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FAUNA ^ Id,

BOREALI-AMERICANA ;

OR THE

ZOOLOGY

OF THE

NORTHERN PARTS

OF '

BRITISH AMERICA :

/

CONTAINING DESCRIPTIONS OF THE OBJECTS OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTED ON THE LATE NORTHERN LAND
EXPEDITIONS, UNDER COMMAND OF CAPTAIN SIR JOHW FRANKLIN, R.N.

BY

JOHN RICHARDSON, M.D., RR.S., RL.S.

SURGEON AND NATURALIST TO THE EXPEDITIONS.

ASSISTED BY

WILLIAM SVVAINSON, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S., &c.

AND

The Reverend WILLIAM KIRBY, M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S., &c.

ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS PLATE.S.

PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE SECRETARY OF
STATE FOR COLONIAL AFFAIRS.

LONDON: ^"

JOHN MURRAY, ALBE M A RLE-STRE ET.

MDCCCXXIX.

LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLAM CI.O\tES,

FAUNA

BOKEALI-AMERICANA.

PART FIRST,

CONTAINING

THE QUADRUPEDS.

JOHN RICHARDSON,

M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S., &c.

TO

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LOED VISCOUNT GODERICH,

THE FOLLOWING WORK,

UNDERTAKEN UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF HIS LORDSHIP,

IS,

BY PERMISSION,
INSCRIBED WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT,

BY

HIS MOST OBEDIENT SERVANT,

JOHN RICHARDSON.

INTRODUCTION.

The objects of Natural History collected by tlie last Overland
Expedition to the Polar Sea, under the command of Captain Sir
John Franklin, to which I was attached as Surgeon and Naturalist,
being too numerous for a detailed account of them to be comprised
within the ordinary limits of an Appendix to the narrative of the
proceedings of the journey, I was desirous of making them known
to the world in a separate work. As it was necessary, however, in
order to render such a publication useful, that many of the subjects,
particularly in the Ornithological and Botanical parts, should be illus-
trated by figures, the expense would have been an insurmountable
difficulty, had not His Majesty's Government, actuated by a most
laudable desire of encouraging science, lent a liberal aid to the under-
taking. On an application, which had the approval of the Secretary of
State for Colonial Affairs, the Treasury granted one thousand pounds,
to be applied solely towards defraying the expense of the engravings.
A moiety of that sum has been allotted to the illustration of the
Quadrupeds and Birds, and the remainder to the Fishes, Insects, and
Plants ; and care has been taken, by employing only the first artists,
to render the plates worthy of the high patronage the work has
received ; while their number will demonstrate the rigid economy
with which the funds for their execution have been distributed*.

* There are twenty-eight plates in this part; and fifty admirable coloured ones, of birds,
have also been executed. The botanical plates will likewise be numerous, and many of them
are already finished.

b

INTRODUCTION.

Having neither leisure nor ability to do justice to the different
departments of such a work, without assistance, I have gladly availed
invself of the aid of several kind friends and able naturalists, — the
First Part, relating to the Quadrupeds, being the only one for which
I am solely accountable. William Svvainson, Esq., the able illustrator
of the Ornithology of the Brasils, undertook to arrange and make
drawings of the Birds, elucidate the Synonyms, furnish Remarks on
the natural groups, and, in fact, to charge himself with the principal
part of the Ornithology. The Reverend Mr. Kirby agreed to arrange
and describe the Insects ; and Dr. Hooker, Professor of Botany at
Glasgow, relieved me entirely from the charge of describing the
Plants. The number of specimens of these requiring that Dr.
Hooker's part should extend to about two volumes of letter-press,
it has been judged better to publish the Zoology and Botany in
separate works, — the latter edited solely by Dr. Hooker, and as
similar to the former in paper and type as possible*. The following
introductory remarks are, therefore, drawn up principally with a view
to the Zoological specimens.

First, with regard to the geographical limits of the country, whose
ferine inhabitants are to be described.

The Expedition landed at New York, proceeded up the Hudson to
Albany ; from thence westward by the ridge-road to Niagara ; then,
after a short visit to the stupendous falls on that river, it crossed Lake
Ontario to York, the capital of Upper Canada ; and, passing by Lake
Simcoe and the river Nattawasaga, it arrived at Penetanguishene,
on the north-east arm of Lake Huron, in the beginning of April. Up
to this place, owing to the early period of the year, and the mode of
travelling, which was, for the greater part of our route, in carriages at
a rapid rate, our collections were small, consisting, in Zoology, only
of a few insects and serpents, and in Botany, principally of lichens

* Dr. Hooker is far advanced with his work, which will come out in parts ; and INIr,
Drummond has already, under his inspection, published two volumes of dried American
mosses, containing two hundred^and eighty-six species, collected by the Expedition.

INTRODUCTION. XI

and mosses. With these shght exceptions, the specimens brought to
England were entirely collected to the north of the Great Canada
Lakes, beyond the settled parts of Upper Canada, and, in fact, in a
widely extended territory, wherein the scattered trading posts of the
Hudson's Bay Company furnish the only vestiges of civilisation. The
following work may, therefore, be termed a Fauna; or, more properly.
Contributions to a Fauna of the British American Fur Countries ; or
it may be considered, in a general view, as comprising what is known
of the Zoology of that part of America, which lies to the north of the
49th parallel of latitude, and which, to the east of the Rocky Moun-
tains, at least, is exclusively British. I have, however, included in it
descriptions of a few specimens obtained a degree or two to the south-
ward of that latitude on Lake Huron and on the River Columbia, in
both of which quarters there are several fur-posts of the Hudson's
Bay Company. After having travelled through the Fur Countries
lying to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, for seven summers,
and passed five winters at widely distant posts, it will scarcely be
thought that I arrogate too much in saying, that almost all the
quadrupeds that are objects of chase or interest to the natives, and a
very great proportion of the birds, either came within the scope of my
own observation, or were mentioned in the many conversations I had
with the white residents and native hunters, on the natural pro-
ductions of the country. But, although my opportunities of ascer-
taining the number of species actually inhabiting the northern parts of
America were so great, I must confess, that a journey like ours, in
which natural history was only a subordinate object, and at many
periods of which the shortest delay beyond that absolutely necessary
for refreshment and repose, was inadmissible, did not afford much
opportunity for studying the manners and habits of the animals with
the attention I could have wished to have devoted to that subject.
The present work, therefore, though fuller than any preceding one,
is to be considered only in the light of a sketch, in which many omis-
sions remain to be supplied and inaccuracies to be corrected by future
observers. To render the list as complete as possible, I have included

b 2

XU INTRODUCTIO^?.

those animals mentioned by preceding writers, which did not come
under the notice of the Expedition ; always carefully acknowledging
the source of ray quotations.

Sir John Franklin's narratives of his two journeys contain full
information respecting the districts through which the Expedition
travelled ; but, to save reference, and to enable the reader of this work
the more readily to discover the particular habitats, and to trace the
geographical distribution of the species described in it, I have thought
it proper to give a summary account of our route, followed by some
compendious topographical notices.

The First of the two Northern Land Expeditions disembarked in
the month of August, 1819, at York Factory, in Hudson's Bay, which
is 90° of longitude east of the meridian of Greenwich. From
thence, travelling between the 57th and 53d parallels of latitude, by
Hayes' Kiver, Lake Winipeg, and the Saskatchewan, it proceeded
to Cumberland-house, situated beyond the 102d meridian, where it
arrived towards the end of October. Early in January, 1820, the
Commanding Officer, accompanied by Mr. (now Captain) Back, set out,
to travel on snow-shoes up the Saskatchewan, nearly west-south-west
to Carl ton-house, in the 106tli degree of longitude ; and from thence,
on a northerly and somewhat westerly course, by Green Lake, the
Beaver River, Isle a la Crosse, and Buffalo lakes, across the Methy
portage, and down the Elk River, to Fort Chepewyan, on the Atha-
pescow or Athabascow Lake, or Lake of the Hills, as it is named by Sir
Alexander Mackenzie. The other two officers of the Expedition
(Lieutenant Hood and myself) stayed, during the remainder of the
winter, at Cumberland-house ; and after I had paid a visit in May to
the plains of Carlton, and collected all the specimens of plants and
animals I could procure at that season, set out in the month of June,
to travel in canoe to Fort Chepewyan by the route of Beaver Lake,
Missinippi or English River, Black-bear Island Lake, Isle a la Crosse,
Buffiilo Lake and Elk River. Having rejoined our companions, the
whole party left Fort Chepewyan on the 18th of July, 1820; and,

INTRODUCTION. Xlll

descending the Slave River, crossed Great Slave Lake, and ascended
the Yellow-knife River, to the banks of Winter Lake, situated in
latitude 64^-°, and in the 113th degree of longitude, which it reached
on the 19th day of August. A winter of nine months' duration was
spent at this place in a log building, which was named Fort Enter-
prise; and in the beginning of June, 1821, while the snow was still
Ijing on the ground, and the ice covering the river, the Expedition
resumed its march. After the baggage and canoes had been dragged
over ice and snow for one hundred and twenty miles to the north
end of Point Lake, we embarked on the Coppermine River on the 1st
of July, and on the 21st of the same month reached the Arctic Sea,
when, turning to the eastward, we performed a coasting voyage
of six hundred and twenty-six statute miles, to Point Turnagain,
which is, owing to the deep indentations of the coast, only six
degrees and a half of longitude to the eastward of the mouth of the
Coppermine River. The rapid approach of winter now rendered it
necessary to abandon the further pursuit of the enterprise ; and on
the 22d of August we retraced our course as far as Hood's River,
which we ascended for a short way, and then set out to travel overland
to Point Lake, on our way back to Fort Enterprise. Winter, clothed
with all the terrors of an arctic climate, overtook the party early in
September : it suffered dreadfully from famine, no supplies were
obtained at Fort Enterprise, the majority of the party perished,
and the survivors were on the verge of the grave, when the
Indians brought supplies of provision, and conducted them to Fort
Providence, the nearest of the Hudson Bay Company's posts. The
want of the means of carriage, even at the most flattering periods of
this disastrous journey, prevented us from attempting to preserve any-
bulky objects of natural history ; but all the plants gathered previous
to our reaching the mouth of the Coppermine River were saved,
having been given in charge to five of the party who were sent back
from thence. Those collected on the sea-coast, after having been
carried for many days through the snow, were at length, on our
strength being completely exhausted, reluctantly abandoned. The

XIV INTKODUCTION.

winter of 1821-22 was passed at Fort Resolution, on the south side of
Great Slave Lake ; and the summer of 1 822 was consumed in returning
by the route we had before travelled to York Factory, where we
embarked for England in the month of September. The most
interesting of the quadrupeds and birds collected on this Expe-
dition were described by Joseph Sabine, Esq., in the Appendix to
Sir John Franklin's narrative, and 1 published a list of the plants in
the same work.

The Second or Last Northern Land Expedition commenced, as far
as regards the objects of natural history described in this work, at Pene-
tanguishene, on St. George's day, the 23d of April, 1825, and having
performed a coasting voyage along the northern sides of Lakes Huron
and Superior, arrived at Fort William, a post of the Hudson's Bay
Company, situated in Thunder Bay of the last-mentioned lake. From
thence it ascended the Kamenistiguia to Dog Lake, and crossing a
height of land of no great elevation at the source of the Dog River,
and only between twenty and thirty miles from the shores of Lake
Superior, it descended by a series of rocky rivers, interrupted by
numerous cascades and portages, to Rainy Lake, the Lake of the
Woods, and Lake Winipeg. On entering the Saskatchewan River,
which falls into the last-mentioned lake, on its east side, the Second
Expedition came upon the route of the first one already described,
which it kept till its arrival at Fort Resolution, on Great Slave Lake.
At Cumberland-house, Mr. Drummond, the Assistant Naturalist, was
detached up the Saskatchewan to examine the plains of Carlton, and
the eastern declivity of the Rocky Mountains, near the sources of
the Peace River. His labours will be more particularly mentioned
hereafter : at present I proceed to trace the progress of the Expedition,
which, on its arrival at Fort Resolution, instead of directing its course
across Great Slave Lake, as on the first journey, turned to the west-
ward, along the south shore of the lake, and entered the Mackenzie,
by far the largest of all the American rivers which fall into the Polar
Sea, and which originating in the same elevated part of the Rocky

INTRODUCTION. XV

Mountain chain with the Columbia, the Missouri, and the Saskatche-
wan, or Nelson Rivers, flows under the names of Elk, Slave, or
Mackenzie River, on a north-north-west general course, through
fifteen degrees of latitude, until it discharges itself into the sea by a
mouth extending from the 133d to the 13'7th degree of longitude.
When the Expedition reached the 65th degree of latitude in its
descent of the Mackenzie, it turned to the eastward for seventy miles
up a river to Great Bear Lake, where a winter residence was erected,
on which the appellation of Fort Franklin was bestowed. Excursions
were made down the Mackenzie and along Bear Lake while the
navigation continued open, but the whole party were assembled at
their winter-quarters on the 5th of September. The extent of country
examined this first season may be judged of by the length of the route
of the Expedition, from its leaving Penetanguishene in the month of
April till its assembling at Great Bear Lake in September, which,
including Mr. Drummond's journey to the Rocky Mountains, Sir
John Franklin's voyage down the Mackenzie to the sea, and a voyage
round Great Bear Lake by myself, exceeded six thousand miles.
Towards the end of the month of June 1826, the Expedition left its
winter-quarters, and proceeded down the Mackenzie to the sea ;
and the Commanding Officer, turning to the westward, sailed
along the coast until he attained the 70|° of latitude, and nearly
the 150th degree of longitude, when the lateness of the season
prohibiting a further advance, he retraced his way to Great Bear
Lake. In the mean time, a detachment under my charge had sailed
from the mouth of the Mackenzie eastward, round Caps Bathurst, in
latitude TT 36' north, to the mouth of the Coppermine River, whence
it travelled on foot to the north-east end of Great Bear Lake, and
from thence, in a canoe, to Fort Franklin. The extent of sea-coast
examined by the two branches of the Expedition exceeded twelve
hundred miles, and the whole distance travelled by them from the
time of their departure from Fort Franklin till their return to it again,
was upwards of four thousand miles. A collection of plants formed
by Captain Back, who accompanied Sir John Franklin, is peculiarly

Xvi INTRODUCTION.

interesting, as having been made principally on a coast skirting the
northern termination of the Rocky Mountains. The Expedition
returned to England the following summer ; one division of it by
way of Canada and New York, and the other by Hudson's Bay. I
passed the early part of the winter at Great Slave Lake, where I
obtained specimens of all the fur-bearing animals of that quarter, and
afterwards travelled on the snow to Carlton-house on the Saskatche-
wan, where, with the assistance of Mr. Drummond, who joined me
there, specimens of the greatest part of the birds frequenting that
district were procured in the spring. I met Sir John Franklin at
Cumberland-house in June, 1827, and accompanied him to Canada by
the same route by which we came out, except that we went by the
east side of Lake Winipeg, thus completing the circuit of that lake,
and that instead of crossing Lake Ontario, on our way to New York,
we gained the Uttawas from Lake Huron, by the route of the French
Eiver, and descended it to Montreal, whence we travelled to. New-
York by way of Lake Champlain.

Having thus given in detail the routes of the other branches of the
Expedition, it remains that I should mention the one pursued by
Mr. Drummond, the Assistant Naturalist, to whose unrivalled skill in
collecting, and indefatigable zeal, we are indebted for most of the
insects, the greater part of the specimens of plants, and a considerable
number of the quadrupeds and birds. This gentleman remained at
Cumberland-house in the year 1825, after the rest of the party had
^one to the north, collecting plants during the month of July, and
then ascended the Saskatchewan for six hundred and sixty miles, to
Edmonton-house, performing much of the journey on foot, and
amassing objects of natural history by the way. Leaving Edmonton-
house on the 22d of September, he crossed a swampy and thickly
wooded country to Red Deer River, one of the branches of the Elk or
Athapescow River, and along whose banks he travelled until he reached
the Rocky Mountains, the ground being then covered with snow.
Having explored the portage-road across the mountains to the
Columbia River, for fifty miles, he hired an Indian hunter, with whom

INTRODUCTION. XVIL

he returned to the head of the Elk River, on which he passed the
winter making collections, under privations which would have
effectually quenched the zeal of a less hardy naturalist. In the
month of April, 1826, he revisited the Columbia portage-road, and
remained in that neighbourhood until the 10th of August, when he
made a journey to the head waters of the Peace River, during which
he suffered severely from famine. Nothing daunted, however, he
hastened back as soon as he obtained a supply of provisions, to the
Columbia portage, with the view of crossing to that river, and
botanizing for a season on its banks. He had reached the west end
of the portage, when he was overtaken by letters from Sir John
Franklin, acquainting him that it was necessary to be at York Factory
in 1827. This rendered it necessary for him speedily to commence
his return, which he did with great regret, for the view of
the Columbia, whose banks are rich in natural productions, had
stimulated his desire to explore them, and he remarks, — " The snow
covered the ground too deeply to permit me to add much to my
collections in this hasty trip over the mountains ; but it was impossible
to avoid noticing the great superiority of the climate on the western
side of that lofty range. From the instant the descent towards the
Pacific commences, there is a visible improvement in the growth of
timber, and the variety of forest trees greatly increases. The few
mosses that I gleaned in the excursion were so fine, that I could not
but deeply regret that I was unable to pass a season or two in that
interesting region." He now bade adieu to the mountains and
returned to Edmonton-house, where he stayed some time, and then
joined me at Carlton -house, as has been already mentioned. His
collections on the mountains and plains of the Saskatchewan amounted
to about " fifteen hundred species of plants, one hundred and fifty
birds, fifty quadrupeds, and a considerable number of insects." He
remained for six weeks at Carlton-house after I left that place, and
then descended to Cumberland-house, where he met Captain Back,
whom he accompanied to York Factory ; but he had previously the
pleasure of seeing Mr. David Douglas, who, after collecting specimens

XVIU INTRODUCTION,

of plants for the Horticultural Society, for three years, on the banks of
the Columbia and in North California, crossed the Rocky Mountains
at the head of the Elk River, by the same portage -road that Mr.
Drummond had previously travelled, and having spent a short time in
visiting the Red River of Lake Winipeg, returned to England with
that gentleman by way of Hudson's Bay. Thus, a zone of at least
two degrees of latitude in width, and reaching entirely across the con-
tinent, from the mouth of the Columbia to that of the Nelson River
of Hudson's Bay, has been explored by two of the ablest and most
zealous collectors that England has ever sent forth ; while a zone of
similar width, extending at right angles with the other from Canada to
the Polar Sea, has been more cursorily examined by the Expeditions.

Through the liberality of the Horticultural Society, and the in-
fluence of their learned Secretary, Joseph Sabine, Esq., ever readily
exerted for the advancement of science, I have been permitted to
examine and describe the specimens of quadrupeds collected by Mr.
Douglas, and this gentleman, with a readiness to communicate the
information he has acquired, that does him great credit, has kindly
furnished me with some valuable notices of the habits of the animals
which have been incorporated in this work. I have also had an
opportunity of inspecting the specimens of quadrupeds obtained on
the American coast of Behring's Straits, by Captain Beechey, on his
late voyage in the Blossom ; and the notes respecting them, made on
the spot by Mr. Collie, Surgeon of that ship, by whom principally they
were collected, have been submitted to my perusal. Previous to our
setting out on the Second Expedition, Sir John Franklin addressed
letters to many of the resident chief factors and traders of the Hud-
son's Bay Company, requesting their co-operation with our endeavours
to procure specimens of Natural History, and their ready acquiescence
with his desire was productive of much advantage to us. Not only
were great facilities for the advancement of our pursuits afforded to us
by Mr. John Haldane, Mr. James Leith, Mr. Alexander Stewart, Mr.
John Prudens, Mr. Robert M' Vicar, and other gentlemen, whose posts
lay on our line of route ; but a collection of birds and quadrupeds.

INTRODUCTION. XIX

of much interest, made at Fort Nelson on the Kiver of the Mountains,
a branch of the Mackenzie, was forwarded to us by Mr. Macpherson,
together with some vahiable specimens obtained in the same quarter
bj Mr. Smith, chief factor of that district. Mr. Isbister also had the
kindness to prepare for us a copious collection of birds at Cumberland-
house. These were not, however, the only channels through which the
specimens described in the following pages were obtained. I have had
ample opportunities for studying the specimens brought home by Sir
Edward Parry, on his several expeditions ; and much information was
likewise derived from frequent visits to the museum of the Hudson's
Bay Company, and from repeated examinations of the specimens im-
ported by that Company from their posts on James's Bay, on the
Columbia, and in New Caledonia, and presented by them to the
Zoological Society and British Museum.

After this brief exposition of the various sources from whence the
specimens were derived, I proceed to give a concise general view of the
nature of the different tracts of the country^ whose ferine inhabitants
form the subject of the following pages. The most remarkable phy-
sical feature of the northern parts of America, is the great Mountain
Ridge, which is continued under the appellation of the Rocky Moun-
tains*, in a north -north-west direction from New Mexico, to the 70th
degree of latitude, where it terminates within view of the Arctic Sea,
to the westward of the mouth of the Mackenzie Kiver. The course of
this chain is tolerably straight, and its altitude, though various in
different places, is everywhere far superior to that of any other moun-
tains existing in the same parallel of the American continent. Like
the Andes, of which they seem to be a prolongation, the Rocky Moun-
tains lie much nearer to the Pacific coast than to the eastern shore of
America, and they give rise to several very large rivers. Over an
elevated portion of the chain, extending from the 40th to the 55tli
degree of latitude, are spread the upper branches and sources of the
Columbia, which falls into the Pacific in the 46th parallel. If the
principal arms of this river had not a very circuitous course, the nar-

* Pennant names them the "Shining Mountains,"

XX INTRODUCTION.

rowness of the stripe of country which intervenes between the summit
of the ridge and the coast would have caused it to be Httle better than
a mountain torrent. As it is, its arms spread far and wide, and it
carries a great body of water to the sea. The head waters of the
Missouri interlock with those of the southern branches of the
Columbia ; but that river, precipitating itself down the eastern decli-
vity of the mountains, takes a devious course to the south-east,
receiving in its way several great tributaries, and joining the Missis-
sippi, which rises at the west end of Lake Superior, in a comparatively
low, but hilly country. Their united streams traverse the whole of
Louisiana, and fall into the Gulf of Mexico, after a course of four
thousand and five hundred miles, reckoned from the head of the
Missouri. The Saskatchewan is the third great river which issues
from the same elevated part of the mountains, its feeding streams
spreading from the 47th to the 54th parallel of latitude, and the more
southern ones being interposed betwixt the head waters of the two
preceding rivers. The upper streams of the Saskatchewan, after
descending from the mountains, form two principal arms, which flow
through comparatively naked, sandy plains, under the names of the
North and South Branches, and then unite a short way below Carlton-
house. From thence the river, continuing its course through a welL
wooded country, passes by Cumberland-house, where it receives a
considerable tributary that originates on the immediate banks of the
Missinippi, a parallel river, and afterwards, flowing through Lake
Winipeg, changes its name to Nelson River, and falls into Hudson's
Bay, near Cape Tatnam. The whole course of the Saskatchewan or
Nelson River, from the mountains to the sea, may be estimated,
windings inclusive, at one thousand six hundred miles. Lake
Winipeg, besides other large streams, receives the River Winipeg,
which rises on a ridge of land bordering closely on Lake Superior, and
also the Red River, whose eastern branch has its sources on the same
heights with the Mississippi, and whose western branch originates close
to the banks of the Missouri, some distance above where that river
begins to turn to the southward. By means of short portages, then,
one may pass from the respective branches of the Nelson, by the

INTRODUCTION. XXl

Columbia, to the Pacific ; by the Missouri or Mississippi to the Gulf of
Mexico ; by the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic, and also by the Elk or
Mackenzie River, whose upper streams approach the north branches of
the Saskatchewan to the Arctic Sea. The fourth great river which
takes its rise from the same quarter of the Rocky Mountain range is
the one just mentioned, — the Mackenzie, which is the third of the
North American rivers in respect of size, being inferior only to the
Missouri and St. Lawrence. The two principal arms of the Mackenzie
are the Elk and Peace rivers. One of the main streams of the former,
the Red Deer River, issues from the vicinity of the northern sources of
the Columbia and Saskatchewan, whilst other feeders interlock with
the head waters of the Beaver, Missinippi, or Churchill river. Having
passed through the Athapescow Lake, the Elk River is joined by the
Peace River, which, originating somewhat further north in the moun-
tains within three hundred yards of the source of the Tacootchtesse or
Frazer's River, affords a canoe route to all parts of New Caledonia.
It is a singular fact, that the Peace River actually rises on the west
side of the Rocky Mountain ridge, and is a large stream navigable for
boats at the place where it makes its way through a narrow gorge
bounded by lofty mountains, which are covered with eternal snows.
Nearer the source of the river, and between it and the Tacootchtesse,
the mountains are less lofty and more distant, and the country has
there much of the character of elevated table-land. After its union
with the Peace River the Elk River assumes the name of Slave River,
which, on passing through Great Slave Lake, becomes the Mackenzie.
At a considerable distance below the last-mentioned lake, and where
the Mackenzie makes its first near approach to the Rocky Mountains,
it is joined by a large stream, which rising a little to the northward of
the Peace River, flows along the eastern base of the mountains. It
obtained the name of the River of the INIountains from Sir Alexander
Mackenzie ; but its magnitude has since gained it the appellation of
the South branch of the Mackenzie from the traders. The Mackenzie
receives several other large streams on its way to the sea, and among
others Great Bear Lake River, whose head-waters rise on the banks of

XXU INTRODUCTION.

the Coppermine River and Peel's River, which issues from the Rocky
Mountains, in latitude 67°. Immediately after the junction of Peel's
River the Mackenzie separates into numerous branches, which flow to
the sea through a great delta, composed of alluvial mud. Here from
the richness of the soil, and from the river bursting its icy chains,
comparatively very early in the season, and irrigating the low delta
with the warmer waters brought from countries ten or twelve degrees
further to the southward, trees flourish, and a more luxuriant vege-
tation exists than in any place in the same parallel on the American
continent. In latitude 68° there are many groves of handsome white
spruce firs, and in latitude 69°, on the shores of the sea, lofty and dense
wiUow-thickets cover the flat islands ; while currants and gooseberries
grow on the drier hummocks, accompanied by some showy epilobiums
and perennial lupins. The moose-deer, American hare, and beaver,
accompany this display of vegetation to its limits. The whole course
of the Mackenzie from the source of the Elk River to the sea, is about
two thousand miles in length.

These are the principal rivers of the fur countries, but there are
three others of shorter course, upon which some part of the collections
of specimens were obtained, viz. Hayes River, which rises near Lake
Winipeg, and holding an almost parallel course to Nelson's River, falls
into the same part of Hudson's Bay. York Factory, which will be
often mentioned in the following pages, stands on the low alluvial
point that separates the mouths of these two rivers. The next river
which I have to mention is the Missinippi, or, as it is occasionally
named, the English River, which falls into Hudson's Bay at Churchill.
Its upper stream, named the Beaver River, rises in a small ridge of
hills, which separates the north branch of the Saskatchewan from a
bend of the Elk River. The Coppermine is the last river which
requires a particular notice. It has its origin not far from the east
end of Great Slave Lake, and, taking a northerly course, flows through
the Barren -grounds to the Arctic Sea. It is a stream of no great
magnitude in comparison with some of the branches of the Mackenzie :.
there are few alluvial deposits on its banks, and there is not, conse-

INTRODUCTION. XXUl

quently, that richness of vegetation, which on the Mackenzie attracts
certain quadrupeds to very high latitudes.

The Rocky Mountains have been crossed in four several places.
First, by Sir Alexander Mackenzie, in the year 1793, at the head of the
Peace River, between latitudes 55° and 56°. His route was followed,
in 1806, by a party of the ISTorth-west Company, sent to make a settle-
ment in New Caledonia, and is still occasionally used by the Hudson's
JBay Company. Lewis and Clark, in the year 1805, crossed the
Mountains in latitude 47°, at the head of the Missouri, in their way to
the mouth of the Columbia River. For several years subsequent to
that period, the North-west Company were in the habit of crossing in
latitude 52 1°, at the head of the North branch of the Saskatchewan,
between which and one of the feeding streams of the Columbia there
is a short portage ; but of late years, owing to the hostility of the
Indians, that route has been deserted, and the Hudson's Bay Company,
who now have the whole of the Fur Trade of that country, use a
portage of considerable length between the northern branch of the
Columbia and the Red Deer River, one of the branches of the Elk or
Mackenzie River. Some attempts have very recently been made
to effect a passage in the 62nd parallel of latitude; but although
several ridges of the mountains were crossed, it does not appear that
any stream flowing towards the Pacific was reached.

The whole of the country lying to the eastward of the Rocky
Mountains, and north of the Missouri and Great Lakes, is settled,
or more or less frequently visited by the Hudson Bay Company's
traders, and is well known to them, with the exception of the vicinity
of the Polar Sea, and a corner bounded to the westward by the Cop-
permine River, Great Slave, Athapescow, WoUaston, and Deer Lakes,
to the southward by the Churchill or Missinippi River, and to the
northward and eastward by the sea. This north-eastern corner of the
American continent is often mentioned in the following pages by the
appellation of the Barren-grounds, which it has obtained from the
traders on account of its being destitute of wood, except on the banks
of some of the larger rivers that traverse it. The prevailing rocks in

XXIV INTRODUCTION.

the district are primitive, and in one or two places only do they rise so
as to deserve the name of a mountain-ridge, their general form being
that of an assemblage of low hills with rounded summits, and more or
less precijiitous sides separated by narrow valleys. The soil of the latter
is sometimes an imperfect peat earth, and in that case it nourishes a
few stunted willows, glandular dwarf-birches, black spruce-trees, or
larches ; but more generally the soil consists of the debris of the rocks,
which is a dry coarse quartzose sand, unfit to support any thing but
lichens. All the larger valleys have a lake of very transparent water,
often of great depth in their centre, and occasionally these lakes are
perfectly land-locked, though they all contain fish. More generally one
lake discharges its waters into another, through a narrow gorge, by a
rapid and turbulent stream, and most of the rivers which flow through
the Barren-grounds are little more than a chain of narrow lakes con-
nected in this manner. The small caribou or rein-deer, and the musk-
ox, are the principal and characteristic inhabitants of these lands, and
the description by Linn^us, of the Lapland deserts frequented by the
rein-deer, applies with perfect accuracy to this corner of America.
" Nullum vegetabile in tota Lapponia tanta in copia reperitur ac haec
Lichenis species, {Cenomyce rangiferina) et quidem primario in sylvis,
ubi campi steriles arenosi vel glareosi, paucis Pinis consiti ; ibi enim
non modo videbis campos per spatium unius horas, sed s«pe duorum
triumve milliarium *, nivis instar albos, solo fere hocce hchene ob-
ductos." '' Hi Lichene obsiti campi, quos terram damnatam diceret
peregrinus, hi sunt Lapponum agri, haec prata eorum fertilissima, adeo
ut felicem se prtedicet possessor provinciee talis sterilissimae, atque
lichene obsit^e." Being destitute of fur-bearing animals, no settle-
ments have been formed within the Barren-grounds by the traders,
and a few wretched families of Chepewyans, termed, from their mode
of subsistence, " Caribou eaters," are the only human beings who
reside constantly upon them. Were any one to penetrate into their
lands, they might address him with propriety in the words used by the

* The Swedish mile is b^ English miles.

INTRODUCTION.

XXY

Lapland woman to Linnaeus, when he reached her hut, exhausted hy
hunger and the fatigue of travelHng through interminable marshes.
" O thou poor man, what hard destiny can have brought thee hither,
to a place never visited by any one before ! This is the first time I
ever beheld a stranger. Thou miserable creature ! how didst thou
come, and whither wilt thou go*?" Parties of Indians occasionally
cross these wilds in going from the Athapescow to Fort Churchill, but
they almost always experience great privations, and very often lose
some of their number by famine. Hearne, in his first and second
journeys, traversed them in two directions ; Sir John Frankhn, in his
first journey, travelled within their western limits ; and Sir Edward
Parry, in his second voyage, obtained specimens of the animals of
Melville peninsula, which forms the Xorth-east corner of the Barren-
grounds. The Chepewyans, Copper Indians, Dog-ribs, Hare-Indians,
and Esquimaux visit them annually for a short period of the summer
season, in quest of caribou.

The following quadrupeds are known to inhabit the Barren-grounds :

Ursus arctos ? Americanus.

„ maritimus.
Gulo luscus.
Mustela (Putorius) erminea.

„ „ vison.

Lutra Canadensis.

Canis lupus, et varietates ejus variee.
„ (Vixlpes) lagopus.
„ „ „ var. fuliginosa.

Fiber zibethicus.
Arvicola xanthognathus.

„ Pennsylvanicus.

„ borealis.

„ (Georychus) trimucronatus.

„ „ Hudsonius.

„ „ Groenlandicus.

Arctomys (Spermophilus) Parry i.

More or less carnivorous
or piscivorous. They
prey much on the ani-
mals in the following
section.

'herbivorous.

* Lachesis Lapponica, p. 145.

Xxvi INTRODUCTION.

Lepus elacialis. Principal food the dwarf-birch.

Cervus tarandus, var. arctica. 1 Graminivorous, or more commonly
Ovibos moschatus. J lichenivorous.

A belt of low primitive rocks extends from the Barren -grounds to
the northern shores of Lake Superior. It is about two hundred miles
wide, and as it becomes more southerly, it recedes from the Rocky
Mountains, and differs from the Barren-grounds, principally in being
clothed with wood. It is bounded to the eastward by a narrow stripe
of hmestone, and beyond that there is a flat, swampy, partly alluvial
district, which forms the western shores of Hudson's Bay. As far as
regards the distribution of animals, the whole tract, from the western
border of the low primitive rocks to the coast of Hudson's Bay, may
be considered as one district, with the exception that the sea-bear
seldom goes further inland than the swampy land which skirts the
coast. The whole may be named the Eastern district, and the follow-
ing animals inhabit it : —

Vespertiliones, species duo vel tres ignotse.
Sorex palustris.
„ Forsteri.
Scalops, species ignota.
Ursus Americanus.

mn vi f i m 1 1 c ( ( Does'not go further from the sea-
„ maiiLiuiub. I shore than one hundred miles.)

Meles ?
Gulo luscus.

Mustela (Putorius) vulgaris.
„ „ erminea.

„ „ vison.

„ martes.
„ Canadensis.
Mephitis Americana, var. Hudsonica,
Lutra Canadensis.
Canis lupus, varietates variae.
„ (Vulpes) lagopus.
„ „ fulvus.

,, ,, ,, var. decussata.

„ argentata.
Felis Canadensis.

INTRODUCTION'. SCXvii

Castor fiber, Americanus et ejus varietates.
Fiber zibethicus et ejus varietates.
Arvicola xanthognathus.

„ Pennsylvanicus.

„ (Georychus) Hudsonius.
Mus leucopus.
Meriones Labradorius.
Arctomys empetra.
Sciurus (Tamias) Lysteri.

„ Hudsonius.
Pteromys Sabrinus.
Lepus Americanus.
Cervus alces.

„ tarandus, var. sylvestris.

The district just mentioned is bounded to the westward by a very
flat hmestone deposit, and the Hne of junction of the two formations
is marked by a remarkable chain of rivers and lakes, among which are
the Lake of the Woods, Lake Winipeg, Beaver Lake, and the middle
portion of the Churchill or Missinippi River, all to the southward of
the Methy portage ; and the Elk River, Athapescow Lake, Slave River,
Great Slave Lake, and Martin Lake, to the northward of it. The
whole of this district is well wooded ; it yields the fur -bearing animals
most abundantly ; and a variety of the bison, termed from the circum-
stance the wood bison, comes within its western border, in the more
northern quarter. This animal has even extended its range to a par-
ticular corner, named Slave Point, on the north side of Great Slave
Lake, which is also composed of hmestone. The following animals
may be found in the limestone tract : —

Vespertilio pruinosus.
Sorex palustris.
„ Forsteri.
Condylura longicaudata. (southern paru only.)
Ursus Americanus.
Gulo luscus.

Mustek (Putorius) vulgaris.
jjj „ erminea.

„ „ vison.

d2

XXVni INTRODUCTION, .

Alustela martes.

„ Canadensis.
Mephitis Americana, Hudsonica.
Lutra Canadensis.
Canis lupus occidentalis, var. grisea.

,, ,, ,, atra.

,, ,, ,, nubila.

,, ,, „ Sticte.

5, (Vulpes) fulvus.

,, ,, ,, var. decussata.

,, ,, ,, argentata.

Felis Canadensis.

Castor fiber, Americanus et varietates ejus nigrae, variae, et albse.
Fiber zibethicus, colore interdum varians.
Arvicola xanthognathus.
,, Pennsylvanicus.
Mus leucopus.
Meriones Labradoriiis.
Arctorays empetra.

,, (Spermophillis) Hoodii (in the south-westem limits of the district.)

SciurUS (Tamias) Lysteri (m the southern pan of the district.)
,, ,, qnadrivittatUS (middle parts of the district.)

,, Hudsonius'.

,, niger (southern border of the district.)

Hystrix pilosus.
Lepus Americanus.
Cervus alces.

,, tarandus, sylveslris (only in a few spots.)
Bos Americanus.

Between this limestone district and the foot of the Rocky
Mountains, there is an extensive tract of what is termed Prairie land.
It is in general level, the slight inequahties of surface being imper-
ceptible when viewed from a distance, and the traveller in crossing it
must direct his course by the compass or the heavenly bodies, in the
same way as if he were journeying over the deserts of Arabia. The
soil is mostly dry and sandy, but tolerably fertile, and it supports a
pretty thick swc^rd of grass, which furnishes food to immense herds of
the bison. Plains of a similar character, but still more extensive, have
been described by the American writers as existing on the Arkansaw

INTRODUCTION. XXIX

and Missouri Rivers. They gradually become narrower to the north-
ward, and in the southern part of the fur countries they occupy about
fifteen degrees of longitude, extending from Maneetobaw or Maneeto-
woopoo, and Winepegoos Lakes to the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
They are partially intersected by some low ridges of hills, and also by
several streams, the banks of which are wooded, and towards the
outskirts of the plain there are many detached clumps of wood and
picturesque pieces of water, disposed in so pleasing a manner as to
give the country the appearance of a highly cultivated English park.
In the central parts of the plains, however, there is so little wood that
the hunters are under the necessity of taking fuel with them on their
journeys, or in dry weather of making their fires of the dung of the
bison. To the northward of the Saskatchewan, the country is more
broken, and intersected by woody hills ; and on the banks of the Peace
River, the plains are of comparatively small extent, and are detached
from each other by woody tracts ; they terminate altogether in the
angle between the River of the Mountains and Great Slave Lake.
The abundance of pasture renders these plains the favourite resort of
various ruminating animals. They are frequented throughout their
whole extent by buffalo and wapiti. The prong-horned antilope is
common on the Assinaboyn or Red River, and south branch of the
Saskatchewan, and extends its range in the summer to the north
branch of the latter river. The black-tailed deer, the long-tailed deer,
and the grisly bear, are also inhabitants of the plains, but do not
wander further to the eastward.

The following list will shew the peculiarity of the group of ferine
animals which frequent the district : —

Ursus ferox.
Canis latrans.

5, (Vulpes) cinereo-argentatus.

Arctomys (Spermophilus ?) Ludovicianus.

J, „ Richardsonii.

„ „ Franklinii.

„ „ Hoodii.

XXX INTRODUCTION.

Geomys ? talpoides.
Diplostoma ?
Lepus Virginianus.
Equus caballus.
Cervus alces.

„ strongyloceros.

„ macrotis.

„ leucurus.
Antilope furcifer.
Bos Americanus.

The fur-bearing animals also exist in the belts of wood which skirt
the rivers that flow through the plains ; and the wolverene wanders
over them as it does through every part of the northern extremity of
America. The mephitis Americana Hudsonica breeds freely there ;
and the raccoon is found on the banks of the Red River, which is its
most northern limit.

The following animals are found on the Rocky Mountains : —

Vespertilio subulatus.
Sorex palastris.
Ursus Americanus.

„ ferox.
Gulo luscus.

Mustela (Putorius) erminea.
„ „ vison.

„ raartes.
„ Canadensis.
Mephitis ?

Lutra Canadensis.
Canis lupus at ejus varietates.

„ (Vulpes) fulvus et ejus varietates.
Felis Canadensis.
Castor fiber, Americanus.
' Fiber zibethicus.

Arvicola riparius.

„ xanthognathus.
„ Novoboracensis.
„ (Georychus) helvolus.
Neotoma Drummondii.
Mus leucopus.

INTRODUCTION. XXXI

Arctomys empetra.

?

prumosus.

^, (Spermo^ihilus) Parryi, var. erythrogluteia.

„ „ „ phseognatha.

J, ,y guttatus ?

„ „ lateralis. . -

Sciurus (Tamias) quadrivittatus.

„ Hudsonius.
Pteromys Sabrinus, var. alpina.
Hystrix pilosus.
Lepus Americanus.

„ glacialis.
Lepus (Lagomys) princeps.
Cervus alces.

/(.Vlarge kind of caribou is said^to frequent the moun-
jj ^„. „^ , tains, but I have seen no specimens either of the animal

(^or of its horns.)

J, macrotis.
Capra Americana (on the wghest ridges.)

Ovis montana (on the eastern side of the ridge.)
33oS AmericaUUS (m particular passes only.)

The country lying between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific
is in general more hilly than that to the eastward ; but there are some
wide plains on the upper arms of the Columbia which have much of
the character of the plains of the Missouri and Saskatchewan, and are
inhabited by the same kind of animals. In particular the ursus ferox,
canis latrans, canis cinereo-argentatus, the braro (perhaps meles Labra-
doria), cervus macrotis var. /S. Columbiana, cervus leucurus, and
aplodontia leporina, are enumerated by Lewis and Clark. Mr.
Douglas also observed the condylura macroura, and several species of
Felis and of Geomys and Diplostoma in that quarter. The sea-coast
at the mouth of the Columbia is frequented by a species of fox very
hke the European one, or the red-fox of the Atlantic states of America.
The Arctomys brachyurus and the Arctomys Douglasii also inhabit
the banks of the Columbia ; and the Arctomys Beecheyi, a species
nearly allied to the latter, is found in the adjoining parts of California.
The bison are supposed to have found their way across the mountains
only very recently, and they are still comparatively few in numbers,
and confined to certain spots.

XXxii INTRODUCTION.

The following brief description of New Caledonia, another district
on the west of the Kocky Mountains, is extracted from Mr. Harmon's
journal : —

" New Caledonia was first settled by the North- West Fur Com-
pany in 1 806, and may extend from north to south about five hundred
miles, and from east to west, three hundred and fifty or four hundred.
The post at Stuart's Lake is nearly in the centre of it, and lies in
542° north latitude, and 125° west longitude. In this large extent of
country, there are not more than five thousand Indians, including
men, women, and children. It is mountainous, but between its
elevated parts there are pretty extensive valleys, along which pass
innumerable small rivers and brooks. It contains a great number of
lakes, one of which, Stuart's Lake, is about four hundred miles in
circumference ; and another, Nateotain Lake, is nearly twice as large.
I am of opinion that about one-sixth part of New Caledonia is covered
with water. There are but two large rivers. One of these, Frazer's
River, is sixty or seventy rods wide, rises in the Rocky Mountains
■within a short distance of the source of the Peace River, and is the
river which Sir Alexander Mackenzie followed for a considerable
distance when he went to the Pacific Ocean in 1793, and which he
took to be the Columbia. The other large river of New Caledonia is
Simpson's River, which takes its origin in Webster's or Bear Lake,
and, after passing through several considerable lakes, falls into
Observatory Inlet. The mountains of New Caledonia are not to be
compared, in point of elevation, with those that skirt the Peace River
between Finlay's Branch and the Rocky Mountain portage, though
there are some which are pretty lofty, and on the summits of one in
particular, which is visible from Stuart's Lake, the snow lies during the
whole year.

" The weather is not severely cold, except for a few days in the
winter, when the mercury is sometimes as low as 32° below zero of
Fahrenheit's thermometer. The remainder of the season is much
milder than it is on the other side of the mountains in the same

INTRODUCTION. XXXIU

latitude. The summer is never very warm in the day-time ; and the
nights are generally cool. In every month in the year, there are
frosts. Snow generally falls about the 15th of November, and is
all dissolved by the 15th of May. About M'Leod's Lake the snow
is sometimes five feet deep, and I imagine that this is the reason
that none of the large animals, except a few solitary ones, are to be
met with.

" There are a few moose ; and the natives occasionally kill a black
bear. Caribou are also found at some seasons. Smaller animals like-
wise occur, though they are not numerous. They consist of beavers,
otters, lynxes, fishers, martins, minks, wolverines, foxes of different
kinds, badgers, polecats, hares, and a few wolves. The fowls are, swans,
bustards (anas Canadensis), geese, cranes, ducks of several kinds, par-
tridges, &c. All the lakes and rivers are well furnished with excellent
fish. They are, sturgeon, white-fish, trout, sucker, and many of a
smaller kind. Salmon also visit the streams in very considerable num-
bers in autumn. The natives of New Caledonia we denominate
Carriers ; but they call themselves Ta-cullies, which signifies people
who go upon water."

Captain Cook, in his third voyage, saw raccoons, foxes, martins, and
squirrels, alive, on the coast of New Caledonia, and obtained skins of
the following animals : — ■

Black-bear, brown -bear, glutton, grey wolf, arctic or stone fox, black
fox, foxes of a yellow colour with a black tip to the tail, foxes of a deep
reddish yellow intermixed with black, raccoon, land-otter, sea-otter,
ermine, martins of three kinds : the common one, the pine -martin, and
a larger one with coarser hair (mustela Canadensis ?^, lynx, spotted
marmot, hares, and skin of an animal named wanshee by the natives.
In addition to this list, Meares mentions moose-deer skins, and the
skin of a very small species of deer, as among the articles of trade in
J)ossession of the natives at Nootka Sound.

To the north of New Caledonia there is a large projecting corner,
^vhich belongs to Russia, and has been traversed by the servants of the

XXXIV . INTRODUCTIOlf .

Fur Company of that nation ; but of which no account has been given
to the world, except of the coast, respecting which some information
jnay be obtained from the narratives of Captain Cook, Kotzebue, and
other voyagers. The few Indians of Mackenzie River, who have
crossed the Rocky Mountains, report that, on their western side, there
is a tract of barren grounds frequented by caribou and musk oxen ; and
the furs procured by the Russian Company indicate that woody regions,
similar to those to the eastward of the mountains, also exist there.

LangsdorfF gives the following list of skins contained in the principal
magazine of the Russian Fur Company, on the island of Kodiak, most
of them collected on the peninsula of Alaska, Cook's River, and other
parts of thecontinent.

Brown and red bears, black bears, foxes black and silver-gray, (the
stone fox, canis lagopus, is not found to the southward of Oonalaska),
glutton, sea, river, and marsh otters, lynx, beaver, zizel marmot, com-
anon marmot, hairy hedge-hog {erinaceus ecaudatus), rein-deer, American
wool- bearing animal.

The quadrupeds which inhabit the shores of the Polar Sea, are the
same that are comprised in the list of the animals of the Barren
Grounds. On the remote North Georgian Islands, in latitude 75°, there
are nine different species of mammiferous animals, of which five are
carnivorous, and four herbivorous. The following is Captain Sabine's
list of them : —

Ursus maritimus.
Gulo luscus.
Mustela erminea.
Canis lupus.
Canis lagopus.
Lemmus Hudsonius.
Lepus glacialis.

„ . r These two animals are only summer visitors.

xJOS mOSChatuS . I They arrive on Melville Island towards the

Crr, 1 j middle of May, and quit it on their return

erVUS larandUS . \ to the south in the end of September.

I have not enumerated the seals, moose, or whales, in any of the
lists ; nor have I attempted to give a description of any of them in the
text, because my opportunities of examining them were too limited to

INTRODUCTION. XXXV

enable me to record any new facts ; neither had I the means of cor-
rectly ascertaining the species.

I have, in the text, described the different species of animals, from
nature, as correctly as I could ; and I have chosen rather to subject
myself to the charge of proxility than to become obscure by aiming at
too great conciseness, because, in the course of my researches, I have
felt the difficulty of ascertaining the species, from the brief characters
assigned to them by the old writers. I have for the same reason in
many instances repeated some of the generic characters in the account
of a species, particularly in cases where any doubt respecting the genus
or sub-division of the genus existed. In the account of the manners
of the animals, I have borrowed freely from preceding writers ; and
from none more frequently or more copiously than from Captain Lyons,
whose "Private Journal" contains a great fund of information resjDect-
ing the northern animals. I wish it to be understood, however, that
in all cases, unless where a doubt is actually expressed, or where I state
that I have had no opportunity of personal observation, the remarks I
have quoted are sanctioned by the information I collected on the spot.
The nomenclature of colours, made use of in the description, is a
modification of Werner's, contained in Mr. Syme's useful little work*.
Before closing this introductory chapter, I have to discharge the
agreeable duty of expressing my obligations to many gentlemen who
have fostered the progress of the work. To the Eight Honourable
Lord Viscount Goderich my gratitude is especially due. To his
attachment to the sciences I am indebted for that patronage and aid,
which his high situation in his Majesty's Government enabled him to
bestow, and without which this work could not have appeared. To
the Right Honourable Thomas Frankland Lewis, also, I am under great
obligations for the interest he has shewn in the advancement of the
work, and for his kindness in forwarding my views. My gratitude is
not less owing to the present Treasury Board, for the readiness with
which they made the grant of money available ; and to the late and

* Werner's Nomenclature of Colours, loith Additions. By Patrick Syme, Flower Painter.
Edinburgh, 1821.

e 2

XXXvi ' INTRODUCTION.

present Secretaries of State for Colonial Affairs, for their kindness in
forwarding my applications through their department. I have next to
express my best thanks to the Governor and Committee of the Hud-
son's Bay Company, for granting me free access to their museum, and
to the manuscript accounts of the Fur Countries, in their possession,
and for the strong recommendations they transmitted to the resident
Chief Factors and Chief Traders, to forward the views of the Expedi-
tion, with respect to Natural History. To Mr. Garry, the Deputy
Governor of that Company, I have to offer my thanks in an especial
manner, not only for his general kindness and good offices, but for the
free use of his valuable library, particularly rich in the works of the
early travellers in America. I have also to mention my deep sense of
the kindness of the Council of the Horticultural Society, and of Joseph
Sabine, Esq., Secretary to that Institution, for the opportunity of
examining and describing Mi: Douglas's specimens. To Charles
Koenig, Esq., of the Eritish Museum, I am under much obligation, for
the facility he afforded me of examining the specimens in that collec-
tion ; and I am equally indebted to IST. A. Vigors, Esq., of the Zoological
Society, for his aid in the consultation of the museum under his charge.
I have, lastly, to express my gratitude to Sir John Franklin, and to the
Officers associated with me under his command. To the former, for the
kindness with which he embraced every opportunity during the pro-
gress of the Expedition, of forwarding my views with respect to that
branch of its objects, which was more particularly intrusted to me;
and to Captain Back, Lieutenant Kendall, and Mr. Dease, for their
active assistance in the collection of specimens. Indeed, I may, with
propriety, embrace this opportunity of saying, that I had the happi-
ness of being placed under an Officer, who was endowed with the rare
union of devoted attention to the duties of his profession, and of the
most sincere attachment to the interests of general science, — and that,
in him, and in the Officers under his command, I met withkind friends,
whose agreeable society beguiled the tedium of a lengthened residence
in the Arctic wilds.

EXPLANATION

REFERENCES TO AUTHORS.

Barton Medical and Physical Journal, edited hy Professor Barton, Philadelphia. (This

work is quoted after M. Say.)
Bewick Bewick's History of Quadrupeds. 1st and 2nd editions, with wood cuts.

Billings Expedition to the Northern Parts of Russia, by Commodore Joseph Billings, 1785

to 1794 ; narrated by Martin Sauer. London, 1802.

Blainville Bulletin des Sciences par la Society Philomatique, 1791 et seq. Paris.

Brisson Le Regne Animal Divise en ix. Classes. 1 vol. in 4to. Paris, 1756.

