instinct docs not seem to hold, as female dogs, as well as males, will do it at any time. I know of no satisfactory explanation. VOICE The usual cry of the Wolf is a long smooth howl. It is quite musical, though decidedly eerie when heard in the woods r.t night. I cannot distinguish it from the howl of a large dog. Its beginning is also much like the hoot of a horned owl. This is usually the 'muster' or 'rallying cry'— the intimation of the Wolf to his friends that he has found game too strong for him to manage alone. It is the call usually heard at night about the settlers' huts. A second sound is a higher pitched howl, vibrating on two notes. This may be styled the ' hunting song'; it corresponds exactly with the full cry of a pack of hounds on the hot scent. A third is a combination of a short bark and a howl. It seems to mean the 'closing in' for a finish. There arc several others that I have often heard, but cannot comprehend. Some of my hunting friends claim that they can discriminate the calls of the she-wolf to her mate and r ■ ui^^ - w - ^ -''^*^'^^'^'- ■-- w I H^i V i fc|: Gray-wolf 771 her young; thr call of the young to their mothers, etc. I doubt not these signals are used, just as surely as dogs use corrc- sponding sounds among themselves, but I have not been able to distmguish them. The whining used by the young while still m the nest has already been spoken of, as well as the mother's similar response. Besides these sounds as a means of intercommunication, inter Wolves use example as already set forth, and scents. ^"^^'^'^■■ 1 he scent method ot communicating ideas I made the ^J* subject of an article in Forest and Stream, January 2? 1807 I reproduce the substance of it here. It is well known that not only each species of animal but smell that each individL-' has Its own peculia- <=mell, conclusive '^''" evidence of which is found in the fact tha - A dog has no difficulty in following his master through a cr^./d, or keeping to the track of the animal he is hunting, though it be crossed by the tracks of many others. It is further known that, even though it always retain its mdividuality, this personal odour varies with the condition of the animal. Thus a horse smells strong after exercise; Canada grouse and Snow-shoe Hares smell of spruce or cedar when they feed on these; a Mink smells differently when angry; dogs in ill-health become malodorous; Deer in rut become offensively strong-smelling; a female animal in rut is recognized afar by the scent. In many species additional effect is given to the body odouk- scent by the development of special glands which secrete a """^^^ strong odour. These glands are usually situated in a part which IS habitually brought in contact with the ground o the vegetation. Thus, in a Musk-deer they are on the side cf the belly; in the Peccary, on the back; in our common Desr on the tarsus, between the toes, and in the lachrymal fossa In some animals, however, the contact with the ground is secured in a different way. The glands are situated within the anal SI ^r ""^s. ™--r:r5a**tti,H!i. - m WOLF TELE- PHONES 77« Life-histories of Northern Animals and preputial orifices, so that the natural «^^«=»'°"«^;'' ';^";;;;; bear with them the taint which reveals so much to the next passer-by of the same species. In order that this second animal may find tl depot of intelligence quickly, it is necessary that his disco. cry of the Dlace be notlft to chance; and, incredible as it may seem at fissigl there is abundant proof that the whole of a region fnhabifed by Wolves is laid out in signal stations or intelligence depot Usually there is one at each mile or less, >^rymg luch with the'nature of the ground. The marks of the^ Tepots or odour-posts, are various; a stone, a tree, a bush, a BuS skull, a post, a mound, or any si-;^ar object set.^^^^ provided only that it is conspicuous on account of its colour opposition; usually it is more or less isolated, or else promi- nent by being at the crossing of two trails. Now, a man returning to town goes at once to his hote or club, glar^ces over the last three or four names on the register adds his own, then makes a more thorough inspection. And the behaviour of an animal arrived at an odour-post is precisely the same. It approaches, hastily cniffs the post, adds its own odour, then makes a more thorough investigation. The auen- tion that dogs pay to lamp-posts in town is P^e-ely Ae^^^^^^ habit, a trifle over-developed through idleness, etc., but it will serve to illustrate. I have many times seen a dog appr^ch the post, sniff, then growl, register, growl yin. and, with bristling mane and glowing eyes, scratch fiercely with his h nd- feet, and walk off very stiffly, glancing back from time to time. A^in, it is common to see a dog, after the P^hminanes he come keenly interested, trot about the vicinity, and come back again and again to make his own record more evident. At o£ times one sees the anim.l, suddenly aroused by the news^ Se up a recent trail or fly to the next signal post, and so continue in pursuit of whatever it was that was sensed. Wolves do precisely the same, but I believe they carry it "-- to a higher pitch, and there can be no doubt that a newly Gray-wolf 773 arrived Wolf is quickly aware of the visit that has recently been paid to the signal post— by a personal friend or foe, by a female -n search of a mate, a young or old, sick or well, hungry, hunted, or gorged beast. From the trail he learns further the direction whence it came and whither it went. Thus the main items of news essential to his life are obtained by the system of signal posts. The Wolf, as well as the dog, has further a habit of uri- expres- nating or defecating on certain things that appeal to his nose, s{,°'^jj"' without arousing his i. Dpetite. He usually follows this action by vigorously scratching the dust with his hind-feet over and around the object defiled. This treatment is commonly accorded to poisoned baits as well as to traps. I am inclined to think that Wolves have been taken in some of my hidden traps while thus serving them with a Wolf's contempt, and heedlessly going too near while doing so. On other occasions, stones raked into the trap by this scratching have sprung them, and thus they have been fully revealed. I am satisfied that scorn— that is, hate with superiority- is among the feelings thus expressed, for I once saw the victor in a fight between two female Coyotes urinate gleefully again and again on her fallen foe as she crouched in a corner of the cage. A scent-gland that has long been overlooked is on the base expres- of the tail above; its exact place is marked by a dark spot on anger" most of the dogs. In the Gray-wolf this spot is black, the hairs composing the spot are brisriy, and there is no under- fur at the place. When a dog or Wolf, ready to do battle, approaches a stranger, the tail is raised at base and drooped beyond, so that this gland is at the highest point and the hairs on It are raised. This doubtless allows the escape of more of this scent. In play, in battle, or in abject fear, there is no suggestion of this pose of tail. (See Plate LXV.) V h h M *l;" sr' as SOME RE- MARK- ABLE WOLVES n 774 Life-histories of Northern Animals Just as there are geniuses and heroes ^^^^^^^^l there are wonderful individuals among Wolves. These have always nterested me, and I have endeavoured to make records of the r lives. One of the first of them that I met was the Winnipeg Wolf. In March, 1882, while commg to Wmn.peg from St Paul, I saw a sight that stirred my blood. As the train flashed through an opening of the poplar wood« sj^th f St. Boniface, there stood a big Gray-wolf, erect and defiant surrounded by a motley pack of town dogs big and small. Hlwas holding all at bay. A small dog was lymg m the snow near him, and a big dog was bounding about ^omg some sp en- did barking, but keeping his safe distance. The tram passed and I saw no more. r,i,„ t>„,i A dog-driver was killed next winter on the ice of the Ked River while bound for Fort Alexander. The team were big fierce Huskies, and he was a strange driver. It was thought that he had struck at one of them with the whip, it had snapped back, and he, in retreating had fallen whereupon the four savage creatures had set oa him and ended by devouring h.m The counter theory was that he had been killed by a Wo o Wolves, of which the dogs are notoriously afraid. 1 he latter explanation found favour only with the dogs owner for the rea- son, people said, that he did not wish to lose his valuable team A large Wolf was seen several times afterwards about the city and at length was killed near the slaughter-house some said, by poison, dogs, guns, or all three. This was a male and weighed 104 pounds. It was mounted by W. R. Hme the taxidermist, and shown at the Chicago Exposition of 1893. This interesting relic was one of the valuable specimens lost in the Mulvey Grammar School when the building was destroyed by fire in 1896. ... I have, of course, no e-idence that in each case it was throughout the same Wolt, but in writing the story of Ihe Winnipeg Wolf" I took a writer's liberty in making them so. The other adventures ascribed to him really belonged to other Wolves in distant regions. . . ., r j t <.«. In the story of " Lobo," I assumed a similar freedom. 1 as- ! PLATE I.XVI.— BLANCO IN THE TRAP, from photocraph by E. T. Setoo. PtATE IXVn. — lOBO IN THE TKAP. Cumimpaw, Nrw M«xico, January 31, iSgj. From a photnfraph by E. T. Seton. PLATE I.XVI.— BLANCO IN THE TRAP, from photocraph by E. T. Setaa. ^1 ':i I, r f m^ (j>^ if !^^^ 1 1 IK 'i!!i 11 . r ■■■ W' i ■; 1 1 ''i If f' Gray-wolf 776 cribed to one Wolf the adventures of several, and I selected for him the most heroic exterior I could find in fact. But the final chapter recording his capture and death is given exactly as it happened, and was indeed the inspiring motive of the story. The following Wolves also became known by name in various parts of the Province of Manitoba: At Carberry, in 1897-8, a huge black Wolf appeared. He killed many sheep and calves and spread terror among the parents that had children going to school, but he never even threatened a human being. He was known as the Black BuflFalo-runner. He was killed by Alexander Langmuir. Another, the Virden Wolf, was killed at that place after a short but exciting career, by F. S. Baird, February 20, 1898. The photograph of this shows it to have been an ordinary Gray-wolf of medium size. While at Pine Ridge, S. Dak., in August, 1902, I was told by Dr. James R. Walker and many others, that during the past three years the country between here and the Bad- lands (15 miles) had been frequented by an enormous white Wolf. The Wolves, in this region, were increasing and becom- ing so troublesome that a twenty-five dollar bounty was paid for each scalp, but double was offered for that of the white Wolf. It was a female, as it was once seen with seven cubs. One of them was caught and staked out for a decoy, but the mother came by night, eluded the watchers, pulled up the stake, and bore off her offspring in triumph. She is flourishing yet. It is often said that Wolves are cowards, but this sweeping cour- statement seems not well-founded. They never voluntarily wol>S^ attack mankind, for the fear of man has been widely spread among them; yet a Wolf will attack and kill almost any dog. A Wolf has often been known to face a whole pack of dogs and carry off one of them in spite of the others about. Richardson says:" " During our residence at Cumberland House, in 1820, a Wolf, which had been orowling, and was wounded by a musket ball and driven ou, returned after "F.B. A., 1829, 1, p. 64. f ^1 I u I ' i i: If ' I m \n u »;,+ i! cmvAL- RY 776 Life-histories of Northern Animals it became dark, whilst the blood was still flowing fi .m its wound, and carried off a dog, from amongst fifty others, that howled piteously, but had not courage to unite m an attack on their enemy." . . r j — A full-grown Wolf will indeed fight any number of dogs in self-defence, and will die without a thought of surrender. This is not cowardice. . Nevertheless, individuals vary so much, m this higniy specialized animal, that we may expect to find some that are downright cowards, as well as others of heroic bravery. 1 he one described by Richardson may have been a noted desperado of his tribe. , , . , Exceptions to the rule may be accounted for precisely as in man; bodily well-being is an essential of physical courage. Richardson says" of the Barren-ground Wolves: "When reduced by famine they are very abject and unre- sisting. Mr. Bell once, while residing on Mackenzie's River, caught a full-grown, but famished Wolf in a marten-trap tied to a small log which it had not the strength to carry away. He went to the Fort for a line to lead it home, and the children who accompanied him back assisted in bringing it in by pushing it on from behind. It made no resistance and suffered itselt to be tied quietly to the stockades of the Fort. The experiment of taming it was not, however, made, and after the curiosity of the people was satisfied it was killed." Chivalry in its simplest aspect may be defined as considera- tion by a male for a female, on account of her sex, when the sexual passion is dormant. In this light it is fair to say that there is much chivalry among Wolves. Richardson records many instances of such kindly consideration; indeed, I have heard the question raised as to whether male dogs or Wolves will at any time attack female dogs or Wolves, and vice versa. I have no personal evidence to give that they will attack, but I have some evidence to show that they will refram from attack- ing. A case has already been noticed in the chapter on pairing. " Arc. Search Expcd. (of 1848), 1851, Vol. II, p. 87. I', ! I I 1- it •' \ i ; I: 1.'^.; «' .1 li-' 778 Life-hi8tories of Northern Animals SPEED The speed of the Wolf is often exaggerated. My im. ''"^ pression is'that zi or ^^ miles an hour would represent l^e htghest rate of an average individual for \»' ^'J'.J'^^'' mSch less than the speed of the Coyote, J-k-«bb^^^^^^^^^ Antelope, greyhound, or even foxhound; but the Wolt can keep it up l^n"^" '^^ ""^^^ *"^'"^*^- ^ '=°'"P^'*"'^ '"^^^ " given on page 233. The track of a Wolf cannot be distinguished with cer- tainty from that of a large dog. (See Fig. 199) ^™ Althoueh we must be cautious about receiving accounts of thf Gray wllfs ferocity, we are sure to be surprised by ?acts about its strength. I have known a young Gray-wolf scarceWsix months old. drag off a 100-pound bar of iror^ to wWch it was chained, taking it 200 or 300 yards without ^op- rin7and a quarter of a mile before discovered. This same Kould almost hold its own against an ordinary -an pullmg at its chain I have several times seen a Gray-wolf in a trap ;Voff with a drag that weighed considerably o-r i- po-^^^ Ld on one occasion I saw an 80-pound female that was Jraooed drag a 52-pound beef-head over rough ground faster ISi I couS follow on foot, and keep up the flight for one and ' '1 ;:ive\nown a Gray-wolf go off carrying the head of an o^ in his iaws and take it so far that I gave up following his ra^An r:u;t' I did not weigh the o-head ^ut foun th^ a small cow-head weighed over 50 pounds, so that it must have been at least 75 pounds. . . , . . t* :« The Wolfs great strength, indeed, is in his jaws. It is doubtful whether any dog. of truly domesticated race, has suA powerful jaws as the Wolf. It is generally believed by the Tunters that for this reason no dog has yet been found which, single-handed, could conquer a full-grown Gray-wolf The rope used for lassoes on the Plains is half-inch manma and'yet has often been cut through by a single clip of the Wolf's jaws when he has been lassoed. PLATE LXVIII.— THE GREYHOUNP THAT FOLLOWED TOO FAX. Wo« study by E. T. Seton. h\- \r^f^ it" • { m ^^ ^' "1^ Gray-wolf 779 The Hon. Theodore Roosevelt gives thus an instance" of a Gray-wolf killing a horse. "With a few savage snaps the Wolf hamstrung and partially disembowelled it." Many similar cases could be cited. The strength of its jaws is, doubtless, a cardinal factor in the Wolfs life-problems, not only putting it beyond danger from other carnivora, but also leaving all herbivora at its mercy. Doubtless its hold on environment is largely due also to endurance. A Wolf can live on one full meal a week; that is, a dozen meals at equal intervals would carry it through the winter. The Wolf that Archbishop Tachc tells of" roamed for a month in deep winter, at Isle a la Crosse, with a heavy trap and clog on his hind-foot. It is hard to see how he could have got a meal in all that time, and, though emaciated, he was very lively indeed when found. The species is credited by most hunters with cunning enough to hunt by combined drive and ambush, exactly as described in the chapter on the Coyote, but this I ha /c not personally witnessed. The Wolf of Ontario is known to be a good swimmer, swim- W. Lewis Fraser once described to me the antics of a family of Gray-wolves that he saw playing in the water like a lot of water spaniels. This was in Muskoka, during the month of September, and they therefore were probably a family. SOCIAL AMUSE- The dogs, and especially train-dogs, howl much on moon light nights in winter, and in a less degree at other seasons. ^^ They do not sit arour^ * «. a circle as has been stated, nor have any accompanying cercinonies been seen. They howl usually when some loud noise or one of themselves begins it. These remarks apply in a measure to Wolves. Unless this nightly chorus belongs to the class, I do not know of any social amuse- ments among th??e animals. A hint, however, is supplied by " Wilderness Hunter, 1897, p. 394. '• See Note i. SANITA- TION HVBUn- ITY AS TRAIN- DOCS 780 Life-histories of Northern Animals a «;aTon name still used in fee-sdale, England. A ccrt;.in place the e°s caTed "wolf LAe." hough there is "ot and never has bien any water near, but my friend. James Backhouse informs me that it was origin.lly "Wolf le ." that, the P^a- where the Wolves were supposed to play. (Anglo-baxon, laeken, to lark or play.) In sanitation Wolves h.vc il.- habits ..f ordinary dogs. They do not bury their dung > i' rl.ey Keep rhcu dens clear of U. The Eskimo or Husky -un , -^rain ot so.ne other doj; strk The readiness of the Wolf ar d tl,e Hu.ky dog to cross noted by all writers on the subject. Henr. .n h.s famou " jTurnal on Red River.- refers to this .s a -^" - thmg and ies a verv graphic account of the way m vh.ch the female does were unwittingly made to play Dc .h anc betrav the twoTves into the merciless hands of th.r human .k . .es^ A similar account is given by Richardson tor he temak ^"'TwX" UPP^^^^^^^^^^ the o.sp.ing of . Wolf and jHusky'hvelibou't'Kildonan, Man . -^ te"--;;^; district for about a year in the early 80 s. )nc wa> gray, on" Ted or liver colour. No one owned them; ,hey In a w. d^ George Eraser, of Winnipeg, my mforn^mt, fired at them several times with a shot-gun. without v.s-Me effect One day he got a rU3e chance at the red one with ^No ;.hot the beast got away, but never was seen again; probably it died. W F White, the taxidermist, of Winnipeg, 1. ormed me, not long ago. that he had no difficulty in selling .ving male Wolves, as they could be utilized to cross w.th an. .mprove the "''"'Hen^ also speaks of saving young Wolf cul to b. used for the trains." -Journal, A. Henry, 1799-18' ^. P"^^ *^7. i '66. " Franklin's First Journey, i«23. P 9° Hi. ,r> »7S- s-^^o. Gruy-woH T81 C 'uain I^iil Craiiic, v.f Pei skey, Mich., tells mc thar he spent vears a'nong the tiain-dogs ir Alaska a' \ Yukon; ownii lad and i und! nj» in that rime 200 do^s. Amoi.^ these he till-blo.«ir W( half breeds ol ouist or less of Well ' !i>od. The latter, he savs. >fon!» Piiougli b..r .iv,ay a^ thuui^h ivcd. ' shi Tlie Iv tar , . ie dir wild . >if - m the f !. lurled U[ ; Husk^ .g'. list used as 'rain animai Nfai v amonj the doi;s, and ail arc i,;ore i r ir so good 1 train lop It is m* f* or less shy, wa.ching it river IVrhais it i^ Un result f r»ic i into aii ij.c u^ fro •n< be o HI s ta' es ^tron ffort lil touch of the hand een a Husky dog and a s rarely abo\e leve' ■ ssivelv curled. W\ Ir luling, unusu i th; the tail is nf>r >es thi I to curl up. , jusi as a m s teeth clinch s. 1 doubt n t, if the //< ^or e strongest, instead of the leva or s, le " permanently curled between his leg*^. f this is found in a fact that I have ain of half-bred Wolves may set o' vvn, but the moment they come to St strain at the traces, their tails H there nusi le hi energy is S) ^cial'. !ire^ ob lien ■ 1 th Uf '■ violf mt Lies .It traiii-dr'S»'> ail woi Cor Jborauon ine^ 'bserved. A larne vith tails pice, xvv tb int . curl. The Hi Wolf'^ pars ain n|f at th. age of nme or ten is apt to droop his cars. •g's e. 3 are frequently drooped. A w ect. bi , according to Captain Crainc, the N, '>■■ anii.,dl nj; e mc t 1 irt Ft 1 .i^reai h; thun, and V observers attest the tamableness and doggincss of dogoi Ross says:" "A full-gro-An Wolf became, dur- ^hs ul July and August, 185^, quite domesticated ution Though rather shy of the people, it lived ij vith the dogs, playing and sleeping with . ng their food. Around the smoke made to keep off the myriads of noxious flics from the cattle, it reposed with the other animals, and, although there was a small calf " Fur-bearing Anim. Mack. R., Can. Nat., JanuaiY, 1861, p. 11. NESS wm m ■ c'l'V LATENT FEROC- ITY 782 Life-histories of Northern Animals in the band, it never attempted mischief. It was shot at by an Indian and never seen after." The Rev. J. A. McLaughlin," of Berens River, Lake Winnipeg, wrote me, March 9, 1893: " Wolves are quite numerous here this winter, but do not seem to band together, to any extent, and are not, so far as I know, dangerous. Last week one of the Indians on going to his cache, where he had been doing his fall fishing, found a splendid black Wolf in a trap. He tied his mouth with a line, took him out of the trap, hitched him up to his dog train, and made him help haul in the load of fish. The Hudson's Bay Company officer here had him chained up at the Fort, and intends trying to make a cross with one of his dogs. I have seen a number of Wolves, but none like this specimen. The fur is exactly like a Silver-fox in colour, thick and beautiful. The ears are much more rounded than usual, giving the head more of the appearance of a Bear than a Wolf. I have handled it, but there is never any sign of crossness, and no attempt at biting." D. T. Hanbury on his journey from Selkirk to Norway House, February 26, 1899, says:" "At this place [Derens River], I had the novel experience of riding in a sleigh drawn by a team which included a Wolf. This animal was muzzled and, though rather savage, worked well. I was told that a pure Wolf does not retain its stamina in captivity, but a half or quarter cross makes a most useful animal." It is hard to understand why the train-dogs should so fear the Wolves, if they are such near kin. Probably the wild ones are larger and the train-dogs more or less cowed by their life. The savage nature of the Wolf, however, is apt to break out at times in the train-dog, as already noted in my account of the Winnipeg Wolf on an earlier page. Another tragic incident of the kind took place recently on the Saskatchewan. "Mr. McLcughlin was drowned in Lake Winnipeg, September la, 1903, while faithfully doing his work. " Northland, Canada, 1904, p. 6. ■M Gray-wolf 783 It was reported to me by Dr. D. A. Stewart, of Winnipeg. A half-breed dog-driver was taking his team and his little boy to a distant post. He left the boy in charge of the team while he went after a Deer. On his return he found the dogs curled up asleep and nothing lef* of his son, except fragments of his clothes. The half-b--ed was a devout Catholic; he drove the dogs to the Trading Post, shot the four brutes, and gave them Christian burial. The diseases that have been observed to torment the dis- Gray-wolf are mange, scab, and rabies. I have several times ^^ heard of mange removing all of a Wolf's hair except a ridfe along the spine, and in consequence have arisen manv rumours of strange beasts in the land. Warburton Pike says:» "There was some sort of disease resembling mange among them [Gray-wolves] in the winter of 1889-90 which ^ad the effect of taking off all their hair, and judging from the number of dead that were lying about must have considerably thinned their numbers." Henry in his Journal makes frequent mention of scab. 1 hus:" "March 3. A large Wolf came into my tent three times, and always escaped a shot. Next day while hunting I found him dead about a mile from the Fort; he was very lean and covered with scabs." Rabies or hydrophobia seems to break out among them at times. Although Wolves do not ordinarily attack man in America there are one or iwo recent cases on record, from the ^'"''? w"'/;"^ ^'^'''' ^""^ '^''^ '' ^'«° «=^'de"ce that in each case the Wolf was rabid. Even as early as 1800 it appears to have been considered evidence of madness for a Wolf to attack a man, as Henry thus makes record at Park River:*" November i. « Last night the Wolves were very trouble- some; they kept up a terrible howling about the Fort, and * Barren Grounds, N. Canada, 189a, p. 53 Journal, A. Henry, -779-,8i4, pub. 1897, P- 194- - Ibid., p. 133. !■■ ■' I, ■ WOLF- KJLUNC 784 Life-histories of Northern Animals even attempted to enter Maymiutch's tent. A large white one came boldly into the door and was advancing towards a voung child when he was shot dead. Some of them are very audacious. I have known them to follow people for several days, attempt to seize a person or dog, and to be kept off only by fire-arms. It does not appear that hunger makes them so ferocious, as they have been known »« P^«%^,f 5f f f. °^ animals, which they might have eaten to the.r filK but they would not touch fiesh; their object seemmg to be tha ot biting. The Canadians swear that these are mad Wolves and are much afraid of them." And again:" , . , "April i8, 1810 [on North Saskatchewan]. Another mare was bitten in the nose by a mad Wolf and d^d the day after, foaming at the mouth and running around distracted. Wolves are so rarely seen that shooting is not to be relied on as a means of keep^ig them down. Hunting with dogs has been carried on with fair success, but it requires a composite pack of running, tracking, and fighting dogs, as well as the best of horses, so that it is somewhat expensive. , 117 i « :„ In the early days the Indians captured many Wolves in pitfalls. The following, from Henry's Journal, bears on this: "We had now [south of Turtle Mountain] a well-beaten path, but were several times in danger of breaking our necks in deep pits which the natives had dug in the path to catch Wolves and Foxes in winter. Some of thi-m are 10 feet deep, hollowed out to a space about 30 feet in circumference, whilst the entrance is no wider than the foot-path and about 5 teet in length. These holes are covered with dry grass at the season when Wolves are good, and every morning are found to contain some of these animals. In summer the grass grows strong and high about the mouths, entirely concealing them, until one arrives upon the very brink, and is in danger of tumbling in headlong." -/Mi., p. 594. -/W..P.3". Gray-wolf Ta-^ since the Wolves have learned the smell and dangers of strvch- '"^^ the Wo ves use as a 'calling station,' fill it with a mixture of strychnme and tallow, and then over the outside spread a coat ttis'tiU ;h " '."""•• '^'^ ^°'^" "•" •'^'^ -d gnaw" Jlv hV ^°"°" *"'' *""' *° ^°^'^' ^^ ''^^^^ '" former times they did so; now it seems to be losing its charm for them Hr. . TA T T ''^'''. ?^^ '°'"" «"^^«« •" poisoning with a drag. To do th^ I would take a lump of meat, or a bunch of the ;: 'a'"^ ^""^^ ^'^'""^ "^y ^°"<^ ^°^ ^«^n "^iles around the camp. At mtervals of a quarter of a mile I dropped a carefully prepared poisoned bait, two grains of strychnine in square. These baits are earned in a rawhide bag. are lifted vvuh ron or the human hand. It is well to mark in some way the place of each bait for future reference ^ The Wolves will follow the drag out of curiosity, even if leasHn"^' '". ' 'T'"^ '"^ '^' ^"'^^ ^^^' *hey will take it, or a least in olden days they used to take it. Then, again the drae does gcx>d service, the poison is not likely to aft befo e hf Wolf travels a quarter of a mile, and he may go a mile but he follows the drag still, and is picked up htJJ the ™ inctead g°L"8 off to die in some hollow where he cannot be found Of late however, the Wolves seem to have got a com- urittonthA^. V" ^°"°^ '^' *^^8. they commonly urmate on the ba.ts and pass on. It still answers for the Coyote ^ '' traps arc more successful because they call for less trap- so "ftn'^Vj^'^^^^'^- One way to employ these -'^ he line V M°"^u ^^^ P°''°° ^^"- Then at some spot on the hne. preferably where two or more trails meet, bury a lump of meat and around that, three or four feet away, severaltraps ?8() Life-histories of Northern Animals } t ii f carefully rubbed with blood or cow-dung or smoked, and never toi ched '. ith the bare hands. Each trap is fast to a separate drag; that is, a log or rock weighing forty or fifty pound , Drag and all must be carefully concealed. The trap is sunk in the ground till the pan is exactly on a level with the surface, then the space under the pan is filled with dry grass, Coyote fur, or, bes of all, cotton-wool. Dry dust is now sprinkled on everything, the trap logs and bait are com- pletely concealed, a few weeds thrown about, and, last of all, the foot of a Coyote or a Wolf is used to make a few reassuring tracks at the place. The foot of a female dog at the mating season lends an especially helpful touch. This plan seems to play on the Wolf's habit of burying surplus food. If the bait were in plain view he might find some suspicious taint, enough to make him keep his distance, but when it has to be dug out before examination, he has time to pass all around and to get into one or more of the traps. Sometimes the traps are set on the trails used by the Wolves in crossing canons or going to water. The disad- vantage of this is that a great many cattle get into them and it is an awkward job getting the trap oflF the foot of a range steer. He is not so grateful as he should be. If, however, the traps be not too large, they slip off the hard hoofs of the cattle when they happen to tread in them. An excellent plan is to put a bait up three or four feet from the ground in a rough place; then set traps in the open places that a Wolf would naturally walk in as he circled about suspiciously to inspect the bait. Yet another plan is to put the trap under water. A thin piece of stone is laid on the pan, and the trap sunk so that only this stone is above water. This is set eighteen inches from the dry bank, then a foot beyond the trap a bait is put on another stone. The Wolf reaching out to sniff the bait, naturally sets a foot on the dry stone between him and the meat, and is caught. The water in this method assists greatly in disguising the smell of the iron. This plan answers also for most other carnivorous animals. '^^ riATi: iMx— moon o\ tiik tkail. W ..If !!.j.J, i.v E. T. St-tun. 11: W-§ ^H ^ i '^«E mII ' •li .; ii'l'i^E li Mil i* Sk^ 1 3 1' ^K^i)^ BMH l^l^^JU. Gray-wolf 737 Wolf-hunters sometimes throw a marrow bone in the fire at sundown; this smoulders all night and makes an attractive smell that the Wolves can detect and are drawn by, though miles away. * When seized by the trap a Wolf bounds off with all hi-, strength. If the trap b '.e!d solid, something is likely to brt under the violence of the struggle, but fastened to a drag whi yields to each jcik, the Wolf is securely held. His efforts merely tire him out and he is usually found in the nearest cover or hollow within a few hundred yards of the bait As to the humanity of setting out such devices for catching wild animals there is little to be said. Nevertheless, it is not so much injury of the steel as the days of struggling and starva- tion that have caused the chief suffering, andlhis every trap^r aims to avoid by gp.ng at very short intervals to the traps. As a rule the less the animal has suffered the better the pelt The ranchman puts the matter briefly: We do not trap and poison for fun, but because the Wolves would soon ruin every man m the cattle business if we did not keep them down And we kill that way because there is no other .^y of doS Stated' fifJiT "^^^ ^['«'^"' Vernon Bailey, of the United th. I. w ,' "' P/^^*'' ^y ^""*' experiment that, since ^e young Wolves are born in March, when the snow is on the ground, It IS easy to track the parents home and exterminate t^^j:^-^ ^^-^- ««<^ s- i^epaLr^'f BeavIr''lSL7^ '^' ^J'^"^°'^ '' ^P'" °P^" ^^^ ^^' ^^at of a nnt Beaver, while Coyote skins arc cased like Fox and Mink The fur IS rich, full, and beautiful. It makes a fine robe, but is no aZuT ,u' ' ?«• ^' '' P"'"^ ^^^"^ November 15 to April 15 and brings from «i.oo to iJzo.oo. according to quality. March To^ r ^"""1 ^"'' '^^'' ^^^^ ^* Lampson's, March, 1906, there were 15,843 Wolfskins disposed of The ^t 788 Life-histories of Northern Animals unusuaHy fine blu. skms bu 3 K_^ ^^.^^ of ordinary :r:;na%';2i^c^«:/ varied ^^c;->"i » - '- - shillings C48 cents) to 30 shillings (J?")- i':S?^ IT- fi; 1 XXXIV. Northern Coyote, Bi^ Coyote, Prairie-wolf or Brush- wolf. Cams latrans Say. (L. Cams. . dog; L. iUr«„. frkfag; bec.^ u j. „,,, „, . j^^„ ^ ^^ other wild dog.) ' Can» Won. Say. 1823. Long's Exped. Rky. Mts., I, p. ,68 Type Locality.— Council Bluffs, Iowa. French Canadian, U Coyote. Cree, Mes-cha-cha-gan-is' . Saut., Mes-cha-chag^-an-is. OjiB., Mes-ta-cha*'gan-es. Yankton Sioux, Song-toke-cha. OcALLALA Sioux, Mee-yah-slay'-cha-lah. 'Cased Wolf is the old trade name of the Coyote, be- ^use .ts skin was cased like that of a Muskrat, while the Gray-wolf s pelt was spread out flat like that of a Beaver Nnrt^r P"""' <^haracters are as in the preceding, bui the Northern Coyote may be distinguished from the Gra^wolf first west bv 1"^?r ' ""T°"'' r'^^'' ^°y°*" °^ '^'^ f^r South- west by Its larger size, paler colours, and teeth of whicS the premolars and carnassials are "very large and greatly swollen/' Ed Hollf "^^ \ '"*!' ^'"*? "' Touchwood Hills. Sask.. by sn. Ed. Holhs. m the wmter of 1901-2, measured: tS '" ^^^ a feet 9} inches (850 mm.) Hind-foot'. 'I " (330 mm.) Ear 7j " (198 mm.) 4iV " (no mm.) 789 ' ■ ' ^ r 790 Life-histories of Nortliem Animals This was not unusually large, but it was the heaviest he '-\-:n7h^S!^':;:»rtorrG^o'; L. K^^^^^^^^ !;rf. sr:eX"'s: ^ft:dn:^ standard scales. As the date was early November, .t was ""'a WinnipeTtc^men (female) collected in .he October of 1908 by E. W. barbcy was: COLOUR Length of snout to tail-bone tip Tail Hind-foot Height at ihoulder* . . • • Weight 25 pounds. 4 feet I inch (i245 """) I foot 2\ inches (369 mm.) 8 " (203 mm.) I " 9 " (534 mm.) Richardson gives' 3 feet (915 mm.) as the length of the head and body o?a specimen he took on th« Saskatchewan^ JrNew Mexico. amoSg a score of Coyotes of the ocal orm Gesus) I found many of the above dimensions, but the heav ista male, weighed 31 pounds; the ordmary males were but 28 pounds and the females 24 pounds. "Muzzle dull and rather pale fulvous, finely sprinkled with «ay hairs (chiefly above) and with black hairs (chiefly Tn rh?eksV top of head from front of eyes to ears griz- zledlray^'Ae^pale fulvous zone of under-fur showing throuerbut the Ly predominating; ears deep, rich fulvous, parity sp^^^^^^^ -i'h black hairs; upper parts from ears Ttai" oarsely mixed buffy-gray and black; under parts and nnler lb whitish' long hairs of throat sparingly tipped with E4h%Tving the brL collar a grizzled appearance; fore- lees and feet dirty whitish, becoming dull clay colour on outer s de of ieg hindigs and feet dull fulvous on outer side, white on inne side and on dorsal surface of feet, the change from fulvous trwhite rather abrupt; tail narrowly tipped with ' F. B. A., 18J9, 1, p- 74- PI ATE LXX.— COYOTE HEAD. Lilc tudy n»d. by E. T, Seton, in .I«k«,'. Hote. Wyo., September ., .8^ i:H 'M V ? Coyote (91 black; its under side whitish basally, becoming pale fulvous or distal half and tipped and edged with black.'*^ {Mtrriam.') The first of fhc above colour descriptions fits word for word and hair for hair to the typical male Gray-wolf describe in the Wolf chapter (pp. 750-1). The only difference I find on comparing many skins of Gray-wolf and Coyote is in the under- fur of the back, which usually is gray-brown in the former, and sienna-brown in the latter. There are many exceptions, however, so that we n^st look to the size of the animal, with its cranial and dental character, for reliable diagnosis. Four races of the large Coyo^- are recognized: latrans Say, the typical form. 'ehracensis Merriam, similar but "everywhere paler; backs of ears buff instead of fulvous; skull and teeth smaller." texensis Bailey, like nebracensts,*'h\xx darker, brighter- coloured, and with lighter dentition; smaller, brighter, ..nd more fulvous than latrans." lestes Merriam, ver> '"ilar to latrans in size and colour, "cranial -^ • *.-s as in lebracensis, but SK .11 and teeth a '; > mcwhat larger." Life-history. While we speak broadly of the Coyote as thouj/' ir were one species, it should be remembered »f it scientists r "-ogni/e at least a dozen kinds thai are closely xiv. a A yet have their own peculiarities and habitat. But they a;,rce in their general style and character; the Coyotes everywhere arc sons of the •Th( Winnipeg gpecimen measured above agree* fairiy ^t! in colour with this (|p.Hcription, but has the lips fulvous, a black spot on the fon--. .rt of each fore-leg, and a large black spot on the base of the tail over the gland. 1 1 mder-fur every- where is plumbeous, t > pt on the throat, where it is pu-e white. • Revisiwi of Coyotes, Ppoc. Bio. Soc., Washington, Vo'. XI, pp. 19-31, March 15, 1897. I % . i % i m 4hi r; »'." RANGE HOME- RANGE 79« Life-histories of Northern Animals desert. Ishmaelites living by their wits Furthe:. they are alike in their vocal gifts-our Ishmaehte .s also a Troubadour The first of the Coyotes to be discovered was of course the one that is found farthest East It happens also to be the largest This is latrans, ' the barker/ so called by Say because iJwas the only known species of wild Dog that habitually barked. Its range, so far as known, is set forth on Map No 43, though I suspect it goes much farther north-westward than the lines would indicate. ,..«,j The spot near the Alaskan Boundary marks a new rc.ord. In 1907, Madison Grant secured a complete skin and skeleton of a Coyote killed near Whitehorse on Alsek R.ver Alaska, m February of that year. Dr. J . A. Allen exammed the specimen and found it closely related to testes.* r ,u „„ u In eeneral it prefers the untimbcred portions of the no h temperate regions, but the Prairie-wolf is tar from . -finu.g sTf to the open country. The woods from Pembma to R,ding Mountain, as well as immediately east of Winnipeg ^ well supplied with the species. I found it abundant a'-nut Lake Winnipegosis even on the east side of the water, e..n where fully 100 miles in direct line from open courl.y. Ana north-westerly its range extends into the forest 500 miles o Great Slave Lake. It is never found, so far as I can learn in the north-eastern or coniferous region of Manitoba, but it is more or less plentiful in all the south-western half of the Trovince. So much for the range of the species. The range of the individual is less easy to establish. How large is the home- range of a Coyote, or rather, a pair of Coyotes ? F or we shal see that this interesting little brute is highly moral as well as clever I should think, notwithstanding the popular notion ot rhe Coyote as a world-wanderer, that its hom. range is much less than 10 miles across. After consulting many hunters and . Bull. Am. Mus. N. M., Vol. XXIV, pp. 584-6, September 11, 1908. MAP 43 RANGE OF THE COYOTES. Thi-. chart U purely diitraramalic many of ihcfornu undoublrdlyoTrrUpur inlrrtratlr. II indrawn up ihicfly rri>m Dr. C. Hart Mcrriiir.'i Krjm.in of Ihr ( ..jiilM. i8g7. the lli<>l U. c;. Elliot. Vrraim Bailry. E .\ Prrbk. H. A. ;«ll«i, «nil Inim mjr ciwn niXrj in many parts lA Uh' Wr»;. Full invealigaLiiu mu»l grrally thangc the boundaries briwrcn the many (ornia and aif the Umnilarirn m Mciiio. Ttaa following an raco(niied : Ci4i niar Mcrriam. Daaart Oryota, Cmth acAmcwa Eachahoati. California Coyota, CaniB tItiUr Marriim. Colima Coyote, Canit geljmanl Marrlam, Caafi clraHciu DUot. Cmlt imfmtJm Allan. ABUN- DANCE 7M Life-histories of Northern Animals making numerous observations, I conclude that in the sum- mer a township (6 miles square) is more than ample huntmg- 2round for a pair of Coyotes. In winter, perhaps, twice as much is needed, in the north, and beyond this they never go of their own free will; outside this limit is foreign country to them. But they do not occupy any area to the exclusion of their kind • probably the ranges of at least half a dozen pairs overlap on the same hunting-ground, which assumes a general popula- tion of 10 to the township. These calculations would, if correct, give us a Coyote population in Manitoba of 12,000. Or, ap'p iching the question from another view, in 1904 the Manitoba, government paid bounties on 4,541 Praine-wolves killed :n the Province. The testimony of all observers is that the Wolves are increasing in spite of this destructior^ therefore the annual increase is greater than the annual kill. This would presuppose an original population of at least 5,000, which we may safely accept as a minimum of Coyotes in Manitoba, and of course they are condensed in the south-western half of the country. , „ . 1 t That this is a low estimate the following shows: in Shields' Magazine for April, 1904,' Jack Comegys describes a recent Coyote drive at Evans, Colo.; about 20 square miles (half a township) were included, and Fome 40 Coyotes rounded up- that is, 80 to the township, or say 2 to the square mile. Further according to the United States Biological Survey,' the State of Kansas (81,700 square miles), in the year ending July I 1904, paid bounties on 20,000 Coyote scalps, out their numbers were not perceptibly diminished; at least as many- the Colorado evidence would say even double as many- were left, which would make the population above i to 2 square miles, or 20 to the township. If anything like these rates of population prevail over then entire territory, we shall have a total of fully 1,000,000 of the • D. E.^LanU. Bull. No. ao, Biol. Surv. U. S. Dep. Agr., 1905, p 9- Coyote 795 large Coyotes on the 2,000,000 square miles over which they are found. ^ The species is but slightly gregarious. The most I have soav ever seen m one day were 8, and the most at one spot, were i """ They were gathered at a dead calf and scattered immediately after their feasc. The most I have heard of together were 12 also attracted by a carcass. W. R. Hine tells me that he has seen 5 together, never more; these were at a dead animal- 3 are the most I ever saw travelling in company, and the most' he ever met with in one day was a dozen during a 6c^mile drive along Red River, in the autumn. Six Coyotes were seen by Lew Wilmot,' as they were chasing a Deer, in the spring of the year at Oroville, Wash «r ^''S^'V Quotes were seen together in August by Henry W Wende, of Sunnyside, Wash. They were near a drinking place in the Yakima Valley and may have been a family, but they looked fully grown. A dozen are the most in one band that I can learn of These were seen and heard near Humboldt by Professor John Macoyn on October 15, during his journev from Fort Carkton to Winnipeg in 1875. Early one morning, as he sat by the hre after his wagon had gone, they gathered about him and sitting on their haunches, some 75 yards off, all howled their loudest personal information. As will be shown later, the Coyotes frequently combine their efforts for the common good, although they do not habit- ually go or live in bands. I should therefore say the species was sociable, though but slightly gregarious. Intercommunication of ideas is well developed among .vter Coyotes. The smell-telephone with the smelling posts is largely S'""^' used but they afeo communicate many ideas by example ^"" Their remarkable vocal powers are at least as important as any. The principal sounds they utter are described in another paragraph. ' Forest and Strewn, April lo, 1S97, p. 984. TION 796 Life-histories of Northern Animals j.'i 'V ,' MATING It is the opinion of all persons fam.har w.th .ts habits that this animal is strictly monogamous. It .s usually seen Zg\l or in pairs, mostly in pairs. Every scrap of recorded evidence that I can find, as well as all my own obse-nons eo to prove that winter and summer it is the rule fc»^ 2 Coyotes to run, hunt, and live together. Even the 6 descr.bcd by L. Wilmot ^ere in 3 pairs. And since th.s un.on holds the ^ year round, we may safely mter that the species pairs for life. As a natural corollary the male helps in raising the brood. A. S. Barton says that the male aids the female with the young, at least till they are able to leave the den. In autumn, male and female are always found together, but he never saw the whole family together at this time. The young may have scattered, or those observed may have been a barren pair; such are frequent The actual mating season is about the middle or during the last two weeks of February. DB, Their usual denning place is one dug by the Coyotes themselves, in some sunny bank, but they may use an aban- doned Badger hole. The entrance is about 10 by 20 inches and is commonly concealed in the bushes. The actual nest is sometimes lined with a little grass and fur, and sometimes is quite bare. Barton sends the accompanying plan and description of one which he examined near Boissevain, Man. (Fig. 200). Apparently it had been dug by the present owners, and was much the same as the dozen or so others he had invcsti- eated The air-hole, located after close search, was, as usual, an old Gopher hole, enlarged from below and directly over the nest- he supposes it was made to admit fresh air to the cubs. SfnK - — Fio. Kjo-nia|tr«n. o« the Coyotr Drn opened by A. S. Blrtoo, »l BolMev»ui, Mma. Coyote 797 I have not seen this ventilator, but may have overlooked It, as 1 had not heard of such a contrivance when last I ex- amined a Coyote's den. It is well known that a family will have several dens, some of which are, as Barton says, "sleeping places for use dunng the heat of the day, which is one reason resultr"""^"^ ^"^'"^*' *° ^'^ °"* ^°y°^'' '^'"' °'"**^" ^^'^ °^ ADril^rf^th!'T""ru v^""". ^"""^ '^' ^"-^^ half of April, vou^o *h V I ^'"^ ^""'^ Zoological Park and April 20 in the Washmgton Zoo represent the ex reme dates at hand 1 hey number from 3 to 10, but are usually 5 to 7 , », I '^ Tr^''""^ ^"'^ ''"'P^*^''' ^"* '^^""^d with close, dark ash-coloured fur. .nJlu' f ""^"^ ^'"'^'^ ''^^^ ^^" ^^^'^^ '« "ot permitted to enter the home tor some days after their birth, but I have not been able to confirm this belief. vnurtArV^^u^"!' f ^" ^^' ^^^^^ ^"^ ^'^ devotion is vouched for by all who know him. Dr. W. T. Hornadav informs me that the father of the brood born April 9 took a keen mterest m the young, and became vcr' officious, even vcious ,„ the.r defence. Their eyes opened on eighth and nmth days, variously. When about three weeks old the mother would car^r them out into the sun, or about the yard out .