BuFFON Histoire NatureUe, Generale et Particuliere, avec la Description du Cabinet du

Roi. Paris, 1749. 36 vols, in 4to.

Cartwright .... Journal of Sixteen Years" Residence in Labrador, by G-. Cai-twTight. 1 vol. 8vo.
London.

Carver ....... Travels in North America, by J, CaiTer, Esq., in the Years 1766, 1767 and 1768.

London, 1778.

Catesby The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands, by Mark

Catesby. 2 vols. fol. with App. London, 1731 and 1743.

C. Hamilton Smith . . Vide Smith.

Champlain Voyages du Sieur de Champlain Xaintongeois. 1613.

Charlevoix .... Histoire de la Nouvelle France, avec le Journal d\m Voyage dans VAmerique,

Septentrionale, par le P. Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix, a Paris an

1777. 12mo. tom. 5.

Clerk of the California Vide Smith and Drage.

Clinton Transactions of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York, instituted

in the Year 1814. Introductory Discourse by the Hon. De Witt Clinton, LL.D,,

&c. 4to. New York, 1815,

Cook Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, in 1776 — 1780, performed under the Direction of

Captain Cook. London, 1784. 4to. 3 vols.
CoxE Account of Russian Discoveries between Asia and America, by "William Coxe,

A.M., F.R.S. London, 1787.

XXXVm EXPLANATION OF THE

CirviER, or CuviER, Baron. Tableau Elementaire de rHistoire Naturelle des Animaux. 1 vol. in 8vo. Paris,
j^ 1798. Legons d'Anatomie Comparee, Recueilles et Publiees, par MM. Dumeril

et Duvernay. 5 vols, in 8vo. Paris, 1803—1805.
„ „ „ Recherches sur les Ossemens Fossiles de Quadi-upedes. 4 vols, in 4to. Paris, 1812.

,, „ „ Le Regne Animal Distribue d'apres sur Organisation, par M. Le Chr. Cuvier,

4 vols. 8vo. Paris, 1817.
Cuvier, Fred. . . . Histoire Naturelles des Mammiferes. En folio.

De Monts Vide Monts.

Denys Histoire de TAmerique. (Quoted from Pennant.)

Desmarest Mammalogie en Description des Especes des Mammiferes, par M. A. G. Des-

marest. 4to. Paris, 1820.
Dixon A Voyage round the World, in the Years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788, by Captain

George Dixon. London, 1789.

Dobbs An Account of Hudson's Bay, by Arthur Dobbs, Esq. Londoiv, 1744

Drage Fi'c^e Smith and Clerk of the California.

Dudley Philosophical Transactions, January, 1727. Of the Moose-deer in America, by

Paul Dudley, Esq.

Du Pratz Vide Pratz.

Edwards Natural History of Birds and other rare undescribed Animals, by George Edwards.

7vols. 4to. London, 1743.

Ellis Voyage to Hudson's Bay in the Dobbs and California, by Hemy Ellis, in the

year 1746 and 1747. London, 1748. 8vo.

Erxlebein Systema Regni Animalis. 8vo. Leipzick, 1777.

Fabricius Fauna Groenlandica Othonis Fabricii. 1 vol. 8vo. Haftiiaeet Lipsiae, 1780.

Fernandez Historia Animalium, auctore Francisco Fernandez, Pliillippi Secundi Primario

Medico. 1 vol. 4 to. An. 1651, Roma.

Fleming The Philosophy of Zoology, by John Fleming, D.D, 2 vols. 8vo. Edinburgh, 1822.

FoRSTER Philosophical Transactions, vol. 62. An. 1777. Descriptions of Specimens of

Animals brought from Hudson's Bay, by J. Reinhold Forster.

Franklin Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea, in the Years 1819, 1820,

and 1821, by John Franklin, Capt. Royal Navy. 1 vol. 4to. London, 1822.

„ Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea in the Years

1825, 1826, and 1827, by John Franklin, F.R.S., Captain Royal Navy. 1 vol
4to. London, 1828.

Gass Journal of the Travels of a Corps of Discovery under Captain Lewis and Captain

Clarke to the Pacific Ocean, in the Years 1804, 1805, and 1806. 8vo. By
Patrick Gass. 1 vol. 8vo. London, 1808.

Geoffrey ..... Geoffroy St. Hilaire, Annales du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris. 20 vols.
in4to. De 1822 a 1823.

Gmelin Systema Naturae Linnei, ed. 13. An. 1790. J. F. Gmehn.

REFERENCES TO AUTHORS. XXXlX

God MAN .'. . .' . . American Natural History, by John D. Godman, M.D. 3 vols. 8vo. Philadel-
phia, 1826.

Graham ....... Vide Hutchins.

Grieve History of Kamskatcha, translated fi-om the Russian of Krascheninikoff, by James

Grieve, M.D. Gloucester, 1764. ...

Griffith ..... Tlie Animal Kingdom, by Baron Cuvier, translated by Edward Griffith, and
Others. 8vo. London, An. 1827 et seq.

GuLDENSTED .... Novi Commentarii Peti'opolitani, 1 749 — 1775. 20 vols', ■ • • • •

Hamilton Smith . . Vide Smith.

Harlan Fauna Americana, being a Description of the Mammiferous' Animals inhabiting

North America, by Richard Harlan, M.D. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1825.

Harmon. ..... A Journal of Voyages and Travels in the Interior of North America, between the

47th and 58th Degrees of Latitude, by Daniel William Haraion, a Paiiner in
the North West Company. Andover, 1820.

Hearne Jom-ney to the Northern Ocean, by Samuel Hearne, in the Years 1769, 1770,

1771, and 1772. London, 1807.

Hennepin Nouvelle Decouverte d'un Tres gi-and Pays situe dans I'Amerique, "par R. P.

Louis de Hennepin. Amsterdam, 1698,
Henry Travels and Adventures in Canada and the Indian Ten-itories, by Alexander

Henry, in the Years 1760 — 1776. New York, 1809. . .

He riot Travels through Canada, by George Heriot, Esq. London, 1807.

Hernandez Rerum Medicaram Novae Hispaniae Thesaurus Francisci Hernandez, Reecho

Editore. Roma, 1651.

Histoire de l'Amerique. Histoire de I'Amerique Septentrionale. Tom. 2, 12mo. Amsterdam, 1723.

Hontan Vide Lahontan.

Hutchins MS. Account of Hudson's Bay, written about the j-ear 1780. Mr. Hutchins

furnished much intelligence to Pennant respecting the Zoology of Hudson's
Bay. In a few first sheets of this work Mr. Graham is through mistake quoted
as the author of these manuscript notices.

James The dangerous Voyage of Captain Thomas James, for the Discovery of a North-

West Passage. London, 1633, reprinted 1740.

James Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, under the Command of Major Long, by Edwin

James. 3 vols. London, 1823. The American edition -is also quoted oc-
casionally.

Jameson .,..., Transactions of the Wernerian Society of Edinburgh, vol. iii. p. 306, Account of
the Rocky Mountain Sheep, by Professoi- Jameson.

Jeremie ...... Voyage au Nor d. (Quoted from Pennant.)

JosELYN ...... New England. (Quoted fi-om Pennant.)

Joxitel Voyage to Mexico, by Mr. Joutel, translated fi-om the French. London, 1719.

Kalm Peter Kalm's Travels in North America, translated by J. R. Foster, The abridge-
ment in Pinkerton's collection of voyages is also quoted, ...

Ix EXPLANATION OF THE

Klein Isaac Theodore Klein, Quadrupedum Dispositio. 4to. Lipsiae, 1751.

Krasheninikoff . . . Vide Grieve.

Lahontan Voyages dans rAmerique de M. La Baron de la Hontan. Vol. 2 en 12mo. Ala

Haye, 1703.
Langsdorff .... Voyages and Travels to various Parts of the World, in the Years 1803, 1804,

1805, 1806, and 1807, by G. H. von Langsdorff. 2 vols. London, 1813.

Lawson History of Carolina. (Quoted from Pennant.)

Leach ...... Leach, W. Elford. Zoological Miscellany.

„ „ „ Appendix to Ross's Voyage to Baffin's Bay. 1819,

Lesson Manuel de Mammalogie, par Rene Primeven-e Lesson. 12mo. Paris, 1827.

Lewis and Clarke . . Travels to the Pacific Ocean in 1804, 1805, and 1806, by Captains Lewis and
Clarke. 3 vols. 8vo. London, 1807.

LiCHTENSTEiN .... Voyagc a Boulihara, par M. Le Baron Georges de MeyendorfF, en 1820. Paris,
1826. Description, par M. Lichtenstein des Animaux Recueilles dans le
Voyage, par M. Eversman.

Linn Systema Naturae, Carolo a Linne. Ed. xii. 1706,

„ „ „ Fauna Suecica. 8vo, 1746.

Linn. Gmelin , . . . Systema Naturae Linnei. Ed. xiii. Cura Gmelini, Leipsig, 1788,
Long's Journey . , . Vide James.

Lyon Private Journal of Captain G. F. Lyon during a Voyage of Discoveiy under

Captain Parry. 8vo. London, 1824.

Mc GiLLivRAY . . . . New York Medical Repository, vol. vi. p. 238. Account of the Mountain Ram,
by William Mc Gillivray. 1803.

Mackenzie (Sir Alex.) Travels to the Polar Sea and to the Pacific Ocean, in theYearsl789 — 1791, by
Alexander Mackenzie. London,

Mackenzie (Sir George) Travels in Iceland.

Marten Voyage to Spitzbergen and Greenland, by F, Marten. 8vo. London, 1711.

Mears Voyages to the North- West Coast of America in 1788 and 1789, by John Meares,

Esq. 4to, London, 1790.
Meyendorff .... Vide Lichtenstein.
MiTCHiLL . . , , . Medical Repositoiy of New York. An. 1821. (Quoted from M. Say.)

MoNTS, De Nova Francia. The three last voyages of Monsieur de Monts, of M. Pontgrave,

and of M. De Poutrincourt, into La Cadia. London.

Ord Guthrie's Geogi-aphy, American Edition. Philadelphia. (Quoted from Harlan.)

„ Journal of the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia. Vol, iv, p. 305.

Palisot de Beauvais . Bulletin des Sciences par la Societe Philomatique depuis, 1791. Paris.

Pallas Novae Species Quadrupedum e Glirium Ordine. Erlang. In 4to.

„ Spicelegia Zoologica, Berolini, 1767 — 1780.

, Voyage dans Plusieurs Provinces de I'Empii-e de Russie. 8 vols, in 8vo. Paris.

> Annals of Nature. (Quoted from Desmarest.)

REFERENCES TO AUTHORS. XU

Parry Voyage for the Discoveiy of a North-West Passage, performed in the Years 1819,

1820, in His Majesty's Ships the Hecla and Griper, by Wilham Edward Parrj",
R.N., F.R.S. 4to. London, 1821.

» Second "Voyage for the Discovery of a North- West Passage in the Years 1821,

1822, 1823, in the Fury and Hecla, by Captain William Edward Parrj', R.N.
F.R.S. London, 1824.

Pennant Hist oiy of Quadrupeds. 3d Edition. 2 vols. 4to. London, 1793.

Arctic Zoology. 2 vols. 4to. 1784.

Pii^E Travels on the Missouri and Arkansaw, by Lieutenant Pike, in 1805 and 1806.

Edited by T. Rees, Esq. London, 1811.
Pratz, Du Voyage de Louisiana. (Quoted fi-om Pennant.)

Rafinesque, or
Rafinesque-Smaltz.

„ „ American Monthly Magazine, (Ditto).

„ „ Precis, les Decouvertes Somiologiques. En 18mo. Palerme, 1814.

Ray Raii Synopsis Methodica AnimaUum. 8vo. Londini, 1693.

Richardson Appendix to Captain Parry's Second Voyage. London, 1824.

„ Zoological Journal. 1828, 1829. London.

Sabine, (Joseph) . . . Franklin's Fu-st Journey. Zool. Appendix. London, 1822.

>, „ ... Linnean Transactions, vol. xiii.

Sabine, (Capt. Edward) Supplement to the Appendix of Captain Parry's First Voyage in 1819, 20.
London, 1824.

Sagard-Theodat . . Vide Theodat.

Sauer , . Vide Billings.

Say His Zoological Notices, in the Notes to Long's Expedition to the Rocky Mountains,

are quoted. Vide James.

Schoolcraft .... Travels to the Sources of the Mississippi River, by H.R. Schoolcraft. Albany, 1821.

Schreber Histoire des Mammiferes. In 4to. Erlangen, 1775, etsuiv.

Shaw General Zoology, by George Shaw, M.D., F.R.S. 16 vols. 8vo. London,

1800—1812.

Smith, (Captain) . . Voyage by Hudson's Straights, in the California, by Captain Francis Smith; by
the Clerk of the California, in 1746 and 1747. (The Clerk's name was Drage.
Ellis, the Agent for the Proprietors in the Dobbs, the consort of the California,
gives another account of the voyage, but less full on points of Natural Histoiy.)
Vide Ellis.

Smith, (C. H,) .... His papers in the Linnean Transactions, and in Griffith's Translation of Cuvier,
are quoted.

Steller Acta PetropoUtana.

Temminck Monographies de Mammalogie et Tableau Methodique des Mammiferes. 4(o.

Paris, 1827.

xlii EXPLANATLON OF THE REFERENCES TO AUTHORS.

Tueodat Histoiredu Canada, par le F. Gabriel Sagard-Theodat. ' 12mo. Paris, 1636.

Traill Voyage to Greenland, by J. Scoresby. Appendix.

Umfreville .... Present State of Hudson's Bay, by Edward Umfreville. London, 1790. 8vo.

Ulloa Voyage. (Quoted from Pennant.)

Warden Account of the United States of North America, Edinburgh, 1819.

Voyage de l'Amerique Voyage de TAmerique dans le Vaisseau Pelican, En 1697. Anisterdam, 1723.

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF THE SPECIES.

1. Vespertilio pruinosus. The Hoary Bat . . . .1

2. „ SUBULATUS. Say's Bat .... 3

3. SoREX PALusTRis. The American Marsh-Shrew . . . .5

4. „ FoRSTERi. Forster's Shrew-Mouse .... 6

5. „ PARVUS. The Small Shrew-Mouse . . . .8
jB. ScALOPS Canadensis. The Shrew-Mole .... 9

7. CoNDYLURA LONGicAUDATA. The Long-tailcd Star-nose . . .13

83. „ MACROURA ...... 284

8. Ursus Americancs. The American Black Bear . . .14

9. „ ARCTos ? Americanus. The Barren-ground Bear . . 21

10. „ FEROx. The Grisly Bear . . . . .24
10'''^ „ MARiTiMus. The Polar or Sea Bear .... 30

11. Procyon lotoe. The Raccoon . . . . .36

12. Meles Labradoria. The American Badger ... 37

13. GuLo Luscus. The Wolverene . . . . .41

14. MusTELA (Putorius) VULGARIS. The Common Weasel . . 45

15. „ „ ERMiNEA. The Ermine, or Stoat . . .46

16. „ „ visoN. The Vison- Weasel ... 48

17. „ MARTEs. The Pine-Marten . . . . .51

18. „ Canadensis. The Pekan or Fisher . . .52
„ var. alba. White Pekan . . . .54

19. Mephitis Americana, Hudsonica. Hudson's Bay Skunk . . .55

20. LuTRA Canadensis. The Canada Otter .... 5^7

21. „ (Enhydka) Marina. The Sea Otter . . . .59

f2

Xliv SYSTEMATIC LIST OF THE SPECIES.

PAGE

22. Canis lupus, occidentalis. The American Wolf . . . 60
var. A. Lupus griseus. The Common Gray Wolf . . .66

B. „ ALBus. The White Wolf . ... 68

C. „ Sticte. The Pied Wolf . . . .68

D. „ NUBiLus. The Dusty Wolf .... 69

E. „ ATER. The Black American Wolf . . .70

23. Canis Latrans. The Prairie Wolf .... 73

24. „ FAMiLiARrs. The Domestic Dog . . . .75
var. A. BOREALis. The Esquimaux Dog .... 75

B. LAGOPUs. The Hare-Indian Dog • . . .78

C. Canadensis. The North American Dcg ... 80

D. Nov^ Caledonijs. The Carrier Indian Dog . I .82

25. Canis (Vulpes) lagopus. The Arctic Fox . . . 83

var. /S. FULGiNosA. The Sooty Fox . . . . .89

26. Canis (Vulpes) fulvus. The American Fox ... 91
var. /3. DEcussATA. The American Cross Fox . . . .93

y, ARGENTATA. The Blacli or Silver Fox ... 94

27. Canis (Vulpes) Virginianus. The Gray Fox . . . .96

28. ,, (Vulpes vulgaris^ vulpes ? The Fox ... 97

29. Canis (Vulpes) cinereo-argentatus. The Kit Fox . . .98

30. Fklis Canadensis. The Canada Lynx .... 101

31. ,, RUFA. The Bay Lynx . . . .. . . 103

32. ,, FASciATA. The Banded Lynx .... 104

33. Castor fiber, Americanus. The American Beaver . . . 105

var. B. ,, nigra. The Black Beaver . . . .113

C. ,, varia. The Spotted Beaver .... 114

D. „ alba. The While Beaver .... 114

34. Fiber zibethicus. The Musquash . . . . .115
var. B. ,, nigra. The Black Musquash . . . 119

C. ,, MACULOSA. The Pied Musquash .... 119

D. „ alba. The White Musquash . . . 119

35. Arvicola riparius. The Bank Meadow-Mouse . . . 120

36. „ xanthognathus. The Yellow-cheeked Meadow-Mouse . 122

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF THE SPECIES. xlv

PAGE

37. Arvicola pennsVlvanicus. Wilson's Meadow-Mouse . . . 124

38. „ NovoBORACENsis. The Sharp-nosed Meadow-Mouse . . 126

39. „ BoREALis. The Northern Meadow-Mouse . . . 127

40. „ (Georychus) helvolus. The Tawny Lemming . . 128

41. „ „ TRiMucRONATUs. Bacli's Lemming . .130

42. „ „ HuDsoNius. The Hudson's Bay Lemming . 132

43. „ „ Grcenlandicus. The Greenland Lemming . . 134

44. Neotoma Drummondii. The Rocky Mountain Neotoma . . 137
f . Mus KATTus. The Black Rat ..... 140
f . ,, DEcuMANus. The Brown Rat .... 141
|. ,, MuscuLUs. The Common Mouse .... 141

45. ,, LEucopus. The American Field-Mouse . . . 142

46. Meriones Labradorius. The Labrador Jumping-Mouse . . . 144

47. Arctomys empetra. The Quebec Marmot . . . . 147

48. ,, ? PRUiNosus. The Whistler .... 150

49. ,, BRAciiYURUS. The Short-tailed Marmot . . . 151
|. ,, MONAX. The Wood-Chuck .... 153
|. ,, (Spermopiiilus ?) LuDoviciANus. The Wistonwish . . 154

50. ,, ,, Parryi. Parry's Marmot . . . 158

Var. /3. ERYTHROGLUTEIA .... 161

„ y. PH^OGNATHA ..... 101

51. Arctomys (Spermophilus) guttatus ? The American Souslik . 162

52. „ „ RicHARDsoNii. The Tawny Marmot . . 164

53. „ „ Franklinii. Franklin's Marmot . 168
|, „ „ Beecheyi. Beechey's Marmot . . 170

54. „ ? „ ? DouGLAsii. Douglas's Marmot . . 172

55. J, „ LATERALIS. Say's Marmot . . 174

56. ,, ,5 HooDii. The Leopard Marmot . . 177

57. SciuRus (Tasiias) Lysteri. The Hackee .... 181

58. „ „ Quadrivittatus. The Four-banded Pouched-Squirrel 184

59. J, HuDSONius. The Chickaree . . . . 187
„ Var. /3. The Columbian Pine-Squirrel . . .190

60. „ NIGER. The Black Squirrel .... 191

xlyi

;SYSTEiMATIC LIST OF THE SPECIES.

61

62,

t

63.
64,
65.

66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.

t-
72.

73.

74.

75.
76.

77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.

, Pteromys S.\brinus. The Severn River Flying Squirrel
Var. i3. ALPiNA. The Rocky-Mountain Flying-Squirrel

Geomys. Generic characters

,, DouGLASir. The Columbia Sand-Rat
,, uMBRiNus. Leadbeater's Sand-Rat ,

,, ? BURSARius. The Canada Pouched-Rat
,. ? TALPOiDEs. The Mole-shaped Sand-Rat

DiPLOsTOMA BULBivoRUM. The Camas-Rat

Aplodontia. Generic characters . •

Aplodontia leporina. The Sewellel

Hystrix pilosus. The Canada Porcupine

Lepus Americanus. The American Hare
,, GLACiALis. The Polar Hare
„ ViRGiNiANus. The Prairie Hare
,, (Lagomys) PRiNCEPs. The Littlc-Chief Hare

LiPURA HuDsoNiA. The Tail-less Marmot

Equus caballus. The Horse

Cervus alces. The Moose-Deer .

„ TARANDUs. The Caribou

Var. «. ARCTicA

,, /o. SY'LVESTRIS

,, sTRONGY'LOCEROs. The Wapiti

,, MACROTis. The Black-tailed Deer
Var. ^. Columbiana

„ LEucuRus. The Long-tailed Deer
Antilope furcifer. The Prong- Horned Antilope
Capra Americana. The Rocky Mountain Goat
Ovis MONTANA. The Rocky Mountain Sheep
OviBos MoscHATUs. The Musk-Ox . ,

Bos Americanus. The American Bison

PAGE

193

195

197

200

202

203

204

206

210

211

214

217

221

224

227

230

231

232

238

241

250

251

254

257

258

261

268

271

275

279

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

PART I.

MAMMALIA.

[1.] 1. Vespertilio Pruinosus. (Say.) Hoary Bat.

Genus. Vespertilio. LiNir. Suh-genus. Vespertilio, Geoffroy.

V. Pruinosus. Say. Long's Exped.^ vol. i. p. I67. American edition, (vol. i. p. 331, Engl, ed.)

Harlan. Fauna Amer. p. 21.
Hoary Bat. God man. Nat. Hist. vol. i. p. 68, and fig. t. No. 3.

This species of Bat was first noticed by Mr. Nuttall, at Council Bluffs^ on the
Missouri ; and Mr. Say_, in Long's Expedition, describes an individual captured
in the same neighbourhood. Dr. Godman states^ that it has been taken near
Philadelphia. The specimen I have described below was caught at Cumberland-
house on the Saskatchewan^ in latitude 54°, and presented to me by Mr. Isbister,
resident clerk at that post. This individual is larger than Mr. Say's_, but there
seeras to be no other difference. Godman's figure does not represent the tail
forming a small obtuse point to the interfemoral membrane, such as it exists in
my specimen. After a minute examination^ I could find no traces of more than
two incisors in the upper jaw. Mr. Say found the same number; but it is pos-
sible, that some cutting-teeth may have dropped out in both specimens. The
number of teeth would bring this species of Bat into the genus Nycticems of
Rafinesque ; but the whole habit of the animal shews that it is properly classed
in Geoffroy 's genus Vespertilio, a subdivision of the great Linnaean genus.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula, incisors |, canines j-E^I, grinders ^ = 34,
The superior incisors are conical and sharp pointed, separated from each other by a wide
naked space, and closely adjoining to the canine tooth on their respective sides. They are

B

2 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

slightly dilated exteriorly at their bases, but can scarcely be termed tuberculated. In height,
they equal the molar teeth. The inferior incisors are arranged in contact with each other in a
convex line, and are very short. They have obtuse, slightly two-lobed crowns, which expand
laterally beyond their roots. The upper canine teeth are conical, obscurely three-sided and
sharp pointed. They stand twice as high as the m.olar teeth. The inferior canine teeth are
of the same size with the superior ones, and have each a minute and rather obtuse lobe at
the base on the inner side. The molar teeth have high, sharp, pyramidal points.

The nostrils are two lines apart, turned a little outwards, and have a raised obtuse, naked
margin. There is a depression between the nostrils superiorly, but no furrow on the
margin of the lip, which is hoary within and without. The eyes are surrounded by fur,
but situated clear of the ear and its tragus. The ears are shorter than the head, nearly
circular, entirely covered with fur behind, except a small lobe, which projects anteriorly,
and is overlapped by the tragus. On the inside there are some detached patches of hair.
The margins are entire, and the folds around the auditory opening have a resemblance to
those of the human ear. The tragus is scalene-triangular, fixed by one of its angles, and
is Avell characterised by Mr. Say as very obtuse at the tip, and arquated. It is thinly
hairy exteriorly. The margin of the mouth and the chin are black and hairy; and the
crown of the head and throat are yellowish-brown. The occiput, and the rest of the superior
parts, are covered with a long and very fine fur, which is blackish-brown at the base, then
shining yellowish-brown, followed by very dark umber-brown, and, lastly, tipped with white,
producing a hoary and almost silvery colour on the back. The fur of the under parts is also
hoary, but has less lustre. The interfemoral membrane is triangular, and at its apex there is a
very slight smooth projection of the tail. It is hairy above ; its fur, towards the middle, being
coloured like that of the back ; but, near its margins, and particularly towards the apex, a
reddish-brown tint prevails. The xoincj-membrane presents some small hairy patches above
the elbow-joint, and at the roots of the metacarpal-bones. Underneath, it has a close coat of
yellowish-brown fur on each side of the humerus ; also a hairy patch beneath the brachial-
bone, and others beneath the metacarpal-bones at their origin. The first finger has one
joint ; the second, three ; and the others, two each. The thumb has one phalanx, which
is much longer than its metacarpal-bone, and is armed with a short but strong, curved, black
claw. The hind-feet are covered with hoary fur above, and have short, curved claws, which
are excavated underneath.

Dimensions.

Inches

Lines.

Inches.

Lines,

Length of the head aud body

4

0

Space betwixt the upper canine teeth

0

3^

„ tail

2

0

„ lower canine teeth

0

n

Spread of the wings

15

0

„ ears

0

7

Length of head

1

1

Length of thumb and claw

0

6

Space betwixt the nostrils nearly

0

2

Diameter of the ear, (every way,) about

0

6

MAMMALIA.

[2.] 2. Vespertilio Subulatus. (Say.) Sai/'s Bat.

Vespertilio Subulatus. Say. Long''s Exped. vol. ii. p. 65. (or vol. ii. p. 253, Eng. ed.)
Subulate Bat. Godsian. Nat. Hist. vol. i. p. 71.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula, incisors ^^, canines ~\, grinders IEs = 38. ■

The upper incisors are short, and are arranged in two distant pairs, each pair being
close to the canine tooth of the same side. Each tooth has a small interior pointed
lobe. The lower incisors are very short, and have two obtuse lobes. The canine teeth are
a little longer than the grinders, nearly straight, subulate, and sharp pointed*. The two
anterior grinders on each side, both above and below, are small, short, conical, and sharp
pointed. The one adjoining to them, also simply conical, is higher than the three pos-
terior grinders of each side, which, in the lower jaw, have a double row of acute points;
and, in the upper jaw, a triple row ; the inner row of the latter being much lower than the
outer ones.

The head is short, broad, and flat: the nose blunt, with a small, flat, naked muzzle. The
nostrils, situated at the two anterior corners of the muzzle, are small, roundish, naked, and
scarcely one line apart. The tip of the lower jaw is rounded, and naked. Eyes concealed
by the fur, and situated near the ears, but not covered by them. Ears about the length of the
head, or a little longer, thin, membranous, ovate, obtuse ; slightly undulated, but not notched
posteriorly, and curving forwards at the base ; slightly ventricose anteriorly, without folds.
The ear is hairy at the base behind, and there are a very few scattered hairs on its innei'
surface. The tragus is thin, broadly subulate below, tapering to a point upwards, and ending
in a small obtuse tip ; it is attached by one corner at the base, is about two-thirds of the
height of the ear, and is not curved or falciform.

The back has a shining yellowish-brown colour ; the belly a yellowish-gray. The fur, soft
and fine, is longest on the back (three Unes), and both above and below is blackish at the roots.
With the exception of the small naked space behind the nostrils, the head is covered with fur,
but a little shorter than that on the back ; towards the mouth it assumes a blackish colour;
it is rather coarser on the lips, and there are a few longer hairs or whiskers, but they are not
stiff nor very conspicuous.

The interfemoral membrane is broad, and tapers to a point along the tail, which it envelopes.
It is thinly clothed at the base with fur similar to that on the back in colour, but shorter. It
is also fringed with a few scattered hairs on its posterior, free margin, which is not undulated.

• The bifid point of one of the canine teeth in Jlr. Say's specimen seems to have been an accidental circumstance.

B 2

4 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

The tail projects about a line beyond the membrane. The toes of the hind-feet are rather
long, and have white, slender claws, not greatly curved, with a few long hairs projecting over
them. The loing -membrane is naked, and the joints of the fingers correspond with those
of the vespertilio jrruinosus, and the rest of the genus, as restricted by Geoffrey. The
thumb is about two lines and a half long, including its slender claw, which rather exceeds half
a line.

Dimensions.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lmes»

Length of body and head ... 1 10 Height of the tragus .... 0 4|.

tail ... 1 6 Spread of wings from tip of the middle

head 0 9 finger of the right wing to the tip of

Height of ear .... 0 8 the corresponding finger of the left

Breadth of ditto near the middle . . 0 4 wing . ... 10 0
It is broader at the base.

This Bat is the most common species near the eastern base of the Rocky Moun-
tains on the upper branches of the Saskatchewan and Peace Rivers. Mr. Say'^s
specimen was obtained near the head of the Arkansas, within sight of the moun-
tains ; and the description he gives of it corresponds so nearly with my specimens^
that I have no hesitation in considering them to be the same. Say's Bat has a
general resemblance to the Verpertilio jnpistreUus of the British isles ; but the
latter has one grinder of a side fewer, weaker canine teeth, a smaller ear, and a
shorter thumb and claw. Its fur is likewise shorter, and its back and belly do not
exhibit such distinct shades of colour. It seems to approach near to the Vespertilio
emargimtus of GeofFroy, as Mr. Say has remarked ; b\it I have not been able to
obtain a specimen of the latter with which I might compare it. The Carolina
Bat differs in the shape of the tragus, which is semi-cordiform, but resembles this
one nearly in the colour of the fur and in general form.

MAMMALIA.

{3.] 1. SoREX Palustris. (Richardson.) American Marsh-Shrew.

Genus. Sorex. Linn.

Sorex palustris. Richardson. Zoological Journal, No. xii. April, 1828.

S. (palustris) cauda corpics longitudine exeedenti, auriculis subvestitis vellere lalentibus, corpore cinerascenti-nigro ;

subter cinereo.
Shrew, with the tail longer than the body, short hairy ears concealed by the fur, back somewhat hoary-black, belly

-ash-gray.

DESCRIPTION.

The dimensions of this animal are nearly the same with those of the Musaraigne de
Daiihenfon, or Water Shrew of Pennant, and are considerably greater than those of the
>S'. constrictus, with which it seems to have some relations.

Dental formula ; intermediary incisors #, lateral incisors |^* grinders t^ = 30.

The two posterior lateral incisors are smaller than the two anterior ones on the same side,
and the latter are a little longer than the posterior lobes of the intermediary incisors. All the
lateral incisors have small lobes on their inner sides. The tips of the teeth have a shining
chestnut-brown colour.

Form. — The muzzle is shorter in proportion and broader than that of the Sorejc parvus.
The whole upper lip is bordered with ivhiskers, and the tips of the posterior ones, which are
the longest, reach behind the ears. The extremity of the muzzle is naked and two-lobed.
The eyes are visible. The ear is shorter than the fur ; its inferior margin is folded in ; there is
a heart-shaped lobe covering the auditory opening, and a transverse fold above it. The ears,
particularly the superior margins, are clothed with thick tufts of fur, like that on the rest of
the head. The tail appears to be rounded^ or slightly four-sided from its base, to near the
tip, where it is compressed and terminated by a small pencil of hairs. It is covered by a close
coat of short hair. The feet are clothed with rather coarse, short, adpressed hairs, those on
the sides of the toes being arranged somewhat in a parallel manner, but not very distinctly.

The fur resembles that of the mole in softness, closeness, and lustre. On the superior
or dorsal aspect it is black, with a slightly hoary appearance when turned to the light. On
the ventral aspect it is ash-coloured. At the roots it is bluish-gray. The outside of the
thighs and upper surface of the tail correspond in colour with the back, the under surface of
the tail and inside of the thighs with the belly. The feet are paler than the back and a little
hoary. The nails are whitish.

Dimensions,

Lines. Inches. Lines.

6 Length of nose, from upper incisors, scarcely 0 2

7 Height of ear ...... 0 3

2 Length of hind-foot from heel to end of the

7 nails 0 9

Inches.

ngth from nose to origin of tail .

3

„ of tail

2

„ of head . . . .

1

„ from nose to eye

0

6 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

This animal agrees with the S. constridus in having two lateral incisors more
in the upper jaw than some other species of the genus, but the Sorex brevicaudus
of Say is described by Dr. Harlan as having five lateral incisors ('' minute false
molars ") on each side, and the same thing occurs in the following species.
When compared with a specimen of the water-shrew in the British Museum, the
colour of its fur appeared different, the points of the teeth darker, the ears smaller,
and the tail longer than in the water-shrew. Several specimens of this animal
were obtained, but the descriptions were drawn up from the prepared skins, and
some uncertainty consequently exists as to the true shape of the tail. The
iS. pahtstris most probably lives in the summer on similar food with the water-
shrew ; but I am at a loss to imagine how it procures a subsistence during the
six months of the year in which the countries it inhabits are covered with snow.
It frequents borders of lakes, and Hearne tells us that it often takes up its abode
in beaver houses.

[4.] 2. Sorex Forsteri. (Richardson.) Forsters Shrew-Mouse.

Shrew, No. 20. Forster. Phil. Trans, vol. Ixli, p. 381.
Sorex Forsteri. Richardson. Zool. Journ. No. 12, April., 1828.

Sorex (Forsteri) cauda tetragona longitudine corporis, auricuUs brevibus vestitis, dorso xerampelino, ventre viurino.
Forster's Shrew-mouse, with a square tail as long as the body, short furry ears, back of a clove-brown colour,
belly pale yellowish -brown.

This little animal is common throughout the whole of the fur countries to the
67th degree of latitude, and its minute foot-prints are seen every where in the
winter, when the snow is sufficiently fine to retain the impression. I have often
traced its pathway to a stalk of grass, by which it appears to descend from the
surface of the snow, but a search for its habitation by removing the snow was
invariably fruitless. I was unable to procure a recent specimen, and the following
description is drawn up from one prepared by Mr. Drummond. It is the
smallest quadruped the Indians are acquainted with, and they preserve skins
of it in their conjuring bags. The power of generating heat must be very great
in this diminutive creature to preserve its slender limbs from freezing- when

MAMMALIA. J

the temperature sinks 40 or 50 degrees below zero. The Sorex Forsteri ap-
proaches the S. tetragomtrus of Desmarest in dimensions^ and agrees with it in
some other points.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula, interm. incisors |, lateral incisors |Ei, grinders ^ = 32.
The teeth are white, brightly tinged with chestnut brown on the points. The upper
intermediary incisors have each a posterior obtuse lobe. The lateral incisors of the upper
jaw are crowded and somewhat tiled ; the four anterior ones of a side are broad and obtusely
conical, the fifth is flattish on the crown. The first grinder is smaller than either of the two
whicli succeed it ; and the fourth is the smallest of all. In the loiver jaw the intermediary
incisors have two distinct obtuse posterior lobes, and a slight undulation producing the rudi-
ment of a lobe towards their points : the lateral incisors have a central mamraillary point ;
and the anterior grinder is a little larger than the other two. The muzzle is very slender,
and has a naked and a deeply lobed tip. The whiskers reach to the occiput, and are
composed of a few white hairs, intermixed with many black ones. The ear is as long
as the fur of the head, and is clothed within and without, but particularly on its
margins, and folds, with hairs of the same colour and length of those on the crown of
the head. It is rounded, but from a small fold of its upper margin appears pointed. Its
circumference is ample for the size of the animal. There is a semicircular lobe projecting
from the inferior margin of the ear, and covering the auditory opening, and above it there is a
transverse fold. The ear is not perceptible until the fur is blown aside. The fur forms a
fine, short, close coat, which on the dorsal aspect of the animal has a grayish-brown or clove-
brown colour, and on the ventral aspect a dull yellowish-brown. The tail is four-sided
and tapers gradually from the root to its extremity, which is terminated by a pencil of
hairs. It is covered with dark-brown hair above, and pale, yellowish-brown hair beneath.
The feet are five-toed, and are clothed with short, adpressed, pale yellowish-brown hairs.
The nails are slender and white.

• Dimensions.

Inches. Lines. Indies. Lines,

Length of head and body . . . ' 2 3 Length from upper incisors to nostrils . 0 2

„ of tail .... 1 3 Height of the ear .... 0 2

„ of head 0 9i

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[5.] 3. SoREX Parvus. (Say ?) Small Shrew-Mouse.

Sorex parvus. Say. Long''s Expedition^ vol. i, p. 163 ?
Sorex, No. 89. Museum or the Zoological Society.

There is a specimen of a shrew-mouse in the Museum of the Zoological Society,
which answers nearly to the description of the Sorex parvus by Say^ except that
its tail is considerably longer. Not to add unnecessarily to the number of specific
names, I have adopted Mr. Say's, until a comparison of authentic specimens shall
determine whether it belongs to the same or a different species. Forster^ in the
Philosophical Transactions^ mentions the Sorex araneus as an inhabitant of
Hudson's Bay. The large naked ears of that species would distinguish it at once
from the /S, parvus.

Description of the specimen in the Zoological Museum.

JTorm. — Ears very short, and indicated only by a brownish tuft of hair, shorter than the rest of
the fur. Muzzle more slender than that of S. jmlustris, but not so much so as that of S. For-
sferi The tail is apparently cylindrical the greater part of its length, pointed and perhaps
slightly compressed at the tip. The fur, from its root to near the tip, has a dark blackish-gray
colour, but from its closeness only the tips are seen, and on the back they have a brov.-nish-
black colour, on the head and sides brownish-gray, and on the belly ash-gray. The feet
have a brownish tinge. The points of the teeth are dark reddish-brown.

Dimensions.

Length of head and body

,, tail ....

Inches.
2

1

Lines,

9
9

,, from nostrils to incisors

,

0

14

Mr. Collie^ surgeon of his Majesty's ship Blossom, caught a Shrew-mouse on
the shores of Behring's Straits, which he describes as having a dark brownish-
gray colour above, and a gray tint beneath. It measured, from the tip of the snout
to the root of the tail_, two inches and four lines^ and its tail was one inch long.
This specimen agrees still more nearly with Mr. Say's description than the one in
the Zoological Museum does, and if it is allowed to be of the same species, it gives
to the Sorex parvus a range of twenty-three degrees of latitude.

MAMMALIA.

[6.] 1. ScALOPS Canadensis. (Cuvier.) Shreio-Mole.^

Genus. Scalops. Cuvier.

Browni Mole. Pennant. Arciio ZooL, vol. i. p. lil.

Sores aquaticus. Lin. St/st.

Musaraigne-taupe. CuviEn. TaL. Elem.

Scalope de Canada. Cuvier. Eigne An., vol. i. p. 134.

Shrew-SIole. Godman. Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 84, t. v. fig. 3.

Mole. Lewis and Clarke. Journey, ^c, vol. iii. p. 42.

DESCRIPTION".

Dental formula, incisors |, grinders 1°^ = 44.
The two upper incisors have an exact resemblance, in shape and position, to the two middle
incisors of man. They occupy the end of the jaw, and are twice as broad, and somewhat
higher than the grinders which immediately follow. The four first grinders of a side are
conical, and obscurely three-sided. The fifth is a little compressed, and has a minute pro-
' jection at its base posteriorly. The sixth is still more compressed, and has a larger posterior
projection. These six anterior grinders (termed conical teeth or false grinders by some
authors) are nearly equal to each other in height, and occupy the whole jaw between the
incisors and posterior higher grinders. They stand at equal but small distances from each
other, and from the incisors, not exceeding the quarter of the breadth of a single tooth. The
four posterior grinders are larger, and rather exceed the incisors in height. The first of them,
or seventh grinder, does not differ much from the preceding one ; it is compressed, has
an acute lobe posteriorly, and a minute one on the inside anteriorly. The two next grinders
are composed of two exterior triangular folds of enamel, and one interior one, producing,
besides some subordinate points, three conspicuous sharp ones, of which the interior one is
lower than the other two. The tenth or last grinder is smaller than the two which precede it.
In the lower jaw, there are two incisors, shaped like the upper ones, but much smaller and
lower than the closely adjoining grinders. They are succeeded on each side by seven small
conical but rather obtuse grinders, which are flat on the inside. These teeth are close to each
other, but do not touch, and they have their points gently inclined forwards. They increase
gradually but slightly in height, in proportion as they are situated further from the incisors ;
and the three which are farthest back have a minute projection at their bases posteriorlj\
The foremost of these conical teeth on each side, which is almost in contact with the incisors,
closely resembles the two which follow it ; but it is by many considered as an incisor, and
when one or both lower incisors have dropped out, it does indeed approach to its fellow, and
then becomes more opposed to the upper incisors. They stand, like the other grinders,

* The English trivial name of Shrew-mole is a translation of Pennant's epithet Soiex talpcefoymis, or cf Cuvier's
Musaraigne-taupe, and is adopted from Dr, Godman.

C

10 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

in the plane of the limbs of the jaw, or nearly at a right angle with the planes of the
incisors. The three posterior lower grinders of each side resemble the upper ones
reversed, but have no lobe corresponding to the interior one of the upper teeth. They
rise more above the sockets than the upper grinders do, and they have, as Dr. Godman has
observed, a considerable resemblance to the grinders of a Bat. In old individuals, all the teeth
are worn down and have rounded crowns.

The Shrew-mole has a thick cylindrical body, like that of the Common Mole, without any
distinct neck. Its limbs are very short, being concealed by the skin of the body nearly down to
the wrist and ankle-joints. The fore-extremities are situated nearly under the auditory opening.
The moveable snout is almost linear, and projects about four lines and a half beyond the
incisors. It is naked towards its extremity, particularly above ; beloAV, it is thinly clothed
with hairs for about two-thirds of its length next the incisors. There is a conspicuous furrow,
extending nearly its whole length, on the upper surface ; and, beneath, there is also a
furrow, reaching half its length from the incisors. Beyond the latter, the snout is transversely
wrinkled beneath ; and its small, flat, or truncated extremity is smooth and callous. The
small oblong nostrils open in an inclined space, immediately above this circular callous end.
The eyes are concealed by the fur, and scarcely to be found in the dried specimen *. The
auditory openings are covered by the fur, and there is no external ear. The tail is thickest
about one-third from its root, and tapers from thence to its tip, which is acute. It is whitish,
and is sparingly clothed with short hairs. Its vertebrae are equally four-sided. The fore-
arm, rather slender, and projecting only about three lines from the body, is, consequently,
concealed by the far. The five fingers, extremely short, and united to the roots of the nails,
form, with the wrist, a large, nearly circular palm. The nails of all the fingers are large,
white, and have a semi-lanceolate form, with narrow, but rather obtuse points. They are
nearly straight, convex above, and slightly hollowed beneath. The middle one is the largest,
the others gradually diminish on each side of it, and the exterior one is the smallest of all.
The palms are turned outwards and backwards, and the whole fore-foot bears a close resem-
blance to that of the Common Mole. The hind-feet are more slender than the fore ones, and
the nails are one-half shorter, much more compressed, and sharper, and, in fact, nearly subu-
late. They have a slight curvature laterally corresponding with the direction of the toes
inwards, and are somewhat arched, but cannot be said to be in any manner hooked. They
are excavated underneath. The fore and hind feet are thinly clothed above with adpressed,
pale hairs. The palms and soles are naked, but are bordered posteriorly with white hairs,
■which curve a little over them.

The fur has the same velvety appearance with that which clothes the Common Mole, It
has considerable lustre on the surface ; and, in most lights, exhibits a brownish-black tint.
When blown aside, it shews a greyish-black colour, from the roots to near the tips. It has
the same colour over the whole body, but there is a slight tinge of chestnut-brown on the
forehead and about the base of the snout, and on the throat it is shorter and paler.

* Dr. Godman informs us, tliat the aperture in the skin is just big enougli to admit an ordinary sized human hair.

MAMMALIA. H

DiMEXSIONS.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.

Lengtli of head and body ..78

„ tail . . . .1 6

,, fore-palm . • . 0 C

Breadtli of fore-palm . . .07

Length of middle fore-nail ..06

LengthfroniTrristjointto tipofthemiddlenail 1 0

,, heel to end of middle claw 0 10

Greatest breadth of the hind-foot . 0 3
Distance from auditory opening to the end

of the snout ... 1 7

The animal described above inhabits the banks of the Columbia and the adjoin-
ing- coasts of the Pacific in considerable numbers, and is^ doubtless^ the mole
mentioned by Lewis and Clarke as resembling-^ in all respects, the mole of the
United States. Sir Alexander Mackenzie saw many animals^ which he terms
" moles/' on the banks of a small stream near the sources of the Columbia ; but as
we are led to infer, from the way in which he speaks of them, that they were in
numbers above ground, I am inclined to think that they were sewellels, belong'ing-
to the g-enus aplodontia, and not Shrew-moles*. I did not obtain recent speci-
mens of the Shrew-mole on the late expedition, and am unable to say what are
the exact limits of its range to the northward. I do not think, however, that it
can exist, at least on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, beyond the fiftieth
degree of latitude, because the earth-worm on which the Scalops, like the Com-
mon Mole, principally feeds, is unknown in the Hudson's Bay countries. On the
milder Pacific shore, it may, perhaps, reach a somewhat higher latitude. There
are two specimens of the Shrew-mole from the Columbia preserved in the Museum
of the Hudson's Bay Company, and Mr. David Douglas has kindly furnished me
with others which he obtained in the same quarter. The Columbia animal seems
to be of larger dimensions, and has a longer tail than the Shrew-moles of the
United States : but I have not detected any other peculiarities by which it might
be characterised as a distinct species. Authors, probably from their specimens
being of different ages, have varied considerably in their descriptions of the
dentition of the Scalops, and several of them have mentioned edentate spaces
between the incisors and grinders. In the adult animal, from which my descrip-
tion was taken, no such spaces exist. In a large and apparently very old
individual, the incisors, and all the small grinders, are so worn and rounded, as to
appear like a row of small pearls set in the jaw. Baron Cuvier informs us, that
the animals of the genus Scalops unite to the teeth of the Desmans (inygak) ;
and the simply pointed muzzle of the Shrews, large hands, armed with strong-
nails, fitted for digging into the earth, and entirely similar to those of the INIoles.
It is evident, from my description of the teeth of the Columbia Shrew-mole, that

* ^Mackenzie's Voyage to the Pacific, <S;c. p. 314.
C 2

12 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

they approach closely to those of the Desmans, there being merely some not very
important variations in the shape^ particularly of the upper incisors*.

The Shrew-mole resembles the Common European Mole in its habits^ in leading
a subterranean life^ forming galleries, throwing up httle mounds of earthy and in
feeding principally on earth-worms and grubs. Dr. Godman has given a detailed
and interesting account of their manners^, particularly of one which was domesticated
by Mr. Titian Peale. He mentions that they are most active early in the morn-
ing, at mid-day, and in the evening, and that they are well known in the country
to have the remarkable custom of coming daily to the surfiice exactli/ at noon.
They may then be taken alive by thrusting a spade beneath them and throwing
them on the surface, but can scarcely be caught at any other period of the day.
They burrow in a variety of soils, and in wet seasons are observed to retreat to the
higher grounds. The captive one in possession of Mr. Peale ate considerable
quantities of fresh meat, either cooked or raw, drank freely, and was remarkably
lively and playful, following the hand of its feeder by the scent, — burrowing, for a
short distance, in the loose earth, and, after making a small circle, returning for
more food. When engaged in eating, he employed his flexible snout in a singular
manner to thrust the food into his mouth, doubling it so as to force it directly
backwards.

From the great resemblance of the Shrew-mole to the common one, they might
be readily mistaken for each other by a casual observer ; and Bartram and others,
who have asserted the existence of a species of the genus talpa in America, are,
on this account, supposed, by later writers, to have been mistaken. There are,
however, several true m.oles in the Museum of the Zoological Society which were
brought from America, and which differ from the ordinary European species in
being of a smaller size, and in having a shorter and thicker snout. Their fur is
brownish-black, I could not learn what district of America they came from.

* I Lave termed " first grinders '' tlie teetli named "inferior lateral incisors" by Cuvier, because they luive an
exact resemblance to tlie otber small grinders in form and size.

MAMMALIA.. 13

[7.] 1. CoNDYLURA LoNGiCAUDATA. (IlHger.) Lo7ig-tailed Star-nose.

Long-tailed I\IoIe. Pennant. Hist. Qtiadr., vol. ii. p. 232. t. 90. /. 2. Arctic Zool., vol. i. p. 140.
Talpa longicaudata. Erxlebein. Syst., torn. i. p. 118.
Condylure a longue queue. Desjiauest. iWam)?i., torn. i. p. 158.
Condj'lura longicaudata. Harlan. Faun., p. 38.
Naspass-kasic. Chii'peways, and Saulteur Indians.

The Zoological Society recently obtained several specimens of a Star-nose from
Moose Factory^ Hudson's Bay^ which agree so closely with Pennant's description
of his Long-tailed Mole^ that I have had no hesitation in referring it to that species.
They were not accompanied by any account of their habits, or notice of the exact
locality where they were killed ; but as the most southern fur posts depending upon
Moose Factory are situated upon the borders of Lake Superior, it is probable that
they came from that quarter. Pennant's specimen was received from New York.
It is remarkable that M. Desmarest, who derives all his knowledge of this animal
from Pennant^ should make "point cks cretes nasales" part of its essential cha-
racter. In the History of Quadrupeds, it is termed the " Long-tailed Mole with
a radiated nose; " and in Arctic Zoology, it is said to have ""the nose long, the
end radiated with short tendrils." Perhaps M. Desmarest was misled by the
miserable figure in the History of Quadrupeds.

DESCRIPTION.

The Long-tailed Star-nose has a thick body, with a long head, tapering towards the end
of the nose, which is furnished with a cartilaginous fringe, having eighteen rays in the circum-
ference, and two shorter bifid ones attached beneath the nostrils. The body is covered with
a soft, short, velvety coat of fur of a brownish-black colour on the surface, and a bluish-black
hue towards the roots. The nose is of the same colour with the body. The tail, slender and
tapering, is covered with short hair, and is about one-third shorter than the body. Its vertebrse-
are equally four-sided. The extremities are short, and bear a resemblance to those of the
Common Mole. The palms are not so broad as those of the Mole, but have a similar form.
They are naked ; and the back of the hand is covered with scales, with a few intermixed hairs.
The claws are large, white, convex, linear, and obtuse. The hind extremities are longer than
the fore ones. The legs, short and slender, are thinly covered with hair. The feet are longer
and narrower than the hands, covered above as far as the ankle-joint with scales. The hind-
claws are white, narrow, and sharp-pointed

Dimensions.

; Length of head and body

„ tail . . . , ,

„ head .....

Inches.

Lines.

4

9

2

9

1

3

14 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[8.] 1. Ursus Americanus. (Pallas.) American Black-Bear.

Black Bear. Penxaxt. Arct. Zool., vol. i. p. 57, and Introduction, p. cxx. Hist. Quad., vol. ii. p. 11.
AVarden. United States, vol. i. p. 195.
GoDJiAJT. N'at. Hist., vol. i. p. 194.
Ui-sus Americanus. Pallas. Spicel. Zool, vol. xiv. p. 6—26.

Harlan. Fauna, 'p. 5\.
Sass. Chepewyan Indians.

Musquaw (pi. musquawuck). Chee Indians, or, when reference is made to the black colour of tlie fur, it is termed
cuskeeteli musquaw. The cinnamon-coloured variety is named oosaw-wusquaw, the first letter of the proper
name being altered euphonia causa.
Mucquaw. Algonquins. Macoush (a young bear.) Iidem.