^o '^;- ^' ^'' """^^ '^'y ""^ ^^^ «"°"gh to walk so^kfaTknol'.:^ ^"' "" '-' '' '-'-^'^'-^ - -y -- Keeper Carson, however, assures me that in the Philadel- phia Zoo, where the Coyotes frequently breed, the mother Grfolf'^tl" ^'^"^ regularly, Exactly' as doe's the mother Uray-wolf. When some six weeks old, both parents begin to bring solid food to the little ones, and the entrance to the den ofThrprey ^'''^"'' ^"' ''°""' '"^ °'^" """"" mntJ*"!^*!""^ t'\ '° ''*'^" '° '^'^ ^"^ welcome father and mother back with the new catch, that they make little path- ways from the den to all the near points that give a view. Here i ii m. 798 Life-histories of Northern Animals they will sit and watch, but are ever ready to skurry home on tiie slightest alarm. ..or ^, A glimpse of their life at this time was secured by Professor John Macoun, of Ottawa, Ont., while exploring near Crane Lake. Sask., in 1884. On June 23, he came on a Coyote famdy -father, mother, and at least 3 young ones. At his approach all ran intd the den. . . As they get older, Barton says that the cubs scratch out litde pockets leading from the main den. In diggmg after them, these are frequently covered over and escape notice, so that some of the litde ones are never found. ., r: . I have a most interesting photograph by William McFad- den, of Denver, showing 9 young Coyotes playing about the door of the house. This was taken in J une. The young were about one-third grown; both parents were seen in attendance on them, and when they found that the home w^as discovered, they moved the young ones elsewhere. (Plate LXXl.) This habit is quite general among Coyotes. Barton writes that on Mav m. 1905. he found a den m a ravme a mile out of Boissevain, Man. The mother was running around and the pups squealing deep in the hole. But vvhen he went back next day to dig them out, f^^e litter had been moved evidently to a distance, for a car.'ul search in the neighbourhood failed to locate them. In July the young are half grown. They now begin to run with their parents and learn the arts of hunting. At this season the mother especially guards and trains them carefully. Her warning call of danger is a very distmctive cry— a pro- longed, quavering yelp or squall, rising in pitch towards tlie end. . . .• " I remember [says Barton] on one occasion I was hunting a young Coyote, when the mother coursed along a neighbouring height uttering this cry. I had two foxhounds in leash, they were after her, but a few minutes later came racing towards me in terror, closely pursued by the mother. They were so embarrassed by the leash and she was so active that she ran around and bit them as often as she chose." ii! ifiBB Coyote 7M In October the young arc as big as the parents and the family is scattered. Food is still abundant, although the Ground-squirrels have retired to their winter quarters, and the Coyotes are sleek and fat, but from thi;i time on the struggle for life grows hard and deadly. "Wolves, and probably Coyotes [says Bailey*], do not breed till 2 years old, which accounts for the presence of roving bands during the breeding season." The only migration that I know of in this species is the miora- casual one in search of shelter or better hunting. In January, \ TION I Fig. mi— Tncka o( CotoK. (Lift ilit.) 1883, after a three days' blizzard at Carberry, Man., the Coyotes were seen moving all day from the north to the south- west. Eight individuals I saw, and the trails in the snow told of many others taking the same course. The wind was south- west. Barton says that in stormy weather there is a sort of local migration of the species from the Souris Plains to the sheltered region of Turtle Mountain. The food of the species consists of every kind of fish, flesh, food or fowl that it can master alive or discover dead. Ground- •V. Bailey, Circular No. 63, Biol. Sur. U. S. Dep. Agr., April J9, 1908, p. 7. n w HABira CVN- NINQ 800 Life-histories of Northern Animals .quirreU. Mice. Rabbits, frogs, snakes, eggs, and fledgl.ng birds are on its bill-of-farc, and the hen-yards .s well ns the sheep-folds are levied on n times of need. Marv Austin gives an admirable picture of i prowling Coyote ?n her "Land of Little Rain":' 'Watch a Coyote come out of his lair." she says, "and cast about m h.s m nd where he will go for his daily killing. You cannot verv well tell what decides him, but very easily that he has decided. He trots or breaks into short gallops, with very percept.hk- pauses to look up and about at landmarks, alters his tack a little, looking forward and back to steer his proper course. "I am perstiaded that the Coyotes m my valley, which is narrow and beset with steep sharp hills, m long passages steer by the pinnacles of the skyline, going with head cocked to one side to keep to the left or right of such and such a proniontory.^ trailed a Coyote often, going across countiy, perhaps to where some slant-winged scavenger hanging in the air signalled prospect of a dinner, and found his track such as a man. a very intelligent man accustomed to hill country, and a little cautious, would make to the same point. Here a detour to avoid a stretch of too little cover, there a pause on the nm ot a gully to pick the better way-and it is usually the best way- and making his point with the greatest economy of effort. The Prairie-hare and others of the Plains beasts often find safety in superior fleetness when pursued by the Coyote. But the latter sometimes succeeds by cunning, when all its strength and speed might fail, as the following instance, show: John a GoflF, the hunter, tells me that while freighting between Rifle and Rawlins, Colo., some years ago, he saw 2 Coyotes chasing an Antelope. They worked a distance apart keepinj; the Antelope running zigzag between them, so that it really did four times the running of either. It w.is n«rly exhausted and ran up to his horses for protection. The • 1904, pp. jt'-J'- ^IrtHMtt Coyote 801 Coyotes then held off. He had no gun, but he threw a rope around the Antelope's neck and, being in need of meat, cut its throat, and threw it into the wagon. In an article on "Coyote P.T-tnership," Dr. George Bird Grmnell, referring to the Coyote plan of running an Antelope down by relay chasing, says:'* "Of course the Coyotes do not catch every Antelope they Stan. Sometimes the game runs such a course that it does not pass near any of the waiting Wolves, and only the one that starts it has any running to do. In such a case the pursuit is at once abandoned. Sometimes the Antelope is so stout and strong that it tires out all its pursuers. * * ♦ Two or three years ago I camped one afternoon near Rock Creek, and as there was very little feed we turned the horses loose at night to pick among the sage brush and grease wood. Early in the morning before sunrise, while the man with me was getting breakfast, I started out to get the horses. They were nowhere to be seen, and I climbed to the top of the hill back of camp, from which, as it was the only high place anywhere about, I felt sure that I could see the missing animals. Just before I got to the top of the hill an old doe Antelope suddenly came m view, closely followed by a Coyote. Both of them seemed to be running as hard as they could, and both had their tongues hanging out as if they had come a long way. Suddenly, almost at the heels of the Antelope— much closer to her than the other Wolf— appeared a second Coyote, which now took up the running, while the one that had been chasing her stopped and sat down and watched. The Antelope ran quite a long distance, always bearing a little to the left, and now seeming to run more slowly than when I first saw her. As she kept run- ning, it was evident that she would either run around the hill on which I stood or come back near it. At first I was so inter- ested in watching her that I forgot to look at the Wolf that had stopped near me. When I did so he was no longer at the place where he had stopped, but was trotting over a little ridge that ran down from the hill, and watching the chase that was " Foiwt and Stmm, Febnuiy 6, 1897. 802 Life-histories of Northern Animals now so far oflF. He could easily have run across the chord of the arc and headed the Antelope, but he knew too well what she would do to give himself that trouble. After a little it was evident that the Antelope would come back pretty near to the hill, but on the other side of it from where she had passed before, and the Wolf which I had first seen chasing her trotted out 200 or 300 yards on to the prairie and sat down. The Antelope was now coming back almost directly towards him, and I could see that there were two Wolves behind her, one close to her heels and the other a good way further back. The first Wolf now seemed quite excited. He no longer sat up but crouched close to the ground, every few moments raising his head very slowly to take a look at the doe, and then lowering it again so that he would be out of sight. Sometimes he crawled on his belly a few feet further from me, evidently trying to put himself directly in the path of the Antelope and this he seemed to have succeeded in doing. As she drew near him I could see that she was staggering, she was so tired, and the Wolf behind could at any moment have knocked her down if he had wanted to, but he seemed to be waiting for something. The Wolf that was following him was now running faster and catching up. "When the Antelope reached the place where the first Wolf was lying hidden, he sprang up and in a jump or two caught her neck and threw her down. At the same moment the two Wolves from behind came up, and for a moment there was a scuffle in which yellow and white and gray and waving tails were all mixed up, and then the three Wolves were seen standing there tearing away at their breakfast." In the October of 1893, while living in New Mexico near Clayton, I had an opportunity of watching a joint hunt of Prairie-dogs by 2 Coyotes, no doubt a pair. Early in the morning I vwis on a rugged hill overlooking a plain on which was a Prairie-dog town. One Coyote was in an arroyo or dry watercourse hidden from view. The other walked openly and calmly toward a Prairie-dog that was barking vigorously PLATE IXXII. — THE RELAY CHASK. To illustrate the Coyote's manner of combining drive .-,nH „„hu5h with relav chains. Kiihoat whirh nw th*v f.-«!d not iatrturc the witter Antelope. "^ I i* ' w m w^^^M,V Coyote 803 on its mound. The Coyote paid little heed but walked so as to pass within 20 yards. The Prairie-dog dodged down. 1 hen Coyote No. i continued his leisurely walk, while Coyote No. 2 rushed forward and hid behind another mound. Very soon the Prairie-dog began to peep out, and seeing the Coyote at a safe distance he scrambled onto his high outlook to hurl defiant little barks after the foe. But the Coyote behind sprang and all but caught him before he scrambled into safety. In this case the combination failed, but evidently it must oftentimes succeed. On October 3, 1902, while driving near Meeker, Colo 1 saw a cow defending her new-born calf from a Coyote' 1 he calf was able to stand, and 2 or 3 steers lent some aid to the cow. The Coyote walked about openly and quietly or sat on his haunches some 20 yards away. The cow and steers went on feeding but kept an eye on the Coyote, and the mother always managed to be between the calf and Ms foe Occasionally one of the defemiers would throw up his head shake his horns, snort, and even run a few steps at the Coyote' but there was a marked absence of action in the little drama' Doubtless It would continue so, unless the villain got a chance to rush m and inflict a deadly wound. Coyotes rarely molest calves or pigs in Manitoba, but they sheep- are very troublesome among other live stock. In the summer ""^'^ they kill many turkeys that roam afield far from the protection ot the house dog, and sheep are particularly subject to their inroads. They have, indeed, nearly put an end to wool- raising in the Province. They destroyed all Barton's sheep, m^riably selecting the fattest and best. At first it was found sufficient to put bells on several of the flock. But the Coyotes have got so far accustomed to these that the bells now protect only the sheep that wear them; some shepherds aver that these sagacious little Wolves will get up at night and listen for the sheep bells, so as to know where an easy supper is awaiting 804 STOR- AGE h' I u m. Life-histories of Northern Animals OMNIV- OROUS George H. Mcasham writes me from Shoal Lake m December, 1899: "Wolves are on the increase and becommg a regular pest. Many people have abandoned keeping sheep on their account. Although a bounty of $2 is paid for them, thry manage to keep out of danger in a way only equalled by ■ iiemselves." Like many others of the family, the Coyote has the frugal habit of storing food for future use; whether it can thus effectually hide it from plunderers, or whether indeed it always remembers the spot afterwards I cannot determine, though 1 think it unlikely that an animal with its high mentality, its jense of locality and fine nose, could fail of goi g to the spot The following incident witnessed by A. S. Barton is a good illustration of the storage habit. "I was mowing hay in my coulee, when I noticed, some distance away, a Coyote carrying somethi g in his mouth He trotted down the hill and with some difficulty through the long grass, but presently stopped and began to bury his booty in a mole-heap, covering it with his nose, as a dog does. Un my approach he decamped and watched my proceedings from the nearest hill, and, curious to know what he had been burying, I unearthed his cache, and found, to my surprise, a fine turkey gobbler, still warm and uninjured, except that its neck was broken I had no time and less inclination to advertise for an owner, but accepted 'the goods the gods gave' and earned my prize home. Our next Sunday dinner was much appreciated, and we cheerfully drank the health of the purveyor, and of my unknown neighbour also." While a hunter by profession and by choice, there is nothing in the way offish, flesh, or fowl, ancient or modern, that the Coyote disdains for food. In the South-western States it has gone farther, developing there the watermelon habit and I was not surprised to find it a fruit-eater in the far North- west. tit Coyote 805 Alta^rialto^o^'"'""' ^'^'''^ °" '^' ^'^^^^^^^ River, fr wJ K I ""'' \9°7. were sent to the Biological Survey at Washington for analysis. The following remains n thlm were Identified by Edward A. Preble and W. L Mcltee Dcrries. Araha nudtcaula, many berries and seeds; Microtiis drummond,, some hair (apparently) and portion of sku ' ^Tofs^mrfir teerrrT^^ ^^^^' ~ man,,, r- ^ '"»". water-beetles {Cortxa), remams of a good r^Ant^Srn:? ^''^''"'°^'- ^--'"^' --- °^^^- th,t J^"" "^'"^^ ''' ^^'^^"^se. the season of peril for all creatures t s^nd the T: T ' ? ^"PP'y °^ ^°^' - hiberna e. Can P K u, *^t^'"»*^'"? « the crucial test of all Northern soecie. Probably the chief thing that carries the Coyote ^cTthrr^h IS the new supply of food brought in by Adr «emv-the 7T~^fVc' ^•"^^-'^•"<^d sheep and'^cattle These Ire dragged forth from time to time, and at each carcass half w^M dogs contend in nightly feast with Coyot«Tbo^ m e while a b.gGray-wolf fills his capacious belly. .ffnJ^"*" "^ '?*''^' disadvantages in this food supply it «ange affords a certain place for traps and poison to be laid; Edreds TherrA""^ "°' ' ^'" *^°«^ ^'' *hus destroyed eve^ year from over-feeding on dead horses. I do not know the evidence for this explanation or against it. The mange speedfly rls meanTTeLr"' ^"' '" ^ ^^""^^^ ^-^ o^ -^^i: that clv^tl''"'^' '" '*^'' ^ "^^ S^"*^'^"y ^«s"^<^d by residents growing scarce. As many as 70 or 80 skins were to be seen hanging in Carberry at the same time, and the price for the pnmest had then dropped from 151.50 to 7. cent A L-' farmer. Thomas Kerr, said that'on'e wi/teVrLirie-tSf I * 1^ MEN- TAL- ITY 806 Life-histories of Northern Animals without any hair on it hid itself under his straw stack, and although driven away by his dog, it returned and ensconced itself under the granary, where he shot it. It had some disease which had robbed it entirely of its ha.r, excepting a little patch on the shoulders, and it was trembling with cold. Another instance which shows how hard pressed the Coyote is at times by hunger was related to me by another Manitoba resident, Robert McCullough. ^ At Carberry one winter's morning he went with a Her in his hand to get some feed from the driving shc^ he door was a little open, and he saw as he approached a -uimal which dashed about in the gloom of the shed. Its actions showed it to be a wild creature. He ran to the door just m time to prevent its escape. Barring the passage wuh the boiler, he rushed to the st. .le and back with a fork. The creature a Wolf, took refuge under a reaper and there McCullough speared it, but the fork only pierced the loose skin of its belly, and it turned on its enemy, who held the fork to the ground with all his strength, and was barely out of the reach of the Wolf's jaws, for the handle was short but he dared not withdraw the fork to strike again, and he had nothing to finish the animal with, so it was a deadlock After a struggle however, the man got the end of the handle fixed under a beL and rushed off to get a club. On returning, the Wolf was gone, apparently for good. But the next morning it was found within a few yards of the same place, quite dead, for the fork had pierced its bowels. But why should it return to the shed? The Prairie-wolf is mentally a compound of Fox and Wolf While gifted with a good deal of cunning that is shown in its avoidance of traps and its method of taking its prey, it is also a desperate fighter when at all evenly matched. I have more than once seen a Coyote run across an open stretch of black ploughed land, then on a piece of dry yellow grass sink into concealment. It matched it perfectly m col- our but was probably actuated by the idea that it was cover. .'J Coyote 807 c J^^^°y°" '« '"8 shy and cunning than the Gray-wolf. 1 find the following characteristic note in my New Mexico Journal: "Clayton, December 14, 1893. This morning I found that a small Gray-wolf had run my drag till he came to the first trap; there he turned aside, passing three cheese baits A second very large Gray-wolf struck the drag just before the second traps. He passed them unhurt, then came to a cheese bait, urinated on it, and had then left the drag altogether A Coyote that was following him on the chance of pickings. S^Ir u"}^^. ''^" ^"'^ ^^' ''^P* ^'■°'" •* by the treatment the Wolf had given it, but went on a mile and a half, picked up a poisoned cheese bait, and then half a mile farther got caught in the next trap, where I found him stark and dead. It takes a wonderfully good dog to kill a Wolf Yet I knew a collie, 'Old Frank,' the property of my neighbour. John 1 hompson, of Carberry, Man., that had several times run down and killed Coyotes single-handed. I saw him actually perform this feat in the November of 1882. The Wolf faced hini anam and again, but he managed each time to escape serious injury from its jaws, and when the Wolf turned to fly he woi.' snao at its rear. On skinning the Wolf I found that thed fv had sunk deep into the Wolf's flesh each time, soth a-legs were disabled. This Wolf, however, died gamely i.e,ntiag. In my early days I caught a great many Wolves in traps- many scores, if not hundreds— and I found great diversity of behaviour among them at this trying time. Some were utterly cowed, and submitted to the death penalty in sullen silence, others struggled to escape, some yelled defiance, and not a few barked and growled savagely, trying to reach me, raging and defiant to the end. I have often known a Coyote to tempt a dog to chase him, then, at a safe distance from the dog's human backers, turn on him and drive him back with noisy demonstrations that looked like a wild practical joke. !.V " 'f 'i i ■■ T r • ; I : t A ii 808 Life-histories of Northern Animals On March 18, 1883, I had an experience that shows somewhat of the mind of the Prairie-wolf. About 9 A.M. I was leaving the barnyard with team and sleigh to get a load of wood. As I rounded the stable I came into full view of a dead calf that was lying on the open prainc 75 yards away. A Wolf was tearing at the calf; he saw me plamly but went on with his eating. Of course I had no gun ; I knew that if I stopped now to get a gun the Wolf would run. So 1 kept straight on. I passed within 30 yards of him; he watched me, but kept on eating. After I was 300 yards away I turned back by another road, intending to go cautiously to the house and get the gun, but the moment I left the beaten road that watchful Wolf seemed to divine my purpose, and ran as though already the lead were flying after him. A similar incident is narrated by Dr. W. T. Hornaday. " The delicacy of the Coyote's judgment in keeping always beyond fair gun-shots is truly wonderful. If he is not a mind- reader his actions belie him. Twice in Montana, each tunc for two weeks, have I tried my utmost to shoot a Coyote; but during those periods not one would offer more than a running shot at three hundred yards or more. Twice, however,— and immediately after the above,— when riding quite unarmed, have Coyotes sat down beside the trail, waited for me to zp- proach within forty yards, then yawned in a bored manner, and slowly trotted off. It is my belief that those animals knew perfectly well my inability to shoot." This is an incident of a kind that has led many to credit this animal (and others) with the power of telepathy. Before accepting such an explanation we must have many cognate instances recorded by trained observers and also have a fuller knowledge of the animal's sense-capacity in an ordinary way. FIGHT- In August, 1886, I saw 2 female Coyotes fight in a cage. '"^ They snapped chiefly at each other's necks. The victor, how- ever, disabled and subdued the other by a serious bite m the " Amer. Nat. Hist., 1904, p. 24- 1^ Hi - 11 1 il i! ill H I Ui f ■J 'I 4 I v.;oyotc 800 fore-leg, then amused herself by gro'vling ad urinating elaborately over the fallen foe; a treatment to which the van- quished submitted with every appearance of abject fear. This disposition tu spurn and insult a conquered enemy seems peculiar to the dogs. Nothing of the kind is observable in cats. When a cat's enemy flies, the victor is done with him, but flight of the foe is the strongest incentive in a dog to pursue for a time at least and cover himself with glory. The speed of the Co^ Jte is great, and has often been the spieo subject of admiring comment, but I think it has been over- rated. After collecting data of various kinds, such as actual known records of dogs and ht-vses, also the comparative records of dogs and Hares, or horses and Foxes, Wolves and hounds, hounds and automobiles, I have attempted a scale of comparative speeds. This appears in a different form in t'e Antelope chapter, p. 233 : Blood Race-hone coven a mile in about i minute 40 lecondi Pronghomed Antelope Fint-clau Greyhound Jack-rabbit Common Fox Northern Coyote Foxhound American Gray-wolf 1 " 50 2 minutes o 2 " 10 2 " 20 2 " 30 2 " 40 3 " o Many hunters would set the Kit-fox or Swift yet above the Greyhound, especially for a short rac< I ut I hav lad no personal experience with the species in a , lase. The little Prairie Cottontail, can, I believe, get away from the Swift in a hundred yards dash; they cannot keep it up for long, but their initial velocity is incredible and baflles the eye, not a leg, not a Rabbit is to be seen, nothing but a white streak across the prairie, till it promptly disappears in some burrow. What actually counts in the race is, as usual, the trifle more speed that each animal can command. For example, the Gray-wolf makes 650 yards to the minute and the Coyote about 700. But that 50 yards makes all the i h I ■'i *■ 1 if 810 Life-histories of Northern Animals difference between living and dying. That 50 yards margin is probably the foothold on which the whole Coyote race has been built up. . • 1 1 r These rates, it will be seen, trench on the especial realm ot birds: small birds make only 25 to 30 miles an hour. It is a well-known principle that the special development of an animal is its most variable part. Thus the peculiar bell in the throat of a Moose varies enormously; the bill of the Long- billed Curlew, the neck-feathers of the Ruff, the spots of the Ocelot, the white bands of the Skunk, the horns of the Elk, are so varied that rarely two are found just alike. Speed is one of the peculiarities of the Coyote as it is of the greyhound, and we must, therefore, look for gicat variations of rate. I have selected an average for my calculation, but there are occasional individuals. Coyotes of rare gifts, whose speed and endurance would put them very near the top of our scale. An individual of this description lived for three years on the north slope of Turtle Mountain, near Boissevain, Man. He was known as the 'Greyhound Coyote.' A. S. Barton hunted him many times with first-class greyhounds, dogs which ordinarily had no difficulty in catching a Coyote, and, though the chase was several times over open prairies, he has always left the dogs behind in a straight three-mile run, and safely reached his retreat in the wooded ravines of Turtle Mountain, thanks, not to any stratagem, but to his speed. It is not known what his end was; he may, indeed, be living yet. iNo- Barton relates a curious instance of a crippled Coyote ""^"^ living for the last two years near Boissevain. It is known as the 'Three-legged Terror.' One of its front legs is missing, probably it was lost in a trap, but in spite of this the creature can outrun an ordinary dog. Greyhounds or very fast dogs easily outstrip it, whereupon it finds a place to protect its rear and presents such a desperate front that it has hitherto escaped. . I suspect that this is a female, which might partly account for its immunity. Coyote 811 The winter IS, of course, the chief enemy of the Northern ene- Loyote. The shutting off of many food supplies, the severe ""^ weather, the exposure to view of the hunters, poisoned baits which m summer would be scorned but which are now swal- .owed in desperation, all unite to make havoc in the numbers, and those that are left by the end of February are the strongest and wariest. Next after winter, the worst enemy of the Loyoteisman; next to this, dogs; next, disease and parasites: then probably the Gray-wolf, the eagle, and the horned owl. It is improbable that these birds would attack a grown Coyote, or that the Gray-wolf could catch one, but the very young would fall an easy prey. The Elk and Deer are to be reckoned in this list. Thev have well-founded hatred of all Wolves, and never fail to strike one when they can. One blow from the foot of an Elk or Deer or even an Antelope, may disable a Coyote, and give the hoofed avenger a chance to finish his work. I have never heard of a sane Coyote attacking man. u J^^ following adventure with a mad Coyote was recorded mad by Malcolm Little, of Provo, Utah, and sent me by Mrs S ''"^^^^ Young Gates of the same city. "The summers of 1891 and 1892 were extremely dry and hot in northern Mexico. A two years' drought had left the extensive valleys barren. The grass was crisp and bleached, the dust heavy and rose in clouds, and the Casas Grandes Kiver was dry save for a few deep, stagnant pools. This beine the only water within many miles, all the animals of the im- mediate vicinity came there to drink. As a result, on each side of the river, for a great distance, hardly a spear of grass could be found. ■> r- ^ "The Coyotes were very numerous. They seemed to have been drawn from all the surrounding country to these watering places. So numerous were they, in fact, that in a tew hours a man sitting in a tree near one of the pools shot 13 that came to drink. They roamed about in droves of trom eight to twelve in search of food. They were gaunt and ■ iMiittiail h I m i {^: i^ 812 Life-histories of Northern Animals hungry-eyed, and their fur was long and shaggy. They ap- peared to have lost nearly all the sense of fear of man for they would hardly move out of the way of a horseman. They came into the towns and several were killed in the yards of the dwellings. One, I remember hearing of, walked mto the par- lour at the front door, and while yet inside was killed with a garden hoe by the lady of the house. These many little encounters, however, were considered as only matters of pleasant gossip, and no one thought of any possible danger coming from them. "In late June of 1892 three men camped for the night midway between the village of Ascension and the Boca Grande, near one of the watering places on the river. They were on the range in search of cattle, and, as is common with cowboys after the horses were hobbled out and supper over, they spread their blankets on the ground. A wide bed was made and about nine o'clock they lay down to sleep, Derby Johnson occupying one side, and the Jacobson brothers the other two "One of the Jacobsons was anxious about the horses and did not sleep soundly. In a few hours he was startled from a state of semi-wakefulness by a muffled sound, and seeing Derby sitting up in bed, and thinking something might be wrong with the animals, began to sit up also. As he did so he saw what appeared to be the tail of a Coyote moving to and fro He sprang to his feet. The animal with its teeth fastened on the right jaw of his friend, just to the right of the chin, was clinging with the tenacity of madness; while Derby, apparently frozen by awful sensations, sat clasping the Coyote by the neck with both hands, one on each side. It was clear the only way the animal could be removed was by prying open its mouth. The brothers were strong men. Unconscious of the danger to themselves, or disregarding it, they took hold of the fastened jaws and broke them apart, the lower one being entirely wrenched from its place. They threw the Coyote to one side, but, V. ith its lower jaw dangling downward and with menacing growls, it came towards them again. The young man, . 5 k Coyote 813 Derby now freed, took his knife from his pocket, cut the ani- mal s throat, and then fainted. "One of the brothers remained with him while the other went for the horses. About eleven o'clock that night they started towards home, a distance of fifteen miles. Derby could ride only a few hundred yards without having to stop to rest and v^ frequently the journey was stopped by his fainting! 1 hey reached home early in the morning. Examination showed the Coyote had left a bad wound under his chin, where the teeth had penetrated, while in the upper part were only holes of the canines. "In a few days the patient was around, apparently well and domg his work. ' "After the biting the Coyote was examined, and only dry Cottonwood leaves were found in its stomach. From all appearances it had had the rabies. ... "^^°^[^ "^°"th after the occurrence the young man was ndmg with his companions, gathering cattle from out of a lake 1 he water was shallow, hardly knee-deep to the horses, and the cattle had gone there to feed on the rushes. All day this work continued, and while splashing through the lake he felt the first symptom of hydrophobia-a strong aversion for water. 1 his feeling later was aggravated by some of his friends offer- ing him their canteens from which to drink. A V '"^ ""S?™^^ ^°"^*^ immediately, and for a while was dehrious. These spells continued intermittently. He grew worse for two or three days, constantly developing a still stronger dislike for all liquids, and he was able to swallow but very little. Towards the last his ravings became maniacal, and several men were required to hold him. A viscid secretion came from his mou.h, the colour of his skin became purple, and his ravings were very loud-the latter, however, had nothing like barking about them, contrary to the common belief in cases of hydrophobia. During the last hour of his life he was quiet, and he died peacefully. "After this happening a 'scalp hunt' was gotten up. and 109 Coyotes were killed." !! I i' Of'' ' it i m I M 814 Life-histories of Northern Animals VOICE The voice of the Coyote is one of its most remarkable Rifts. Barking is supposed to be limited to the dog and Coyote, ihis is not strictly true, for Wolves, Foxes, and Jackals bark at times, but it is true that the Coyote is the only wild animal that habitually barks. u- • We must assume, as general propositions, that nothing in nature is without adequate cause, and that it is always worth while to search that out. Most of the many calls of the Coyote are signals to its companions, but some of them seem to be the outcome of the pleasure it finds in making a noise. The most peculiar of its noises is the evening song, uttered soon after sunset, close to camp. This is a series of short barks increasing in power and pitch till it changes into a long squall One Coyote begins and immediately two or niore join in, making so much noise that newcomers think there must be a hundred Wolves out there. It is kept up for perhaps a minute or two, then ceases till some new impulse seizes them. August 27, 1904, in W. F. White's menagerie at Winnipeg, 1 saw a Coyote pup, which, though litt' bigger than a house cat, and less than three months old, had a fully developed voice and, much to the amusement of numerous bystanders, joined in the yapping chorus as lustily as his grown-up relatives. Another note I have heard them utter towards dawn >s a long, smooth sound, of truly musical quality. I have some- times mistaken it for the fluty call of a loon to his mate. I once knew a Coyote that would stay around the ranch till the small dog went valiantly after it. The Coyote would run till at a distance that made it safe from guns, then turn on the dog and drive him back ignominously to the shelter of the house. Of course, the dog soon learned that the enemy was not so 'easy' as he looked. On each occasion when the Coyote turned, he uttered a series of gurgling, growling barks, that seemed to strike terror into the dog, and were to me an entirely new Coyote 'song. The sound the old one utters when the young are in danger is described by A. S. Barton as a loud, short, rough squall. PLATE LXXIV.— COYOTE IN WINTER COAT. In New York Zoological Park. From a pholiigraph by Elwin R. Sanhom. "J Id PLATE IXXV. — COYOTE DEN. In Ae undhillf. C«rb«rry, Man. From a >.hi,ta(raph by E. T. Setoo, IV IhI V- V ' '> ' '} , 1*. 1 i I m k H^MMI m Coyote 815 In their vespers he also notes an interesting habit. Two or three Coyotes will meet each night on a certain elevated place to sing. They have several of these recognized choir- lofts, but they never use the same on two nights in succession. Sometimes on Turtle Mountain, in dead calm moonlit nights, each Coyote gets up un his singing perch and pours out his loudest and finest notes. This is passed on from one point to another, till the whole mountain seems ringing with the weird music, and, from its very wildness and the vast stretch of the country that is concerned, the effect is truly impressive. In captive animals these simultaneous outbursts are often observed. A favourite time is at noon, when the blowing of whistles seems to be the immediate cause, or possibly only the last touch that precipitates the event. :l This species readily crosses with the dog. S. L. Bedson hybrids showed me a number of these hybrids at Stony Mountain, Man., in 1885. They were intermediate in character and continued to be interfertile with either stock, at least, for two or more generations. I never, however, heard of a cross betweci a Coyote and Gray-wolf, although the dog is as readily crossv.d with the latter as with the former relative. Coyotes arc kept down by poisoning, trapping, and kilung hunting. Poisoning, however, is now forbidden on account of the number of dogs destroyed. Trapping is carried on as with Foxes, for the Coyote is quite as cunning as its red-haired cousin. Not less than a No. 2 trap will do, and it must be fast to a drag of 20 or 30 pounds weight, never staked solid. Trap, log, and all must be de- odorized by smoking and rubbing with blood. They must be carefully concealed in the soft ground and scraps of meat scat- tered about, but not on, the trap. A lump of meat buried under the trap is a sure attraction. The certainty with which they dig out buried meat, leads me to believe that the C yotes iii : i'/ ;! l> Mlitei PELT 816 Life-histories of Northern Animals are very lax in their ideas of property rights where a cache of eatables is concerned. The pelt of the Coyote should be cased. The more com- plete it is the better. It is prime from October to April, and, according to the Winnipeg market quotations of March 26, 1904, was worth jSi.oo to fia.oo. After consulting with many country storekeepers in the leading parts of Manitoba, I reckon that not less than 1,000 skins are shipped each year from the Province. It is a beautiful fur, but not durable enough for a rug. Vi ' I y^i_g^- XXXV. The Canada Otter. Lutra canadensis (Schreber). (L. lutra, an Otter; canadensis, of Canada.) Mustela luira canadensis Schreb., 1776, Saug. pi., CXXVI B. Lutra canadensis Sabine, 1823, Franklin's Overland Journey, P- 653. Type Locality. — Eastern Canada. French Canadian, la Loutre du Canada. Cree, Ojib., & Saut., Ne-geek'. Montagnais (Gulf of St. Lawrence), Un'chuch. Chipewyan, Nop'-e-ay. Yankton Sioux, Pe-tang Ogallala Sioux, Ptan. The Weasel Family or Mustelida are carnivores of long form on short legs, with tail various, ears short, non-retractile claws, and teeth 32 to 38. The genus Lutra (Brisson, 1762) comprises Weasels of large size, with short legs, long tails; adapted for life in the water, having dense oily fur, webbed feet, etc. The teeth are as follows: Inc. ^ — ; can. ; prem.^^; mol. =26 i-3 i-i i-i 2-2 ^ In addition to these characters, the Canada Otter has the feet with more or less hairy soles. The Muskrat is protected against the cold water by a fine robe of dense fur, the Whale by a thick layer of fat under the skin; the Otter is happy in the possession of both, and can enjoy the coldest of water in the coldest of weather. 817 ! I \i W ^1 i) 818 Life-histories of Northern Animals SIZE Length, about 40 inches (1,000 mm.); tail, 12J inches (317 mm.); hind-foot, 4 inches (102 mm.). WEIGHT A female collected by Dr. Merriam, on Birch Creek, Ida.,' August 14, 1890, weighed 19 pounds (8J kilograms); a young one with her weighed 10 pounds (4i kilograms); both were fat. COLOUR In general, the colour is dark rich glossy brown, becoming paler and grayer below; the brown of the head and muzzle changes on lips, cheeks, chin, and throat, rather abruptly, into a pale brownish-gray, almost a grayish-white. Some specimens are much paler. In the American Museum is an albino, or nearly white, freak from Alaska. The following races are recognized: canadensis, the typical form. lataxina F. Cuvier, smaller. vaga Bangs, larger and redder than canadensis. pacifica Rhoads, pale in colour. sonora Rhoads, a large and yellowish race. Besides which are two closely allied insular forms: Lutra degener Bangs, very small found in New- foundland. Lutra periclyzoma Elliot, a large kind from Queen Charlotte Islands. Life-history. RAX- ; The range of this specie- includes nearly the whole conti- nent. It is, or was, found in all parts of Manitoba, though its numbers are greatly reduced there to-day. ENVIRON Frequenting invariably the water, or the vicinity of water, MEN-r the Otter finds its ideal surroundings in good-sized clear ' N. A. Fauna, No. S, July, 1891, p. 82. MAP 44— RAHGE OF THE NORTH AMERICAK OTTERS. (Bzcluding tb* Sea-otter) ThU IMP ii founded chidly on record, by E. Couei, C. Hart Merriam, D. G. Elliot, E. W. NeUon, R. MacFarlane, C. B. Towmend, E. A. re ..c, Jj^^^^j^--'^^ fakiy \«11 «iabli5;cd,'Mcei)i'in'the Southwest. I find no recotdi for the unmarked regioo. Aotiooate thould haw been tinted. The (oUowinf are recofoiiad: Luha ammJmtU (Schreber) with S race*. LuliQ dtfo' Banp, Lahm luudtm Fonyth-llajor, from Central America. 819 u I BOMZ- RANGE 8«o Lifc-hisiorics of Northern Animals streams that abound with fish, and that are much varied in bank and bed by pools, rapids, log-jams, and oyerhangmg rocky banks. It never Uves far from the water, and in summer- time never goes far overland, but in winter «tshab.t change, somewhat. Then "it frequents rap.ds and falls to have the Xntage of open water; and when its "-' ^-^J^^^^^^ frozen over, it will travel to a great d'''"""^^*''^"^*^ *^' JT in search of a rapid that has resisted the severity of the weather.'" (Richardson.) All trappers agree that the Canada Otter is a wide-ranging animal. The evidence goes to show that its habits bear a close resemblance to those of its British congener, and is this Utter has been closely studied by many naturalists, it may well fur- ""' ircTarB'S it is well known to be a far traveller. T W Proger, of Cardiff, writes me: " I have known one to go 5 or 6 miles overland in a single night to a stream that promised good fishing. An Otter will range f^^ ^5 miles ^ and down a r>en river; and the scarcer the fish the farther he "^^^ Mmiam gives' a number of illustrations which tend to show thai each Otter in the Adirondacks has a certa'n route or range that is his own little kingdom. Up this river to that branch along that to the swamp, then across over the divide and down some rill to another river, along which •» continues till another landmark, or possibly owner-mark of a rival warns him that here he must turn and cross by that pond or the old familiar rapid, to the pomt of begmning^ This may take him two weeks to cover, and may be 50 miles in ^'"^Kennicott credits' the Otter with following not merely a general course, but an exact pathway. He says: In M nne- sota, I observed across a narrow isthmus separating t^^ »^kes a well-worn path, which had evidently been formed by Otter, » F. B. A., i8j9. I. P- 57- « Quad. 111., 1859, P a47- • Mam. Adir., 1884, p. 88 The Canada Otter 8S1 and they seem generally to follow beaten paths when moving abun- on land." «>a«<^« Possibly each individual has more than one of these routes. In Manitoba, the Otter is becoming very scarce; the high value of its fur has told hard against its numbers. In the palmy days at the beginning of last century, Henry col- I f-ted from loo to 300 skins each year on Red River. The pi nt output of the region is n^uch smaller. What, then, should be considered a fair population of Otter? In Essex, Eng. during the fall of 1904, I am told that 50 Otters were killed, though no one but the Otter hunters suspected their presence. As this 50 was far from exterminating them, there were probably at least 100 Otters in Essex, or one to each 16 square miles, and Great Britain, in like ratio, would show a total of 10,000 Otters. This is the reverse of a high rate of population. In Manitoba, they were very common at one time, as already noted, and I think it safe to say that in the primitive days there was an Otter for every 5 or 6 square miles, or at the rate of 3 pairs to the township. At present I doubt that there are 300 pairs left in the Province. Like the rest of the family, the Otter is neither sociable sckha- nor gregarious. The 3 or 4 that arc often seen together in I ,i ""^ summer are the mother and family. In their curious sport of sliding down hill, we possibly may find an exception to this rule, although some observers consider that the game is strictly an affair of the family or of mates. The species rnnkes a variety of noises. It utters a loud sounds. sniffing that sounds like clearing its nose of water, and it ^^' growls and snarls in menace. A female in the National Zoo at Washington, obtained in northern New York, often emitted a loud birdy chirp to express enquiry, desire, or hunger. Another female that I was sketching at the same time (April 28), made a low chatter or querulous grumble that seemed to express the same idea. The latter was from Florida. J. ^.- m •i;*- ii MATING DEN GESTA- TION 822 Life-histories of Northern Animals A captive Otter kept by J. K. MacDonald, of Winnipeg, in 1886, at Be.simis on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, used to utter such a piercing whistle that my informant repeatedly heard across the river (a mile and a half away), as plainly, he said, as he could hear a man whistle if in the same room with him. He knew of no other animal sound so shrill, save the scream of the eagle or the loon. Most observers agree that the species pairs and that the mating season is towards the end of February. The British Otters bred in captivity by A. H. Cocks gave an admirable opportunity for observation. The female showed that she was willing to consider a proposal of marriage by leav- ing little piles of well-mouthed straw here and there in the cage. These, as with the Marten, he believes, art to call the attention of the male. In a state of nature they would be left at convenient spots along the banks of the river or other main line of travel. The male showed none of the savage ferocity of the male Marten. His behaviour, in general, was irreproachable. "It digs a burrow on the bank at the edge of the stream or 'ake, with the entrance under water, like that of a Musk- rat. Its burrow is not so extensive, however, as that of the latter animal, and it never constructs a house of any kind. In a capacious chamber in its burrow, it forms a large soft nest of sticks, leaves, and grass; though sometimes it has been observed to take up its quarters in the bottom of a standing hollow tree or in a cavity in a fallen one.'" (Kenntcott.) The British Otter is known to have a kitchen-midden, or garbage hole, near the den door, bi't this admirable sanitary arrangement has not yet been observed in our own species. The gestation of the British species was ascertained by A. H. Cocks to be 61 days. No doubt the period will be found about the same in canadensis. • Quad. HI., 1859, p. 247- k mt The Canada Otter 82S The young are born in mid-April, or sometimes as late young as May i. They usually number i to 3, but a female taken at Brokenhead and dissected by W. R. Hine contained 5 embry- onic young. These were the size of a small Striped-gopher, and must have been near full time, as it was late in April. At birth and for some weeks afterwards their eyes are closed. Their colour is said to be very dark brown, almost black. Probably they are not weaned till four months old, and at nine months they are fully adult. But one brood is reared each year. Much discussion has taken place over the question whether train- or not animals train their young. It seems as though in very ¥ra °^ ancient forms retaining primitive habits, the young need little *°'™° or no instruction from parents. Thus, an incubator duck will take to the water or snap at a fly when but a day old. On the other hand, those animals with highly specialized habits are slow to learn, and need some sort of stimulus. The young hawk or Wea? el speedily learns to seize a bird, but the young osprey and Otter have departed further from the ancient way and are more in need of teaching. Whether this be conscious or unconscious on the part of the parents depends on our definition of these terms. An interesting picture of their nursery life has been given by J. G. Millais, who studied Otter in Canada and in England, though, unfortunately, he omits the dates and places that would have added so much to the value of his remarks. His account, no doubt, refers chiefly to the British Otter, but it is almost certain to be found applicable in the main to our own species, when fuller observation shall have enlightened us on the early history of the young. "As soon," he says,* "as they can see, the mother Otter takes her cubs to the water and teaches them to swim. At first they are said to be very reluctant to enter the water, and as a preliminary training, she often makes an exit hole upon the bank above her holt, where she allows them to play and run • Mam. G. B. & I., 1905, II, pp. 19-ao. 'I 1 824 Life-histories of Northern Animals about for a few days before enticing them to mount on her back and embark on a voyage of discovery. For the first few days in the water she swims with them, but soon dives and returns to them again and again, until she has induced them to copy her movements. "In their pieliminary efforts at natation, young Otters are just as frightened as they can be, and keep querulously calling for their mother all the time she is out of sight. But at first she does not upset their baby natures, and only vanishes for a few minutes. As the young grow, these intervals become longer and longer, till she induces them to follow her in shallow water or in a still lake. I once had the good fortune to see an old female Otter playing with her thite nearly full-grown young ones and evidently teaching them to dive. "She teaches them to dive noiselessly, to circle in deep pools, and how to come up quietly behind sleeping fish or drive them into holes in the banks. Then they are taught to stir the mud with their pads, or turn over stones for hidden miller's- thumbs, and bury their heads in the mud after eels, or how to corner the darting salmon. "That the swimming powers and the hunting of fish are acquired habits is shown by the fact that young Otters kept tame and allowed to run loose are almost full grown before they will take to the water; they grow up with Stoat-like habits, i. e., hunting for their food on land." A. H. Cocks says' of those (British) he bred in confine- ment that the young were blind until about 35 days old and entered the water of their own accord on the 58th day. He gives a suggestive account of the mother's efforts to make them eat two small fish, some four days later, " taking first one f-sh, then the other, then both together in her mouth, and moving them about close in front of the cubs ^o attn ct their attention, at the same time uttering a peculiar v. h-ne or growl." SUMMER During the summer, the Otter family, mother and young, may be seen travelling and hunting together. ' Zoologist, i88a, p. 203. iin mmm The Canada Otter 825 A glimpse of their life at this time was secured by Bert A. Dobson, of the Adirondacks. One year, 1900, in early June, while fishing on Pea vine Creek (Cranberry Lake), he saw a female Otter and two kits, one-third grown. She uttered a loud chirruping and, dashing down the creek, which was not deep enough for swimming, she led the young off, chirruping and clucking to them like a hen. In Algoma, the young are seen with the mother in June, July, August, September, October, November, and December, but usually only one is near. Linklater, my chief informant in that region, has known the mother and 3 young to be killed at r le shot, in September. It is always important to know the relation that the father father bears to the family. Is he merely a selfish progenitor, con- cerned about his partner or partners only in the mating season ? Or does he faithfully play the part of a helpmate and join with the mother in caring for the young. It is impossible to decide for the Otter. Most observers think that the species pairs, that is to say, is not polygamous, but that the bond is broken with the waning of the honey- moon. Miles Spencer expressly says' that, about Hudson Bay, the female gets no assistance from the male while rearing the young. Other field naturalists think that the male does sometimes join in caring for his offspring. J. K. MacDonald, of Winnipeg, after many years among the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's Posts, writes me: "I do not think the male is ever far away from his hole or family. The fact that the female is seen with the young more often than the male, I think, simply carries out the natural law of progeny being more directly under the care of the female, while the male roams about, but never is far away. In the cases cited of females only being seen, there is nothing to dis- prove that the males, though not visible to the seer, may have been within a few yards of him." • Low Expl. James Bay, Can. Geol. Surv., 1888, Pt. J, App. Ill, p. 77 J. 826 Life-histories of Northern Animals HABITS SWIM- MING On September 27, 1905, George Crawford, the Mattawa guide, came to my camp at a place 40 miles north-east of Mat- tawa, and told of 4 Otter ibat he had watched the day before on one of the small lakes near by. They were 2 old ones and 2 young ones. He was quite sure that 2 were fully grown. Again, in October, 1904, Archie Miller saw 2 adults and 5 young together at Blue Lake, Quebec. This looks as though the father did sometimes accompany the family. Nelson, in his "Natural Histor/ of Alaska,"' also says: "Toward the end of the winter they frequently make a burrow in a large snow-drift, and sometimes a party of 5 or 6 will be found occupying the place. Such parties usually consist of the 2 old ones and the last season's young." Thus there is some evidence that the male Otter does not entirely neglect the duties of paternity, though there can be no doubt that the mother has the heavier burden and sometimes bears it alone. The young continue in her care until the winter; probably the bond is broken by the coming on of the new mat- ing season in Febriiary. Like most of the family, this animal is chiefly nocturnal in habits, but can very often be seen hunting in broad day- light. It resembles its kindred also in its tireless activity. I do not think I ever saw an Otter lying still. The nearest to it are those that are busy feeding. When they rest I do not know. " It is eminently aquatic, more perfectly so than the Bea- ver, and its whole form is admirably adapted to a life in the water. The great weight of its bones, which would make it more clumsy on land, enables it to dive and swim under water with ease."" So says Kennicott. In like strain also, the Chief Mittigwab, of Mattawa. He has several times tried to overtake the Otter while they were swimming in the open lake. Though paddling his best, about six miles an hour, he could not lessen the distance between. They swam like leeches, rolling over and under. He con- • 1887, p. 350. " Quad. lU., 1859, p. 947- L tfMk DHBiill The Canada Otter 887 l'> I siders that there is no creature so quick in the water as an Otter, except, perhaps, a loon. He tells me further that on September 17, he saw a young one and its mother capture a large speckled trout each, in Magnisipi River, Quebec, and, Uke ail who have seen the Otter afloat, he gives enthusiastic ex- pression to his admiration of its powers. It darts and turns, diving or floating, with speed that none of the river tribes can excel. Not only the glancing trout, but also the lightning swift salmon, are at its mercy. These it meets fairly and squarely in their chosen grounds, the clearest, coolest swirls and deeps, or the open flood, and, rejoicing in a worthy foe, it beats them at their own game, and glories, we have excellent reason for believing, not less in the noble catch than in the noble sport. As well as quick, it is long-winded. A tame one belong- ing to "Antler" could remain under water for three or four minutes." Merriam says" that in this respect its abilities almost equal those of a loon, and he has known an Otter to swim nearly a quarter of a mile without showing its head above the surface. With such aquatic powers at command and with a keen sense of locality, it is easy to believe these hunters who maintain that the Otter can live for days under the ice of a lake, getting its breath at the cracks along shore. On the land, though less at home, it is far from being run- helpless. All the records show that in snow time it travels great distances across country, and can go so fast that it takes a swift-footed man to overtake it. The marvellous power of this species to propel itself on toboggan wise over the snow is something that I was deeply ^^°^ impressed with when a child, in Toronto, about 1873. A citizen had a tame Otter that I was privileged to watr' once or twice. I thought it the most beautiful creature I h..J ever seen, as it gambolled and dodged about the room in a spirit of good-natured frolic. It was entirely without the sullen ferocity of the Weasels, and when it was allowed to go " Forest and Stream, December ri, 1879. " Mam. Adir., 1884, p. 87. '/ ^^1 828 MiiMi The Canada Otter 829 outdoors it rolled and tumbled in a snow-drift with evident delight. Sometimes it would run and slide on its breast with all its legs set backwards. Its progress at these times was singular, and continued for much longer than one might expect from the very slight push it began with. It seemed as though the muscles of the breast and belly were in some way helping it on, possibly the tail also aided with its sculling motion. Richardson, the great authority on our northern animals, says," concerning its winter travel overland in search of open water: "If seen and pursued by hunters on these journeys, it will throw itself forward on its belly and slide through the snow for several yards, leaving a deep furrow behind it. This movement is repeated with so much rapidity that even a swift runner on snow-shoes has much trouble in overtaking it. It also doubles on its track with much cunning and dives under the snow to elude its pursuers." These very manoeuvres were described to me by Linklater. He has often seen Otter sliding on the level snow, and once when he came on one in the woods it dived into the dn" s, which were deep, and came up 40 or 50 feet away. By doing this again and again it dodged both the man and the dog, although the latter was a good one and the former on snow- shoes, till it reached a small lake; unfortunately for the Otter, this was frozen over, and on the ice the hunter killed it with a small club. It was a male Otter, and the time about the first of December. "On the ice [says Merriam]" they proceed by a series of what small boys called 'a run and a slide,' that is, they make several jumps and then slide ahead, flat on their bellies as far as their impetus and the smoothness of the ice permits, and then do the same thing over again, and so on." I may add that this seems to be their regular mode of progression, whether on land or water, ice or snow. This method of travel brings us to a remarkable habit for o^j^ which the Otter is celebrated. All hunters and naturalists in Eastern America record its singular amusement of coasting or " F. B. A., 1829, 1, pp. S7-8. " Mwn. Adir, 1884, p. 89. imH 880 Life-histories of Northern Animals h w » tobogganing down a steep hill, preferably into the water, to remount at once and repeat the performance again and again, in companj', perhaps, with its mate or young. It is delightful proof of growth and uplift when we find an adult animal setting aside a portion of its time and effort for amusement, and especially for social amusement. A large number of the noblest animals thus relax from sordid life and pursue amusement with time and appliances after a fashion that finds its highest development in man. This is what the Otter is credited with doing, but there are naturalists who do not consider it proven. Therefore I give the evidence in full. "The Otter is very fond of play, and one of their favourite pastimes is to get on a high ridge of snow, bend their fore- feet backward, and slide down the side of it, sometimes to the distance of twenty yards."'* {Hearne.) "Their favourite pastime is sliding, and for this purpose in winter the highest ridge of snow is selected, to the top of which the Otters scramble, where, lying on the belly with the fore- feet bent backwards, they give themselves an impulse with their hind-legs and swiftly glide head-foremost down the declivity, sometimes for the distance of twenty yards."" (Godman.) This looks like a passage borrowed from Hearne, but he adds, "This sport they continue, apparently w.fh the keenest enjoyment, until fatigue or hunger induces them to desist." " In the summer this amusement is obtained by selecting a spot where the river bank is sloping, has a clayey soil, and the water at its base is of a comfortable depth. The Otters then remove from the surface, for the breadth of several feet, the sticks, roots, stones, and other obstructions, and render the surface as level as possible. They climb up the bank at a less precipitous spot and, starting from the top, slip with velocity over the inclining ground and plump into the wat^r to a depth proportioned to their weight and rapidity of motion. After a few slides and plunges the surface of the clay becomes very smooth and slippery, and the rapid succession of the sliders shows how much these animals are delighted by the game, as "Journey, 179a, p. 376. "Am. Nat. Hist., 1826, Vol. I, pp. 225-6. ^ii mam MlHiWfaiiMriMI The Canada Otter 8S1 well as how capable they are of performing actions which have no other object than that of pleasure or diversion." "This statement," say Audubon and Bachman," "is con- firmed by * ♦ * recent writers who have given the history of this species, and is in accordance within our own personal observations. "The Otters ascend a bank suitable for their diversion, and sometimes where it is very steep, so that they are obliged to make quite an effort to gain the top; they slide down in rapid succession where there are many at a sliding place. On one occasion we were resting ourselves on the bank of Canoe Creek, a small stream near Henderson, which empties into the Ohio, when a pair of Otters made their appearance and, not observing our proximity, began to enjoy their sliding pastime. They glided down the soap-like muddy surface of the slide with the rapidity of an arrow from a bow, and we counted each one making 22 slides before we disturbed their sportive occupation. "This habit of the Otter of sliding down from elevated in all . LATI- places to the borders of streams is not confined to cold countries, tudes or to slides on the snow or ice, but is pursued in the Southern States, where the earth is seldom covered with snow, or the waters frozen over. Along the reserve dams of the rice-fields of Carolina and Georgia these slides are very common. From the fact that this occurs in most cases during the winter, about the period of the rutting season, we are inclined to the belief that this propensity may be traced to those instincts which lead the sexes to their periodical associations." Kennicott follows with these remarks." "It climbs to the top of some steep bank, made slippery by the mud and water from its own body, or, in winter, by snow and ice, and, lying down, with its fore-feet bent under, slides headlong to the bottom. Trappers inform me that they have often seen the Otter thus engaged for an hour or more, scrambling eagerly to the top again after each descent, and greatly enjoying the sport. By using their knowledge of this peculiarity, the hunters " Q. N. A., 184% Vol. n, p. 8. " Quad. lU., 1859, pp. 347-8. ^jsa l''' d A. r/G/it J- hi-nci I % Uft front Otttr Fio. >o3 — Qua Iracki, trom ca(t\i witnessed one of these little altercations, but am told that a drowned dog is generally the result."'* {Merriam.) Otter hunters in Europe tell me that such is the power of its bite, that it is not a rare thing for an Otter to crush a hound's leg-bone in its jaws. The most desperate achievement accredited to this animal appears in Nelson's "Alaska":" "An Otter [he says] was one of the chief actors in a strange accident which occurred near the Yukon mouth during my residence in the north. A hunter went out to inspect his fish traps, and, failing to return in the course of a day or so, his friends began to look for him. He was found lying dead by the side of a small lake with his throat torn open and the tail of a dead Otter firmly grasped in both hands. One of the Otter's feet was fast in a steel fox-trap, and it was supposed that on his way home the hunter came across the Otter in the trap and, having no weapon with him and being a powerful young man, he tried to swing the Otter over his head and kill it by dashing it against the grou id, but when in mid-air it turned suddenly and caught him by the throat, with the result as described." CAPT- URE ;' i ■ This fur-bearer is usually taken with a steel trap and fish- head bait, but traps that do not kill are cruel, and humanity would force all trappers back to the old deadfalls of a hundred years ago. My friend, A. W. Dimock, writes me thus from Punta Rassa, Fla.: " Last year (1905) I held a fiercely struggling Otter crushed into the mud with a forked stick, while the cruel steel trap was taken from her lacerated leg and a cage placed over her. Two days later she ate her new-born pups, and in two days more, despite every attention, she died of grief and pain. Now I would make the use of a steel trap a penal offence and wearing pelt of a trapped wild creature a misdemeanour." In some parts of the country Otter are killed by taking ad- vantage of the sliding habit. Having found the slide, the hunter " Mam. Adir, 1804, p. 90. " Nat. H'jt. Alaska, 1887, p. 850. ■feflttiaHii* The Canada Otter 839 may lurk in ambi sh for the tobogganing party and shoot one, or perhaps two, before they can escape from range. If its trail is discovered in the winter snow, when evidently the creature is frozen out of its safe refuge, the hunter follows, and within a mile or two u usually gets an opportunity to shoot the portaging voyageur. The fur of the Otter is cased. It is one of the best, hand- somest, and most durable in the market. No matter how others fluctuate, the price of Otter is always fairly high. The Winni- peg market quotations for March 26, 1904, were: Prime Otter, ^6 to 5 1 2. At the London annual fur sales, held at Lampson's, March, 1906, 2,517 Otters were sold. The highest price reached was 210 shillings (;5;50.4o) each, for 22 unusually good black, first-class Labrador skins. The run of first-class dark skins brought from 100 shillings (524) to 150 shillings ($36), and with 60 shillings ($14.40) as the run of ordinary dark Otter, from which, according to size and colour, they graded down as low as 10 shillings ($2.40) and 5 shillings ($1.20). During the eight)'- ' Ki (1 POPULA- TION 844 Life-histories of Northern Animals not know where the limit is drawn. The argument of analogy would lead us to believe that in the case of the Brown Weasel, a ten-mile round would probably represent the wanderings of the individual. There are doubtless seve.al Weasels to each square mile in the wooded country. I found this species common about ^1^ li .;[i I V\4 . ■ i 1 4 Fic. 204— Head of Short-tailed Weasel cf . Sketched in the flesh at Winripeir, Aui^' 35. 19'M (life sizei. This is somewhat abnonnal in colourinif. The litiht ttrea un tliroat and on cheelc under ear (as dottetl) is autphur yellow, the rest of the i:hcek, the chin, lip&. and i tntrui part of snout, pure white. Carberry, Dauphin, Winnipeg, and Ingolf. Kennicott says it appears to be abundant along Red River. In the winter of 1 900-1, it was extraordinarily numerous in Manitoba. George H. Measham writes me from Woonona, Shoal Lake, January 17, 1901 : "Charles Tweddell has trapped over 40 of them just around the shore where the boats were. It is strange how these animals seem suddenly to get numerous and as suddenly disappear." R. MacFarlane records' that in 1903 the Hudson's Bay Company exported 33,883 Ermine skins; probably half were of this species. But this destruction makes no obvious differ- ence in their numbers. li ' Mam. N. W. Ter., Proc. U. S. N. M., Vol. XXVIII, 190^, p. 713. Short-tailed Weasel 845 The Weasels of this group are neither sociable nor grega- socia. rious; they are, indeed, an unlovely lot, no matter how we look ""^'^ it them. Nevertheless, for guidance of future observers, it may be stoat well to remember that the British Stoat, their near kinsman, is known to unite in numbers on occasion for the common good. Thus E. T Booth records' a case of 20 to 30 uniting to attack a terrier dog. Other esses ate recorded of their attacking men. And Millais refers' to the well-known fact that a pack of 6 or 8 will unite to hunt. There is little doubt that the insufferable smell of the inter. •stinking' Weasels was developed originally as a method of S?cT'^' intercommunication, as a means of getting at their friends; '^'°*' though not a few, notably the Skunk, and in a less degree the present one, have carried it so far that they now find it an effectual means of getting at their enemies. The sharply demarked white and brown with the black tail-tip are believed to be the uniform or directive marks of this species. They are shown by no other mammal of the size in North America. So far as I know, they are not civilized enough to use the smell-telephone (see Wolf). All of the Weasels growl, snarl, hiss or puff, or utter a voice reiterated sharp sound, which is like a bark in the large species and a shrill screech in th small ones, and record is made herein later of a female, presumably of the present kind, calhng her young by a "sort of grumbling coo." British Stoats, according to Millais,* " will stop and bark for a long time at some object that puzzles them." When playing. Stoats give out a chuckling, happy sound, uttered in a high and a low key. When angry, they make a loud chattering noise, and, when hunting in packs and in full cry, are said to 'give tongue.' Little is known of the mating of this animal. There is mating some reason for believing it takes place about the third week • Field, October 6, 1883. ■ Mam. G. B. & I., 1905, Vol. II, p. 122-3. r M M 'Ibid. i .m 8^0 Life-histories of Northern Animals of March and that the species pairs; but the male does not trouble his head about wife or family after the love season is over— though there may be some exceptions to this, as the following cases show: Charles G. D. Roberts tells me that one day when he was a boy, living in Westmoreland County, N. B., he was sitting in a field near a stone heap, by the edge of Tantramar Marsh, when two large Weasels (Ermine) came out of the stone pile and ran round him in a manner so threatening that Jio. J05— Skulls of Short-lailcd Wcawl. 3- Adult malr. 4. Adult female. Fio. 10ft— Skull of Short-tailed Weasel adult J, from Elk River, Minn. From C. II. Mcrrianu Synopsis. .N. A. Fauna, No. 11, iHi/i. PUle« II. and p. 11 Cuts lupplled bv the Bioloulcal Surrey, f. S. Uepl. o( Agriculture. ri- , • he was ..fraid )f them. He remained very still and at length they disappeared into the stone pile. He took them for a pair, as they wf e obviously associated, and he thinks the nest was in the pile. As cicognanii is the only species of the size known from New Brunswick, the identification is good. E. A. Samuels records' having seen a pair of Weasels pur- suing a Chipmunk about the middle of June, 1901, near Ford- ham, N. Y. The present was probably the species he saw, and the fact that two were united at that season for a common purpose is a shred of evidence that the species pairs. John Burroughs tells me that one summer, fifty-five years ago, when he was a boy in the Catskills, he saw 2 old Weasels and 3 young ones together run across an open lane. • Forest and Stream, July 27, 1901. Short-tailed Weasel 847 The following note, which I made on a pair of Black- footed Ferrets at the New York Zoological Park, may be ad- duced as collateral evidence, for mating habits do not vary much in the same family: The mu. Ferret is very aggressive. He utters a loud, harsh, barking a dozen times in rapid succes- sion, also a loud hissing. Nothing enrages him more than any interfere nee with the female. As this is true the year round, it points to permanent mating. From these facts, then, we must assume that this Weasel pairs and that the male, sometimes at least, takes an interest in the young. The only detailed evidence I can find on the dens of this dens Weasel is as follows: John Burroughs, in November, 1893, saw a Brown Weasel carrying Mice into its burrow, as narrated in the paragraph on storage. He dug after it for several lours one day. Next day he returned with better tools and tr ed again, moving over a ton of rooty earth and exposing many more galleries, but finding no larder. He found, however, several little "ex- pansions and at last one of his banqueting halls, a cavity about the size of one's hat, arched over by a network of fine tree roots. The occupant evidently lodged or rested here also. There was a warm, dry nest made of leaves and fur of Mice and Moles. I took out two or three handfuls. In finding this chamber I had followed one of the tunnels around till it brought me witi.in a foot of the original entrance. A few inches to one side of this cavity there was what I took to be a back alley where the Weasel threw his waste; there were large masses of wet, decaying fur here, and fur pellets such as are regurgitated by hawks and owls. In the nest there was the tail of a Flying- squirrel, showing that the Weasel sometimes had this game for supper or dinner.'" After this the Weasel's labyrinth seemed to grow more complicated as well as expand to include the neighboaring country, and the digger had to give it up without finding the store of Mice. * Squirrels and Other Fur-bearen, 1900, pp. 77-8. I! n 1^ I f SANITA- TION GESTA- TION YOUNO 848 Life-histories of Northern Animals A burrow so extensive, Burroughs thinks, must have been the work of many seasons, and therefore a oermanent home of this Weasel. One of the most interesting features in it was the midden- heap. When we find an animal far enough advanced to purify its nest by appointing and keeping apart a place for garbage and filth, we must honour it for having advanced the first degree in sanitation, and even for having taken a step towards civilization. The period of gestation in our Ermine is unknown, but A. H. Cocks found it to be about 40 days in the British congener. The young number from 4 to 8, are usually 5 or 6, and doubtless, like Stoats, they are blind for some nine days after birth. In her ordinary life the old Weasel walks to and fro, far and near, throughout the earth seeking whom she may de- stroy; but in spring, as we see, she responds to the home love, and for a time is chained to the nest v/ith the young. She hides them with care, nurses them with tender and truly musteline assiduity, and guards them with a marvellous courage, until in late summer when they are about six or eight weeks old ; then they are strong enough to follow her about, and she resumes her travels at the head of her half-dozen bud- ding cutthroats, and leaves a trail of destruction still wider than before. On June 28, at my home in Connecticut, John Crawford saw in a dry stone wall by my house an old Weasel {noveboracensis) and 5 young ones about half grown. She ran across an open space to the woodshed, where she called the young ones in a "sort of grumbling coo." Each time she did so they popped out their heads. Crawford tried to hit them witli a stick. The mother ran forward a number of times, calling the young to come, and at last dashed back into the wall where they were. As we saw no Ik Short-tailed Weasel 8411 more of them, the old one doubtless went on with her band of pirates. In the case observed by John Burroughs, the mother showed her ready devotion, for he fired at the young ones, wounding one of them so it could not run, but the mother seized it in her mouth and bore it away to safety. As already noted, the father, in some cases at least, is active in the care of the young. So far as known, there is but one brood each year. At Carberry, I have often seen this energetic little creature habits seeking for Mice in the deep, soft snow. Its actions are much like those of an Otter pursuing salmon. Sometimes it galloped along a log or over an icy part of the drift; th n plunged out of sight in a soft place, ^ ; reappvar many yardf away, bound- ing here and there, over and under, restless reless as the waves of the sea — forever changing his place, ,JOse and direction, an embodiment of lithe grace and endless assiduity. At such times, if he disappears in some crevice, hole, or maze, he is easily persuaded to come forth again, if you remain still and squeak like a Mouse. The smell of blood must be as far reaching as it is attrac- tive to these sanguinary little creatures. I have frequently hung new-killed Rabbits and partridges temporarily in trees, and, after an absence in some cases of a few minutes only, have found an Ermine mauling the game, though there was no sign of such a visitor when the cache was made. The Weasels have the unloveliest disposition of all our wild animals. Outside of their strength and courage, we find in them little to admire. Most other animals have a well- marked home-region and friends, but the ordinary life of a Weasel is that of a wandering demon of carnage. Dr. Coues has tersely summed up Weasel, body and soul, in a few char- acteristic lines:' "A glance at the physiognomy of the Weasel would suffice to betray their character. The teeth are almost of the highest 'Fur-bearing Animals, 1877, p. lag. I >ii n^ 850 Life-histories of Northern Animals FOOD I known raptorial character; the jaws are worked by enormous masses of muscles covering all the sides of the skull. The fore- head is low, and the nose is sharp; the eyes are ; . 11, pene- trating, cunning, and glitter with an angry green lig . TV m ; is something peculiar, moreover, in the way that this fierce f surmounts a body extraordinarily wiry, lithe, and muscular. It ends in a remarkably long and slender neck, in such a way that it may be held at right angles with the axis of the latter. When the creature is glancing around, with the neck stretched up and the flat triangular head bent forward, swaying from one side to the other, we catch the likeness in a moment — it is the image of a serpent." The thugs of India claim to be devotees of the Goddess of Destruction ; and profess, therefore, that it is their duty to kill as many human beings as possible. The Weasel is the Thug of the Wild World. While other animals may kill to excess for the gratification of appetite, the Weasels alone seem to revel in slaughter for its own sake, to find unholy joy in the horrors of dying; squeak, final quiver, and wholesale destruction. Gifted with tremendous strength and activity; at home in the tree top, under the snow, on the earth, under ground, or in the water; keen of wits, tireless of wind and limb, insatiably cruel and madly courageous, they are all too well equipped for their chosen Herodian task. The Weasel preys on every kind of bird and beast that it can master, and this means everything from turkey and Rabbit down to tomtit and Shrew. On the list of its prey we find recorded all kinds of domestic poultry, all wild birds that it can catch, Rats, Mice, Squirrels, Chipmunks, etc. It is the most villainous of murderers when it finds an open way to the chicken house. Bachman tells' of 40 well-grown fowls having been " killed in one night by a single Ermine. Satiated with the blood of probably a single fowl, the rest, like the flock slaughtered by the Wolf in the sheepfold, were destroyed in obedience to a law of nature, an instinctive propensity to kill. Wc have • Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. II, p. 58. ^ii^iMk. PI.ATF. I.XXVI, — THK HKMON "F MURDER. Drawn liy E. T. Selon, lo illustrate AudulKin and Ilaihmiins iniidcnt •■( the Drown VViascl that want.inly massacred tV • Chipmunk family. i .1 1 'I- 'I •4 I I — ■ — -~- Short-tailed Weasel 851 traced the footsteps of this blood-sucking little animal on the snow, pursuing the trail of the American Rabbit, and although it could not overtake its prey by superior speed, yet the timid Hare soon took refuge in the hollow of a tree, or in a hole dug by the Marmot or Skunk. Thither it was pursued by the Ermine and destroyed, the skin and other remains at the mouth of the burrow bearing evidence of the fact." Kennicott records* that "in a single night and the early part of the following evening one of these killed nearly 50 chickens, several of which were adults, and many half grown." "Wherever the Ermine has taken up its residence," says Bachman," "the Mice in its vicinity for half a mile around have been found rapidly to diminish in number. Their active little enemy is able to force its thin vermiform body into the burrows, it follows them to the end of their galleries, and de- stroys whole families. We have on several occasic s, after a light snow, followed the trail of this Weasel through tlic fields and meadows, and witnessed the immense destruction which it occasioned in a single night. It enters every hole under stumps, logs, stone heaps, and fences, and evidences of its bloody deeds are seen in the mutilated remains of the Mice scattered on the snow. The little Chipping or Ground-squirrel, Tamias lysteri, takes up its residence in the vicinity of the grain fields, and is known to carry off in its cheek pouches vast quan- tities of wheat and buckwheat to serve as vinter stores. The Ermine instinctively discovers these snug retreats, and in the sp? ' fa few minutes destroys a whole family of these beauti- f .' • Tamiee; without even resting awhile until it has con- s its now abundant food, its appetite craving for more bl >s. .is if impelled by an irresistible destiny, it proceeds in search of other objects on which it may glut its insatiable vampire-like thirst. The Norway Rat and the Common House- mouse take possession of our barns, wheat stacks and granaries, and destroy vast quantities of grain. In some instances the farmer is reluctantly compelled to pay even more than a tithe in contributions towards the support of these pests. Let, • Quad, ni., 1859, p. 344- " Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. II, pp. S9-<5o. - 1 V 'I fi mmmBatm ^^^^ 852 Life-histories of Northern Animals w ■ STORAGE HABITS however, an Ermine find its way into these barns and granaries and there take up its winter residence, and the havoc which is made among the Rats and Mice will soon be observable. The Ermine pursues them to their farthest retreats, and in a few weeks the premises are entirely free from their depredations. We once placed a half domesticated Ermine in an out-house in- fested with Rats, shutting up the holes to prevent their escape. The little animal soon commenced his work of destructiun. The squeaking of the Rats was heard throughout the day. In the evening it came out licking its mouth, and seemed like a hound after a long chase, much fatigued." At Ingolf, Ont., September i6, 1904, I saw a specimen of this Weasel that had been shot by the station agent. He told me that there were five or six Rabbits each night about the station. But one day the Weasel took up its abode near by and the Rabbits disappeared. The Weasel came into the station one night and, by help of the dog and a stick, the man injured it, but it escaped through a hole in the mosquito bar. Next day it was back and he killed it with a shot-gun. The pertinac- ity of the animal in returning was very characteristic. The storage habit is not what we look for in a creature so reckless and wasteful as a Weasel, and yet it seems fairly well-developed in this species. Bachman, after the above experiment with the Ermine as a ratter, says:" "A board of the floor was raised to enable us to ascertain the result of our experiment, and an immense number of Rats vere observed, which, although they had been killed in different parts of the building, had been dragged together, forming a compact heap." And again he says" that he has known the Ermine to kill and cache in the snow a Cottontail Rabbit, pressing the snow tightly down over it. John Burroughs gives" another curious case of Weasel storage, in connection with the den already described. He saw the creature {cicognanii?) carrying a Mouse into a hole » Ibid., p. 60. " Squirrels and Other Furbearers, 1900, pp. 72-5. » Ibid., p. 58. Short-tailed Weasel 853 about every fifteen minutes till 4 were stored within ; the next day the same thing went on until 4 more were carried in before his eyes, and doubtless others he had not seen, so he set to work to dig out and examine this larder, but the farther he went the more branches the tunnel had, and after many hours' digging he gave it up. Kennicott credits" the kindred species {noveboracensis) with collecting in a particular spot the Rats and Mice it has slaughtered, until a hundred or more of the victims are in the pile. As the Weasel usually craves hot, fresh blood, and a living prey, I am puzzled to understand its occasional wabblings toward the frugal habits and virtuous ways of much better citizens. Much as we may hate it for its sanguinary disposition, we cour- are bound to respect the Weasel for its courage. It will ordi- narily face any animal up to twenty or thirty times its size; a mother Weasel will face and fight an elephant; she will fly from nothing that may threaten her young. That this animal will sometimes attack man is shown in a case related by Burroughs:" The Weasel turned savagely on a man that had interfered with its feasting on a newly killed Rat. It dodged his blows of stick and stone in a way "sin- gularly uncanny and startling. It was like some infuriated imp of Satan, dancing before him and watching the chance to seize him by the throat or to dash into his eyes." Whatever a Weasel does, is done quickly — whether it be to speed seize the bounding Squirrel, clinch on the rash terrier's nose, elude the rifle ball at the flash, or save its young — it is known to act like lightning and with nearly uniform success. Measured by miles per hour, I doubt not its speed on the ground would be low, but in dodging it is quick to bafllement of the eye and the gun. In the trees it is perfectly at home, » Quad. lU., 1858, p. 106. " Squirrels and Other Fur-bearers, 1900, p. 84. 1 . \ ' 'lii 854 Life-histories of Northern Animals SWIM- MING ENEMIES much more so than a Chipmunk, and almost as much so as a Red-squirrel. Bachman writes" thus of one: "To avoid a dog that was in close pursuit, it mounted a tree and laid itself flat on a limb about 20 feet from the ground, from which it was finally shot." In the water it is a good swimmer. The following was observed by J. W. Curran, of Montreal, while camped at Lake Couchiching, Ont., in July, 1899:" "About 50 yards away from us a Chipmunk jumped off a tree overhanging the water and plunged boldly in, followed at a distance of not more than 3 feet by a Weasel. It was a great jumping contest, and our hearts were with the little fellow in front. However, we remained neutral. For 25 yards things looked black for the Chipmunk. The Weasel pulled up slightly, probably a foot — and we prepared to go out and give a hand. It was a fast race, too, the pair easily beating the best swimming I ever saw a dog do. The Weasel, I think, showed more of his body and seemed to exert himself more. After the first spurt the Chipmunk managed to hold the lead, and at the end of one hundred yards or less the Weasel, com- pletely blown, suddenly threw up the sponge and wheeled around for the shore, his successful competitor keeping right on for another island a quarter of a mile away. " I think a Chipmunk and probably a Black-squirrel can beat a Weasel swimming, and also that Weasels do not depend entirely on smell when after a meal." If Weasels were to be greatly multiplied they would quickly destroy every small bird, beast, and reptile in the country. Fortunately, they are nowhere abundant. Although prolific, and comparatively safe from the attacks of bird and beast of prey, they never become numerous. The reason lies, partly, I believe, in their own ferocity. More Weasels are killed by •• Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. II, p. 58. " Forest and Stream, June a, 1900. I Short-tailed Weasel 855 Weasels than by any other foe. Two Weasels cannot live in the same thicket; one of them must fall or flee. It is probable, too, that an unusual increase in Weasels results in such whole- sale extermination of their prey that local famine awaits these bloodsuckers. In the fights for life that follow, the slightest difference in weight counts and it appears that females are often overpowered and destroyed by their unchivalrous lords, so that a ruthless check is put on the further multiplication of their race, and their number once more brought to its proper low adjustment. I never saw one of these Weasel fights, but I have heard of them, and have seen a duel between Martens in which the female was killed. Sex probably counts for nothing among these Weasels, except in the breeding season. One of the most curious cases of a Weasel meeting his doom is this recorded by T. Mcllwraith." He does not give the species of Weasel, but, from the place, it was most likely the present one: "Twenty years ago, I knew a youth who shot one of these birds [Bald Eagle] as it flew over him while he lay concealed among the rushes on the shore of Hamilton Bay watching for ducks. On taking it up he found an unusual appendage dangling from the neck, which proved, on examina- tion, to be the bleached skull of a Weasel. The teeth had the 'death grip' of the skin of the bird's throat, and the feathers near this place were much confused and broken. "The eagle had probably caught the Weasel on the ground and, rising with his prize, a struggle had ensued in the air, during which the Weasel had caught the bird by the throat and hung there till he was squeezed and clawed to pieces." There is a curious and interesting side to Weasel nature antics well-known in England, and doubtlfcss to be discovered in our own species, as soon as it has been observed as fully as its British cousin. The Stoat often practices a piece of perfectly Satanic dissimulation as a ruse to approach some intended prey that is in an open place. " Birds of Ontario, 1894, pp. 209-10. 856 Life-histories of Northern Animals Millais" gives a number of instances of Stoats openly approaching the intended quarry bv rolling on the ground and gambolling in various antic ways, so as to arouse the curiosity and lull the suspicions of the victim as it draws ever nearer. >-,'■ If : I i VALUE TO MAN A most interesting sort of game played by two males and a female Stoat is described by C. B. Moffat," who witnessed it in June, 1890, near Ballyhyland, Enniscorthy, Ireland. All were apparently full grown. They were chasing each other like dogs or kittens, knocking each other over, and turning somersaults. "A curious crowing sort of note, 'Curoo, curoo, curoo' uttered very quickly, was frequently uttered, and in- variably when they ran at full speed. Great part of the game consisted in all three animals careering across the road again and again, frequently crossing each other, when they some- times sprang high in the air and cannoned against one another, all evidently in the height of fun. Then there was a ceremony, which I could not quite understand, of pressing their noses on the bare ground and running along for a foot or so, making a slight grating noise. I do not know how; they all did this." There is much evidence of adult British Stoats having games of this sort in summer and in winter, apparently at times when the sex instincts are dormant. The grewsome chapter of carnage and woe that appears under the section on habits and food might lead one to list the Weasel among things to be destroyed at all times, and by any means, as a thing without redeeming qualities. But Kennicott, after years of close acquaintance, says:" "I have frequently found the half-eaten remains of Meadow-mice in their burrows or under corn-stalks, which had doubtless been destroyed by this Weasel [P. noveboracensis], or perhaps the smaller one (P. cicognanii). It is a surprising thing that an animal so large as this should be able to force its way into the burrows of Meadow-mice, and yet it appears to do so without difficulty. '• Mam. G. B. & I., 1905, Vol. II, pp. 116-17. " Zoologist, 1890, p. 381. " Quad. lU., 1858, p. 105. short-tailed Weasel 857 "Stacks and barnfuls of grain are often overrun with Rats and Mice; but let a Weasel take up his residence there and soon the pests will disappear. A Weasel will occasionally remain for some time in a barn feeding on these vermin without disturbing the fowls. " Indeed I am inclined to think that notwithstanding their occasionally predatory inroads, they should not be killed when living permanently about meadows on caltivated fields at a distance from the poultry." The Weasel, then, like so many of our carnivores, will eat food any living thing it can master, but probably counts on Mice as its steady diet the year round. This is one of the species that supply the famous Ermine fuk fur of commerce, but it has not the enormous value that one sees ascribed to it in reckless print. Not several dollars, but a few cents, are the usual equivalent of a skin. The value is so low that few trappers think them worth skinning. I am told by D. A. Boscowitz, the fur-dealer of Victoria, ermine B. C, that at the London fur sales, in Lampson's, March, 1906, 80,000 and odd Ermine were sold. The highest price was 7 shillings and sixpence ($1.80) a skin for prime white Siberian without yellow tint. Prime American and Canadian skins brought only 4 shillings (96 cents). Other grades ranged from that down to sixpence (12 cents) for third-class. k ■ si- I, •r XXXVII. The Least Weasel, or Mouse-hunter. Putorius rixosus Bangs. {Putorius, see ante; rixosus, Latin for 'quarreliome' or 'aggrcMive,' though in thia respect the species does not seem to be any worse than its betters.) Putorius pusillus Baird, 1857, N. Am. Mamm., pp. 159-161 (in part). Putorius rixosus Bangs, 1896, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., pp. 21-22. Type Locality.— Osier, Saskatchewan, Canada. French Canadian, la petite Belette. Cree, Ojib., & Saut., Shing-gwus-ance or Little Weasel, diminutive of Shing-gwus, the Weasel. This name is applied to all of the small species indiscriminately. Chipewyan, Tel-ky'-lay-az-zy (little Weasel). Yankton Sioux, Ke-tong-ka-ska. (Given to all small Weasels.) This species has been partly known to naturalists since 1857, when Baird described a specimen, believing it to be the same as its larger cousin, the Least Weasel, of Great Britain. In 1893, W. C. Colt, at Osier, Sask., captured a summer spec- imen which he sent to Outram Bangs, of Boston. In 1896, this naturalist, convinced that it represented an undescribed species, gave it the name rixosus. It proves to be very different from its European cousin in size as well as in colour and cranial characters; it is considerably smaller and is, indeed, the smallest known beast of prey in the world. 