The different species of Bears resemble each other so strongly in form ; and
colour, when described by general and frequently indefined terms, affords so un-
certain a mark of discrimination, that much doubt has arisen as to what are species
and what merely varieties. These doubts can be removed only by a rigid com-
parison of the skeletons of the different kinds, combined with careful observation
of the habits of the animals in their native retreats, and a more attentive consider-
ation of their geographical distribution than has hitherto been given. Buffon,
classing the American and European Bears together, distinguishes two species of
land Bear differing from each in colour and manners*. Naturalists of the present
day are generally of opinion that there are two or more species of Bear in the
northern parts of the New World, differing specifically from those of the old
continent. The Polar Bear is perhaps the only species which is comimon to both
continents, but it may with justice be considered as a sea animal, inhabiting the
ice floating between them.

The Black Bear of America was first described as a distinct species by Pallas,
and with reason, although some late writers continue to confound it with the
Black Bear of Europe f. It has a milder disposition, and lives more on vegetable

* " II faut distinguer," dit-il, " deux especes dans les ours terrestres, les Iruns et les noirs, lesquels n'ayant pas les
memes appetits naturels, ne peuvent pas etre consideres comme deux especes distinctes et separees. De plus, I'ours
hlanc terrestre n'est qu'une variete de I'une on de I'autre de ces especes. Nous comprenons ici sous la denomination
d'ours bruns, ceux qui sont bnins, fauves, roux, rougeatres, et par ceUe d'ours noirs ceux qui sont noiratres aussi bien
que tout a fait noirs." — Buffon, Hist. Nat., vol. viii. p. 248.

f Baron Cuvier, in his elaborate work Sur les Ossemens Fossiles, distinguishes the ursus niger EuropcBus from the
European Brown Bear, or ursus arctos of authors. The ursus niger has the frontal bone of its cranium flattened,
especially transversely, and separated from the temporal depressions by well marked ridges, which unite behind at an
acute angle to form an elevated sagittal crest. Its fur is blackish, rough, and more or less woolly. The well marked
depressions and ridges of the cranium giving lodgment and origin to the strong muscles of the lower jaw, shew that
the Black Bear of Europe is more decidedly a beast of prey than the Brown one, in which respect they difler from the
bears of corresponding colours which inhabit the New World.

MAMMALIA. 15

substances than the latter, and there are corresponding differences in the form of
its cranium^ which is shorter, with less convex zyg-omatic arches, and consequently a
smaller space for lodging the crotaphite muscle. Its forehead is not flat like that of
the Black Bear of Europe, but arched, although not so much so as the forehead of
the Brown Bear. Its temporal ridges, however, are well marked, and unite to form
a sagittal crest. Its nose is continued nearly on the same line with the forehead,
and is rather arched, which produces the most striking peculiarity in the physio-
gnomy of this species. Its ears are high, oval, rounded at the tips, and far apart.
The palms and soles of the feet are short in comparison with those of the Brown
Bear. The fur on the body is long, straight, shining and black, and the msesial
line of the nose is also black or very deep brown, but there is a large pale
yellowish-brown patch on each side of the muzzle. The naked extremity of the
nose is a little oblique, not being so directly truncated as that of the Brown Bear.
The hair of the feet projects beyond the claws, which are black.

The Cinnamon Bear of the Fur Traders is considered by the Indians to be an
accidental variety of this species, and they are borne out in this opinion by the
quality of the fur, which is equally fine with that of the Black Bear. The Yellow
Bear of Carolina is also referred by Cuvier to this species, as is likewise the Ours
Qulairc of M. GeofFroy, which has a white throat. The white markings on the
throat of the animal, mentioned by the latter author, are perhaps analogous to
the white cohar which many of the European Brown Bears exhibit when young.
Captain Cartwright remarks that the cubs of the Black Bear, on the Labrador
coast, are often marked with white rings round the neck*, and Pennant notices
the same thing of the bears of Hudson's Bay.

The Black Bear is smaller than the other American bears which we have to
describe, the total length of an adult seldom exceeding five feet. Its favourite
food appears to be berries of various kinds, but when these are not to be pro-
cured, it preys upon roots, insects, fish, eggs, and such birds or quadrupeds as it
can surprise. It does not eat animal food from choice ; for when it has abundance
of its favourite vegetable diet, it will pass the carcase of a deer without touching it.
It is rather a timid animal, and will seldom face a man unless it is wounded, or has
its retreat cut off, or is urged by affection to defend its young. In such cases
its strength renders it a dangerous assailant. I have known the female confront
her enemy boldly until she had seen her cubs attain the upper branches of a tree,
when she made off, evidently considering them to be in safety, but in fact leaving

* CaFcTwright's Journal of a Residence in Lahrador.

16 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

them an easy prey to the hunter. The speed of the Black Bear when in pursuit is
said not to be very great, and I have been told that a man may escape from it,
particularly if he runs into a willow grove or amongst long grass : for the caution
of the Bear obliges it to stop frequently and rise on its hind legs for the purpose
of reconnoitring. I have, however^ seen a Black Bear make off with a speed that
would have baffled the fleetest runner^ and ascend a nearly perpendicular chfF with
a facility that a cat might envy.

This Bear, when resident in the fur countries^ almost invariably hibernates, and
about one thousand skins are annually procured by the Hudson's Bay Company,
from Black Bears destroyed in their winter retreats. It generally selects a spot
for its den under a fallen tree, and having scratched away a portion of the soil,
retires to it at the commencement of a snow-storm, when the snow soon furnishes
it with a close, warm covering. Its breath makes a small opening in the den,
and the quantity of hoar frost which occasionally gathers round the aperture serves
to betray its retreat to the hunter. In more southern districts, where the timber
is of a larger size. Bears often shelter themselves in hollow trees. The Indians
remark that a Bear never retires to its den for the winter until it has acquired a
thick coat of fat, and it is remarkable that when it comes abroad in the spring it
is equally fat, though in a few days thereafter it becomes very lean. The period of
the retreat of the Bears is generally about the time when the snow begins to lie
on the ground, and they do not come abroad again until the greater part of the
snow is gone. At both these periods they can procure many kinds of berries
in considerable abundance. In latitude 65°, their winter repose lasts from the
beginning of October to the first or second week of May ; but on the northern
shores of Lake Huron, the period is from two to three months shorter. In very
severe winters, great numbers of Bears have been observed to enter the United
States from the northward. On these occasions, they were very lean, and almost
all males ; the few females which accompanied them were not with young *. The
remark of the natives above-mentioned, that the fat Bears alone hibernate, explains
the cause of these migrations. The Black Bears in the northern districts couple in
September, when they are in good condition from feeding on the berries then in
maturity. The females retire at once to their dens, and conceal themselves so
carefully that even the lyncean eye of an Indian hunter very rarely detects them ;
but the males, exhausted by the pursuit of the female, require ten or twelve days
to recover their lost fat. An unusually early winter will, it is evident, operate

* Pennant's Arctic Zcology, vol. i. p. CO.

MAMMALIA. 17

most severely on the males, by preventing- them from fattening a second time ;
hence their migration at such times to more southerly districts. It is not,, how-
ever, true that the Black Bears generally abandon the northern districts on the
approach of winter, as has been asserted, the quantity of Bear skins procured
during that season in all parts of the fur countries being a sufficient proof to the
contrary. The females bring forth about the beginning of January, and it is pro-
bable that the period of their gestation is about fifteen or sixteen weeks, but I
believe it has not been precisely ascertained. The number of cubs varies from
one to five^ probably with the age of the mother, and they begin to bear long
before they attain their full size.

The Black Bear inhabits every wooded district of the American continent, from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from Carolina to the shores of the Arctic sea.
They are, however, more numerous inland than near the sea-coast. LangsdorfF
observes, that " the valuable Black Bear, the skins of which form part of the
(Russian) Company's stock, are not the produce of the Aleutian islands, but
of the continent of America, about Cook's river. Prince William's Sound, and
other places *.

The strength and agility of the Bear, together with its tenacity of life, render
an attack upon it hazardous, and its chace has been considered by the rude in-
habitants of the northern regions as a matter of the highest importance. Many of
the native tribes of America will not join the chace until they have propitiated the
whole race of Bears by certain speeches and ceremonies, and when the animal is
slain they treat it with the utmost respect, speak of it as of a relation, offer it
a pipe to smoke, and seldom fail to make a speech in exculpation of the act of
violence they have committed in slaying it, although the hunter at the same time
glories in his prowess. This veneration for the Bear seems to have arisen from
the ability and pertinacity with which it defends itself; and it is interesting- to
observe in how similar a manner the same feeling manifests itself in tribes speak-
ing diverse languages, and widely separated from each other by geographical
position. Thus, Regnard informs us that the chase of the Bear is the most
solemn action of the Laplander, and the successful hunter may be known by and
exults in the number of tufts of bear's hair he wears in his bonnet. When the
retreat of a Bear is discovered, the ablest sorcerer of the tribe beats the runic
drum-j- to discover the event of the chase, and the side on which the animal

* Langsdokff's Voyages, vol. ii. p. 74.

f The same kind of drum, shaped like a double-headed tambourine, and painted with arbitrary characters or rude
representations of wild beasts and of the heavenly bodies, is common throughout all the various North American tribes.

D

18 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

ought to be assailed. During the attack^ the hunters join in a prescribed chorus,
and beg- earnestly of the Bear that he will do them no mischief. When they have
killed him, they put the body into a sledge to carry it home ; the rein-deer which
has been employed to draw it, is exempted from labour during the rest of the
year; and means are also taken to prevent it from approaching any female. A
new hut is constructed expressly for the purpose of cooking the flesh ; and the
huntsmen, joined by their wives, begin again their songs of joy, and of thanks to
the animal for permitting them to return in safety *. Leems also acquaints us,
that the Laplanders never presume to call the Bear by its proper name of
Guourhja, but term it " the old man in the fur cloak," because they esteem it to
have the strength of ten men and the sense of twelve f . It is also said that the
Bear is the great master of the Kamskatkans in medicine, surgery, and the polite
arts. They observe the herbs he has recourse to when ill or wounded, and
acknowledge him as their dancing-master, mimicking his attitudes and graces
with great aptness X- Bear-dances, in which the gestures of the animal are
copied, are also common with the North American Indians.

The following extract § from the narrative of Mr. Alexander Henry, one of the
first Englishmen who penetrated into the fur countries after the reduction of
Canada under the British arms, will serve to contrast the manners of the Indians
with those of the Laplanders, and it contains besides some remarks on the habits
of the Bear peculiarly valuable as coming from an eye-witness worthy of all credit.
"■ In the course of the month of January, (whilst on the banks of Lake Michigan,)
I happened to observe that the trunk of a very large pine-tree was much torn by
the claws of a bear, made both in going up and down. On further examination,
I saw that there was a large opening in the upper part, near which the smaller
branches were broken. From these marks, and from the additional circum-
stance that there were no tracks on the snow, there was reason to believe that a
Bear lay concealed in the tree. On returning to the lodge, I communicated my
discovery ; and it was agreed that all the family should go together, in the morn-
ing, to assist in cutting down the tree, the girth of which was not less than three
fathoms. The women, at first, opposed the undertaking, because our axes being
only of a pound and a half weight, were not well adapted to so heavy a labour;
but the hope of finding a large Bear, and obtaining from its fat a great quantity

* Regnard's Journ. to Lapland. (Pinkekton's Voy. vol. i. p. 194.)
f Ij'E-ems' s Danish Lapland. {Idem. vol. i. ^. 485.)
J Arctic Zoology, vol. i. p. 65. Introd,, p. cxx.
§ Henry's Travels, p. 142.

MAMMALIA. 19

of oil, an article at the time much wanted, at length prevailed. According-ly, in
the morning-, we surrounded the tree, both men and women, as many at a time as
eould conveniently work at it ; and there we toiled, like beavers, till the sun went
down. This day's work carried us about half-way throug-h the trunk ; and
the next morning- we renewed the attack, continuing it till about two o'clock in the
afternoon, when the tree fell to the ground. For a few minutes every thing
remained quiet, and I feared that all our expectations were disappointed ; but as
I advanced to the opening, there came out, to the great satisfaction of all our
party, a Bear of extraordinary size, which, before she had proceeded many yards,
I shot.

'' The Bear being dead, all my assistants approached, and all, but more par-
ticularly my old mother, (as I was wont to call her,) took his head in their hands,
stroking and kissing it several times ; begging a thousand pardons for taking
away her life ; calling her their relation and grandmother ; and requesting her not
to lay the fault upon them, since it was truly an Englishman that had put her to
death. This ceremony was not of long duration ; and if it was I that killed their
grandmother, they were not themselves behind hand in what remained to be per-
formed. The skin being taken off, we found the fat in several places six inches
deep. This being divided into two parts loaded two persons ; and the flesh parts
were as much as four persons could carry. In all, the carcase must have exceeded
five hundred weight. As soon as we reached the lodge, the Bear's head was
adorned with all the trinkets in the possession of the family, such as silver arm-
bands, and wrist-bands, and belts of wampum ; and then laid upon a scaffold, set
up for its reception, within the lodge. Near the nose was placed a large quantity
of tobacco.

" The next morning no sooner appeared, than preparations were made for a
feast to the manes. The lodge was cleaned and swept ; and the head of the Bear
lifted up, and a new stroud blanket, which had never been used before, spread
under it. The pipes were now lit ; and Wawatam blew tobacco-smoke into the
nostrils of the Bear, telling me to do the same, and thus appease the anger of the
Bear, on account of my having killed her. I endeavoured to persuade my bene-
factor and friendly adviser, that she no longer had any life, and assured him that
I was under no apprehension from her displeasure ; but the first proposition
obtained no credit, and the second gave but little satisfaction. At length the
feast being ready, Wawatam made a speech, resembling, in many things, his
address to the manes of his relations and departed companions ; and we then all

D 2

20 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

ate heartily of the Bear's flesh. It is only the female Bear that makes her winter
lodging- in the upper parts of trees, a practice by which her young are secured
from the attacks of wolves and other animals. She brings forth in the winter-
season ; and remains in her lodge till the cubs have gained some strength. The
male always lodges in the ground, under the roots of trees. He takes to this
habitation as soon as the snow falls, and remains there till it has disappeared.
The Indians remark, that the Bear comes out in the spring with the same
fat which he carries in in the autumn ; but, after the exercise of only a few days,
becomes lean. Excepting for a short part of the season, the male lives con-
stantly alone."

La Hontan * has also given a very full account of the ceremonies attending a
Bear-hunt by the Canadian Indians, which does not differ greatly from Mr. Henry's.
The women of the Chepewyan and Dog-rib tribes will not touch a bear's skin, nor
even step over it ; so that one spread at the door of a tent is an effectual bar
asainst female intruders. Even the men of some of the tribes refuse to eat
bear's flesh, or pemmican which contains bear's grease. The Laplanders, also,
prohibit their women from eating certain portions of a bear. The flesh of a bear,
when in good condition, resembles greasy and rather flabby pork ; and when the
animal has been fed on the sea-coast, and by the banks of rivers, has also a fishy
taste. The skin of a Black Bear, with the fur in prime order, and the claws
appended, was, at one period, worth from twenty to forty guineas, and even more,
but at present the demand for them is so small, from their being little used either
for muffs or hammercloths, that the best, I believe, sell for less than forty shillings.

I/A Hontan, Journal de Voy., vol. v, p. 1C9, et seq. See also Schoolcropt's Narrative, Ac, p. 183.

MAMMALIA. 21

[9.] 2. Ursus Arctos ? Americanus. Barren-ground Bear.

Grizzly Bear. Hearne's Journey^ passim.

Brown Bear, variety S, Grizzly. Pennant's Arct. Zoo/, vol. i. p. 62. /

The Brown Bears of America are^ by some authors^ supposed to be merely
varieties of the Black Bear of the preceding article ; whilst others have con-
sidered them to belong- to a distinct species, whose identity, however, with the
Brown Bear of Europe has not been ascertained ; neither has any one given it a
new specific appellation. The obscurity in which the subject is involved has
been increased by the accounts received from the natives of another species, named
the Grisly Bear {Ursus ferox) having been amalgamated with the descriptions
that authors have eiven of their Brown Bear. Warden * mentions a Brown Bear
mider the appellation of the '^^ Ranging Bear," and says that it has the general
shape of the Black Bear, but that its body and legs are longer, and that it is more
ferocious when wounded. It is said to be an inhabitant of the United States, par-
ticularly of the western districts ; but it never came under our notice, and the
remainder of this article has no relation to it. From the inquiries I made through-
out the woody country from Lake Superior to Great Slave Lake, being ten
degrees of latitude, I learnt that the natives of those districts are acquainted with
only two species of Land Bear, viz., the Common Black Bear, including the cinna-
mon-coloured and other varieties, and the Grisly Bear, which is confined to the
lofty chain of the Rocky Mountains, and the extensive plains that skirt their bases.
The barren lands, however, lying to the northward and eastward of Great Slave
Lake, and extending to the Arctic Sea, are frequented by a species of Bear, which
differs from the American Black Bear in its greater size, profile, physiognomy,
longer soles, and tail ; and from the Grisly Bear also, in colour and the compa-
rative smallness of its claws. Its greatest affinity is with the Brown Bear of
Norway ; but its identity with that species has not been established by actual
comparison. It frequents the sea-coast in the autumn in considerable numbers,
for the purpose of feeding on fish.

The general colour of this Bear is a dusky-(or sometimes yellowishj-brown, but

• Warden's United States.

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

the shoulders and flanks are, in the summer season at least^ covered with long
hair^ which is frequently very pale towards the tips. The Indians and interpreters^
who are not very precise in their application of the few terms they have to express
varieties of colour, often denominate them ^'^ White Bears." Hearne calls them
" Grizzly Bears," and some confusion has been produced by late writers having
applied the same name to Lewis and Clark's Ursus ferox. Pennant, who
describes them as a variety of the American Black Bear, considers them at the
same time to be of the same species with the ^'^ Silver Bear'' that inhabits the
north of Europe. It is, indeed, very probable, that the Brown Bear which
Captain King informed Pennant was an inhabitant of Kamskatka, is of this
species, which may, in fact, extend all along the north of the old continent ;
but this, in the present state of our knowledge, is mere matter of conjecture.
Mention is made in the narrative of Cook's third voyage * of Bears of a brown
or sooty colour inhabiting the American coast near Cook's river. LangsdorfF
also informs us that Brown and Red Bears are abundant on the Aleutian Islands,
where the Black Bear does not exist f. These authors do not furnish us with
any details whereby the species may be determined ; but the Bears they mention
live in similar districts with the Barren-ground Bear, and differ in that respect
from the Ursus ferox, which exists principally, perhaps only, in the buffalo
districts.

The Indians dread the Barren-ground Bears, and are careful to avoid burning
bones in their hunting encampments, lest the smell should attract them.
Keskarrah, an old Indian mentioned in the Narrative of Captain Franklin's first
Journey, was seated at the door of his tent, pitched by a small stream not far
from Fort Enterprise, when a large Bear came to the opposite bank, and
remained for some time apparently surveying him. Keskarrah considering him-
self to be in great danger, and having no one to assist him but his aged wife, made
a speech to the following effect: ''Oh Bear! I never did you any harm; I have
always had the highest respect for you and your relations, and never killed any of
them except through necessity. Go away, good Bear, and let me alone, and I
promise not to molest you." The Bear walked off; and the old man, fancying
that he owed his safety to his eloquence, favoured us, on his arrival at the fort,
with his speech at length. The Copper Indians often cautioned us against
these '' White Bears" of the barren lands, which they said would attack us if
they saw us, but we received no such caution in travelling through the districts

* Cook's Third Voyage, vol. ii. p. 376. f Langsdorff's Travels, vol. ii. p. 74.

MAMMALIA. jgg

frequented by the Black Bear. It does not^ however, possess the boldness of the
Ursusferox, as all the individuals we saw fled at once. The Barren-ground Bear
resorts to the coast of the Arctic Sea in the month of August^ and preys indis-
criminately upon animal and vegetable matters. , In the stomach of one which
I opened there were the remains of a seal, a marmot^ a large quantity of the
long sweet roots of some astragali and hecli/sara, together with some berries, and
a little grass. Many long white worms adhered to the interior of the stomach
which held this farrago. Hearne has given the name of Grizzle Bear Hill to
an eminence which had been much ploughed up by the Bears in quest of the
Arctomi/s Parryi, termed by him " Ground Hog." The appellation of " grizzly/'
first used by Hearne to designate this Bear, being also applied by the traders
and American authors to the Ursus ftrox, I have given this one the ad interim
name of Barren-ground Bear^ until its difference from^ or identity with, the Ursus
«rc^os of Linneeus be fully established*.

DESCRIPTION.

We saw several of these animals daring Captain Franklin's first Expedition. An old and
lean male, killed on the shores of the Arctic Sea on the 1st of Augast, 1821, was of a nearly
uniform yellowish-brown colour, except on the forehead and back, where the tips of the fur
were paler. The fur, which was straight, and of the fineness of coarse wool, was giving
place to a thin coat of blackish hair. Its forehead was broad, and slightly convex, and the
arch of the orbit rose conspicuously at the root of the nose, which was straight. The legs
were long, and the claws, of an intermediate size between those of the Black and Grisly
Bears, projected beyond the hairs, and were more pointed than the claws of the latter.

Dental formula, incisors f, canines J^J , spurious molars^, grinders t^ = 36.

The incisors were worn flat, except one on each side, which adjoined the canine-teeth, and
which rose in a point above the others. The canines strong, conical, and slightly curved,
projected an inch and a quarter above the gums. Two small and pointed spurious molar-
teeth (dents espac^es) rose on each side of the upper jaw, and Avere succeeded by three
tuberculated molars that increased in size from the first to the last. The first of these was
pointed anteriorly, and had a lobe posteriorly Avhich exhibited the section of two points. The
other two were worn quite flat ; the second, or carnivorous-tooth, presented the section of
two pairs of points ; and the last, and largest, the section of three pairs. In the lower jaw, one
small spurious molar-tooth was situated close to the canines. The first of the true molars was
pointed, without any flattened lobe; the remaining three differed little from each other in
size, though the middle one was rather the largest ; and their crowns were worn so smooth,
that no vestige remained of the points they originally possessed.

* In the appendix to Captain Parry's second voyage, from a hasty consideration of the subject, I erroneously stated
the Barren-ground Bear to be the brown variety of the American Black Bear.

24 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

The dimensions of this individual were as follows*: —

Length from the muKzle to the root of the tail 5 2

„ of tail , , . .0 6

Height from the sole of the fore-foot to the

top of the shoulder .... 2 9

„ of hind-quarters . . .2 C

liength of muzzle from the nostrils to the an-

Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches.

Length from anterior angle of the eye to the

centre of the auditory opening . 0 10

Distance from the tip of one ear to the tip

of the other . . .0 10

Breadth of fore-foot, which was nearly cir-

cular . . . .0 e

terior angle of the eye . .0 C ' Length of the sole of the hind-foot .0 10

[10.] 3. Ursus ferox. (Lewis and Clark.) Grisly Bear.

Grizzle Bear. Ujifreville's Hudson's Bay, p. 1G8. An. 1790.

Grisly Bear. Mackenzie's Voyage, ^c, p. IGO. An. 1801.

White, or brown-gray Bear. Gass' Journal of Lewis and Clark's Expedition, pp. 45, 116, 34G. An. 1808.

Grisly, brown, white, and variegated Bear, (Ursus fero.x) Lewis and Clark's Voyages, ^-c, vol. i. pp. 284, 293, 343

375 ; vol. iii. pp. 25, 2C8. Anrio 1814. Clinton, Trails. Philos. and Liter. New York, vol. i.pp. 50, 114.

An. 1815.
Grizzly Bear. Warden's United States, \o\. '\.y. \(iT. An.\Q\Q.
Grey Bear. Harmon's Journey, p. 417- An. 1820.
Ursus Cinereus. Desmarest's Mammal. No. 253. An. 1820.
Ursus horribilis. Say, Long's Expedition, vol. ii. p. 244, note 34. An. 1822.

Ursus Candescens. Hamilton Smith, Griffith''s An. Kingdom, vol. ii. p. 229, and vol. v. ^"0. 320. An. 1826.
Grizzly Bear. Godman's Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 131. An. 1826.
Meesheh musquaw. Cree Indians.
Hohhost. Chopunnish Indians (Lems and Clark).

This animal has long been known to the Indians and fur traders as a distinct
species, inferior to all the varieties of the Black Bear in the quality of its fur_, and
distinguished by its great strength and ferocity, its carnivorous disposition^ the
length of its claws^ the breadth and length of its soles^ and the shortness of its tail.
It has attracted the attention of almost all travellers who have passed through the
districts it inhabits, and is mentioned in several of the earlier French writers on
America under the title of Ours blanc, not that it is ever seen of a white colour like
the Polar Bear_, but because the Canadian Coiireurs des bois who were^ and who
remain to this day^ almost the only interpreters of the Indian languages, translated

* Baron Cuvier describes the Ursus Arctos, or Brown Bear of Europe, as having the upper part of its cranium arched
longitudinally and rounded laterally ; the forehead and occiput forming parts of the same curve, and there being no
well-defined line of separation between the forehead, £he middle portion of the parietal bones, and the temporal fosses.
The sagittal suture beginning to be sensibly marked very near the occipital bones, and the nasal bones to be set in rather
obliquely to the rounded forehead, producing the appearance of a depression at the root of the nose. The sole of the
hind-foot is of moderate length. — Ossemens Fossiles.

MAMMALIA. §5

the terms used by the different tribes to signify hoary or light coloured, by the
general epithet of blanc. Lewis and Clark, in their ably-executed Journey to
the Shores of the Pacific, bad numerous opportunities of observing its manners,
and by their ample descriptions, first enabled naturalists to class it as a distinct
species. It is true that Forster, long before, in his translation of Bossu's Travels,
had intimated that the '^ White Bear of Louisiana '' must be distinct from the
Polar Bear, Vfhich it resembled in size, but the remark was suffered to pass
unheeded. De Witt Clinton, in his discourse at the Institution of the New York
Literary and Philosophical Society, is the first naturalist who, judging from Lewis
and Clark's account, clearly asserted that this animal was specifically different
from either the Polar or common American Bears. Since that time the various
synonymes prefixed to this article, in the order of their publication, have been
assigned to it. The English name of Grisly has been adopted in this work as
being less liable to objection than one founded on colour alone ; and the Latin
translation of it, ferox, which, as far as I have been able to ascertain, first occurs
in Desmarest, and seems preferable to cinereus, is used for the specific appellation.
Mr. Say, in the account of Major Long's Expedition, gives a description of the
Grisly Bear, drawn up from male and female specimens, preserved in the Phila-
delphia Museum, and which, haying been brought up in a state of confinement,
were killed before they arrived at maturity. Figures of these specimens have
been published in the American edition of Long's Expedition, and in Godman's
Natural History. A young cub, caught on the Rocky Mountains, being brought
to England by the Hudson's Bay Company about eight years ago, has been kept
in the Tower ever since, and there is a spirited engraving of it by Landseer, in
Griffith's Animal Kingdom. The etching, forming plate first of this work, is by
the same able artist, the head being from that of an adult male, brought home by
Mr. Drummond, and the form of the body and attitudes from the individual in the
Tower. I was present at the death of a young Grisly Bear, killed at Carlton-
house on the Saskatchewan. It was a male, in its second year, which being pur-
sued by mounted hunters, was overtaken after an hour's chase, through snow one
foot deep. The hunters approached boldly, trusting in the fleetness of their
horses ; although, from the size of its foot-prints, they were fully aware that it was
a Grisly Bear, even before they saw it *. The skin and scull of this individual are
now preserved in the Museum of the Edinburgh University, and a figure of it is
given in the sixth number of the very excellent Illustrations of Zoology by Wilson.

* Mackenzie mentions the foot-marks of a Grisly Bear as being nine inclies long and proportionably wide. The
foot-marks of the young one mentioned in the text were of eqnal dimensions.

26 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

DESCRIPTION.

The Grisly Bear has been well compared by Mr, Say with the Norwegian variety of the
Ursus Ardos, to which it has a great resemblance in its general appearance. Its fur is long,
and mostly of a dark brown colour, with paler tips, that on the flanks being generally lighter
coloured in the summer season, and there is frequently a considerable admixture of gray
hairs on the head. The whole muzzle is pale, without the dark central stripe which the
Black Bear has. It is distinguished from the Brown and Black Bears, by shorter and more
conical ears, placed further apart, and white, arched, and very long claws, compressed like the
incisors of a squirrel, carrying their breadth on their upper surface, nearly to the tips, but
chamfered away as it were beneath. They project far beyond the hair of the foot, and cut
like a chisel when the animal strikes a blow Avith them. The forehead is broad, flattish, and
continued nearly in a line with the nose, but there is in the older animals a distinct projection
of the superciliary ridges of the frontal bone. The soles of its feet are longer and its heel is
broader than those of the Brown Bear of Europe. Its tail is very small, so as to be hidden
by the hair of the buttocks, and it is a standing joke among the Indian hunters, when they
have killed a Grisly Bear, to desire any one unacquainted with the animal to take hold of its
tail. The tail of the Black Bear is conspicuous enough, and that of the Barren-ground Bear
is still longer*.

The strength and ferocity of the Grisly Bear are so great that the Indian
hunters use mucli precaution in attacking them. They are reported to attain a
weight exceeding eight hundred pounds, and Lewis and Clark mention one that
measured nine feet from the nose to the tail, and say that they had seen a still
larger one^ but do not give its dimensions. This is far above the usual size of
other Land Bears, and equals the larger specimens of the Polar Bear. Governor
Clinton received an account of one fourteen feet long^ from an Indian Trader^ but
even admitting that there was no inaccuracy in the measurement, it is probable
that it was taken from the skin after it was removed from the body, when it is known
to be capable of stretching several feet. The strength of this Bear may be estimated
from its having been known to drag to a considerable distance the carcass of a

* " Two men visited the Indian ^-illage (on one of tlie upper branches of the Columbia) where they purchased a
dressed bear skin, of an uniform pale reddish-brown colour, which the Indians called yackah, in contradistinction to
hohhost^ or the White Bear. This remark induced us to inquire more particularly into their opinions as to the several
species of bears, and we therefore produced all the skins of that animal which we had killed at this place, and also one
very nearly white, which we had purchased. The natives immediately classed the white^ the deep and the pale grizzly,
red, the grizzly dark-brovcn^ in short, all those with the extremities of the hair of a white or frosty colour, without
regard to the colour of the ground of the fur, under the name of huhhost. They assured us that they were all of the
same species with the White Bear ; that they associated together, had longer nails than the others, and never climbed
trees. On the other hand, the black skins, those which were black with a number of entire white hairs intermixed, or
with a while breast, the uniform bay, the brown, and light reddish-brown, were ranged under the class yackah, and
were said to resemble each other in being smaller, and having shorter nails than the White Bear, in climbing trees,
and being so little vicious, that they could be pursued with safety." — Lewis and CiARK, vol. iii. p. 215.

MAMMALIA.

%1

Buffalo, weighing about one thousand pounds. The following story is well authen-
ticated. A party of voyagers, who had been employed all day in tracking a
canoe up the Saskatchewan^ had seated themselves in the twilight by a fire^ and
were busy in preparing their supper, when a large Grisly Bear sprung over their
canoe that was tilted behind them^ and seizing one of the party by the shoulder
carried him off. The rest fled in terror with the exception of a Metif, named
Bourasso,, who^ grasping his gun, followed the Bear as it was retreating leisurely
with its prey. He called to his unfortunate comrade that he was afraid of hitting
him if he fired at the Bear, but the latter entreated him to fire immediately, without
hesitation, as the Bear was squeezing him to death. On this he took a deliberate
aim, and discharged his piece into the body of the Bear, which instantly dropped
its prey to pursue Bourasso, He escaped with difficulty, and the Bear ultimately
retreated to a thicket, where it was supposed to have died ; but the curiosity of the
party not being a match for their fears, the fact of its decease was not ascertained.
The man who was rescued had his arm fractured, and was otherwise severely
bitten by the Bear, but finally recovered. I have seen Bourasso, and can add
that the account which he gives is fully credited by the traders resident in that
part of the country, who are best qualified to judge of its truth from their know-
ledge of the parties. I have been told that there is a man now living in the
neighbourhood of Edmonton-house, who was attacked by a Grisly Bear, which
sprung out of a thicket, and with one stroke of its paw completely scalped him,
laying bare the scull, and bringing the skin of the forehead down over the eyes.
Assistance coming up, the Bear made off without doing him further injury, but
the scalp not being replaced, the poor man has lost his sight, although he thinks
that his eyes are uninjured.

Mr. Drummond, in his excursions over the Rocky Mountains, had frequent
opportunities of observing the manners of the Grisly Bears, and it often happened
that in turning the point of a rock or sharp angle of a valley, he came suddenly
upon one or more of them. On such occasions they reared on their hind legs and
made a loud noise like a person breathing quick, but much harsher. He kept his
ground without attempting to molest them, and they on their part, after attentively
regarding him for some time, generally wheeled round and galloped off, though,
from their known disposition, there is little doubt but he would have been torn in
pieces had he lost his presence of mind and attempted to fly. When he dis-
covered them from a distance, he generally frightened them away by beating on
a large tin box, in which he carried his specimens of plants. He never saw
more than four together, and two of these he supposes to have been cubs ; he

E2

28 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

more often met them singly or m pairs. He was only once attacked^ and tlieu
by a female^ for the purpose of allowing her cubs time to escape. His gun on
this occasion missed fire, but he kept her at bay with the stock of it, until some
gentlemen of the Hudson's Bay Company, with whom he was travelling at the
time, came up and drove her off. In the latter end of June 1826, he observed a
male caressing a female, and soon afterwards they both came towards him, but
whether accidentally, or for the purpose of attacking him, he was uncertain. He
ascended a tree, and as the female drew near, fired at and mortally wounded her.
She uttered a few loud screams, which threw the male into a furious rage, and he
reared up against the trunk of the tree in which Mr. Drummond was seated, but
never attempted to ascend it. The female, in the meanwhile retiring to a short
distance, lay down, and as the male was proceeding to join her, Mr. Drummond
shot him also. From the size of their teeth and claws, he judged them to be
about four years old. The cubs of the Grisly Bear can climb trees, but when
the animal is fully grown it is unable to do so, as the Indians report, from
the form of its claws. Two instances are related by Lewis and Clark, and I have
heard of several others, where a hunter having sought shelter in a tree from the
pursuit of a Grisly Bear, has been held a close prisoner for many hours, by the
infuriated animal keeping watch below. The Black and Brown or even the Polar
Bear ascend trees with facility. Some interesting anecdotes of contests with this
Bear, selected fi-om the narratives of Lewis and Clark, Major Long, and others,
are related in Godman's Natural History, to which the reader is referred.

The Grisly Bears are carnivorous, but occasionally eat vegetables, and are ob-
served to be particularly fond of the roots of some species oipsoralea and hedysarum.
They also eat the fruits of various shrubs, such as the bird-cherry, choke-cherry,
and hippophde Cancuhnsis. The berries of the latter produce a powerful cathartic
effect upon them. Few of the natives, even of the tribes, who are fond of the flesh
of the Black Bear, will eat of the Grisly Bear, unless when pressed by hunger.
Say and Gass mention a method which the Shoshonee or Snake Indians have of
baking Bear's flesh in a pit filled with alternate layers of brush-wood and meat,
and covered with earth *, which is nearly similar to the way in which the natives
of the South-sea Islands prepare their dogs and hogs.

The Grisly Bear inhabits the Rocky Mountains and the plains lying to the east-
ward of them, as far as latitude 61°, and perhaps still farther north. Its southern
range, according to Lieutenant Pike, extends to Mexico. There is a Brown

* G ass's Journal, c^'c, p. 311.

MAMMALIA. 20

Bear on the Andes of Peru^ but whether it is of this species or not is not known *.
Lewis and Clark could not ascertain that the Grisly Bear at all inhabited the
country between the western declivity of the Rocky Monntains and the sea-coastj
and remark that those which they saw about the great falls of the Columbia were
more variegated in colour, and of a milder disposition than those near the sources
of the Missouri, but certainly of the same species. Mr. Drummond observes that
the Grisly Bears are most numerous in the woody country skirting the eastern base
of the Rocky Mountains^ particularly in districts which are interspersed with open
prairies and grassy hills. They vary, he says, much in colour, from a very light
gray to a dark chestnut. The latter variety is common about the sources of the
Peace River_, and, according to the Indians, is more ferocious than the gray one.
The Black Bear, w-hich inhabits the same districts, and frequently varies there to
a cream-colour, never associates with the Grisly Bear.

The young Grisly Bears and gravid females hibernate, but the older males
often come abroad in the winter in quest of food. Mackenzie mentions the den
or winter retreat of a Grisly Bear, which was ten feet wide, five feet high, and
six feet long. These dens are named ivatee by the Indians. As this Bear comes
abroad before the snow disappears, its foot-marks are frequently seen in the
spring, and when there is a crust on the snow, the weight of the animal often
causes it to crack and sink for a yard or more round the spot trod upon. These
impressions, somewhat obscured by a partial thaw, have been considered by the
inexperienced as the vestiges of an enormously large quadruped, and the natives,
although perfectly aware of the cause of the marks, are prone by their observations
to heighten the wonder they perceive to be excited by them. Many reports of
the existence of live Mammoths in the Rocky Mountain range, have, I doubt not,
originated in this manner. Necklaces of the claws of a Grisly Bear are highly
prized by the Indian warriors as proofs of their prowess.

Cond.uiine's Travels, p. 82. Ulloa'= Voyage, 4G1 (quoted from Arctic Zoology, p. clxx.)

30 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[10.] 4. Ursus Maritimus. (Lin.) Polar ox Sea Bear.

White Bear. Marten's Spitz. Trans., p. 107, t. 0,fig. c. An. lC7o.

Ursus Maritimus. Lin. Syst.

Ursus Albus. Brisson, Rtgne Animal, p. 2C0, sp. 2. An. 175C.

L'ours Blanc. Buffon, vol. xv. p. 128. An. 1767-

Ursus Marinus. Pallas's It. vol. iii. p. C91, et Spicel. Zool. xiv. 1. 1. An. 1780.

Polar Bear. Pennant's Arctic Zoology, p. 53, and Jntrod. pp. Ixxxix and cxciii. An. 1784.

Ursus Albus. Ross's Voy., App. p. xliv. with a plate of the head, p. 199. An. 1820.

Ursus Maritimus. Parry's First Voy., Supp. p. clxxxiii. Franklin's First Journey, p. 648.

Parry's Second Voy., App. p. 288.
Bear. Lyon's Private Jouriial, pp. 13 and 377. An. 1824.
Wawpusk (pi. Wawpuskwuck). Cree Indians.
Nannook. Esquimaux. Nennook, Greenlanders.

BufFoii had many doubts as to the Sea or Polar Bear being a distinct species
from the Land Bear, of which there are white varieties in the northern countries.
He acknowledges, however, that the distinctive characters which Marten, one of
its earUest describers, has pointed out, would, if correct, establish it as a peculiar
species. A further acquaintance with the animal has fully confirmed Marten's
observations.

DESCRIPTION.

The Polar Bear is distinguished from the other species by its narrow head and muzzle pro-
longed on a straight line with the flattened forehead ; its short ears ; long neck ; the greater
length of its body in proportion to its height; the soles of the hind- feet equalling one-sixth of the
length of its body ; and, lastly, the quality of its fur, which is very thick and long on the body,
still more so on the limbs, and everywhere of a yellowish-white colour. The naked extremity
of the snout, the tongue, margins of the eyelids, and claws, are black ; the lips purplish-
black ; the eyes dark brown, and the interior of the mouth pale violet.

I have met with no account of any Polar Bear, killed of late years, which
exceeded nine feet in length, or four feet and a half in height. It is possible that
larger individuals may be occasionally found; but the greatness of the dimensions
attributed to them by the older voyagers has, I doubt not, originated in the skin
having been measured after being much stretched in the process of flaying.
Marten, who seems to have been a correct obsen^er, expressly states that the
Polar Bear is of the same size with the German Bears.

The great power of the Polar Bear is portrayed in the account of a disastrous
accident which befel the crew of Barentz's vessel on his second voyage to Waigats
Straits. "On the 6th of September, 1594, some sailors landed to search for a

MAMMALIA. 31

certain sort of stone^ a species of diamond. During- this search_, two of the
seamen lay down to sleep by one another, and a White Bear, very lean, approach*
ing- softly, seized one of them by the nape of the neck. The poor man, not
knowing what it was, cried out, ' Who has seized me thus behind? ' on which his
companion_, raising his head, said, ' Holloa^ mate, it is a Bear_,' and immediately
ran away. The Bear having dreadfully mangled the unfortunate man's head,
sucked the blood. The rest of the persons who were on shore, to the number
of twenty, immediately ran with their matchlocks and pikes, and found the Bear
devouring the body, which, on seeing them, ran upon them, and carrying another
man away, tore him to pieces. This second misadventure so terrified them, that
they all fled. They advanced again, however, with a reinforcement, and the two
pilots having fired three times without hitting the animal, the purser approached a
little nearer, and shot the Bear in the head, close by the eye. This did not cause
him to quit his prey, for, holding the body, which he was devouring always by the
neck, he carried it away as yet quite entire. Nevertheless, they then perceived
that he began himself to totter, and the purser and a Scotchman going towards
liim, they gave him several sabre wounds, and cut him to pieces, without his
abandoning his prey*."

In Barentz's third voyage, a story is told of two Bears coming to the carcass of a
third one that had been shot, when one of them, taking it by the throat, carried it to
a considerable distance, over the most rugged ice, where they both began to eat it.
They were scared from their repast by the report of a musket, and a party of
seamen going to the place, found that, in the little time they were about it, they
had already devoured half the carcase, which was of such a size that four men had
great difficulty in lifting the remainder f. In a manuscript account of Hudson's
Bay, written about the year 1786, by Mr. Andrew Graham, one of Pennant's
ablest correspondents, and preserved at the Hudson's Bay House, an anecdote of a
different description occurs. " One of the Company's servants who was tenting
abroad to procure rabbits (Lepns Americanus), having occasion to come to the
factory for a few necessaries, on his return to the tent passed through a narrow
thicket of willows, and found himself close to a White Bear lying asleep. As he
had nothing wherewith to defend himself, he took the bag off" his shoulder and held
it before his breast, between the Bear and him. The animal arose on seeing the
man, stretched himself and rubbed his nose, and having satisfied his curiosity by
smelling at the bag, which contained a loaf of bread and a rundlet of strong beer,

• Chuhchill's Coll of Voij., vol. i. j'. 88. f Ibnh, vol. i. p. 115.

B2 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY,

walked quietly away, thereby relieving the man from liis very disagreeable
situation."

The Polar Bears feed chiefly on animal substances, and as they swim and dive
well, they hunt seals and other marine animals with great success. They are
eyen said to wage war, though rather unequally, with the Walrus. They feed
likewise on land animals, birds, and eggs, nor do they disdain to prey on carrion,
or, in the absence of other food, to seek the shore in quest of berries and roots.
They scent their prey from a great distance, and are often attracted to the whale
vessels by the smell of burning kreng, or the refuse of the whale blubber.
Captain Lyons thus describes the mode in which the Polar Bear surprises a seal.
'' The Bear, on seeing his intended prey, gets quietly into the water, and swims
to leeward of him, from whence, by frequent short dives, he silently makes his
approaches, and so arranges his distance, that, at the last dive, he comes to the
spot where the seal is lying. If the poor animal attempts to escape by rolling
into the water, he falls into the Bear's clutches ; if, on the contrary, he lies still,
his destroyer makes a powerful spring, kills him on the ice, and devours him at
leisure." The same writer describes the pace of the Polar Bear, at full speed, as
'"' a kind of shuffle, as quick as the sharp gallop of a horse."

The principal residence of the Polar Bear is on fields of ice, with which he
frequently drives to a great distance from the land. In this way they are often
carried from the coast of Greenland to Iceland, where they commit such ravages
on the flocks, that the inhabitants rise in a body to destroy them. Captain Sabine
mentions that he saw one about mid-way between the north and south shores of
Barrow's Straits, which are forty miles apart, although there was no ice in sight to
which he could resort to rest himself upon ; and Captain Lyons informs us, that
the Polar Bears not only swim with rapidity, but are capable of making long
springs in the water. They are not known to travel far inland. They have been
found in higher latitudes than any other quadruped, having been seen by Captain
Parry in his most adventurous boat-voyage beyond 82 degrees of north latitude.
The limit of their incursions southward on the shores of Hudson's Bay, and of
Labrador, may be stated to be about the 55th parallel. They are often seen
about York Factory in the autumn, having most probably drifted from the north-
ward on the ice during the summer. Pennant, who has collected, from good
authorities, much information relative to their range, states, that they are frequent
on all the Asiatic coasts of the Frozen Ocean, from the mouth of the Obi east-
ward, and abound in Nova Zembla, Cherry Island, Spitzbergen, Greenland,
Labrador, and the coasts of Baffin's and Hudson's Bays. They were seen by

MAMMALIA. 3^

Captain Parry within Barrow's Straits as far as Melville Island ; and the Esquimaux,
to the westward of Mackenzie's river^ told Captain Franklin that they occasionally,
though very rarely, visited that coast. The exact limit of their range to the
westward is uncertain, but they are said not to be known on the islands in
Behring's Straits, nor on the coast of Siberia to the eastward of Tchutskoinoss.
They are not mentioned by LangsdorfF and other visiters of the north-west coast
of America ; nor did Captain Beechey meet with any in his late voyage to Icy
Cape. None were seen on the coast between the Mackenzie and Copper Mine
River ; and Pennant informs us, that they are unknown along the shores of the
White Sea, which is an inlet of a similar character.

The Polar Bear being able to procure its food in the depth of even an Arctic
winter, there is not the same necessity for its hibernating that exists in the case of
the Black Bear, which feeds chiefly on vegetable matters ; and it is probable, that,
although they may all retire occasionally to caverns in the snow, the pregnant
females alone seclude themselves for the entire winter. It is mentioned in
Le Roy's narrative of the residence of four Russian seamen for six winters in
Spitzbergen, and also in the account of Barentz's winter in Nova Zembla, that the
Bears disappeared with the sun, and returned again with that luminary, after an
absence in the one case of four months, and in the other of three. Their retire-
ment has been considered by some as a proof of their hibernation ; but, I think, the
most probable explanation of it is that they went out to sea in search of food.
Polar Bears were seen in the course of the two winters that Captain Parry
remained on the coast of Melville Peninsula ; and the Esquimaux of that quarter
derive a considerable portion of their subsistence not only from the flesh of the
female Bears, which they dig together with their cubs from under the snow, but
also from the males that they kill when roaming at large at all periods of the
winter. Hearne states with more precision, and, I believe, from actual observa-
tion, that the males leave the land in the winter time and go out on the ice to the
edge of the open water in search of seals, whilst the females burrow in deep snow-
drifts from the end of December to the end of March, remaining without food, and
bringing forth their young during that period ; that when they leave their dens
in March, their young, which are generally two in number, are not larger than
rabbits, and make a foot-mark in the snow no bigger than a crown piece. He
also informs us that the males are found in company with the females in August,
and then exhibit great attachment to them. Mr. Andrew Graham's observations,
written before the publication of Hearne's Narrative, confirm the account given by
that traveller. *■' In winter,'' says he, ^' the White Bear sleeps like other species of

04 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

the genus, but takes up its residence in a different situation^ generally under the
declivities of rocks, or at the foot of a bank, where the snow drifts over it to a great
depth ; a small hole, for the admission of fresh air, is constantly observed in the
dome of its den. This, however, has regard solely to the she«Bear, which
retires to her winter-quarters in November, where she lives without food, brings
forth two young about Christmas, and leaves the den in the month of March, when
the cubs are as large as a shepherd's dog. If perchance her offspring are tired,
they ascend the back of the dam, where they ride secure either in water or ashore.
Though they sometimes go nearly thirty miles from the sea in winter, they always
come down to the shores in the spring with their cubs, where they subsist on seals
and sea-weed. The he-Bear wanders about the marshes and adjacent parts
until November, and then goes out to the sea upon the ice, and preys upon seals.
They are very fat, and though very inoffensive if not meddled with, they are very
fierce when provoked*.''

Captain Lyons records the Esquimaux account of the hibernation of the Polar
Bear in the following words : " From Ooyarrakhioo, a most intelligent man, I ob-
tained an account of the Bear, which is too interesting to be passed over in silence.
' At the commencement of winter, the pregnant Bears are very fat, and always
solitary. When a heavy fall of snow sets in, the animal seeks some hollow place
in which she can lie down, and remains quiet, while the snow covers her. Some-
times she will wait until a quantity of snow has fallen, and then digs herself a
cave: at all events, it seems necessary that she should be covered by and lie
amongst the snow. She now goes to sleep, and does not wake until the spring
sun is pretty high, when she brings forth two cubs. The cave, by this time, has
become much larger, by the effect of the animal's warmth and breath, so that the
cubs have room enough to move, and they acquire considerable strength by con-
tinually sucking. The dam at length becomes so thin and weak, that it is with
great difficulty she extricates herself, when the sun is powerful enough to throw
a strong glare through the snow which roofs the den.' The Esquimaux affirm that
during this long confinement the Bear has no evacuations, and is herself the means
of preventing them by stopping all the natural passages with moss, grass, or
earth. The natives find and kill the Bears during their confinement by means of
dogs, which scent them through the snow, and begin scratching and howhng very
eagerly. As it would be unsafe to make a large opening, a long trench is cut of
sufficient width to enable a man to look down, and see where the Bear's head hes^

* Graham, MSB. p. 20.

MAMMALIA.

3d

and he then selects a mortal part into which he thrusts his spear. The old one
being killed, the hole is broken open, and the young- cubs may be taken out by
the hand, as, having tasted no blood and never having been at liberty, they are
then very harmless and quiet. Females which are not pregnant roam throughout
the whole winter in the same manner as the males. The coupling time is May."

The flesh of the Polar Bear is, as stated by Captain Phipps (Lord Mulgrave),
exceedingly coarse. The Russian sailors who wintered in Spitzbergen, found it,
on the other hand, much more agreeable to the taste than the flesh of the rein-
deer. I quote this fact here, not to show that there was any thing peculiarly
gross in the taste of the Russians, but to have an opportunity of remarking, that
when people have fed for a long time solely upon lean animal food, the desire for
fat meat becomes so insatiable, that they can consume a large quantity of un-
mixed, and even oily fat, without nausea. Our seamen relish the paws of the
Bear, and the Esquimaux prefer its flesh at all times to that of the seal. Instances
are recorded of the liver of the Polar Bear having poisoned people.

The reader who is desirous of fuller accounts of the manners and habits of this
very curious animal will be gratified by turning to Marten's Spitzbergen, Fabricius'
Fauna Groenlandica, Pennant's Arctic Zoology, and Scoresby's Account of the
Arctic Regions. I subjoin some well-authenticated measurements of Polar Bears.

Caplaii

1 Phipps.

Captahi

Ross.

Captair

Lyon.

Feet.

Inches.

Feet.

Inches.

Feet.

Inches.

Length from nose to tail

7

1

7

10

8

74

„ the shoulder-blade

2

3

2

0

0

0

Height at the shoulder

4

3

4

1

4

9

Girth near the fore-legs

7

0

G

0

7

11

„ of the neck

2

1

3

2

3

4i

Breadth of the fore-paw

0

7

0

10

0

10

„ hind-paw

0

0

0

81

0

0

Length from nostrils to hind head

0

0

1

6

]

6

,, of fore-claws

0

0

0

2i

0

24

„ of hind-claws

0

0

0

n

0

u

„ of tail

0

0

0

4

0

5

Weight

«10 lbs.

1160 lbs.

1600 lbs"

• Captain Lyon states that his specimen was unusually large.

F 2

36 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[11.] 1. Procyon lotor. (Cuvier.) The Raccoon.

Genus Procyon. Storr. Cuvier.

Ui-sus lotor. Lin. Gmelin. vol. i. p. 103,

Le Raton. Buffon, vol. viii. pp. 3.37, t. xliii.

Raccoon Bear. Pennant's Arct. ZooL, vol. i. p. C9.

Procyon lotor. Cuvier's Regne An., vol. i. p. 143. Sabine, Frankl. Jour., p. 649. Harlan. Faun., p, SSf.

The Raccoon. Godman's Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 103.

This animal inhabits the southern parts of the fur districts^ being found as far
north as Red River, in latitude 50°^ from which quarter about one hundred skins
are procured annually by the Hudson's Bay Company. If there is no mistake
as to the identity of the species, the Raccoon extends farther north on the shores
of the Pacific than it does on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. Dixon
and Portlock obtained cloaks of Raccoon skins from the natives of Cook's Rivefj
in latitude 60°^ and skins, supposed to be of the Raccoon, were also seen at
Nootka Sound by Captain Cook. Lewis and Clarke expressly state that the
Raccoon_, at the mouth of the Columbia^ is the same with the animal so common
in the United States. Desmarest says that the Raccoon extends as far south as
Paraguay. It is an animal^ with a fox-like countenance, but with much of the
gait of a Bear, and being partially plantigrade, it was classed by Linnaeus in
the genus Ursus. In the wild state, it sleeps by day, comes from its retreat in
tlie evening, and prowls in the night in search of roots, fruits, green corn, birds
and insects. It is said to eat merely the brain, or suck the blood of such birds as
it kills. At low water it frequents the sea-shore to feed on crabs and oysters. It
is fond of dipping its food into water before it eats, which occasioned Linnaeus to
give it the specific name of lotor. It climbs trees with facility. The fur of the
Raccoon is used in the manufacture of hats, and its flesh, when it has been fed on
vegetables, is reported to be good. The live animal is often seen in English
menageries,

DESCRIPTION.

The Raccoon has a round head, with a narrow, tapering nose, which projects considerably
beyond the mouth. The end of the nose is naked and black, and it possesses much flexibility^
The lips are also black. The eyes are round and moderately large ; the pupils circular. The
low, erect ears are elliptical, with their tips much rounded, and, together with their edges, are
of a soiled white colour. The whiskers are strong. The muzzle is covered with short hairs, of a

MAMMALIA.

37

soiled white colour. This pale colour passes ia the form of a band round the cheek and
over the eyes. A dark mark includes the eye and cheek, on each side, and there is also a
mark of a similar colour between the eyes, continued from the forehead. The dark colour
is produced by a mixture of grey, dark-brown and black hairs. The back is grizzled, its
fur consisting of dirty white hairs, ringed with black. The belly is considerably paler. The
tail is bushy, like the brush of a fox, and has a dirty white colour, with about six dark rings
round it. The extremities are short, and all the feet have five toes, armed with long, strong
claws, fitted for burrowing. There is a fulness of the skin on the flanks, which adds to the
apparent shortness of the limbs. The animal walks on the hind and fore toes, but when it sits,
brings the Avhole hind sole to the ground, and it often assumes an erect posture like a Bear.
Carver quaintly describes the Raccoon as having the limbs of a beaver, the body of a
badger, the head of a fox, the nose of a dog, the tail of a cat, and sliarp claws, by which it
climbs trees like a monkey.

Dimensions.

Feet. Inches. Feet- Inches,

l/engtli of head and body . . . 2 0 1 Length of tail (vertebraj) ... 0 DJ

head .... 0 6 Height of the back 1 1

[12.] 1. Meles Labradoria. (Sabine.) American Badger.

Genus. Meles. Brisson.

Carcajou. Buffon, torn. vi. p. 117, pl- 23. (edit, de Paris en 30 vol. 1749-1789.) Quadrupedes enlum. 295.

Common Badger. Pennant's Arctic Zoologi/, vol. i. p. 71.

Badger var. (3. American. Pennant's //i.s<. Quadr., vol. ii. p. 15.

Ursus Labradoriciis. Lin. Gmelin, vol. i. p. 102.

Prarow. Gass's Journal, p. 34.

Blaireau. Lewis and Clatike's Voyage, ^-c. vol. i.i^p. 50, 137, 213.

Taxus Labradoricus. Say, Long^s E.vped., vol. i. p. 2C1.

Meles Labradoria. Sabine, Franklin's First Journ., p. 649. Harlan's Faima, p. 57.

American Badger. Godman's Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 179.

Blaireau d'Am^rique. F. Cuvier, Hist. Nat. des Mamm. cum figura.

Brairo et Siffleur. French Canadians.

NannaspachK-neeskseshew. Mistonusk, (also aicaioteeJccBOO, " the animal that digs.") Cree Indians,

Chocartoosh, Pawnees.

Plate 2.

Biiffon^ in the body of his great work^ doubts whether the Badger be an
inhabitant of the American continent, notwithstanding that M. Brisson had

38 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

described a small quadruped from New York, under the name of Meles alba*.
Brisson's animal, according to M. Desmarest, proved to be merely an albino
variety of the Raccoon f ; but BufFon afterwards, in the first addition to his
article on the Glutton, described the skin of a true Badger, which he received,
it is said, from Labrador, under the misapplied name of Carcajou "l- His
specimen was imperfect, having only four toes the fifth having been rubbed
off, as he supposes, in stuffing ; and Gmelin, who adopted the opinion of
Schreber in considering it to be a distinct species from the European Badger,
carelessly allowed '' palmis tetradadi/lls" to form part of the specific character.
Shaw pointed out the differences between the two species more perfectly,
and his observations have been confirmed and extended by Mr. Sabine, who
described a specimen, obtained on the plains of the Saskatchewan by Captain
Franklin's party. Kalm says that he saw the common Badger in Pennsylvania,
where it is known by the name of the Ground Hog§. I suspect, however, that
there is some mistake in his observation, because recent American naturalists do
not mention it as an inhabitant of that state ; and the appellation of Ground
Hog is applied by the country people to the marmots and several other animals that
have the habit of burrowing in the earth \\. If there be, indeed, a true Badger on
the Atlantic coast, it must differ in habits, and be perhaps a distinct species from
the one described by Mr. Sabine, which inhabits a district of country very different
in character. For the same reason, I have some doubts of Buffon's specimen
having come from Labrador ^. The Blaireaux, seen by Lewis and Clarke on the
plains of the Missouri, are doubtless specifically the same with those of the ad-
joining and similar Saskatchewan country ; and even the Brairo, which the same
travellers describe as an inhabitant of the open plains, and sometimes of the
woods, of Columbia, presents no character, in their account of it, which denote
it to be distinct from the Saskatchewan animal, except the curious and perhaps
accidental circumstance of a double nail, like the Beaver's, on one of the toes of
each hind foot.

The Meles Labradoria frequents the sandy plains or prairies which skirt the
Rocky Mountains as far north as the banks of the Peace River, and sources of

* Brisson, Regne An., p. 255.

•j- Desmarest's Mamm., p. 168 and 174.

X The name of Carcajou belongs properly to the Wolverene.

§ Kalm's Travels, vol. i. p. 189.

II Gass, indeed, in noticing the Badgers of the Missouri, says that they are about the size of aground hog, and
nearly of the same colour. — Gass's Journal, p. 34.

^ Buffon says " qu'il venoit du pays des Esquimaux," but in fact it may have been brought actually from the banks
of the Saskatchewan by some of the Canadian fur hunters.

MAMMALIA. §8

the River of the Mountains, in latitude 58°. It abounds on the plains watered by
the Missouri, but its exact southern range has not, as far as I know, been defined
by any traveller. The sandy prairies, in the neighbourhood of Carlton-house, on
the banks of the Saskatchewan, and also on the Red River, that flows into Lake
Winipeg, are perforated by innumerable Badger-holes, which are a great annoy-
ance to horsemen, particularly when the ground is covered with snow. These
holes are partly dug by the Badgers for habitations ; but the greater number of
them are merely enlargements of the burrows of the Arctomys Hoodii and
Richardsonii, which the Badgers dig up and prey upon.

Whilst the ground is covered with snow, the Badger rarely or never comes
from its hole ; and I suppose that in that climate it passes the winter from the
beginning of November to April in a torpid state. Indeed, as it obtains the
small animals on which it feeds by surprising them in their burrows, it has little
chance of digging them out at a time when the ground is frozen into a solid rock.
Like the Bears, the Badgers do not lose much flesh during their long hiberna-
tion, for, on coming abroad in the spring, they are observed to be very fat. As
they pair, however, at that season, they soon become lean.

This Badger is a slow and timid animal, taking to the first earth it comes to
when pursued ; and as it makes its way through the sandy soil with the rapidity
of a mole, it soon places itself out of the reach of danger. The strength of its
fore-feet and claws is so great, that one which had insinuated only its head and
shoulders into a hole, resisted the utmost efforts of two stout young men who
endeavoured to drag it out by the hind legs and tail, until one of them fired the
contents of his fowling-piece into its body. Early in the spring, however, when
they first begin to stir abroad, they may be easily caught by pouring water into
their holes ; for the ground being frozen at that period, the water does not escape
through the sand, but soon fills the hole, and its tenant is obliged to come out.

The American Badger appears to be a more carnivorous animal than the
European one. A female which I killed had a small marmot, nearly entire,
together with some field-mice, in its stomach. It had also been eating some
vegetable matters.

DESCRIPTION

Of a female American Badger, killed at Carlton-house, in the latter end of April.

Its fur is very soft and fine, about three inches and a half long on the back, of a pui-plish-
brown colour from the roots upwards, variegated with narrow black rings near its summits,
and tipped with white, producing a pleasant and somewhat mottled or hoary gray colour, but

40

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

exhibiting no brown tints when the fur lies smooth. The upper surface of the head is of a
darker colour, bisected by a narrow Avhite line, which runs from the nose to the nape of the
neck. This Avhite stripe is bounded by dark fur, which gradually fades into gray and white as
it approaches the ears. A grayish-brown patch includes the eye, and extends to the tip of
the nose. There is also a brownish patch on the cheek before the ears, but the rest of the
cheek, the under-jaw, and the throat are white. Its belly is thinly coated with coarser whitish
hairs, its legs are of a blackish-brown colour, and its tail of a dirty brown. It is low on its
legs, has a broad, fleshy body, a flattish head, and very short,'round ears. Its claws are long,
strong, and of a pale horn colour. The molar teeth are remarkably smooth and flat on the
crowns for an omnivorous animal. It measures tAVO feet six inches from the nose to the root
of the tail, and the length of its tail is six inches.

The European Badger differs totally from the American one^ in its dark-
coloured, much coarser^ and shorter fur ; in the well-defined white lines on the
headj in its more conspicuous ears_, which are black tipped with white^ and in
having- a larger head. The differences betwixt these animals are detailed in the
following quotation from Mr. Sabine : —

" The American Badger is generally less in size, and of a' lighter make ; the head, though
equally long, is not so sharp towards the nose, and the markings on the fur are remarkably
different ; a narroAv white line runs from between the eyes towards the back, the rest of the
upper part of the head is brown, the throat and whole under jaw are white, the cheeks partly
so ; a semicircular brown spot is placed between the light part of the cheeks and the ears ;
the white marking extends in a triangular form a little above the eyes, and below the eyes
in a line towards the fore part of the mouth, but the whole eye lies \\ithin the dark colour
of the upper part of the head, which colour runs in a sharp angle at the corner of the eye
into the white. The European Badger has three broad white marks ; one on the top of the
head and one on each side, and between them are two broad black lines, which include the
eyes and ears ; and the whole under parts of the throat and jaw are black. The upper
parts of the body and sides in the American animal are covered with rather long, hue, grayish
hairs, which in the other are darker, coarser, and longer ; the under parts in the former
are lighter than the upper, in the latter they are darker ; the legs in the first are dark
brown, in the other quite black; and though the animal is of larger size generally, its
nails, which are dark, are smaller than the lidit horn-coloured nails of the American
species ; and, finally, the tail of the European Badger is longer than that of the American."

The specimen of the American Badger which Mr. Sabine comments upon^ was
two feet two inches long, excluding the tail, which was three inches long. Buffon's
specimen was two feet four inches in length, exclusive of the tail. He remarks
that it had one molar tooth of a side fewer than the European Badger, and he
compares the colour of its fur to that of the Canada lynx. The specimen of Meks
Labradoria, in the Zoological Museum, certainly very much resembles the lynx in

MAMMALIA. 41

the colours of the upper aspect of its body. The Tlacoyotl, seu Coyotlhumidi of
Fernandez_, seems to be very like the Meles Labradoria. " Inveni in agro
Tetzcocano animal pilosum valde^ vocatum Tlalcoyotl, duas longum spithamas,
unguibus melis^ aut Quanhpecotli similibus, brevibus cruribus et nigro vestitis pilo,
brevissima cauda, corpore toto ex albo vergente in fulvum, sed dorso, ac superna
parte capitis, et colli nigris, lineaque distinctis candenti ; caput est parvum, rostrum
tenue, et longiusculum_, canini exerti, ac vita victusque eadem quae Quauhpecotli,
i. e. vorax est_, nullisque parcit oblatis escis, nee tamen editur ejus caro*." The
Ytzcuintecuani, and the Quanhpecotli, or Meles montanus or Texon, of the same
author, are probably of nearly allied genera. The latter has a long tail.

[13.] 1. GuLO Luscus. (Sabine.) The Wolverene.

Genus. Gulo. Storr. Cuvier.

Carcajou. La Hontan, Voyage, vol. i. p. 81. An. 1703.

Quickhatcli or Wolverene. Ellis's Voi/. Hudson's Bai/, -p. 42, (. iv. An. 1748. Edwards^^ 103.

Ursus luscus. Link. 5^y«<., p. 71. Linn. Gmelin, vol. i. p. 103.

Ursus Freti Hudsouis. Brisson, Quadr., p. 188. An. 1756.

Wolverene. Pennant's Hist. Quadr., vol. ii. p. 8, /. 8. Arctic ZooL, vol. i. p. CC. Hearne's Journey, p. 372.,

■Wolverin, Quiquihatch, or Carcajou. Graham's iV55., p. 13.

Gulo arcticus, var. A. Glouton wolverene. Desjiarest, Mamm., p. 174.

Gulo luscus. Sabine (Capt.) Suppl. Parry^s First Voy. clxxxiv. Sabine (Mr.) FranJclin's First Journey, p. 650.

Richardson's ^pjoenii., Parry's Second Voy., p. 292.
Kablee-arioo, EsauisiAux. Naghai-eh. Chepewyans.
Ommeethatsees, okeecoohagew, and okeecoohawgees. Cree Indians.
Carcajou. French Canadians. Quickehatch. English Residents at Hudson's Bay.

The glutton of the northern parts of Europe, the rossomak of the Russians, has
attracted the attention of naturalists from the many extravagant stories which
have been told of its extraordinary voracity, and of its method of procuring relief
when over-distended with food. Olaus Magnus, who, according to Buffon, is the
earliest writer that mentions this animal, has collected the popular notions of its
habits, though without giving full credit to them himself; and his account has

* Fbancisci Fernandez {PhilUpi Secundi Prim. Medico) Hist. Anim. Novce Hisp., cap. xxxvii. p. 12.

G

42 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

been copied by subsequent authors^ almost without alteration. ■"' The glutton,"
says he, " (Latbiice gulo) is the most noted of all tlie animals which inhabit the
north of Sweden, for its insatiable appetite, whence it has obtained the appellation
of jerf, in the language of that country^ of wilfras, in German, and rosomaka, in
Sclavonian." '' It is wont, when it has found the carcase of some large beast, to
eat until its belly is distended like a drum, when it rids itself of its load by squeez-
ing its body betwixt two trees growing near together, and again returning to its
repast, soon requires to have recourse to the same means of relief*." This trait
in its character, however, is treated as a fiction by the traveller Gmelin^ who, in
journeying through Siberia, had an opportunity of acquiring a knowledge of its
habits from the hunters. Buffon, on the authority of the reports of preceding
authors, describes it as a ferocious animal, which approaches man without fear, and
attacks the larger quadrupeds without hesitation ; but he states that its pace is so
slow that it can take its prey only by surprise, to accomplish which it employs an
extraordinary degree of cunning. He terms it the " quadruped-vulture,'' and
repeats the statement of Tsbrand, that it is accustomed to ascend a tree and lie in
wait for the elks and rein-deer, dropping on their backs as they pass, and adhering
so firmly by its claws, that all their efforts to dislodge it are in vain, and they
speedily fall a prey to its voracity. It is even said to entice the rein-deer to come
beneath the tree in which it lies concealed, by throwing down the moss which that
animal is fond of, and that the arctic fox is its jackal or provider f. This
character seems to be entirely fictitious, and to have partly originated in the
name of '^glutton" having been given occasionally to the lynxes and sloths. I
have, however, thought proper to recapitulate it here, previous to stating that it is
very dissimilar to the habits of the American Wolverene^ which is by many able
naturalists considered to be the same species.

The Wokerene, is first noticed by LaHontan, who says ^hat it is very like a badger,
but is larger and fiercer. He calls it the carcajou, which is the appellation by
which it is still known to the French Canadian voyagers. Subsequent writers,,
however, have occasionally, through mistake, given the same name to the
American Badger, and also to several species o(felis, whence doubts have been
excited as to the animal actually meant by La Hontan. The European labourers
in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company term it Quickehatch, which is
evidently derived from its Cree or Algonquin name of okee-coo-haw-gees, and

* Glaus Magnus, Genl. Sepien., p. 138.

■f A similar account has been told of the foxes in Canada driving the moose deer to a spot where the karkajou,
described as having a long tail, is posted. — Voyage d'Amerique, vol. i, p. 272. An. 1723.

MAMMALIA. 43

without being disposed to rely strong-ly on etymological inquiries, I am inclined
to refer the Carcajou, or, as it is sometimes pronounced Carcayou, of the
Courmrs des bois, to the same source (p/cee-coo-haw-gew). Many other
Knisteneaux or Cree terms have been adopted into the vernacular language of
the Canadian voyagers.

The Wolverene is a carnivorous animal, which feeds chiefly upon the carcases
of beasts that have been killed by accident. It has great strength^ and annoys
the natives by destroying their hoards of provision, and demolishing their marten
traps. It is so suspicious^ that it will rarely enter a trap itself, but begiiming
behind, pulls it to pieces^ scatters the logs of which it is built, and then carries
off the bait. It feeds also on meadow mice, marmots^ and other rodentia, and
occasionally 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. It
resembles the bear in its gait, and is not fleet ; but it is very industrious, and
no doubt feeds well, as it is generally fat. It is much abroad in the winter^ and
the track of its journey in a single night may be often traced for many miles.
From the shortness of its legs^ it makes its way through loose snow with difficulty,
but when it falls upon the beaten track of a marten trapper, it will pursue it for
a long way. Mr. Graham observes that '^ the Wolverenes are extremely mis-
chievous^ and do more damage to the small-fur trade than all the other rapacious
animals conjointly. They will follow the marten hunter's path round a line of traps
extending forty, fifty^ or sixty mileS;, and render the whole unserviceable, merely to
come at the baits, which are generally the head of a partridge or a bit of dried
venison. They are not fond of the martens themselves, but never fail of tearing
them in pieces or of burying them in the snow by the side of the path, at a con -
siderable distance from the trap. Drifts of snow often conceal the repositories
thus made of the martens from the hunter, in which case they furnish a regale
to the hungry fox, whose sagacious nostril guides him unerringly to the spot.
Two or three foxes are often seen following the Wolverene for this purpose *."

The Wolverene is said to be a great destroyer of beavers, but it must be only
in the summer, when those industrious animals are at work on land, that it can
surprise them. An attempt to break open their house in the winter, even sup-
posing it possible for the claws of a Wolverene to penetrate the thick mud walls
when frozen as hard as stone, would only have the effect of driving the beavers
into the water to seek for shelter in their vaults on the borders of the dam. The

* Graham's MSS., p. 13.
G 2

44 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Wolverene, although it is reported to defend itself with boldness and success
against the attack of other quadrupeds, flies from the face of man, and makes
but a poor fight with a hunter, who requires no other arms than a stick to kill it.
It brings forth from two to four young once a year. The cubs are covered
with a downy fur, of a pale or cream colour. It is found throughout the whole
northern parts of the American continent, from the coast of Labrador and Davis'
Straits to the shores of the Pacific and the islands of Alaska. It even visits the
islands of the Polar sea, its bones having been found in Melville island, nearly in
latitude 75°. It is not rare in Canada, but the extent of its range to the south-
ward is not mentioned by American writers.

DESCRIPTION.

This animal has a broad compact head, which is suddenly rounded off on every side to
form the nose. In the shape of its jaws it resembles a dog. Its ears are low, rounded,
and much hid by the surrounding fur. The back is arched ; the tail low and bushy ; the
legs thick and short, and the whole aspect of the animal indicates strength, without much
activity. The fur bears a great similarity to that of the black bear, but is not so long, nor
of so much value. It is in general of a dark brown colour, passing in the height of winter
almost into black. A pale reddish-brown band, more or less distinct in different individuals,
and sometimes fading into soiled brownish-white, commences behind the shoulder, and run-
ning along the flanks, turns up on the hip and unites with its fellow on the rump. The
short tail is thickly covered with long black hair. There are some white markings on the
throat and between the fore-legs, which are not constant in size or number. The legs are
brownish-black. This animal places its feet on the ground much in the manner of a bear,
and imprints a track on the snow or sand, which is often mistaken for that of the bear
by Europeans on their first arrival in the fur countries. The Indians distinguish the tracks
at the first glance by the length of the steps. The claws are strong and sharp.

Dimensions.

Length of head and body
„ tail (vertebrae)

„ tail with fur

Feet.
2

Inches.

e

0
0

7
10

MAMMALIA.

4$

[14.] 1. MusTELA (PuTORius) VULGARIS. (Lin.) The Common

Weasel.

Genus. Mustela. Linn. Sub-genus. Putorius. Cuvier.
Blustela vulgaris. Lin. Gmelin, i., p. 99.
Mustela nivalis. Lin. Fauna Suec, ii., p. 7-
Common AVeasel. Pennant, Arctic Zool. i., p. 75-
Putorius vulgaris. Cuvier, Regne An.
Blustela vulgaris. Harlan. Fattn., i., p. 6\.
No. 49. Museum Zool. Society.

It is stated in Arctic Zoology, that this species inhabits the Hudson's Bay coun-
tries, Newfoundland, and the United States, as far south as Carolina, becoming- in
cold districts white in winter, like the Ermine. It is omitted in Godman's account
of the animals of the United States ; and the Prince of Musignano is of opinion
that what has been considered as the common weasel in the United States, is
rtierely the ermine in its summer dress. Both species, however, are indubitably
inhabitants of the American continent, the ermine extending to the most remote
arctic districts, and the Weasel as far to the north, at least, as the Saskatchewan
river. Captain Bayfield presented the Zoological Society with specimens of the
Common Weasel, killed on the borders of Lake Superior, which agree in all
respects with the European species, and I obtained similar specimens at Carlton
House.

DESCRIPTIOX.

The Weasel very much resembles the ermine ; but it is a much smaller animal, has a flatter
forehead, a narrower and longer nose, and a much shorter tail. Its fur, short and of inferior
quality, has, in summer, a dull yellowish- brown colour, deepening into chestnut brown on
the upper part of the head and nose, and at the tip of the tail into blackish-brown. The
under parts are yellowish-white, as are also the whole of the feet, and the interior of the legs
and thighs. The entire of the under jaw is pure white, and the white extends half along the
upper lip, terminating opposite the anterior part of the orbit, or at the posterior row of
whiskers. The upper part of the cheek, between the white at the angle of the mouth, and the
orbit, is included in the brown colour of the head. The tail is of the same colour above and
below. The brown and white colours join by a straight well-defined line on the sides of the
neck and belly, the latter colour occupying nearly one-third less of the circumference of the
body than the brown. The claws are smaller and more curved than those of the ermine, and
the extremities are more slender, but longer in proportion to its size.

46 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Dimensions

Of an old female killed at Carlton House.

Length of the head and body
„ head

„ tail (vertebrse) .
„ „ including hair

Inches.

9

. 1

2

. 2

Lines.
0
8
0
10

Height of the ear
From tip of the no
of the orbit

Inches. Lines.
0 2

0 C

The Weasels of the fur countries become white in winter like the Ermine^ and
are not distinguished from them by the traders.

[15.] 2. MusTELA (PuTORius) ERMiNEA. (Llii. Gmel.)

The Ermine, or Stoat.

Mustela erminea. Lin. Gmelin., i. p. 98.

Stoat- weasel. Pennant, Arctic Zool., i., p. 75.

Mustela erminea. Parry's First Voy., Suppl. clxxxr. Franklin's First Journey, p. 652. Parry's Second

Voy., App. p. 294. Lyon's Private Journal, pp. 82 — 107-
Seegoos and Shacooshew. Cree Indians. Terreeya. EsauiMAUX.

This well-known and very handsome little animal is a common inhabitant of
America, from its most northern limits to the middle districts of the United States ;
and many specimens, both in the brown winter and white summer fur, were
brought home by the late expeditions of discovery. It is a bold animal, and often
domesticates itself in the habitations of the fur traders, where it may be heard
the livelong night pursuing the white-footed mouse (Aftis leucopus). Captain
Lyon mentions his having seen an ermine hunt the footsteps of mice, like a hound
after a fox, and he also describes their mode of burrowing in the snow. "" I
now observed," says he, " a curious kind of burrow, made by the ermines, which
was pushed up in the same manner as the tracks of moles through the earth in
England. These passages run in a serpentine direction, and near the hole or
dwelling-place the circles are multiplied, as if to render the approach more
intricate." The same lively writer relates the manners of a captive ermine as
follows : — '^ He was a fierce little fellow, and the instant he obtained day-light in
his new dwelling, he flew at the bars, and shook them with the greatest fury.

MAMMALIA.

uttering- a very shrill passionate cry, and emitting- the strong- musky smell which I
formerly noticed. No threats or teasing could induce him to retire to the sleeping-
place, and whenever he did so of his own accord, the slightest rubbing on the bars
was sufficient to bring him out to the attack of his tormentors. He soon took food
from the hand, but not until he had first used every exertion to reach and bite the
fingers which conveyed it. This boldness gave me great hopes of being able to
keep my little captive alive through the winter, but he was killed by an accident."
According to Indian report, the ermine brings forth ten or twelve young at a
time. In the time of Charlevoix, ermine-skins formed part of the menues pelletries
exported from Canada ; but their value at present is so little, that they do not
repay the Hudson's Bay Company the expense of collecting ; hence very few are
brought to England from that quarter.

DESCRIPTION,

The ermine has a convex nose and forehead, a long slender body, and long cylindrical tail,
with short and rather stout limbs. Its ears are low and rounded, and go more than half
round the auditory opening. They are proportionably higher than the ears of the common
weasel. In the winter time the fur in some specimens is of a pure white colour throughout,
except on the end of the tail, which, together with a few of the anterior whiskers, are black.
In other specimens there is a bright primrose-yellow tinge on the belly, the posterior part of
the back, or the tail. The feet in the winter are clothed with hair on the soles, which projects
so as to conceal the claws. In the summer the soles are nearly naked, and the fur on the
upper parts resembles that of the common weasel in colour.

Dimensions
Of a specimen killed at Fort Franklin, Great Bear Lake.

Inches.

Lines,

Inches,

Lines.

LengtTi of tead and body

H

0

Length of head

2

3

„ tail (vertebrae)

. 4

0

Height of ear

. 0

3|

„ ,, including fur

5

0

Distance between orbit and end of nose

0

C

In the neighbourhood of Carlton House there is a variety of a larger size^ having a longer
tail and longer fore-claws.

Dimensions.

Inches. Lines.

Length of head and body . . . 12 0

,, tail (vertebrae) .... 6 4

„ „ including fur ... 6 6

48 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[16.] 3. MusTELA. (PuTORius) visoN. (Lin. Gmel.)

The Vison- Weasel.

Otay. Sagard Theodat, Hist, du Can. p. TAQ. An. 1636.

Foutereau. La Hontan, Voyage., i. p. 81. An. 1703.

Mink. Kalm, Journ.

Le vison. Buffon, xiii. p. 308, t. 43.

Mustela vison. Lin. Gmel, i. p. 94.

Minx. Lawsox, Carol; p. 121.

Mustela lutreola ? Forster, Phil. Trans., Ixii. p. 371.

Minx Otter. Pex nant, Arctic Zool., i. p. 87.

Vison-Weasel. Ibid. i. p. 78.

Jackash. Hearne, Journey, p. 376. Graham, MSS., p. 6.

Mustela vison. Cuvier, Regne An., i. p. 150, t. l.fig. 2.

Mustela lutreola. Sabine, Franklin's Journ., p. 652.

JIustela vison et M. lutreocephala. Harlan, Fauna, pp. 63, 65.

The Mink. Godman, JVat. Hist, i. p. 206.

Vison Weasel. British Museum.

Shakwaeshew or Atjackashew. Cree Indians.

Mink. Hudson's Bay Traders. Foutereau. Canadian Voyagers.

This animal is very similar to the mustela lutreola of the north of Europe^ in
form; and the name oimcenk, applied to the latter, is supposed by Pennant, with
great probability, to have been transferred to the former by some Swedish
colonists. La Hontan mentions a sort of small amphibious Weasels, under the
name of Foutereaux, which is the appellation of the minks to this day amongst
the French Canadian voyagers. Buffon described a specimen from Canada, pre-
served in the museum of M. Aubry, under the name of Vison, and gives a correct
figure, except that the form of the tail of the specimen liad been spoiled in
mounting. Pennant admits the Vison into his list of species, having had merely
an imperfect view of M. Aubry's specimen through its glass-case, and not recog-
nising it to be the same with his minx or lesser otter, which he considers as
identical with the Mustela lutreola. Forster, who received a Vison from Hudson's
Bay, under the name of mink, expresses a doubt of its being the latter species ;
and Baron Cuvier has placed the European mink in his sub-genus Putorius, whilst
he ranges the Vison amongst the true martens. The Hudson's Bay Vison has the
teeth of the polecats. I have not been able to trace the origin of the term Vison ;
but a list of the furs exported to France, presented by a Montreal merchant to
Kalm in 1749, informs us, that '^'^ the visons, or foutereaux, are a kind of martins
that Hve in the water." There is no animal of the genus mustela inhabiting the

MAMMALIA. 49

northern parts of America^ which can be said to Uve in the water but the Vison ;
the fisher, notwithstanding its name^ being- as much a land animal as the pine-
martin.

The Vison passes much of its time in the water, and when pursued seeks shelter
in that element in preference to endeavouring to escape by land^ on which it travels
slowly. It swims and dives well_, and can remain a considerable time under water.
Its short fur^ forming a smooth glossy coat, its tail exactly like that of an otter,
and the shortness of its legs^ denote its aquatic habits. It preys upon small fish_,
fish-spawn, fresh-water mussels, &c., in the summer ; but in the winter, when its
watery haunts are frozen over, it will hunt mice on land, or travel to a considerable
distance through the snow in search of a rapid or fall, where there is still some
open water. Under the article Mustela Canadensis, the mistakes which have
arisen from the habits of this animal having- been attributed to the Pekan or
Fisher, are pointed out. The Vison, when irritated, exhales, next to the Skunk,
the most fetid smell of any animal in the fur countries. The odour resides
in a fluid secreted by two glands situated at the anus. It is not very timid when
in the water, and will approach near to a canoe out of curiosity, diving however
instantly on perceiving the flash of a gun, or any movement from whence it appre-
hends danger*. It is easily tamed, and is capable of strong attachment. In a
domestic state it is observed to sleep much in the day, and to be fond of warmth.
One, which I saw in the possession of a Canadian woman, passed the day in her
pocket, looking out occasionally when its attention was roused by any unusual
noise. Like a cat, a tame Vison is easily offended, and will, on a sudden provo-
cation, bite those who are most kind to it. It is fond of being caressed. The fur
of the Vison is of little value, and at many of the remote parts their skins are taken
by the traders from the Indians merely to accommodate the latter, but are afterwards
burnt, as they will not repay the expense of carriage. The fur, however, is very
fine, although short, and is likely, in the revolutions of fashion, to become valuable
again.

VV^e saw the Vison on the banks of Mackenzie's River as far north as latitude
66°, and there is every reason to believe that it ranges to the mouth of that river, in
latitude 69°. It is a common animal throughout the whole breadth of the continent
of America, and we are told by Pennant that it exists as far south as Carolina.
It has from four to seven young at a time.

• It resembles a musk-rat in its mode of s-nimming, aud is shot in the water in like manner, by the hunters, as
La Hontan has remarked.

H

50 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula, incisors |, canines J-Ei, grinders ^ = 34.

The Vison has an anterior molar less in both jaws than the American pine-martin ; but the
teeth of the two species differ in shape merely in the antipenultimate or carnivorous tooth of
the lower jaw having only a slightly salient angle, in place of the interior very minute point,
■which exists on the lower carnivorous tooth of the martin. Size.— Less than the pine-martin,
but, from the greater length of its neck, it measures nearly as much from the nose to the tail.
Shape.— The head is depressed and small; the nose short, flat, and thick; the eyes small,
and far forward ; the ears low, nearly semicircular, and covered with short fur. The neck is
long, and the body is long and slender, and has much flexibility. The legs are short, and the
toes are connected by short hairy webs that are completely concealed by the fur, which is as
long on the feet both above and below, as on the legs. The claws are nearly straight, sharp,
and white, and scarcely project beyond the fur. The tail is round and thick at the root, from
whence it tapers gradually to the tip, exactly resembling the tail of an otter in form. In the
prepared specimens, the part of the tail next the body is usually too slender, whilst towards
the tip it is over-stuffed, causing the hairs to stand out, and giving it a bushy appearance con-
trary to nature.

The fur is short on the head, and is longest on the posterior part of the body and tail. It
is of two sorts — a very dense down, and longer and stronger hairs. The tips of the latter
form a smooth shining coat both on the body and tail, which completely conceals the down.
The colour of the down is intermediate betwixt brown and gray, being nearly that which
Werner denominates brocoli-brown. The colour of the surface of the fur is chocolate or
umber-brown ; a little paler on the head and belly, but deepening on the tail and posterior
part of the back into blackish-brown. The lower jaw is white, with a narrow brown mark at
the apex ; and there are occasionally some white markings on the throat, but they are not
constant either in number or size. The whiskers are of the same colour with the fur, and are
shorter than the head, but remarkably strong. There are two brown-coloured glands situated
in the hollow between the tuberosities of the ischium and the tail, which have each a small
cavity capable of containing a garden pea, and lined by a white, wrinkled membrane. The
fluid they secrete is very fetid.

DlJlENSIONS.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.

Length of head and body' . .17 0 i Distance from centre of orbit to end of nose 1 0

„ tail, including fur . 8 6 ,, end of nose to auditory opening 2 5

„ head .... 3 3 Breadth between the ears . . 20

MAMMALIA. 51

[17.] 4. MusTELA Martes. (Linn.) The Pine-Martin,

Genus. Mustek. Linn. Suh-genus. 3Iustela. Cuvier.

Mustela martes. Linn. Gmelin, vol. i. p. 95.

Pine-raartin. Pennant's Arctic ZooL, vol. i. p. 77.

Mustela martes. Sabine, Franklin^s Journ., p. 651. Harlan's Fauna, p. 6/.

Pine-Martin. Godman's Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 200.

Wawpeestan. Cree Indians. A^^appanow. Monzonies.

Wawbeechins. Algonuuins. Sable. American Fur-dealers.

Martin. Hudson's Bay Cobipany's Lists.

The Pine-martin inhabits the woody districts in the northern parts of America,
from the Atlantic to the Pacific^ in great numbers, and has been observed to be
particularly abundant where the trees have been killed by fire, but are still
standing-. It is very rare, as Hearne has remarked, in the district lying north of
Churchill river, and east of Great Slave Lake, known by the name of Chepewyan
or Barren Lands. A similar district, on the Asiatic side of Behring's Straits,
twenty-five degrees of longitude in breadth, and inhabited by the Tchutski, is
described by Pennant as equally unfrequented by the Martin, and for the same
reason, — the want of trees. The limit of its northern range in America is like that
of the woods, about the sixty-eighth degree of latitude, and it is said to be found
as far south as New-England. Particular races of Martins, distinguished by the
fineness and dark colours of their fur, appear to inhabit certain rocky districts.
The rocky and mountainous but woody district of the Nipigon, on the north side
of Lake Superior, has long been noted for its black and valuable Martin-skins.

The Martin preys on mice, hares, and partridges, and in summer, on small birds'
eggs, &c. A partridge's head, with the feathers, is the best bait for the log traps
in which this animal is taken. It does not reject carrion, and often destroys the
hoards of meat and fish laid up by the natives, when they have accidentally left a
crevice by which it can enter. The Martin, when its retreat is cut off, shows its
teeth, sets up its hair, arches its back, and makes a hissing noise like a cat. It will
seize a dog by the nose, and bite so hard, that unless the latter is accustomed to
the combat, it suffers the little animal to escape. It may be easily tamed, and it
soon acquires an attachment for its master, but it never becomes docile. Its flesh
is occasionally eaten, though it is not prized by the Indians. The females are
smaller than the males. They burrow in the ground, carry their young about six
weeks, and bring forth from four to seven in a litter about the latter end of April.
Mr. Graham says that this animal is sometimes troubled with epilepsy.

H2

52 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

The fur of the Martin is fine_, and it is used for trimmings, and also dyed so as
to imitate sables and other expensive furs. Hence it has always been an
important article of commerce. Upwards of one hundred thousand skins have
long been collected annually in the fur countries.

DESCRIPTION.

The form of the Martin is well known. It has a pleasing aspect. Its fur is about an
inch and a quarter long, of a pale, dull, grayish-brown, or hair-brown colour, from the roots
upwards, dull yellowish-brown near the summit, and tipped with dark brown or black. The
lustre of the surface of the fur is considerable. The hair of the tail is longer, coarser, and
darker, than that of the body. At the tip of the tail its length is three inches, and it has
a blackish colour. The yellowish-white markings on the throat vary in different individuals.
The darkest skins are most prized. The fur is in the highest order in the winter time ; in
the beginning of summer, the dark tips of the hairs drop off, and the general colour of the
fur is a pale orange-brown, with little lustre. The tips of the ears, at all times lighter than
the rest of the fur, become very pale in the summer time. The natives remark that the fur
of the Martin loses all its lustre, and consequently much of its value, upon the falling of the
first shower of rain for the season. Length of the head and body from eighteen to twenty
inches.

[18.] 5. MusTELA Canadensis. (Lin.) The Pekan, or Fisher.

Le Pekan. Buff on, vol. xiii. p. 304, t. xlii. Opt.

Miistela Canadensis. Linn. Gmelin, vol. i. p. 95.

Fisher. Pennant's Arct. Zool., vol i. p. 82. Hist. Qicadr., vol. ii. p. 238.

Mustela Pennanti. Erxlebein, 5'ys;., p. 470.

Wejack. Hearne's Journ. Graham's MSS.

Fisher or Black-fox. Lewis and Clark, vol. iii. p. 25.

Fisher-weasel, or Pekan. Warden's United Slates.

Mustela Pennanti. Sabine, Franklhi's First Journ., p. Col .

Mustela Canadensis. Harlan's Fauna, p. 05.

Pennant's Martin. Godjian's iVai. Ms^, vol. i. p. 203.

Otchoek. Cree Indians. Woodshock. Hudson's Bay Company's Sale Lists.

Wejack, or Fisher. Fur Traders. Pekan. Canadian Voyagers.

This animal has been described by authors under many appellations. A con-
siderable number of its skins are annually imported into England by the Hudson's
Bay Company, and exposed in their sales under the names of Woodshocks or

MAMMALIA. ' 53

Fishers. The latter appellation, whatever its orig-in may have beeii^ has led to
much confusion in the history of the species,, and has caused the habits of the
mustela mson to be ascribed to it, Mr. Bartram^ as quoted by Pennant^ is the
iirst written authority I can find for the narae^, and he distinctly sayS;, " though
they are not amphibious, and live on all kinds of lesser quadrupeds, they are called
Fishers." Wejack, the appellation under which Hearne mentions it, is a corruption
of its Cree or Knisteneaux name, otchoek, and the word Woodshock has a similar
origin. It is universally termed Pclcan by the Canadian fur-hunters^ which may
be considered as evidence of its being the animal described by BufFon. Pennant
had only an imperfect view^ through a glass case, of the Pekan, in a museum at
Paris*, and does not appear to have recognised it in his fisher. Under the article
PeJain, in Arctic Zoology, it is said that a skin of that species was sent from Hud-
son's Bay, by Mr. Graham, labelled with the name o{Jackash. This name is given
by the traders solely to the mustela vison, and I suspect that, through some
accident, the label intended for a specimen of the latter animal had been affixed
to a skin of the common Pine-martin. Hence the formation of a nominal species,
by Pennant, and much of the confusion that has ensued. Large individuals of the
common Pine-martin, in their summer dress, have a considerable resemblance to
the Fisher, and might easily have been mistaken by Pennant for the animal he
had imperfectly examined at Paris ; and having once named it the Pekan, it
followed that a true skin of the Fisher, also received from Mr. Graham, was
described as a distinct species. Pennant actually says that his Pekan agrees in
dimensions and white marks with the European martin.

The Pekan is a larger and stronger animal than any variety of the Pine-martin,
but it has similar manners ; climbing trees with facility, and preying principally
on mice. It lives in the woods, preferring damp places in the vicinity of water,
in which respect it differs from the martin, which is generally found in the driest
spots of tb.e pine forests. The Fisher is said to prey much on frogs in the
summer season ; but I have been informed that its favourite food is the Canada
porcupine, which it kills by biting on the belly. It does not seek its food in the
water, although, like the Pine-martin, it will feed on the hoards of frozen fish laid
up by the residents.

It inhabits a wide extent of country, from Pennsylvania to Great Slave Lake,
being thirty degrees of latitude, and I believe its range extends completely across
the continent. It is found on the shores of the Pacific. It brings forth, once a
year, from two to four young.

* Arctic Zoology, vol. i. p. 78.

H^ NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

DESCRIPTION.

The physiognomy of the Pekan is very different from that of the Martin. When the latter
is threatened, its features resemble those of an enraged cat, but the expression of the Pekan's
countenance approaches to that of a dog, although the apparent obliquity of its eyes give it
a sinister look. The head has a strong, roundish, compact appearance, and contracts sud-
denly to form the nose, which terminates rather acutely. The ears, low and semicircular,
are far apart, so as to leave a broad and slightly rounded forehead : they are smaller in
proportion than the ears of the Pine-martin. The eyes, situated where the head curves in
to form the nose, appear more oblique than they really are.

The fur, towards the roots, is fine and downy, and of a grayish or clove-brown colour ;
yellowish-white upwards, and blackish-brown at the tips, with considerable lustre. It is short
on the head, but on the body, particidarly on the posterior parts, it is as long, though less fine
than the fur of the Pine-martin. On the head, shoulders, and fore-part of the back, so much
of the white is seen that they are quite hoary, but towards the tail the colour deepens into
blackish-brown. The throat, belly, and legs are brownish-black ; the colour is lighter on
the sides. There is a white spot very frequently between the fore-legs or on the throat, and
another between the hind-legs, but these marks are not constant. The tail is clothed with
long black fur. The chin and nose are tipped with brown. The ears, which are covered
with short hairs, are pale anteriorly, dark brown behind, and have whitish margins. The
fore-legs are short and strong. The toes on the fore and hind feet are connected at the
base by a short web, which is covered on both sides with hair. The claws are strong, curved
and sharp.

This animal is nearly twice the ordinary size of the Pine-martin, and has a longer tail ;
and its fur is harsher, and much less valuable. Its body has the musky odour of the martin,
but rather stronger. Some thousands of Pekans are annually killed in the Hudson's Bay
countries, but they are less abundant than the pine-martins.

Dimensions.

Inches. Inches.

Length of head and body . . .23

„ head measured with a string from the

nose over the forehead to the nape of the neck 6^
„ tail, including fur . . 16

Breadth from the tip of one ear to the tip of the other 7
Height of ear . . . . .1

Length of fore-leg and foot . . .6

„ hind-leg, foot, and thigh . . H

(2. MusTELA Canadensis, varietas alba. White Pekan.

This variety has the nose and feet brown ; the rest of the fur is white. Its
dimensions are the same with those of the common variety.
There is a specimen in the Hudson's Bay Museum,

MAMMALIA. §^

[19.] 1. Mephitis Americana, var. Hudsonica.

The Hudson s Bay Skunk.

Genus. Mephitis. Cuvier.

Skuuk Weesel. Pennant's Arctic ZooL, i., p. 85. Hearne, Journei/, p. 377-

Mephitis Americana. Sabine. Franklin's Journ.jTp. ti53. Zoological Mus. No. 08, 69.

Seecawk. Cree Indians.

This animal is prettily ornamented by a full bushy tail_, and broad lateral white
stripes, which contrast pleasingly with the white colours of the rest of the body.
Its fur, although long, is coarse, and is but little valued in commerce. The Skunk
is not an uncommon animal in the district it inhabits, which does not, I believe,
extend to the north of latitude 56° or 57°. It exists in the rocky and woody parts
of the country, but is still more frequent in the clumps of wood which skirt the
sandy plains of the Saskatchewan, I have not been able to ascertain the southern
range of this variety of Skunk ; and, judging from Kalm's description, there
appears to be a different one in Canada. The Skunk passes its winter in a hole,
seldom stirring abroad, and then only for a short distance. It preys on mice, and
in summer has been observed to feed much on frogs. It has a slow gait, and can be
overtaken without difficulty, for it makes but a poor attempt to escape, putting its
trust apparently in its power of discomfiting its pursuers by the discharge of a
noisome fluid. This fluid, which is of a deep yellow colour, and is contained in a
small bag placed at the root of the tail, emits one of the most powerful stenches in
nature ; and so durable, that the spot where a Skunk has been killed will retain the
taint for many days. Mr. Graham says, that he knew several Indians who lost
their eye-sight in consequence of inflammation, produced by this fluid having been
thrown into them by the animal, which has the power of ejecting it to the distance of
upwards of four feet. I have known a dead Skunk, thrown over the stockades of a
trading post, produce instant nausea in several women in a house with closed doors
upwards of a hundred yards distant. The odour has some resemblance to that of
garlic, although much more disagreeable. One may, however, soon become
familiarised with it : for, notwithstanding the disgust it produces at first, I have
managed to skin a couple of recent specimens by recurring to the task at intervals.
When care is taken not to soil the carcase with any of the strong-smelling fluid.

56 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

the meat is considered by the natives to be excellent food. It breeds once a year,
and has from six to ten young" at a time. A. considerable number of animals of the
genus Mephitis, natives of America, resembling- each other strongly in form and
size, but differing- in the number and variety of their stripes and marking's, have
been described by authors as so many distinct species. Baion Cuvier thinks that
the present state of our knowledge of these animals does not warrant us in con-
sidering them otherwise than as varieties of a single species, and of these varieties
he enumerates fifteen*. I have now seen a considerable number of specimens,
killed to the north of the Great Lakes, none of which presented any important
deviation in their markings from the one principally referred to in the description
which follows; and M. Desmarest remarks, that " the varieties (if they are to be
considered as such, and not as species) are, for the most part, sufficiently uniform
in the same district of country in the disposition of their stripes." The Hudson
Bay variety, however, comes nearest to the description of the Chinche of BufFon ;
ihe Viterra Mephitis oi GmeYiw, \y\\\c\\ is said to be an inhabitant of Chili. The
FisJcatta, or Skunk, of Kalra, which inhabits Canada, has a white dorsal line in
addition to two lateral onesf.

DESCRIPTION.

The Skunk is low on its legs, with a broad fleshy body, wide forehead, and the general
aspect rather of a wolverene than of a martin ; — eyes small ; ears, short and round. A nar-
row white mcEsial line runs from the tip of the nose to the occiput, where it dilates into a
broad white mark. It is again narrowed, and continues so until it passes the shoulders, when
it forks, the branches running along the sides, and becoming much broader as they recede
from each other. They approach posteriorly, and unite on the rump, becoming at the same
time narrower. In some few specimens the white stripes do not unite behind, but disappear
on the flanks. The black dorsal space included by the stripes is egg-shaped, the narrow end
of which is towards the shoulders. The sides of the head and all the vinder parts are black.
The hair on the body is long. The tail is covered with very long hair, and has generally two
broad longitudinal white stripes above on a black ground. Sometimes the black and white
colours of the tail are irregularly mixed. Its under surface is black. The claws on the fore-
feet are very strong and long, being fitted for digging, and very unlike those of the martins.

* Ossemens fossiles,

■f Tlie earliest account of the Canada Skunk that I have met with, is by Sagard : — " Les enfans dii diable," dit il,
" que les Hurons appelle Scaiiffaresse, et le commun de IMontagnais, Babougi Blanitou, ou Ouinesque, est une beste
fort puante de la grandeur d'uu chat ou d'une jeune renard, mais elle a la teste un pen moins aigue, et la peau couverte
d'un gros poil rude et enfunie, et sa grosse queue retroussee de mesme, elle se cache en hyver sous la neige, et ne sort
point qu'au commencement de la lune du mois de Blars laquelle les Jlontagnais nomment Ouiniscon pismi, qui signifie
la Lime de la Ouinesque. Cet animal, outre qu'il est defort mauvaise odeur, est tres malicieux, et d'uii laid regard."—
F. G.^Sagard Theodat, Hist, du Canada, p. 748.

MAMMALIA. 57

[20.] 1; LuTRA Canadensis. (Sabine.) The Canada Otter.

Genus. Lutra. Ray. Cuvier.

Loutre de Canada. Buffon, vol. xiii. p. 32C. t. 44.

Common Otter. Pennant, ^to^ Zoo/., vol. i. p. 86.

Land Otter. Warden, United States, vol. i. p. 20G.

Lutra Canadensis. Sabine, Franklin's Jotirn., p. G53.

Lutra Brasiliensis. Harlan, Fauna, p. 72.

The American Otter. God."»ian, iVa/. //is<., vol. i. p. 222.

Neekeek. Cree Indians. Capucca. Inhabitants of Nootka.

BufFon describes an Otter from Canada as diffeiing from the European species
merely in its greater size, and the colour of its fur. Ray had previously enume-
rated the Saricoviemie of La Plata, or the Carigueibeju (Sarigoviou) of Brasil^ as a
species of his genus Intra, distinct from LiUtra vulgaris. Pennant^ in his History of
Quadrupeds^ following Linnaeus and Brisson_, refers the Brasilian Otter to the Sea
Otter^ of the following article ; but^ in his Arctic Zoology, he describes the
Brasilian as a peculiar species confined to the warm parts of America ; whilst he
considers the Otter of the northern rivers as identified with the Common Otter of
Europe. Baron Cuvier again unites the Canada and Brasil Otters under the name
of l' outre d'Amerique ; but the character ascribed by Margrave to the lutra Bra-
siliensis, of its tail and feet being of the same length, will not by any means apply
to the Canada Otter, and I have therefore followed Mr. Sabine, in considering the
subject of this article to be a species peculiar to the northern districts of America.
M. Frederick Cuvier not only separates the Otter of Canada from that of South
America, but also describes a distinct species inhabiting an intermediate disti'ict
{Lutra lataxina.)*

The Canada Otter resembles the European species in its habits and food. In
the winter season, it frequents rapids and falls, to have the advantage of open water ;
and when its usual haunts are frozen over, it will travel to a great distance through
the snow, in search of a rapid that has resisted the severity of the weather. If
seen, and pursued by hunters on these journies, 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

* Diet, des Sciences Nat., xxvii.
I

58 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

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. When
closely pressed, it will turn and defend itself with great obstinacy. In the spring-
of 1826, at Great Bear Lake, the Otters frequently robbed our nets, which were
set under the ice, at the distance of a few yards from a piece of open water. They
generally carried off the heads of the fish, and left the bodies sticking in the net.

The Canada Otter has one litter annually about the middle of April, of from
one to three young. It inhabits the Mackenzie and other rivers nearly to the
Arctic sea ; and there appears to be no difference betwixt the skins obtained
on the shores of the Pacific, or in the neighbourhood of Hudson's Bay. Seven or
eight thousand are imported annually into England.

DESCRIPTION.