868 e 1 I i I R n ^■m ii KBS 'y ' ■ Hn 1 ■ ) ^^^s 1 '' IN l;i iBi^vi^H II I Least vVcascl 85fi It is readily rccoj-nizcl b\ its vcr\ mall size and shurt tail without bi k tip. 1 >r generic chat.. cters of Pw/onW, sec page 872. Head ana body, abrnt 6 • ?s Ung (150 mm.); tail, \ ua inches (31 mm.); hii »-toof ^b .ut 13-1^^ inch (20mm). In summer coat, u >( -r paf^^ at;d tai! even 1 mber brown; colour under parts, pu whit* without an \cUuw ■nee, ai . '.arplv drr irket fr m th»- ch |;rov.n; < " in > tail, throat, fore "v chev elly each g. and :1c >es, whiit A f>mal whi h I gi at Relianc Gtcat SI e I ake, >\nt 1907 (No. roo , t>' .m Co'-etiii length, b in ""^ '7 ^^■ (30 mm hinU-fo<> }| The hot ifter ning mm > thi iigh i v < jp thro 'h the chesi. :hii 'Sll r I Fio. «o7 FnUB M»iTi Blul. Sun f P rrtatWJ. il, ii^ (21 m.) a i 11. ■) (I'j lart and but i inch (.13 mn^ ) N A. Fauna li. c|>l. Agl., V. S. iree ea arc rer^ rixL ..s Ban fskimo S H' alleghenii thin! uzed : • typical form. irg< redder race with shorter tail Rhoa. larger, darker, and more ed tha rixosus. i sp- LUE-HISTORY. ; is found in Arctic and boreal America from the Hudson Bay, probal *> 10 the Atlantic; range Bering . , at 1 1st tt ^ , . and roi 1 the ctic Ocean to the southern limits of the Car a Jian Faun Professor S Baird had a specimen from Pembina, Minn.' Outram tiai,.is records' it from Osier, Sask., Alaska, ' Pacific R. R. Rep., Vol. VHI, 1857, p. 160. • Rev. Weasels, E N. A., Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., February, 1896, p. 22. 1 ' (i IN MAN! TOBA 860 Life-histories of Northern Animals Moose Factory, and Fort Albany. According to Kennicott,' it is found in Indiana and northern Illinois, and, in fact, from New York westward. G. F. Dippie showed me a specimen at Calgary where he says it is common. J. M. Macoun found it at Jasper House. E. A. Preble took specimens in 1901 at Fort Smith and Fort Resolution.* E. A. Preble and I secured one at Old Fort Reliance, Great Slave Lake, September 15, 1907; and W. H. Osgood got one at Tyonek, Cook's Inlet, Alaska.' In Pennsylvania, S. N. Rhoads recently discovered and described* a small Weasel {allegheniensts) that may turn out to be a race of rixosus. At the American Museum, New York, is a specimen taken at Johnstown, Ohio, by N. C. Buxton, January 25, 1907. Thus all Manitoba is well within its range. A winter spec- imen was sent me from Woonona, Man., by W. G. Tweddell. Two brown-coated specimens in my collection were taken near Morden by D. Nicholson in November, 1903. He has seen several in the region of Pembina Mountain. I have about a dozen records from Winnipeg. Dr. Gordon Bell shot one near Delta Lake, Man., September 15, 1902, and J. S. Charieson says it is quite common in fall about Macdonald, Man. Al- though the Least Weasel has a wide extension in countries that have long been studied by naturalists, it is so elusive and hard to observe that until recently it has escaped our acquaintance, and as yet we have practically no knowledge of its habits. The specimen from which I made the drawing was taken at Mor- den, Man., by D. Nicholson, about November, 1903, and is still' in full summer coat. He had several brought him at different times, but said that they "went bad" so quickly that most were lost. When a small animal turns putrid in two or three hours after death, it usually means that its food is insects. » Quad. 111., 1859, p. a45 * N. A. Fauna, No. a;. 1908, p. 934- • N. A. Fauna, No. ai, September, 1901, pp. 69-70. •Mam. Penna., 1903, pp. 173-^ ir MAP 4fr-IlAH0E OF THB LEAST WEASEL. Pulorhu tUomi Bangi. THU m,p U fn«nHM .-», r«nrda b, R. K^k^-. " B«^ WiUrri H. 0«<«i. S. N. Rh<-d.. E. W. N.taoo. E. A. P«bl.. J. M. M«o«n. G. S. Miller, uid E. T. S«oo. ^ ^ , __,. The ouUioe ihom the theoretic*! ranfe; the tfott ue »ctu»l reconU. 801 ii II FOOD 862 Life-histories of Northern Animals This proneness to spoil therefore gives us the first ray of light we have on its mode of life. I have also known it to feed on Mice, and doubtless it adds small birds to its list. E. Wilson tells me that, at Winnipeg, Arthur Hatchings caught a Least Weasel in a mouse-trap about April 15, 1907. It was no larger than a Field-mouse and pure white. The trap had broken its leg. He nursed it till it was well, and then set it free. It now lives about his woodshed and is remarkably tame. My Fort Reliance specimen had come on one of our mouse- traps in which was a dead Mouse, had eaten the head, and then dragged trap and Mouse some 20 feet, where itself was killed by another mouse-trap. As its stomach was quite empty, I think there may have been two Weasels there. The following incident, witnessed by my friend George L. Fordyce, of Youngstown, Ohio, furnishes additional light on the food habits of this pigmy: "While out in the field this morning (December 26) walking along the bank of a rav'n'^ at the edge of our golf course, I saw a Field-mouse run out of the bushes into the rough grass that is just outside of the fair green of the course. In another instant, what I thought at first to be a white Mouse came out at the same place. The Mouse ran into a wheel track and disappeared under the grass, coming out about 6 feet from where it went in. The white animal followed through the same course, and when it came out, I saw that it was a small Weasel, very little larger than the Mouse, and that it was fol- lowing the trail of the Mouse by scent. " For a time the Mouse ran in circles and zigzagge.' about, often coming around within four or five feet of the Weasel, but the latter seemed so intent on the trail that it did not notice the Mouse to one side. After a time, the latter started toward the open golf course, and when the Weasel reached the point where the trail was straight, it sighted the prey, made a sudden dash forward, and, although 25 feet behind, overtook the Mouse while it was going three or four feet. " For a few seconds they seemed to fight, until the Weasel got the Mouse by the throat, and started for the bushes, drag- Least Weasel 863 ging the body. When it came within about three feet of me, I moved a little to see what it would do. It dropped its vicam and ran into the ravine. The Mouse had a drop of bright red blood in the centre of its white throat. I waited near by for fifteen or twenty minutes, thinking the Weasel might come back, but it did not show up again; even an hour later the Mouse had not been disturbed.'" W. H. Osgood, while collecting in Cook's Inlet, Alaska, secured an example, of which he says:* "One aduk female was taken in a swampy place near Tyonek, September 19. It was caught in a small mouse-trap in a Microtus runway, and doubtless would have escaped had it not thrashed into a pool of water and drowned." "The natives," he adds, "regard the capture of one of "jdi^j. these rare animals as a piece of great good fortune. One old stition Indian who frequently visited our cabin told us that his brother who had caught one, when a small boy, had in consequence become a 'big chief; and he assured me that since I had caught one I must surely be destined to become a man of great wealth and power." This brief account contains everything that is on record about this wide-spread but furtive species. Direct observation fails us here, and for further light we must look to the next best thing— the analogy of its kindred. The nearest well-known relative of our tiny carnivore is the Little Weasel or Mouse-hunter {P. nivalis) of Great Britain. This differs chiefly in being slightly larger; and there is no reason to doubt that in habits, as in anatomy, they are very similar. / , ^ing to Thomas Bell,' the Little Weasel in Great «^ Brita s chiefly on Mice, for which reason he regards it as » Penonal letter, December a6, 1907. • N. A. Fmuna, No. ai, September, 1901, pp. 69-70. • Biitiib Qu«dnipeare occasions, chickens. It hunts by scent, climbs, and swims with ease. Gestation in the Weasels is about 42 days. The young are usually 5 in a litter, but vary from 4 to 6. The nest is in a hole in a bank. It is lined with grass and herbage. The mother will defend them fearlessly -nd desperately against all assailants. Most Weasels are solitary hunters, but the mother will go hunting with her whole brood in late summer and early autumn. These family gatherings are doubtless the 'weasel packs' one occasionally hears of. HUNTING IN PACKS VALUE J. G. Millais points out*" that in parts of England the Common Weasel (P. nivalis Linn.) h called 'fairy,' and states that: "The habit of Weasels to travel and hunt in company at night, most likely explains a superstition which still lingers in the West of England, to the effect that Hares are hunted at night by packs of little fairy hounds, locally called 'Dandy Dogs,' and these some of the country people will assure you they have seen and watched with awe." This Weasel is never known to attack well-grown poultry, or mammals larger than a rat, so that it must be considered a friend of the farmer, an animal, therefore, that is worthy of full protection. These obser/ations will help us to an understanding of our own still more diminutive species, and any reader who happens to have first-hand facts about this animal or its habits, can render good service to the cause of Natural History by putting his knowledge on record. "> Mam. G. B. & I., 1905, Vol. II, p. 135. XXXVIII. Large Weasel, Large Ermine, Long-tailed Weasel or Yellow-bellied Weasel. Putorius longicauda (Bonapartey. (L. longicauda, from longus, long; cauda, tail.) Mustela longicauda BoN., 183S, Charlesworth's Mag. Nat. Hist., II, p. 38. Putorius longicauda Rich., 1839, Zool. Beechey's Voy., p. 10. Type Locality. — Carlton House, Sask. French Canadian, la Belette a longue queue. Cree, Saut., & OjiB., Shing-gwus'. Yankton Sioux, He-tong-ka-shah. Ogallala Stoux, He-tu-kah'-san. This large Weasel is readily recognized by its very long tail and, in summer coat, by its rich buffy-yellow under parts, very different from the white or pale sulphur tint often seen on the under parts of other Weasels. Seen afar, in winter, it might be mistaken for a white Squirrel. In addition to generic characters (see p. 872), it has the following: Length, about 18 inches (457 mm.); tail, 6 inches (152 size mm.); hind-foot, 2 inches (51 mm.). Female about one- seventh smaller. All above, pale warm yellowish-brown (much like that of colour cicognanii), darkest on crown and back, lightest on legs; all below, rich warm buffy-yellow; tip of tail for one-quarter of length, black; chin, cheeks, and upper lip, white In winter, pure white, except the tail-tip, which continues black. Fe- male similar. 865 mm 866 Life-histories of Northern Animals The following races are recognized: longicauda Bonaparte, the t>pica! form. spadix Bangs, darker and more richly coloured. oribasus Bangs, darker and duskier than spadix. Besides these are the following very nearly related forms, at present ranking as species: Putorius arizonensis Mearns, similar to longicauda in colour and marking, but much smaller. Putorius saturatus Merriam. Like arizonensis, but larger and darker, with distinct spots behind the corners of the mouth. Putorius alleni Merriam. Like arizonensis, but upper parts more suffused with yellow and audital bulls flatter. RANGE ROME- RAKGE LlFE-HISTORY. The range of the species is the Great Plains from Kansas northward to the Saskatchewan. In Manitoba, I found it abundant throughout the prairie region, seeking by preference such cover as the edges of broken land, thickets, or river banks. I have seen it out on the open prairie, but not more than a mile or so from timber. I am told, however, that it follows the Richardson Ground-squirrel wherever it goes, preying on it and living in its burrows. As might have been expected, the ranges of these two animals coincide in the north. I never saw or heard of a specimen taken in the forest country. All those examined by me in Manitoba were from Winnipeg, Carberry, and Morden. It is probably found throughout our Alleghanian or Transition Region. I have no evidence on the home-range of the individual, but imagine, from the nature and abundance of its food, that in summer, at least, it need not travel so far as do most of its kin. wm Long-tailed Weasel 867 A pair of Long-tailed Weasels to every square mile of popuia- prairie would, 1 think, represent the utmost number of this ^°^ species. This is, however, a mere guess, founded on the number of Weasel tracks in the snow. Settlement seems to have done nothing towards thin- ning their ranks. They are, 1 think, as numerous now as ever. BIUTY In sociability, means of in- socu. tercommunication, matmg, breeding, etc., the Long-tailed Weasel appears much like the smaller Brown-weasel, but there are very few facts at hand for help in comprehend- ing its ways of life. Some interesting observa- tions, which probably refer to the present species, are con- tributed by Dr. G. B. Grinnell: " In certain portions of the West the Common Weasel, or Ermine, frequently takes up its abode in the villages of the such a pest, and preys on the young and perhaps the adult Squirrels. If, for any reason, the Squirrels desert their villages and move onward — as they frequently do through lack of food — the Weasels arc likely to migrate with them. "This year the Ground-squirrels have been a pest on the Blackfoot Reservation, in western Montana, and have de- voured many of the gardens, root and branch. There seems to be no efficient way of destroying them, though, by means of the trap and a small rifle, my friend, J. B. Monroe, HABITS Fio. »ft— SkiilU of Lng-toilcd Wowl. t'pparmou. Sid* vlaw of aduJt ^ ikatl. Middle, top view of adult ^ tktdl fkoMi Ciriton Houw, Loweu, top Tivw of adult O fkuU fton CarltOB Houa«, Saik. ""It^.li^^ltir^l.liT'^S^tii^. Ground-squirrels, which are cfti Surrajr, u. 5. Mpt. of Atrrtculiue.) ■ -^ s;.)vjuiw. ' nng FOOD 868 Life-histories of Northern Animals had managed to kill in his small garden about 300 up to July I. tj A " In this village there are several Weasels, and Major R. A. Allen, who devoted much time to shooting Squirrels, frequently saw them. One seemed to have little fear of him. Sometimes he would see the creature run into its hole, and, going there, would hold a dead Squirrel down in the hole, and the Weasel would come up and seize it with its teeth. At 'ength, the little animal became so tame that it would come to him and reach for the Squirrel held above, and would of'cn jump into the air trying to catch it. "Of course, the Weasels were never troubled— they were useful in destroying Squirrels."' Professor John Macoun tells me that on July 29, 1906, at a place 20 miles south-west of Saskatoon, Sask., he saw a Rich- rdson Ground-squirrel plunge into its hole on the approach of a Long-tailed Weasel. The latter went after it at once, but soon came out. Evidently the Squirrel had baffled it in some way; perhaps by plugging the burrow behind itself. In addition to Ground-squirrels, this species preys much on the Snowshoe-hare or Bush-rabbit, especially in winter. The Weasel actually runs it down in open chase, in spite of the Hare's superior speed. Of this I have often seen track record in the snow. Once only did I see the pursuit. In the winter of 1886, while hunting in the poplar woods north-east of Carberry, I saw a Hare running through the brush, pursued at some distance by an Ermine or Long-tailed Weasel. The chase circled about the place where I was camped. I stopped to watch it. The Hare was at the point of giving up when, all at once, it ran towards me and took refuge Ui.oer the sleigh, near my feet. The Weasel ran around at a distance but, before I could get hold of my gun, he decided to seek his dinner somewhere else. While Ground-squirrels in jrnmer and Hares in winter may be staples of its diet, I doubt not the Long-tailed Weasel is ready to prey on any living creature it can catch, from Mouse ' Forest and Stream, September 14, 1901, p. 805. ^^^^_ MAP 47— RANGB OF THE LOlfG-TAILBD WBASBL AHD ITS HEAR KIH, 869 Miil n . 870 Life-histories of Northern Animals to wild goose, and a full investigation will probably show that Mice arc its most important year-round diet. COURAGE The following adventure that I witnessed in 1897 is good evidence of the ferocity and courage of this animal: On September 5, I was out near Medora, N. Dak., with several men on a Wolf hunt. At night, as we were about to roll up in our blankets, a member of the party called out: "Say, Jack, there's a Pack-rat just run under your saddle." As a Pack- rat {Neotoma) is a notorious mischief-maker among leathers. Jack went over and gave his saddle a kick. Then we heard him gasping, swearing, and finally shouting for help. In the dim light we could see him dancing like a maniac and clutching at his throat. The campers all sat up and answered his calls for help with jeers and derision. " Look at Jack; he's got 'em again. Kill them. Jack; the air's full of them," etc. A white bull-terrier with us now rushed forth growhng, and seemed also to leap at the man's throat, then to shake himself. Now the man grew calm, and we learned that he had kicked out, not a Pack-rat, but a Long-tailed Weasel, which immediately attacked him. It ran up his legs a number of times, aiming at his throat. He had clutched it and cast it off again and again, but it had persisted, and might have done him serious injury but for the prompt assistance of the bull- terrier. The specimen is now in the Field Museum. As long as farmers farm, they will doubtless consider it a solemn duty to kill a Weasel at sight, and this is one of the duties they never wilfully dodge. We cannot blame them if we read of the destruction a Brown-weasel can do in a hennery, and, remember, the Long-tailed Weasel is a Brown-weasel multiplied two diameters by weight; but it is well to recall first, the havoc the species makes among Mice and Ground- squirrels, and second, that certain individuals only go a-hen- ning; others, of a different mood, are content to go a-mousing and a-squirrelling all their lives, and these we do not need to destroy. That is, kill only those that come to be killed in the barnyard. Long-t£>(*ed Wea8cl 871 The Long-tailed Weasel does not allow us to forget that his name is Putorius, and Putonus is related to Mephitis. Merriam says:' "I met one high up in Salmon River Moun- tains, September 5; he was in pursuit of a Richardson Squirrel in a damp, moss-covered place in a dark spruce forest, and stood bolt upright when he saw me. I wounded him with my auxiliary, and he immediately emitted his powerful stench and disappeared in a hole at the root of a spruce." In the mountains of Wyoming (1898), I watched a Long- tail, hunting in the snow around me, and in spite of heavy frost made the accompanying sketch to illustrate his pose and tracks. His manner of diving under the snow and of coming up at unexpected and remote points was remarkable and suggested an eel in the mud. Though the fur is fine and of exquisite yellow and white "« in winter, it is of too low value to be of commercial importance. (See small Ermine, p. 857.) ' N. A. Fauna, No. 5, 1891, p. 83. (May have been aritontntis.) i-z IflMkM M U *«IM*W im ^ V i XXXIX. The Mink, Minx or Vison. PuUirius vison (Schreber). (L. Puturius, a 'stinker,' applied, (or good reason, lo all the Weaaela; i-iion, meaninK?) Mustela vison ScHREBER, 1 778, Saugthierc, III. p. 463. Putorius vison Gapper, 1830, Zool. Journ., V, p. 202. Type Locality. Eastern Canada. French Canadian, /< Foutereau. Cree, Sang-gwiss'. According to Richardson, Shak- washew or Atjackashew. OjiBWAY, Shang-gues'-se. Saut., Sang'-way-soo. Chipewyan, Tfl-chu'-say. Ogallala Sioux, Lo-chiu'-cha. Yankton Sioux, Doke-sesch. The word ' Mink ' is usually traced to the Swedish 'Maenk, though it is not clear how or when the word crossed the ocean. The genus Putorius (Cuv., 181 7) comprises Weasel-like animals with long, slender bodies, short legs with five toes on each foot, more or less bushy tails, short ears, and teeth as follows: •1-7 I -I 3-3 Inc. ^-^; can. — ; prem. -— ; 3-i i-» i-i mol, i-i 2-2 = 34 SIZE The Mink unites these characters with the following: Length, about 24 inches (610 mm.); tail, 7 inches (178 mm.); hind-foot, zj inches (63 mm.). smaller. 872 The females arc I'l.ATK l.XXVHI. TllK \IINK. UK MSSm ^mbngsigimm Mink 873 An ordinary male weighs about 2 pounds, but I have seen weight adults that were only i i to 1 3 pounds. The largest 1 ever weighed was taken at Winnipeg, November i, 1907; it turned the scale at 2 pounds 6 ounces. The females are considerably less than the males, weighing, according to Resseque,' about i pound 10 ounces. In general the Mink is nearly colour uniform umber-brown, darker and glossier on the back, and deepening on the tail nearly to black; the chin is more or less white, and there may be some white spots anywhere on throat, breast or belly, but these are very irregular: some speci- mens are totally without white. In the American species the white does not reach the upper lip. In the Siberian species the upper lip is normally white. This animal does not turn white in winter. The impression it gives as it dodges in the woods along the water is of a long, thin rat, with brown fur and hairy tail. The following races are recognized: vison Schrebcr, the typical form. lacustris Preble, a larger race. vulgivagus Bangs, paler, with heavier dentition. energumenos Bangs, very large and very dark. ingens Osgood, very large and somewhat dark. luireocephalus Harlan, larger than the type with shorter and paler fur. Fio. »oo— Rif ht paw» oT roung Mink d. (Life stK.) Daftbarau. om.. Auir. t;, iqu4. Life-history. The range of the Mink includes all of Manitoba; it is ranob found even along the sloughs of the prairie region, although it is ' Coues, Fur-bearing Anim., 1877, p i8j. .r' 874 Life-histories of Northern Animals less abundant there than in the woods to the northward and eastward. ..... , j • ,u ENVIRON- The peculiar environment for which it is adapted is the **^-''"' border-land between water and woods, between Otter and Weasel Although it can live in the water and catch fish, like the Otter, it can also hunt on the land like the Weasel, following its prey into cover of rushes and woods, pursuing it over logs, into burrows, and occasionally even climbing up some sloping HOMK- RAN' £ Fio. aio— Youhk Mink '. (LUe l UctbaraU, Unt.. Aug. I7. t«(H- tree to get a better view of the situation. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that on the land it is as inferior no the Long-tailed Weasel as in the water it is to the Otter, and many of its meals are of a kind that either of its cousins would despise, being neither fish nor flesh. The home-range or locality of each individual is probably ery iarge for so small an animal. Its habit seems to be that of all Weasels; it hunts a given area till the game grows scarce by destruction or flight, then it moves on a mile or two, along stream or overland, in search of new hunting grounds. In this way it will change many times during a season, but always, I believe, keeping within a well-defined area that it knows and considers its range J udging from the time a Mmk MAP 4»-THB RAHOE OF THB HORTH AMBRICAH MIHK8. 876 (BUsI) '^'i. ABUN- DANCE 876 Life-histories of Northern Animals needs to get back to a given point, I should say its home-range was less than 5 miles in diameter, and that it did not by any means occupy it to the exclusion of others of the kind; these individual ranges may overlap like a number of rings thrown at random on the ground and will be most numerous where food is most abundant. Dr. Merriam makes some remarks that bear on this topic:' "I find that many hunters and trappers believe that the Mink does not make long journeys, but remains in the vicinity of its nest, to which it returns every twenty-four hours or thereabouts. My experience, in certain cases, at least proved the contrary." He then gives an account of a large Mink that reappeared at intervals of two or three weeks and adds: "This and other more or less similar experiences have convinced me that the Mink frequently, if not commonly, makes long excursions like the Otter, following one watercourse and then another, and returning over the same route, and I believe that they have a number of nests scattered at convenient intervals along these circuits. This habit may be confined to the old males, but whether it is so or not remains to be proven." The Mink is one of our most plentiful fur-bearers. I should guess that there is one pair of them to every square mile in Manitoba; less, no doubt in the prairie region, but a suffi- cient surplus in the timber and lake regions to keep up the average. There seems to be little change in the number of Mink during recent years. I saw as many and as much sign in 1904 as I did in 1882. During the last fifty years the Hud- son's Bay Company has exported 40,000 to 90,000 Mink skins each year from the Northwest. On exceptional years the number has far exceeded these highest figures, but the supply continues about the same. Reckoned by area, about one- thirtieth of these come from Manitoba. SOCIA- BIUTY So far as known, the only exceptions to solitary life among Minks are during the mating season, and while the young are • Mam. Adir., 1884, pp. 65-6. ^I^Uki Mink 877 with the mother. As these are strictly family groups, they are not real exceptions, and the Mink must be considered an un- sociable animal. The rudiments of the mud-pie telephone, as described in the Muskrat chapter, are found among Mink, but this appears to be their sole impersonal mode of intercommunication, and a very poor one at that. The only sounds I have heard the species utter are a growl, voice a deep savage snarl, a louder snarl of defiance that is almost a scream, and finally a shrill screech when it is in a trap. Kennicott credits' it with uttering a remarkable shrill, twittering squeak, not unlike that of a bunnng, but this only when hurt or excited. To these we must add the loud sniffing, which, while it is merely an attempt to smell clearly, also con- veys to another Mink the idea that here there is something which is probably worth while approaching and smelling. Most naturalists believe that the Mink is polygamous or mating possibly polyandrous. Thus Kennicott says:* "The Mink is not at all gregarious and does not even live in pairs. During the love season, which occurs in February or March, according to the climate, the female is accompanied by one or more males." And in the Resseque Minkery one male commonly served six females.' However, the fact recorded by many observers that during the mating season the males fight desper- ately to a finish, is directly opposed to any theory of polyandry. We are told, further, that the females in the Minkery "come in heat with great regularity, all being ready for the male within ten days, and the period of excitement lasts about four days." . The following from the pen of Bachman illustrates their habits at this season:' "The latter end of February or the beginning of March in the latitude of Albany, N. Y., is the rutting season of the Mink. At this period the ground is usually still covered with snow, but the male is, notwithstand- • Qu«d. 111., 1858, p. 103. ' Ibid., p. 10a. • Couet, Fur bearing Anim., 1877, p. i8j. • Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. as8- Mi Hrs Life-histories of Northern Animals ing, very restless, and his tracks may everywhere be traced, along ponds, among the slabs around saw-mills, and along nearly every stream of water. He seems to keep on foot all day as well as through the whole night. Having for several days in succession observed a number of Minks on the ice hurrying up and down a mill-pond, where we had not observed any during the whole winter, we took a position near a place Fig. Ill— Mink ilmut «ir-fifth n( life iik. ft ■!■■ dnwiac mada bv E. T. Seli.n Iof Ihe r>«p*Ttment nf Aifriculture in iM • p« «» ■< J or«ilholoBi»l aiHl MammoloKiM ia>«. p. «««. rubOthad in t> Hapcxtordie which wc had seen them pass, in order to procure some of them. We shot 6 in the course of the morning, and ascertained that they were all large and old males. As wc did not find a single female in a week, whilst we obtained a great number of males, we came to the conclusion that the females during this period remain in their burrows." The question is, however, far from being settled. Many observers have seen Minks in pairs together, sharing each other's lives and fortunes to some extent. Thus Charles G. D. Roberts tells me that one year about midsummer as he was carrying his canoe around a log jam on the Nashwaak River, N. B., he saw two full-grown Mink travelling together, and evidently associated. They left the Mink 879 log jam just as he had done, to travel down the bank; as they came near he stood still to watch them. One ran by him and over his foot; the other, a large one that he took to be the male, ran past, some ten feet aside. Beyond him they resumed their journey and took to the water again about forty yards below. Finally, we are told that in the Cancandea,N.Y., Minkery:' "About the middle of March the females are separated from the males until the young are reared. The necessity for this arises from the fact that the males seem inclined to brood the young almost as much as the dam, when both are permitted to remain together." This is strong evidence that in a state of nature the male Mink is a model father, which necessitates that he be also a faithful mate. In Manitoba, pairing takes place in March and may extend even into mid-April. There is hardly any low situation near the water where a Mink will not make its den. Long burrows in banks, holes under logs, stumps or roots, and hollow trees are favourite places, but crevices of rocks, drains, and nooks under stone piles and bridges are frequently selected. If the burrow is one dug by the animal itself, it is about 4 inches in diameter and, if in ordinarily easy digging, it may continue along for lo or 12 feet at a depth of 2 or 3 feet. On the prairie Kennicott found the Minks "living in bur- rows, often 6 or 8 rods in length, on high ground, from which long galleries extend to the edge of a slough or pond. These galleries, however, are not formed by the Minks, but by Musk- rats, which dig them in order to place their nests beyond the reach of high water and yet have subterranean communication with the stream.'" Similarly, he credits it with occupying the burrows of the Badger and Skunk when in a suitable locality, and finally with frequendy digging dens in old ant-hills, pre- sumably because these are dry elevations near the water. At the end of the long, crooked, ^.-inch tunnel is the nest, nkt or nursery den, of the family. This is usually described as a ' Coues, Furbe»ring Anim., 1877, p. 184. " Qu«l- M., 1858, p. loa. 88U d Life-histories of Northern Animals chamber about a fcx)t in diameter, warm and dry, and well lined with fine grass, feathers, and any other soft material that is handy. Sometimes the nest is in a Muskrat home, whose rightful owners have been dispossessed, probably eaten, but the lining and finish are said to be the same as in the underground den. So far as known, it is made and guarded solely by the mother. The male, however, has a den of his own, probably a number of them, scattered over his home-range, as already nuied. Indeed, it is tolerably certain that at all seasons each Mink has one or two refuge dens at convenient parts of its home-region, where he or she can count on a comfortable nest no matter what weather may be in possession of the out- side world. OESTA TKIN, ETC. According to all authorities, the period of gestation is exactly 42 days. In Manitoba, the young are born about the last week in April or first of May. They are usually 5 or 6 in number, but may vary from 3 to 10. On arrival they are about the size and shape of a little finger, pale in colour, blind, naked, and helpless. Their eyes open when they are five weeks old, and now the little creatures begin to look like Mink, for they arc covered with a close fine coat of fur. On June 28, 1883, 1 found a young Mink lying under some brush on a sort of trail between two ponds among the Sand- hills, near Carberry. I was led to it by its plaintive squeaking. It was well formed, but its eyes were not open, and I saw nothing of the mother or of any other young Mink. Why it was there is a puzzle, as this did not seem to be a nest. Possi- bly the mother was movmg her brood to new quarters and lefi this in a temporary resting place. I carried it home. Its eyes opened about July i. Reckoning backward, this one must have been born about May 29 and engendered in mid- April. About this time their eyes are opened and the mother begins to supply them with solid food. Mink 881 The following, by Dr. T. S. Roberts, of Minneapolis, is a graphic picture of the mother's life and labours for her young at this season:* "While engaged in geological work on the Cedar River, near Osage, la., my attention was attracted by the peculiar actions of a Mink (Putorius vison). By careful manoeuvring we were enabled to approach to within a short distance of where it was engaged, and there watch its behaviour unob- served, it was an old mother Mink engaged in fishing for her young. On the ripples in the centre of the stream, where the water was not more than two feet in depth, was a fiat drift boulder rising a few inches above the surface. On this rock the mother Mink would take her position and here wntch for small fish to approach, when she would dive into the water, be gone for a moment, and then reappear on the opposite side of the rock, usually with a fish in her mouth, which she would deposit in the centre of the stone and its struggles instantly stopped by a quick, sharp bite at the back of the head, which caused immediate death. This process was repeated with- out intermission, except to stop for an instant to shake the water from her furry coat, until 7 fish, varying from 4 to 7 inches in length, were deposited on the rock. Then, without stopping to rest, taking one fish in her mouth, she plunged inti> the -.vp'er and swam ashore, climbed up the steep bank, and ran hastily to her young, in a burrow under an old stump on the bank of the stream, fifty yards away. In a moment she was seen returning, plunged into the stream and swam to the rock, took a second fish in her mouth, entered the river once more, nnd returned to her young as at first. This was repeated uncil all the fish had been carried away. A few moments after having removed the last fish, she returned and began her work once more. This time, however, her labours were without result, so, shifting her position to another rock in the stream, a short distance away, she continued her fishing. But, although more than a quarter of an hour was spent in energetic cflFort, her labours were without avail, * Mam. Minn., 189a, pp. 117-8. I ,11 i- i 884 Lifc-hi8toric8 of Northern Animals and she was this time compelled to .cturn to her young empty-handed. "From the bank of the tream where egress trom the water was made, to the burrow fifty yards distant, a well- beaten path had been formed by the mother Mmk m her daily excursions in quest of food for her young." As late as June 28 they are still in the nest with the mother in the country about Methy Lake, a*^ evidenced by a note in Richardson's last "Journey ":•» "A female ^ mk {Fison lutreola) was killed as it was crossing a bay of the lake. It had 8 swollen teats and its udder contained milk; so that probably its death insured that of a young progeny also." vocNo Soon after their eyes are open the young Mink seem to go forth into the world under the guardianship of the mother. W. R. Hine tells me that he has often seen the old one with her brood in June. At such times she shows fight facing one, and uttering a snarling screech; the young meanwhile escape to the water. By now they have doubtless abandoned the nest. , One of my Kippewa guides, Archie Miller, relates that in a great forest fire near Temiscaming Lake, in July, 1901, he saw an old Mink with her 4 young swimming up a creek towards a lake. The woods were blazing on both sides and they were travelling up stream to escape, coming up for a breath, then diving and swimming under. They were ha^d pressed, nearly worn out indeed, and could not swim more than 25 feet without coming up. They were the size of a Red- squirrel; only one parent was seen. Another guide, Edouard C. Crete, contributes some inter- esting observations on the home life. He says that one year he was staying at a hay camp, 1 1 miles west of Deux Rivieres, Ont., from July 12 to 22. Every day, for a vveek at least, after the 15th, an old Mink came with 5 young ones to feed on ;he rubbish thrown out. They were there twice a day, morning and evening, regularly until he went away. " Arc. Search Exp., 1851, Vol. I, p. 109. %^ Mink Yet another interesting glimpse of the family life is fur- nished mr by A. Barton Hepburn, of New York. When he was a boy living on the home farm at Colton, N. Y., he was going with his father one day late in June across an alder brook by the road bridge when they saw in the bushes to one side an old Mink with 5 young ones that were about one- quarter grown. They were following her, but when they came to the road, they held back and would not quit the cover to cross the road. She made several efforts to coax and lead them on, but they were timid. At length she seemed to lose patience; she seized them, one at a time, by the neck and so carried them across to the opposite thicket, where they con- tinued their journey. He saw nothing of the father Mink and does not remember whether or not the mother made any sounds. The little ones continue with the mother until the middle of August; they have now learned something of the ways of life, the family breaks up, and henceforth all are seen wandering alone They are now about half grown in point of weight. As usual, the females mature sooner. We learn from Resseque" that they attain to their full stature in ten months, and repro- duce when one year old, "while the males are not full grown until they are a year and a half old. It is noted that in every litter one or the other sex predominates in numbers, there being rarely half of them males and the other half females." There is but one brood each season. Fish are perhaps the Mink's choice food, and it delights rooo in taking them by open pursuit in the clear water. Although it is inferior to the Otter in this craft, Audubon and Bachman record that they have seen one catch a trout a foot long." A quadruped that can catch a trout that size can catch anything that swims in the smaller streams. Those that live along the prairie sloughs feed chiefly on frogs, tadpole. Mice, and Muskrats. The latter it follows under water into their " Couet, Fur-bearing Anim., 1877, P- '8'- " Quad N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. 255. ■II 884 Life-histories of Northern Animals burrows or their homes, killing and devouring them in spite of a most desperate resistance. The Muskrat is a noted fighter and always dies game; still it dies when it meets the Mink. Dr. E. Coues thus" condenses M. A. Howell, Jr.'s account of a Muskrat-Mink adventure: "Whilst Snipe hunting on a marshy island below the Kickapoo Rapids of the Illinois River, the writer noticed an object which appeared like a ball some six or eight inches in diameter rolling towards the water, and soon ascertained that it was a Mink and a Muskrat clinched together, and so completely covered with mud as not to have been at first recognized. At his approach the Mink released its hold and made its escape, but the Muskrat was already dying of severe wounds in the head and neck, from which the blood was flowing profusely. The Muskrat had evidently been capt- ured and overcome in fair fight by broad daylight, and the Mink would have devoured its victim had not the hunter interfered." E. W. Deming, the New York animal-painter, informs me that on Green River, of Illinois, the Muskrat is a regular food of the Mink. He once found the remains of lo Muskrats in a Mink den. This is a typical and extremely carnivorous record, but nothing in the way of flesh, fish, or fowl comes amiss. It is delighted with the chance to rob the sportsman of a string of fish or a wounded duck, even seizing the latter before the gunner's eyes, and I have followed its track through the snow in Ontario to read the grewsome story of its running down and devouring a Gray-rabbit. From all accounts it often amuses itself with preying on house-rats where they abound. All kinds of birds and eggs are most acceptable food when it can find them. Not rarely it quarters itself on the hen house, killing each night for food, and especially relishing the blood and brains of its victims. It will prey on snakes and clams when nothing better turns up, and I have several times followed its tracks at Lake Winnipegosis to learn that frogs, crayfish, and carrion were staple articles of its diet. " Fur-bearing Anim., 1877, p. 178. Mink 885 The Weasel is a sanguinary little incarnation of fury and habits valour, with but little cunning; it is low in intelligence and char- incapable of friendship with man or any one else. The Otter, *"^* though a Weasel in pedigree, seems to have responded to the elevating and gentling influences attendant on the fisher-life. It is the least destructive, the most docile and intelligent of the Family. The Mink is half-way between in habits and character, as it is in food and haunts. After sojourning ir the reeds along the river for a time catching fish and killing Muskrats in Otter- fashion, or running down Rabbits and Mice Weasel-fashion, it may set out across country to find" better hunting and happen, in its travels, to discover the real Happy Hunting Ground in the form of some farmer's barnyard. Very naturally, it settles down in this ideal spot — didn't it set out to find this very thing ? — this highly populated wilderness of buildings and sheltered nooks is perfect and here "every prospect pleases — only man is vile." The Mink's attitude toward this game preserve is quite different from that of the lesser Weasels. They are mad to kill — kill — kill; they will, if possible, kill everything there in one night, then leave the ruined place to seek some new field of carnage. Not so the Mink. It has but little of the killer spirit. It kills because it must eat, and, having found the well- stocked henneries, it says to itself, " Here now will I settle down, eat, drink, and make merry, for these are mine own preserves by right of discovery, and I will defend them against all invaders." On the list of invaders it puts the farmer and his family, and his dogs and his cats, and all those that put their trust in him. From safe hiding under the barn or in the log- pile it sallies forth at night to kill and eat; sometimes one fowl each night for many nights in succession; sometimes it yields to the blood-lust (not unknown among mankind), and kills half a dozen of the defenceless prey, feasting only on those choicest parts of all, the blood and brains, just as the Buffalo killer would shoot down half a dozen Buffalo because it was so easily possible, and then take nothing but the tongues. Usually the Mink is killed before leaving the barnyard precincts, but it often happens that a number of narrow 886 Life-histories of Northern Animals CHAR- ACTER escapes from shot-guns or dogs decide it to move en. In the hours of the night it goes forth, bounding with high-arched back. Its speed is not great, but, like all Weasels, it is possessed of endless strength and doggedness, and though a man can outrun it on the open and outwalk it travelling, its steady bounding may take it miles away before morning. As it journeys it is ever on the alert for guidance from its nose. There are a thousand accidents to turn its steps one way or another; the cluck of a grouse, the rustle of a Mouse in the grass, an easier path, a promising odour in the wind, the wind itself, may each and all give trend to its tireless bounding and bring the hunter at last to some marsh-land of promise, or mayhap another barnyard, wherein it may settle down again to comfort of a kind, taking, undoubtedly, its life in its teeth while doing so, a condition that it has not the wit to think about, and if it had it would simply dismiss the thought, viewing this merely as a normal condition of all existence. The Mink certainly never spent a moment of its life without being under the shauow of impending death, and as certainly it never lost a wink of sleep through thinking about it. If surprised during its hunting or suddenly brought face to face with man, it often rises up on its hind-quarters to get a better view; in this position it looks extraordinarily long. I once met one out on the prairie. It rose up to scan me from every one of its twenty-four inches of stature, and stood so till I came within ten feet and removed the top of its head with a thimbleful of sparrow-shot. This species is active and hunts chiefly by night, but is often seen in the daytime, especially in the mating season and in the fall. A tame Otter makes one of the most engaging of pets. No normal man ever made a pet of a Weasel, but tame Minks have often proved most docile and interesting little creatures, capable of forming strong attachment, although ever ready to bite when provoked. A A. A k I k ^ 3B^^ ^-— - "^ . »* jj^ft # #' Fio. 313 — Mink tracki. Wlnnlpegosis. Man., Sept. 2. 1904. Th. four lame »"« •« «.cUy uf. ««. "i l>o.«L as7 888 Life-histories of Northern Animals Resseque, of the Minkcry, says:'* " If taken in hand when their eyes are first open, they are readily tamed; they should not subsequently be allowed to remain with the mother or in each other's society. By continual petting and handling they become like domestic ratters, and have all the playfulness of the young of the feline tribe. They may be handled without fear of their sharp teeth, but they prove extremely mischievous, their scent leading them to food not intended for them. Their fondness for bathing will prompt them to enter a teakettle or any open vessel, and when wetted they will roll and dry them- selves in a basket of clothes fresh from the laundry, or even upon a lady's dress, occasioning much inconvenience." The two young Minks that I sketched in the menagerie of W. F. White, of Winnipeg, in August, 1905, were half grown and as tame and gentle as kittens. They were allowed to run free, but went usually into their own cage to sleep. They were the most restless little things I ever saw, their noses were never done sniffing and poking, their little bodies were never still, except during the brief hours of sleep. Merriam thus adds his testimony to the many who advo- cate the Mink as a ratter:" "When taken sufficiently young he is easily domesticated and makes one of the very best of 'ratters.' He follows these comiaon pests into their holes and destroys large numbers of them. The remainder are so terrified that they leave the premises in great haste and are not apt soon to return." There is doubtless great variation of character among Minks. Some seem to be born wastrels, freaks, or 'reverts* to their Weasel stock. I cannot otherwise account for my own experience with the young Mink already referred to as found in the hills near Carberry. His subsequent history is thus recorded in my journal: July 7, the young Mink brought home June 28 was nut in with a litter of new-born kittens. The old cat received it kindly and suckled it as if it were her own. In a few days its eyes were opened. It was now strong and its horrid nature began to show itself. It c^ten milked the " Coues, Fur-be«ring Anim., 1877, p 183. ■* Mam. Adir., 1884, p. 67. m Mink 880 cat till it was satisfied, then turned on its gentle foster-mother, trying to tear her. Several times the rat cried out but, seeing no marks, I thought it must be a trifling hurt; still she would not injure the little brute, but continued to nurse it tenderly. More than once I had to save oik of the kittens froni its jaws. To-day I found the hens in an uproar, and, on going to the place, found an old clucker rushing about with the diminutive Mink fastened to her neck. I choked it oflF and put it back with the kittens. This afternoon I chanced to lift the cat up aad Fia 113— Mink ■«>«*• (P<™" '"')■ Wlanlpas. Auk- «4. ■904* was horrified to find the Mink had bitten off four of the foster- mother's teats, lacerated her whole breast, and eaten a hole nearly into her bowels, and yet mother love made the poor creature keep on without harming the devil she was rearing. All of this ends to-day. The Mink has few enemies that arc dangerous, for it is enemies a dangerous fighter, but the great horned owl must be reckoned with, as is shown by the following from A. N. Cheney." A friend of his was at the opening of his tent one nightfall, at Triton Club Lake. He had been " fishing, and his trout were in front of his tent, when a Mink came from somewhere and seizing a trout in its mouth made off with it, but before the Mink was out of sight a big owl swooped down, grabbed the Mink and made off with it into the air, and the last he heard of the Mink it was screaming pitifully up towards the zenith." » Forest and Stream, May 7. 