The Canada Otter may be distinguished from the European species, by the fur of its belly
being of the same shining brown colour with that of the back. It is a much larger animal,
and has, in proportion, a shorter tail than the European one. Its fur very much resembles
that of the beaver, having the same general colours, and, like it, consisting of a very fine
waved and shining down, intermixed with longer and coarser hairs. Hearne remarks, that the
colour and quality of its fur varies much with the season. In summer, when the hair is very
short, it is almost black ; but, as the winter advances, it turns to a beautiful reddish-brown,
except a spot under the chin, which is gray. Otter-fur is nearly of the same fineness with
beaver-wool, but being shorter, and not so well adapted for making felt, its price fluctuates
more with the fashion.

The length of the Canada Otter is about five feet, including the tail, which measures
eighteen inches.

MAMMALIA. 59

[21.] 2. LuTRA (Enhydra) marina. (Erxlebein.) The Sea Otter^

Genus. Lutra. Ray. Suh-genus. Enhydra. Fleming.

Sea-Beaver. Khascheninikoff, Hist. Kamsk. (Grieve's Trans.), p. 131. An. 1764.

Lutra Marina. Stelleb, iV^ou. Cora. I'e^rop., vol. xi. p. 367, t.xvi. Erxlebein, %«<. .4/1.1777.

Sea-Otter. Cook's Third Voy., vol. ii. p. 295. An. 1784. Pennant's Arctic Zooh, vol. i> p. 88. An. 1784.

Meares' Foy., pp. 241-260. ^«. 1790. Menzies, P/jt/. Traw., p. 385. ^ra. 1796.
Enhydra Marina. Fleming's PAjV. Zoo/., vol. ii. p. 187. An. 1822.
Lutra Marina. Harlan. Fauna, p. 73.
The Sea Otter. Godman's Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 228.
Kalan. Kamskatdales.

The Sea Otter inhabits the northern parts of the Pacific, from Kamskatcha to
the Yellow Sea on the Asiatic side, and from Alaska to California on the
American coast. It seems to have more the manners of a seal than of the
Land Otter. It frequents rocks washed by the sea, and brings forth on land, but
resides mostly in the water, and is occasionally seen very remote from the shore,
sometimes, according- to Pennant, more than a hundred leagues. The fur of the
Sea Otter being very handsome, was much esteemed by the Chinese, and, until
the market at Canton was overstocked, prime skins brought extraordinary high
prices. The trade for a considerable period was in the hands of the Russians,
who soon after the discovery of the north-west coast of America, by Beering and
Tschirikow, sent mercantile expeditions thither. Captain Cook's third voyage
drew the attention of English speculators to that quarter, and vessels were
freighted both by private adventurers and by the India Company, for the purpose
of collecting furs on the American coast and conveying them to Canton. Pennant,
alluding to this traffic, says, " what a profitable trade (with China) might not a
colony carry on, were it possible to penetrate to that part of America by means
of rivers and lakes." The event that Pennant wished for soon took place. Sir
Alexander Mackenzie having traversed the continent of America, and gained the
coast of the Pacific, his partners in trade followed up his success, by establishing
fur posts in New Caledonia, and a direct commerce with China ; but the influx of
furs into that market soon reduced their price.

DESCRIPTION.

[E.xtracted from Meares' Voyage.'\

The Sea Otter is furnished with a formidable set of teeth ; its fore-paws are hke those of
the River Otter, but of much larger size, and greater strength ; its hind-feet are skirted with a
membrane, on which, as on the fore-feet, there grows a thick and coarse hair. The fur varies

I 2

60 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

in beauty according to the age of the animal. The young cubs, of a few months old, are
covered with a long, coarse, white hair, which protects the fine down that lies beneath it.
The natives often pluck off this coarse hair, when the lower fur appears like velvet, of a
beautiful brown colour. As they increase in size, the long hair falls off, and the fur becomes
blackish, but still remains short. When the animal is full grown, it becomes of a jet black,
and increases in beauty ; the fur then thickens, and is thinly sprinkled with white hairs.
When they are past the age of perfection, and verge towards old age, their skin changes
into a dark brown, dingy colour, and of course diminishes in value. The skins of those killed
in the winter are of a more beautiful black, and in every respect more perfect than those
which are taken in the summer and autumn. The male Otter is beyond all comparison more
beautiful than the female, and is distinguished by the superior jetty colour, as well as velvety
appearance of his skin ; whereas the head, throat and belly of the female, are not only covered
with fur that is white, but which is also of a veiy coarse texture. The skins in the highest
estimation are those Avhich have the belly and throat plentifully interspersed with a kind of
brilliant silver hairs, while the body is covered with a thick black fur, of extreme fineness,
and a silky gloss*.

[22.] 1. Canis lupus, occidentalis. The American Wolf.

Genus. Canis. Linn.

Missouri Wolf. Lewis and Clahk, vol. i. p. 283.

Canis Lupus. Sabine, Franklin's Journ., p. 6oi. SxBiyi: (^Cavt.), Parry's roy., Stipp!., dxxxv.

RicHAUDSON, Parry^s Second Voy., App., p. 290.
Wolf. IjY OS's Private Journal, pp. 151, 339, &c.

The Common Wolves of the Old and New World have been generally
supposed to be the same species — the Canis liqms of Linnaeus. The American
naturalists have^ indeed, described some of the northern kinds of Wolf as distinct ;
but it never seems to have been doubted that a Wolf, possessing all the
characters of the European Wolf, exists within the limits of the United States.

* Not having been on the coasts where the Sea Otter is produced, I can add nothing to its history from my own
• iljservation, and I have preferred taking the description of the fur from one who was engaged in the trade, to extract-
ing a scientific account of the animal from systematic works, which are in the hands of every naturalist. In the
narrative of Captain Cook's voyage, it is mentioned that a young Sea Otter brought on board had six lower incisors.
Steller, and all succeeding systematic writers, describe it as having six incisors above and four below. Probably two
of tlie lower ones drop out before the animal becomes adult.

MAMMALIA.

61

The Wolf to which these characters have been ascribed^, seems to be the "large
brown Wolf" of Lewis and Clark, and, according to them, inhabits not only the
Atlantic countries, but also the borders of the Pacific and the mountains which
approach the Columbia river, between the Great Falls and rapids, but is not found
on the Missouri to the westward of the Platte. I have seen none of these Brown
Wolves ; but if their resemblance is so close to the European Wolf as Major Smith*
states it to be, I have no hesitation in saying that they differ decidedly from the
Wolf which inhabits the countries north of Canada. While attached to the late
expeditions, I passed through thirty degrees of latitude and upwards of fifty of
longitude on the American continent, and in the course of seven years travelled
upwards of twenty thousand miles^ during the whole of which time I had almost
daily opportunities of observing the form and manners of the Wolves, but I saw
none which had the gaunt appearance, the comparatively long jaw and tapering
nose^ the high ears^ long legs, slender loins, and narrow feet of the Pyrenean Wolf.
In some of the districts which we traversed, the Wolves were very numerous,
and varied greatly in the colour of their fur, some being white, others totally
black, but the greater number were mixed gray and white, more or less tinged
in parts with brown. These variations of colour, however, not being attended
with any differences of form, nor peculiarity of habits, I deem them to be no more
characteristic of proper species or even permanent varieties than colour would be
in the domestic dog. All the northern Wolves, whatever their colours are, have
certain characters in common wherein they differ from the European race ; and the
Indian report of the extreme variations of colour being occasionally observed in
Wolves of the same litter, strengthens my opinions.

DESCRIPTION.

The American Wolf of the northern districts is covered with long and comparatively fine fur,
mixed with a large quantity of shorter woolly hair, and it has a more robust form than the
European Wolf. Its muzzle is thicker and more obtuse, its head larger and rounder, and there
is a sensible depression at the union of the nose and forehead. Its more arched forehead is
comparatively broad, the space between the ears being greater than their height. The ears are
shorter, wider at the base, and more acute, and have, consequently, a more conical form, whilst
the greater length of the hair on the side of the neck of this Wolf makes them appear even
shorter than they are. Its neck, covered with a bushy fur, appears short and thick. Its legs
are rather short, its feet broad, with thick toes, and its tail is bushy, like the brush of a fox.

The European Wolf, on the contrary, has a coarser fur, with less of the soft wool inter-
mixed with it. Its head is narrower, and tapers gradually to form the nose, which is pro-

* Griffith's Animal Kingdom, vol. li. p. 348.

62

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

duced on the same plane with the forehead. Its ears are higher and somewhat nearer to each
other ; their length exceeds the distance between the auditory opening and the eye. Its loins
are more slender, its legs longer, feet narrower, and its tail is more thinly clothed with fur.
The shorter ears, broader forehead, and thicker muzzle of the American Wolf, with the
bushiness of the hair behind the cheek, give it a physiognomy more like the social visage of
an Esquimaux dog than the sneaking aspect of an European Wolf. BufTon enumerates black,
tawny-gray and white, as the colours exhibited by the fur of the European Wolves. In the
American northern Wolves the gray colour predominates, and there is very little of the
tawny hue. The general arrangement of the patches of colour is, however, nearly the same
in both races.

Notwithstanding the above enumeration of the pecuharities of the American
Wolf, I do not mean to assert that the differences existing- between it and its
European congener are sufficiently permanent to constitute them, in the eye of the
naturalist, distinct species. The same kind of differences may be traced between
the foxes and native races of the domestic dog of the new world and those of the
old ; the former possessing finer, denser, and longer fur, and broader feet, well
calculated for running on the snow. These remarks have been elicited by a com-
parison of live specimens of American and Pyrenean Wolves ; but I have not
had an opportunity of ascertaining whether the Lapland and Siberian Wolves,
inhabiting a similar climate with the American ones, have similar peculiarities
of form, or whether they differ in physiognomy from the Wolf of the south of
Europe. I have, therefore, in the present state of our knowledge, considered it
unadvisable to designate the northern Wolf of America by a distinct specific
appellation, lest I should unnecessarily add to the list of synonyms, which have
already overburthened the science of Zoology. The word occidentalis, which I
have affixed to the Linnean name of Canis lupus, is to be considered as merely
marking the geographical position of the peculiar race of Wolf which forms the
subject of this article. I have avoided adopting, as a specific name, any of the
appellations founded on colour, because they could not with propriety be used to
denote more than casual varieties of a species, in which the individuals shew such a
variety in their markings.

Wolves are found in greater or less abundance in different districts, but they
may be said to be very common throughout the northern regions ; their foot-
marks may be seen by the side of every stream, and a traveller can rarely pass
a night in these wilds without hearing them howling around him. They are very
numerous on the sandy plains which, lyuig to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains,
extend from the sources of the Peace and Saskatchewan rivers towards the

MAMMALIA. 63

Missouri. There bands of them hang on the skirts of the buffalo herds, and prey
upon the sick and strag-gling- calves. They do not, under ordinary circumstances,
venture to attack the full-grown animal : for the hunters informed me that they
often see wolves walking through a herd of bulls without exciting the least alarm ;
and the marksmen, when they crawl towards a buffalo for the purpose of shooting it,
occasionally wear a cap with two ears in imitation of the head of a wolf, knowing
from experience that they will be suffered to approach nearer in that guise. On
the Barren-grounds through which the Coppermine River flows, I had more than
once an opportunity of seeing a single wolf in close pursuit of a rein-deer ; and I
witnessed a chace on Point Lake when covered with ice, which terminated in a fine
buck rein-deer being overtaken by a large white wolf, and disabled by a bite in
the flank. An Indian, who was concealed on the borders of the lake, ran in and
cut the deer's throat with his knife, the wolf at once relinquishing his prey, and
sneaking off. In the chase the poor deer urged its flight by great bounds, which for
a time exceeded the speed of the wolf; but it stopped so frequently to gaze on its
relentless enemy, that the latter, toiling on at a ^'long gallop,"* with its tongue
lolling out of its mouth, gradually came up. After each hasty look, the poor deer
redoubled its efforts to escape ; but either exhausted by fatigue, or enervated by fear,
it became, just before it was overtaken, scarcely able to keep its feet. The Wolves
destroy many foxes, which they easily run down if they perceive them on a plain at
any distance from their hiding places. In January, 1827, a wolf was seen to
catch an Arctic fox within sight of Fort Franklin, and although immediately pursued
by hunters on snow-shoes, it bore off its prey in its mouth without any apparent
diminution of its speed f. The buffalo-hunters would be unable to preserve the

• Lord Byron's description of a chase by Wolves is so cliaracteristic, tliat no apology is requisite for the insertion of
the passage from whence this expression is borrowed : —

" We rustled through the leaves like wind,
Left shrubs and trees and wolves behind ;
By night I heard them on the track,
Their troop came hard upon our back.
With their long gallop which can tire
The hound's deep note and hunter's fire :
Where'er we flew they followed on,
Nor left us with the morning sun ;
Behind I saw them scarce a rood,
At day-break winding through the wood ;
And through the night had heard their feet.
Their stealing, rustling step repeat."

Mazeppa.
•\- The same wolf continued for some days to prowl in the vicinity of the Fort, and even stole fish from a sledge,
which two dogs were accustomed to draw home from the nets without a driver. As this kind of depredation could not
be permitted to go on, the wolf was waylaid and killed. It proved to be a female, which accounted for the sledge-dogs
not having been molested.

64 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

g-ame they kill from the wolves^ if the latter were not as fearful as they are rapa-
cious. The simple precaution of tying a handkerchief to a branchy or of blowing
up a bladder, and hanging- it so as to wave in the wind^ is sufficient to keep herds
of Wolves at a distance *. At times^ however, they are impelled by hunger to be
more venturous, and they have been known to steal provisions from under a man's
head in the night, and to come into a traveller's bivouac, and carry off some of
his dogs. During our residence at Cumberland House in 1820, a wolf, which
had been prowling round the Fort, and was wounded by a musket-ball and driven
off, returned after it became dark, whilst the blood was still flowing from its
wound, and cairied off a dog from amongst fifty others, that howled piteously,
but had not courage to unite in an attack on their enemy f. I was told of a
poor Indian woman who was strangled by a Wolf, while her husband, who
saw the attack, was hastening to her assistance ; but this was the only instance of
their destroying human life that came to my knowledge. As the winter advances
and the snow becomes deep, the wolves being no longer able to hunt with success,
suffer from hunger, and in severe seasons many die. In the spring of 1826 a large
gray Wolf was driven by hunger to prowl amongst the Indian huts which were
erected in the immediate vicinity of Fort Franklin, but not being successful in
picking up aught to eat, it was found a few days afterwards lying dead on the snow
near the Fort. Its extreme emaciation and the emptiness of its intestines shewed
clearly that it died from inanition. The skin and cranium were brought to
England, and presented to the Museum of the Edinburgh University ; and a
drawing from it is to be engraved for Mr. Wilson's beautiful Illustrations of
Zoology.

The American Wolf burrovrs, and brings forth its young in earths with several
outlets like those of a fox. I saw some of their burrows on the plains of the
Saskatchewan, and also on the banks of the Coppermine River. The number of
young in a litter varies from four or five to eight or nine. In Captain Parry's and
Captain Franklin's narratives, instances are recorded of the female Wolves asso-
ciating with the domestic dog ; and we were informed that the Indians endeavour
to improve their sledge-dogs by crossing the breed with wolves. The resem-
blance between the northern wolves and the domestic dog of the Indians is so
great, that the size and strength of the Wolf seems to be the only difference. I

• The Wolves in the north of Europe are equally cautious. " To prevent the Wolves from destroying the rein-
deer, the Laplanders tie them to some tree, and it seldom happens that they are attacked in that situation : for the
Wolf, being a suspicious animal, is afraid that there should be some snare laid for him, and that this is employed for a
bait to draw him thither." — Regnard.

\ The track in the snow shewed that it was the wounded Wolf which had returned.

MAMMALIA. 65

have more than once mistaken a band of wolves for the dogs of a party of Indians;
and the howl of the animals of both species is prolonged so exactly in the same
key, that even the practised ear of an Indian fails at times to discriminate them.

The following notices^ by Captain Lyons, of the wolves of Melville Peninsula^
are good illustrations of the strength and habits of the northern wolves in
general : — " A fine dog was lost in the afternoon. It had strayed to the hum-
mocks ahead without its master^ and Mr. Elder^ who was near to the spot, saw five
wolves rush at_, attack, and devour it in an incredibly short space of time : before
he could reach the place the carcase was torn in pieces^ and he found only the
lower part of one leg. The boldness of the wolves was altogether astonishing^ as
they were almost constantly seen amongst the hummocks^ or lying quietly at no
great distance in wait for dogs. From all we observed^ I have no reason to
suppose that they would attack a single unarmed man, both English and Esqui-
maux frequently passing them without a stick in their hands ; the animals, however,
exhibited no symptoms of fear, but rather a kind of tacit agreement not to be the
beginners of a quarrel, even though they might have been certain of proving
victorious." — " The wolves had now grown so bold as to come alongside, and on
this night they broke into a snow -hut, in which a. couple of newly purchased
Esquimaux dogs were confined, and carried them off, but not without som.e
difficulty, for in the day-light we found even the ceiling of the hut sprinkled with
blood and hair. When the alarm was given, and the wolves were fired at, one of
them was observed carrying a dead dog in his mouth, clear of the ground, at a
canter, notwithstanding the animal was of his own weight. Before morning they
tore a quantity of canvass off the observatory, and devoured it." — " The Esqui-
maux wolf-trap is made of strong slabs of ice, long and narrow ; so that a fox can
with difficulty turn himself in it, but a wolf must actually remain in the position in
which he is taken. The door is a heavy portcullis of ice, sliding in two well secured
groves of the same substance, and is kept up by a line, which, passing over the top
of the trap, is carried through a hole at the furthest extremity : to the end of the
line is fastened a small hoop of whalebone, and to this any kind of flesh-bait is
attached. From the slab which terminates the trap, a projection of ice, or a peg
of wood or bone, points inwards near the bottom, and under this the hoop is lightly
hooked ; the slightest pull at the bait liberates it, the door falls in an instant, and
the wolf is speared where he lies."

SB NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Var. A. Lupus griseus. Common Gray Wolf.

Grey Wolf. Cook's Third Voyage, vol. ii. p. 293. Lewis and Clarke, vol. i. p. 206, 283.

Common Gray Wolf. Schoolctiaft's Travels, p. 285.

Canis lupus — griseus. Sabine, Franklin's Voy., p. 654.

Canis lupus. Parry's First, Second, and Third Voyages.

Mahaygan. Cree Indians, Yes. Chepewyans.

Amarok. EsaruiAUX.

Pennant^ in his Arctic Zoology^ remarks^ that '^ the wolves towards Hudson's
Bay are of different colours — grey and white^ and some black and white ; the
black hairs being mixed with the white chiefly along the back. In Canada they
have been found entirely white." Lewis and Clark also say, '^'the large wolves
of the Missouri are lower, shorter in the legs, and thicker than the Atlantic Wolf;
their colour, which is not affected by the seasons, is of every variety of shade, from
a gray or blackish-brown to a cream-coloured white." The gray, or rather the
gray and white variety, is the Common Wolf from Lake Superior to the northern
extremity of the Continent, and in the islands beyond it. It has been seen on the
Atlantic coast from Nootka northwards.

The following description, by Mr. Sabine, of a specimen procured at Cumberland
House, in latitude 54°, and deposited by Captain Franklin in the British Museum,
will make the reader acquainted with its appearance : —

DESCRIPTION.

" It is very dissimilar in colour to the usual state of the (European) wolf, and is of a much
greater size. The teeth are remarkably strong and large ; the ears sharp and erect, thickly
clothed with dark-brown hair, tipped with gray ; above and below on the neck the hair is
thick and bushy ; the whole of the body is covered with a mixture of long gray and black
hairs, having some few white ones intermixed on the back ; the sides and belly are dark gray ;
the tail is bushy, gray tipped with brown ; the legs are strong, covered with dark-brown hair ;
claws strong, short, and arched."

A specimen procured at Carlton House on the same river, and now in the Museum of the
Zoological Society*, has the face, cheeks, throat, belly, hips, and tail, white, except a small
part of the latter, adjoining the rump, where it is blackish. On the back and sides there
is an intermixture of long black and Avhite hairs, which, with the grayish wool that partially

* No, 33. Catalogite of the Museum.

MAMMALIA.

67

appears, gives a general grayish hue to these parts, deepening along the dorsal line into black.
The hair on the back part of the cheeks is very bushy. In other individuals which I have
seen, the mixture of dark-gray with black and brown forms distinct patches on an almost
white ground. There is generally a darker line along the spine.

The Gray Wolf differs in size in different districts^ and even in the same dis-
trict individuals differing much in height and strength^ but (as far as one can judge
from their teeth) of nearly equal age, are to be found. The wolves of the desert
country lying to the north of Great Slave Lake^ and much frequented by rein-
deer, are of great dimensions. Farther north again^ in the islands of the Polar
sea, visited by Captain Parry^ they were generally smaller, their average height
in that quarter being only about twenty-seven inches. Captain Sabine states those
of Melville Island to be as big as a full-sized setter-dog.

Dimensions
Of the prepared skin of a Gray Wolf killed at Cumberland House.
Feet. Inches.
Length of the head and body . . 4 0 I Height to the top of the shoulder

tail . . . 1 2

Feet. Inches.
2 0

Dimensions
Of a Gray AVolf starved to death at Fort Franklin, April 1821, (measured before it was skinned.)

Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches.

Length of head and body . . .4 2 haunches, the feet being fiat on the ground,

„ tail (vertebrae) . . .1 7 and the fur of the back pressed down . 2 8

„ tail, including fur . .2 2 Height with the fur of the back in its natural
Height at the fore-shoulder, and also at the rough state 3 0

Dimensions
Of a specimen as mounted in the Zoological Museum, which was procured at Carlton House.

Length of head and body . .
„ tail (vertebrs)

„ tail, including the hair

Height of the back, — fur pressed down

Feet,

Inches.

,Feet.

Inches.

4

4

Height of the back, — fur rough

. 2

5

1

3.1

Distance from top of the nose to the orbit

0

4i

''I

64

Height of the [ear, measured on the inner

T"

2

2

side

0

3i

\

K2

68

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Var. B. Lupus albus. White Wolf.

White Wolf. Lewis AND Clark, vol. i. p. 107 ; vol. iii. p. 263.

Canis lupus — albus. Sabine. Franklin's Journ.,-^.'(ib5.

White Wolf. IcoNEs. Fkanklin's Journ., p, 312. Lyon's Private Journ., p. 297.

Wolves totally white are not uncommon in the most northern parts of America,
particularly in districts nearly destitute of wood*. They are occasionally seen
also on the plains of the Missouri. A Yellow Wolf, mentioned by Lewis and
Clark, (vol. i. p. 40) may be perhaps classed with the white variety.

DESCRIPTION.

The White Wolf figured in Captain Frankhn's narrative above referred to, was killed near
Fort Enterprise, in February, 1821. Its ears were short and erect. Its fur was long and
of a yellowish-white colour over the whole body, the nose alone having a slight tinge of gray.

Its Dimensions were as follows ;

Length of head and body . ,

„ tail . . .

Height at both fore and hind quarters
Girth behind the fore-legs

Feet.

Inches.

Feet.

Indies

4

4

Girth before the hind legs

2

0

1

7

Length'of fore-leg and foot with toe-nails

1

8

2

10

„ hind ditto ditto ditto

1

10

2

6

Var. C. Lupus Sticte. Pie(ji Wolf.

Wolves having black colours instead of gray, distributed in large patches on
the sideSj are sometimes seen in the fur countries, associated with the Common
Gray Wolves. On the banks of the Mackenzie, I saw five young wolves leaping
and tumbling over each other, with all the playfulness of the puppies of the
domestic dog, and it is not improbable that they were all of one litter. One of
them was pied, another entirely black, and the rest shewed the common gray
colours. I was unable to procure a specimen of the Pied Wolf.

• Bluller informs us that white wolves are found on the Jenisei ; and Regnard says that the Lapland wolves " are
almost all of a whitish-gray colour ; tliere are some of them while." It is desirable tliat these Siberian or Lapland
wolves should ba compared with the Pyrenean races.

MAMMALIA.

69

Var. D. Lupus nubilus. The Dusky Wolf.

Canis nubilus. Say. Long^s Exped., vol. i. p. 333. '
Dusky Wolf. Godman's Nat. Hist, vol. i. p. 265.

Plate hi.

Tlie Dusky Wolf differs little from the pure black variety which follows. It was
considered by Mr. Say to be a distinct species, on account of its colour, a different
physiognomy from that of the Common Red Wolf, its more robust form, and its
shorter ears ; but, with the exception of colour, these characters are common to all
the varieties of the northern American Wolf, and are in fact some of the peculiari-
ties that distinguish them from Pyrenean wolves.

DESCRIPTION.

Mr. Say's specimen had " a dusky colour ; the hair cinereous at the base, then brownish-
black, then gray, then black ; the gray of the hairs combining with the black tips to produce
a mottled appearance ; the gray predominating on the sides. Ears short, deep brownish-
black, with a patch of gray hair within. The under parts dusky ferruginous, grayish with
long hairs between the thighs, and with a large white spot on the breast ; the ferruginous
colour very much narrowed on the neck, but dilated on the lower part of the cheeks ;
legs brownish-black, with a slight admixture of gray hairs, excepting on the anterior edge of
the hind thighs, and the lower edgings of the toes, where the gray predominated ; the tail was
short, fusiform, a little tinged with ferruginous, black above, near the base, and at the tip ;
the top of the trunk hardly attaining to the os calcis ; the longer hairs of the back, par-
ticularly over the shoulders, resembled a short, sparse mane."

DiJlENSIONS.

Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches.

Leugtli from anterior canthus of the eye to

Length of bead and body . ... 4 3|

,, the trunk of the tail ... 1 1

„ ear from anterior angle to tlie tip 0 3|
,, from the anterior angle of tlie ear

to the posterior canthus of the eye .0 4 a

the middle of the tip of the nose . . 0 5^

Distance between the anterior angles of the

ears, rather more than , . . 0 3

The Dusky Wolf, figured in this work, was killed at Fort Resolution on Great
Slave Lake, in latitude 61°, and is now preserved in the Museum of the Zoological
Society.

70 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

DESCRIPTION.

It is covered with long hairs, intermixed with a thick woolly down, more or less conspicuous
on different parts of the body. The long hairs are mostly black, but there are a few white
ones interspersed. The wool or down is of a dull yellowish-gray colour ; least of it is seen on
the back, which has consequently nearly a black colour ; the fur covering the spine is long,
blackish towards the roots, and shining black at the tips ; the sides are dusky-gray, many of
the long hairs having apparently fallen off; the belly is blacker. The anterior parts of the
legs are hoary from an intimate intermixture of black and white hairs, in which the former
predominate. The posterior surfaces of the legs are covered with long, white and gray fur.
The tail is black, with a few white hairs, and has a black tip. The wool on the tail is of the
same colour with that on the body, but it is not visible until the long hairs are turned aside.
The chin and extremity of the upper lip are white, and there are many long white hairs on
the cheek. The feet are very hairy, the hair on the soles projecting beyond the claws,

DlMENSIOXa

Of the specimen after it was mounted.

Feet.

Inches,

Feet.

Inches.

Length of head and body .

. 4

2

Distance between the ears . . 0

H

„ tail (vertebraj) .

. 1

2

„ from the top of the nose to the

„ tail, with the fur

.

. 1

C

anterior part of the orbit . 0

H

Height, pressing down the fur

. 2

2

,, between the eyes . . 0

2|

„ of the ear on the inner

side

. 0

34

Length of the head . . .1

1

Var. E. Lupus ater. Black American Wolf.

Loup noir de Canada. Bufpon, vol. ix. p. 364. t. 4L {male.)
Black Wolf. Say, Long's Exped., vol. i. p. 95. Franklin's Jouj-n., vol. i. p. 172.
Griffith's Anim. Kirig. cum Icone, vol. ii. p. 348 (opt.)
Godman's Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 207. Icone ex Grifiitliii icone mutuato.
Canis Lycaon. Harlan's Fattn. Amer., p. 82.

We saw some Black Wolves on the banks of the Mackenzie, but they are more
common on the river Saskatchewan, and in districts further south. Mr. Say
informs us that they abound on the Missouri. The Indians do not consider them
to be a distinct race, but report that one or more black whelps are occasionally found
in a litter of a Gray Wolf. In conceding- to their opinion, I do not mean to
assert that the offspring- of Black Wolves are not most frequently black. Five
Black Wolves are mentioned by Say, as having been taken from one den ; and Mr.

MAMMALIA.

71

Hood, in Captain Franklin's Narrative, records an instance in which a Black
Wolf was shot, and three black whelps taken from her den.

The Black Wolves differ in external appearance from the gray ones only in
colour, and their haunts and habits are precisely the same. Buffon, in his descrip-
tion of a young- Black Wolf from Canada, remarks that the ears were wider, further
apart, and more pointed, than those of the European Wolf; the eyes smaller, and
also further apart. The comparatively broad forehead, indicated by the greater
distance between the ears and eyes, is, as I have already stated, common to all
the varieties of the Wolf of the northern parts of America. The French naturalist's
description of the behaviour of this Wolf, when turned out against a bull, is so
characteristic, not only of the American Wolf, but also of the Indian dogs, when
under the influence of fear, that I cannot resist quoting it at length : — " Cet
animal," dit il, " avoit ete pris fort jeune en Canada, et apporte en France
par un OfEcier de Marine, qui le garda dans sa maison pendant quelque terns ;
mais I'animal etant devenu feroce en grandissant, il fut mis au combat de taureau
a Paris, ou il ne montra pas beaucoup de courage lorsqu'on le fit entrer en lice
mais des que Ton approchoit de la loge ou on le gardoit, il entroit en fureur, se
jetoit brusquement en avant de toute la longueur de sa chaine, montroit les dents et
aboyoit, non pas comme les chiens, mais seulement par des cris successifs et inter-
rompus qu'il ne repetoit qu'apres d'assez longs intervales."

I have frequently observed an Indian dog, after being worsted in combat, retreat
into a corner, and howl at intervals for an hour together. They also howl piteously
when apprehensive of punishment, and throw themselves into attitudes strongly
resembling those exhibited by a wolf when caught in a trap. The plate given by
BufFon is but an indifferent representation of the Black Wolf. The individual
was not only young, but its fur, as is customary with animals in captivity, seems to
have been in a bad state*. A most excellent etching, by Landseer, of a Black
Wolf, kept in the Tower, has appeared in Griffith's translation of Cuvier's Regne
AnimaL Though it may be remarked, that even in this the fur is not represented
in the fine condition which the animal exhibits during the winter in its native
climate.

Linnaeus has described the Black Wolf of Europe under the appellation of Canis
Jjycaon ; and Baron Cuvier and other naturalists have followed his example in
speaking of it as a distinct species ; but authors have not clearly pointed out any

* The small size of this specimen, by the way, may have given rise to Gmelin's mistake in confounding it with the
black fox under the name of Caiiis Lycaon.

72 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

difference between the Canis Lycaon of Europe, and the Canis Liqms ; though it
has happened that the pecuUar characters of the American Wolves have sometimes
been ascribed to the Caiiis Lycaon, from the descriptions having been taken from
American specimens. One can easily understand how Black Wolves accidentally
congregating may produce an offspring of the same hue with themselves, until, by
a concurrence of circumstances, the black variety is the predominating one in a
particular district ; but the breed must be frequently contaminated by wolves of
other colours. Pallas, in a letter to Pennant, says, " I have seen at Moscow
about twenty spurious animals from dogs and Black Wolves. They are for the
most part like wolves, except that some carry their tails higher, and have a kind
of coarse barking. They multiply among themselves, and some of the whelps are
grayish, rusty, or even of the whitish hue of the Arctic wolves *.''

Black Wolves are more frequent in the southern parts of Europe than in the
northern ; and to the south of the Pyrenees they are said to be more common
than the ordinary species or varietyf . In like manner the American Wolf is more
common on the Missouri than farther north ; and it is reported to be plentiful in
Florida, where, according to Bartram, the females are distinguished by a white
spot on the breast X»

Arctic Zoology, vol. i. p. 42. + Griffith, Atiim. Kingd., vol. ii. p. 348.

X Warden, United States, vol. i. p. 207- Desmarest, Mammalogie, p. 198.

m

%

MAMMALIA. 73

[23.] 2. Canis latrans. (Say.) The Prairie Wolf.

Small Wolves. Du Pratz, Louisiana, vol. ii. p. 54.

Prairie Wolf. Gass's Journal, Sj^c, p. 50.

Prairie M'olf and Burrowing Dog. Lewis and Clark, vol. i. pp. 102, 134, 283 ; vol. iii. pp. 22, 233.

Schoolcraft's Travels, p. 285.
Canis latrans. Say. Lony's Eaped., p. 2/, note, p. 332.
Cased Wolves. Hudson Bay Cowtaxy's Lists.
Meesteh-chaggoneesh. Cree Indians.

Plate iv.

This animal lias long been known to voyagers on the Missouri and Saskatche-
wan as distinct from the Common Wolf. It is mentioned in Mr. Graham's MSS.,
and its skins have always formed part of the Hudson Bay Company's importa-
tions^ under the name of Cased Wolves*. Lewis and Clark give a good descrip-
tion of it (vol. i. p. 283), and Mr. Say has added the specific name. The Prairie
Wolf has much resemblance to the common Gray Wolf in colour, but differs from
it so much in size, voice and manners, that it is fully entitled to rank as a distinct
species. It inhabits the plains of the Missouri and Saskatchewan_, and also,
though in smaller numbers, those of the Columbia. On the banks of the Sas-
katchewan, these animals start from the earth in great numbers on hearing the
report of a gun, and gather around the hunter in expectation of getting the ofial of
the animal he has slaughtered. They hunt in packs, and are much more fleet than
the Common Wolf I was informed by a gentleman who has resided forty years
on the Saskatchewan, and is an experienced hunter, that the only animal on the
plains which he could not overtake, when mounted on a good horse, was the Prong-
horned Antelope, and that the meesteh-chaggoneesh or Prairie Wolf was the next
in speed. The Canadian stag is less fleet ; and as to the red fox, it is soon run down.

The northern range of the Prairie Wolf is about the fifty-fifth degree of latitude,
and it probably extends southwards to Mexico. It associates in greater numbers
than the Gray Wolf of the same districts ; hunts in packs, and brings forth its
young in burrows on the open plain remote from the woods.

The Prairie Wolf, described by Lewis and Clark and Mr. Say, has a narrower

* The skins are not split open like the large Wolf skins, but stripped off and inverted or cased, like the skin
of a fox or rabbit.

74

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

muzzle and longer ears than the one found on the Saskatchewan^ but the dif-
ference is not so great as to enable us to speak of them as distinct varieties.

DESCRIPTION.

The fur of the Prairie Wolf is of the same quaUty with that of the Gray Wolf, and consists of
long hairs, with a thick wool at their base. The wool has a smoky or dull lead colour ; the long
hairs on the back are white either for their whole length, or they are merely tipped with
black. The prevailing colour along the spine is dark blackish-gray, sprinkled with white
hairs. Its cheeks, upper lip, chin, throat, belly, and insides of the thighs are white. There
is a light brown tint upon the upper surface of the nose, on the forehead, and between the
ears, on the shoulders, on the sides, where it is mixed with gray, and on the outsides of the
thighs and legs. The tail is gray and brown, with a black tip. Some individuals have a
broad black mark on the shins of the fore-legs, like the European wolf. The ears are short,
erect, and roundish, white anteriorly and brown behind. The tail is bushy, and is clothed like
the body with wool and long hair. Some specimens want the brown tints, and have more of
the gray colour.

Dimensions
' Of No. 34, Zoological Museum, killed on the Saskatchewan.

Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches.

Distance between the end of the nose and

the anterior angle of the eye 0 3|

„ between the ears . . .0 3J

,, between the eyes . . .0 2 J

Length of head and body

. 3

0

„ tail (vertebra)

. 1

0

,, tail, with the fur

. 1

24

„ the ear, measured behind

. 0

2i

Dimensions
Of a scull of the Saskatchewan sort.
Inches. Lines.

Inches. Lines.

From the incisors to the junction of the
occipital and sagittal crests by callipers

From ditto to ditto, following the curvature
of forehead ....

Length of nasal bones

The OS incisivum projects beyond the nasal
bones . ...

0

The total length of the nose In a recent
specimen ought to be about . .

Greatest breadth of the scull, i. e. from the
outside of one zygomatic arch to the out-
side of the other

From incisors along the base of the scull to
the inferior margin of the occipital foramen

There is a second specimen in the Zoological Museum,, brought from the
plains of the Columbia, which has the narrow muzzle and long ears of Say's
specimens.

MAMMALIA.

[24.] 3. Canis familiaris. (Linn.) Domestic Dog.

Canis f. var. A. borealis. (Desmarest.) Esquimaux Dog.

Canis familiaris var. N. borealis. Desmarest. Mamm., p. 194.
Eskimaux Dog. Captain Lyon's Private Journal, p. 332. 244.
Icones*, Parry's Second I'oi/age, p. 290 and 358.

The great resemblance which the Domestic Dogs of the aboriginal tribes of
America bear to the wolves of the same country^ was remarked by the earliest
settlers from Europe f ^ and has induced some naturalists of much observation to
consider them to be merely half-tamed wolves;];. Without entering at all into the
question of the origin of the Domestic Dog, I may state that the resemblance
between the wolves and the dogs of those Indian nations, who still preserve their
ancient mode of life, continues to be very remarkable, and it is nowhere more so,
than at the very northern extremity of the Continent, the Esquimaux dogs being
not only extremely like the gray wolves of the Arctic circle, in form and colour, but
also nearly equalling them in size. The dog has generally a shorter tail than the
wolf, and carries it more frequently curled over the hip, but the latter practice is not
totally unknown to the wolf, although that animal, when under the observation of
man, being generally apprehensive of danger or on the watch, seldom displays this
mark of satisfaction. I have, however, seen a family of wolves playing together,
occasionally carry their tails curled upwards.

In the Museum of the Zoological Society there is a specimen of an Esquimaux
dog, which was brought originally from Baffin's Bay by Captain Ross's expedition,
and which was afterwards the faithful attendant of Captain Parry's crews during
the memorable winter of 1819, which they passed on Melville Island. The great
likeness of this specimen to a gray wolf from Carlton House, preserved in the same
case, must be obvious to ever}' one who has seen them, although their birth-places
lie upwards of twenty degrees of latitude apart, and they are, therefore, not so
favourable examples to shew the resemblance as if they had been natives of the
same district.

• In L'Hist. Nat. des Mammiferes, there is a plate and description of a supposed Esquimaux Dog, a present to the
Jardin du Roi ; but Capt. Sabine informs us that it is a cross between a real Esquimaux bitch and a Newfoundland
dog. — Appendix, Parry's First Voyage, p. clxxxvi. f Sjiith, Virginia, % Kalm.

L2

76

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

DESCRIPTION.

The Dog has short conical ears like the American wolf, but its nose is still shorter than that
of the latter animal. Its nose, cheeks, belly, and legs^ are white. The fore-legs are destitute
of the black mark above the wrist, which characterises the European wolf, and which is visible
in some American wolves, but not in all. The top of the head and the back are almost black,
but there is a narrow white line down the spine of the back, which I have not noticed in any
coloured wolf. Its sides are thinly covered with long, black, and some white hairs, and
there is a shorter dense coat of yellowish-gray wool, like tliat of the wolf, which is partly
visible. The tail, like the back, is clothed with black and white hairs, the latter predominating
at its tip. There is a thick wool on the tail concealed by the longer hairs.

Dimensions
Of the specimen in the Zoological Museum.

Feet. Inches.
Length from the end of the nose to the tail 4 3 Height of the ears (inside) . .03

Feet.

Indies.

4

3

1

2

1

5

0

4

of the tail (vertebra?) . 1 2 Breadth between the eyes . 0 2J

„ „ including the fur at tip 15 „ „ ears . .0 4^

,, from end of the nose to the orbit

Captain Lyon had so many opportunities of studying- the habits of the Esqui-
maux dog, and his account of them is so much to the purpose^ that I think it
advantageous to the reader to have it repeated here in his own words : —

'' Having- myself possessed^ during- our second winter, a team of eleven very
fine animals, I was enabled to become better acquainted with their good qualities
than could possibly have been the case by the casual visits of the Esquimaux to
the ships. The form of the Esquimaux Dog is very similar to that of our
shepherd's dogs in England, but he is more muscular and broad-chested, owing
to the constant and severe work to which he is brought up. His ears are pointed,
and the aspect of the head is somewhat savage. In size, a fine dog is about the
height of the Newfoundland breed, but broad like a mastiff in every part except
the nose. The hair of the co-at is in summer, as well as in winter, very long, but
during the cold season a soft downy under covering is found, which does not
appear in warm weather. Young dogs are put into harness as soon as they can
walk, and being tied up, soon acquire a habit of pulling, in their attempts to
recover their liberty, or to roam in quest of their mother. When about two
months old, they are put into the sledge with the grown dogs, and sometimes
eight or ten little ones are under the charge of some steady old animal, where, with
frequent and sometimes cruel beatings, they soon receive a competent education.
Every dog is distinguished by a particular name, and the angry repetition of it has
an effect as instantaneous as an application of the whip, which instrument is of an

MAMMALIA. IT

immense length, having a lash of from eighteen to twenty-four feet^ while the
handle is of one foot only. With this, by throwing it on one side or the other of
the leader, and repeating certain words,, the animals are guided or stopped.
Wah-aya, aya, whooa, to the right. A-wha, a-wha, a-whut, to the left. A-look,
turn, and whooa, stop. When the sledge is stopped, they are all taught to lie
down, by throwing the whip gently over their backs, and they will remain in this
position even for hours, until their master returns to them. A walrus is frequently
drawn along by three or four of these dogs, and seals are sometimes carried home
in the same manner ; though I have in some instances seen a dog- bring home
the greater part of a seal in panniers placed across his back. The latter mode of
conveyance is often used in summer, and the dogs also carry skins or furniture
overland to the sledges when their masters are going on any expedition. It
might be supposed that in so cold a climate these animals had peculiar periods
of gestation, like the wild creatures ; but, on the contrary, they bear young at every
season of the year, and seldom exceed five at a litter. Cold has very little
effect on them ; for, although the dogs at the huts slept within the snow passages,
mine at the ships had no shelter, but lay alongside, with the thermometer
at 42° and 44°, and with as little concern as if the weather had been mild.
I found, by several experiments, that three of my dogs could draw me on a
sledge, weighing lOOlbs., at the rate of one mile in six minutes ; and as a proof
of the strength of a well-grown dog, my leader drew 196lbs. singly, and to the
same distance, in eight minutes. At another time, seven of my dogs ran a mile in
four minutes, drawing a heavy sledge full of men. Afterwards, in carrying stores
to the Fury, one mile distant, nine dogs drew 161 libs., in the space of nine
minutes. My sledge was on runners neither shod nor iced ; but had the runners
been iced, at least 401bs. might have been added for each dog."

In another passage Captain Lyon says, ^'^Our eleven dogs were large, and even
majestic looking animals ; and an old one, of peculiar sagacity, was placed at
their head by having a longer trace, so as to lead them through the safest and
driest places ; these animals having such a dread of water, as to receive a severe
beating before they would swim a foot. The leader was instant in obeying the
voice of the driver, who never beat, but repeatedly called to him by name. When
the dogs slackened their pace, the sight of a seal or bird was sufficient to put them
instantly to their full speed ; and even though none of these might be seen on the
ice, the cry of ' a seal !' — ' a bear !' — ' a bird !' &c., was enough to give play to the
legs and voices of the whole pack. It was a beautiful sight to observe the two
sledges racing at full speed to the same object, the dogs and men in full cry, and

73 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

the vehicles splashing- through the holes of water with the velocity and spirit of
rival stag-e-coaches. There is something of the spirit of professed whips in these
wild races ; for the young' men delight in passing each other's sledge, and jockeying
the hinder one by crossing the path. In passing on different routes the right hand
is yielded, and should an unexperienced driver endeavour to take the left, he would
have some difficulty in persuading his team to do so. The only unpleasant cir-
cumstance attending these races is, that a poor dog is sometimes entangled and
thrown down, when the sledge, with perhaps a heavy load, is unavoidably drawn
over his body. The driver sits on the fore-part of the vehicle, from whence he
jumps when requisite to pull it clear of any impediments which may lie in the way,
and he also guides it by pressing either foot on the ice. The voice and long whip
answer all the purposes of reins, and the dogs can be made to turn a corner as
dexterously as horses, though not in such an orderly manner, since they are con-
stantly fighting ; and I do not recollect to have seen one receive a flogging without
instantly wreaking his passion on the ears of his neighbours. The cries of the men
are not more melodious than those of the animals ; and their wild looks and
gestures, when animated, give them an appearance of devils driving wolves before
them. Our dogs had eaten nothing for forty-eight hours, and could not have
gone over less than seventy miles of ground ; yet they returned, to all appearance,
as fresh and active as when they first set out."

The Esquimaux dogs are likewise useful to their masters in discovering, by the
scent, the winter retreats which the bears make under the snow.

Canis f. var. B. lagopus. Hare Indian Dog.

Plate v.

This variety of Dog is cultivated at present, so far as I know, only by the Hare
Indians, and other tribes that frequent the borders of Great Bear Lake and the
banks of the Mackenzie. It is used by them solely in the chase, being too small
to be useful as a beast of burthen or draught.

//(*«r..

MAMMALIA. 79

DESCRIPTION.

The Hare Indian Dog has a mild countenance, with, at times, an expression of demureness.
It has a small head, slender muzzle ; erect, thickish ears ; somewhat oblique eyes ; rather
slender legs, and a broad hairy foot, with a bushy tail, which it usually carries curled over its
right hip. It is covered with long hair, particularly about the shoulders, and at the roots of
the hair, both on the body and tail, there is a thick wool. The hair on the top of the head is
long, and on the posterior part of the cheek it is not only long, but being also directed back-
wards, it gives the animal, when the fur is in prime order, the appearance of having a ruff
round the neck. Its face, muzzle, belly, and legs, are of a pure white colour, and there is a
•white central line passing over the crown of the head and the occiput. The anterior surface of
the ear is white, the posterior yellowish-gray or fawn-colour. The end of the nose, the eye-
lashes, the roof of the mouth, and part of the gums, are black. There is a dark patch over
the eye. On the back and sides there are larger patches of dark blackish-gray or lead-colour
mixed with fawn-colour and white, not definite in fonn, but running into each other. The
tail is bushy, white beneath and at the tip. The feet are covered with hair which almost con-
ceals the claws. Some long hairs between the toes project over the soles, but there are naked
callous protuberances at the root of the toes and on the soles, even in the winter time, as in
all the wolves described in the preceding pages. The American foxes, on the contrary, have
the whole of their soles densely covered with hair in the winter. Its ears are proportionably
nearer each other than those of the Esquimaux dog.

The size of the Hare Indian Dog- is inferior to that of the prairie wolf, but
rather exceeds that of the red American fox. Its resemblance, however, to the
former is so great, that, on comparing- live specimens, I could detect no marked
difference in form, (except the smallness of its cranium,) nor in the fineness of the
fur, and arrangement of its spots of colour. The length of the fur on the neck,
back part of the cheeks, and top of the head, was the same in both species. It,
in fact, bears the same relation to the prairie wolf that the Esquimaux Dog does
to the great gray wolf. It is not, however, a breed that is cultivated in the districts
frequented by the prairie wolf, being now confined to the northern tribes, who
have been taught the use of fire-arms within a very few years. Before that
weapon was introduced by the fur-traders, a dog, so well calculated by the lightness
of its body and the breadth of its paws, for passing over the snow, must have been
invaluable for running down game, and it is reasonable to conclude that it was
then generally spread amongst the Indian tribes north of the Great Lakes.

The Hare Indian Dog is very playful, has an affectionate disposition, and is soon
gained by kindness. It is not, however, very docile, and dislikes confinement of
every kind. It is very fond of being caressed, rubs its back against the hand like
a cat, and soon makes an acquaintance with a stranger. Like a wild animal, it is

80 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

very mindful of an injury^ nor does it_, like a spaniel^ crouch under the lash ; but if
it is conscious of having deserved punishment^ it will hover round the tent of its
master the whole day, without coming within his reach, even when he calls it. Its
howl, when hurt or afraid, is that of the wolf; but when it sees any unusual object,
it makes a singular attempt at barking, commencing by a kind of growl, which is
not, however, unpleasant, and ending in a prolonged howl. Its voice is very much
like that of the prairie wolf. The larger dogs, which we had for draught at Fort
Franklin, and which were of the mongrel breed in common use at the fur-
posts, used to pursue the Hare Indian Dogs for the purpose of devouring them ;
but the latter far outstripped them in speed, and easily made their escape. A
yoimg puppy, which I purchased from the Hare Indians, became greatly attached
to me, and when about seven months old ran on the snow by the side of my sledge
for nine hundred miles, without suffering from fatigue. During this march it fre-
quently, of its own accord, carried a small twig" or one of my mittens for a mile or
two ; but, although very gentle in its manners, it shewed little aptitude in learning
any of the arts which the Newfoundland dogs so speedily acquire, of fetching and
carrying when ordered. This Dog was killed and eaten by an Indian, on the
Saskatchewan, who pretended that he mistook it for a fox.

Canis f. var. C. Canadensis. North American Dog.

Attim. Cree Indians. Animous. Algonquins.

'V^'^atts, Slouaccouss Indians, Sliong. Stone Indians.

Hudtlier. Fall Indians. Ametoo. Black-feet Indians.

Hey. Sahsees, or Circees. Tilling. Chetewyans.

By the above title I wish to designate the kind of Dog which is most generally
cultivated by the native tribes of Canada, and the Hudson's Bay countries. It
is intermediate in size and form between the two preceding varieties ; and by
those who consider the domestic races of dog to be derived from wild animals,
this might be termed the offspring of a cross between the prairie and gray wolves.
This breed wants the strength of the Esquimaux dog, and does not possess the

MAMMALIA.. • 81

affectionate and playful disposition of the Hare Indian variety. It is used at
certain seasons in the chase^ and by some tribes as a beast of burthen or drauo-ht;
but it has all the sneaking habits of the wolf, with less courage^ and without the
intelligence of that animal. It unites with its companions to assail a stranger on
his approach to the hut of its master ; retreats on the least show of resistance,
or endeavours to get behind him^ and silently snaps at his legs. When opposed
to another dog-^ it curls the upper lip very much^ shews the whole of its teeth_,
and snarls for a long' time, before it ventures to bite. A little Scotch terrier,
that accompanied us on the last expedition, disconcerted the largest of them by the
smartness of his attack, and used to send an animal, more than four times his own
size, howling' away, although the density of its woolly covering prevented his short
teeth from wounding the skin. When they fight among themselves, the dog that
is vanquished, is not unfrequently torn in pieces by the rest of the pack. They
hunt the larger domestic animals in packs, snapping at their heels and harassing
them until worn out, but scarcely ever venture to seize them by the throat. All
the dogs of a camp assemble at night to howl in unison, particularly when the
moon shines bright.

The fur of the North American Dog is similar to that of the Esquimaux breed,
and of the wolves. The prevailing colours are black and gray, mixed with white.
Some of them are entirely black. Their thick woolly coat forms an admirable
protection against the cold, and when they are fat they can lie all night on the snow
without inconvenience during the most intense cold. In the summer time they are
fond of making deep holes in sandy ground ; and this habit is retained by the mon-
grel breed which the Canadian voyagers rear for draught. These often burrow
completely underneath the out-buildings of a fort, and will in a single night make
their way beneath the door of a store-house, if the precaution has not been taken of
flooring it with wood. The flesh of these Dogs is esteemed before that of almost
any other animal by the Canadian voyagers, and is eaten by some of the Indian
tribes on the Saskatchewan and shores of the Great Lakes ; but the Chepewyan
tribes hold the practice in abhorrence, because they consider themselves to be
descendants of a dog. I quote Theodat's account of this variety of dog, written in
the year 1630, because it applies pretty correctly to the North American dogs of
the present day, and shews that at that early period, and perhaps even before the
arrival of Europeans, they formed an esteemed article of the food of the natives : —
" Les chiens du Canada sont un pen differens des nosties, sinon an naturel et au
sentiment, qui ne leur est point mauvais. Us hurlent plustost qu'ils n'abayent, et
ont tons les oreilles droictes comme renards, mais au reste tout semblables au matins
de mediocre grandeur de nos villageois ; ils arrestent I'eslan et descouvurent la

M

82 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

giste de la beste, et sont de fort petite despence a leur maistre, raais au reste plus
propre a la cuisine qu'a tout autre service. La chair en est assez bonne et sent
aucunement le pore ; j'en mangeois assez pen souvent;, car un telle viande est fort
estimee dans le pays^ c'est pourquoy je n'en avois pas si souvent que j'eusse bien
desire. lis sont fort importuns dans les cabanes_, marchent sur vous, et s'ils re-
contrent le pot au descouvert ils ont incontinent leur museau aigu dans la sagamite,
qui n'en est pas estim6e moins nette*."

Canis f. var. D. Nov/E Caledonia. Carrier Indian Dog.

Scacah. Carrier Indians.

The Attnah or Carrier Indians of New Caledonia possess a variety of dog which
differs from the other northern races. Mr. M'Vicar made me a present of an
excellent example of this breeds, which I intended to have brought to England ; but
it was stolen, and fell a sacrifice to the desire which a party of Canadian voyagers
had to partake of a meal of dog's flesh. I regretted its loss the more, as, intending
to have a portrait taken of it, I had neglected to draw up a detailed account of its
characteristic features.

DESCRIPTIO>f.

It had erect ears, and a head large in proportion, even when compared with the Esquimaux
dog. Its body was long, and its legs short. Its fur was rather shorter and sleeker than that
of the other native dogs, and its body was studded with small spots of various colours. There
was a good deal of intelligence in its countenance, mixed with wildness. It was extremely
active, and could leap to a great height. The Carrier Indians use it in the chase. It was of
the size of a large turnspit-dog, and had somewhat of the same form of body ; but it had
straight legs, and its erect ears gave it a different physiognomy.

* Sagard Theodat. Canada, p. 757.

MAMMALIA. 83

[25.] 4. Canis (Vulpes) lagopus. (Linn.) The Arctic Fox.

Genus, Canis, Linn. Sub-genus, Vulpes. Desmarest.

Pied foxes. James, Voi/,^.50. An. 1633.

Canis lagopus. Linn. Syst., vol. i. p. 59. Forster, P^i^. Trans., 62, -p. 3^0.

Arctic fox. Pennant, Arctic ZooL, vol. i., p. 42. Hearne, Journey, p. 363.

Greenland dog. Pennant, Hist. Quadr., vol. i. p. 257 ? a young individual.

Canis lagopus. Captain Sabine, Parry^s First Voy. Suppl. clxxxvii. Mr. Sabine, Franklin's Jour.,

p. 658. Richardson, Parry's Second Voy,, App. p. 290. Harlan, Fauna, p. 92.
Isatis and Arctic fox. Godsian, IVat. Hist., vol. i. p. 268.
Stone fox. Auctorum.

Terreeanee-arioo. EsauiMAUX of Melville-Peninsula. Terienniak. Greenlanders.
Wappeeskeeshew.makkeeshew. Cree Indians. Peszi. Russians.

DESCRIPTION.

The Arctic Fox in its full ivinter dress is entirely of a pure white colour, or white with a
slight tinge of yellow, except at the tip of the tail, where there are a few black hairs intermixed.
Before the eyes, and on the lower jaw, the hair is short and sleek ; on the forehead and
posterior part of the cheeks, it becomes considerably longer, and on the occiput and neck
it equals the ears in height, and is intermixed with a soft wool or down. There is so much of
the wool on the body, that it gives the fur the character of that of the Polar Hare. The ears
are of a rounded form, and are covered with shorter hairs than the neighbouring parts :
the shortest hair is on their edges, and it terminates so evenly with that on the back and
front of the ear, as to seem as if it had been trimmed with a pair of scissars, and to render
the ear thicker in appearance than it really is *. The long fur on the posterior part
of the cheeks is directed backwards, and contributes to give a peculiar cast to the
physiognomy, and an apparent great thickness to the neck, which features are common to the
foxes, wolves, and native races of the domestic dog in the northern parts of America, and
distinguish them from their congeners of the Old World. The vibrissce about the mouth
are very strong, and are in some specimens nearly white, in others of a dusky-brown colour.
The hair on the body is long, particularly on the sides. It is rather longer on the belly than
on the back, but not so close and woolly. It is denser, and coarser on the tail than else-
where. The shoulders and thighs are protected by long fur, but the fore-parts of the legs
are covered with short hair, the hind-legs having the shortest and smoothest coat. On the
posterior surface of the legs the hair is longer. The soles of the feet are covered with
very dense woolly hair, of a dirty white colour, giving them that resemblance to the feet of
a hare which is the origin of the Linnean name for thespecies.

* This fox has shorter and rounder ears than any variety of the red fox.
M 2

84 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

In most specimens, the fur has a bluish-gray colour at its roots on the back, the shoulders,
and outside of the thighs, but particularly on the neck and tail. The proportion of the
length of the fur so coloured, varies with the individual and the season of the year. In
some it is confined to so small a space at the roots as to be scarcely perceptible, and in others
it is so great as to tarnish the whiteness of its surface. At almost all times the short hair
clothing the posterior surface and margins of the ears is of a dark brownish-gray colour for
half its length, so as to give them a bluish or blackish tinge, whenever it is ruffled. No
naked callous places exist on the soles of this fox in the winter time. The claws are long,
compressed, slightly arched, and have a light horn colour.

Summer dress. — In the months of April or May, when the snow begins to disappear,
the long white fur falls off, and is replaced by shorter hair, which is more or less coloured.
A specimen, which was killed at York Factory on Hudson's Bay, in August, is described
by Mr. Sabine as follows. " The head and chin are brown, having some fine white hairs
scattered through the fur ; the ears, externally, are coloured like the head ; within they
are white: a similar brown colour extends along the back to the tail, and from the back
is continued down the outside of all the legs, but on the latter a few white hairs are inter-
mixed ; the whole under parts, and the insides of the legs are dingy white ; the tail is
brownish above, becoming whiter at the end, and is entirely white beneath." — On the
approach of winter the fur lengthens, the white hairs increase in number, all the hairs
become white at the tips, but retain more or less of the bluish or brownish-gray colour at
tlie roots, until the fur is in prime winter order, when it is of its full length, and almost
every where of a pure white colour from the roots to the tips. — The fur on the soles of
tbe feet becomes thinner and shorter in the summer time, and several naked callous places
then appear, but they are not so large as those which exist on the soles of the other North
American Foxes at the same season of the year.

It is necessary to observe that the majority only of the Arctic Foxes acquire the pure
white dress even in winter; many have a little duskiness on the nose, and others, probably
young individuals, remain more or less coloured on the body all the year. On the other
hand, a pure Avhite Arctic Fox is occasionally met with in the middle of summer, and
forms the variety named kakkortak by the Greenlanders. Hearne states that the Arctic
Foxes, "when young, are almost all over of a sooty black; but as the fall advances, the
belly, sides, and tail turn to a light ash-colour ; the back, legs, some part of the face, and
the tip of the tail, change to a lead colour, and when the winter sets in, they become
perfectly white. There are few of them which have not a few dark hairs at the tip of the
tail, all the winter*."

* Although. I am not aware that a compai-ison lietween recent specimens of the Arctic Foxes of tlie New and Old
Worlds has been made so as to prove their identity of form, yet their perfect similarity of habits, and in the series of
variations in their fur, may lead us to conclude that the species is the srane on both continents. The Siberian hunters
informed Gmelin " that they often found Cfray and white individuals in the same litter, and that the fii'St have at birth
a very deep gray colour, the latter a yellowish tint, the hairs being in both very short. Towards the end of the summer,
■when the hair begins to increase in length, foxes are often met with, having a brown streak along the back, crossed
hy a similar one at the shoulders. These individuals, sometimes termed cross foxes, become at length entii'ely white."
All the different species of fox seem liable to produce a crucigerous variety.

MAMMALIA.

Dimensions

Of

a full-grown specimen.

Feet.

Inches.

Feet.

Length of the head and body

2

1

Distance from the wrist to the end of the

„ tail (vertebrae)

1

0

middle fore-claw . . . 0

„ tail with the fur .

1

2

„ from the tip of the nose to the

„ head . . . .

0

5|

anterior angle of the eye . , 0

Height of ears anteriorly .

0

2

„ between the anterior angles of the

„ ears posteriorly .

0

If

eyes . . . . .0

Breadth of the ears near their base .

0

2

,, between the ears . . 0

Distance from the heel to the tip of the mid-

dle hind-claw . . . .

0

5i

85

3i

Captain Lyon, during two winters passed on the Melville peninsula, studied with
attention the manners of several of these animals, which were taken and kept as
pets ; and his account contains so many interesting facts respecting their natural
history, which are recorded nowhere else, that I shall make no apology for
copying it into this work. " In form, the Arctic Fox bears a great resemblance
to our European species, although considerably smaller ; and, owing to the great
quantity of white woolly hair with which it is clothed, is somewhat like a little
shock dog. The brush is full and large, affording an admirable covering for the
nose and feet, to which it acts as a muff when the animal sleeps. Although the
head is not so pointed as in our English Reynard, yet it has completely the air of
cunning which is so observable in all species of foxes. The eyes are bright,
piercing, and of a clear hazel. The face of the female was always remarked to be
shorter than that of the male, and it has less of cunning and more of mildness in
its general expression. The ears are short, and thickly covered with hair, having
the appearance of being doubled at the edges, or rather of having been cropped.
The cheeks are ornamented by a projecting ruflf, which extends from behind the
ears quite round the lower part of the face, to which it gives a very pleasing
appearance.

" The legs are rather long than otherwise, and shew great strength of muscle.
The feet, which are large, are armed with strong- claws. When the animal is
standing still, the hind-legs are so placed as to give the idea of weakness in the
loins, which is certainly not the case, as few creatures can make more powerful
leaps. The general weight was about eight pounds, although some were as low
as seven, and a few as high as nine pounds and a^ half when in good case.

'^ The Arctic Fox is an extremely cleanly animal, being very careful not to
dirt those places in which he eats or sleeps. No unpleasant smell is to be per-
ceived, even in a male, which is a remarkable circumstance. To come unawares
on one of these creatures is, in my opinion, impossible ; for even when in an

86 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

apparently sound sleep, they open their eyes at the slig-htest noise which is made
near them, although they pay no attention to sounds when at a short distance.
The general time of rest is during the daylight, in which they appear listless and
inactive ; but the night no sooner sets in than all their faculties are awakened ;
they commence their gambols, and continue in unceasing and rapid motion until
the morning. While hunting for food, they are mute, but when in captivity or
irritated, they utter a short growl like that of a young puppy. It is a singular
fact, that their bark is so undulated as to give an idea that the animal is at a
distance, although at the very moment he lies at your feet. Although the rage
of a newly-caught fox is quite ungovernable, yet it very rarely happened that on
two being put together they quarrelled. A confinement of a few hours often
sufficed to quiet these creatures ; and some instances occurred of their being
perfectly tame, although timid, from the first moment of their captivity. On
the other hand, there were some which, after months of coaxing, never became
more tractable. These we supposed were old ones.

" Their first impulse on receiving food is to hide it as soon as possible, even
though suffering from hunger, and having no fellow-prisoners of whose honesty
they are doubtfid. In this case snow is of great assistance, as being easily piled
over their stores, and then forcibly pressed down by the nose. I frequently
observed my dog-fox, when no snow was attainable, gather his chain into his
mouth, and in that manner carefully coil it so as to hide the meat. On moving away,
satisfied with his operations, he of course had drawn it after him again, and some-
times with great patience repeated his labours five or six times, until in a passion,
he has been constrained to eat his food without its having been rendered luscious
by previous concealment. Snow is the substitute for water to these creatures,
and on a large linnp being given to them, they break it in pieces with their
feet, and roll on it with great delight. When the snow was slightly scattered on
the decks, they did not lick it up as dogs are accustomed to do, but by repeatedly
pressing with their nose, collected small lumps at its extremity, and then drew
it into the mouth with the assistance of the tongue." In another passage.
Captain Lyon, alluding to the above mentioned dog-fox, says, " He was small
and not perfectly white ; but his tameness was so remarkable, that I could not
afford to kill him, but confined him on deck in a small hutch, with a scope of chain.
The little animal astonished us very much by his extraordinary sagacity : for,
during the first day, finding himself much tormented by being drawn out repeatedly
by his chain, he at length, whenever he retreated to his hut, took this carefully up

MAMiMALIA. 87

in his mouth, and drew it so completely after him, that no one who valued his
fingers would endeavour to take hold of the end attached to the staple."

Hearne says, that, when taken young, the Arctic fox may be domesticated in some
degree, but he never saw one that was fond of being caressed ; and they are always
impatient of confinement. Notwithstanding the degree of intelligence which the
anecdotes related by Captain Lyon shew them to possess, they are unlike the red
fox, in being extremely unsuspicious ; and instances are related of their standing
by, while the hunter is preparing the trap, and running headlong into it the
moment he retires a few paces. Captain Lyon received fifteen from a single trap
in four hours. The voice of the Arctic fox is a kind of yelp, and when a man
approaches their breeding places, they put their heads out of their burrows, and
bark at him, allowing him to come so near that they may be easily shot. They
appear to have the power of decoying other animals within their reach, by imitating
their voices. '' While tenting, we observed a fox prowling on a hill side, and
heard him for several hours afterwards in different places, imitating the cry of a
brent goose *." They feed on eggs, young birds, blubber, and carrion of any kind ;
but their principal food seems to be lemmings of different species.

The Arctic fox is an inhabitant of the most northern lands hitherto discovered,
and in North America their southern limit appears to be about latitude 50°. They
are numerous on the shores of Hudson's Bay, north of Churchill, and exist also in
Behring's Straits ; but the brown variety, mentioned in the following pages, is the
more common one in the latter quarter. They breed on the sea coast, and chiefly
within the Arctic circle, forming burrows in sandy spots, — not solitary, like the red
fox, but in little villages, twenty or thirty burrows being constructed adjoining to each
other. We saw one of these villages on Point Turnagain, in latitude 68^°. Towards
the middle of winter they retire to the southward, evidently in search of food, keep-
ing as much as possible on the coast, and going much further to the southward in
districts where the coast-line is in the direction of their march. Captain Parry relates
that the Arctic foxes, which were previously numerous, began to retire from
Melville Peninsula in November, and that by January few remained. Towards
the centre of the Continent, in latitude 65°, they are seen only in the winter, and
then not in numbers ; they are very scarce in latitude 61°, and at Carlton House,
in latitude 53°, only two were seen in forty years. On the coast of Hudson's Bay,
however, according to Hearne, they arrive at Churchill, in latitude 59°, about the
middle of October, and afterwards receive reinforcements from the northward, until

* Lyon's Private Journal, p. 424.

88 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

their numbers almost exceed credibility. Many are captured there by the hunters,
and the greater part of the survivors cross the Churchill River as soon as it is
frozen over^ and continue their journey along the coast to Nelson and Severn
Rivers. In like manner they extend their migrations along the whole Labrador
coast to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Most of those which travel far to the southward
are destroyed by rapacious animals ; and the few which survive to the spring,
breed in their new quarters, instead of returning to the north. The colonies they
found are, however, soon extirpated by their numerous enemies. A few breed at
Churchill, and some young ones are occasionally seen in the vicinity of York factory.
There are from three to five young ones in a litter.

The Esquimaux take the Arctic foxes in traps, which are described by Captain
Parry as being "^ extremely simple and ingenious. They consist of a small circular
arched hut built of stones, having a square aperture at the top, but quite close
and secure in every other part. This aperture is closed by some blades of whale-
bone, which, though in reality only fixed to the stones at one end, appear to form a
-secure footing, especially when the deception is assisted by a little snow laid on
them. The bait is so placed that the animal must come upon this platform to get
at it ; when the latter, unable to bear the weight, bends downwards, and after pre-
cipitating the fox into the trap, which is made too deep to allow of his escape,
returns by its elasticity to its former position, so that several may then be caught
successively." They are also taken in the wolf-traps of ice, described in page 65,
and all the rocky islands lying off the mouth of the Coppermine River are studded
Avith square traps, built of stone by the Esquimaux, wherein the fox is killed by a
flat stone falling upon him when he pulls at the bait.

The fur of the Arctic fox is of small value in commerce when compared with that
of any variety of the red fox. Its flesh, on the other hand, particularly when
young, is edible ; whilst that of the red fox is rank and disagreeable. Captain
Franklin's party agreed with Hearne, in comparing the flavour of a young Arctic
fox to that of the American hare. Captain Lyon considered it to resemble the
flesh of a kid.

MAMMALIA. 89

Canis lag. var. (3. fuliginosus. Sooti/ Fox.

Canis Lagopi varietas. Pallas, glires, p. 12. An. 1778.

Sooty Dog. Pennant, Hist. Quad., vol. i. p. 257.

Kernektak. T ahhiciiis, Fauna Groeyil., p. 20. An. 1790.

Canis fuliginosus. Shaw, Zoo/., vol. i. p. 331.

Blue Fox (and Canis fuliginosus.) Mackenzie's Travels in Iceland, p. 337.

Le chien brun. Desmarest, Blarmn. in notis, p. 205.

Tree-innoeuck-kannortoot (black foxes.) EsauiMAUX.

This is evidently a mere variety of the Arctic fox, similar to the black variety of
the red fox_, although more common. It has the form and stature of the Arctic
fox, and may be easily distinguished from the black or silver fox of commerce, by
its round ears, and its very inferior fur. It differs from the ordinary summer
or winter states of the Arctic fox, in being almost entirely of an uniform blackish-
brown colour.

DESCRIPTION.

One killed on Winter Island, in lat. 66°, on the 16th December, had the longest and
darkest fur on the belly, the colour there being black with a slight tinge of brown. The face,
from a sprinkling of short white hairs, was hoary, and there were a very few white hairs on
the back, not sufficient, however, to vary the colour, unless on close inspection. The whole
fur on the body was long, had a considerable lustre, and when blown inside, exhibited a
bright ash-grey colour towards its roots. The fur on the soles of the feet was of a grayish-
white colour, and as bushy as on the feet of the white variety in the winter time. The claws
were of the same size and colour as those of the pure Avhite variety, and differed in form from
those of the red fox. This individual had attained the full size of the Arctic fox.

On Captain Franklin's last Expedition, similar specimens were seen in the summer near
the mouth of the Mackenzie. A specimen procured by Captain Beechey in Behring's
Straits, differed merely in having longer and finer fur, of a pure chestnut colour, without any
admixture of white hairs. The face was yellowish-brown, with a white margin to the upper
lip. The rounded ears were covered with silky fur on each side, and with shorter and paler
fur on the margins. The fur on the tail was coarser, woolly, curled, and somewhat matted,
and of a dull yellowish-brown, altogether very unlike the silky brush of the black variety of
Canis fulvus. The tip of the tail in this specimen was of the same colour with the rest of it.
The anterior surfaces of the legs were covered with yellowish-brown fur, forming a smooth
shining coat, and the soles with dense yellowish-white, woolly hair.

N

90 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Otho Fabricius gives a clear account of the sooty variety of the Arctic fox
in the following- passage : — " There are two kinds of Arctic fox," says he : " one
bluish-black, with white wool on the soles of the feet, and occasionally white
whiskers, is named by the Greenlanders kelaieJdak ; the other entirely white with
the exception of the naked tip of the nose, which is called by the same people
JcaJikortak. They are by no means different species, for they couple together ;
and one variety produces young having the colours of the other ; nay^ I can
even bear witness that the bluish individual will become white, and a white one
bluish, according to its age."

Pennant considers the Sooty Fox to be a distinct species which is numerous in
Iceland ; and Sir George Mackenzie describes it as varying considerably in the
shades of its fur, from a light brownish, or bluish-gray, to a colour nearly ap-
proaching to black. He quotes the authority of Horrebow for their being
brought from Greenland to Iceland occasionally on fields of ice. The Greenland
fox, No. 164 of Pennant's History of Quadrupeds, described as of a brown
colour abave, white beneath, with feet furred beneath, rounded ears, and as
being of very small stature, seems to be nothing more than a young Arctic fox
in its common autumn dress.

On one occasion during our late coasting voyage round the northern extremity
of America, after cooking our supper on a sandy beach, we had retired to repose
in the boats, anchored near the shore, when two Sooty Foxes came to the spot
where the fire had been made, and carrying off all the scraps of meat that were
left there, buried them in the sand above high-water mark. We observed that
they hid every piece in a separate place, and that they carried the largest pieces
farthest off. A little Scotch terrier dog that accompanied us had precisely the
same habit. It attended us closely at our meals ; and receiving much more
from the men than it could eat, it carried the surplus always to the distance of
two or three hundred yards, and hid it carefully, never putting two pieces in the
same spot. I have quoted in page 86, Captain Lyon's observation of the Arctic
fox seldom eating its food until it had been adapted to its taste by concealment.

#

MAMMALIA. ' 91

[26.] 5. Canis (vulpes) fulvus. (Desmarest.) The Americmi Fox.

European Fox. Pennant, Arct. ZooL, vol. i. p. 45.

Red or large Fox. Hutchins, MSS.

Large Red Fox of the plains. Lewis and Clark, vol. iii. p. 29.

Renai-d de Virginie. Palisot de Beauvois, Bid. Soc. Phil.

Canis fulvus. Desmarest, Mamm., p. 203.

Red Fox. Sabine, Fraiiklin's Journ., p. 656.

Makkeeshew. Cree Indians.

Plate vr.

This animal is very plentiful in the wooded districts of the fur countries^ about
eight thousand being- annually imported into England from thence. It bears a
strong resemblance to the Common European Fox, and until De Beauvois pointed
out its peculiarities, it was considered to belong to that species.

DESCRIPTION.

On comparing a fine specimen of the English Fox with an American Red Fox, each were ob-
served to have dark markings on the sides of the muzzle, posterior parts of the ears, and fore-part
of the legs ; the tails of both have an intermixture of black hairs, and are tipped with white.
The Red Fox, however, differs in its long and very fine fur, and in the brilliancy of its colours.
Its cheeks are rounder, its nose thicker, sliorter, and more truncated. Its eyes are nearer to
each other. Its ears shorter, the hair on its legs is a great deal longer, and its feet are much
more woolly beneath, the hair extending beyond the claws, which are shorter than those of
the European Fox. In short the Red Fox differs from the European one in nearly the
same characters that distinguish the gray American wolf from the Pyrenean one — in the
breadth and capacity of its feet for running on the snow, the quantity of long hair clothing
the back part of the cheeks, which in conjunction with the shorter ears and nose give the
head a more compact appearance. The Red Fox has a much finer brush than the European
one, and it is altogether a larger animal. Desmarest mentions differences in the form of the
sculls of the two species.

Mr. Sabine describes a skin of the Red Fox in prime order as having " a general bright
ferruginous colour on the head, back, and sides, less brilliant towards the tail ; under the
chin white ; the throat and neck a dark gray ; and this colour is continued along the first
part of the belly in a stripe of less width than on the breast ; the under parts, towards the
tail, are very pale red ; the fronts of the fore-legs and the feet are black, and the fronts of
the lower parts of the hind-legs are also black ; the tail is very bushy, but less ferruginous
than the body, the hairs mostly terminated with black, and more so towards the extremity

N 2

Its

Dimensions are,

set.
2

Inches.
9

Height at the shoulders

Feet.

1

Inches.

1

0
1

8
2

„ of ears ....
Distance from the end of the nose to the

0

2|

1

6

anterior angle of the eyes

0

3

92 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

than near the root, giving the whole a dark appearance ; a few of the hairs at the end are
lighter, but it is not tipped with white." The colour of the tip of the tail differs in different
specimens.

An individual, killed at Great Slave Lake, had its head and shoulders of a bright reddish-
orange colour, which towards the rump acquired a gray tint by an intermixture of black and
white hairs. On the tail the red hairs were mixed with gray and black ones, the tip was
white. The soles of its feet were completely covered with fur. In the summer time the
fur of the soles is worn off, and naked callous places appear, but they are not so large as
in the English Fox. This specimen is now in the Museum of the Zoological Society, and
from it the accompanying etching was made.

Length of head and body
„ head alone
„ tail (vertebrae)
„ tail with the fur

The Red Fox burrows in the summer, and in the winter takes shelter under a
fallen tree. It brings forth four young- about the beg-inning of May. They are
covered at birth with a soft downy fur, of a yellowish-gray colour, the orange
coloured hair not beginning to appear until they are five or six weeks old. Even
the Indian hunters do not know the cubs at an early age from those of the Cross
or Silver Foxes, and I therefore cannot now place the reliance I was once induced
to do on their report of young cross foxes being found in the burrows of the Red
Fox. I procured four cubs, a fortnight old, which several hunters said were cross
foxes, but which proved eventually to be the red variety. These little creatures
began very early to make burrows in the sandy floor of the house in which I kept
them, and used to hide themselves during the day. They were, however, very
tame, came when I called them, and would take food from my hand and carry it
to their different places of concealment, never eating it when overlooked. I enter-
tained hopes of bringing them to England, but they made their escape on the
journey to the coast.

The Red Foxes prey much on the smaller animals of the rat family, but they are
fond of fish, and reject no kind of animal food that comes in their way. They are
taken in steel traps, and also in fall-traps, made of logs, but much nicety is
required in setting them, as the animal is very suspicious. Some of the best fox-
hunters in the fur countries ascribe their success to the use of assafostida, castoveum,
and other strong smelling substances with which they rub their traps and the small
twigs set up in the neighbourhood, alleging that foxes are fond of such perfumes.
The Red Fox hunts for its food chiefly in the night, but it is also frequently seen

MAMMALIA. 93

ill the day-time. In the winter time their tracts are most frequent on the borders
of lakes, which they quarter much like a pointer dog-. They turn aside to almost
every stump or twig sticking up through the snow, and void their urine on it like
a dog.

The Red Fox does not possess the wind of its English congener. It runs for
about a hundred yards with great swiftness, but its strength is exhausted in the
first burst, and it is soon overtaken by a wolf or a mounted huntsman. Its flesh
is ill tastedj and is eaten only through necessity.

Canis fulvus, var. j3. decussatus. American Cross Fox.

Renard barre ou Tsinantontonque. Sagahd Theodat, Canada, p. 745.

European Fox, var. /3. Cross Fox. Pennant, Arctic Zoo/., vol. i. p. 46.

Canis decussatus. Geoffrov, Collect, du Mus. Sabine, Franklin's Journ., p. 656. Harlan, Fauna, p. 88.

Cross Fox. Hudson Bay Company's Lists.

Beloduschki. Russians.

I am inclined to adhere to the opinion of the Indians in considering the Cross
Fox of the fur traders to be a mere variety of the Red Fox, as I found on inquiry
that the gradations of colour between characteristic specimens of the Cross and
Red Fox are so small, that the hunters are often in doubt with respect to the
proper denomination of a skin^ and I was frequently told " This is not a cross fox
yet, but it is becoming so." The Canis crucigera of Gesner, which is considered,
by Baron Cuvier to be a mere variety of the European Fox, differs from the latter
animal in the same way that the American Cross Fox does from the red one^ and
there is also a crucigerous variety of the Isatis or Arctic Fox. Mr. Hutchins^
however, remarks that the Cross Fox does not exceed the size of the European
one, and is smaller than the Red Fox. If there really be a difference of size
between the red and cross races inhabiting the same districts, they ought, perhaps,
to be considered distinct species.

The fur of the Cross Fox is valuable, and some vears ago it was worth four or
five guineas a skin, whilst that of the Red Fox did not bring more than fifteen
shillings. The difference of value seems to depend principally on the colour, for
some of the red foxes appear to have as long and as fine fur.

94 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

DESCRIPTION

Of a very characteristic Specimen of the Cross Fox, quoted from Mr. Sabine.

"The front of the head is gray, composed of black and white hairs,the latter predominating
on the forehead ; the ears are covered with soft black fur behind ; and with long yellowish
hairs within ; the back of the neck and shoulders are pale ferruginous, crossed with dark
stripes, one extending from the head to the back, the other passing the first at right angles
over the shoulders ; the rest of the back is gray, composed of black fur, tipped with white :
the sides are pale ferruginous, running into the gray of the back ; the chin and all the under
parts, as well as the legs, are black, a few of the hairs being tipped with white ; the under
part of the tail and the parts of the body adjacent are pale yellow, the gray colour of the
back extends to the upper part of the tail, at the commencement — the rest of the tail is dark
above and lighter beneath, being tipped with white. The character of the fur is thick and
long." The quantity of red fur, and the brightness of its colours, vary in different specimens;
and the cruciform markings are scarcely apparent in some specimens, which from the fineness
of their fur are acknowledged to be Cross Foxes.

Canis fulvus, var. y. argentatus. Black or Silver Fox,

Renard noir ou HahjTiha. Sagard Theodat, Canada, p. 744.

European Fox var. a. Black, Pennant, Arctic Zool., vol. i. p. 46.

Renard noir ou Argente. Geoff ttOY, Collect, du Museum.

Grizzle Fox. Hutchins, MSS.

Renard Argente. F. Cuvier, Mamm. lith. 5 livr.

Canis argentatus. Desmarest, Mammal., p. 203. Sabine, Franklin's Journey, p. 657. HaRLAN,

Fauna, p. 88.
The Black or Silver Fox. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 274.
Tschernoburi, Russians.

This variety is more rare than the Cross Fox, a greater number than four or
five being seldom taken in a season at any one post in the fur countries*, though
the hunters no sooner find out the haunts of one than they use every art to catch
itj because its fur fetches six times the price of any other fur produced in North
America. La Hontan speaks of a black fox skin as being in his time worth its

• Foxes of a corresponding colour seem to be equally rare in Europe. " The Silver or Black Fox is so rare, that
seldom more than three or four are taken in the course of a year on the Lofoden islands, and I never heard of its
having been met with in the other parts of Norway." — A. de Capell Brooke, Travels in Norway, p. 285.

MAMMALIA. 95

weight in gold. Although, from what I observed^ I do not think that the Black
Fox displays more cunning in avoiding the snare than the red one, yet its rarity,
and the eagerness of the hunters to take it, cause them to think it peculiarly shy.
*' It is to be remarked,'' says Pennant, " that the more desirable the fur is, the
more cunning and difficult to be taken is the fox that owns it." Mr. Hutchins also
informs us ''the blacker the fur the lesser the fox," but neither is this latter
remark consonant with my own observation.

Mr. F. Cuvier mentions that the smell of the American Black Fox is very
disagreeable, but differs a little from that of the Common Fox of Europe. He
thinks the identity of the American species with the Black Fox of the north of
Europe doubtful. The Black Fox of America inhabits the same districts with the
Red Fox, and is never seen far within the barren grounds. In some instances^
however, the Sooty Fox described in page 89 may have been mistaken for it.

DESCRIPTION.

The Canis argentatus is sometimes found entirely of a shining black colour, with the
e^cception of the end of tlie tail, which is white. It is more common to observe it with
parts of its fur hoary from an intermixture of hairs tipped with white. A very fine specimen
preserved in the Hudson's Bay Museum has the head and back hoary, most of the long
hairs on those parts being white from the tip for a considerable way down. The downy fur
at the root of the longer hairs has a dark blackish-brown colour. The nose, legs, sides of
the neck, and all the under parts, are dusky, approaching to black. The tail is black. Its
ears are erect, triangular, but not very acute, and are covered with a soft fur of a brownish-
black colour. In some individuals the fur, which in most parts is hoary, has a shining black
colour unmixed with white, from the crown of the head to the middle of the back and down
the outside of the shoulders, being an approach to the cruciform arrangement. Like the two
preceding varieties, the Black and Silver foxes have the soles of their feet thickly covered with
wool in the winter, no callous spots being then visible.

96

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[27.] 3. Canis (vulpes) Virginianus. (Gmelin.) The Gray Fox.

Gray Fox. Catesby, Carolina, vol. ii. p. 78. t. 78. Kalm, Travels, {Pinkert07i's Coll.) vol. xiii. p. 467.

Pennant, Arctic Zool., vol. i. p. 48.
Canis virginianus. Gmelin, Syst., vol. i. p. 74. Sabine, Franklin's Journey, p. 654. Harlan,

Fauna, p. 89.
Virginian fox. Shaw, Zoo/., vol. i. p. 325.
Canis cinereo-argenteus. Say, Long's Exped., vol. ii. p. 340.
The Gray Fox (Canis cinereo.argentatus). Godman's Nat. Hist.,vo\. i. p. 280.

This animal^ which is said to be the most common species of fox in the southern
parts of the United States,, did not come under our notice on the late Expeditions,
but it is here introduced to mark its most northern limit. Its skins are sometimes
included amongst the Hudson Bay Company's importations from their most
southern Canadian posts. Kalm says that the Gray Foxes are very common in
Pennsylvania^ and in the southern provinces ; but scarce in the northern ones, on
which account the French call them Virginian foxes. He also says that they
are smaller, less destructive, less active, and have a less rank smell than the
European foxes. The Gray Fox has been confounded by some writers with the
Cross Fox, which it much resembles, though it is smaller in size ; by others with
the Kit Fox, which has also gray colours. Dr. Godman informs us that the
chase of this animal affords more pleasure to the American sportsmen than that of
the Red Fox*, "^ because it does not immediately forsake its haunts and run for
miles in one direction, but after various doublings, is generally killed near the
place where it first started !" Catesby, on the contrary, says that "^ they give no
diversion to the sportsmen, for after a mile's chase they run up a tree.'' The same
author informs us that they breed in hollow trees. LangsdorfF relates that in
California he saw a great number of foxes following the cows, and living upon the
most friendly terms with the young calves.

* He alludes here, not to the Canis fulvus, but to the C. vulpes vulgaris of this work.

MAMMALIA. 97

[28.] 4. Canis (vuLPES vulgaris) vuLPES? (Linn.?) The Fox?

Canis viilpes. Harlan, Fauna, p. 86.

Canis fulvus. Godman, Nat, Hist., vol. i. p. 276.

M. Frederick Cuvier and M. Desmarest, who admit and describe the American
Red Fox (C fulmis) as a distinct species, state the Common Fox to be also an
inhabitant of North America. It does not exist in the countries north of Canada
lying- to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, and consequently did not come
under our notice on the late Expeditions ; but it is admitted into this work, as
being most probably an inhabitant of New Caledonia. Several of the voyagers
who have visited the Atlantic coast of North America mention two kinds of red
fox skins, in possession of the natives ; the one having a fine, long, silky fur, of a
reddish-yellow colour {C. fulmis?) ; the other of a smaller size, having shorter and
coarser fur, and less lively tints of colour (C vulpes ?). I think it very probable that
an investigation into the characters of the American foxes will shew that the reddish
Fox of the Atlantic states is a variety of the Canis cinereics, which has been mistaken
for the European Fox. Dr. Godman states that these reddish foxes '' are numerous
in the middle and southern states of the Union, and are every where notorious
depredators on the poultry yards." Kalm says, "^ the red foxes are very scarce
here (New York) ; they are entirely the same with the European sort. Mr,
Bartram, and several others, assured me, that, accordhig to the unanimous
testimony of the Indians, this kind of fox never was seen in the country before the
Europeans settled in it. But of the manner of their coming over I have two
different accounts : Mr. Bartram, and several other people, were told by the
Indians, that these foxes came into America soon after the arrival of the
Europeans, after an extraordinary cold winter, when all the sea to the northward
was frozen. But Mr. Evans and some others assured me that the following
account was still known by the people. A gentleman of fortune in New England,
who had much inclination for hunting, brought over a great number of foxes
from Europe, and let them loose in his territories, that he might be able to
indulge his passion for hunting. This, it is said, happened at the very beginning
of New England's being peopled with European inhabitants. These foxes were
believed to have so multiplied, that all the red foxes in the country were their

o

»0 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

offspring-." Kalm* considers neither of these accounts as satisfactory ; indeed^ as
to the former, none of the Indian tribes inhabiting- New England could possibly
have any knowledge of the state of the sea to the north, and to this day the tribes
dwelling- even twenty degrees of latitude nearer its shores are equally ignorant
of it. The Esquimaux alone inhabit the coast, and it is unlikely that any accounts
from them could be transmitted through ten or twelve intermediate nations^ most
of whom have been from time immemorial at war with their neig-hbours.

[29.] 6. Canis (Vulpes) cinereo-argentatus. The Kit Fox.

Archithinew Fox. HuTCHiKs, 3/iS'5'. Pknnant, Arct, Zool. Suppl., -p. ^2.

Kit Fox, or small burrowing Fox of the plain. Lewis & Clark, vol. i. p. 400 ; vol. iii.pp. 29, 282.

Canis velox. Say, Long's E^rped., vol. ii. p. 339. Harlan, Fauna, p. 9L

Canis cinereo-argentatus. Sabise, Frank/in's Journ., -p. 658.

Le Ren.ard tricolor. F. CuviER, Hist. Nat. des Mamm.

The Swift Fox. GoDJfAN, Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 282.

Kit Fox. Fur Tradebs. Chien de Prairief . Canadian Voyagers,

The species which forms the subject of this article burrows in the open plains
extending from the Saskatchewan to the Missouri^ and_, according to Lewis and
Clark, also in the plains of the Columbia. Mr. Sabine has referred it to the
Canis cinereo-argentatus of Schreber, or the Fulvous-necked Fox of Shaw_, and most
probably correctly ; but many points with regard to its synonyms require to be
cleared up^ as authors in their descriptions appear to have confounded it with the
gray or Virginian Fox. Schreber himself may have partly produced the error,
by terming the animal C. griseus in his text, and C cinereo-argentatus on the
plate. It has long been known to the Hudson's Bay fur-traders, its skins forming
a portion of their annual exports, under the name oi kit foxes. It is, as Mr. Sabine
justly remarks^ the smallest of the American foxes ; but the measurement that he
gives of two feet for the length of the head and body, being taken from a hunter's
skin, which is always much stretched, is too great. I was unsuccessful in my
endeavours to procure a recent specimen of this interesting little quadruped,

• Kalm's Travels, (Pinkerion's Tr.) pages 13 and 467.

-}- The name of" Prairie Dog" is bestowed also on the Louisiana marmot, and on other animals.

MAMMALIA.

99

although I saw many hunters' skins. The Saskatchewan river is the northern
limit of its range. Its burrows are formed in the open part of the plains,
at a distance from the woody country. According to Mr. Say, it excels even
the antelope in fleefness ; and Lewis and Clark inform us that it is extremely
vigilant, and betakes itself, on the slightest alarm, to its burrows, which are very
deep. It seems to be the American representative of the corsac, inhabiting
similar districts ; and possibly like the corsac its fur changes its colours with the
seasons.

Description
OF A hunter's skin: —

The nose is considerably shorter, and the face broader than in other foxes. The upper part
of the nose is covered by very short hairs of a pale yellowish, or wood, brown colour, on each
side of which there is an oval patch of brownish fur, rendered hoary by many of its hairs being
tipped with white. The whiskers are strong, and of a black colour, fading into brown at their
tips. The portion of the lip anterior to them is brownish white ; and the whole upper lip is
margined by a stripe of white hairs about half an inch wide. There is, however, a narrow
blackish-brown line between the white and the posterior angle of the mouth, which is prolonged
round the margin of the lower lip. The upper part of the head, including the cheeks and
orbits, the superior surface of the neck, the back and hips, are covered with fur of a pleasant
grizzled colour, produced by an intermixture of hairs tipped with brown, black, and white.
On the crown of the head, the yellowish-brown predominates, the white is equally diffused
through it, there is no dark central Hne, and the grizzled colour unites gradually before the
eyes with the unmixed fawn colour of the nose. The white hairs prevail immediately round
the orbits, and there is much white on the cheeks. On the neck, where the fur lies smooth,
the white, with a slight intermixture of black, is the colour of the surface, the yellowish-brown
being seen only through the interstices of the longer hairs. Towards the rump less of the brown
is seen, and more of the black hairs, but the white tips still predominate. The fur on the parts
just enumerated appears, when blown aside, of a deep clove-brown, or brownish-gray colour
from the roots for three-fourths of its length upwards ; it is then yellowish-brown, followed by a
very narrow ring of black, a larger ring of pure white, and generally a minute black tip. There
are also, particularly towards the posterior part of the back, many interspersed hairs con-
siderably longer than the others, which are black from the root to the tip. The breadth of the
grizzled colours on the neck does not exceed the distance betAveen the ears, but it gradually
widens from the shoulders backwards. The sides of the neck, the shoulders and flanks, are of
a dull reddish-orange, or very pale tile-red colour. The fur on these parts is longer but not so
dense as that on the back, and is bluish-gray one half of its length, and reddish the remainder.
On the flanks there are a few intermixed black hairs. The lower jaw is white, with a tinge
of blackish-brown on its margins and towards its extremity. The chest exhibits the same
reddish-orange colour with the sides ; the throat and belly and inner surfaces of the extremities

02

100 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

are white. The fur on all the under parts is white towards the roots. The outside of the
fore-legs and posterior parts of the hind-legs are brownish-orange, the upper surfaces of the
feet are white ; and the soles are covered, with the exception of some callous spots, with
brownish wool. The tail is full of woolly hair, but tapers at the end. The prevailing colour
of its upper surface is yellowish-gray, with a considerable intermixture of black, and a few
white hairs ; the under surface is brownish-orange, and the whole of the tip is black. The fur
of the tail is ash-gray towards its base.

Dimensions of a Hunter's Skin: —

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.

Length of head and body . 22 0

„ tail . . 10 0

„ tail including the fur at its tip 12 6

Distance from the tip of the nose to the ante-
rior angle of the eye . 2 0
„ betweentheanterioranglesoftheeyes 1 2
Length of whiskers . . 3 0

The dimensions of a specimen described by M. F. Ciivier, are —

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.

Length of head and body (English measure) 21 6 I Length of tail . . 14 0

„ head . . 5 0 | Height of back . . 13 0

Mr. Say gives the dimensions of the cranium of his specimen, taken by calipers^
as follows : —

Inches. Inches.

The entire length from the insertion of the superior | Between the insertion of the lateral muscles at the

incisors to the tip of the occipital ridge is rather junction of the frontal and parietal bones . J^

more than . . . • 4^5 Greatest breadth of this space on the parietal bones §f

The least distance between the orbital cavities . A

MAMMALIA. 101

[30.] 1. Felis Canadensis. (Geofiroy.) Canada Lynx.

Genus. Felis. Linn.

Loup-cervier. (Anarisqua.) Sagard Theodat, Canada, p. 747- An. 1636.

Loup-cervier or Lynx. Mo'bbs, Hudson's Bay, ■p.'iA. An. 1744.

Cat-Lynx. Pennant, Arctic ZooL, vol. i. p. 50.

Cat or Pishu. HvTcnivs, MSB.

Lynx or Wild Cat. Heaune, Journey, p. 366. Mackenzie, Journey, p. 106, &c.

Felis Canadensis. Geoffroy, Ann. du Mus. Sabine, Franklin's Journ , p. 059.

Zoological Museum. No. 72.
Peeshoo. Cree Indians and Canadian Voyagers.

This is the only species of the genus which exists north of the Great Lakes, and
eastward of the Rocky Mountains. It is rare on the sea-coast, and does not frequent
the Barren Grounds^ but it is not uncommon in the woody districts of the interior,
since from seven to nine thousand are annually procured by the Hudson's Bay
Company. It is found on the Mackenzie River, as far north as latitude 66°. It
is a timid creature^ incapable of attacking any of the larger quadrupeds ; but well
armed for the capture of the American hare^ on which it chiefly preys. Its large
paws, slender loins, and long, but thick, hind legs, with large buttocks, scarcely
relieved by a short thick tail, give it an awkward, clumsy appearance. It makes
a poor fight when it is surprised by a hunter in a tree ; for, though it spits like a
cat, and sets its hair up, it is easily destroyed by a blow on the back with a slender
stick ; and it never attacks a man. Its gait is by bounds, straightforward, with
the back a little arched, and lighting- on all the feet at once. It swims well, and
will cross the arm of a lake two miles wide ; but it is not swift on land. It
breeds once a year, and has two young at a time. The natives eat its flesh,
which is white and tender, but rather flavourless, much resembling that of the
American hare.

The early French writers on Canada, who ascribed to it the habit of dropping
from trees on the backs of deer, and destroying them by tearing their throats and
drinking their blood, gave it the name of Loup cervier. The French Canadians
now term it indifferently Le Chat, or Le Peeshoo. The mistake of Charlevoix in
applying to it the appellation of Carcajou, which is proper to the wolverene, has
produced some confusion of synonyms amongst subsequent writers. Pennant con-
sidered it as identical with the Lynx of the Old World ; Geoffroy St. Hilaire named

102 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

it as a distinct species ; and Temminck has again^ under the name of Felis
borealis, described the species as the same in both hemispheres.

DESCRIPTION.

The head is round, the nose obtuse, and the face has much of the form of that of the
domestic cat ; but the facial hue is more convex between the eyes. The ears are erect,
triangular, and tipped by an upright, slender tuft of coarse, black hairs ; they are placed about
their own breadth apart, and on their posterior surface they have a dark mark beneath the tip,
which is continued near both margins downwards towards their bases. On the bodi/ and
extremities the fur is hoary, most of the hairs being tipped with white ; on the crown of the
head, and for a broad space down the middle of the back, there is a considerable intermixture
of blackish-brown, and on the sides and legs, of pale wood-brown. In some specimens these
colours produce an indistinct mottling, but in general there are no defined markings. A rufous
tinge is also occasionally present about the nape of the neck, and on the posterior part of the
thigh. The tail is coloured like the back, except the tip, which is black. The fur is close
and fine on the back ; longer and paler on the belly. When blown aside, it shews, on the
middle of the back, a dark liver-brown colour from the roots to near the tips ; but on the sides,
it is, for the greatest part of its length, of a pale yellowish-brown, being merely a little darker
near the roots. The legs are thick ; the toes very thick and furry, and are armed with very
sharp, curved, awl-shaped, white claws, shorter than the fur. There are four toes on each foot,
those on the hind feet being rather the largest, but both feet have much spread.

DiMENSioys
Of a prepared specimen.

Length of the head and body . . 3 1

Height of the back .... 1 4J

Length of the tail (vertebrse) ... 0 4

„ tail, with the fur . , 0 4|

„ black tuft on the ear . .0 IJ

Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches.

Height of the ear without the tuft mea-
sured behind .... .0 2
Distance from the tip of the nose to the
fore-part of the ear ... 0 4|

MAMMALIA. 103

[31.] 2. Felis RUFA. (Guldensted ?) Bay Lynx?

Bay Lynx. Pennant, Hist. Quadr., No. 171 ? Arctic ZooL, vol. i., p. 51 ?
Felis rufa. Guldensted, Act. Petrop., 20. p. 449 ?

Mr. Douglas brought a specimen of a Lynx from the Columbia River^ that is
reported to have the same habits with the Canada Lynx, which it much resembles
in size and form. No variety, however, of the latter inhabiting the fur countries
to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, presents the dark colour of the back, and
the bright wood-brown on the sides, with the black spots on the belly, and the
transverse black marks on the legs^ exhibited by this one. The hunters consider
it to be quite distinct from the Canada Lynx. Neither does it correspond entirely
with the descriptions given by authors of the Bay Lynx, although it much resem-
bles that animal in the markings about the face. Mr. Douglas thinks that there
are more than one non-descript animal of this genus, which inhabit the countries
bordering on the Columbia. The skins procured in that quarter are generally
carried to the China market, without passing through the hands of European
furriers ; hence, they are not likely to have come under the inspection of M..
Temminckj who has so well described the Atlantic species.

DESCRIPTION.

Size and general aspect, exclusive of colour, that of a small Canada Lynx. The colour of
the hind head and of a broad dorsal stripe is blackish-brown, a little grizzled by a con-
siderable number of the tips of the hairs being of a pale wood-brown. On these parts the fiir
is hair-brown at its roots, and blackish-brown for the greater part of its length. On the
dorsal aspect of the neck the fur is reddish-brown from the base to near the tips, where the
longer hairs are ringed with wood-brown and black ; the colour of the surface is produced by
an intimate mixture of the two latter, but, as on the back, there are neither spots nor streaks.
The forehead has a hoary brown colour, with dark brownish markings. The eyelashes are
black, the upper and under eyelids, most of the whiskers, and part of the upper lip, are white.
The fur on the cheeks is yellowish-brown, with white tips, and there is a dark stripe under
the eye, another on the back part of the cheek, and a third at the angle of the mouth. The
ears are lined interiorly with pale hairs, and are covered posteriorly with blackish-brown fur.
The tufts on their tips, if any existed, have fallen off. The sides of the neck and the flanks
are pale chestnut, brown, rendered hoary by white tips equably but sparingly diffused. The
same colour prevails on the shoulders, and outer aspects of the fore and hind extremities,

104 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

prettily varied by a number of short transverse stripes of blackish-brown ; the insides of the
extremities are paler, but exhibit the same transverse dark marks. The under jaw is white,
except the tip of the chin, which is brownish. The throat is white. The chest is coloured
and spotted nearly like the shoulders. The belly is white, tinged anteriorly with brown, and
marked throughout with rather large blackish-brown spots. The tail is reddish-brown, with
some blackish markings above; and is white underneath. It is shaped like the tail of the
Canada Lynx.

Length of the head and body . 33 0

„ tail (vertebrae) . . 4 0

DiJIENSIONS.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.

Length of the head, including the curvature

of the forehead . . . ,6 6

Height of the ear . . . .2 0

[32.] 3. Felis FAsciATA. (Rafinesque.) Banded Lynx.

The Tiger cat. Lewis and Clark, vol. iii. p. 28.

Lynx fasciatus. " Rafinescius, .(47n. iV/on<A. Mag. 1817, p. 46." Desmarest, iMamm.
Harlan, Fauna, p. 100.

I possess no other information respecting- this animal than what is contained in
the following description of it by Lewis and Clark, It seems to bear considerable
resemblance to the Canada Lynx_, but differs from it^ and from the preceding
specieS;, in the transverse dorsal stripes.

DESCRIPTION.

" The tiger cat inhabits the borders of the plains and the woody country in the neighbour-
hood of the Pacific. It is of a size larger than the wildcat of the United States, and much the
same in form, agility, and ferocity. The colour of the back, neck, and sides is of a reddish-
brown, irregularly variegated with small spots of dark-brown: the tail is about two inches
long, and nearly white, except the extremity, which is black. It terminates abruptly, as if it
had been amputated. The belly is white, beautifully variegated with small black spots ;
the legs are of the same colour with the sides, and the back is marked transversely with
black stripes : the ears are black on the outer side, covered with fine, short hair, except at
the upper point, which is furnished with a pencil of hair, fine, straight, and black, three-
fourths of an inch in length. The hair of this animal is long and fine, far exceeding that
of the wild cat of the United States."

MAMMALIA. 105

[33.] 1. Castor fiber, Americanus. The American Beaver.

Genus. Castor. Linn.

Castor. Sagard Theodat, Canada, p. 767-

Castor fiber, Linn. ' Syst.

Beaver Castor. Pennant, Arct. ZooJ., vol. i. p. 08.

Castor ordinaire. Desmarest, Mamm.

Castor Americanus. F. Cuvier.

Castor fiber. Harlan, Fauna, vol. i. p. 122.

The Beaver. Got) man, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 21.

Ammisk. Cree Indians. Ttsoutaye. Hurons.

DESCRIPTION.