1898, p. 371- 890 Life-histories of Northern Animals BATHING II When cornered and at bay he is the embodiment of savage ferocity. Dr. Coues has given us" a masterly picture of a Mirk in a trap. "One who has not taken a Mink in a steel trap can scarcely foim an idea of the terrible expression the animal's face assumes as the captor approaches. It has always struck me as the most nearly diabolical of anything in animal physiognomy. A sullen stare from the crouched motionless form gives way to a new look of surprise and fear accompanied w ith the most violent contortion of the body, with renewed champings of the iron, till breathless, with heaving flanks, and open mouth dribbling saliva, the animal settles again and watches with a look of concentrated hatred, mingled with impotent rage and frightful despair." This is tie picture of a man who had seen it. He had eyes, but surely he lacked both ears and nos<>, else he had recorded 'he piercing screech of fear and fury, and the all-pervading, far-reaching, skunk-emulating musky stench with which the trapped Mink never fails to saturate the air, the place, the trees, the breeze, and so proclaim afar and afterwards that hereabouts a Mink was held in direst straits. When Mink meets Mink, the battle is worthy of such desperate and valiant Viirriors, and they meet much and often at certain seasons. So it is surprising how few have witnessed the deadly engagen' '' he following description is that of a man who beheld i own eyes." "It was my goou ..«* to witness a fight to death between a couple of male Mirks a fortnight ago, one of the most fearless as well as silent struggles I ever saw. In one of the largest stone quarries in western Ohio, a small clear brook grows larger, deeper, and wider by the help of the clear sparkling water of many a spring, issuing from the crevices of the lime- stone and flowing through little hollows and around pieces of stone that have been thrown out as worthless. In the course of years the accumulation of rubbish or 'dump,' as it is termed, has made a perfect retreat for Minks, Weasels, and Rabbits. " Furbearing Anim., 1877, p. 176. " Williamsburgh, Ind., Forest 'uid Stream, Nov. 34, 1893, p. 444. Mink 801 Having a considerable amount of dirt in it, the quarry affords a paradise for such animals that are in the habit of burrowing close to small streams. One afternoon as I was on my way to another block to give some instructions to my men, I acci- dentally glanced towards a small sandy spot running out into the stream, forming a peninsula or cape by the junction of a little brooklet and the main or larger brook. The spot was bare, with the exception of a few Spanish needles, and was overhung with small willows. Standing within six or eight feet of me were two large male Minks, eyeing each other intently, their small eyes looking like coals of fire, and with mouth slightly open, their backs arched, necks stretched forwards, their hind-1'gs close to the ground, they looked very much like miniature tigers waiting an opportunity to spring towards each other. "The first motion was a quivering of the bodies, followed by increasing rapidity in breathing. Then slowly each ad- vanced towards the other until i8 inches apart, when each seemed to be gathering all the strength possible to make a final leap. After standing motionless for a full minute, one of them turned his head a little to the right, and instantly the other did the same. Probably ten seconds elapsed while in this attitude when, quicker than the eye could follow, they sprang towards each other, and, catching by their throats just back of the lower jaw, held to each other with a grip that meant death to the one that should let go his hold. With a determination to conquer or die, they wound each other round and round until exhausted from loss of blood, when, spreading their fore-feet to brace themselves, they stood perfectly still until one of them stag- gered, then fell, pulling the other with him, laying them both down in the sand, growing weaker and weaker until they ceased to breathe. When they were dead I picked one of them up, and the jaws of each were so set that it was with difficulty I pulled them apart. The battle was probably of a minute's duration, in which time the animals never noticed my presence, or, if they did, they made no sign of their knowledge of it. I presume the object was for one to catch the other so close to his STORAnE HABITS SPEED 8W Life-histories of Northern Animals lower jaw that he could get no hold upon his enemy's throat, when a very short time would decide the battle." There is a phase of the storage habit that is well developed in the Mink, and it must be distinguished from the carrying home of provender for the young. The first ill; stration at hand is given by Merriam,'* who found by the autumn nest of a solitary old Mink " the remains of a Muskrat, a Red-squirrel, and a downy woodpecker." I should like much to know the three very different chapters of hunting represented by these three captures. I have several times run after Mink on the open prairie and found it quite easy to overtake them. From this I should estimate their best speed on land at 7 or 8 miles an hour. Their bounds in ordinary travelling are from 10 to 15 inches clear. Though easily overtaken, catching them is quite a differ- ent matter, for they dodge with marvellous adroitness, and they are quick, too, at reading the little nature finger-posts that tell which way to run for a Badger hole or other haven in the earth. On October 3, 1884, while following a Mink through the snow in the Sandhills south of Carberry, I came to where it had tobogganed itself down a long hill, for a distance of 18 feet, after the manner of an Otter. On the water I should estimate its best travelling speed at I to I J miles an hour. This is not reckoning the dive or under- water spring that it can and must make to catch fish. It is much swifter than the Muskrat, but apparently cannot dive so far. I once saw a young male Mink hunted down among some Boating logs. He might have escaped had he dived and swum fifty feet to the cover along shore, but he did not, ap- parently because he could not swim so far under water. STRENGTH Its Strength is illustrated in the f lowing incident: While Duck shooting at Swan Lake, Man., October 18, 1 901, H. W. O. Boger, of Brandon, shot a mallard which fell ■• Mam. Adir, 1884, p. 66. Mink 89S on the newly forming ice. An hour or two afterwards he saw a Mink come from the »' ore on the ice, which was then half an inch thick; it seized the mallard by the neck and dragged it away on the ice. Boger was seventy-five yards away; he shouted, but the Mink gr - lo heed; it dragged the duck to the rushes and disappeare 'h it. Coues mentions'* a similar case wherein the Mink dragged a mallard half a mile to get it to its hole. As a full-grown Mink weighs but 2 pounds, and a mallard over 3, it is as though an ordinary man had dragged a 200-pound man for half a mile, and did it with little difficulty. Charles Hallock records" that he has known a Mink to come and steal his trout as fast as he caught them, until it had gone off with an aggregate weight of 1 2 pounds. This species is not a climber in the sense that a Marten is, cuu>- but it can and does occasionally go aloft. Dr. T. W. Gilbert, of Carberry, brought me a Mink that he shot out of a poplar tree at a height of 1 5 feet. In Minkeries it is found that though they cannot climb on a smooth surface, they easily go up a rough tree trunk or fence. All of the Weasels have anal glands which give off a very ??5Jnds strong and more > r less offensive smell when the animal is excited. The Skunk, < founded chiefly on records by I. Richardioa, J. Bschman, S. F. Bsird. R. MacFarlaiie, E. W. Nelson, R. Bell, R. C. Ysrrow A. P. Low, C Hart Meniani, O. Bangs, E. A. PreUe, J. Macoun, W. H. Usfood, C. B. Bafster, D. C Eilkx, J. Fannin, J. D. Figgioa, E. T. Setoa S. N. Ktmmdi, A. E. Verrill, and E. R. Warren. Tha ioUowim an racocniiad: Mw*h i m fc a wa Turtoo. with it* 6 racM, Maaltl* atnte Bacfs. Tha Htwfottndland spaciaa. MmdJa tmtrttim Ilsrriaiii, in a racM. e«.riMi and •itemo. MMtJa Mas*M(s Osgood, in Quaan uurlotta bUiida. 905 ■i ;l' •W Life-histories of Northern Animals "I have also known a Sauheaux prisoner from Lac la Pluie, banished to Mackenzie River fo. some crime in the fifties of the last century, capture 39 Martens out of 40 dead- fall traps made by him on a round of a dozen miles, just as the snow fell, --hat was what he got on his first visit, and the fortieth trap showed that a Marten was trapped but succeeded m getting away. "Two hundred Marten skins was tlie hunt (average) of the best Indian hunters at Fort Liard for several years when these animals were abundant in the early fifties. For output 1853, the late William F. Lane (an Irishman) traded 12,000 skins of the Marten at Liard, the best trade ever known there The next year, under Robert Campbell, it yielded over 10,000 and some 2,000 less the next. During the decades of the fortiei and fifties, the Mackenzie River Marten trade was by far the best obtained before or since. In years of scarcity the trade has not averaged a fifth of those of plenty." From these and many parallel facts I conclude that 200 Martens, taken m one winter on a 25-mile line of traps, would be a large haul; more, indeed, than the best Marten country could stand. A few years at this rate and the region would be trapped out. The area involved would be a strip 2 or 3 miles wide. In other words, if 4 Martens were killed in two or three successive years on each square mile of a region that was thickly populated by the species, it would probably exter- minate them in that locality. From which we may argue that 6 Martens to the square mile would be a high rate of popu- lation. I doubt if the number in Manitoba's pine woods to-day is a twentieth of this. The species is, indeed, becoming scarcer every year in all the southern parts of its range concerning which I have infor- mation. FLUCTU- ATION One of the interesting unsolved problems of animal life and especially of Marten life, is the periodic rise and fall of the population. The Marten continue to increase for seven or Marten 907 eight years, until thfy seem ten times as numerous as ;i the beginning of the period; then they decline quickly for oi or two years until again near zero. This fluctuation must be due either to migration, epidci lic, starvation, or destruction by trappers, or a combination of these. J. K. MacDonald, of Winnipeg, after 35 years' experi- ence as a chief trader for the Hudson's Bay Company, main- tains that migration is the cause. He v/rites: "I think there is sufficient proof that they do migrate. A one ally put to the Indians returned from the w or fall was, * What signs of Marten have you s< but few of these animals may have been seen winter, I would be told, 'They are travelling nf or west,' as the case might be, and so delinitt edge that these Indians would go that winter wanderers, and they never failed to come in cc These movements of large bodies of the Mart mer and till severe weather sets in, beginning and continuing, as far as the males are concer as the snow is not fit to travel on; and then o< ton annu- summc? nd w hcri pre ious ith, ast, tr kn. vl- d off the vvith them ,0 on \'m in igam lun summer. It is accepted as a matter bey-»«^ caviJ Northerners — that is, Hudson Bay hunte -ita ' Lynx, and Marten do migrate, and the " ictua numbers is not considered to be causec' y epi in the case of the Hare. "The Rabbit is always numerous where Lynx ' are plentiful, and it is looked on as a sine qua no, and traders that it is following up the Rabbit causes these migrations — tliat the migration is, i for food." 1 sum- \] rt' (lat , jUCSt Bernard Ross comes to a different conclusion. Writing of the periodical disappearance, he says:' "It occurs in dec- ades, or thereabouts, with wonderful regularity, and it is quite unknown what becomes of them. They are not found • Can. Nat, x86i, VI, p. aS. »<)H Lifc-historics of Northern Animals [I . B dead. The failure extends throughout liudson Bay Terri- tory at the same time and there is no tract or region to which they can migrate, where we have not posts or into which our hunters have not penetrated." This seems to prove that they are not migratory, and the aggregate fur returns of the whole country afford conclusive evidence that though there may be some local migrations, the fluctuatior arc general. That the .vhole Marten population increases ai. Iccreases with fair regularity in periods of eight to ten years. MacFarlane thinks that there is some migration but that other things enter into the problem. He believes that the abundance of the Martens is a direct result of abundance of Rabbits, and when the Rabbits fail, many Martens die, others migrate. His remarks' are as follows: "The scarcity and abundance of Marten and Lynx depend upon the scarcity and abundance of the Rabbit or Hare. Many Indians assert that Marten and Lynx (of which, by the way, not a few die off, especially when Hares are scarce) migrate, as well as most of the Rabbits which are not snared, etc., by the natives, or carried off by disease, and as they arc not uniformly abundant all over the five territories (apart from the fact that they suddenly appear in localities where they had previously for a season or so been conspicuous by their absence) there seems to be good ground for the supposition that they migrate. There are other circumstances, also, such as an unfavourable season for breeding, a scarcity of the re- quired food, and the destruction by fire of the extensive areas of forest, which would, of course, more or less affect the abundance of these and other species of animals in certain localid*". " IVloreover, he does not consider trapping the cause of the disappearance. He writes: " The theory of exhausting any wild tract of country by overtrapping will not apply to the territories of the Hudson's Bay Company. When Marten are abundant in good years, * In recent letter. S] Marten 900 a favourably circumstanced hunter will use the sanie line of traps as successfully season after season, and results only decline as the Marten disappear, and increase again as they cotne back. In this connection a very important factor is the ^e^'wm^m Fic. >|6— ktartcn. Dnwa tit E. T. Muo (<" <>w Biologk*! Siir»r. V. S. DnA. Af f. N. A. Fuu. ■*, Ittt, 9- i^ periodic greater or lesser fertility of the female. The Indians have made the same remark in respect to Beaver, Musquash, Fox, Mink, and Lynx." The problem is far from solved. Doubtless it is complex, but the facts as known may be thus summarized : There are many irregular local migrations and variations of the Marten population which, however, are not large enough to change materially the regular periodic rise and fall of its aggregate numbers. The M'l". ir'creases with the increase of the Rabbit, but begins -o <;isap - - while yet the Rabbit is abundant. I suspect "at Mai; arijne is near the truth when he I SOCIA- BIUTY INTCR- COMMU- NICA- TION SCENT- GLANDS f VOICE 910 Life-histories of Northern Animals makes it turn on the greater or less fertility of the female, which may be a result of the two causes, starvation and over- feeding. In famine years the females do not breed, and in years of overfeeding they do not breed; so the increase is ended. There is no evidence of epidemic to account for the disappearance of those already existing. Probably it is the result of many causes. The increase has been stopped and, owing to the growing scarcity of Rabbits and Mice, the Fisher, Foxes, and Lynxes — also greatly multiplied — prey now largely on the Marten. Cannibalism and starvation set in, and if any die by disease, they are never seen by man because devoured by beasts. Meanwhile hunger makes them ready to enter any baited trap, the trapper makes great catches, the surplus is soon worked off, and the Marten are reduced again to near zero. This interesting creature appears to be the least sociable of this unsociable family. Otters will meet to enjoy their slide in a merry party. Skunks will gather for warmth, the smaller Weasels will help each other in distress or in hunting, but, so far as I can learn, no man ever yet saw two adult Mar- tens meeting with feelings other than those of deadly hate; the one essential supreme exception to this is doubtless found in the moment of sexual congress. Not having many ideas that it wishes to communicate to its kind, the Marten has few methods of communicating them. The scent-glands, so important to its kindred, are greatly reduced in this species. Nevertheless, the British Marten that I saw in A. H. Cocks's menagerie, made use of the musk gland at least every five minutes as they galloped about, pressing the parts on some projection of the cage. The sketches (Fig. 217) illustrate two in the act; both were males. It is easy to see how this may be a means of letting others of the kind know that a Marten has been here recently. Its voice is heard in a growl, a hiss, and a snarl which sometimes becomes a shrill screech. Cocks's Martens bleat Marten 911 like a lamb when hungry. Its grand directive label is the blazing patch of yellow, framed in dark-brown, which orna- ments its chin and throat. By this ye may know the Marten. The mating of Martens is shrouded in mystery. There is mating no positive evidence that they are monogamous, polygamous, polyandrous, or promiscuous. Apparently no one has ever Fro. 117— Britiih Muteni rubbing their mnik on projectioiis on the ca(e. (From life.) yet seen two adult Martens living together freely and amicably. Analogy seems to prove that the species pairs, but the slight evidence at hand would add that they part again in a few days; and the less they see of ihe cutthroat sire, the better for mother and young. This is all so unnatural and so largely founded on cage-observation, that we must hope for a pleasanter picture when better study of wild individuals supplies more reliable facts. A curious item bearing on the relation of the sexes is supplied me by Madison Grant. In the winter of 1901 and 1902, two Bitter-root guides set about catching Marten on the head-quarters of the Clearwater, with a view to starting a fur- > BS 91i Life-histories of Northern Animals I farm. They said that they captured two dozen during the winter, but all were males, so in the spring they killed what they had and marketed the fur. They believed that the females were lying up and the males were feeding them. Miles Spencer says' that according to the Indians near Fort George, H. B., the Marten there mate about the first of March. I learn from the guides in Algoma, 600 miles farther south, the Marten pair from the 1 5th to the 20th of February. Captain R. Craine, of Wayagamug, Mich., tells me that in the winter of 1894 he captured a female Marten on the upper Fraser in British Columbia and kept her three months before she escaped. Of this individual he made many interesting observations. She rame in heat early in March. At this time the anal parts weij inflamed and swollen; she had a curious way of rubbing them on the floor. Sometimes she would back slowly up the wall of the cage, tail first, until she touched the top, and from time to time during the night she would utter a prolonged screeching, keeping it up until some one shouted at her. This is all the direct testimony I can find on their mating habits. But the collateral evidence of the British Marten bred in captivity by A. H. Cocks (of Henley-on-Thames, England) is next best thing. "Litters of this species," he says, "have been bred in my collection. * * * All attempts at breeding were extremely hazardous: the allowing of a pair to run to- gether was apt to result in the death of the female, in conse- quence of one or more of the long canines of the male penetra- ting her brain, the damage being inflicted so instantaneously that there was no possibility of a timely separation."" The union he believes takes place at night. I give a condensation of his account. "At last (first week in January), this year we noticed little mouthfuls of short straw deposited here and there in the cage of the female Marten, a sign of her being in season. * * * ' Low, Expl. James Bay, Can. Geo!. Surv., 1888, Pt. J, App. Hi, p. 77 J. • Proc. Zool. Soc., December 4, 1900. Marten 913 Accordingly a male was admitted from the adjoining cage on January 5 * * * and the pair finally separated on the 1 8th. * * * Young were born early on April 22. * * * The probable period of gestation of this species is, therefore, a few hours over 103 days, the extreme of possibility ranging from 96 to 106 days." A. H. Cocks very appositely remarks here that this dura- tion is a surprise, as the Pole-cat goes 40, the Otter 61, and the Ferret about 42 days. All observers agree that the nest is made by the female nest alone. The favourite place is a hollow tree, but sometimes a burrow in the ground is selected; it is carefully lined with grass and moss. The young number from 1 to 5; are usually 3 or 4, and are vouns bom in late April. Spencer says,* on the evidence of his Indians, that at first "they are the size of a new-born kitten, brown and black in colour [not white], helpless, with closed eyes. The female suckles the young for a period of 5 weeks and is unassisted by the male in rearing them." George Linklater, of Des Barats, once saw a female out in May with 4 young ones that she was teaching to hunt. This was in Algoma. Since the young need the mother's care all summer, we must believe that but one brood is produced each year. Here the positive evidence gives out, but help for future observations may be found in Cocks's notes on the development of an English Marten brood that he reared in captivity. His main facts are as follows:'" They were born April 7, 1882. They numbered 3 (2 males, i female), and at first all were quite white. On the loth one examined was 6 inches long; of this the tail was i| inches. On the 14th the white fur was grizzled. On May 6th, they were yet blind, but some time prior to the 20th, that is, at a little over four weeks, their eyes opened. On the 29th, the •See Note 7. "See Note 8. - i.l iijj 1 i: ,) f i' 914 Life-histories of Northern Animals mother first fed them flesh meat. On June 23, at seven weeks of age, they first left the nesting box and came to the ground. In autumn they were full grown. One pair which bred in captivity lived till their seventeenth year. HABrrs This is the most arboreal of all our Weasels. It delights in climbing from crotch to crotch, leaping from tree to tree, or scampering up and down the long branches with endless power and vivacity. One cannot long watch a Marten, even in a cage, without getting an impression of absolutely tireless energy. For hours it will race up and down, leaping from perch to wall, to ground, to perch, to wall, to ground, to perch, over and over again, doing endless gymnastic feats, giving countless surp;5sing proofs of strength, with bewildering quickness, all day Jong, without a sign of weariness, without a quickening of its breath. It must travel many hard miles each day in this way, yet it is complained that in confinement they suffer for lack of exercise. Active as a Squirrel is an old adage, and yet the Squirrel is commonly the prey of the Marten. It is remarkable that the Marten should follow the Red- squirrel in all its range, but hardly anywhere encroach on the territory of the large Gray- and Fox-squirrels — species which seem to afford special inducements to the active destroyer, for their numbers are great, it can follow into their holes, and their weight is so nearly that of its own that it would have no handicap in the leaps from tree to tree. Daniel Hayward, of Oxford County, Maine, says:" "It is impossible for Gray-squirrels to exist in the same locality with the Sable, as their sizes are about the same, and the Squirrels easily become their prey. They will also outstrip the Red- squirrel, and capture him if he confines his retreat to the trees instead of entering holes too small for the Sable to follow. He will pounce upon and overpower a partridge or Rabbit, but usually takes the latter by the long chase, which seeminglj " Shooting and Fishing, Vol. 19, Nov. afi, April 16, 1896, p. 537. mumm am '^-i:.^* 1 '1 Pio. iiS— AtlitiKkt o< Martens. OmnAiHlUk. CliiHir la PhilMltlpkto Zoo, dM. OlS itftta I' 5 ■: BOTH DIURNAL AND NOC- TURNAL 916 Life-histories of Northern Animals lasts often for many miles, which speaks well for his endurance and persistent running abilities." Dr. Merriam, while admitting the beauty and grace of the Marten, says, however:" "Its disposition is sadly out of harmony with its attractive exterior. Mr. John Constable has related to me a most interesting and vivid account of an affray that he once witnessed, in company with his brother, Mr. Stephen Constable, between a Martfcn and a great Northern Hare. The Marten, generally so meek and docile in appear- ance, assumed the savage mien and demeanour of a fierce tiger, as it attacked and slew the luckless Hare— an animal several times its own size and weight— and even after the poor Hare was dead the Marten's fury did not abate, and he angrily jerked and twisted the lifeless body from side to side, as if to wreak vengeance, for sins never committed, upon the defence- less body of his victim. So intent was he upon this deed of carnage that he was utterly oblivious of the human spectators, who put an end to the scene by driving a bullet through his obdurate pate." There is much evidence on record to show that Martens taken young are easily tamed and soon acquire an attachment for the one who feeds them, but never become quite docile. Captain Craine's Marten was fond of being petted by her owner, but continued savage to all strangers. On the other hand, many observers testify that in the north-west one often sees tame Martens following the Indian children, who catch them young and bring them up as pets; these are as tame and playful as kittens. Several authorities maintain that the species is nocturnal and many that it is diurnal. My own experiences incline me to the latter view or both. Obviously, it could not hunt Squirrels by night. But it does hunt by night to some extent. No doubt at this time it preys on Mice, but it is so wonderfully clever at hiding that it is rarely seen. D. Hayward, of Maine, says:" "The Marten is an animal » Mam. Adir., 1884. pp. S»-3- " ^"^ ^°*' "" Marten 917 not very often seen at large. I have caught as many as ii in one day, but in all my experi- ence in the woods have only seen 3 alive and at liberty. This has been thought to be accounted for by their being nocturnal in their habits, but such is not strictly the case. I have often seen their tracks made in the daytime." Roderick MacFarlane tells me that he has several times found Martens taken in his traps on the same day as they were set, in fact but an hour or two afterwards, although the animal was rarely seen. But he also adds: "I have known Martens come inside our fort at night to get at white-fish hung on stages, and some have actually been trapped in such places." I conclude that the creature hunts chiefly by day when the sun is low, but occasionally by night. A Marten in a cage is a cvmos- picture of life and energy alert to "" everything. Its keen eyes are quick to take in each new sight and its ears acock for any new sound. It twists its head on one side and peers and sniffs with evi- dent curiosity at every strange ■Mii 918 Life-histories of Northern Animals FOOD object. All the hunters agree that this hankering to know, this itch to see, smell, and find out, is a master failing of the Marten. " Mr. Constable tells me that when a hunter discovers a Marten climbing about among the tree tops, be has only to whistle and the inquisitive animal will stop and peer down at him, affording an excellent shot."" (Merriam.) Similar observations are found in Kennicott's account. "The retreat of the Martens [he says]" is usually in standing hollow trees, and ♦ * ♦ in winter they may frequently be dis- covered sitting with their heads out of the holes. As, if shot in this position, they would fall back and be lost, advantage is taken of their inquisitiveness by walking slowly around the tree and inducing the animal to draw its body entirely out of the hole, in order to keep the object of its curiosity in view. When quite out, a well-directed shot brings it to the ground." Curiosity is a beginning of knowledge, and is proof of intelligence. These observations, therefore, give to the Marten a higher place among its kin than would its behaviour in family matters. What moss is to the Reindeer, what grass is to the cattle, the Mouse millions of the North are to all the Northern Carni- vores from Bear to Blarina. When we shall have fully worked out the life-history of each of these species, I believe we shall learn that the whole of tl.at vast beautiful, important, and specialized production that we call the Carnivora rests on a broad simple basis or Muridae that in turn rests on the grass, that rests on the earth. We shall for each of these flesh-eaters write, 'it sometimes eats this and sometimes eats that, but by far the greatest bulk of its food is Mice.' This is eminently true of the Marten. Its diet comprises partridge. Rabbits, Squirrels, Chipmunks, Mice, Shrews, birds, birds' eggs, fledg- lings, frogs, toads, fish, and insects of course; but it also adds reptiles, nuts, berries, honey, and even carrion. A. P. Low, Director of the Canadian Geological Survey, tells me that the rowan berries {Sorbus americanus) are a " Mam. Adir, 1884, p. SI- " Q^ ^•> »^S9, P- '43- PLATE LXXIX. — THE EXPLOIT OF THE PET MABTSNS. ThcK wne owned by G. A. Paddock. They were extremelv playful but miiuiieToui when allowed their libertr. ? A ■f J ' ¥. n Marten 919 winter staple of the species, and many of these animals die of starvacion in the 'off' years of the rowan. The Marten, then, like everything else, is omn'vorous, bu* I am satisfied that Mice constitute a larger proportion of its food than any other on its bill of flesh fare. It is interesting to note that the species never ventures near the habitation of man in the settlements, so that it is un- known as a depredator of the hen-yard. In the North, also, it usually shuns the vicinity of the trading posts. In this it differs from all of its near kin in America as well as from its cousin, the Marten of Europe. Each fresh investigation adds more creatures to the list stok- AGS of those that lay up for a rainy day. It is surprising to find that most of the Weasels store food, when they have a surplus. Linklater says that the Marten habitually does so. It eats as much as it can of the new catch, then buries the rest. This is true storage because, by setting a trap at the buried piece, you are sure to get your Marten next day. The Fisher and Lynx are supposed to be the chief enemies enb- of the Marten. They are able to take it by open onslaught, therefore, Joubtless, in the great struggle they count for little as destroyers. The really dangerous foes are likely to be much less dramatic and obvious. We shall probably find that the Marten's numbers are kept down by something as intangibk as it is unexpected and irresistible, possibly a parasite, a disease, starvation, some evil habit of the race, or, as MacFarlane sug- gests, an inexplicable periodic non-fertility of the females, a non-fertility that I should not be surprised to find a consequence of over-abundant food, which is often as bad as starv.. ion in its effect on the reproductive organs. An Adirondack acquaintance, Bert A. Dobson, was favoured with an interesting peep into Marten life, and told me of it as follows: November 14, 1900, he had posted himself in a ravine on a Deer path near Moosehead Pond, to wait for U' •\ :l t ■ tii :'■ IM.i SANITA- TiON o-i3. ■mil Fisher Ml that were treed in the Peter Mountains, 6 miles above Harris- burg, Pa., about the first of February. There was a most desperate fight before "the old one was killed, after having beaten oflF the dogs, to whose assistance the hunters were obliged to come." The young one was taken alive; the old one proved a female. She was "no doubt the mother of the one that was captured, and probably died in hope of saving her young." So far as is known, the young do not usually continue so long with the mother; and the father takes no part in rearing them. But one brood is produced each year. Like most Weasels, this is neither sociable nor grega- soaA- rioub. I never heard of anything like a social gathering of Fishers. They have, therefore, but few methods of in- tercommunication. Its vocal powers are fairly developed. Those from which voice I made the sketches, uttered an occasional snarl at each other. "A Maine trapper writes: 'Their noise is like a child when it cries in a mournful tone, and again it makes a short, sharp whistle.'"* Bachman describes" a male that was treed, as "showing his teeth and growling at the same time * * ♦ elevating his back in the manner of an angry cat," and another as "very spiteful, growling, snarling, spitting when approached," and emitting "a rather strong musky odour." 1 he Fisher is a true Marten, endowed with all the tricks, habits activity, and the peculiarities of the race. It is probably our most active arboreal animal. The Squirrel is considered a marvel of agility, but the Marten can catch the Squirrel and the Fisher can catch the Marten, so that we have here a scale of high-class agility, with the Fisher as superlative. L. War- * J. G. R., of Bethel, Me., Forest and Stream, June 34, 1886. " Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, pp. 310 and 31a. Hi iMf am 934 Life-histories of Northern Animals i I 1 lu'4 If field, after much experience, says" this animal is capable of "jumping from tree to tree like a Squirrel, clearing a distance of 40 feet on a descending leap and never failing a secure grip." And there are several records of Fitihers leaping to the ground from a height of 40 feet. In descending a tree it often comes down head first. But for the Monkeys and some others, we might believe it a rule that no creature is truly at home in the upper world till it c^n come down head first when it likes. Though so active in the tree tops, it is equally at home on the ground, and is so indefatigable and long-winded that it is known to run down Rabbits and Hares in open chase. If only it could swim and dive well, it would be the most wonderfully equipped animal in the world. It has much of the blind pertinacity of the smaller Weasels. When I was at Rat Portage, in October, 1886, an Indian brought in a superb Fisher, fresh killed. He saw the animal chising a Hare. The Hare, with the pursuer close behind, circlf d about him. He saw the Fisher several times, but could ge'. no shot until the very moment when it sprang on the Hare, then he fired and killed both animals with the same charge. COURAGE Its courage, too, is of a high order. In my early days I more than once was told of Fishers — or Blackcats, as they were called in Ontario — which attacked boys and dogs that had disturbed them. I never saw one of these attacks, but they were generally believed in, for all the hunters and trappers entertain great respect for the prowess of this remarkable animal. WOLVER- INE-UKE HABIT Though a Marten in most things, the Fisher has many tricks in common with the Wolverine. According to Hardy," one of our best authorities on the species, Fishers often follow up a line of Sable traps to destroy them, stealing the bait, or eating any Sable caught in them. "Usually," he says, "they tear down the boxing or take off the covering from the log " Quoted in Merriam's Mam. Adir, 1884, p. 49. ■* Sr: Note 4. mm mmmm ^j-gJH Fio. itt—lilt MwOn nl FUwr. I iiMcianH Inm Malna ; tlw young fiom Mu Wiaaipa(. «88 HHiiiliiliiiHi iBIil 9S4 Life-histories of Northern Animals '^1 traps, and reach in above the fall and spring the trap. I have had a Fisher remove a piece of water-soaked wood from the top of a trap, set for him, which would weigh a great deal more than he would, then spring the trap. If log traps are set in hollow trees or stubs, they cannot fool with them, and most hunters consider them surer than steel traps." These details are corroborated by Dr. Merriam, but he adds" that the Fisher is "said to be less objectionable than the Wolverine in one particular, /. e., it leaves the traps where it finds them, while the other blackleg lugs them of! and hides them." B. R. Ross's account" of the immense Fisher that he caught at Riviere d'Argcnt (Slave River Delta, 15 miles from Fort Resolution) might easily refer to the Wolverine. He s?ys: "For about two weeks it had been 'iifestinp my Marten road, tearing down the traps and devouring the baits. So, resol* to destroy it, I made a strong wooden trap. It climbed ■•-■< this, entered from ?bove, and ate the meat. A gun was next set, but with no better success. It cut the line and ran off with the bone that was tied to the end of it. As a dernier ressort I put a steel trap in the middle of the road, covered it carefully, and set a bait at some distance on each side. Into this it stumbled. From the size of its footprints my im- pression all along was that it was a small Wolverine that was annoying me, and I was surprised to find it to be a Fisher. It showed good fight, hissed at me much like an enraged cat, biting at the iron trap, and snapping at my legs. A blow on the nose turned it over, when I completed its death by compres- sing the heart with my foot until it ceased to beat. The skin, when stretched for drying, was fully as large as a middle-sized Otter and very strong, in this respect resembling that of the Wolverine." COON- UKE HABIT In the Northern States and in southern Canada the ranges of the Coon and Fisher overlap. In this common strip the Coon hunters quite often tree the Fisher, for the haunts and " Mam. Adir., 1884, p. 4S " Oui. Nat., VI, i86t, p. »4. Fisher 9SA behaviour of the two animals arc so much alilce that the oldest hunters cannot tell from the race, or from the dogs, which animal has been started. Some interesting observations on this head are contributed by Bachman:" "Whilst residing [he says] in the northern part of our native State (New York), thirty-five years ago [about 1 8 14], the hunters were in the habit of bringing us two or three specimens of this Marten in the course of a winter. They obtained them by following their tracks in the a:iow, when the animals had been out in quest of food on the previous night, thus tracing them to the hollow trees in which they were concealed, which they chopped down. They informed us that as a tree was falling the Fisher would dart from the hollow, which was often 50 feet from the ground, and leap into the snow, when the dogs usually seized and killed them, although not without a hard struggle, as the Fisher was infinitely more dangerous to their hounds than either the Gray- or Red-fox." When caught in a steel trap, the Pekan has frequently been known to foot itself— that is, gnaw oflF the imprisoned limb —realizing that it is better to go through a long life halt and maimed than to depart at once on four feet for the Happy Hunting Grounds. Our Maine trapper says:" "I once caught one with only two legs; he had been trapped twice before and lost a leg each time." Although it ranks among our most nocturnal animals, it is known to hunt occasionally by day. Bachman tells of a Fisher that he saw hunting a Gray-squirrel in broad daylight. Many other observers, including myself, have observed it travelling or hunting when the sun was up. Knowing its unaquatic reputation, I was surprised to sotm- learn from George Linklater that he has often seen this animal swimming rivers and lakes; in fact, it docs not hesitate to do so when across seems the easiest way round. •« Q. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, •>. 310. ■• J. G. R., Bethel, Me., . St S., June 24, iSM. 936 Life-histories of Northern Animals The following, related to me by George Martin (of Paul Smith's, Adirondacks, N. Y.), illustrates at once the savageness of this animal and its povser as a swimmer: In June, about 1870, Paul Smith was guiding a New York sportsman named S . One night they went out to jack Deer on Spitfire Lake, near Paul Smith's hotel. They noticed a wake in the water and, thinking it was made by a Deer, gave chase. It proved to be a large Blackcat or Fisher, swimming the lake, here a mile wide. S insisted that he could catch the animal alive. When they came near, he seized it and threw it into the boat. It attacked him savagely. He drew his hunting knife, but in his excitement he did not notice that the sheath was still on it. With this he fought the Blackcat, stabbing furiously, hitting the boat chiefly, and wondering at the toughness of the Cat. He was getting badly mauled, when Smith threw the beast out of the boat and killed it with his paddle. It was an old female. These animals are often known to swim rivers and lakes in the Adirondacks. * 1 SPEED, ETC. FOOD The track of the Fisher is much like that of the Marten, but proportionately larger. On the ground it travels, as do most of the Weasels, by the succession of square-tracked jumps. Bachman describes one running after a Gray-squirrel,' ' with every prospect of overtaking it, but also states that on the ground it appeared to have far less speed than the Fox. As already noted, the name Fisher is not happily bestowed, as the animal is probably less of a fisher than any other of our large Weasels. Its food list is most comprehensive and includes every kind of bird, beast, fish, frog, or reptile that it can secure as well as all manner of eggs and fruit — with meats and seeds for variety, its choice staples being Hares, Squirrels, Mice, frogs, and fish when it can find them. Of the last, it is extremely fond, and yet it is not kiiown to go a-fishing. It is said to catch and feed on its little cousin, the Marten, which is evidence of most amazing agility. Audubon and Bachman "Q.N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. 311. Fio. jaj— Tmcki of a Urge Fisher. Blturroot Mountain*. ItUfao. Sept. 6. tV^ va Vut' W 'I t tl" OMNIVO- ROUS 938 Life-histories of Northern Animals record" the killing of an Ontario specimen thus: "A Fisher was shot by a hunter named Marsh, near Port Hope, who said it was up a tree in close pursuit of a Marten, which he also brought with it." Ross testifies'* that the Fisher, like the Marten, lives principally on Mice, thus bringing it back to the standby of all carnivorous races. But Mice are not always attainable, and the valiant one may be subdued by grim hunger and descend yet lower in the accepted scale of diet. George Crawford (the Indian guide, Mittigwab) tells me that in August, 1896, at Lake Kippewa he saw a Fisher on the shore pulling down berries and eating them. They were, he said, small sweetish berries in bunches with round leaves. They are like huckleberries, but black, not found except well up north. Dr. Coues is authority for the statement that it will stay its hunger with beechnuts if nothing better is at hand." The favourite food of the Pekan appears to be the Rabbit or White-hare. What little migrating the species does, is, no doubt, irregular wandering in search of woods or regions where the Hare abounds. RABBIT- RUNNER In pursuing these it may either stalk them cat-fashion or run them log-fashion. Hardy says:" "I have known one to catch a Rabbit by cutting across when the Rabbit circled. I once saw a Fisher which had driven a Rabbit into the AHeguash River. The Rabbit had swum to a gravel bed in the middle of the river, an -at crouched down, while the Fisher kept racing up ar on the shore, but did not take the water where the tra . ided, as a hound would have done." A case of ' md came under my notice at the Lake of the Woods, as already noted, and the following incident" gives a graphic picture of how it is done. "I once saw a Hare come out of the woods onto Lake Mollychunckemunk, running at great speed, and, immediately " Ibid., p. 313. '• Can. Nat., 1861, VI, p. 34. " Fur-bearing Anim., 1877, p. 70. " See Note 4. ■ J. G. R., Bethel, Me., F. & S., January 14, 1886, p. 484. Fisher 9S9 POX- aftcr, a Fisher on his track. They followed down the lake about a mile, when the Hare commenced to circle, quite large at first, and continually making the circle smaller, the Fisher always keeping inside the circle of the Hare, and so gaining quite a distance at every round; or rather, not having to run so fast to keep the Hare on his speed, the Fisher seemed to take it very leisurely, until the circle became so small as to end at a point, and the Fisher was there as soon as the Hare, and made short work of him. I had followed down the lake as fast as I could, in hopes of getting a shot, and so had an excellent chance to see the whole manoeuvre, but the Fisher saw me, dragged his prey ashore, and fled into the woods." The dietary of the Fisher expands on investigation. Linklater and many others of my trapper friends say they have often heard of Foxes killed by this animal. It runs the Fox like a hound, following all day, till the latter gets tired and takes refuge in a hole, where it is easily dispatched. Half as heavy again as the Fox, and twice as much of a aio^ fighter, is the common Raccoon, yet it stands in awe of the Fisher, and Dr. Coues says:'* " It may not be generally known that the Pekan success- fully assaults an animal as large as the Raccoon; indeed, that the abundance of the latter in some districts depends in a measure upon the rarity of the former. The following letter, addressed to Professor Baird, in 1857, by Peter Reid, of Washington County, N. Y., suflRciently attests these facts: " ' Raccoons are more numerous here now than they were at the first settlement of the country, or for some time subse- quent. Thirty years ago they were so seldom found that many boys fifteen or eighteen years old had scarcely seen one. Before the increase of their numbers I once witnessed a cir- cumstance that satisfied my mind on this score. Whilst hunting, early one winter, I found the carcass of a freshly killed sheep, and by the tracks around it in the light snow perceived " Fur-bearing Anim., 1877, pp. 73-4. KILLER 940 Life-histories of Northern Animals t r) u 1 I* that a Fisher had surprised a Raccoon at a feast. A hard chase had ensued, the Raccoon tacking at full speed to avoid his pursuer, the Fisher outrunning and continually confront- ing his intended victim. I saw where at length the Fisher had made an assault, and where a bloody contest had evidently ensued. The Raccoon, worsted in the encounter, had again broken away, and the chase was resumed, but with diminished energy on the part of the Raccoon; the animal had been soon overtaken again, and a still more desperate encounter had taken place. The Coon had failed fast, and it had at length become merely a running fight, when both animals had entered a swamp where it was impossi- ble for me to trace them further, but I have no doubt the Coon was killed. I have witnessed similar engagements between the Mink and Muskrat, the Weasel and the House-rat, always ending in the death of the assaulted. The Fisher has been nearly extinct in these parts for about twenty-five years, and this, to my mind, accounts for the great increase in numbers of the Raccoon.'" LYNX- KJLLER Lewis and Clark"* ascribe a similar habit to the Fisher of Oregon; and we have already seen that this doughty desperado can sometimes fight off a number of dogs. Yet one step farther: The Indians say that a Fisher will kill a Lynx. Linklater, my principal informant on the subject, never saw a case, but was inclined to believe it, as he had had much experience with both animals and knew their relative merits. ■ t I DEER- KILLER Now since the Pekan's prowess is demonstrated and its fighting fame proclaimed, we are prepared for the foUovving from the pen of Manly Hardy." " In spite of their small size and light weight. Fishers not only kill Deer, but can and do kill those of the largest size. When I first heard of this I doubted it, but know now that they often do it. A year ago last fall, my old friend, Louis Ketcham, was following the track of a large buck near the hca.^ of - Aud. & Bach., Quad. N. A., 1849, !• P- 313- " S^ Note 4. Fisher 041 Nahmakanta Lake. In going along the side of a high granite ledge he saw where the buck had fallen, and there was blood on the snow. After stumbling along a few rods, it had fallen again, and there was more blood. This was repeated several times, and then he saw where the buck had struck a Fisher which had been clinging to its neck and biting it, and had knocked it several feet to one side. The Fisher was evidently badly hurt, as Louis said it dragged its hind-legs, making a track in the snow like an Otter, and had crawled into a crack in the ledge. On going back he found that the Fisher had been on top of the ledge, where the Deer path led along close to it, and had sprung down upon the Deer and was trying to bite the jugular vein. I have known of instances where they have been successful in doing this." The list of immunes keeps shrinking. There are now but few of the wild things left that, by reason of their size and strength or other gifts, can afford to regard with indifference the Blackcat crawling near. There are indeed two creatures that through ages of security have been led to think themselves exceptions to the rules— the Skunk and the Porcupine; but the Fisher itself is an exception to all rules. As far back as 1829, Richardson wrote* of the Pekan: porcu- "Its favourite food is the Canada Porcupine, which it kills killer by biting on the belly." Every northern naturalist since has borne similar testimony. Hardy says:" "Their food consists of Porcupines largely. ♦ * ♦ It seems to swallow the quills of Porcupines without any injury. I have examined many hundreds of Fisher skins where there were quills lying flat against the skin, usually either on the back of neck or lower part of the back, but I never saw any signs of their causing any sores or suppuration, as they do in a dog. While I had skins of Fox, Raccoon, and Wildcats, which have been picked up dead, with their necks just filled with Porcupine quills, which evidently had caused their death, I have never seen a quill sticking in a Fisher; and the same is " F. B. A., i8a9, I, p. 53. " See Note 4. itfii 942 Life-histories of Northern Animals to :« true of Bears, which also eat a great many Porcupines. In t 'ting Porcupines they do just as Bears do, turn them over on tiieir backs and cat out most of the meat, leaving the skin nearly entire." Abundant corroboration is found in "Mammals of the Adirondacks."" "I was informed both by an agent of the Hudson's Bay Company and by the trappers themselves [says Merriam] that Porcupines constitute a large and im- portant element in the food supply of the Pekan. Nap. A. Comeau, of Godbout, who secured for me a large and hand- some male of this species, tells me that its intestine contained hundreds of Porcupine quills, arranged in clusters, like so many packages of needles, throughout its length. In no case had a single quill penetrated the mucous lining of the intestine, but they were apparently passing along its interior as smoothly and surely as if within a tube of glass or metal. "Mr. Comeau could not discover a quill in any of the abdominal viscera, or anywhere in the abdominal cavity, ex- cepting as above stated. A great many, however, were found imbedded in the muscles of the head, chest, and back and legs, and it was remarked that their presence gavs rise to no irrita- tion, no products of inflammation being discovered in their vicinity. In examining the partially cleaned skeleton of this specimen I still find some of the quills in the deep muscles and ligaments about the joints. A knee, in particular, shows several in its immediate neighbourhood. One is deeply imbedded in the dense ligament alongside the patella; three lie parallel to and close against the tibia, and two can be seen between it and the fibula. " It is probable that all of these quills entered the body of the animal while engaged in killing and devouring the Porcu- pine, for those swallowed seemed to have caused no trouble after having fairly entered the alimentary canal. Therefore, there remains no question whatever that the Fisher feeds upon the Porcupine, but I do not agree with Corporal Warfield in the belief that the quills often prove fatal to it." -p. 49- ■n Fisher 943 George Linklater, for many years a chief trader for the Hudson's Bay Company at many different posts, has hznCi hundreds of Fisher pelts, but never saw one without some Porcupine quills in it. The skin is discounted in proportion to the quill damage it shows. He never saw but one Fisher that was seemingly hurt by a Porcupine. He found this — an old one— eating at a Deer carcass. It could scarcely crawl and was full of quills. He thinks it would have died in a few days. This was in December. Another man of the northern woods. Chief Mittigwab, tells me that he never saw a Fisher skin with- out many Porcupine quills in it, but they do no harm, never fester, and always work out. He has seen them dropping out of Fishers* pelts, but never saw them in their flesh, the back is usually full. Then, adding a final and truly Indian touch, he said : " Fisher's liver given to a dog will force all the quills out of him." The storage habit is well developed in this species. When stor it kills an animal, it cats as miirh as it needs and then buries habit the rest. If you place a trap at the cache, you are sure to get your Fisher next day. This is well known among the Ottawa trappers and a usual method of catching the Pekan. It is not generally believed to store food for longer than one or two days; but MacFarlane quotes'* Colin Thompson as authority to show that for winder consumption the Fishers pro- vide quantities of "hips" in advance. The pelt of this fur-bearer is cased. The market quota- fu» tions at Winnipeg for March, 1904, were: Prime, $4 to $q. During the eighty-five years, 1821 to 1905 inclusive, the Hudson's Bay Company collected 377,338 skins of this species, au average of 4,439 for each year. The lowest was 974 in 1829; the highest, 8,917, in 1868. The average for the ten years, 1895 to 1905, was 3,816. Poland's lists show that during the seventy-one years, 1821 to 1 891 inclusive, 305,570 skins were taken by the other Ameri- " Mam. N. W. Ter, Proc. U. S. N. M., igos, p. 709. i ^ m •44 Life-histories of Northern Animals can companies, an average of 4,224 each year. So that the average annual catch of Fishers for fur is about 8,600. At Lampson's annual fur sales, London, March, 1906, 2,211 Fisher sicins were sold. (The Hudson's Bay Company sold 3,010 the same month.) The highest price realized at Lampson's was 52 shillings (51248) each for 24 first-class black skins. But 30 to 40 shillings ($7.20 to $9.60) were ruling prices for first-class paler skins; second-class brought about 20 shillings (54.80), and third-class 15 shillings (53.60). Hardy says* he once sold a few extra fine dark skins in London for 100 shillings (524), while some of the coarsest md palest prime skins in the same lot did not bring over 16 to .0 shillings (53-84 to 54-8o). "See Note 4. m ii' XLII. Wolverine, Glutton, Carcajou, Skunkbear or Quickhatch. Gulo luseus (Linnaeus). (L. Gm<0, from gtUa, the throat, giTen by Storr on uooimt of itt tuppoied gluttony; L. Uttcut, haU-blind.) Ursus luseus Linn., 1766, Syst. Nat., XII ed., I, p. 71. Gulo luseus Sabine, 1823, Franklin Nar. Joum. Polar Sea, p. 650. Type Locality. — Hudson Bay. French Canadian, le Carcajou. Cree, Kin-kwa-har-ga/-o, or, according to Richard- son,' Okee-coo-haw-geuf. OjiB. & Saut., Kween-go-ar'-gay. Chipewyan, Nog-gy^-ay. Yankton Sioux, Skay-cha Tung-ka. The original individual of the Hudson Bay Wolverine, to which Linnzus gave the name luseus, was said to have had but one eye; possibly, however, it was given on account of its reputation tor bad eyesight. The name 'Carcajou' is probably a French corruption of the Canadian Indian name. Richardson believed that both 'Carcajou' and 'Quickehatch' were derived from the Algon- quin or Cree name, 'Okce-coo-haw-gcw' or 'Okee-coo-haw- gees.' The name 'Skunkbear' is commonly used in the Rocky Mountains because in size, colour, and shape the Wolverine suggests a cross between a Skunk and a Black-bear. The genus Gulo (Storr, 1 780) comprises the largest of the Weasel Family and belongs to the Mustelinx or true Weasel ' F. B. A., 1899, 1, pp. 4a-3. 945 tf 94« Life-histories of Northern Animals subfamily, characterized by having partly retractile dawi suited, not for digging, but for climbing. They are stout, bear-like animals with bushy tails, hairy soles, shon ears, and 4 extra premolars. The teeth are: SBB WEIGHT COLOUR Inc. 3l3. 3-3' can. l:^:prem.*I*:mol.ili-38 i-i *^ 4-4 2-2 ^ In addition to these characters the Wolverine has: Length, about 36 inches (915 mm.); tail, 6 inches (152 mm.); hind-foot, 7 inches (178 mm.); height at shoulder, 12 inches (305 mm.). George Cartwright gave* the weight of a specimen as 26 pounds. General colour a deep blackish-brown, paler and grayer on crown and cheeks; a band of pale chestnut begins on each shoulder and passes backwards along the sides to meet its fellow on the tail; these become nearly white on the rump in some specimens; the throat and chest are more or less spotted with yellowish-white, which sometimes forms a large irregular patch; claws, whitish horn-colour. St^c: alike. I S', Quite recently (1903 and 1905) D. G. Elliot has described two new forms of Wolverine, as follows: luteuf Elliot, is distinguished by the buff colour of its upper parts. California. hylaus Elliot, is very dark in colour, without buff or gray; has auditory bullae very large. Alaska. Life-history. RANGE Wolverines are found in boreal Asia, Europe, and America. In the last the southern limits are shown on the map. •Sateen Years in Labrador, 1792, Vol. V p. 407. MAP 51— RAHOB OF THB WOLVERIHE AUS ITS THREE RACES. Cmh Inm (Linn) Founded on reconk by T. Ridurdm, Geo. Cutwrifhl, S. F. B*ird, E. CoiMi, C. But Ueniun, R. MacFtrUne, E. W. NAia, B. C Ynirow, E. R. Wmnrn, D. G. Elliot, S N. Rh<«d>, lal. , ^ _,.. , ^^ . ^ . _ . . ^ The main outlines ue ftirly correct (or Ike primitiTC nnfe, tmt fuithcr Inwitigmnm will indiiae nxat of the Antic IiUodi. 947 948 Life-hisiurics of Northerr Animals J It is unknown in outh-westtiu Manitoba and ery scarce ih the north-eastern half f the Province. I have .card of it about Lake Whinipeg, a told that i few are found on Di"'k Mount n. and its 1885 viUiam R 'line h =! a specimen sent him from Brokenhead River. Hf con d - th Wolverine exceedingly rare in Manitoba. The • ily one he ever saw ilive in the Province was kept the Alhion Hotel by D m MacDomld. It came fro 1 LaUf Winnip g. A ni) I me wu i' pi ntiful hce a» is shown by the Red . he lien iliR River lur Tiiturnt o' .^lexai Ici H' in d^o-i years following; he gu. , 4, 8, r , 8,3 The hj)ecic reaches i -hiet ah ndan Grounds, just n^rth of the hn t of tret , bu in the Peace Rivrr Valicy I )m this epio, of Winnipeg, inf-^rms me th. rhe Huds*. 1' received 1,200 Woi eri ' kin in \^ and This, no doubt, inch ies a' sicir sent t i qh t Department from ons ms remr e. It i coming' scarce in th- utht | 'ts s range. •he iren also lark, am 1882. i'eace River vidently be- '■i' I INDIVIO- RANGE ^ Bach an trucki now la^ hills of • Audubon u 5 miles over the Labrador. Cartv^righ. •-' one wh 6 miles ' .lacF irl. nc VN..tes me trai^ for 12 or 5 iiiles. T i rappers a Wolverine for about irthcrn New York.* In carried a heavy trap lor ther which followed his nerally say it will follow t to steal their trap m aiong a line of - ' ,0 milt lit,. utchins says' "vcn ( . es. The m *;• reiiarkarile case o? all, perhaps, is that recorded ! Lo- iis Labradc expcrii ccs.' "1 fa. '89 I Wolverine carried away a trap from Trx Nor. CKt Ri T, and fstill bearing the trap] was taken a tew days .rer a a;.' ther "ap on the Hamilton River, : ome zo miles aw- im the pL wbef it had picked up the first •Journal, 1 8g, p. 1S4, ig8, aai. y, -ii, 4*2, 440. ' Quad. N. A., ia49, V ol. I, p. ac; Of cit., ser Note a. F. B. A., I J9, 1, p. 43- ' Labrador I nin., Geol. Surv. Can., 1896, App. I, p. 315 L. r^^mi. Wolveiinc 049 trap." All of this evidence, while not conclusive, has weight, and hunters agree that the Wolverine is a wide-ranger, cover- ing a region of at least 50 miles across in the winter. In the summer it need not go so far for food and must suy in the neighbourhood of its ""imily. Mating takes place about the middle or end of March, matwo Miles Spencer is of the opinion that the Wolverine pairs, and that the male assists in rearing th. yonng.' Abe Leeds, my Idaho guide, tells me that he has seen a pair of Wolverines roaming together in autumn among the mountains of Jackson's Hole, so it is possible that the species pairs for life, though the analogy of other Weasels is against this conclusion. The den of one which they secured in Rensselaer County, N. Y., is described by Audubon and Bachman, and from their account we may form an idea of the nursery.* "Thee was a large nest of dried leaves in the cavern, nestwo which had evidently been a place of resort for the Wolverine * ♦ * during the whole winter, as its tracks from every direction led to the spot. It had laid up no winter store, and evidently depended on its nightly excursion for a supply of food. It had, however, fared well, for it was very fat." The site chosen for the young ones' home is almost any sheltered hollow in the ground or under rocks. Sometimes the old one digs it out, but oftentimes uses any ready-made convenient hole it can find. Gestation is supposed to last about 60 days; analogy obta- would make it about 100; but there is no conclusive evidence. Indians and trappers report the mating season and the bearing season from two to three months apart. Doubtless seasons \ary with latitude. Most of the Hudson's Bay Company traders agree that the young are born in June, but 'n the Barren Grounds, t' at is, the Arctic - v ma nr W July. • Low EzpL JunM Ba/, 1888. ' • Quad. N \; J849, 1, p. ao^ 050 Life-histories of Northern Animals U i ) I I '.r\ 'ti i youNG As will be seen later, I have evidence of the Siberian Wolverine, supposed to be identical with ours, producing young in April. The little ones number 2 or 3, rarely 4, but MacFarlane says sometimes as high as 5. The very low numbers are usu- ally offspring of a very young or a very old r jther. In early life they have been little observed, because the mosquitoes are such an insufferable torment in their haunts during summer that no man goes there except under dire compulsion. The half-breeds and Indians of the far North- west have often assured me that the young are white at birth, but they could not produce the skin of one. I was glad, there- fore, to find in the American Museum of Natural History 2 young ones taken by N. C. Buxton in north-eastern Siberia, on May 7, 1 901, which, judging from their size, must have been three or four weeks old. They are male and female. The male, as measured in the dry skin, is: Length, i6§ inches (419 mm.); tail, about 3I inches (82 mm.); hind-foot, 2i inches (53 mm.). It is clad in a dense wool which is yellowish-white tinged with brownish-gray, on crown, legs, back, under parts, and tail; the face bears a mask of brown. Thus it has all the adult marking expressed in very faint colours. The female is precisely similar. On one point all my Indian friends and all the books are agreed — that it is as safe to enter the den of a mother Bear as to face a Wolverine when she is with her young. She is a tigress of ferocity, absolutely fearless, and so strong and quick that a man, even armed with a gun, is taking risks if he come near. The young are suckled for eight or nine weeks and fed at home by their mother till quite late in summer. D. T. Hanbury says" that August 13, on the Dease River, near Great Bear Lake, he "shot a female Wolverine as she was swimming across the river. She carried a Ground-squirrel in her mouth, which she evidently had intended for her family." " Northland of Canada, 1904, p. 333. Wolverine 951 "In October, when the rivers set fast, the Wolverines re- appear in families, the young still following their dam, though now not much her inferior in size. They are full grown when about a year old."" {Lockhart.) But one brood is produced in a year. The Wolverine has been made the subject of many marvel- habits lous stories. We are told, for example, that it habitually lies in wait up some tree for Deer to pass; it drops on them and rides them to death, then devours the carcass at one enormous meal. As a matter of fact, a Wolverme rarely climbs, it seldom attacks a full-grown Deer, and its appetite is no more than that of any other flesh-eater of its size. Its usual prey is small mammals and carrion. It is notorious for its pertinacious perse- cutions of the trapoer. Every trapper in the fur countries can relate personal experiences of the Wolverine, and Richardson also bears testimony to its cunning and its propensity for mischief: "The Wolverine" [he says] is extremely wary and shows extraordinary sagacity and perseverance in accomplishing its ends. The Indians believe that it is inspired with the spirit of mischief, and endowed with preternatural powers. Though more destructive to their hoards of provisions than the Wolf or even the Bear, and able to penetrate fences that resist their powerful efforts, it is only about thirty inches long, a foot high at the shoulder, and one foot six inches at the rump, but it is very compactly made. With teeth that do not seem to be peculiarly fitted for cutting wood, it will sever a log equal to a man's thigh in thickness, by constant gnawing. In selecting the spot it intends to breach, it shows as much skill as the Beaver, generally contriving to cut a log near one end, so that it may fall down into some void space, and thus open an en- trance into the hoard. The animal works so hard in carrying on this operation that it causes its mouth to bleed, as the ends of the logs and the snow often testify. Once admitted into the " Coues, Fur-bearing Anim., 1877, p. sa. " Arc Search Exp., 1851, Vol. II, pp. 84-«- m n. 952 Life-histories of Northern Animals hoard, it has to gnaw the pieces of meat asunder, as they are generally frozen together, ak.d then it proceeds to drag them out one by one, and to bury them in the snow, each in a separate place As it travels backwards and forwards over the meat, it smears it with a peculiarly fetid glandular secretion, after which no other animal will touch it. In this way one of these beasts will spoil a large cache in an hour or two and wholly empty it in a few nights. The pieces which are carried off arc so carefully concealed in the snow, and the Wolverine makes so many track, in the neighbourhood, that it is difficult to trace out the deposits, and they are seldom found." "In which case," as Thomas Hutchins says," "they furnish a regale to the hungry Fox, whose sagacious nostrils guide him unerri.igly to the spot. Two or three Foxes are often seen following the Wolverine for this purpose." All Northern traders grow eloquent on the subject of this animal's diabolic pertinacity and destructiveness. "The winter I passed at Fort Simpson [writes Lockhart]** I had a line of Marten and Fox traps, and Lynx snares, extend- ing as far as Lac de Brochet. Visiting them on one occasion, I found a Lynx alive in one of my snares, and being indisposed to carry it so far home, determined to kill and skin it before it should freeze. But how to cache the skin till my return? This was a serious question, for Carcajou tracks were numer- ous. Placing the carcass as a decoy in a clump of willows at one side of the path, I went some distance on the opposite side, dug a hole with my snowshoe about three feet deep in the snow, packed the skin in the smallest possible compass, and put it in the bottom of the hole, which I filled up again very carefully, packing the snow down hard, and then strewing loose snow over the surface till the spot looked as though it had never been disturbed. I also strewed blood and entrails in the path and around the willow- Returning next morning, I found that the carcass was gt I had expected it would be, but that the place where th . was cached was apparently un- disturbed. 'Ah! you ra!...al,' said I, addressing aloud the " F. B. A., 1839, Vol. I, p. 43. " Coues, Fur-bearing Anim., 1877, PP- S^S- ss: Wolverine 95S absent Carcajou, ' I have outwitted you for once. I lighted my pipe, and proceeded leisurely to dig up the skm to place in my muskimoot. I went clear down to the ground on this side and on that, but no Lynx skin was there. The Carcajou had been before me and had carried it off along with tne carcase ; but he had taken the pains to fill up the hole again and make every thing as smooth as before. "At Peel's River, on one occasion, a very old Carcajou discovered my Marten road, on which I had nearly a hundred and fifty traps. I was in the habit of visiting the line about once a fortnight; but the beast fell into the way of coming oftener than I did, to my great annoyance and vexation, l determined to put a stop to this thieving and his life together, cost what it might. So I made six strong traps at as many different points, and also set three steel traps. )fr three weeks I tried my best to catch the beast without succ. s; and my worst enemy would allow that 1 am no green hand in these matters. The animal carefully avoided the traps set for his own benefit, and seemed to be taking more delight than ever in demolishing my Marten traps and eating the Martens, scatter- ine the poles in every direction, and caching what baits or Martens he did not devour on the spot. As we had no poison in those days, I next set a gun on the bank of a little lake. The gun was concealed in some low bushes, but the bait was so placed that the Carcajou must see it on his way up the bank^ I blockaded my path to the gun with a small pine tree wh.chi completely hid it. On my first visit af:terwards I ^und he beast had gone up to the bait and smelled it, but had left it untouched. He had next pulled up the pine tree thit blocked the path, and gone around the gun and cut the ime which connected the bait with the trigger, just behind the muzzle. Then he had gone back and pulled the bait away, and carried it out on the lake, where he lay down and devoured it at his leisure. There I found my string. I could scarcely believx that all this had been done designedly, for it seemed that facul- ties fully on a par with human reason would be required tor such an exploit, if done intentionally. I therefore rearranged ■ «l Jl ■HHi MMI *W4 Life-histories of Northern Animals hi 'I* V things, tying the string where it had been bitten. But the result was exactly the same for three successive occasions, as I could plainly see by the footprints; and, what is most singular of all, each time the brute was careful to cut the line a little back of where it had been tied before, as if actually reasoning with himself that even the knots might be some new device of mine, and therefore a source of hidden danger he would pru- dently avoid. I came to the conclusion that that Carcajou ought to live, as he must be something at leas.: human, if not worse. I gave it up and abandoned the road for a period. "On another occasion a Carcajou amused himself, much as usual, by taking my line from one end to the other and de- molishing my traps as fast as I could set them. I put a large steel trap in the middle of a path that branched off among some willows, spreading no bait, but risking the chance that the animal would 'put his foot in it' on his way to break a trap at the end of the path. On my next visit I found that the trap was gone, but I noticed the blood and entrails of a Hare that had evidently been caught in the trap and devoured by the Carcajou on the spot. Examining his footprints, I was satis- fied that he had not been caught, and I took up his trail. Proceeding about a mile through the woods, I came to a small lake, on the banks of which I recognized traces of the trap, which the beast had laid down in order to go a few steps to one side to make water on a stump. He had then returned and picked up the trap, which he had carried across the lake, with many a twist and turn on the hard crust of snow to mislead his expected pursuer, and then again entered the woods. I fol- lowed for about half a mile farther and then came to a large hole dug in the snow. This place, however, seemed not to have suited him, for there was nothing there. A few yards farther on, however, I found a neatly built mound of snow on which the animal had made water and left his dirt; this I knew was his cache. Using one of my snowshoes for a spade, I dug into the hillock and down to the ground, the snow being about four feet deep; and there I found my trap, with the toes of a Rabbit still in the jaws. Could it have been the animal's instinctive im- Wolverine 955 pulse to hide prey that made him carry my trap so far merely for the morsel of meat still held in it ? Or did his cunning nature prompt him to hide the trap for fear that on some future unlucky occasion he might put his own toes in it and share the Rabbit's fate?" To this bewildering evidence of sagacity Dr. Coues adds:" "This propensity of the Wolverine to carry off traps receives confirmation from other sources. In Captain Cart- wright's Journal (II, 407), a similar instance is recorded in the following terms: 'In coming to the foot of Table Hill I crossed the track of a Wolvering with one of Mr. Calling- ham's traps on his foot; the Foxes had followed his bleeding track. As this beast went through the thick of the woods, under the north side of the hill, where the snow was so deep and light that it was with the greatest difficulty I could follow him even on Indian rackets, I was quite puzzled to know how he had contrived to prevent the trap from catching hold of the branches of trees or sinking in the snow. But on coming up with him I discovered how he had managed. For, after making an attempt to fly at me, he took the trap in his mouth and ran upon three legs. These creat> res are surprisingly strong in proportion to their size; this one weighed only 26 pounds and the trap 8; yet, including all the turns he had taken, he carried it 6 miles.'" "The hunter [says Lockhart]" may safely leave an animal he has killed, for one night, but never for a second time, without placing it in a strong cache of logs. The first night the Wol- verine is pretty sure to visit the place, but will touch nothing. The next night he is certain to return, and, if he can possibly get at the meat, he will gorge himself, and then niake away with the rest, which he cunningly hides, piece by piece, under the snow, in different directions. At every cache he makes he voids his urine or drops his dirt, probably to prevent Foxes, Martens, or other animals from smelling the hidden meat and digging it up. Caches must be made of green wood, and be exceedingly strong, or the animal will certainly break » op. cit., p. SS- "Op.cU., pp. 50-1. 956 Life-histories of Northern Animals i, ■ ftH-i into them. He has been known to gnaw through a log nearly a foot in diameter and also to dig a hole several feet deep in frozen ground, to gain access to the coveted supply. Should he succeed in gaining entrance for himself and yet be unable to displace the logs sufficiently to permit of removal of the meat, the brute will make water and dirt r 'I over it, render- ing it wholly unfit to be used; even a dog will then scarcely touch it. "To the trapper the Wolverines are equally annoying. When they have discovered a line of Marten traps, they will never abandon the road, and must be killed before the trapping can be successfully carried on. Beginning at one end, they proceed from trap to trap along the whole line, pulling them successively to pieces, and taking out the baits from behind. When they can eat no more, they continue to steal the baits and cache them. If hungry, they may devour two or three of the Martens they find captured, the remainder being car- ried off and hidden in the snow at a considerable distance. The work of demolition goes on as fast as the traps can be renewed." "The propensity to steal and hide things [says CouesJ* is one of the strongest traits of the Wolverine. To such an extent is it developed that the animal will often secrete articles of no possible use to itself. Besides the wanton destruction of Marten traps, it will carry off the sticks and hide them at a distance, apparently in sheer malice. Mr. Ross, in the article above quoted, has given an amusing instance of the extreme of this propensity: 'The desire for accumulating property seems so deeply implanted in this animal that, like tame ravens, it does not appear to care much what it steals, so that it can exercise its favourite propensity to commit mischief. An instance occurred within my own knowledge in which a hunter and his family, having left their lodge unguarded during their absence, on their return found it completely gutted — the walls were there but nothing else. Blankets, guns, kettles, axes, cans, knives, and all the other paraphernalia of a trapper's tent " op. ril., p. 51. iiilHiiriiH Wolverine 957 had \,in5shed. and the tracks left by the beast showed who had been the rhifif The family set to work and, by carefully following ui all his paths, recovered, with some trifling exceptions, the whole of the property.'" How are we to explain this conduct ? In ancient days or barbarous countries it would be said that the creature was possessed of a devil and no further explanation considered necessary. This is not quite satisfactory to-day. The Wolver- ine undoubtedly follows the trapper because it is hungry and sees a chance of securing a bellyful. Having found food, it takes possession of it in a manner of wide usage. As already noted, small boys and Eskimaux take possession by spitting on the object. Squirrels by licking it. Foxes by urinating on it, and Badgers and several Weasels, including the \Volverine, by anointing it with the oil of their anal glands. This is a potent method that carries strong conviction among most creatures that have retained unimpaired the sense of smell. If the Wolverine be not hungry, its provident instinct prompts it to put the possible food away for some day of worse luck, and, acting on the principle 'better safe than sorry,' it brands again in detail with its execrable odour the treasure trove; in so doing, other things, sticks, pots, etc., with an interesting odour of human grease, are accidentally touched with the oil, the convincing holy oil of the anal glands, and so, by a process not without parallel in other worlds, they are converted to its use and receive the honour of a cache into themselves. It is not to be supposed that any part of the procedure is due to malice. The inordinate sagacity of the species is, as with Wolves, largely fear born of sad experience, stimulated by any suggestion of human touch and assisted by nostrils of marvellous acuteness Aside from various tricks to decoy it into a trap, there are tocir- at least four ways of solving the Wolverine problem. The vent first is given by Richardson, in his 1851 Journey," thus: "Rae, however, made a safe cellar by cutting a hole in the ice, cover- "Vol. n. p. 86. - - - ..^^»^— ^^ 958 Life-histories of Northern Animals U ing it thickly with snow, and then pouring water over all until the frost had rendered the whole a solid mass." The second method is given by Professor H. Y. Hind in his "Exploration of Labrador":** "As an illustration of the ingenuity of Indians in preserv- ing their packs of fur or provisions during the winter months where the Wolverine abounds, Mr. Anderson, chief factor of Mingan, told me that when he was in charge of the Post of Neepigon, north of Lake Superior, an Indian came to him to get some provision, but did not bring his furs. "'Where did you leave your furs ?' he enquired. "'Made a cache of them,' said the Indian. "'But, man, the Carcajou will get them; there are plenty in your hunting grounds,' replied Mr. Anderson. "'No, no; no fear; I'll irighten the Carcajou, I think, if he tries to get my pack.' "'How did you make the cache?' "*I wrapped the furs in birch-bark, and tied the bundle at the end of a large branch twice as high as myself from the ground.' "'Well, that will not keep the Carcajou away. He will climb the tree and jump at the pack and bring it down with him.' "'No; I think not,' said the Indian, with a smile. 'I fastened two of my little dog-sleigh bells to the pack with a bit of sinew. When the Carcajou comes crawling down the branch to get at the pack, he will ring the little bells, and then you know how quick he'll jump back again and run off. I have tried this trick before, and it never failed me. No fear; the Carcajou will not get my furs." Somewhat on similar lines is an effectual method that I •c^'nt from J. W. Tyrrell and put in practice during my joL.ney in the far nortfi. The cache is made weather-proof and rain-proof, then left high in a tree, to whose trunk a final finish is given in the form of a complete necklace of cod " 1863, V6L I, p. 50. Wolverine 959 hooks, points downward. Hitherto this has proved very satisfactory. ..... c The fourth and only infallible method is by the use of strychnine. There is, however, a wide-spread feeling against this The Indians believe it to be an unholy practice that will surely draw down the wrath of the Great Spirit. The trappers say that it ruins the fur of the animal poisoned and tends to ruin all the trapping, as one strychnine bait may claim many vic- tims. Nevertheless, the natives use poison for Wolverines, secretly, but whenever they can get it-just as they also lose no chance of getting certain other contraband poisons for their personal use. When Linnaeus called this animal 'luscus,' or 'half- blind,' he either knew the creature very well or stumbled on a truth, for the Wolverine has notoriously bad eyesight. Coues thus comments :" " It is said that if one only stands still, even in full view of an approaching Carcajou, he will come within 50 or 60 yards, provided he be to windward, before he takes the alarm. Even then, if he be not warned by sense of smell, he seems in doubt and will gaze earnestly several times before he finally concludes to take himself off. "On these and similar occasions he has a singular habit, one not shared, so far as I am aware, by any other beast what- ever He sits on his haunches and shades his eyes with one ot his fore-paws, just as a human being would do in scrutinizing a dim or distant object. *♦♦****. " Lockhart writes that he has been twice eye-witness of this curious habit of the Wolverine. Once, as he was drifting down stream in a small canoe, he came within a short distance of one of the animals on the bank; it stopped on perceiving him, squatted on its haunches, and peered earnestly at the advan- cing br ' holding one fore-paw over its eyes in the manner de- scribed. Not seeming to take alarm, it proceeded on a few paces, and then stopped to repeat the performance, when » Fur-besring Anim., 1877, p- S^- \i i r- Ill I i >\ i ' ••0 Life-histories of Northern Animals Lockhart, now sufficiently near, fired and killed the beast. On another occasion, when the same gentleman was crossing the Rocky Mountains, a Wolverine, which had become alarmed and was making off, stopped frequently and put up his paw in the same manner in order to sec more clearly the nature of that which had disturbed him." Bachman remarks" of a captive European Wolverine that he observed in Denmark: "He was somewhat averse to the light of the sun, keeping his eyes half closed when exposed to the rays." All evidence shows that the Wolverine of the north is troubled with eyes that suffer in a dazzling light. Snow-blindness is a wide-spread complaint among the human dwellers of these white wastes in spite of their various contrivances to prevent it. I have often wondered how the animals escape, especially those that travel by day. Proof that they do not always get off easily is found in the following by Mrs. Mary Austin. In describing the terrors of a great snow on the High Sierra, she adds:" "Even the Deer make slow going in the deep, fresh snow, and once we found a Wolverine going blind and feebly in the white glare." In many early accounts and pictures the Wolverine is presented as a plantigrade animal, that is, one that sets the whole foot on the ground, in bear-fashion. Numerous ob- servations on living specimens, as well as a study of its trail, show that it treads on the toes only, is truly digitigrade, as are most of the Weasel Family. Though bear-like in gai. and clumsy in build, this animal is neither slow nor luggish. A captive specimen which I observed galloped near all day up and down its cage, its head low, its back high arched, its movements lumbering but vigorous, and seemingly tireless. sinENGTH Hearne, on his famous journey, had much experience with Wolverines, and writes thus:" "As a proof of their amazing " Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. aoy. " Land of Little Rain, 1904, p. 357. ' Journey, 1795, p. 373. Wolverine 061 •trength, there was one at Churchill -ome years since, that over- set the greatest part of a pile of wood (containing a whole win- ter's firing, that measured upwards of seventy yards round) to get at some provisions that had been hid there by the Company s servants, when going to the Factory to spend the Christmas holidays. The fact was, this animal had been lurking about in the neighbourhood of their tent (which was about eight miles from the Factory) for some weeks, and had committed many depredations on the game caught in their traps and snares, as well as eaten many Foxes that were killed by guns set for that purpose; but the Wolverine was too cunning to take either trap or gun himself. The people, knowing the mischievous disposition of those animals, took (as they thought) the most effectual method to secure the remains of their provisions, which they did not choose to carry home, and accordingly tied it up in bundles and placed it on the top of the wood-pile (about two miles from their tent), little thinking the Wolverine would find it out; but, to their great surprise, when they re- turned to their tent after the holidays, they found the pile of wood in the state already mentioned, though some of the trees that composed it wc re as much as two men could carry. The only reason the people could give for the animal doing so much mischief was that, in his attempting to carry off the booty, some of the small parcels of provisions had fallen down into the heart of the pile, and, sooner than lose half his prize, he pursued the above method till he had accomplished his ends. The bags of flour, oatmeal, and peas, though of no use to him, he tore all to pieces and scattered the contents about on the snow but every bit of animal food, consisting of beef, pork, bacon, venison, salt geese,^ partridges, etc., to a considerable amount, he carried away." When fighting or under intense excitement it emits a noirr. strong musky odour. This, as in all Weasels, is produced by the anal glands. It is very strong in the present species and is another justification of the name Skunk-bear. Although it usually avoids man, the hunters generally testify that it can on M« Life histories of Northern Animals occasion face him very buvely, and rarely flies from any foe on four legs. Such is the opinion by Hearne, who, with convincing reserve, says:" " With respect to the fierceness of this animal which some assert, I can say little, but I know them to be beasts of great courage and resolution, for I once saw one of them take pos- session of a Deer that an Indian had killed, and, though the Indian advanced within twenty yards, he would not relinquish his claim to it, but suffered himself to be ...ot standing on the Deer. I once saw a similar instance of a Lynx, or Wild-cat, which also suffered itself to be killed before it would relinquish the prize. The Wolverines have also frequently bceu seen to take a Deer from a Wolf before the latter had time to begin his repast after killing it. Indeed, their amazing strength, and the length and sharpness of thj > claws, render them capable of making a strong resistance against any other animal in those pans, the Bear not excepted." One of my mountaineer friends, Abe Leeds, of Idaho, gives me a stirring account of a meeting between two Wolver- ines and a Cinnamon Bear, over a dead ^ik. All three had been feeding there for ome days. But the Bear -ne orce when both Wolverines wi e in possession. Leeds ^ I'ng for the Bear, but the Wolverines ai.^cked the new t rst ..,,h great fury, and, although the battle was little rr -< Ui-^.i snarling and heavy growhng, extraordinarily so for a.i .i.iial so small as the Wolverine, the Bear went off and left them in possession. rcx>D In ancient books the Wolverine is credited with being rl c inveterate enemy of the Beaver and the Reindeer. One m; .-iit reasonably infer from two favourite and precious pictures of fifty years ago that these two and none other were its habitual and limited diet. All the evidence I can gather, and it is much, goes to show that while it can climb and swim it is not much at home in the tices or in the water. In " Ibid., p. 37a. gj^m k&iaSNi "^■^^ii'fe. ft W'^'i "'///i'"'' I A /I ii'hlijji ''-'^-1;, ■■MfHiki tt^^^^i^MMtfM iMli 964 Life-histories of Northern Animals other words, both Deer and Beaver arc usually safe from its attacks. Hearne, after living for years in the fur countries, writes:" "These animals are great enemies to the Beaver, but the manner of life of the latter prevents them from falling into their clutches so frequently as many other animals; they commit vast depredations on the Foxes during the summer, while the young ones arc small; their quick scent directs them to their dens, and if the entrance be too small, their strength enables them to widen it, and go in and kill the mother and all the cubs. In fact, they are the most destructive animals in the country." Richard- son's views are in line.'* It " feeds [he says] chiefly upon the car- cases of Seasts that have been killed by accident. ♦ * * It feeds also on Meadow-mice, Marmots, and other rodentia, and occa- sionally on disabled quadrupeds of a larger size. I have seen one chasing an American Hare, which was at the same time harassed by a snowy owl." Coues, condensing many accounts, says" they will devour "anything they can catch or steal. Their own flesh is eatable only in the extreme of starvation," but he does not make it clear whether it is the hunter or the Wolverine that must be starving before it will eat Wolverine meat. Han- bury records the species feeding on Ground-squirrels. The more light we have on the habits of the Wolverine, the more its living prey diminishes in size, and I doubt not that continued investigation will dwindle its main support into Ground-squirrels or Mice, with even these taking second place in its affections to carrion or stolen meat. Nevertheless, a marked and wonderful exception has just come to hand; an evidence of what this creature can do when pushed by the dire extremity of famine. J. Kcele, of the Canadian Geological Survey, while travelling on Third Lake, Ross River (an affluent of the Pelly), March 27, '908, came on a Moose that was floun- dering in the deep snow. He and his companion shot it before they realized that it was already done nearly to death by a Wolverine that had leaped on its back from a tree.'' " Journey, 1795, p. 37a. ■ p. B. A., i8a(), I, p 43. " Fur-beariiig Anim., 1877, P- S»- " Fo«»t and Stream, December 19, 1908, p. 971. Wolverine 965 The name of Skunk-bear is not at all a bad one in de- ro* scribing the fur of the Wolverine. With the size of a small Bear, something of the quality of a Bear robe, and yet with the two paler bands spreading from the nape of the neck along the sides to unite again in the bushy. Skunk-like tail, which further rejoices in a respectable modicum of smell to complete the semi- imitation, it is quite worthy of its trapper's name. During the eighty-five years, 1821 to 1905 inclusive, the Hudson's Bay Company collected 101,426 skins of this species, an average of i , 1 92 for each year. The lowest was 402 in 1 827 ; the highest, 2,322, in 1879. The average for the ten years, 1895 to 1905, was 736. Poland's lists show that during the seventy-one years, 1821 to 1891 inclusive, 10,596 skins were taken by the other American companies, an average of 149 for each year. So that the average annual catch of Wolverine for fur is about 1,300. At the London annual fur sales, held at Lampson's, March, 1906, 757 Wolverine skins were sold. The highest price realized was 34 shillings ($8.16) each, for 64 first-class dark skins, from which they graded down to 7 shillings (5i.68) for third-class skins. The Winnipeg market quotations on March 26, 1904, were $2 to |I6 for prime Wolverine. itmm XLIII. I The Hudsonian Skunk, Northern Skunk, Black- tailed Skunk, or Prairie Polecat. Mephitis hudsonica Richardson. (L. Mephitis, a pestilential exhalation; L. hudsonica, Hudaonian, t. e., of Hudson Bay Territory.) Mephitis americana var. hudsonica Richardson, 1829, F. B. A., I, p. 55- Mephitis hudsonica Bangs, 1895, Proc. Bost. Soc. N. H., XXVI, p. 534- Type Locality. — Plains of the Saskatchewan. French Canadian, V Enfant du diable; le Chinche; la Moujfette; la Bete puante. Cree, Ojib. & Saut., Shee-gawk'. In this we see the origin of the word 'Chicago,' meaning •Skunk-land.' Yankton Sioux, Mah-cah. Ogallala Sioux, Mah-kah'. Chipewyan, Nool'-tsee-a. Huron, Scangaresse (Sagard-Theodat). Abenaki, Seganku (Rasles). The word 'Skunk' is traced to the last two Indian words. The true Skunks belong to the Weasel Family (Mustelida) and to the Digger or Badger sub-division of the group (Melina). They form the genus Mephitis (Cuvier, 1800) and are about the size of a common house cat; have short ears, long fur, very large and bushy tails, are black in colour, with a thin white Hudsonian Skunk 967 stripe on the face and a broad one beginning on the nape, fork- ing on the shoulders to reach to the hind-quarters or sometimes nearly to the tip of the tail; they are at least partly plantigrade, and have the fore-claws very large and suited for digging; but, Fic. aJ5-Thc riihl front uid right hil)l Sunrfy. U. S. Drp. .