The Beaver has the form of an oval sack. The greatest girth of its body is just before the
hind legs, and it tapers gradually on every side from thence to the obtuse muzzle. The hind
legs are situated far forward, and the part of the body that projects behind them tapers pretty
suddenly to the setting on of the flat scaly tail. The incisors are smooth and orano-e-coloured
anteriorly, and posteriorly they are narrower and white. The nose is very obtuse both vertically
and horizontally. The eye is small, and is situated rather nearer to the ear than to the
end of the nose ; the pupil is almost closed in a strong light. The ears are short, thick
rounded, and well clothed with short fur ; the animal closes the auditory openings by
folding them vertically. The fur consists of a dense coat of somewhat waved, shining,
smoke-gray down, concealed by a long coarse hair, which lies smooth, and, when in
season, has a shining chestnut-brown colour. In summer, the fur, previous to fallino- off
changes its colour to a pale yellowish-brown, and some of the winter specimens have a very
dark hue, approaching to blackish-brown. The tail is tongue-shaped, and is covered with
oval, angular scales, which are not tiled, and are smallest along the margin of the tail. They
are not hard ; some scattered hairs spring from their interstices, and the root of the tail is
covered for a short space with finer but shorter hair than that of the back. The tail
is flat horizontally. The fore-extremities are small and very short. The toes are well
separated, and, with the palms, are very flexible. They are used like hands in conveying
food to the mouth, but are so short that the animal is obliged to incline its head towards
them. The fore-claws are somewhat compressed, strong, and fitted for digging. The middle
one is the largest, the one on each side of it somewhat shorter, and the outermost and inner-
most are the two shortest. The three exterior ones wear down, whilst the other two remain
sharp. The hind-feet have long, hard, and callous soles, and their long toes are connected by
a web, which extends even beyond the roots of the nails. The second toe has two nails, the
under one of which is rounded with a cutting edge, and lies nearly at right angles to the upper
one ; — there is a less perfect double nail on the inner toe. The other toes have simple

106 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

nails, which bear a striking resemblance to those of the human hand, but are rather more
compressed. When the animal sits erect, it rests on its hind-legs and tail ; but when it walks,
it puts its fore-feet to the ground, and, then arching its body, brings forward its hind-legs, and
trails the tail behind it. The whole hind sole touches the ground as it walks, but only the toes
of the fore-feet. When the fore-feet are lifted, the toes are curled together, or the fist is closed,
which gives them a peculiar appearance of weakness, like a paralytic hand ; they are spread out
when they touch the ground. The motions of the Beaver are slow when it is not pursued.

Dimensions
Of a full-grown Beaver (Spec. 420, Zool. Mus.), killed at Great Slave Lake.

Inches, Lines.
Distance from tip of nose to anterior part

of the eye 2 ]0

„ the posterior part of the orbit

to anterior part of the ear ... 2 5

Dimensions
Of a recent specimen of what is termed, by the Fur Traders, a three-quarter Beaver.

Inches. Inches,

Inches.

Lines

Length of head and body

. 40

0

,„ head alone

7

3

„ tail, scaly part

. 11

6

Length of head and body .... 30

„ tail, scaly part . . . . 10

Circumference before hind legs ... 30

„ immediately behind fore-legs . 18

The weight of a full-grown Beaver is about twenty- four pounds

Length of fore-feet ...... 3

„ of the sole of the hind foot . . 7

Greatest breadth of the tail . . . ,54

I have not had an opportunity of dissecting a Beaver ; but I was informed by the
hunters^ that both males and females are furnished with one pair of little bags,
containing castoreum, and also with a second pair of smaller ones betwixt the former
and the anus, which are filled with a white fatty matter, of the consistence of butter,
and exhaling a strong odour. This latter substance is not an article of trade; but
the Indians occasionally eat it, and also mingle a little with their tobacco when
they smoke. I did not learn the purpose that this secretion is destined to serve in
the economy of the animal ; but from the circumstance of small ponds when inha-
bited by Beavers being tainted with its peculiar odour, it seems probable that it
affords a dressing to the fur of these aquatic animals. The castoreum, in its recent
state, has an orange colour, which deepens, as it dries, into bright reddish-brown.
During the drying, which is allowed to go on in the shade, a gummy matter exudes
through the sack, which the Indians delight in eating. The male and female
castoreum is of the same value, ten pairs of bags of either kind being reckoned to
an Indian as equal to one beaver-skin. The castoreum is never adulterated in the
fur countries. The flesh of the Beaver is much prized by the Indians and Cana-
dian Voyagers, especially when it is roasted in the skin, after the hair has been
singed off. In some districts it requires all the influence of the Fur Trader to
restrain the hunters from sacrificing a considerable quantity of beaver fur every

MAMMALIA. 107

year_, to secure the enjoyment of this luxury; and Indians of note have generally
one or two feasts in a season, wherein a roasted Beaver is the prime dish. Hearne
terms it delicious food. It resembles pork in its flavour^ but the lean is dark-
coloured, the fat oily, and it requires a strong stomach to sustain a full meal of
it. The tail, which is considered a great luxury, consists of a grisly kind of fat, as
rich, but not so nauseating, as the fat of the body.

The Beaver attains its full size in about three years ; but breeds before that
time. According to Indian report, it pairs in February, and after carrying its
young about ten weeks, brings forth from four to eight or nine cubs, towards the
middle or end of May. Hearne states the usual number of young, produced by
the Beaver at a time, to be from two to five, and that he saw six only in two
instances, although he had witnessed the capture of some hundreds in a gravid
state *. The female has eight teats. In the pairing season the call of the Beaver
is a kind of groan ; but the voice of the cubs, which are very playful, resembles
the cry of an infant. When the Beaver cuts down a tree it gnaws it all round,
cutting it however somewhat higher on the one side than the other, by which the
direction of its fall is determined. The stump is conical, and of such a height as a
Beaver, sitting on his hind quarters, could make. The largest tree I observed
cut down by them was about the thickness of a man's thigh (that is, six or seven
inches in diameter;) but Mr. Graham says, that he has seen them cut a tree
which was ten inches in diameter.

Pennant fixes the southern range of the American Beaver in latitude 30°, in
Louisiana, not far from the Gulf of Mexico ; whilst Say mentions the confluence
of the Ohio and Mississippi as their limit, which is about seven degrees further
to the northward. In high latitudes they are confined to the wooded districts,
there not being even willows enough for their subsistence on the banks of the
small lakes and rivulets of the Barren Grounds. Their most northern rano-e
is perhaps on the banks of the Mackenzie, which is the largest American river
that discharges itself into the Polar Sea, and is also the best wooded, owing
to the quantity of alluvial soil deposited on its banks. Beavers occur in that
quarter as high as 67^° or 68' of latitude, and their range from east to west
extends from one side of the continent to the other, with the exception of the
Barren districts. They are pretty numerous in the country lying immediately to

« I was informed by a hunter, that the Indians are accustomed, on breaking up a lodge of Beavei-s, to open the old
female as soon as they kill her, for the purpose of ascertaining, by counting the dilatations of the tubular uterus, what
number of young may be expected to be found in the washes Hearne also says, " On examining the womb of a Beaver,
wTien not with young, there is always found a hardish round knob, for every young one of the last litter."

P2

108 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

the northward of Fort Franklin ; and from the swampy and impracticable nature of
the country, they are not likely to be soon eradicated from thence. The Iroquois
are the greatest Beaver takers in Canada, and their hunters now allot the beaver
districts amongst themselves, and endeavour to preserve these animals from ex-
tinction, by trenching- the beaver-dams of any one quarter only once in four or
five years, and taking care to leave always a pair at least in a dam to breed.
Further north the Indians, when they break up a beaver lodge, destroy, as far as
they are able, both young and old, and the numbers of Beaver are consequently
now very much reduced. Gangs of Iroquois were also introduced into the fur coun-
tries to the north some years ago ; and by setting traps, which destroyed indiscri-
minately Beaver of all sizes, they almost extirpated the species from their hunting
grounds. The Hudson's Bay Company are, however, endeavouring to remedy this
evil, by laying plans to insure an adequate supply of the very useful beaver-fur,
although it is not likely that it can ever be so plentiful as it was formerly. In the
year 1743, the imports of beaver-skins into the ports of London and Rochelle,
amounted to upwards of 150,000 ; and there is reason to suppose that a consi-
derable additional quantity was at that period introduced, illicitly, into Great
Britain. In 1827, the importation of beaver-skins into London, from more than
four times the extent of fur country than that which was occupied in 1743, did not
much exceed 50,000.

In some seasons a great mortality occurs amongst the Beavers from some
unknown cause, many being found dead in their lodges. Towards the north, the
fur of the Beaver is better, and continues in prime order through a greater portion
of the year. At Great Slave Lake, in latitude 61°, July, August, and September,
are the only months in which the beaver-fur of inferior quality is procured. In
commerce, beaver-skins, cut open, stretched to a hoop, and dried in the ordinary
marnier, are named beaver-porchment, and form by far the greatest part of the
importation. When the beaver-skins have been made into dresses, and worn by
the Indians, it is termed beaver-coat ; and, though it may have been in use a whole
season, it still brings a good price. Inferior sized skins are named beaver-cub.
An incisor tooth of a beaver is fixed in a wooden handle by the northern Indians,
and used with great dexterity to cut bone. This was the instrument with which
that people fashioned the horns of the rein-deer into spear-heads and fish-gigs ;
but these bone weapons are now generally replaced by iron, and the beaver tooth
has been supplanted by an English file.

The best account of the manners of the Beaver, and the most free of extrava-

MAMMALIA. 109

gancies, is that given by Hearne ; and it agrees so exactly with the information I
received from the Indian hunters, that were I to record the latter it would appear
to be borrowed ahuost entirely from that traveller. I therefore prefer giving it
in Hearne 's own words.

" The beaver being so plentiful,, the attention of my companions was chiefly
engaged on them, as they not only furnished delicious food, but their skins proved
a valuable acquisition, being a principal article of trade as well as a serviceable one
for clothing. The situation of the beaver-houses is various. Where the beavers
are numerous, they are found to inhabit lakes, ponds, and rivers, as well as those
narrow creeks which connect the numerous lakes with which this country abounds ;
but the two latter are generally chosen by them when the depth of water and other
circumstances are suitable, as they have then the advantage of a current to
convey wood and other necessaries to their habitations, and because in general
they are more difficult to be taken than those that are built in standing
water. They always choose those parts that have such a depth of water as
will resist the frost in winter, and prevent it from freezing to the bottom.
The beavers that build their houses in small rivers or creeks, in which water
is liable to be drained off when the back supplies are dried up by the frost, are
wonderfully taught by instinct to provide against that evil, by making a dam
quite across the river, at a convenient distance from their houses. The beaver
dams differ in shape according to the nature of the place in which they are built.
If the water in the river or creek have but little motion, the dam is almost
straight ; but when the current is more rapid, it is always made with a con-
siderable curve, convex toward the stream. The materials made use of are
drift-wood, green willows, birch, and poplars, if they can be got; also, mud
and stones intermixed in such a manner as must evidently contribute to the
strength of the dam ; but there is no other order or method observed in the dams,
except that of the work being carried on with a regular sweep, and all the parts
being made of equal strength. In places which have been long frequented by
beavers undisturbed, their dams, by frequent repairing, become a solid bank,
capable of resisting a great force both of water and ice ; and as the willow,
poplar, and birch generally take root and shoot up, they by degrees form a kind
of regular planted hedge, which I have seen in some places so tall, that birds
have built their nests among- the branches.

'^ The beaver-houses are built of the same materials as their dams, and are
always proportioned in size to the number of inhabitants, which seldom exceeds
four old, and six or eight young ones ; though, by chance, I have seen above

110

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

double that number. Instead of order or regulation being- observed in rearing
their houses^ they are of much ruder structure than their dams ; for^ notwith-
standing the sagacity of these animals^ it has never been observed that they aim
at any other convenience in their houses^ than to have a dry place to lie on ; and
there they usually eat their victuals, which they occasionally take out of the
water. It frequently happens^ that some of the large houses are found to have
one or more partitions, if they deserve that appellation ; but it is no more than a
part of the main building, left by the sagacity of the beaver to support the roof.
On such occasions, it is common for those different apartments, as some are
pleased to call them, to have no communication with each other but by water; so
that, in fact, they may be called double or treble houses, rather than different
apartments of the same house. I have seen a large beaver-house built in a small
island, that had near a dozen apartments under one roof; and, two or three
of these only excepted, none of them had any communication with each other
but by water. As there were beavers enough to inhabit each apartment, it
is more than probable that each family knew their own, and always entered at
their own doors, without any further connection with their neighbours than a
friendly intercourse, and to join their united labours in erecting their separate
habitations, and building their dams where required. Travellers who assert that
the beavers have two doors to their houses, one on the land side and the other
next the water, seem to be less acquainted with these animals than others who
assign them an elegant suite of apartments. Such a construction would render
their houses of no use, either to protect them from their enemies, or guard them
against the extreme cold of winter.

"^ So far are the beavers from driving- stakes into the ground when building
their houses, that they lay most of the wood crosswise, and nearly horizontal, and
without any other order than that of leaving a hollow or cavity in the middle ;
when any unnecessary branches project inward, they cut them off with their
teeth, and throw them in among the rest, to prevent the mud from falling
through the roof. It is a mistaken notion, that the wood work is first completed
and then plastered ; for the whole of their houses as well as their dams are,
from the foundation, one mass of mud and wood, mixed with stones, if they can
be procured. The mud is always taken from the edge of the bank, or the
bottom of the creek or pond, near the door of the house ; and though their fore-
paws are so small, yet it is held close up between them under their throat, that
they carry both mud and stones, while they always drag the wood with their
teeth. All their work is executed in the night ; and they are so expeditious,

MAMMALIA. Ill

that in the course of one night I have known them to have collected as much
mud as amounted to some thousands of their little handfuls. It is a great piece
of policy in those animals to cover the outside of their houses every fall with fresh
mud^ and as late as possible in the autumn^ even when the frost becomes pretty
severe^ as by this means it soon freezes as hard as a stone, and prevents their
common enemy;, the wolverene, from disturbing them during the winter. And as
they are frequently seen to walk over their work, and sometimes to give a flap
with their tail, particularly when plunging into the water, this has, without doubt,
given rise to the vulgar opinion that they used their tails as a trowel, with which
they plaster their houses ; whereas that flapping of the tail is no more than a
custom which they always preserve, even when they become tame and domestic^
and more particularly so when they are startled.

'' Their food consists of a large root*, something resembling a cabbage- stalk,
which grows at the bottom of the lakes and rivers. They also eat the bark of
trees, particularly those of the poplar, birch, and willow ; but the ice preventing
them from getting to the land in the winter, they have not any barks to feed on
in that season, except that of such sticks as they cut down in summer, and throw
into the water opposite the doors of their houses ; and as they generally eat a
great deal, the roots above-mentioned constitute a principal part of their food
during the winter. In summer, they vary their diet, by eating various kinds
of herbage, and such berries as grow near their haunts during that season.
When the ice breaks up in the spring, the beavers always leave their houses,
and rove about until a little before the fall of the leaf, when they return again to
their old habitations, and lay in their winter-stock of wood. They seldom
begin to repair the houses till the frost commences, and never finish the outer
coat till the cold is pretty severe, as hath been already mentioned. When they
erect a new habitation, they begin felling the wood early in summer, but seldom
begin to build until the middle or latter end of August, and never complete it till
the cold weather be set in.

" Persons who attempt to take beaver in winter should be thoroughly-
acquainted with their manner of life, otherwise they will have endless trouble to
effect their purpose, because they have always a number of holes in the banks,
which serve them as places of retreat when any injury is offered to their houses ;
and in general it is in those holes that they are taken. When the beaver which
are situated in a small river or creek are to be taken, the Indians sometimes find

* Root of Nuphar luteum. — J. R.

112 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

it necessaiy to stake the river across^ to prevent them from passing ; after which
they endeavour to find out all their holes or places of retreat in the banks. This
requires much practice and experience to accomplish^ and is performed in the
following- manner. Every man being furnished with an ice-chisel, lashes it to the
end of a small staff, about four or five feet long ; he then walks along the edge
of the banks^ and keeps knocking his chisel against the ice. Those who are
acquainted with that kind of work^ well know by the sound of the ice when they
are opposite to any of the beavers' holes or vaults. As soon as they suspect any^
they cut a hole through the ice big enough to admit an old beaver^ and in this
manner proceed till they have found out all their places of retreat, or at least as
many of them as possible. While the principal men are thus employed, some of
the understrappers, and the women, are busy in breaking open the house, which
at times is no easy task, for I have frequently known these houses to be five or six
feet thick ; and one, in particular, was more than eight feet thick in the crown.
When the beavers find that their habitations are invaded, they fly to their holes
in the banks for shelter ; and on being perceived by the Indians, which is easily
done by attending to the motion of the water, they block up the entrance with
stakes of wood, and then haul the beaver out of its hole, either by hand if they
can reach it, or with a large hook made for that purpose, which is fastened to the
end of a long stick. In this kind of hunting, every man has the sole right to all
the beaver caught by him in the holes or vaults ; and as this is a constant rule,
each person takes care to mark such as he discovers by sticking up a branch of a
tree by which he may know them. All that are caught in the house are the
property of the person who finds it. The beaver is an animal which cannot keep
under water long at a time, so that when their houses are broke open, and all
their places of retreat discovered, they have but one choice left, as it may be
called, either to be taken in their house or their vaults : in general they prefer
the latter ; for where there is one beaver caught in the house, many thousands are
taken in the vaults in the banks. Sometimes they are caught in nets, and in
summer, very frequently, in traps.

" In respect to the beaver dunging in their houses, as some persons assert, it
is quite wrong, as they always plunge into water to do it. I am the better
enabled to make this assertion, from having kept several of them till they became
so domesticated as to answer to their name, and follow those to whom they were
accustomed, in the same manner as a dog would do ; and they were as much
pleased at being fondled as any animal I ever saw. In cold weather they were
kept in my own sitting room, where they were the constant companions of the

MAMMALIA. 113

Indian women and children^ and were so fond of their company, that when the
Indians were absent for any considerable time, the Beaver discovered great signs
of uneasiness ; and on their return, shewed equal marks of pleasure by fondling
on them, crawling into their laps, lying on their backs, sitting erect like a
squirrel, and behaving like children who see their parents but seldom. In general,
during the winter, they lived on the same food as the women did, and vsere
remarkably fond of rice and plum-pudding : they would eat partridges and fresh
venison very freely, but I never tried them with fish, though I have heard they
will at times prey on them. In fact there are few graminivorous animals that may
not be brought to be carnivorous."

Castor fiber, var. B, nigra. Black Beaver.

Castor fort noir. Sagaud Theodat, Canada^ p. 767-

Castor fiber, var. B. Castor noir. Desmarest, il/amTO. p. 278.

Beaver, entirely black, but not differing in any other respect from those of the
ordinary dark brown colour, are of occasional occurrence. I saw one or two
which were kept as curiosities. Hearne, in speaking of this variety, says, " Black
Beaver, and that of a beautiful gloss, are not uncommon ; perhaps they are more
plentiful at Churchill than at any other Factory in the Bay ; but it is rare to get
more than twelve or fifteen of their skins in the course of one year's trade."

114 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Castor fiber, var. C, varia. Spotted Beaver,

Castor fiber, var. D. Castor varie. Desjiaeest, Mamm.

This variety is more rare than the preceding-, and never came under my notice*
Mr. Say mentions that an Indian had in the course of his life caught three
specimens of Beaver with a large white spot on their breasts.

Castor fiber, var. D, alba. White Beaver.

White beaver. Dobbs, Hudson's Bay, p. 40.

Castor fiber, var. C. Castor blanc. Desmaeest, Mamm.

Castor albus. Beisson, Reg, An.

An albino variety of the Beaver is of very rare occurrence. Hearne saw but
one in the course of twenty years^ and it had many reddish and brown hairs along
the ridge of the back, — its sides and belly were of a glossy silvery white.
When the Indians find an individual of this kind, they convert the skin into
a medicine bag, and are very unwilling to dispose of it.

MAMMALIA. 115

[34.] 1. Fiber Zibethicus. (Cuvier.) The Musquash.

Genus Arvicola, Sub-genus Fiber. Cuvier.
Rat-musque. Sagard Theodat, Canada, p. ^^l.
Castor Zibetliicus. LiNX. Syst., xii. 1. p. 79.
L'Ondatra. Buffon, torn. x. p. 1.
Musk-rat, Law son, Carolina, p. 120.
Musk-beaver. Pennant, Arctic ZooL, vol. i. p. 106.
Musquash. JossELYN, New England. Hearne, Journey, p. 379-
Mus Zibethicus. Lin. Gmelin, vol. i. p. 125.

Fiber Zibethicus. Sabine, Franklin's Journey, p. C59. Harlan, Fauna, p. 132.
Musk-rat. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 58.
Ondathra. Hurons.

Musquash, watsuss, or wachusk, also peesquaw-tupeyew (the animal that sits on the ice ia i
round form). Cree Indians.

DESCRIPTION.

The Musquash, or, as it is often named, the Musk-rat, has a thick flattish body, with a
short head, indistinct neck, thighs hid in the body, very short legs, and large hind-feet. Its
tail is compressed laterally, and has a length nearly equal to that of the body, excluding the
head. It is furnished with large yellowish incisors, of which the upper ones are flatly rounded
anteriorly, without grooves, and obliquely truncated on the cutting edge. The lower ones are
chiselled away posteriorly, so as to come nearly to a point at the extremity, and are some-
what longer than the upper ones. The lips, covered with coarse hair, turn inwards. The
nose is short, thick, and obtuse, and is covered with short hair. The eyes, small and lateral,
are much hidden by the fur. The ears, low and oblong, are covered with hair like that on
the adjoining pai-ts of the head, and are not conspicuous.

The fur much resembles that of the beaver, but is shorter ; the down is coarser and of
much less value, and the long hairs are less strong and shining, and do not form so close a
coat. Although the fur of the Musquash resists the water when the animal is alive, it is
easily wetted immediately after death. The fur on the upper parts is somewhat longer than
that beneath. Its colour externally is a dark umber-brown on the whole upper part of the
head, including the ears, between the shoulders and on the back. The sides, anterior part of
the belly, middle of the breast, lateral parts of the neck, and the cheeks, are of a shining
yellowish-brown hue, the tint being deepest on the sides, but fading on the belly and cheeks
into light wood-brown. The chin, throat, sides of the chest, and posterior part of the
abdomen, are ash-gray, owing to the down being intermixed with few long hairs, and, con-
sequently, more visible on those parts. The down on the upper parts exhibits, when blown
aside, a dark lead-gray or blackish-gray colour from the roots upwards, the tips alone being
tinged with brown ; on the under surface of the animal the down has a lighter bluish-gray
colour, and its tips are brownish-gray.

Q 2

116 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Ihe fore-extremities are short, only the wrist and fingers being visible beyond the body. They
are covered exteriorly by a short, smooth, shining coat of hair, to the roots of the nails. Interiorly
some long hairs curve over the wrist, and the palms and inner surfaces of the toes are naked.
The nails are short, conical, very slightly curved, and much compressed. The second toe is
the longest, the third is very nearly equal to it, the first is a little shorter, and rises higher up,
and the thumb is by much the shortest and furthest back of all. The thumb has, however, a
conspicuous phalanx, and its claw is as long and is of the same shape with those of the fingers,
so that it ought not to be termed merely rudimentary.

Nearly as little of the hind-legs appears as of the fore ones, but the feet are very much longer.
The metatarsal bones are considerably longer than the toes, and the latter are separated their
whole length. The hind-feet are turned obliquely inwards. Exteriorly, they have a shining,
smooth, hairy covering, similar to that on the fore-feet, and, like it, of a grayish-brown colour ;
but the margins of the soles and toes are furnished with an even row of long, shining, pale
grayish-white hairs, curving inwards. The under surface of the feet is naked from the heel to
the claws. The inner and outer toes arise nearly opposite to each other, and are about the
same length. The remaining three arise from longer metatarsal bones, and their phalanges
are nearly equal in length to each other. The two middle ones are united by a web, for
about half the length of their first phalanges, and there is also a short web between the third
and fourth toes. The claws of all the hind-toes are rather large, conical, slightly arched, thin,
whitish, and excavated underneath. The hairs of the hind-feet do not extend much beyond
the roots of the nails. From the shortness of its extremities, the Musquash runs badly,
and is easily overtaken on land ; but it swims and dives well, though it cannot continue long
under water.

Its tail is compressed, convex on the sides, with its acute edges in a vertical plane. It
is covered Avith a thin, sleek coat of short hairs, which allow a number of small, roundish
scales, well separated from each other, to appear through them. Both hairs and scales are of
a dusky-brown colour. The acute margins of the tail are covered with a close line of longer
hairs, those on the upper edge being of a dark-brown colour, and those on the under one of a
soiled-white. The tail is rather thicker in the middle than at the root, and it tapers gradually
from its middle to its extremity, which is not acute.

Dimensions.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Li

ines.

Length of head and body ... 14 0

„ tail .... .8 B

„ head ;{ 4

,, whiskers ..... 2 0

„ lower incisors ... 0 9

Length of fore-feet to the end of middle claw 1 3
,, hind feet, from heel to the end of

the middle claw ... 3 2

„ hind claws .... 0 6

„ from end of the nose to the eye . 1 3

There is a considerable variation in the size of individuals, as is common in all the species
of the Linnean genus mus.

The Musquashes have a strong- musky smell, particularly the male ones in the

MAMMALIA. 117

spring time ; yet their flesh is eaten by the Indians^ and when it is fat they prize
it for a time, but are said to tire of it soon — it somewhat resembles flabby pork.

In latitude 55°, the Musquash has three litters in the course of the summer_, and
from three to seven young at a litter. They begin to breed before they attain
their full growth. The districts in which they are most abundant are subject to
inundations^ which,, covering all the low grounds, leave no resting places for these
animals, and destroy great numbers ; in severe winters, also, they are sometimes
almost extirpated from certain parts of the country by the freezing up of the
swamps, which they inhabit. In such cases, being deprived of their usual food,
they are driven by famine to destroy each other. They are likewise subject at
uncertain intervals to a great mortality from some unknown cause. Their great
fecundity, however, enables them to recover these losses in a very few years,
although the deaths are at times so numerous, that a fur-post, where the Musquash
is the principal return, is not unfrequently abandoned until they have recruited.

The southern limit of the range of the Musquash may be stated to be some-
where about latitude 30°, Bartram informs us, that they exist in the northern parts
of Georgia and Florida ; and we have ascertained that they extend northwards
nearly to the mouth of the Mackenzie, in latitude 69°. Their favourite abodes
are small grassy lakes or swamps, or the grassy borders of slow-flowing streams
where there is a muddy bottom. They feed chiefly on vegetable matters ; and
in northern districts principally on the roots and tender shoots of the bulrush and
reed-mace, and on the leaves of various carices and aquatic grasses. The sweet-
flag (acorus calamus), of whose roots, according to Pennant, they are very fond,
does not grow to the northward of Lake Winipeg. In the summer, they frequent
rivers, for the purpose it is said of feeding upon the fresh-water mussels (Unio).
We often saw small collections of mussel-shells on the banks of the larger rivers^
which we were told had been left by them.

In the autumn, before the shallow lakes and swamps freeze over, the Musquash
builds its house of mud, giving it a conical form, and a sufficient base to raise
the chamber above the level of the water. The chosen spot is generally amongst
long grass, which is incorporated with the walls of the house, from the mud
being deposited amongst it, but the animal does not appear to make any kind of
composition or mortar by tempering the mud and grass together. There is,
however, a dry bed of grass deposited in the chamber. The entrance is under
water. When ice forms over the surface of the swamp, the Musquash makes
breathing holes through it, and protects them from the frost by a covering of
mud. In severe winters, however, these holes freeze up, in spite of their cover-

118 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

ings_, and many of the animals die. It is to be remarked that the small grassy
lakes selected by the Musquash for its residence^ are never so firmly frozen nor
covered with such thick ice as deeper and clearer water. The Indians kill
these animals by spearing them through the walls of their houses, making their
approach with great caution, for the Musquashes take to the water when alarmed
by a noise on the ice. An experienced hunter is so well acquainted with the
direction of the chamber, and the position in which its inmates lie, that he can
transfix four or five at a time. As soon as, from the motion of the spear, it is
evident that an animal is struck, the house is broken down, and it is taken out.
The principal seasons for taking the Musquash are the autumn before the snow
falls, and the spring after it has disappeared, but while the ice is still entire. In
the winter time, the depth of snow prevents the houses and breathing holes
from being seen. One of the first operations of the hunter is to stop up all the
holes, with the exception of one, at which he stations himself to spear the
animals that have escaped being struck in the houses, and come thither to
breathe. In the summer, the Musquash burrows in the banks of the lakes,
making branched canals many yards in extent, and forming its nest in a chamber
at the extremity, in which the young are brought forth. When its house is
attacked in the autumn, it retreats to these passages ; but in the sprhig they are
frozen up.

The Musquash is a watchful, but not a very shy animal. It will come very
near to a boat or canoe, but dives instantly on perceiving the flash of a gun. It
may be frequently seen sitting on the shores of small muddy islands, in a rounded
form, and not easily to be distinguished from a piece of earth, until, on the
approach of danger, it suddenly plunges into the water. In the act of diving,
when surprised, it gives a smart blow to the water with its tail. Hearne states,
that it is easily tamed, soon grows fond, is very cleanly and playful, and smells
pleasantly (!) of musk.*

The fur of this animal is used in the manufacture of hats. Between four and
five hundred thousand skins are annually imported into Great Britain from North
America.

* It is singular tliat Hearne, who must have seen vast numbers of these animals, should describe the hind-feet as
Vebbed, There is no vestige of a web ; although the marginal row of long hairs fits the feet to act as oars.

MAMMALIA.

119

Fiber Zibethicus, var. B, nigra. Black Musquash,

It is not uncommon to find a Musquash of a very dark brown colour^, approach-
ing to black ; but one covered with fur of a pure black colour is rare, though
of occasional occurrence.

Fiber Zibethicus, var. C, maculosa. Pied Musquash.

I have seen, in the possession of an Indian, the skin of a Musquash which was
ariegated with dark, blackish-brown patches, on a white ground.

Fiber Zibethicus, var. D, alba. White Musquash,

Fiber Zibethicus — albus. Sabine, Franklin's Journ., p. 660.

An albino variety of the Musquash is not very unfrequent : I have seen
several.

120 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[35.] 1. Arvicolal riparius. (Ord i*) Bank Meadow Mouse.

Genus, Arvicola. Lacepede. Ctivier.

Arvicola riparius. Ord, Journ. Acad. Sciences Phil, vol. iv. p. 305 ?

Marsh Campagnol. Godman, JVa^. //is^, vol. ii. p. 67-

A (riparius 9) supra hepalico-bruiineus [exfusco fuliyneoque mixtis), siibter plumheus, auriculis mediocri-

bus pilis ohvelatis, Cauda longitudine capitis, pedibus albldis.
Bank Jleadow-mouse of a dull brown colour, intimately mixed with black ; beneath bluish-gray : ears of a

moderate size, nearly hid by the fur ; tail the length of the head ; feet white.

It is so difficult to discriminate the different Meadow-mice by mere descriptions,
that I have much hesitation in referring- any of my specimens to those which
have been named by authors. I have not had access to a museum containing-
many species ; and their forms and colours differ so little, that figures, unless
very accurate, tend rather to mislead. Five species are common in the Hudson's
Bay countries, exclusive of the lemmings ; and there are doubtless others which
did not come under our notice. A considerable number have been described
as inhabitants of the United States by Rafinesque, Ord, and others ; but the
American naturalists are by no means agreed about the species, and have applied
the names variously. The Meadow-mouse which I have referred to Mr. Ord's
riparius, corresponds with the short account by that author in the Journal of
Science ; but the description of Mr. Ord's specimen by Dr. Harlan, in his Fauna
Americana, under the name of Arvicola palustris, differs in several particulars,
and agrees more nearly with the Arvicola xanthognathiis of the following article.

The animal which I am now about to describe was procured by Mr. Drummond,
near the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Its manners are analogous to those of the
common water-rat {Arvicola amphibius) , with which it may be easily confounded,
although the shortness of its tail may serve as a mark of distinction. It frequents
moist meadows amongst the mountains, and swims and dives well, taking at
once to the water when pursued. It is distinguished from the other American
species of this genus which have come under my notice, by the length and
strength of its incisors, which are twice the size of those of the Arvicola xaiitho-
gnathus, although the latter is the largest animal of the two.

DESCRIPTION.

Shape — The head is rather large, and not easily distinguishable from the neck ; the
incisors are much exposed, and project beyond the nose ; the upper ones are flattish ante

MAMMALIA. 121

riorly are marked with some scarcely perceptible perpendicular grooves, and have a somewhat
irregular and rather oblique cutting edge ; the lower incisors are twice the length of the
upper ones, narrower, slightly curved, and rounded anteriorly. Nose thick and obtuse.
Whiskers black ; scarcely of the length of the head. Eyes small, much concealed by the
fur. Ears moderately large, oval, rounded at the tip, covered on the outside with fur similar
to that on the neighbouring parts, and on that account not easily distinguishable until the fur
is blown aside. Body more slender posteriorly, the hind-legs not being so far apart as the
fore ones. Tat/ about the length of the head, somewhat flat horizontally, tapering, and thinly
covered with short hairs, which at the end form a small pencil-like point. Fore-legs short ;
feet rather small, with four, slender, well-separated toes, and the rudiment of a thumb, which is
armed with a minute nail. Claws small, white, compressed, and pointed. The third toe
nearly equals the middle one, which is the longest ; the first is shorter than these two, and the
outer one, which is the shortest of all, is half the length of the middle one. The hairs of the
toes project over the claws, but do not conceal them. The toes of the Am(i-/eef are longer
than those of the fore ones, and their claws are also somewhat longer. The inner one is the
shortest, the second is longer than the third, and the third than the fourth ; but the difference
between the three is but just perceptible. The first and fifth are considerably shorter than
the others, and are situated further back. The first, or inner one, which is the smallest, from
its shortness and position, resembles a thumb. The hind toes are turned a little inwards, as
is usual in the meadow-mice ; but there is no provision either of webs or the arrangement of
the hairs to give them much power in swimming.

The fur on the back is about eight lines long, but not so soft and fine as in some others of
the genus : it is nearly as long on the crown of the head and cheeks ; but it is shorter and
thinner on the chest and belly. The specimen described was killed in summer ; in the winter
perhaps the fur may be of a better quality.

Colour — Incisors yellow. The whole dorsal aspect, including the shoulders and outside of
the thighs, is of a dull, dusky, dark brown, proceeding from an intimate mixture of yellowish-
brown and black. These colours are confined to the tips of the hairs, and are so mingled as
to produce a nearly uniform shade of colour without lustre. From the roots to near the tips
the fur has an uniform shining blackish-gray colour. The ventral aspect is bluish-gray. The
margin of the upper lip, the chin and feet, are dull white. The tail is dark-brown above and
whitish beneath, the two colours meeting by an even line.

Dl.MEXSIONS.

Inches.

Length of head and body . . 7

„ tail . . 2

Tlie depressed or flat tail may cause this animal to rank with the Mijnomes of
Rafinesque ; but it is certainly not the same with the Meadow Mouse figured in
Wilson's Ornithology, plate 50_, with which Desmarest (Mamm. p. 286) unites it.

122 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[36.] 2. Arvicola xanthognathus. (Leach.) Yellow -cheeked

Meadow-Mouse.

A. xanthognathus. Leach. Zool. Misc., vol. i. p. CO. t. sxvi.

A. {^xanthognatliiis) ladio nigroque varius {nee tamen maculosus) ventre argenteo-cinereo, malis fulvis, pedibus

fuscescentibus sithtus albidh.
Yellow-cheeked Bleadow-IMouse, with a brown and black dorsal aspect, silvery-gray belly, dull orange-coloured

cheeks, and brown feet.

DESCRIPTION.

Teeth corresponding in number with the rest of the genus. Incisors, pale-yellow, exte-
riorly. Lower ones longer, paler, and nearly round. Upper ones shorter, stronger, slightly
rounded, with even cutting edges. Of the upper molar teeth the posterior one is the largest,
and has three grooves on its sides. The two anterior ones have two grooves each, making,
in all, ten ribs or projecting angles, in the upper molar teeth of each side. Of the loiver molars,
the anterior one is the largest, and has four grooves : the other two have two each, forming, in
all, eleven ribs, which correspond to the angles of so many triangles on the grinding surfaces.

Form. — The body is nearly cylindrical, of the size of the water-rat, legs short, nose rather
obtuse, its tip on a line with the incisors. Ears, nearly circular, rather large when compared with
those of other meadow-mice, sparingly hairy within, well covered exteriorly with fur of the same
colour with the rest of the superior parts. Whiskers, about the length of the head. Tail,
shorter than the head, tapering, well covered with hairs, lying smoothly and coming to a point
at the end. Extremities — legs, covered with short hairs, lying closely and smoothly. The
fore-feet have naked palms, and four toes, with a callus protected by a very minute
nail, in place of a thumb ; the first toe is a little shorter than the third ; the second the
longest, and the fourth the shortest. The toes are well covered with smooth hair above, and
are naked below. The hair of the wrist projects a little over the palms. The claws are small.
The hind-feet have five toes, of v/hich the three middle ones are nearly equal in length ; the
outer one is considerably shorter, and the inner one is the furthest back and the shortest.
The posterior half of the sole is covered with hairs, which curve inwards. The soles of the
hind-feet are narrower and longer than the palms of the fore-ones. Fur, soft and fine ; about
four lines and a half long on the head, and nine on the posterior part of the back.

Colours. — The colour of the fur, from the roots to near the tips, is shining grayish-black.
On the dorsal aspect of the head and body, the tips of the hairs are yellowish-brown or black,
the black-pointed hairs being the longest. The colour resulting is a mixture of dark-brown
and black, without spots, and appearing of different shades when moved in the light. The
sides are a little paler than the back. The under parts are of a silvery bluish-gray, darkening
into blackish-gray on two large patches anterior to the shoulders. There is a blackish-brown

MAMMALIA. 123

stripe along the centre of the nose. On each side of it there is a reddish-browii patch, which
extends from the mouth to the orbit. Whiskers black. Tail brownish-black above, whitish
beneath. Extremities, dark- brown, exteriorly ; whitish, interiorly.

Length of head and body . from ok to 8 0

„ head 1 10

„ tail 1 C

„ ears (breadth or height) . . 0 7

Dimensions.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length of middle fore-toe and claw . 0 3

„ „ hind-toe and claw . 0 SJ

„ hind-foot from heel to point of the
claw of middle toe 0 19

This species makes long canals under the mossy turf on the dry banks of lakes
and rivers, and also in woods, but does not burrow deep into the earth. It is
plentiful in some quarters^ but shews no disposition to enter the houses of the
traders, and domesticate itself, like the following species. It is common in the
immediate vicinity of Fort Franklin ; and Mr. Drummond found it in abundance on
the Rocky Mountains in latitude 56°^ in places where the woods had been destroyed
by fire. It has about seven young- at a birth. It was first described by Dr. Leach ;
and an indifferent figure, half the natural size of a specimen^ which he obtained
from Hudson's Bay, was published in the Zoological Miscellany. Mr. Say, in the
narrative of Long's expedition, mentions a Meadow-Mouse, which he terras the
Arviicola xanthognathus, as an inhabitant of the banks of the Ohio, but gives no
description ; and Godman, who speaks of an animal under the same name, as
common in the United States, and doing great injury to the banks, alludes to its
diminutwe size, and evidently refers to some other species. The description
quoted by Mr. Sabine^ in Franklin's Journey, under the title of Arvicola xantho-
gnatha, does not belong to this animal, but to a much smaller species, which I have
referred to the Arvicola Pennsylvankus of Ord, in the following article.

112

124 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[37.] 3. Arvicola Pennsylvanicus. (Ord.) JVilson's Meadow-Mouse.

Short-tailed Mouse. Forster, Phil. Trans., vol. Ixii. p. 380. No. 18.

Meadow-Mouse. Pennant's Arctic Zoo^., vol. i. p. 133?* Wilson, ^ra. Orni^A., vol. vi. p. 59. t. 50. f. 3.

Arvicola Pennsylvanica. " Ord, Guthrie's Geography" (quoted from Harlan.) Harlan, Fauna, p. 145.

A. {^Pennsylvanicus) roslro oltuso, auricuUs vellere suhcelatis, cauda bene, vestitd obtusa dimidium capitis longitudine

cequanti, corpore fusco subter griseo-a/bo.
Wilson's Meadow-SIouse, with an obtuse snout, a blunt hairy tail, half the length of the head, back brown, belly

neai'ly white.

This campagnol was considered by Forster and Pennant to be specifically the
same with the Meadow- Mouse of the old continent {Miis agrestis, Linn. Mus
arvalis, Penn. Arvicola vulgaris, Desm.), which it greatly resembles both in
appearance and habits. It was first described by Wilson, whose specimen, how-
ever^ was half an inch longer than I have ever seen it in the Hudson's Bay
countries. This little animal is very abundant from Canada to Great Bear Lake^
and multiplies with rapidity in the neighbourhood of the trading posts. It seeks
shelter in the barns and out-houses^ where it makes hoards of grain and of the seeds
of leguminous plants. It is said to be very fond of the bulbous roots of the
Philadelphia lily ; and it does much mischief in gardens by burrowing under
the drills^ and carrying off the seeds. This is the species which is described in
Captain Franklin's Journey (p. 660), under the name oiAnicola xanthognatha.

DESCRIPTION.

The body and head have conjointly a short oval shape. The head is large, with an obtuse
nose, and the lips are clothed with very short hairs. Margins of the nostrils and the septum
naked ; upper lip very slightly cleft ; a hairy patch on the inside of the mouth. Incisors
yellow, dentition precisely similar to that of the Arvic. xanthognathus. Eyes small ; whiskers
about as long as the head, of a brownish-colour approaching to black at their roots.
Ears large, with a wide auditory opening, protected by a large rounded tragus. External ear
erect, oval, rounded above, thin and membranous, clothed with a few short hairs ; it is
nearly six lines high, but is hid by the fur. The tail is cylindrical, and is thickly
clothed with short adpressed hairs, a few of which project beyond the obtuse extremity,
but they can scarcely be said to form a pencil or tuft. The extremities are short, and

* There seems to be some mistake in Pennant's having ascribed the dimensions of six inches to this Meadow-Mouse.
He quotes Buffon, who describes his specimen as little more than half that size.

MAMMALIA. 125

much concealed by the broad fleshy body. The palms of the fore-feet are naked, and
have five little callous tubercles, of which one is common to the two middle toes, one to each
of the other two toes, and two lie in contact with each other at the posterior part of the palm ;
one of the latter two is larger than any of the others, and supports the rudiment of a thumb,
consisting of a small papilla, protected by a minute and rather obtuse entire nail. The two
middle toes spring together from the extremity of the palm, and are nearly equal to each
other in length. The inner toe arises higher up, and is next to the middle ones in length. The
outer toe is opposite to the inner one, but is still shorter. All the toes are covered above
with short adpressed hairs, some of which project beyond the claws. The claivs are
slender, pointed, very slightly arched, and have a lanceolate-shaped groove underneath.
The feet are the only part of the fore-extremities which project beyond the fur of the body.
The hind-feet have a pretty long and rather slender tarsus, clothed with short adpressed
hairs. They have four toes similarly arranged with those of the fore-feet, but of greater length ;
and an inner toe or thumb of the same form with the outer one, but situated further back.
The hind-feet are longer than the fore-ones, and part of the leg projects beyond the fur of
the body.

Colour of all the upper parts, including the sides of the head, a hair-brown, or what is
termed mouse-colour, without spots or mottling ; there is no reddish spot on the cheek or face,
but there is a very slight reddish-brown tinge on the hairs about the ears. The under parts,
including the chin and part of the neck, are light-gray. The brown of the sides and gray of
the belly mingle without any well defined line of junction. The fur is fine and long, and
when blown aside appears over the whole body of a dark bluish or blackish gray, the colours
proper to the back and belly being confined to the tips of the hair. The tail is of the colour
of the back above and of the belly underneath.

Dimensions.

Length of head and body

„ tail

„ head alone ....

Inches.
3
1
2

Lines.
6
1
3

Many of these mice were killed at Carlton-house in the beginning of March,
when the preceding description was drawn up. I should have hesitated in
describing this animal as specifically distinct from the common meadow-mouse of
Europe, had it not already received a distinct name.

126

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

,[38.] 4. Arvicola Novoboracensis. Sharp-nosed Meadow-Mouse,

Leminus Novoboracensis. " Rafinesque, Ann. of Nature" (q^uoteii from Desmarest, Mamm. p. 286).

A. [Novohoracensis) naso r/racili acuta, aurlcuUs jnominuUs, cauda squamata nudiuscula caput mediocre longiiudine

ea'cedenli, corpore super obscure, fusco ; subter sordide murino.
8harp.nosed Meadow-Mouse, with ears slightly overtopping the fur, a slightly hairy scaly tail, more than half the

length of the head, the body above dark brown ; beneath soiled brownish-gray.

A Meadow-Mouse was observed by Mr. Drummond on the Rocky Mountains,
inhabiting- dry places along' with the Arvicola xanthognathus, and having similar
habits with that animal. It answers to the short description given of Mr.
Rafinesque's hemnins Novoboracensis ; and although that is not sufficient to prove
their identity_, I have adopted his specific name, to avoid the hazard of loading
the science with another synonym.

DESCRIPTION.

Shape. — The body is thick ; the head of a moderate size, tapers from the ears to the
end of the nose ; the nose is slender and acute when compared with other species of this
genus, and it projects a little way beyond the incisors, i/ars rounded, rising slightly above
the surrounding fur, but they are not very conspicuous, as the hairs on their margins have the
same colour with those of the head and back. The tail is covered with very short adpressed
hairs, not close enough to hide the scales ; a few of the hairs converge to a point at the end of
the tail. The/eys are very short, the feet small, and the claws weak and compressed ; a very
minute nail occupies the place of a thumb. The fur is less fine than that of the Arvicola Penn-
sylvanicus. On the back it is grayish-black from the roots to near the tips, which are reddish-
brown, terminated by black. The resulting colour is an intimate mixture of brown and black,
appearing in some lights dark reddish-brown, in others umber-brown, mixed with black. The
superior parts of the head have the same colour with the back, except that there is an
obscure rufous spot beneath the ear. The ventral aspect is yellowish-gray, which mingles on.
the sides with the colour of the back. The feet are dark-gray. The upper surface of the
tail is liver-brown, the under one grayish-white.

Length of head and body
,, head

DiMENSIOKS.

Inches. Lines.

. 4 3 Length of tail

. I 4 „ longest fur on the back .

Inches.
. 1
. 0

Lines.
5
S

scribed from a summer specimen.

MAMMALIxV. 127

[39.] 5. Arvicola BOREALis. (Rich.). Northern Meadow-Mouse.

Mouse, No. 15. Fouster, P/iiZ. Tram., 62. p. 380 ?

Arvicola borealis. Richardson, ZooL Journ, No. 12, April, 1828, p. 517.

Awinnak. Dog-rib Indians.

A. {borealis) pentadaclylus, auricuUs vellere conditis, caudacajmt suhcuquanti, corpore villosissimo badio nigroque subter

cinereo.
Northern Bleadow-lMouse, with a strong thumb-nail, ears concealed in the fur ; tail about as long as the head; fur very

long and fine ; on the back chestnut colour mixed with black, on the belly gray.

This animal was found in abundance at Great Bear Lake^ living in the vicinity
of the Arvicola xanthognatlms, and having similar habits. It very much resembles
the Arvicola Novoboracensis in size and general appearance ; but, on comparing
them with each other, the A. borealis is seen to have a rounder and smaller head,
a less prolonged upper jaw, shorter ears, and a shorter and differently clothed tail.
It may also be distinguished not only from the A. Novoboracensis, but also from
the A. xanthognatlms and .4. Pennsykaniciis , by the form of its thumb-nail, which,
instead of being thin, obtuse and rounded, lying closely on one side of a little
tubercle, is larger, strap-shaped, and projects from the extremity of a minute
rudimentary thumb. It has its outer and inner surfaces alike in being rather
convex, and a small obtuse point projects from its truncated end. The form of the
thumb-nail allies this animal very closely to the Norway lemming, and to one or
two species of American lemming ; but its claws are smaller and more compressed,
and apparently not so well calculated for scraping earth as the broader claws of
the lemmings. It may, however, be considered as an intermediate link between
the two sub-divisions of the genus arvicola, and may without inconvenience be
ranked either as a true meadow-mouse or as a lemming.

DKSCRIPTION.

The Northern-Meadow Mouse has the dentition and usual form of the campagnols, with a
moderately large head, a convex forehead, and a short but acute nose projecting beyond the
incisors. The eyes are small, and the ears, which, toward their margins, are thinly clothed
■with hairs of the same colour with the adjoining parts, are low, rounded, and shorter than the
surrounding fur. The body and head are clothed with fur, which is very long in proportion to
the size of the animal. The fur on the upper parts is shining blackish-gray, from the roots to
the tips, some of which are yellowish or chestnut-brown, some black. The hairs with black
tip sare the longest, and are equally distributed amongst the others, giving the whole a dark

128

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

umber or liver-brown colour, but producing no spots. There is a rufous mark under the ears.
The fur on the back is about ten lines long, that on the crown of the head is three or four.
The fur on the under parts (including the chin and lips) has a lead-gray colour, and is
shorter than that covering the back and sides. The tail is round, well clothed with short
stiff hairs, which do not permit any scales to be seen. It is clove-brown above, and grayish-
white beneath. The hairs at the extremity of the tail are of the same length with the others,
but converge to a point. The fore and hind extremities are clothed with short hairs of a
clove-brown colour, mixed on the toes and hind-parts of the fore-feet, with some longer
white hairs. The hind-toes are more slender and scarcely longer than the fore ones ; they
turn obliquely inwards. The fore-claws are small, whitish, much compressed, arched, and
acute, with a narrow, elliptical excavation underneath. The hairs of the toes reach to the
points of the nails. The claws of the hind-feet resemble the fore ones, but are not so strong.
The thumb of the fore-feet consists merely of a small strap-shaped nail, slightly convex on
both sides, and having an obtuse point projecting from the middle of its extremity.

Length of head and body .

5) tail . .

„ head alone
Height of ear

Described from spring specimens, after the snow had melted.

Dimensions.

ches

Lines.

Inches.

Lines.

4

c

Breadth of the ear . . .0

3

1

0

Length of fore-feet to end of middle claw 0

44

1

3

„ hind-feet, including heel and claw 0

74

0

4

„ fur on the back . . 0

10

[40.] 6. Arvicola (Georychus ?) helvolus. (Richardson.

Tawny Lemming.

Genus, An-icola. Cuvier. Sub-genus, Georychus. Illiger. Cuvier.
Arvicola (Lemmus) helvolus. Richardson, Zool. Journ., No. 12, 1828, p. 517.

<4. Geo-RYCIIV s(/ic!voIus) 7iaso 2MUido obluso, pahnis pentadaeti/lis, capite/ulvo nigroque, corpora helvolo svhtervix

pallidiori.
Tawny Lemming, with a pale blunt nose , a thumb ; tawny and black head ; and a reddish-orange coloured body,
a little paler beneath.

The Lemmings are, by some authors, thought to possess characters which
entitle them to form a distinct genus ; but I am inclined to agree with those who
range them merely as a subdivision of the genus arvicola, characterised principally
by the shortness of the ears and tail, and the larger and stronger claws, more

MAMMALIA. 129

fitted for digging-. In the short character of the species given above^ the insertion
of the word Georychus is intended to indicate the presence of the characteristic
features of the Lemmings.

This animal was found by Mr. Drummond^ inhabiting alpine swamps, in latitude
56° ; but he could not learn any thing of its habits. From the great similarity of
its form^ and the strong resemblance in the shape of its claws to the Norwegian
Lemming, we may infer that its habits do not differ much from those of that animal.

DKSCRIPTION.

Size of the Lapland Lemming. Body low, head oval, nose short, blunt, and nearly on a
line with the incisors. Eyes small ; ears broader than high, shorter than the fur, clothed
•with hair near the edges. Tail very short, clothed with stiff hairs, which are longest near its
extremity, and there converge to a point.

The fur of the body has a reddish-orange colour, palest on the ventral aspect. On the
back and sides there are interspersed a number of longer hairs tipped with black, but they do
not produce any spotting. On the upper part of the head, round the eyes, and on the nape of
the neck, the black hairs are more numerous, and the fur of those parts has a mixed black and
orange colour. The nose is grayish-brown, the sides of the face are pale orange, and the
margins of the upper lip white. The tail is coloured like the body. The feet are brov.'nish.
The fur on the body is about nine lines long, that on the nose and extremities is very short.
The fur of the head is pretty long.

The cutting edge of the upper incisors is obliquely excavated in a lunated form, arising from
their outer edges being inclined backwards, so that these teeth do not appear so flat ante-
riorly as those of the Arvicola xanthognathiis, which have straight cutting edges. The claws
of both extremities are much alike, greatly compressed, with sharp points, and an oblong,
narrow excavation underneath. They are larger than those of any of the meadow-mice
described in the preceding pages, although the A. jjalustris and A. xanthognathiis are more
than twice the size of the largest specimen of this animal. The thumb of the fore-feet
consists almost entirely of a thick, flat, strap-shaped nail, resembling that of the Norway
Lemming, and having, like it, an obliquely truncated summit. In the Tawny Lemming this
summit presents obscurely two obtuse points.