\ir. II \IK l.XXXI — SKHI.I. OF MUSTEI A AMEKICANA (NATTTIAI, SIZE). Cut fr..m \V H l '»ii ..Is ■ Yuk..n Rigi'in.' p. 44 N A Kauna, No. !«, luoo, BnilngUal Survey, l' S Drp Afr. \ in i-i !> Hudsonian Skunk 969 PuGET Sound Skunk (Af . occidentaUs spissigrada Bangs). —Much like hudsonica, but with longer tail and well-marked cranial characters; skull much narrower, etc. The Skunk of the Manitoba prairies is the Great Plains Skunk, but it is quite likely that in the wooded north-eastern Fia m6— Head ol Hif^"-*''" Skunk J, irom lom. (Life »x.) part of the Province we may find the true Mephitis mephitis (Schreber) or Canada Skunk. Life-history, The present species is found in every part of south- {^^ western Manitoba, but is scarce in the pine forest to the north- toba east. Its greatest numbers are found in the broad pond and poplar belt from Dufferin to Dawson. Its favourite localities are the edges of the woods and envi- marshes, where sunlight and cover mingling provide it with ment abundant food, as well as warmth and shelter. It likss the dense forest less than it does the open prairie. The traveller on the Souris Plains is sure to meet with some Skunks or have 970 Life-histories of Northern Animals them visit his camp by night, but the great pine forest is almost skunkless. HOMl- RANdJ The home-range of each individual is doubtless very small. The creature's powers and mode of life preclude the possibility of its roaming far afield. I have often followed its tracks in the early or late snow, from the den through many places and adventures in quest of food, then back to the den, to learn that at no time did it go more than two or three hundred yards from home. In warm weather, because more active, it may go farther, but this is doubtful, because food is more plentiful then and it is still less forced to travel. I believe a half-mile radius would reach the Ultima Thule of its ordinary wanderings. ABUN- DANCE a .1| 'l I- In the dry part of the pond and poplar belt of Manitoba, it would be safe to estimat*' the Skunk at i to every square mile. In the prairie region, it is probably a fiftn as numerous, and in the pine forest the niimber may be again divided by 5. This would give us a Skunk population of some 20,000. To approach the problem from another side, the Hudson's Bay Company exoorts about 10,000 Skunk skins each year. Judged by area, about half must be of this species, and one- tenth of these, again, come from Manitoba, but the free traders get ns many as the Company, and lialf at least of those killed arc destroyed (»y farmers who do m t skin them. So that i.coo each year is not too high an estimate of those killed in Manitoba by man alone, besides which are many enemies that will surely double the casualty list. The average number of young seen with the mother in the fall is 2 or not more than 3 ; the litter at birth is double as many. This shows that the destruction of the very young by Coyotes, Foxes, Badgers, owls, eagles, etc., is very high, and also that, since winter hardships are still ahead, the Skunks cannot double their number in a year; 50 per cent, drain is all I believe the species can stand ir the most favourable food localities. But the Skunks in Manitoba are far from decreasing under the csti- MAP 52- RARGfc OF THE LAROK SKUHKS OF THF. GKNUS MEPHITIS. Thi. map i. founded chiefly .n A. K Howelr krv,:,ion. V. A. lajn.. No. .0 .00.. Spojtfd on it «e tdl the "T?';^'. ""i "j^J"! '!? man found in &n«i., crr,^ «,u(m<^.-< *■ Irh h.rr' .nuT.. B,:rish . ..,u-. . A''''"'""'' ";?;^? ' j ,Srii.. Ih ' rToK T/'w ' Scloo »re marked. The lifr^n lin- i» r.-.nsf < ( .)., H •••1 Skunk , il. Kurf^ .' thu « left unlinted M 1 ol»curmg Uie range i4 rac. M«,l ': •boootii B«n« MepktH, occUhmtllB B^nJ, wltli s racM. Mtphllii mtkmt (Shaw) with 3 ricn. Mtphmt hi^nfca Rich., MtfKUU f^HJa Boitwd, KUfif-itU i r Mcrria^ii, 971 Mcphmi mocmiri Lkht., with 3 nc**- ^ki^ 97i Life-histories of Northern Animals SOCIA muTY mated drain of 4,000 adults per annum. This would pre- suppose a population of not less than 10,000. Between 10,000 and 20,000, then, would be a fair estimate of the Skunks living in M initoba to-day. The species is said by many trappers to go occasionally in droves of 6, 8, or 10. Kennicott cites* a case where there were 1 5 together in a winter den. This is true, but these droves are simply the family of the year. They stay together all fall and winter, though now full grown, inhabiting one nest and seeking food together. In this limited sense only is the Skunk sociable and gregarious. I' ' t etc"' It is a very silent animal, but it utters a low 'churring' or scolding sometimes, when it is disturbed, without being much excited, and I have heard one growl as it seized on a grass- hopper. It sometimes expresses anger or defiance by stamping with ''s front feet, and its loud sniffing at curious or strange objects is an expression of interest fully comprehended by its fellows. The monstrous bushy tail and the black-and-white pat- tern are no doubt direction or recognition marks that are well known to the live creatures of its region. Day or night, they notify all the world: " I am a Skunk; no one can hurt me with impunity." The wild folk do not fail to profit by this blazonment of the fact, and thus, incidentally, the Skunk is saved a deal of unprofitable exertion. Abbott H. Thayer, I learn, takes the contrary view. He believes that the markings of the Skunk are intended to hide it from its prey, by breaking up its breadth of black. PAIRING In Manitoba, the mating season appears to be from the first to the middle of March, and most of the hunters believe that the species is strictly monogamous. Miles Spencer, of Fort George, Hudson Bay, thinks* that the Skunk mates in October, but I find no other supporter of this view. • Quad. 111., 1858, p. 249. * Low. Expl. James Bay., 1888, App. Ill, p. 77 J. Hudsonian Skunk 97S If the Skunk digs its own habitation, it usually selects a den dry place on some hillside, but sometimes uses the burrow of a Badger or a Muskrat, or it enlarges the den of a Ground- squirrel to proper dimensions. It is also very ready to use a place under an out-house or farm-building; indeed, any kind of a hole will appeal to the Skunk, provided it be large enough, dry enough, and near enough to food. Kennicott says:* "Those who have opened the burrows on the prairie say that it digs a hole 5 to 10 feet in extent and a foot or two below the surface; at the end a large chamber i? excavated, and in this a nest of soft grass is placed. The burrows which I have observed were always on high ground, and usually in sandy soil; they were never at the edges of watercourses and ponds, like those of the Mink. In rocky regions its residence will be found in the crevices of the rocks. * * * I have occasionally known it to take refuge in fallen hollow trees." A. S. Barton writes me that the Skunk abounds in the flat marshy country about Boissevain, Man., and that the un- usual conditions there have resulted in a new kind oi Skunk architecture. "I found," he says, "a number of Skunk dens on the open meadow? one year. They were made like the houses of Muskrats, but much smaller, on dry land, and of fine grass. I thought thcni the work of s^ome abnormal Musk- rat till I poked a stick in one and provoked the occupant to fire off his unmistakable scent." I have no evidence on the period of gee; -1. ion. It is likely to yoono be nearly the same as in the Mink, that 'i, 42 days. The young are born about the end of April or early in May, and number usually 4 to 6, but have been known as high as 10 in a litter. At birth they are about the size of a Mouse, are naked, and yet show plainly, in two shades, the pattern of the livery they are destined to wear. Indeed it is easier to follow the plan of markings now than at any other time. Eyes and ears alike are closed for some days after they enter this world of sights and sounds. * Loc. cit., p. 348. 974 Life-histories of Northern Animals M. L. Michael, of the Skunk-farm once existing in Monroe County, Pa., gives the following interesting illustration of the mother Skunk's devotion. "One night," says he,' "I brought a female and her 7 babies, two or three weeks old, and enclosed them in a wooden box. In the morning they were gone. The mother had gnawed through the corner of her prison. Knowing that the young, unable to walk, had been carried by their mother, I called a dog trained to trail them, which at once led off. I Fio. 127— Yount o( U. fulUa juii More birth (life liie). Weight 15 gnmmei. Cos Cob, Conn., M^y t2, 1906. followed closely. A mile away the mother was located in a burrow. My men dug, and there we found her with her 7 children. By noting her tracks across a freshly harrowed field, we discovered that she had made 4 trips, bearing necessarily 2 each trip, except once, when she took but i." Thus she travelled 7 miles that night. About the time their eyes opened many young Skunks were brought by the Indians to Hine's taxidermist shop at Winnipeg. Though no larger than half-grown rats, they would at once, when frightened, assume their traditional attitude of defence, and go through all the motions of receiving an enemy and repelling him with the musk. But the musk itself was lacking. When they were about a month old, however, it began to be secreted, and henceforth grew in strength and quantity till at three months the Skunklets were fully equipped and usually had to be destroyed i'or their over-readiness to prove its power. The young remain in the den all spring, never going more than a few yards away from home, and live on milk. About * Recreation Magazine, November, 1901, p. 362. Hudsonian Skunk 975 midsummer they begin to follow their mother abroad like a litter of little pigs after the old sow. They are such a pretty playful lot and she such a loving and assiduous guardian that the group realizes the ideal of family life, excepting perhaps in one particular— the father is not present. After many in- quiries among hunters and naturalists I am forced to believe Fio. »g— Mutolocr of Skunk. that the mother alone is active in caring for the brood, at least when they are very small. Their growth is rapid. In Ontario, I once found the young iputiJa) one-third grown and travelling abroad on June 21, and the other two-thirds grown by the first week of July. Soon after this the group is increased, it would seem, by the return of the father, for I have several times seen a large male Skunk travelling with them, in the fall, and am inclined to think that he returns to his family as soon as the mother gives him permission. Now the reunited party wan- der about their own range, not caring in the least whether or not they reach home at bedtime, which is dawn. 076 Life-histories of Northern Animals By October the young might pass for aduhs, but careful comparison shows them to be a little smaller and much lighter in weight than the old ones. They continue with their parents all fall and all winter. During the coldest weather they roll up together in their under- ground home, sometimes the one in which the litter was born, and become torpid till called forth by a spell of warmer days. The actual breaking up of the family is in the spring- time, and the immediate cause seems to be the rearousing mating instinct or, at least, the instinctive desire of the mother to be alone when the next brood arrives. The young of the previous year are now fully grown and able not only to care for themselves, but probably also to breed. THE WEAPON :1 The Skunk is famous the world over for its 'smell-gun.* This has nothing at all to do with the urine, as vulgar error would have it. The fluid is a liquid musk secreted by two large glands under the tail. All the Weasels are provided with these, but they reach their glorious perfection in the Skunk and furnish it with a wonderfully effective weapon of defence. The glands are situated on each side of the anus; the duct from them is ordinarily hidden away within the rectum, but can be protruded for service. "The secretion is a clear limpid fluid of amber or golden- yellow colour, has an intensely acid reaction, and in the evening is slightly lummous."' {Merriam.) It has several other prop- erties of interest. Those who have never smelt it may realize some of its power if they imagine a mixture of perfume musk, essence of garlic, burning sulphur and sewer gas, intensified a thousand times. It is so strong that under certain circum- stances it can be smelled for miles down wind. I remember one summer evening at Carberry, Man., being greeted with the powerful odour in great and sudden force; next day I found that at that time a Skunk had been defending himself against a dog on the open prairie, one and a half miles to windward of me. 'Mam. Adir., 1884, p. 76. ■ PLATE LXXXII.— A SKUNK FAMILY. iU. pulida.) ««-lK' II: Hudsonian Skunk 977 And woe to the unhappy creature that is made the offen- target of this battery. If it reaches his eyes it may cause ^^ blindness, at least for a time; in his nostrils it acts as a chok- ing irritant. The smell alone is powerful enough to upset most stomachs, and in some cases causes convulsions, fainting, and even death. Certain individuals are much less powerfully affected than others, but, as a rule, men, dogs, and wild creatures with one accord prefer to let the Skunk alone. They will endure a terribly hard pinch of hunger before invit- ing a volley from the ' Smell- cat's' famous 'breech-load- er,' which, by the way, is also a * repeater,' for it con- tains not one round, as some have supposed, but enough for nearly a dozen discharges, depending somewhat on the size and age of the Skunk, as well as the time that has elapsed since last it was justified in protecting itself. Like the rattlesnake, it usually gives fair notice, and acts HABrrs only on the defensive. Let the Skunk alone and it will let you alone. When approached by an enemy, it usually makes off, ambling deliberately, and evidently unwilling to provoke attack. If the enemy follow and overtake it, as a man may easily do, it turns and faces about, and seems to say, "all right if you will have it, come on." But it still gives you three fair warnings — which is almost scripturally correct; the first by facing aoout and stamping, the second by raising and spreading the 'tail, all but the Jp which hangs downward. The third final and dreadful warning is, when the tip rises up and spreads Fio. 119— Anal torat-fland of U. jmh railed to eipcw the rectum (R). mry nnill nuniile. Cok Cob, Cona., Oct. ta. i^ot. • 9 diiKctcd ind Life liie, but • 1 978 Life-histories of Northern Animals out. That white flag nailed to the mast does not mean 'sur- render,' but clear the deck for action. Then you look out! Stand perfectly still! make no sudden move; it may not yet be too late! The Skunk, especially if an experienced old fellow, may change its mind, haul down the fighting signal, mast and all, forgive you, and go quietly away. A young hunter o; a young dog is likely to rush forward at the beautiful, innocent- looking animal, and, just as he is about to seize it, is sure to get the charge of blinding, poisonous spray, after which the Skunk will turn and go on its way rejoicing, quite confident that that enemy is permanently routed. Very few animals will face the Mephi .i is accustomed to deference. But I knew of a Skunk tha ..y a meal of very strong cheese; this ^ as always thought to be a rare tribute to the strength of that particular brand. His final death struggle culminated in a grand discharge of his battery, a paning salute to th- earth and his friends, and the cheese. It is quite possible to disarm a Skunk, not by kindness, but d» by a surgical operation as "performed by Dr. J. M. Warren, of ***™*° Boston, in the year 1849. It consists in making an incision through the skin directly in front of the anus and in snip- ping the ducts of the glands and the basis of the nipple-like papillz, which projects into the gut just within the sphincter. Adhesive inflammation follows and permanently occludes the ducta at the point of division. Therefore, although the glands themselves are left in situ, the animal is for- ever after incapable of ridding himself of their contents."* {Merriam.) My own experiences with tame Skunks have been slight compaicd with those of Dr. Merriam, therefore I quote from his account:* "Skunks, particularly when young, make very pretty pets, being attractive in appearance, gentle in disposition, interesting in manners, cleanly in habits— rare qualities indeed I They are playful, sometimes mischievous, and manifest con- siderable affection for those that have the care of them. I have had, at different times, ten live Skunks in confinement. ♦♦♦♦*♦♦ From some of them I removed the scent bags, but the greater number were left in a state of nature. None of them /er emitted any odour, although a couple of them, when half grown, used to assume a painfully suggestive atti- • Mam. Adir., 1884, pp. 78-9. • Ibid., pp. 7^5. 98S Lifc-historics of Northern Animals tude on the too near approach of ttrangcrt— w lUggMtive indeed that their visitors commonly beat a hasty retreat. «♦♦**•♦ Two summers ago I was the happy master of the cleverest young Skunk that 1 have thus far chanced to meet. For a name he received the title of his genus and we called him 'Meph for short By way of precaution I removed his scent sacs, and he made a rapid and complete recovery after a few days of temporary indisposition. While driving about the country m the performance of professional duties, he usually slept m my pocket After supper I commonly took a walk, and he always followed close at my heels. If I chanced to walk too fast for him he would scold and stamp with his fore-feet, and if I per- sisted in keeping too far ahead, would turn about, disgusted, and make off in an opposite direction; but if I stopped and called him, he would hurry along at a short ambling pace and soon overtake me. He was particularly fond of ladies, and I think it was the dress that attracted him; but, be this as it may, he would invariably leave me to follow any lady that chanced to come near. We used to walk through the woods » a large meadow which abounded in grasshoppers. Here Meph would fairly revel in his favourite food, and it was rich sport to watch his manoeuvres. When a grasshopper jumped, he jumped, and I have seen him with as many as three in his mouth and two under his fore-paws at one time. He would eat so many that his over-distended Htrie belly actually dragged upon the ground, and when so full that he could hold no more, would still catch and slay them. When so small that he could scarcely toddle about, he never hesitated to tackle the largest and powerful beetle known as 'horned bug,' and got many smart nips for his audacity. But he was a courageous little fellow, and it was not long before he learned to handle them with impunity, and it was very amusing to see him kill one. Ere many weeks he ventured to attack a Mouse, and the ferocity displayed in its destruction was truly astonishing. He devoured the entire body of his victim, and growled and stamped his feet if any one came near before the repast was over. Hudsonian Skunk 08S " His nest was i^ a box near the foot of the stairs, and before he grew strong enough to climb out by himself he would, whenever he hearc me con ing, stand on his hind-h s, with his paws resting on the edge of the box, and beg to be carried up- stairs. If I passed by without appearing to notice him, he invariably became much enraged and chippered and scolded away at a great late, stamping, meanwhile, most vehemently. He always liked to be carried up to my office, and as soon as ctrong enough would climb up of his own accord. He was very sprightly and frolicsome, and used to hop about the floor an ! run from room to room in search of something to pla>' and frequently amused himself by attempting to demc' slippers. I have often given him a bit of old sponge ' a string attached, in order to keep him out of mischief. During the evening he occasionally assumed a cunning mood, and would steal softly up to my chair and, standing erect, would claw at my pants once or twice, and then scamper off as fast as his little legs could carry him, evidently anxious to have me give chase. If I refused to follow, he was soon b9ck to try a new scheme to attract my attention." Skunks can bite when necessary and are credited with fiobt- having occasionally transmitted hydrophobia, much as any other carnivore might. When they '^ght among themselves they are said to observe an unwritt law to abstain from using the musk. Evidently \i woul* )e wasted in such a combat. It would be like r;vo ducks splashing each other. A Skunk fight is said, then, to <"* strictly one of tooth and claw. I never witnessed < •. but tht following detailed case repre- sents several that I ha/e heard of. About the end of February, 1903, at Wrlch, Minn., Lee R. Gridley, of Appleton, Wis., was out with another trapper. They were following a Skunk track, and presently came on the animal fighting desperately with another of its kind. The Skunks struggled for a minute or two in silence, and neither of them used his musk. The trappers came up and killed one of the combatants; it was a male. The other escaped — doubt- 984 Life-histories of Northern Animals i.^Al SUGHT- LY less it also was a male — but was so injured that it never came out of the hole into which it had crawled at the approach of the men. On several occasions I have known this animal to show a AQUATIC surprising readiness in taking to water. On May 23, 1882, while travelling near Turtle Mountain, Man., I surprised a Skunk in the open; he turned to face me, but stones were plentiful and my range was longer than his, so he ran off. I followed and, each time he faced about, I drove him on with handfuls of pebbles till he was routed and fled with unusual haste. Too much so, indeed, for he ran onto a longspit of land that projected into a small lake. At the margin he hesitated, but a new shower of pebbles urged him forward, and he took to the wa-er, swimming for a low island in the middle, fifty yards away. When he got there it turned out to be noth- ing but floating weeds. This was a sad disappointment; he turned to swim back to the shore, but stones showered in the water stopped him. He was forced to cross the lake, here one hundred yards wide, and very cold. When he reached the bank I was there to meet him. But he was much numbed and lay almost lifeless. Now I took pity on him and pulled him out; he made no attempt to defend himself, but tamely sub- mitted. I carried him to a warm sunny nook, and there left him to recover in peace. This he no doubt did, for I now suspect that he was not so far gone as he seemed, but, finding that his customary defence had failed, was skilfully playing 'possum. The Skunk is not usually said to be aquatic, but on October 2, 1883, I saw 5 Skunks dabbling in the mud along a pond near Minnedosa, Man., and Miller Christy, in his paper on the "Mammals of Manitoba," says:'" "One evening last June I assisted in the extermination of a family party — of Skunks — consisting of an old one and six young ones, which were taking a bath at the edge of the lake. The Skunks seem to be fond of the water, as on another occasion I remember shooting one from a boat as he was near by bathing." '» Nat. Hist. Journal, May 15, 1885, York, Eng. |!( PLATE I.XXXIII.--SKUXKS FIGHTINT. FOR A PIECE OF MEAT, WHILE THE FOX JUDICIOUSLY HOLDS ALOOF. THE COMHATANTS DID NOT USE THEIR MUSK. Scene dcscrilied by L. \V. Walker of Yeilimstone Park. MlHlll ■-.> jmi^BS Hudsonian Skunk 985 The late W. G. A. Brodie informed me that once, near Toronto, when his dog had discovered a Skunk {putida), the latter availed itself of the first opportunity to rush into the Don River, some fifty yards away. The dog followed and, after a prolonged and partly subaqueous struggle, the Skunk floated up dead and the dog returned to the shore perfumed in the usual way. Similarly Preble relates" of the Keewatin Skunk {mephit- ica): "While paddling up the channel between Windy and Pine Lakes, on September 12, we saw a Skunk swimming across the stream, a hundred yards in front of our canoe. On seeing us he redoubled his exertions, but we overtook * ♦ ♦ him just as he reached the shore." It is quite settled now that by far the largest part of the food Skunk's food is grasshoppers, crickets, insects, and Meadow- mice. Ground-squirrels are the next on the bill of fare, with eggs when it can find them. Frogs and crayfish enter largely into the list and snakes provide it an occasional meal. Kenni- cott records" that he knew of a Skunk running Gray-rabbits into their holes and there devouring them. At rare intervals it discovers the hennery and, accustomed to the respect of all the world, enters into possession without a doubt that all this was meant for itself. Eggs and chickens, also hens that happen to be roosting too low, are very much to its taste. Commonly, however, the farmer has the opportunity of executing sum- mary vengeance in the morning, for the Skunk, with its usual effrontery, is frequently found curled up asleep in the nest that it rifled for the midnight feast. The Skunk, then, is insectivorous and carnivorous, indeed nothing of animal nature comes amiss, be it flesh or fish, bug or carrion. But its powers are limited; it is as ill-adapted for ruining down Hares as for catching salmon in a whirlpool, or chasing Squirrels in the tree tops, so that practically it is an insect-eater. And however good (or bad) its intention may be, ■' N. A. Fauna, No. aa, 190a, p. 65. ■> Quad. III., Pat. Off. Rep.. 1859, p. 049. MM ■iiiiiiiilli TRAP- PING 983 Life-histories of Northern Animals it is a flesh-eater only at intervals. It is credited with eating fruit. I never saw one do so, but have seen plenty of berry seed in what I took to be Skunk ' sign.' This animal has so long enjoyed immunity from attack through the terror of its armament, that it has neglected modes of defence that its ancestors undoubtedly employed. Like the rattlesnake, it has lost its speed, its ability to climb a tree, and its keen wits. In truth, it has become slow and stupid; satisfied with itself and utterly unsuspicious. Foxes and Wolves have a sort of inborn knowledge and distrust of gins and springles, no matter how carefully they are concealed. Nothing seems capable of inspiring the Skunk with such helpful r scre- dence. It will go blundering right into the most obvious of traps, even after seeing a brother taken there the night, yes, an hour, before; yes, even if itself has already been caught therein; pitfall, deadfall, steel, or box-trap, it is all the same to the Skunk, in it goes. When caught in a steel trap it may be easily and safely dispatched by a plan that Dr. Merriam sets forth in his " Mammals of the Adirondacks.'"* HOW TO Not by shooting it through the heart or blowing its head SKUNK off— such a death is usually accompanied by a tremendous discharge— but by one sharp, heavy blow across the back. This paralyzes all the muscles below the point of injury, and without muscular action no musk can be vented. It is quite easy to approach a trapped Sku.ik if one moves slowly and stands still as soon as it shows alarm by raising its tail or trying to escape. When caught in a box-trap, box and all may be sunk in water, for a drowned Skunk rarely smells, but the quickest, safest, surest, and most odourless way is that set forth above. ENEMIES The Hare is the most harmless of creatures. None fear it; it kills none; therefore all kill it. It has no friends. The fear of the Skunk is en all flesh; therefore none kill it. It has no "• Pp. 8o-a. 111 all p Is IS f 'fl M i ■' 988 Life-histories of Northern Animals foes, excepting always man and ore or two of the cutthroats and desperadoes of the animal world. When facing death by starvation the Fox is said to con- sider the Skunk the less of the two evils; doubtless this is a question to be carefully pondered. The horned owl, the midnight pirate of the woods, is known to kill the Skunk. Of course the owl has an advantage over all other foes. It is silent, it can swoop down from above, seizing the Skunk unawares by neck and loins, much as I did when I held my captive under the board. In this way the quadruped is nearly helpless. It cannot reach the owl with its musk or use its teeth or claws, but it can make the whole place intolerable, and doubtless the feathered assailant is often repelled. The fact of its smelling strong of Skunk does not by any means prove that the owl had dined off Skunk. On such evidence I and many of my friends might be proven mephitivo- rous carnivores. DISEASE "The adult Skunks taken at North Bay are all infected by the parasite that disfigures the frontal regions of the skulls of a large proportion of specimens of North American Mus- telidse. I subniitted one of the North Bay skulls with the parasites preserved in formalin in situ to Dr. W. McM. Wood- worth, who identified the worms as Filaroides mustelarum, a viviparous nematode hitherto recorded from Europe only, where it has been found in various species of Putorius and Mustela."" (Miller.) STRANGE INSTAN- CES The following strange instance was related to me by Will H. Thompson, the fa.nous archer: About fifty years ago his father, the Rev. Griggs H. Thompson, was travelling through a wooded part of Missouri when he heard a loud "qu-a-a-a qu-a-a-a qu-a-a-a" like the cry of some little animal in pain. He peered through the bushes and saw a Cottontail Rabbit leaping over the body of a Skunk, striking it with its hind-feet, " Mam. Ont., Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., April, 1897, p. 4a. See also Amer. Nat., March, 1897, Vol. 31, pp. 234-5. mm Hudsonian Skunk 989 and uttering the squealing he had heard. The Skunk was dead, but eviden Jy killed within a few minutes. Its skull was broken. It seemed impossible that the Rabbit should have done it, but there was nothing to show who did, or why the Rabbit should be fighting the body. The Skunk is regularly eaten by Indians and trappers, flesh Provided the animal met sudden death and was not too old, the flesh is said to be white, tender, and well-flavoured. All the Northern species of the group are standard fur- bearers. Their pelts are cased; they are prime from November I to April I. During the fifty-eight years, 1848 to 1005 inclusive, the Hudson's Bay Company collected 302,564 skins of this spc ies, an average of 5,216 for each year. The lowest were o in 1849 and 1,263 in 1848; the highest, 12,583, in 1889. The average for the ten years, 1895 to 1905, was 9,425. Poland's lists show that during the thirty-four years, 1858 to 1 891 inclusive, 9,765,/42 skins were taken by the other American companies, an average of 287,218 each year. So that the average annual catch of Skunk for fur is about 390,000. The Winnipeg market quotations, March 26, 1904, were 25 cents to 5i. At the London annual fur sales, held at Lampson's in March, 1906, there were sold 445,051 Skunk skins, chiefly from the United States. The highest price realized was 11 shillings ($2.64) each for a superb lot of 233 Ai black skins. Inferior skins went as low as 2 shillings or 3 shillings (48 cer^ts and 72 cents). The ruling price for first-class skins was 8 to 9 shillings ($1.92 to $2.16). As Skunks are easily managed in captivity, and very prolific, experiments are being made at Skunk-farming for fur. I summarize below our knowledge of this new industry. rus hi r i''i t ■- Iri 990 Life-histories of Northern Animals Skunk-farming. There is no doubt that Skunk-farming can be made to pay in spite of the fact that it has failed a great many times. In nearly every case of failure the cause has been the same— the improper bunching of a miscellaneous lot of Skunks in one large enclosure. Condensing the experience of numerous observers, I should say that the Skunk farmer needs, first, a large loose pen, about an acre in extent, with a 6-foot fence. Second, a number of well-floored pens, each about lo by 20 feet, for the breeding Skunks; walls 2 feet high would be enough to keep the Skunks in, but it is desirable to keep dogs, cats, and owls out. Chicken-wire over the top of the pens does this very well. It should be high enough to allow head room for the keeper. Of course, the Skunk is a powerful digger; therefore the walls of the unfloored pen should go 3 feet underground, and at the bottom should have an underhang, either of stone or galvanized mesh wire, extending 2 feet in and 2 feet out, to prevent digging under from either side. A hollow log or other den should be in each breeding pen and a number of them in the general pen; sometimes the Skunks may be allowed to dig their dens in the loose pen; there is, however, some uinger of disaster by a cave-in, if the ground has been disturbed recently. A good plan is to smk a box, or stone-built vault, on some dry knoll. A bottomless wooden box is easier to make and manage, but it rots in a year or two. The good plan for a small Skunkery— and no one should begin with a large one — ^would be on the same lines as that suggested for Mink, p. 898. The main runs are all the better if much larger, and should have a varied surface; the more plants, grass, etc., the more insects for the Skunks to hunt out and eat. Hudsonian Skunk 991 These animals arc omnivorous and should have a greatly «>ob varied diet. Table scraps are excellent, but chicken offal, dog- biscuit, milk, oil-cake, mush, johnny-cake, fish, fruit, and insects are acceptable and wholesome food. One meal a day is enough; it should be given in the evening. Two meals are allowable, but should not together exceed the one-meal quantity. BOW MVCB How much food should each Skunk have? This is a matter to be determined by experiment. If the Skunk com- monly leaves good food, you are giving it too much; if it gets thin, you arc giving too little. A weigh scale is a very good help in determining the latter point. A Skunk cats about as much as a common cat, and nearly the same diet — with the addition of insects and fruit. By advertising in any country newspaper of the Northern otakt- States, it will be found easy to get as many live Skunks as desired. From 50 cents to $3 each would be fair prices, according to age and blackness — the less white on the Skunk the more it is worth. The black Skunk is one with white on head and tail only. The farther north the better the Skunk. On arrival all full-grown individuals may be turned »i^- loose in the general lun. If any one seems specially quarrel- mknt some, it should be shut up by itself; also any weak, small, or young should be kept apart. In the month of March or April, according to latitude, the pregnant females arc separated and each given a breeding pen to herself. If the Skunks do not admit of handling, you can put them in a small cage with a mesh-wire floor, and then examine them from the under side; the distended belly with the enlarged nipples and milk-glands will show which are destined to become mothers. These breeders should be extra well-fed and supplied with some fine hay with which to bed their den. 092 Life-histories of Northern Animals Mating takes place in March (varying with latitude) and gestation is believed to last about 6 weeks. Thus most of the young will be born about the first of May. The mother must not be interfered with at this time, and handling of the young is likely to make her destroy them. When about two months old they begin to come out of the nest and eat with the mother, but when four months old they are nearly full grown and may now be introduced to the main run. As winter approaches their food should be increased; the colder the weather the better the fur they produce. The fur is best about or soon after Christmas, and should then be marketed. SMELL. OUN Most persons ask at once, but what about the Skunk's smeller? All experience goes to show that the animal never uses its musk except in the extremity of self-defence, and may live a long life in captivity without ever becoming offensive. MARKXT- INO 'Marketing' is the word that covers the unhappy process of killing the beautiful fur-bearer for its pelt. To kill a Skunk the wrong way is to court disaster. The merciful way is by a lethal chamber with illuminating gas or by drowning. The trapper's method, mentioned in the article on the Skunks, is possible, but not one that any trnder-hearted person is likely to try on his hand-raised Skunk The oil that is rendered out of the fat is said to be of high market value on account of its medicinal properties. It is certainly an excellent lubricant. The bodies, if used to feed the breeding stock, should oe thoroughly boiled with vegetable food or some other meats. GENERAL mNTS Never keep more than 50 or 60 Skunks to the acre, other- wise you get crowding, ground-poisoning, and deadly disease. The soil in the breeding dens should be turned or other- wise refreshed every few weeks. Hudsonian Skunk 993 CleanlincM everywhere all the time is etsential. Skunks, if helped, will keep themselves as clean as cats, and their mutk will never be smelt if they are not forced to use it in self-defence. A diet of all meat, especially raw meat, will kill every Skunk on the farm. Overfeeding of any kind is as bad as underf«teding. There is great individuality of temper, as well as of colour — always select the black ones and the gentle ones to breed from. From time to time there will appear fierce, quarrelsome individuals; these should be removed and mar- keted as soon as possible; never allow them to breed. Castration of the surplus males will greatly improve the fur. The wild Skunk pairs, but it is found that one male is enough for a dozen females where they are yarded together. The chief causes of death to be guarded against are: disease from dirt, overcrowding, wrong food or overfeeding, infanticide by strangers entering the den during the mother's absence, and loss through great homed o' Is. The last are most dangerous to the young, and these are, of course, safe under the chicken-wire. The young run from 4 to 9 in a litter. At six months these profits may sell from $1 to 53 per pelt, or, say, the litter bring $10. Forty breeding females is the most one may safely have on an acre, so that under the most favourable circumstances this would bring a gross return of 1^400, from which we must deduct cost of food, fencing, stock, and care, leaving a very small profit indeed. Thus it appears that Skunk-farming is not an industry that promises a very large return. It is possibly a paying business if one can handle a stock of 1,000 old ones, but it seems to me that its chief use is to train fur-breeders for more serious work with more expensive and immensely more profit- able animals, such as Marten, Sable, and Silver-fox, or even Mink. m4 994 Life-histories of Northern Animals It is worthy of note that Skunk-farming method*, with cages instead of pens, if applied to black cats of the domestic race, are quite likely to prove profitable; not only are the animals easy to get and handle, but they are much more prolific, and the choice skins, if black and prime, fetch as much as an ordinary Skunk skin. ; ^—•'**ip •'»*•' XLIV. Common Badger of America. Tax Idea tax us (Schreber). (L. Taxidia, from laxm, • Badger, and Gr. tUct, like; Utinlicd iiilo a nanc apfilM bccauw of tne creahue'i retemblance to the Old World badger or tanit.) Unut taxus ScHREBER, 1778. Saugthiere, III, p. 520. Taxidea taxus Rhoads, 1894, Am. Nat., XXVIII, June, P- 524. Type Locality.— Usually given as 'Labrador' but almost surely Saskatchewan River. French Canadian, U Blaireau J' Amtriqut; I* Brain. Cree, Ojib., & Saut., Mit-ttrt'usk'. Yankton Sioux, Ho-cang. Ogallala Sioux, Ho-ka' (=8haggyor bristly). The genus Taxidea (Storr, 1780) r imprises large animals of the Weasel Family (Mustelidae). \ uey have thick, heavy bodies, very short tails, short legs, front feet immensely power- ful, with long claws and developed for digging; ears, very short, and the following teeth: Inc. O; can. ;ii;prem.O;mol. 1=1-34 To these generic characters the Badger adds: Length, about 28 inches (711 mm.); tail, 5 inches (127 sax mm.); hind-foot, 3I inches (97 mm.). 935 tti if^1 I''- ' ,1 I! i; 996 Life-histories of Northern Animals WEIGHT The following Badgers I weighed at Clayton, N. M., in 1893 : Female, taken October 26, was loj pounds. Female, taken November 2, was 14 pounds 5 ounces. Female, taken December 28, was i6i pounds (excessively fat). Male, taken December 29, was 14^ pounds. Bachman gives' 23 pounds as the weight of one he ex- amined in the Menagerie at Charleston, S. C. COLOUR General colour above, silvery gray, each hair being yellow- ish-white at base, then blackish with a white tip; neck, crown, and muzzle above, brown; cheeks, chin, and stripe from nose over head to shoulders, white; under parts generally yellowish- white; bar on each cheek, back part of ear, and the feet, dull black; tail, tinged yellowish-brown. When seen alive it looks like a small Bear that has been flattened somehow, coloured siivery gray, and adorned with black and white marks on the head. The following races are recognized: taxus Schreber, the typical form. neglecta Mearns, differs in being smaller, with longer tail, and with colours deeper and richer than in either the preceding or following. herlandieri Baird, is distinguished by having the white line continued along the back in some cases to the tail, also by a general buffiness of colour (as compared with the silvery gray of taxus), and heavier markings. infusca Thomas, similar to herlandieri but darker. LirE-HISTORY. RANGE The map (No. 53) shows the range of the Badger in the North-west to coincide with the untimbered regions in which » Aud. & Bach., Q. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. 363. MAP 53-RAlfGE OF THE AMERICAN BADGER, AlfD ITS FOUR RACES. TaxlJta (luriij (Schreber). n".'^:Z ?75L°"i.!!l! "O"'" «"<' -asl. further mv«t,>g»tion will changf it »om.what on the w«t and ffSSly in S&lico .bout LakriSwii. ^^ '"""^' *-"' " " '"'"^ '^'^"' "^■'>' ^*"»"^'' i*'!-!- •'"' I- •?<■"«.. no^TexttLuii^ta moat of the rt^ca 997 998 Life-histories of Northern Animals II:]-* I MANI- TOBA ENVIRON MENT HOME- RANGE the larger kinds of burrowing rodents are found in numbers. In the dry poplar country, that is varied with open glades, it is occasionally found far from the prairies. MacFarlane records a specimen from Isle a la Crosse, in 1889, and 2 from Green Lake, 1889 and 1890 (Mam. N. W. T., p. 715)- (Spots 2 and i on map.) While travelling on the Athabaska, in 1907, 1 was shown by the pilot, John MacDonald, a range of hills where 2 Badgers were killed by Francois Black, one in 1905, the other in 1906. The exact neighbourhood was Red Willow Lake, 18 miles south-east of Fort MacMurray; the place is spotted (3) on the map. He said that the animal was previously unknown there, but some Plains Indians, who happened to be at the Post, knew these at once and called them 'Mittenusk.' The spot (4) in northern Michigan is on the authority of Charles C. Adams (Ecological Surv., N. Mich., 1906, />. 130). In Manitoba, the Badger is confined to the dry prairie regions. It is very rare in the half-timbered country, and un- known in the thick woods to the north-east. It seems indeed to be exact complement of the Wood- chuck, which, on account of these facts, is known to the Hud- son's Bay Company people as the Thick-wood Badger. Dry rolling prairies of light or gravelly soil, with a high populative rate of Ground-squirrels, are the Badger's ideal surroundings. John Atkinson, the Lake Winnipeg guide, writes me that he found a few of these animals in the drier country between Winnipeg and Whitemouth River, also about the gravelly hills east of Gonor. On the heavy clay prairies of the L.wer Red River, how- ever, it is scarce, and, of course, on swarTipy ianus it is unknown. There is little direct evidence :*t nand to show the home- range of an individual Badger, bui obviously it must be very Badger 999 small. As a matter of opinion, I should say that a Badger may pass his whole life within a mile or two miles of his original home. In Texas, Vernon Bailey found that one Badger had worked all summer in a 20-acre Beld, and of the species in Fig. 131— Rifhl fon and hind-foot of Badpr. TakcB iu Culorado, Sept. j, 1901. (Life Bize.J general, he says' that, when food is scarce, they become great travellers, "sinking a house in the earth wherever sleeping- time overtakes them." In early days there was at least one Badger for every abun- square mile of high, dry prairie in Manitoba and perhaps one- ^^^ third as many on the heavy clay prairies of the Red River Valley, which would give a Badger population for the Province •N. A. Fauna, No. as, pp. 184-5. mmimimii^^timmmmihtiltM M r ■ S SOCIAL AMUSE- MENT 1000 Life-histories of Northern Animals of some 20,000. To-day their numbers are "^"^^ j^^^duccd b^^ trapping, poison, and the destruction of Ground-squirrels thdr'fo^d supply, as well as by the disturbance of Ploughmg the land, for the Badger is a shy pra.ne animal, and is likely to disappear when all the open country is "nde^dn^^^^^^^^^ Professor John Macoun tells me that in 1906 Badgers were yet S abundant on the prairie around White Shore Lake 40 miles south of Battleford, Sask., that there seemed to be about 10 inhabited dens per square mile. So far as I have seen, the Badger is a solitary animal leading a somewhat sordid life, minding its own business, but confining that business to the least elevating of pursuits. The BrUish Badger has the reputation of being remarkably sociable and frolicsome. G. E. Blundell, of Bristol tells me tham England the native Badgers have a sport which he ha often observed. At sundown the members of the fami^ repair by a well-worn pathway, to a low trunk or stump, and there play r sort of ' King of the Castle' game, each one trying to climb up, or pull the'others down. They indulge in this for an hour at a time. It has no connection with the sex feelmgs, as old and young take part as soon as the latter are strong enough The feet of there being a fixed place and apparatus s of special interest, and ranks this amusement with the sliding of the Otter. But, alas! I had seen nothing of such an en^ging habit in our own species, fnd regretted that though such a fine animal, it was to be placed much lower on the scale of development than its congener, and was glad in- deed to find later from Paul Fontaine^ teTd often Badger' that on bright moonlight nights he had often watched them for hours gambolling and P^^Yjl^'J^l;^ Thus, as in every case, the more we learn of the animal the more claim it has on our sympathy and interest, lo the casual glance the wild animal is a fierce, el"«>ve creature occupied chiefly with eating and runmng away. It is only on getting gently nearer that we realize the other half of • Great Northwest, 1904, p. 40- PLATE LXXXIV. — BlVDGER STUDIES FROM LIFE. 1 '^ li Badger 1001 its life, the side which shows love for the mate, its young, and the pleasant society of its own kind. The Badeer has many sounds that it uses in expression, inter- Unfortunately, only those used in battle have been recorded, nica- The hiss, the grunt, the growl, and the low husky snarling, ""^ which seems to show that the snarler is a little afraid of the one it is snarling at. As recognition marks, or signal service ap- paratus, the black and white face-spots are no doubt important, for they announce its species to all the wise world that can see; but there is another contrivance highly developed in the species, that is, the anal group of glands. Just how it is used is not known, because this belongs to the gentle side of the Badger's life, and all our observations so far have been that of the bitterly hostile. Little is known of the mating habits in this species. I uatino am inclined to believe that, like all the higher mammals, it is monogamous, and that, as in the highest, the male, sometimes at least, stays with the female all summer and i elps to protect and feed the young. All the evidence I have been able to gather is given here. Professor John Macoun tells me that in Saskatchewan, where Badgers still abound (1906), he commonly saw 2 adults at each den door during the first week of August, but never 3. In each case the bigger one, presumably the male, remained sitting head out of the hole, with its bristles up, and uttering a sound of menace. He saw no young. The following incident also goes to show that the species pairs and the male continues with the female all summer. It was related to me by Russell Brown, of Sunnyside, Wash. While haying late in June, 1902, his dog was attacked by two full-grown Badgers. He went to the rescue with a fork. On killing the assailants, they were found to be male and female, but he saw nothing of any young. R. W. Cowan, ranchman, tells me that near Calgary, Alta., during the month of September, he More than once has iih^ mtmi [f I l-« ■ f 1002 Life-histories of Northern Animals seen 2 adult Badgers trotting along the trail together. At such times they are more ready to fight than to turn aside. All of these observations point to an all-season association of the pair, e i. t> :• u Collateral support is found in the ways of the British Badger, which is known to be a model husband and father. Although it is dangerous to rely on such oblique light, for the British Badger is not now even in the same genus with this, 1 cannot refrain from giving Sir Alfred E. Pease's remarks on the nesting of that amiable species. (Monog. Badger.) "He is fond of company; he is monogamous, and clings closely and faithfully to his own wife. With Badgers, as with the human race, the sexes are not precisely equal in numbers, and often, from the force of circumstances, a Badger has to ren ain a celibate, but he is not a bachelor by choice. He may become a widower, but in either case he will travel far to swk a partner to share his shelter and his lot. It is not altogether rare to find an old solitary dog Badger, who has loved and lost, or taken in late age to a hermit's cell; but he, as often as not, when he failed to secure the companionship of the gentler sex, has found some other male to share his home, when they live comfortably en garcon. r u • 1 • ,1 "Nor do the married pair shun the society of their kind. I have often seen large Badger " sets' almost as full of Badgers as a warren is of Rabbits. One evening, near my house, 1 waited an hour of midge-plagued time to watch the Badgers come out from a small ' set,' and was rewarded by seeing a pro- cession of 7 full-grown Badgers emerge from a single hole, and 1 had them all in full view for something like twenty minutes. As this was in July, they could hardly be one family. It is an open question whether the hibernating Badger mates in spring like the hibernating Ground-squirrels, or m the fall like the hibernating Bear. Paul Fontaine states* posi- tively that "they pair in autumn, before they hibernate. This we know to be the case with the British Badger, so that the evidence is strong, though not conclusive. Badger loos The gestation of the species is unknown; cannot be guessed obsta- at until we know the exact time of mating. ^°^ The residential burrows of the males and ^mmated young dens have not been investigated. It is probable that each Badger makes a burrow every twenty-four hours during the summer while in search of food. As there is no certain way of distin- guishing these prospect shafts from actual residences, the labour Fro. i)>— Badfcr hole, 6 iset decpk Cubvfry, Maas., July aS'iM* of digging out all, in order to run the facts to earth, has hitherto proven too serious for the investigators. It is not by any means certain that the ' foot-loose ' Badger does stick to any one den in his home-range. But the female has a different way of life. Early in the spring, accompanied, we believe, by her mate, she prepares a complete nest of grass in a well-drained hole, two or three feet below the surface, and here, in late May or perhaps early June, are born the young. They number 2 to j; 3 is probably the usual number. I cannot learn that any one ever saw a Badger travelling yocno and accompanied by its young. Apparendy they remain in the home den until big enough to dig for themselves, which may mean till a year old. Senator J. N. Kirchhoffer, of Brandon, tells me that on the Souris he once saw an old one and 2 young ones together at the den about the end of September. This creature has bartered its speed for strength to dig. speed, A man can easily overtake it if by rare chance it is surprised ^^' from its home, but that does not mean that it is caught, for in 1004 Life-histories of Northern Animals HABITS \ I i -' loose soil it can dig so fast as to escape into the ground before the foe can come near. It is supposed to be at home nowhere but underground, and I never expected to see one go aloft, so was much surprised one day to see a caged specimen climb readily to the roof of its cage by hooking its claws in the wire netting; and another in the Winnipeg Zoo that easily and often climbed a low branching tree in its enclosure. The Badger is a winter-sleeper. A 'seven-sleeper,* the country folk say. It generally appears above ground as soon as the snow is ,^one. In the early days of Manitoba, before the fence and the plough had come, the traveller saw, hourly, on the sunny mornings, a whitish bump on a raised mound of earth not far from the trail. As he approached it, the white bump might develop a sharp and movable point at one end, the point would sway in the wind, then the vyhite thing disappear into the earth, showing that the bump was simply a Badger taking his morning sun-bath. On the Souris Plains Badgers were thus seen a dozen times a day. They rarely go far from their holes, and when they do, they are much alarmed by discovery, and go shuffling about to each promising place in search of a road to the friendly shelter of mother earth. I overtook one once on the open plains in Arizona. He skurrieJ about but could find no hole, so faced about, and as he made short leaps towards my companion I caught him by the only safe handle, his rough, strong tail. But possession seemed to satisfy the hunter's instinct, and once we had conquered him we freed him and left him in peace. On another occasion, in June, 1897, on the Upper Yellow- stone, I met a Badger waddling over the prairie. I had a camera with me and, meaning to get a picture, ran after him. To my great surprise, he came rushing towards me uttering a loud snarling. Fully believing in my ability to avoid his attack, if indeed he really meant to make one, I continued to !^ ■to Badger 1005 run, when, just as we were within thirty feet of each other, h^^ ^•*ll tail-first into a shallow badger-hole that he had not seen, a . J i fell head-first into another I had not sf'en. We both were greatly surprised, quite shocked indeed, but he recovered first. He scrambled out of his pitfall, ran ten feet nearer to me, then dived down his home-hole, towards which he had been making from the first. Those who know the Badger of Europe have little idea of the life of the prairie species. The former seems to live much like a Skunk, trotting about at night, above ground, seeking its food in the woods and thickets, retiring to an underground home to rest during the hours of daylight. But the prairie Badger spends the greater part of its life underground, where it digs, feeds, sleeps, and multiplies much like a Mole. It rarely comes out during the day, except to bask in the sun by its doorway, and then is ready to plunge below at the slight- est alarm. Deep underground, this animal is safe from violence. It is hopeless to dig it out, for it can burrow like a Mole; it succumbs to nothing but a few barrels of water sent suddenly after it. This shuts off our diver's wind, and forces it to the surface to breathe and meet its adversaries. On one occasion I ran after a Badger on the prairie, ;»r"d just as I neared him he plunged into a hole that was but three feet deep. I seized his tail as he was digging it deeper and tried to haul him out, but he braced himself with both fore-feet and defied my best efforts. Water was at hand, but a couple of bucketfuls thrown in merely caused him to swell out his body till it plugged the hole, and no water whatever passed him to get near his head. A spade handle, however, pushed between him and the wall let the flood down with a sudden 'gulch,' and the Badger was forced to turn about and wags unequal fight. The Old World Badger has long been famous as a fighter, « a and the prairie species seems no whit behind its cousin. It is """ so strong that a man cannot pull it out of its hole if once it gets fairly braced. It is so protected by its thici:, loose-fitting hide FIGHTER riiiM 1000 Life-histories of Northern Animals that a bull-dog may be holding it by the scruff of the neck without in the least shutting off the Badger's wind or preventing its operating with teeth and energy on any or all four quarters of its preoccupied assailant. Its jaws are so strong that it usually leaves a gash at each bite, and its courage such that it never surrenders, no matter how numerous or strong its assailants; it dies fighting to the last. A fifteen-pounder would be a large one, and any dog twice the weight would surely be worsted by the Badger. In my journal for 1892 I find this note: July 27. This morning at Carberry a Kidger was pitted against four large dogs on the open prairie, and he beat them all off, escaping almost unhurt. The Badger was aggressive as soon as a dog came near him. He continually uttered a sort of hissing, also grunted like a pig. As a matter of fact, it was a blood- less battle consisting of little but noise. The dogs seemed afraid to close in. When taken back to the stable the Badger drank a large quantity of water. Where does he get it when home? SLEEP As late as November 4, 1884, I found a Badger active above ground. The fresh snow was plentifully marked with its tracks, showing where it had gone about sniffing at all man- ner of Ground-squirrels' holes, seeking those that gave token of inmates sleeping below. In New Mexico, this animal is active all the year round; but in Manitoba, as soon as the ground freezes, it goes below and sleeps through the winter without any store of food other than its fat, until, "'n April, it is agaii: arousr-l to life. FOOD The species is carnivorous, strictly so, as much so as any animal is ever strictly anything. The bulk of its food is, no doubt, Mice and Ground-squirrels. I have often seen places where a Badger had ripped open the long surface burrow of the Striped Ground-squirrel or had sunk twenty or thirty prospect holes at intervals to strike the deeper burrow, and I have no doubt that its labours were rewarded with a meal. Badger 1007 SHIPS In the November of 1884, at noted above, I followed a Badger's tracks in the fresh snow to learn that the night before he had sunk a number of burrows to the depth of hve or six feet. In each case he had reached the winter den of a Richard- son Ground-squirrel and doubtless had devoured the sleeper, for its nest lining and its grain stores were scattered about. Alexander Henry gives the following curious note in hi.« Journal on Red River, 1799, p. 158: (Coues. ed. 1897). "This afternoon I saw an extraordinary race — a. Badger in pursuit of a Skunk. I wished to see what would be the conse- quence, but one of my men killed both with a club before I thought of preventing him." Many of our quadrupeds are known to form curious, ap- rumm. parently platonic, friendships with totally different creatures. "" ~ The British Badger has frequently been found living in good- fellowship with a Fox, and, on several occasions, our own comfortable species has been accredited with a similar partner- ship, which shows that he is much the same all-round good fellow as his British cousin twice removed. The first cases were friendships with Coyotes and were recorded by A. H. Hawkins, the surveyor. "During the progress of my survey," he says,* "in south- ern Alberta I noticed on two occasions a Badger and a Coyote travelling in company. The same thing was observed and reported by the men who did my mounding on three different occasions, all of which were in different localities. "The men reported having seen the animals travelling in company in Township i. Range 13, West of 4th Principal Meridian. The first time that I saw th^m together was in Tp. 6, R. 17, and the second time in Tp. 7, R. 17, W. 4th. This last time I had the best view. Seated one day eating our nocn lunch, I noticed two animals coming towards us and drew the attention of my men to the fact. We remained perfectly quiet, so that they came within 20 to 30 feet of us before seeing that we were so near. The Coyote travelled ahead, and the • Ottawa Nat, May, 1907, p. 37. I \ |1 :i I \ 1008 Life-histories of Northern Animals Badger followed along as fast as he could, right at the heels of the Coyote. '* I could see no reason nor could I explain it in any way satisfactory to myself, and, although I asked several people in the West about it, the occurrence is still a mystery to me." Some similar cases have been reported to me by G. A. Rimington, of Penrith, Eng. Several times, near Calgary, in 1907, he saw a Badger and a Coyote associated and travelling together. In these cases it seemed to be a partnership affair, which was probably involuntary on the part of the Badger. No doubt the Coyote knew very well that the Badger would dig out Ground-squirrels, some of which would bolt and thus give the Coyote a chance to share in the spoils. In exactly the same way the Badger is followed by hawks, etc., in California, as graphically described by Mary Austin in "The Land of Little Rain.'" But the most remarkable case of all is a friendship between a Manitoba Badger and a lost boy. This was related to me by George Fraser, a native of Manitoba, and corroborated by his mother, Mrs. Fraser, of Kildonan, and Archbishop Matheson. In iS;!, a little seven-year-old boy, named Harry Service, wandering from his father's house at Bird's Hill, near Winnipeg, was lost for two weeks. When found, he was living in a den with a Badger. His clothes were torn so that he was nearly naked, and his face was all scratched. He told his parents that he had taken shelter in the hole during a rain-storm, and that the Badger came later and scratched his face. At first they fought, but the child was plucky and would not give up the hole. Later the Badger brought some food and, after another quarrel, allowed the child to eat some of it. In the days that followed the Badger brought him food several times. The beast always entered the den by one of the entrances not used by the child. When found they were on terms of friendship, and the child cried bitterly when taken from his savage friend. The boy's story, however, was not clear. He said at one time that • 1904, p. isa. lii l\: \ II a f ' > '4 ' P1.ATF I XXXV. — SCATOI.OT.Y OF CERTAIN' MUSTFI.IDAK (ALL NATURAL SIZE). 0. Wolverine. October. loo*^. r. St^['l>rto'licT'''!!^i)o, vliKu) .,;.-.aills oj grasshoppers and wasps, Iml in this case also the tail feathers of a small bird Cos Cob, (", tnr d. Fisher, Ar-1. i8 1005. iiiBBi ■■WMiii Badger 1009 MAN he lived on mud. His face, mouth, and tongue were black with mi' 1 and much swollen. Nevertheless, his description of the Badger was beyond question. He even said it had five toes on one foot and four on the other. The B->dger must be considered a valuable animal, as use to surely as we reckon the Gophers a nuisance. The only sin "'" I ever heard charged against it is that the holes it makes endanger the limbs of stock and the lives of horsemen on the plains. But this objection scarcely exists in Manitoba to- day, since we no longer have vast open plains. The work of the Badger is now confined largely to the strips of prairie that exist along the roi ! allowances, where it can do but little harm. The pelt is prime about October i. It is of beautiful fur silvery gray and the hide strong and durable, so it is much in use for chair rugs. In price it ranges from 75 cents to $1.50. During the sixty-four years, 1842 to 1905 inclusive, the Hudson's Bay Company collected 81,837 skins of this species, an average of i ,278 for each year. The lowest was 289 in 1 904 (none u all prior to 1842); the highest, 4,000, in 1891. The average for the ten years, 1895 to 1905, was 2,445. Poland's work (p. 131) appears to show that double as many are taken by the other American companies, so that the catch of Badgers for fur may be about 7,000. At the London annual fur sale held at Lampson's, March, »9o6, 5,955 Badger skins were sold. The highest price reached was 19 shillings ($4.56) each for 27 unusually fine first-class skms. More usual prices were 5 shillings ($ i . 20) to i o shillings (i;2.40) for first-class skins. Inferior skins sold for a shilling (24 cents), or even less. XLV. Raccoon or Coon. Procyon lotor (Linn.)- (Gr. Procym, from fro, before; cyan, a dog-the name of a sUr group tl«t rfae. just before the Dog-star. The name was given to this genus by Storr m 1780, probably without special reason. L. lotor. a washer, on account of its habit of washmg its food.) Ursus lotor LiNNAErs, 1 758, Syst. Nat., X ed., I, p. 48- Procyon lotor Desmarest, 1819, Diet. d'Hist. Nat., XXIX, p. 91. Type Locality.— Eastern United States. French Canadian, le Raton. Cree & Saut., Es'-see-ban. OjiB., Es'-see-pan. Yankton Sioux, Way-atch-a. Ogallala Sioux, We/-cha. •Coon' is abbreviated from 'Raccoon' or 'Racoon,' which is the Englished form of 'Arocoun,' the Indian name of the creature in Virginia. , The Raccoon Family or Procyonida comprise middle- sized animals, kin of the Bears, having on each foot 5 well- developed toes with fixed claws, the soles naked, the hind-feet plantigrade; they have pointed nose and ears; tail, rather long and bushy, usually ringed. The genus Procyon (Storr, 1780) has the above char- acters and has the teeth: : ! i 7-7 i-i 4.-4 1 *~2 Inc.^; can. — ; prem. 5-1; mol. — -40 3-3 ^"^ +"+ 1010 Raccoon 1011 .^^ Fic. 233— Maatology of the Cooo 9. Sprini^eld. Out., Juue »5, iHSa. In addition to the Family and generic characters unmis- size takable specific peculiarities. An adult male killed at Springfield, near Toronto, Ont., June 25, i888, was 32^ inches (826 mm.) from tip of nose to tip of tail-bone. The head and body from nose to ischium were 23i inches (604 mm.); the tail-bone, lof inches (263 mm.); from tip of front toe to tip of outstretched hind toe, 371 inches (950 mm.). This was a very fine and fat individual. ^ Hind-foot of another speci- /"^X-— ^><'' men was 4J inches (108 -*> - - "^ :*,, mm.). A female caught at the same place, fifteen days earlier, was 31 J inches (801 mm.) from tip of nose to tip of tail-bone; the head and body from nose to ischium were 21 \\ inches (552 mm.); the tail-bone, n mches (280 mm.). She was still in milk; her 6 teats were as shown in Fig. 233. The above male weighed 18 pounds; the female barely 10. weight 1 consider the male about average size and the female small Audubon and Bachman give> 22 pounds as the ascertained weight of a good size male. In general the Coon is of a dull brownish-gray, becoming colour yellower on the back, strongly yellow on nape and on tail, and a paler gray on the belly and feet; on all the upper parts, es- pecially along the spine, the long hairs are black tipped, and on the under parts they are white tipped. On the cheek is a black patch that includes the eye, and joins with the narrow blackish stripe that runs from the nose to the dark colour on the fore- head. Around this the face is dull white, whitest in a band above each eye; the lower back part of the ear is black, which joins with a black patch on the neck behind the ear-the tip of •Q.N. A., 1849, Vol. n, p. 76. ■■ '•i RANGE IN MANI- TOBA 1012 Life-histories of Northern Animals the ear behind is whitish. The tail, beginning with the tip, has 6 to 7 rings of very dark brown or black on a pale yellowish background. The under-fur is dark brownish-gray and shows much on the under parts; the throat also is dark brownish-gray; the eyes are dark; the whiskers white. The sexes are alike. Where seen alive, the Raccoon is readily distinguished by its size and its bushy tail with black rings. The following races are recognized: lotor Linnaeus, the typical form. elucus Bangs, a darker, shorter-haired, long-tailed race. mexicanus Baird, a large, pale gray race, with long tail. hernandezi Wagler, a very large dark form, with very narrow rings on tail. pallidus Merriam, a medium-sized pale gray form, without any yellow suffusion. insularis Merriam, small and pale. Life-history. Map 54 sets forth the range of this wide ranger. In the east and north-east it is fairly well ascertained, but must be greatly modified by further investigation in the south-west, west, and south. In primitive days the Raccoon was quite abundant along the Upper Red River, as is attested by the Journal of A. Henry, the fur-trader, who, about loo years ago, wrote at Park River House, on Red River, 35 miles south of the Boundary. Here he collected annually 100 to 200 skins. Since then this animal's numbers have increased and decreased several times; they are now at a low ebb. It is still found in south-western Manitoba, but is exceedingly rare, although, according to Herrick,' it ranges over the entire wooded parts of Minnesota. 'Mam. Minn., 189a, p. •■'9. iiillliil MAP 54-RAllGE OF THE RACCOONS FOUND IN NORTH AMERICA. inodifi«i bVfuiure'iS '"'• '" """ ■"' "*'"'"'' """»• *»" "" »" "ho K"cky Moanuto."Padfic Coul. .nd Mciiam rtgiau, must be Four tpwiM of lUccoon •rencotnind: Pncyon lotor (LinnMia), with ill 6 ricM. o- „,. «*_- li—^j^ ^^' ^^ J ,«••, ^^ n??'^ "MBiimJil S^n^i lOU Pfocoon Mora On j. rroq^n motmOMf IMIICI, /nmvwi Mf mouu Merriun. M^iaMilltfttlliiiB ittbiM&iMiitidiiai. :i !' •J i 1014 Life-histories of Northern Animals D. Nicholson, of Morden, tells me that in twenty-five years* residence he has s^en but 2 Coon skins taken in Manitoba; both were from Pembina Valley. According to the Boissevain Recorder, 2 Coon skins were brought into Wooton's store in Manitou from Pembina Fig. 334 — Paws uf Coon, left hind and left fore. (Life sixe.) Valley on March 13, 1902. C. C. Helliwell saw one that was killed on the Souris River some years ago and heard of several others. Apparently they are increasing again in that region, as J. S. Charleson writes me that in the spring of 1907, 3 Coons were found in a hen-house near Blyth, 13 miles south-east of Bran- don. One was killed and mounted for Rex McPhee; another, he says, was caught in the previous winter on the Assiniboine, It Raccoon 1015 10 miles above Truesbank, and a number of Coon signs were reported along the river banks near Blyth. W. R. Hine mounted one taken near Winnipeg—it is now in possession of Sheriff Inkester-and William G. Tweddell tells me that he knew of one being killed in the country north of Shoal Lake. I saw a very large and dark specimen that was taken on the Upper Assmiboine, near Fort Ellice, about 1884. !n September, 1904, J. J. G. Rosscr, of Hudson's Bay Company, at Wmnipegosis showed me a coon-skin taken on Waterhen River at the second rapids by an Indian. Francis Katchaway, October, 1903. The trapper did not know what he had caught-said it looked like a cat. None of his people had seen one before. This is the only one ever taken near this post, and is the northernmost record for the Province. Rosser heard of another that was killed at Valley River (Dauphin Lake) quite recently. Angus Brabant, Inspector for Hudson's Bay Company and former Chief Factor, saw a Raccoon taken at Pine Creek 60 miles north of Dauphin, Man., Lake Winnipegosis, 1890.' "William McKirdy, of Nipigon, told me that a few years other ago a Kaccoon was killed by some Indians near Lake Nipigon ^''""'^ and brought to the Hudson's Bay Company's post. Neither Indians nor traders ever had seen the animal in the region before and to most of the former it was entirely unknown.'" (M tiler. J ..r^ ^^^[^^ ^- <^"«^''"sey writes me from Fort Qu* Appelle: December 14, i9o6.-Within the last 20 years I have known ot 2 Raccoon being taken some 50 miles north of here, in rouchwood Hills, which are heavily timbered with poplar and 1! jj"^ *^^^ ^'^ ^° '■^'■'^ ^^^^ ^^"^ In^'an who took one of them did not know what it was; there are none in the Qu' Appelle Valley— not enough timber, for one thing." A newspaper clipping recently directed my attention to a still farther record. On writing to the person interested, W. H. •Mam. Ont, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., April, 1897, p. 41. i( ■ 1016 Life-histories of Northern Animals Jaeger, of Edmonton, Aha., I was courteously furnished with particulars: A Raccoon, the hrst ever heard of in the district, was taken by an Indian about 1903, on Red Deer River, at a point some 75 miles south of Edmonton. Another, also captured by an Indian, was secured at a place 40 miles south of Edmonton, in February, 1905. The skins were brought in for sale to Thomas Hourston's store at Edmonton. C. C. Chipman, the Hudson's Bay Company Commissioner at Winnipeg, writes me on December 3, 1906: "There was 1 Raccoon killed in the Peace River Country about fifteen years ago and they did not know what it was. I never heard of any having been killed at Lake Winnipeg or Lake Manitoba." William Mclnnes, of the Geological Survey of Canada, examined the skin of one killed at Attawapiskat Lake (Lat. 52" 20', Long. 87° W.) in the winter of 1893. These various records are spotted on the map. When extra-limital occurrences multiply, it is usually proof that the species is extendi^ '*s range. LI INDIVID- UAL RANGE We have little light on the individual range, but it seems much wider than might be expected from such a slow-footed creature. Bailey speaks* of Coons in Texas going regularly half-a-mile to a mile from their dens to their hunting grounds, and, of course, back before dawn. Bachman tells* of following a pair through the snow, and they made a journey of about a mile, ending where they began. W. S. Williams, of Panther Creek, N. C, informs me that a pet Coon he had, escaped, and within a couple of days was killed while raiding a hen-roost 5 miles from home. Obviously this one had no home. ENVIRON- This is a creature of woodland edges, preferably hard- wood; dense coniferous forests do not please it, one reason being that hollow trees are essential to its well-being. It does occasionally lodge in rocky crannies, even in bank burrows, * N. A. Fauna, No. as, 1905, p. 193. • Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. II, p. 81. Raccoon 1017 NVM- BZKS but this is exceptional and imposed by the absenct < <" more congenial quarters. No matter what its daytime residence is, its nightly prowling is always close to the water. Its numbers «.c much greater than is commonly supposed. In 100 acres of hardwood bush, near Toronto, I got 3 Coons, and had evidence of several remaining. Yet they were con- sidered scarce. This woods was chiefly second growth; heavy timber has proportionately more Coons. Poland's Fur Trade Reports' show that for 40 years prior to 1891, 500,000 to 700,000 Coon skins have been marketed each year from North America. As Mexican Coon fur is worthless, we can see by the map that the region paying this tribute without ap- parently suffering is about two-thirds of the United States, or 3,000,000 square miles. I reckon that an annual drain of 25'per cent, is all that such a species could stand without diminishing, and there is evidence that the Raccoon is rather increasing. Furthermore, it is probable that not more than half the Coons killed are marketed in London as fur. Therefore, the low annual return of 500,000 would represent an annual kill of 1,000,000, and a total population of 4,000,000 in North America; that is, a pair of Coons to every i| square miles of their range. A safe estimate, indeed, even though we have included vast farming regions in the Middle States, where the species is now exterminated. It is a common thing to find half-a-dozen Coons in one socia- hollow tree. It is a rare thing to find a solitary Coon. There- "'"" fore, I consider the Coon a sociable animal. But they do not run in bands, except as families, nor are several nests placed together; therefore, they are but slightly gregarious. During approach, its singular black-masked face; during ioter. retreat, its yet more singular ringed tail, are label marks that S?c"""' proclaim to friend and foe with equal emphasis that this gray ""<*" beast ts a Coon. ' Fur-bearing Animals, 1891, pp. xxu-xxxiii. II 1018 Lifc-historics of Northern Animals II nil ii I u I k ! I i i I t t ^ ' » 1 MM MATING But its voice is even more serviceable to it. The queru- lous 'churr' of a captive Coon squabbling over provender is familiar to all. The growl ar ' snarl of Coons in fight are well known, and the soft 'err-err-etr' of a young Coon, begging for food, has been heard by all who know the Coon as a pet. But it has yet another note, one that has been the cause of much dispute. In the black woods, on still nights, I have often heard it, a long-drawn, tremulous *fFhoo-oo-oo-oo.' This is the 'whicker.' It is often passed for or confounded with the call of the screech owl. But I think I can tell them apart by the stronger and more squally quality that characterizes the sound of the quadruped; the bird's note is much softer and sweeter, as well as more often uttered. The ideal den of this creature is some hollow branch high up in a large tree that is fully exposed to the sun. But Coon ideals are as scarce as those of man, and next choice is any available hole in a standing tree or tall stub; failing this, it will use any hollow trunk it can find, preferably standing, bur not to be despised when down, and it will even rest content with a cranny in a cliff. So far as I can learn, it draws the line only at a hole in the ground. The den is not only the nursery, it is the year-round home of the family. There seems little doubt that, like some other species, the Coon maintains a central home-den and several hunting lodges scattered in convenient proximity to favourite and remote feeding grounds, each to be used as occasion seems to warrant. All the evidence there is goes to show that the Raccoon is a monogamous animal and that the male stays with the female, helping to some extent in the rearing of the brood. When the mating takes place is not known. The analogy of their near relations, the Bears, would fix on autumn as the nuptial time. Coons are ur. abtcdly noisier then than at any other time, which is a mite of proof for autumnal mating. The fact that the species hibernates is another indirect evidence, as PI.ATI: IXX.WI. -H,VC((M)N STUIIIKS KknM I IFE. B> E. T S. lull i Raccoon 1019 winter torpor is usually associated with long gestation, since the days passed in torpor are scarcely counted in those operations of nature where high functional activity is essential; further- more, we may argue from this that the gestation will vary greatly in proportion to the length of the individual's winter sleep. The young are born in April or May, varying somewhat yodng with the latitude, those in the north being later; they number from 3 to 6, 4 being usual. The home-life of the Coon family is nearly ideal. I think, homk- but am not sure, vhat the father continues to form one of the "" circle. During May the little ones stay home and are nour- ished only with milk. In late June they are one-third grown and begin to sit outside the den on bright days, enjoying their sun bath, but ready to seek the home-nest on the slightest hint of danger. A charming picture of young Coon life in Texas is supplied by Vernon Bailey:* "While watching for Fox-squirrels [says he] one morning (June 6] in the heavily timbered bot- toms, I heard a scratching sound from an old cypress in the edge of the swamp near by, followed by a loud splash. A young Coon, less than half grown, had fallen into the water. At the sound, the old Coon and 2 more young ones came out of a hollow some 30 feet up in the trunk and climbed down to near the bottom of the tree. They came down the tree slowly but steadily, head-first, as a squirrel would have done, with the hind-feet reversed and slightly divergent. "When the old Coon saw the young one climb out of the water upon the tree trunk, she turned about and ascended the trunk, followed by the 3 young. The one that had fallen, besides being very wet, was slightly hurt and climbed with difficulty. When half-way up, he stopped on a limb to rest and began whimpering and crying. "The mother had already reached the hole, but, on hearing his cries, turned about and climbed down to him. Taking a ' N. A. Fauna, No. 15, 1905, p. 194. 1020 Life-histories of Northern Animals li s good hold of the back of his neck and placing him between her fore-legs, so that he, too, could climb, she marched him up the tree and into the hollow." Whether the parents ever bring home food to the young is not known. In mid-June, about Toronto, I found the young still suckling. In July the young begin to accompany their mother, or possibly both parents, in nightly excursions to the edges of swamps and streams where they learn the rudiments of frog- hunting, crayfish catching, and many other pursuits that make their life. In August — the Green-corn Moon — the mother Coon will lead them to the fields where grow the milk ear-rows, and they revel in a feast that is to them what honey is to Bears. A lively scene took place one mid-August night outside my shanty in the Adirondacks. Two Coon families had met at a certain delectable fishing pool, which was responsible indeed for my presence. Their meeting was accidental and unfortu- nate, if one might jud^je by the row that followed, for they squabbled, scolded, and fought for half the night. As nearly as could be ascertained in the gloom, there were 2 old ones in charge of one family and but i caring for the other. All through autumn and winter the family life continues; not even the mating season seems to mar their good-fellowship. Merriam says:' "It is unusual to find a Raccoon alone, for they commonly live and travel in small companies, consisting of the several members of a single family. They do not return to the same nest every morning, but often make little excursions in various directions, being gone several days at a time, and taking refuge, about daylight, in any convenient arboreal shelter. * * iif * * * * "In tracking Raccoons upon the crust I have sometimes observed a family to separate and go in different directions, spending the day in different trees, to come together again on the night following." ' Mam. Adir., 1884, p. 94. Raccoon 1021 So far as I have been able to determine, the young Coons stay with the old folks as long as the latter allow it; and these make their full-grown offspring welcome until their quarters are needed by the new family, which arrives with commendable regularity as soon as the late April showers and the greening hills proclaim that now and truly is the world astir with spring. The hibernation of the Coon is strictly dependent upon habits temperature. In the Red River Valley it lasts from mid- November to early March. In the latitude of New York it is shortened at both ends by several weeks. In the Southern States the species dispenses with hibernation altogether. The remarks of Alexander Henry on the Raccoon of the Upper Red River give a clear idea of their times and seasons m northern Minnesota. The records in his Journal are thus' " Park River, September 8, 1 800. On the beach, Raccoon tracks are plentiful. (P. 90.) "October 4. Caught ♦ ♦ * 2 Raccoons, in * * * trap Caught 5 Raccoons. (P. 112.) "October 5. My men caught 5 Raccoons in their traps along the beach. (P. 112.) "October 6. My men caught 3 Raccoons, in traps. (P. 112.) *^ "October 18. My men have caught 20 Raccoons. (P. 122.) October 19. Bring in daily some Raccoons. * * * verv fat. (P. 122.) ^ "November 7. My men took great numbers of fat Kaccoons m their traps. (P. 136.) "November 21. They take no more Raccoons with traps. These animals are lodged in hollow trees where they wUl remam like Bears until spring without any subsistence. (P- 155) "November 30. * * * Some went Raccoon hunting, the weather being warm. They returned in the evening with 7, which they found in one hollow tree. The size of this tree was enormous, having a hollow 6 feet in diameter, the rim or • Journal, pub. 1897. ! 1 f i li I ! i I ,! ! i i 1022 Life-histories of Northern Animals shell being 2 feet thick, including the bark. Raccoon-hunting is common here in the winter season. The hunter examines every hollow tree met with, and when he sees the fresh marks of the claws, he makes a hole with an axe, and thus opens the hollow space in which he lights a fire to find out if there be any Raccoons within, as they often climb trees in the autumn, and, not finding them proper for the purpose, leave them and seek others. But if they be within, the smoke obliges them to ascend and put their heads out of the hole they entered. On observing this, the axe is applied to the tree; with the assistance of the fire it is soon down, and the hunter stands ready to dis- patch the animals whilst they are stunned by the fall. But sometimes they are so obstinate as to remain at the bottom of the hole until they are suffocated or roasted to death. (P 157.) "March 5, 1801. My men have raised and put their traps in order for the spring hunt, as the Raccoons begin to come out of their winter quarters in the daytime, though they retire to the hollow trees at night. * * * My men begin to take Raccoons which are very lean." (Pp. 17 1-2.) The product of all this was 197 Coon skins. (P. 184.) Now it begins again its season of active life, although it is ever ready to resume its cold-sleep if the return of cold weather should render it desirable. As the ground is still covered with snow, and the Coon does not store up food, it is hard put for a time, and draws freely on the reserves that are afforded by its fat. These are usually exhausted before Dame Nature again provides its daily bread, so that, as we have seen, the spring Coon is a very lean beast. This is strictly nocturnal if any animal ever is; the darkest hours of night are its favourite time for prowling, which, never- theless does not prevent enterprising reformers of the race occasionally setting forth on a diurnal excursion, for which they not uncommonly share the fate of unnumbered reformers, and win, without wearing, a martyr's crown. Although nesting and resting in trees, where it moves about with the slow caution of 'Possum and Bear, rather than the Raccoon 1023 reckless agility of Marten and Squirrel, the Coon travels, hunts, and feeds almost exclusively on the ground. It may occasionally rob the nest of woodpecker, Squirrel, food or other tree-dweller, but such must not be considered its normal habit of life— by far the greatest bulk of its food is taken on or near the ground. It is quite omnivorous. Frogs, fish, flesh, fowl, eggs, reptiles, ins'»cts, shell-fish, fruit, nuts, grain, vegetables, and sweets are acceptable fare with the Coon; not equally so, but all welcome at all times. In a wild state, the summer-long main support of the Coon is frogs. In catching them by night it is singularly expert, and when the frog takes refuge in the muddy bottom, the Coon, with wonderfully dextrous, tactile fingers, gropes after it. Leaving the enterprise entirely to its paws, its eyes may scan the woods and shores in a vacant way, but its mind is in touch with the finger-tips, and the frog that escapes them must indeed be worthy to live and father a superior race. As Merriam says:" "They overturn stones and catch the crayfish that lurk beneath, and also gather the fresh- water mussels (JJnio and Anodon) that live on sandy and inuddy bottoms. They also catch and devour the hapless fish that chance to get detained in any of the little pools along- shore, but are unable to dive and pursue their prey under water, like the Otter and Mink." Pennant describes" this animal as particularly fond of oysters, and says it "will watch the opening of the shell, dex- trously put in its paw, and tear out the contents; sometimes the oyster suddenly closes, catches the thief, and detains it till drowned by the return of the tide." In the Southern States its coat may change to a less sub- stantial style, but its appetite for all nutritious dainties is the same. Audubon and Bachman detail" its watching of "the soft-shelled turde, when she is about to deposit her eggs, for which purpose she leaves the water and, crawling on to the " Mam. Adir., 1884, pp. 9i-a ' Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. II, pp. 76-8. "Arctic Zoal., 1784, Vol. I, p. 70. Mte WASHING HABIT 1024 Life-histories of Northern AnimaU white sand-bar, digs a hole and places them m dein-jatii the heated surface. Quickly does the rogue dig up i»;e clastic ova although ever so carefully covered, and appr'^pn.te iUern to his own use, notwithstanding the efforts of the luckless turtle to conceal them. "Sometimes by the margin of a pond, shrouded, or crouched among tall reeds and grasses. Grimalkin-like, the Raccoon lies still as death, waiting with patience for some ill- fated duck that may come within his reach. No negro on a plantation knows with more accuracy when the corn (maize) is juicy and ready for the connoisseur in roasting ears, and he does not require the aid of fire to improve its flavour, but at- tacks it more voraciously than the Squirrel or the blackbird, and is the last to quit the corn-field. * * * and although it gen- erally visits the corn-fields at night, sometimes feeds on the green corn during the day; we have seen it thus employed during the heat of summer." Although the frog-pond and the corn-patch supply its choicest foods, the Coon is not averse to a fat fowl. Some individuals, indeed, seem to give way to the chicken habit and riot in the hen-house night after night, killing first a fowl and then a dozen at a time, until they fall into the power of the barn-fowl's proper guardian. These, however, are abnormal individuals and are not to be considered representative of the race's food-habits. It is possible that, like most Lords of the Forest, its principal reve- nue is derived from Mice, which are available when frogs and fruit are not. . . Summing up its dietary— there is nothing m it, except occasional thefts of corn and fowl, to blacklist this creature on the farm-book; and these are so offset by its usefulness as a fur-bearer and beast of the chase, that most persons are glad to hear that the Coon is rather increasing in America. The Latin name {lotor or washer) and German name {Wash-hear) record a common habit of this animal. If near the water, it rarely eats a morsel of food without washing it. . ''lATE LXXXVII.— TRACKS OF RACCOON (l IFF. SIZF) Made by dr.v.ng ,hc an.mal „.er frc.* black pain, then .crc» a clean rfiee. of sol, paper. Secured by Mrs. Grace G. Se,nn. ( MP :P -i i t Raccoon 10«5 This Mosaic habit seems to have arisen from its fashion of groping with busy nervous fingers in the mud for frogs, fish, or insects. Then, having secured some wriggling prey, its first care, before eating, is to clear it of sand and clay, by dab- bling it in the open water. Taking advantage of this, many trappers catch Coons by setting in the mud on some favourite frogging point. I shall never forget the sensation I had in my early days when, one morning, on going to a trap set for Muskrat I found, firmly held in it by one paw, a huge and savage-looking Raccoon. If necessary to reach some desirable food or to escape swim- from an undesirable caller, the Coon will swim fearlessly and "'"^ well, but ordinarily is not fond of water in which it cannot comfortably wade. As a runner it takes low rank. I never saw but one run- run- ning before the hounds in daylight, and its speed seemed "'"^ barely half of theirs. Moreover, in many nights cooning, I never knew one of these animals to run more than a quarter of a mile before treeing. It is a desperate fighter. I have seen one beat off two fight- large hounds, each of which was over double his weight, and ^* saw another defeat three dogs— a terrier and two hounds. A Bedlington terrier, a famous fighting dog in Toronto, was said to have reached the final pitch of war-glory when, single- handed, he killed a full-grown Coon whose weight was about the same as his own. The old Raccoon is sullen, dangerous, and untameable if as pets kept captive, but the young, if taken at an early age— that is, before they have begun to hunt for themselves— make, as Merriam says," "intelligent and interesting pets; being easily tamed and evincing considerable aflFection for their master. "But they cannot be allowed their liberty like tame Skunks, because of their innate propensity for mischief. If "Mam. Adir, 1884, p. 93. • 3 I 51 »- t *2, ■ ) !| i J 1026 Life-histories of Northern Animals not closely watched, they will slyly enter the house through some open door or window, and are liable to do considerable damage, for their natural curiosity proaipts them to examine everything within reach, and anything out of reach of a 'Coon' must be inaccessible indeed. They invariably mani- fest an insatiate desire to investigate the pantry shelves, and rarely neglect to taste every edible thing that hap- pens to be there. They have a special penchant for sweet- meats, and greedily devour preserves, honey, molasses, sugar, pies, and cakes; and even bread, butter, lard, milk, etc., are by no means disregarded. They remove the cov- ers from jars and pails, and uncork bottles with as much ease and facility, apparently as if they had been instructed in this art from earliest infancy. Doors that latch, as they do in most old country houses, are soon opened, even by unsophisticated Coons, and it takes them but a short time to acquire the method of opening knob doors. Their fore-paws are employed as hands, and can be put to almost as great a variety of uses as those of the monkey — which animal they further resemble in the propensity for mischief-making." SANTTA- The species has progressed but little along the paths of ""^^ sanitation. Its dung is dropped anywhere, at any time, ex- cepting while in the nest. Like cow, horse, and Bear, the Coon can void as it walks— is, in fact, a peripatetic defecator — but, owing to conditions, this bovine habit is not accom- panied by bovine, much less equine, success. Audubon and Bachman tell of a tame Coon that enjoyed a bucket of water thus:'* "After playing for a short time in the water it would commonly urinate in it and then upset the pail." TR-ACKs The tracks are shown in Fig. 235; the pairing of the front feet when at full speed agrees with the tree-climbing habit of the species. » Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. II, p. 79. f r I i' f ft o S k . u ft K c* f ( I s *,«>? — _ -»<> FIO.JJS— Tracks of KtccooB. FIO.JJS— Tracks of KtccooB. The iwo li»», tuck. o. the ri»ht ue l