Length of head and body
„ tail
,, head .

Dimensions.

nches

Lines.

4

G

Lenj

0

7

1

C

Inches. Lines-
Length of fore-feet and claws . . 0 4^
hind-feet, from heel to end of claw 0 8
fur on the back .... 0 9

130 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[41.] 7. Arvicola (Georychus) trimucronatus, (Richardson.)

Backus Lemming.

Arvicola trimucronatus. Richardson, Parry^s Second Voyage., App. p. 309.

A. Georychus {trimucronatus) auriculis vellere sub-conditis, roatro nigro obtusiusculo, palmis pentadactylis unguihus (4)
lanceolatis curvis ; imgue pollicari iigulato tricuspidato, corpore super obscure castaneo, latere ferrugineo
suhter cinereo.

Back's Lemming, with ears somewhat shorter than the fur ; a blunt, black nose ; four claws on the fore-feet, of a
lanceolate form, and a strap-shaped thuralj-nail, with three small points at the end ; body, dark chestnut-
colour above, reddish-orange or rust-colour on the sides, and gray beneath.

This animal was discovered by Captain Back on the borders of Point Lake, in
latitude 65°, on Captain Franklin's first expedition. Mr. Edwards, the Surgeon
of the Fury, on Captain Parry's second expedition, brought a specimen from
Igloolik, in latitude 69^° ; and specimens were obtained on Captain Franklin's
last expedition on the shores of Great Bear Lake. At the latter place it was found
in the spring, as soon as the ground began to thaw, burrowing under the mossy
turf. In the winter it travels under the snow in a seraicylindrical furrow, very
neatly cut to the depth of two inches and a half, in the mossy turf. These hollow
ways cross each other at various angles, but occasionally run to a considerable
distance in a straight direction. From their smoothness, it was evident that they
were not merely worn by the feet, but actually cut by the teeth. Their width is
sufficient to allow the animal to pass with facility. The food of this Lemming
seems to consist entirely of vegetable matters. It inhabits woody spots. A female
killed on Point Lake, June 26, 1821, contained six young, fully formed, but
destitute of hair.

DESCRIPTION.

Si::e, a little inferior to the Hudson's Bay Lemming, or nearly about that of the Norwegian
Lemming. Head flat, covered by moderately long fur. Ears shorter than the fur, inclined
backwards, thinly clothed. Eyes smaller than those of the English domestic mouse. Upper
lip deeply cleft. The nose is obtuse, Avith a small, naked, but not pointed or projecting tip,
and covered above with hairs of a deep black colour. Whiskers numerous, black at the roots,
brownish or white at the extremities ; some entirely white. Inside of the mouth hairy, the
hairs springing from projecting glandular folds. Teeth — incisors, somewhat yellowish ; upper
ones presenting a conspicuous, but shallow groove, with an obliquely notched, cutting edge.
Grinders, three on a side in each jaw.

MAMMALIA. 131

The Body is broad and rather flat, and is everywhere covered with a beautifully fine and
soft fur, which is about nine lines long on the back, but rather shorter on the belly. The
colour of the head and dorsal aspect of the neck and shoulders is a mixed reddish-gray,
formed from the mingling of the clove-brown, yellowish-brown, and black tips of the hairs in
nearly equal proportion. The back is chestnut-brown, but many of the longer hairs are tipped
with black. The sides are reddish-orange, and the belly, chin, and throat, gray, intermixed
with many orange-coloured hairs. The colours of this animal very strongly resemble those of
the Tawny Lemming ; but its nose is deep black, whilst the nose of the latter is pale. The
tail projects a few lines beyond the fur, is clothed with stiff hairs converging to a point, dark
above, grayish-white below.

The fore-legs are short, but the feet are moderately large, and turned outwards, like the
feet of a turnspit dog. They are of a dark clove-brown colour above, and are clothed Avith
longer white hairs posteriorly. The (4) toes are naked underneath, and are armed Avith
moderate-sized strong nails, curved downwards, and inclined outwards. They are of aa
oblong form, convex above, not compressed, are excavated underneath more broadly than
the nails of any of the other American lemmings I have met with, and have sharp edges
fitted for scraping away the earth. The thumb is almost entirely composed of a strong nail
■which has two slightly convex surfaces, a strap-shaped outline, and a truncated extremity,
from which three small points project. The palms are narrow.

The posterior extremities are considerably longer than the fore ones, the thighs and legs
being tolerably distinct from the body. The sole is narrow, long, and somewhat oblique,
having its inner edge turned a little forwards. The toes are longer, and the claws as long,
but more slender than those of the fore-feet, and they are much compressed. In the tawny
lemming (No. 40.) the claws of both the hind and fore feet are compressed.

Dimensions
Of a male killed at Fort Franklin.

Length of head and body
„ tail .

„ head ....
„ ears . . .

„ whiskers ...

A female was only 4^ inches long.

Since this animal was described in the Appendix to Captain Parry's Voyage, above quoted,
a second American species (^A. helvolus), armed with a thumb-nail, has been discovered,
and the trivial name of Five-fingered American Lemming being no longer distinctive, I have
given it a new English appellation, after the officer who first procured a specimen.

clies.

Lines.

Inches.

Lines.

5

0

Length of fur on the back . . 0

9

0

c

,, palm and claw of middle toe, nearly 0

C

1

5

,, claw of middle toe . . 0

2

0

4

„ sole, and middle claw of hind-foot 0

9

1

3

S 2

132 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[42.] 8. Arvicola (Georychus) Hudsonius. Hudson' s Bay Lemmijig.

Mus Hudsonius. FonsTER, Phil. Trans., Ixii. p. 379. Pallas, Glir., p. 208. Lin. Gmel., 137.

Hudson's rat. Pennant, Quadr., vol. ii. p. 201. Arctic Zoology, vol. i. p. 132.

Hare-tailed Mouse. Hearne, Journ., p. 387-

Lemmus Hudsonius. Captain Sabine, Parry's First Voij., Suppl, p. clxxxv. Mr. Sabine, Franklin's

Journ., p. CGI. Diet, des Sciences Nat., torn. viii. p. 5CG. Harlan, Fauna, p. 14G.
Arvicola Hudsonia. Richardson, Parry's Second Voy., App., p. 308.
Hudson's Bay Lemming. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 73.
Spec. 107 a. British Museum.

A. Georychus (^Hudsonius') exauriculaius, wiguibus duohus anticis intermediis maximis compressis hi-mucronatis,

{rmicrone una super alteriim).
Hudson's Bay Iiemming, earless, T\ith two middle claws of the fore-feet unusually large, compressed, their very blunt

extremity being rendered double by a deep transverse notch.

This curious animal was first described by Forster, from a mutilated specimen,
and afterwards more fully by Pallas, who received a number of its skins from
Labrador, one of which he sent to Pennant. A specimen, preserved in the
Museum du Roi, at Paris, is described in the Did. des Sciences, and there is an
excellent specimen in the British Museum.

We did not meet with this lemming in the interior of America, and I believe it
has hitherto been found only near the sea. It inhabits Labrador, Hudson's Straits,
and the coast from Churchill to the extremity of Melville Peninsula, as well as the
islands of the Polar sea, visited by Captain Parry. Its habits are still imperfectly
known. In summer, according- to Hearne, it burrows under stones, in dry ridges,
and Captain Sabine informs us that in winter it resides in a nest of moss on the
surface of the ground, rarely going abroad. The former author likewise acquaints
us that it is very inoffensive, and so easily tamed, that if taken even when full
grown, it will in a day or two be perfectly reconciled, very fond of being handled,
and will creep of its own accord into its master's neck or bosom.

DESCRIPTION.

The body is thick, the head short and rounded, nose obtuse, eyes very small, and there are
no exterior ears. The legs are short, and the tail is so short, that only the stiff hairs of its end
project beyond the fur of the hips. The upper incisors are whitish, curved, flat anteriorly,
and have even cutting edges. The lower ones are a little longer and more slender. The fur
is remarkably fine and pretty long, blackish-gray from the roots to the tips, which are on the
dorsal aspect white, dark brown and black. The result is a beautiful mottling of these

MAMMALIA- l33

colours, in which the dark brown predominates on the crown of the head and dorsal hne :
there is more white towards the sides. On the under parts of the cheeks, on the chest
about the ears, and on the sides, a bright rust colour prevails. The ventral aspect is grayish-
white, more or less tinged with the rust colour. The extremely short tail is closely covered
with stiff white hairs that converge to a point at its end.

The feet are clothed with long white hairs. On the fore-feet there are four toes, with a
minute rudiment of a thumb, not armed with any nail whatever. The two middle toes are
of equal length, and are each furnished with a disproportionately large claw, which is com-
pressed, deep, very blunt at the extremity, and is there separated into two layers by a
transverse furrow. The upper layer is thinner, the lower one has a blunt rounded
outline. The latter has been described as an enlargement of the callus which exists beneath
the roots of the claws of the lemmings and meadow-mice ; it appears to me, however, to be
of the same substance with the superior portion of the nail. The outer and inner toes have
curved, sharp, pointed claws. The hind-feet have five toes, armed with slender, curved claws,
like those of the other lemmings. The two middle claws, however, in full-grown individuals,
shew some approach to the peculiar form of those on the fore-feet.

In the females and young, the subjacent production of the claws is less conspicuous. The
description is drawn up from a summer specimen. In the winter, the tips of the hairs are
Avhite, but Hearne says the white colour of their fur never appears so pure as that of the
ermine.

Dimensions.

Inches. Lines.
Length of body and head . . .5 4 I Length of tail ....

„ head 1 4 „ middle fore-claw

dies.

Lines.

0

5

0

^\

134 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[43.] 9. Arvicola (Georychus) Grgenlandicus. Greenland Lemmings

Mouse. Sp. 15. Foster, Phil. Trans.., Ixii. p. 379 ?

Hare-tailed Rat ? Pennant, Arct. Zool, vol. i. p. 133 ?

Mus Grcenlandicus. Traill, Scoresby's Gree7i/., p. 416.

Arvicola Grcenlandicus, Richardson, Parry's Second Voy., App., p. 304.

Owinyak. Esquimaux.

A. Gieohy cnv s {Groinlandictis') exauriculatus, roslro acuta, pahnis ieiradaciylis Mrsutis ; unguibus apice cylindrico

producio, linea dorsali nigra.
Greenland Lemming, earless, with a sharp nose ; fore-feet hairy beneath, with four toes, armed with claws, having

sharp cylindrical points ; a dark stripe along the middle of the back.

Foster^ in the Philosophical Transactions^ notices a skin brought from Churchill,
evidently of a lemming-^ but in too imperfect a state to enable him to determine
the species. Both he and Pennant were inclined to refer it to the Mus lagurus of
Pallas, because it agreed with that animal in having a dark line along the back ; it
is more probable, however^ that the skin belonged to the species which forms the
subject of this article, which has also a dark dorsal stripe, and is certainly an
inhabitant of Hudson's Bay. It was first described, and the specific name affixed,
by Dr. Traill^ from an individual procured by Captain Scoresby, on the east coast
of Greenland ; and on Captain Parry's second expedition a considerable number
were caught in Repulse Bay^ and are described in the Appendix above quoted.
They were found in similar situations with the Hudson's Bay lemming, and were
considered to be the females of that species, by the officers of the expedition, and
as such noted in their journals. A number of them being put into a cage,
fought until they destroyed each other.

DESCRIPTION.

Size — rather less than the ^ater-rat (^Arvicola amphibius). In general form they resemble
the other lemmings. Head rounded, narrower than the body, tapering shghtly from the
auditory openings to the eyes, but from the latter the acumination is more sudden, and it
terminates in an acute nose. The general colour of the superior and lateral parts of the
head, is the same with that of the back. There are no external ears, but the site of the
auditory opening is denoted by an obscure transverse brownish streak in the fur. The eyes
are near each other, and small. The fur on the cheeks is a little puffed up, has a rufous
tinge, and is bounded posteriorly by an obscure blackish semicircular line, which commences

MAMMALIA. 135

at the anterior angle of the eye. The 7iose, covered with short black hairs, intermixed poste-
riorly with some hoary ones, is rendered prominent by a depression on each side, anterior to
the cheeks. Its acute apex is covered with black hairs disposed in a circular manner, and no
naked space can be discovered above the nares in the dried specimen. The upper lip is
deeply divided. Incisors slightly yellowish, inferior ones twice the length of the upper ones.
Whiskers long, partly black, partly white. Body thick, having a smooth dense covering of
long and soft fur. The colour on the dorsal aspect is dark grayish-brown, arising from an
intimate mixture of hairs tipped with yellowish-gray and black ; the black tips are the
longest, and, predominating down the centre of the back, produce a distinct stripe. The
ventral aspect of the throat, neck, and body, exclusive of some rusty markings before the
shoulders, is of an unmixed yellowish-gray colour, which unites with the darker colour of the
back by an even line running on a level with the tail and inferior part of the cheek. The fur,
both above and below, presents, when blown aside, a deep blackish-gray shining colour from
the tips to the roots. The tail is very short, and is of the same colour with the body at the
root, but the part which projects beyond the fur of the rump is only a pencil of stiff white
hairs, four or five lines long.

The fore-extremities project very little beyond the fur; the palms incline slightly inwards,
are small, and the toes are very short ; both are covered thickly above and below, with strong
hairs curving downwards, and extending beyond the claws. The only naked parts on the foot
are a minute, flat, unarmed callus, in place of a thumb, and a rounded smooth callus at the
extremity of each toe. These callosities do not project forwards under the claws, and have
no resemblance to the large, compressed, horny, under portions of the claws of the Hudson's
Bay lemming. The claws are long, strong, curved moderately downwards, and also inclining
inwards to the maesial line, with a more slight curvature. The second claw from the inside,
which is considerably the longest, is nearly four lines in length. hX the root it has a
compressed, conical form, and is much deeper than broad ; it is rounded above, and flat
or slightly grooved near its root underneath, but its curved extremity is lengthened out in
a slender cylindrical manner. The other fore-claws, though smaller, are similar to this one.
The third from the inside is the next in size, and the two extreme ones are considerably shorter.
The length of the whole palm and middle claw is only six lines. The claws are fitted for
digging, but not for cutting roots. Hind-feet. — ^The soles are hairy, and the hairs project
further beyond the claws than on the fore-feet. Toes five, of which the three middle ones are
nearly of a length, the two extreme ones arise further back, and are shorter. The hind-claws
are shorter than the fore ones, slightly arched, narrow, but not sharp at the points; they
are thin, hollowed out underneath, and calculated to throw back the earth which has been
loosened by the fore-claws.

The description was drawn up from a male, killed August 22, in Repulse Bay.

INIr. Scoresby's Greenland specimen differs solely in colour, which oh the upper parts is a
mixture of mottled ash-gray with blackish-brown and reddish-brown, and on the belly and
inferior parts is rufescent.

136 NORTHERN ZOOLOGV.

Dimensions
Of the Repulse Bay male specimen.
Inches. Lines. Indies. Lines.

Length of the head and body . . 6 3

„ tail 0 9

„ fore-leg from palm to the axilla 1 1

Length of longest fore-claw ... 0 4

,, of palm and middle-claw . . 0 6

„ whiskers .... 1 4

Specimens from Repulse Bay and from Greenland are preserved in the Museum of the
Edinburgh University.

Of the four lemmings described in the preceding- pag-es^ three of them closely
resemble lemmings of the old continent, described by Pallas,, and may be con-
sidered as their American representatives. Thus the Tawny hemming approaches
the Lapland Lemming (Pall. Glir. t. 12. B.) in size, and in the form of its thumb-
nail. The latter differs in the colour of its fur^ which is more varied, and on the
throat and abdomen is white, whilst (except on the top of the head, where there
are some dark markings) the tawny lemming is of a rusty colour throughout, the
under parts being merely a little lighter than the back.

Back's Lemming again may be said to represent the Norway Lemming (Op. citat.
t. 12. A.) The latter^ however, has the claws of its fore-feet much compressed^
and there are only two points on the end of the thumb-nail, instead of the three
small points which characterise the thumb-nail of the former. The colours of its
fur are also more lively and more agreeably varied, and its nose is whitish.

With respect to the Hudson's Bay Lemming, I believe no animal has been dis-
covered in the old world, possessing the singular production of the two middle
fore-claws of that animal.

The Greenland Lemming is most allied to the Ringed Lemming of Siberia (Op. citat.
t. 11. B.) The Siberian animal, however^, is of a smaller size, and has an obtuse
nose ; and the brown ring round the neck, surmounted by a paler one^ whence it
derives the specific appellation of torquatus, does not exist in the American animal.
The hare-tailed mouse (Op. citat. t. 13. A.) agrees with the Greenland lemming,
and also with the ringed lemming, in having a dark, dorsal stripe ; but it may be
readily distinguished from the former of these two, by its smaller size, obtuse nose,
truncated furry tail, a large callus in place of a thumb, and a remarkable moveable
callus on the palm.

#

MAMMALIA. 137

[44.] 1. Neotoma Drummondii. (Eich.) Rocky-Mountain Neotoma,

Genus. Neotoma. Sat.

Rat of the Rocky Mountains. Lewis and Clahk, vol. iii. p. 41.

Myoxus Drummondii. Richardson, Zool. Journ., No. 12, March, 1828, p. 517.

N. (^Drummondii) Iriinescenti-cervina suiter alba, cauda Jloccosa corpus longitudine excedenti.
Rocky-Mountain Neotoma, yellowish-brown above, white beneath, tail more bushy towards the extremity,
longer than the body.

Plate vii.

This animal inhabits the Rocky Mountains, in latitude 57°, and though specimens
of it have from time to time reached England^ but little is known of its habits.
Mr. Drummond informs me that it makes its nest in the crevices of high rocks,
and seldom appears in the day-time, but its place of abode may be detected by its
excrement, which has the colour and consistence of tar, and is always deposited in
one place. Its food most probably consists of herbage of various kinds, and of
small branches of pine trees, because there is generally a considerable store of
these substances laid up in the vicinity of its residence. It is very destructive.
In the course of a single night, the fur traders who have encamped in a place
frequented by these animals have sustained much loss, by their packs of furs
being gnawed, their blankets cut in pieces, and many small articles carried entirely
away. Mr. Drummond placed a pair of stout English shoes on the shelf of a
rock, and, as he thought, in perfect security, but on his return, after an absence
of a few days, he found them gnawed into fragments as fine as saw-dust. "When
I published a short notice of this animal, in the Zoological Journal, I made use of
the grateful privilege of a first describer, in distinguishing it by the name of my
fellow-traveller, whose zeal for the promotion of every branch of natural history
Avas unbounded. Not having had at that time an opportunity of examining the
molar teeth, I was induced to refer it to the genus Myoxus, on account of its
general appearance ; but having lately seen the scull of an individual obtained on
the Rocky Mountains by Mr, David Douglas, I have been enabled to ascertain
that it belongs to the genus Neotoma, founded by Mr. Say. It has a great
resemblance, particularly about the feet, to his figure of the Florida-rat, published
in the Philadelphia Journal of Science, but differs from that species in having a

138 NORTBERN ZOOLOGY.

busby tail^ densely hairy, instead of a round tapering- one^ scaly and thinly hairy.
In the softness of its fur, and general arrang-ement of its colours, it has much
similarity to the common wood-rat. It differs, however, from the genus miis, as
now restricted, in the form of its teeth, approaching more nearly to the genus
arvkola in that respect than to any other, but receding from it, on the other hand,
in the length of its tail, limbs, and in its general light, active form. Besides the
specimen brought home by the Expedition, and from which the accompanying
very correct engraving by Landseer was executed, there is another good
specimen in the Museum of the Hudson's Bay Company ; a third, with a mutilated
tail, in the Zoological Museum ; and a fourth, without a tail, and much over-
stuffed, in the British Museum, all said to have come from the same quarter. I
have also a hunter's skin, of a larger, and perhaps a specifically distinct kind,
procured on the Rocky Mountains in latitude 63°.

DESCRIPTION.

In size, this Neotoma equals the Norway rat, and it has a good deal of the character of
that animal in its physiognomy. Its nose is compressed and narrow, but appears rather
obtuse if viewed laterally. There is a very narrow, naked margin to the nostrils, the tip and
sides of the nose being covered with short hairs. The upper lip is divided about three
lines deep.

Dental formula, incisors |, canines ^, grinders g = 16.

The incinors have precisely the form of those of the meadow-mice, and wear away in the
same manner at their points. The upper ones are short, slightly rounded, and not grooved
on their anterior surface. The lower ones are long, narrow, and rounded anteriorly and
on the sides. The molar teeth also very much resemble those of a meadow-mouse. (^.
xanthognathus) . The grooves on their sides, however, instead of running to the base of
the tooth, terminate abruptly, where it is immersed in the socket ; and some little distance
below this termination, most of the grinders divide into two fangs. The two anterior pairs
of lower grinders have these fangs very distinct, the space between the fangs being deep
and wide ; but the upper grinders and the posterior pair in the lower jaw have them much
shorter, and as it were coalesced. The first grinder in the upper jaw has the rudiments of
three fangs. The grinders of both jaws have a slight inclination backwards, and they gradually
decrease from before backwards in size, and in the height of the part which projects above
the sockets, preserving however an even grinding surface. In the upper jaw, the first
grinder has three grooves on its exterior side, and as many inside, with an equal number of
rounded projecting columns or ribs of a side ; the second and third grinders have each two
grooves, with three ribs exteriorly, and one groove with two ribs interiorly. In all, there
are nine ribs on the exterior sides of the upper rows of grinders, seven on the interior sides.

MAMMALIA. 139

•and ten triangles, formed by the folds of enamel on their crowns. In the lower jaw, the first
grinder has two grooves exteriorly, and three interiorly ; the second has two grooves on each
side, and the third, one on each side. In all, there are nine ribs on the outsides, and eight on
the insides of the lower rows of grinders, and nine triangular folds of enamel on their crowns.
These triangles are disposed in a single series, or at least present, very obscurely, the double
alternate arrangement which exists on the crowns of the grinders- of the meadow-mice. The
grinders of a Neotoma further differ from those of the meadow-mice in the ribs on their sides
being broader and more rounded, and in the first upper grinder, instead of the last one, being
the largest. The whiskers are considerably longer than the head ; the anterior ones are
white ; the posterior ones, which are longer and stronger, are black, more or less tipped
•with white. The ears are large, oval, and rounded, closely covered on the back with
short, adpressed, blackish-gray hairs, and they have a very narrow and obscure white margin.
Their anterior surface is more sparingly hairy above, and is quite naked near the auditory
opening.

The fur is remarkably fine, soft, and long, and has considerable lustre. The upper parts,
including the head and cheeks, back, sides, and outer surface of the fore and hind thighs and
legs, have a nearly uniform, light, yellowish-brown colour, intimately mixed with black hairs ;
the resulting tint is between a hair-brown and a fawn colour. The black hairs are more
abundant on the sides of the nose, down the middle of the head and back, and about the
rump. The upper lip, chin, throat, all the under parts, the inside of the thighs, and the
whole of the feet, from the wrist and ankle joints, are pure white. The fur is longest on
the back and sides, a little shorter on the belly, and shortest about the nose, but the furry
coat is close throughout, and is everywhere of a deep blackish-gray colour for two-thirds
of its length from the roots.

The tail at its commencement is cylindrical, and clothed with shorter hairs ; but the fur
gradually lengthens towards its extremity, where it is upwards of an inch long, and is
somewhat distichously arranged, particularly beneath. The whole of the fur of the tail is
very close and woolly at bottom. For a short space next the rump, the tail is coloured above
like the back ; but for the greatest part of its length it is of a dark lead-gray, arising from
an intimate intermixture of blackish-gray and whitish hairs. Underneath it is throughout of
a white colour, and when the tail is spread out, the Avhite hairs form to it an indistinct
white tip.

The /eef are thickly clothed above with fur, which conceals the claws. On the fore-feet
there are four toes, which do not differ much from each other in length, the two middle ones
being longer only in a very slight degree. There is a small callus in place of a thumb, which
is situated behind the roots of the toes, and is protected by a minute adpressed nail. There
are besides five callous eminences of considerable size on the palm ; three arranged in a
triangular form at the roots of the toes, one a little longer posterior to the thumb tubercle,
and another of equal size opposite to it. The claws are white, short, much curved, and
very acute. The hind-feet have five toes, the four anterior of which much resemble those

T 2

140

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

of the fore-feet, but are a little stouter, and have more spread. The inner one, representing
a thumb, is nearly as long as the outer one, though it is situated further back. The
posterior half of the sole is hairy. The claws are like those of the fore-feet.

Length of the head and body

„ tail (vertebrae)

„ tail with the fur

„ whiskers

Height of the ears posteriorly
Breadth of ditto
Distance from the tip of the nose to the
anterior angle of the orbit . .

Dimensions.

ches.

Lines.

Inches.

9

0

Length from the wrist joint to the end of the

6

G

middle claw

0

7

6

„ of the middle fore-toe and claw .

0

3

G

„ from heel to the end of the middle

0

10

claw

1

0

9

„ of the middle hind-toe and claw .

0

,, of the fur on the back

1

0

11

Height of the back of the prepared specimen

standing on its palms and soles .

3

•f 1. Mus RATTus. (Linn.) The Black Rat.

Genus. Mus. Cuvieu.

Black Rat. Pennant, Arct. Zool., vol. i. p. 129. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 83.

Mus rattus. Haulan, Fmma, p. 148.

This Rat was, most probably, not originally an inhabitant of North America, but
was brought thither by the early European visitors of that continent. It seems to
have multiplied exceedingly fast in its new quarters, until the introduction of the
still more destructive brown rat thinned its numbers, and it has now become as
rare as it is in Europe, from the same cause. We did not observe the black rat
in any part of the fur countries ; and I may also venture to affirm, that it has not
advanced farther north than the plains of the Saskatchewan. Indeed, I have no
other reason for supposing that it may have got so far, than that an animal
resembling a Musk-Rat, with a long round tail, is mentioned by the Indians of that
quarter, under the name of mcesluhw appeceooshees.

MAMMALIA. 141

"f- 2. Mus DECUMANus. (Linn.) The Brown Rat,

Brown Rat. Pennant, Arct. ZooL, vol. i. p. 130. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 78.

This very destructive animal came, according to the accounts of historians, from
Asia to Europe about the beginning- of the seventeenth century ; was unknown in
England before 1730, and, according to Dr. Harlan, did not make its appearance
in North America until the year 1775. Pennant, writing in 1785, says he has no
authority for considering it to be an inhabitant of the new continent, although he
thinks it probable that it must by that time have been carried thither in ships. It
is now very common in Lower Canada ; but I was informed that in 1 825 it had
not advanced much beyond Kingston in Upper Canada. We did not observe it
in the fur countries ; and if it does exist there, it is only at the mouth of the
Columbia River, or at the factories on the shores of Hudson's Bay.

•f 3. Mus MUScuLus. (Linn.) The Common Mouse.

Mouse. Pennant, Arcf. ZooL, vol. i. p. 131.
Mus musculus. Say, Long's E.rpecl., vol. i. p. 262.
Common Mouse. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 8J.

I have seen a dead mouse in a storehouse at York Factory filled with packages
from England, and it is probable that the species may have been introduced into
all the posts on the shores of Hudson's Bay ; but I never heard of its being taken
in the fur countries at a distance from the sea-coast. Mr. Say informs us, that
it was introduced at Engineer Cantonment, on the Missouri, by Major Long's
expedition.

142 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[45.] 4. Mus LEucopus. (Rafinesque.) American Field-Mouse.

Mus sylvaticus. Forster, Phil. Trans., vol. Ixii. p. 380.

Field Rat, A, American. Pennant, Hist. Quad., vol. ii. p. 185. Arct. Zool., vol. i. p. 131.

Mus leucopus. " Rafinesque-Smaltz, Am. Month. May., vol. iii. p. 444 ; 1818" (quoted from Desmarest, Mamm^

Harlan, Fauna, p. 151. Richardson, Zool. Journ., No. 12. p. 518.
Mus agrai-ius. Godman, Xal. Hist., vol. ii. p. 88 ?
Appecooseesh. Cree Language.

JU. (^leucopus), Cauda longa vestita, corpore griseo-lutescente subter abrupte albo, auriculis magnis.
American Field JMouse, with a long hairy tail, hair-brown back, white belly and feet, and large ears.

No sooner is a fur-post established than this little animal becomes an inmate of
the dwelling-houses ; whilst the meadow-mouse^ described in p. 124, under the name
o{ Arvicola Pennsylvanicus, at the same time takes possession of the outhouses and
gardens. We observed it as far north as Great Bear Lake ; and if the synonyms
prefixed to this article are correctly applied, it is not uncommon in the United
States. It also extends from Hudson's Bay across the continent to the mouth of
the Columbia River. The gait and prying actions of this little creature, when
it ventures from its hole in the dusk of the evening, are so much like those of the
English domestic mouse, that most of the European residents at Hudson's Bay
have considered it to be the same animal, altogether overlooking the obvious
differences of their tails and other peculiarities. The American Field-Mouse,
however, has a habit of making hoards of grain or little pieces of fat, which, I
believe, is unknown of the European domestic mouse ; and what is most singular,
these hoards are not formed in the animal's retreats, but generally in a shoe left
at the bedside, the pocket of a coat, a nightcap, a bag hung against the wall, or
some similar place. It not unfrequently happened that we found barley, which had
been brought from a distant apartment, and introduced into a drawer, through so
small a chink, that it was impossible for the mouse to gain access to its store.
The quantity laid up in a single night nearly equalling the bulk of a mouse, renders
it probable that several individuals unite their efforts to form it. This mouse
does considerable mischief in the gardens, and in a very few nights will almost
destroy a plantation of maize, by tracing the rows for the purpose of collecting the
seeds, and depositing them in small heaps under the loose mould, generally by the
side of a stone, or piece of wood. From the facility with which it seems to

MAMMALIA. 143

transport the substances it preys upon, I suspected that it had cheek-pouches,
but none were found on examination. The ermine is a most inveterate enemy
to this species^ and pursues it into the sleeping- apartments.

The Mus leucopus may be considered as the American representative of the
European field-mouse {mus si/lvatkus, Linn.)^ which it greatly resembles^ and
perhaps Pennant is quite right in terming it only a variety. The mus si/lvaticus
appears to have generally a more tapering, acute tail. Dr. Godman's description,
of the Mus agrarius cgrresponds so exactly with our animal, that I have quoted it
as a synonym ; but the Mus agrarius of Pallas differs, in having small ears. Dr.
Harlan mentions, that several varieties of the mus si/lvaticus exist in the neigh-
bourhood of Philadelphia ; but his description, which seems to be a translation
of Desmarest's account of the European animal, does not agree with any variety of
the mus leucopus that I saw to the north. The varieties that I met with differed
principally in the size of the body, and the length of the tail. Specimens from the
mouth of the Columbia were considerably larger than those from Hudson's Bay.

DESCRIPTION.

The American Field-Mouse has a larger head than the English domestic mouse ; but in its
general form it is similar to that animal. On the other hand, its head is smaller than that
of Wilson's meadow -mouse ; its body less fleshy, and it weighs less. Its muzzle is rather
sharp. The whiskers are much longer than the head, part of them are black, the rest white.
Eyes moderately large. Ears large, erect, membranous, of an elliptical form, with rounded
tips, and covered rather thinly with short adpressed hans.

The fur of the body is very fine, but not long, and is throughout of a dark, bluish-gray
colour from the roots to near the tips. The colour of the upper parts is hair-brown, darkest
on the crown of the head, and along the back; the sides are of a lighter hue, approaching to
yellowish-brown, or sometimes, together with the hips, to reddish-brown. The cheeks have a
still more lively colour than the sides, being somewhat rufous. The upper lip, a space on
each side of the mouth, the chin, all the under parts, the inside of the thighs, and the whole
of the legs and feet, are white.

The tail is thickly clothed with short hairs lying pretty smoothly, no scales whatever being
visible. Its upper surface is of a hair-brown colour, considerably darker than any other part
of the animal, and contrasts strongly with the inferior surface, which is white ; the line of
contact of the two colours is straight and well defined.

Fore-feet, with four toes and six tubercles on the palm. Of the three anterior tubercles,
one is seated at the common origin of the two middle toes, and one at the commencement of
each of the other two toes, which arise farther back. The other three tubercles lie nearly in
a line at the posterior part of the palm. The smallest of these is the interior one, and it
occupies the usual site of the thumb, of which there is no other vestige, — not even a nail.

144 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

The palms are naked, and the toes short. The hind-feet are long, particularly the tarsal
bones, the hind toes being likewise a little longer than the fore-ones. There are six tubercles
on the soles, — three at the roots of the toes, and three farther back ; of the latter three,
the one next the inner toe or thumb is large, the posterior one is small, and the exterior one
minute.

Dimensions.

'^'iTon'Zus'e!*^' Columbia River Specimens.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.

Length of Lead and body 3 7 . , 4 3

„ head alone 1 1 . 0 0

„ tail 2 3. .2 9

Height of the ears 0 C . 0 6^

„ of the back, when the animal stands on its

palms and soles , " 2 9 . . 0 0

[46.] 1. Meriones Labradorius. Labrador Jumping Mouse.

Genus. Meriones. Illiger. F. Cuvier.

Labrador Rat. Pennant, Arctic ZooL, yo\.\. -p. \Z2.

Gerbillus Hudsonius. " Rafinesgue-Smaltz, Am. Month Mag., 1818, p. 44C."

Sins Labradorius. ^A'Bns'E, Franklin's Journ., p. 6G1.

Gerbillus Labradorius. Harlan, Fauna, p. 157-

Labrador Jumping Mouse. God jtAN, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 97-

Katse (the leaper). Chepewyan Indians.

PLATi-: VIII.

Pennant, in Arctic Zoology^ first described a specimen of this animal^ sent from
Hudson's Bay by Mr. Graham, to the Museum of the Royal Society. Afterwards,
in the third edition of his History of Quadrupeds^ he is inclined to consider it as
identical with the mus longipes of Pallas, (the dipus meridianus of Gmelin,) an
inhabitant of the warm^ sandy deserts, bordering on the Caspian sea. This
opinion, which can scarcely be correct^ was formed from an imperfect inspection
of the Hudson's Bay specimen^ whilst it was suspended in spirits^ and is opposed
by differences in colour and other characters which he himself points out. From
Pennant's time, until Mr. Sabine described an individual, brought from Cumber-
land-house on Captain Franklin's first journey^, the Labrador Jumping Mouse

MAMMALIA. 14S

does not appear to have attracted the notice of naturahsts. Pennant mentions a
yellow lateral line in his specimen which did not exist in the one Mr. Sabine
described, but this difference I attribute solely to the season in which they were
procured. Mr. Sabine's specimen had its tail mutilated^ an accident very common
to the whole family of rats. Pennant^ under the name of Canada Jerboid rat, and
Colonel Davies, under that of Dipus Canadensis, describes another Jumping Mouse,
which seems to differ from this in having- ears shorter than the fur, but in
other respects to be very similar to it. The Gerhillus Canadensis of Dr. Godman
agrees in description with Rafinesqne-Smaltz's Gerbilhis soridnus, (Desmarest,
Maimn., p. 332.) but has larger ears than the Canada rat of Pennant; and a
specimen in the Philadelphia Museum, described by Dr. Harlan, under the name
of Gerbilhis Canadensis, appears to be entirely similar to the Labrador species.
It is evident, therefore, that the Jumping Mice_, inhabiting different districts of
America, require to be compared with each other before the true number of species
and their geographical distribution can be ascertained.

The Labrador Jumping Mouse is a very common animal in the fur countries as
far north as Great Slave Lake, and perhaps further, but I was not able to gain
any precise information respecting its habits.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula, incisors ^, canines ^, grinders ^ = 18.

Incisors of a deep orange colour. Upper ones short and strong, rounded anteriorly, each
marked near its exterior margin with a deep and conspicuous furrow. The lower ones are
longer and much m.ore slender, but they taper very slightly towards their tips, and are not so
acute as the lower incisors of the genus mns. The grinders very much resemble in form those
of the squirrels. The anterior one in the upper jaw is round and very small. The other three
have slightly hollowed crowns, with points, as in the squirrels, on their outward margins.
The second grinder has three of these points, and is also marked with a furro^v on its inner
side. The third is very little larger than the second, and has four points on the outer margin
of its crown, but no furrow on its inner side. The fourth is smaller than the two last-
mentioned ones, but considerably larger than the first one; it has two points on its
outer margin. In the lower jaw, the first and second grinders are nearly equal in size, and
the third or last is smaller. The zygomatic processes are scarcely arched, the breadth of the
scull being greater at their junction with the temporal bones than at their middles.

The head of this animal is narrow, and the nose, which is also narrow, but with a small
obtuse tip, projects about a line and a half beyond the incisors. The tip of the nose is covered
with short, erect hair, and beneath it the minute round openings of the nostrils face sideways,
and are protected anteriorly by a slight ventricose arching of their naked inner margins.

u

146 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

The whole naked space at the nostrils is not above a line wide. The mouth is small and far
back. The whiskers are fine, black, and longer than the head. The eyes are small. The
ears are nearly five lines high, of a semi-oval form, broadly rounded at the tips. They are
clothed behind, and also on the inside near the margins, with short black hairs, mixed with
some yellow ones. Their edges are pale.

Colour. The back and the upper parts of the head are covered with hairs of a dark liver-
brown colour, mixed with a few brownish-yellow ones. The sides are brownish-yellow, slightly
sprinkled with black hairs. The margin of the mouth, the chin, the throat, and all the lower
parts of the body are white. The yellowish-brown of the sides joins the white of the belly by
a straight line extending between the fore and hind extremities. In some specimens this
yellowish-brown colour occupies as much space as the darker colour of the back ; in others, the
latter encroaches so much on the sides as to leave merely a narrow yellowish line next the
white ; whilst in autumn specimens, when the animal has just acquired a new coat of fur, the
dark colour of the back adjoins the white of the belly. The fur of this animal is not so long
or so fine as that of the common or meadow-mice.

Extremities.— The fore ones are small and very short, the tip of the middle claw not pro-
jecting above half an inch from the body. They are covered above Avith short, whitish hairs.
The palms are naked, and there are four slender toes armed with small, nearly straight,
compressed acute nails. There is also a minute rudiment of a thumb, protected by a rounded
nail, and situated considerably behind the root of the inner toe. The hind-legs are long and
very slender, and there are five hind-toes, each with a very long slender tarsal bone. The
inner-toe is the smallest and furthest back ; the outer one is the next smallest, and the three
middle ones are longer. They are all armed with small nails, not quite so much com-
pressed as the fore ones. The upper surface of the feet and toes is covered with very short
grayish hairs. The soles are naked to the heels. The tail is very long, tapers slightly, and
is scaly, and thinly set with short hairs. It has no tuft at the end, but the hairs there are a,
little longer than elsewhere. It is of a dark brown colour above, and white beneath.

Inches.

Length of head and hody • • 4

„ head . . t .1

„ tail . . .5

„ from wrist joint to end of middle claw 0

Dimensions.

Lines.

Inches.

Lines.

6

Length from knee to ankle joint

. 1

0

2

„ from heel to end of middle claw

. 1

4

3

Height of the ears posteriorly ,

. 0

4i

4i

♦

MAMMALIA. 147 ^

[47.] 1. Arctomys empetra. (Schreber.) The Quebec Marmot,

Genus Arctomys. Gmelin. Cuvier.

Quebec Marmot. Pennant, ilisi. Qwarfr., 1st ed.. No. 259; 3d ed., No. 321. Arctic Zool.,

vol. i. p. 111. Bewick's Qitarf., 1st ed., p. 346. Fig. . 2d ed., p. 369. Fig.
Mus empetra. Pallas, Glir., p. 75. An. 1778.
Glis Canadensis. Erxlebein, Sys<., p. 363.
Arctomys empetra. Schreber, Quad., p. 743 ; pi. 210.
Common Marmot. Langsdorff's Traue/s, vol. ii. p. 73?

Arctomys empetra. Sabine. Linn., ^rans., vol. xiii. p. 24. Harlan, Fawna, p. 160.
Quebec Marmot. GoDMAif,Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 108.
Weenusk. Cree Indians. Kath-liilloe-kooay. Chepewyans,
Thick-wood Badger. Hudson's Bav Residents.
SifBeur. French Canadians, who apply the same name to the other species of marmot, and

to the badger.
Tarbogan. Russian Residents on Kodiak ?

A. (empetra) super ex s])acliceo nigroque canescens : subter helvohis, capite pedibusque nigrescenti-brunneis, genis
albeseentibus, auriculis mediocribus plants rotundatis, cauda exfusca canescenti apicem versus nigrescenti
dimidium corporis vix superanti.

Quebec Marmot, on the upper parts hoary, with an intermixture of black, and bright wood-brown shining through ;
on the inferior parts reddish-orange ; and on the head and feet, blackish-brown ; cheeks, whitish ; flat,
round ears, of a moderate size ; tail, about half the length of the body, brown and hoary, with a black tip.

Plate ix.

This animal was first described by Pennant, under the name of Quebec Marmot,
from a specimen kept alive in Mr, Brooks's menagerie. Pallas afterwards noticed
what was supposed to be an animal of the same species, giving it the name of nms
empetra ; and Mr. Sabine, in the Linnean Transactions^ has given a good descrip-
tion of a specimen presented by the Hudson's Bay Company to the British
Museum, The animal mentioned by Forster_, in the Philosophical Transactions^
as the Quebec Marmot, is not this species, but the Arctomys Parryi, to be after-
wards noticed.

The Quebec Marmot inhabits the woody districts from Canada to latitude 61°,
and perhaps still further north. I was able to collect but little information
respecting it. It appears to be a solitary animal, inhabits burrows in the earth,
but ascends bushes and trees, probably in search of buds and other vegetable
matters, on which it feeds. Mr. Drummond killed two individuals, — one, on some
low bushes, and the other upon the branch of a tree. Pennant says, that the one
which he saw was very tame, and made a hissing noise. Mr. Graham mentions,
that this Marmot burrows in the earth, in a perpendicular manner, selecting dry spots
at some distance from the coast, and feeds on coarse grass, which it gathers by the
river-sides. The Indians take it by pouring water into its holes. When fat, its

U2

148 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

flesh is considered to be a delicacy. Its fur is of no value. It very much resem-
bles the bobac of Poland^ in its form and general appearance.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula, incisors f, canines "-E^, grinders ^ = 22.
Incisors exserted, strong, white ; upjjer ones rounded anteriorly, marked near their inner
sides by an almost obsolete groove, and having even cutting edges. Lower ones longer,
nearly linear, and rounded anteriorly. Of the iqjjjer grinders the anterior one is the smallest,
the posterior one the widest, and the other three are nearly equal to each other in size. The
crowns of the four posterior grinders are widest exterioily, and exhibit a duplicature of enamel,
folded as it were from the outer side in such a manner, that the inner crest of each tooth
forms a single rounded eminence, a very little higher than the rest of the crown. The outer
crest or edge of the tooth, consists of three lower and more acute points. The smaller ante-
rior grinder has an oval crown divided into two sloping surfaces by a transverse ridge. In
each of the grinders of the lower jaw, the bounding ridge of enam-cl forms an anterior and a
posterior pair of points, of which the anterior pair is considerably higher, and particularly the
inner point of that pair. The inner point of the posterior pair of each tooth wears away in a
cup-shaped form. The area of a section of one of the lower grinders is obliquely quadrangular j
whilst the areas of the four posterior upper ones are more nearly triangular. The lower molars
increase slightly in size from the anterior to the posterior one, which is the largest. The frontal
bone is flat and depressed between the orbits, and its nasal process rises, to form with the nasal
bones an oblong arch.

The body is thick and low, the head oblong, flat on the crown and between the eyes, with a
sli"'htly arched obtuse nose, covered with short hairs. Septum and margins of the nostrils
naked. There is a duplicature or depression on the inside of the cheek, forming the rudi-
ments of a pouch, and capable of containing a small bean. Whiskers shorter than the head,
entirely black. There are some black setcE on the eyebrows, a tuft containing about
eight black hairs as strong as the whiskers, at the back part of each cheek, and a similar tuft
between the posterior angles of the lower jaw. E%jes moderately large. Ears low, flat, and.
rounded, the anterior edge only doubling in, to form a helix ; they are well covered with
short, adpressed, hoary hairs on the inside ; posteriorly, they are clothed with hairs similar to
those on the adjoining part of the head. The ears are conspicuous enough, unless when the
fur is in prime order, and consequently long. The upper surfaces of the head and feet are
covered with a thick, smooth coat, of rather short hair, having a shining dark umber-brown
colour, which on the feet approaches to black. The end of the nose is, in some specimens,
hoary ; in others brown.

The /ur on the hack is of two kinds, — one, a fine wool or down, which, for half its length
from the roots upwards, is of a blackish-gray colour, and, for the other half, is of a pure,
shining, yellowish, or wood-brown. Intermixed with the down there are many longer hairs,
which are brownish-black for two-thirds of their length, and are tipped with white. Some of
them, however, are merely ringed Avith white, and are tipped with black. The resulting colour

MAMMALIA.

149

of the back is grizzled or hoary *, the white predominating over the black, and the light-brown
of the shorter wool being also more or less seen, according as the fur is in good or bad order.
The sides of the upper-lip, the point of the chin, the cheeks, and the sides of the neck, are
soiled, reddish-white, which mixes gradually with the dark colour of the head. The under
parts, including the throat, breast, belly, and fore and hind legs, are of a reddish-orange
colour, without mixture. The fur there is thinner and rather shorter than on the back, of the
same colour, for its whole length, and there is very little of the fine wool amongst it. On the
sides the soft wool has reddish-orange tips, and is mixed with a few long, reddish-white hairs,
forming a gradation betwixt the colours of the back and belly.

The tail is flattish, but not distichous ; it is nearly linear, and is rounded at the tip. It is
well clothed with hair, a little longer than that on the back, and is dusky above, from an
intimate mixture of brownish-white and blackish-brown hairs, and is brownish-black under-
neath, and at the tip. In some specimens the tail is almost entirely dark-brown, with a very
slight sprinkling of hoary hairs. Legs, very short, and muscular. Fore-feet, with four toes,
and the minute rudiment of a thumb. The toes are well separated, not being connected by
the skin for more than a third part of the first joint. The palms are naked, and have three
tubercles at the roots of the toes, and two much larger ones further back, of which the largest
has a minute rudiment of a thumb on its inner side, covered by a small triangular nail. The
middle toe is the longest; the first and third, which are equal to each other, are but a little,
shorter, and the outer one is rather more than the length of its nail shorter than these. All
the toes are covered with a smooth coat of hair above, and are perfectly naked underneath.
The fore-claws are slightly arched, and rather obtuse ; they are so much compressed, that
there is merely a slight excavation near the tip underneath, their edges from thence to their
roots being in contact ; and their size, as compared with each other, is proportional to the toes
to which they belong. The soles of the hind-feet are long and naked to the heel ; the callous
tubercles are not so conspicuous as in the fore-feet. There are five hind- toes, which are
about the same size with the fore-ones. The middle claw projects a very little beyond the
one on each side of it. The outer toe is more than the length of its claw shorter, and the
hiner one is still shorter and further back.

When the fur is out of season it loses its lustre, and the down and most of the hair on the
belly falls off, so that the animal can scarcely be recognised.

Dimensions.

* Inches.

Length of head and body . . from 17 to 20

„ the head alone ..... 4

,, from end of nose to anterior part of orbit 1^
„ „ „ to auditory opening . 3
„ from posterior part of the orbit to the audi-
tory opening ...... 1

Height of ear (posteriorly) ... . OJ

Breadth of ear . .... 0}

Distance between the eyes . . . • H

Inches.

Distance between the ears . , . , I a

Length of tail (vertebra) ... . ,54

,, including fur ... 7

„ middle-toe and its claw • , • H

,, middle claw alone . . . 0-[\

„ palm, middle-toe, and claw . • 1|

„ from heel to tip of middle-claw, hind-foot 2|

,, of middle hind-toe and its claw . . IJ

Mr. Graham likens the colour of the back to a mixture of pepper and salt.

150 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[48.] 2 ? Arctomys ? pruinosus. (Pennant.) The Whistler.

The hoary marmot. Pennant, Hist. Quadr., vol. ii. p. 130 ; Arct. ZooL, vol. i. p. 112.

Ground hog. Mackenzie, Vot/., p. 315.

Whistler. Harmon's Journ., p. 427-

Arctomys ? pruinosus. Richardson, Zool. Journ., No. 12, p. 518, March, 1828.

Quisquis-su. Cree Indians. Deh-dehie. Chepewyans.

Skwey-kwey. Atnah Indians. Thidnu. Nagaileks.

Souffleur or Mountain Badger. Fur-traders.

A. {pndnoms) vellere corporis antiee rudi eanesoenti postioe fuscescenti, caiida pilosissima badia nigrague.
Hoary Marmot, with long coarse fur, particularly on the chest and shoulders, where it is hoary ; hind parts dull
yellowish-brown ; taU blackish-brown, bushy.

DESCRIPTION.

" Tip of the nose black ; ears short and oval ; cheeks whitish ; crown dusky and tawny ;
hair, on all parts rude and long ; on the back, sides and belly cinereous at the bottom, black
in the middle, and tipped with white, so as to spread a hoariness over the whole ; legs black j
claws dusky; tail full of hair, black and ferruginous. Size of the Maryland Marmot,"

The above is Pennant's description of a specimen which was preserved in the
Leverian Museum, and said to have been brought from Hudson's Bay. That
specimen is now lost, and the species does not appear to have come under the notice
of any other naturahst. If I am correct in considering it as the same with the
Whistler of Harmon, we may soon hope to know more of it, for the traders who
annually cross the Rocky Mountains from Hudson's Bay to the Columbia and New
Caledonia, are well acquainted with it. I failed in obtaining a specimen, as I did
not visit the Rocky Mountains myself; and one which was procured for me by a
gentleman was so much injured, that he did not think it fit to be sent.

The Whistler inhabits the Rocky Mountains from latitude 45° to 62°, and
probably further both ways ; — it is not found in the lower parts of the country.
It burrows in sandy soil, generally on the sides of grassy hills, and may be fre-
quently seen cutting hay in the autumn ; but whether for the purpose of laying it
up for food or merely for lining its burrows, I did not learn. While a party of
them are thus occupied, they have a sentinel on the look out upon an eminence,
who gives the alarm on the approach of an enemy by a shrill whistle, which may
be heard at a great distance. The signal of alarm is repeated from one to another
as far as their habitations extend. According to Mr. Harmon, they feed on roots

MAMMALIA. 151

and herbs^ produce two young at a time, and sit upon their hind-feet when they
give their young suck. They do not come abroad in the winter.

Mr. Macpherson describes one killed in the month of May on the south branch
of the Mackenzie as follows :— " It was 27^ inches long, of which the head 2J,
and the tail 81. It is, I think, of the same genus with the Quebec Marmot. In
the fore-teeth, and in the shape of the head and body, it resembles a beaver.
The hair, especially about the neck and shoulders, is rough and strong. The
breast and shoulders, down to the middle of the body, is of a silver-gray colour ;
the rest of the body, and the brush, are of a dirty yellowish or brown. The head
and legs are small and short in proportion to the body."

Mr. Harmon represents them as about the size of a badger, covered with a
beautiful long silver-gray hair, and having long bushy tails. Mr. Drummond says
they resemble the badger of the plains (Meles Labracloria) in colour, but are
of a rather smaller size. The Indians take the Whistlers in traps set at the mouths
of their holes, consider their flesh as delicious food, and by sewing a number of
their skins together, make good blankets.

[49.] 3. Arctomys brachyurus. (Harlan.) Short-tailed Marmot,

Burrowing squirrel. Lewis and Clark, vol. iii. p. 35. (but not of vol. i.)

Anisonj'x brachyura. Rafinesque-Smaltz, Am. Month. Mag., 1817, p. 45. Desmarest, Mamm,, p. 329.

Arctomys brachyura. Harlan, Fauna, p. 304.

A. (brachyurus) auricuUs oUusmscuUs, corpore super xerampelino riihro tincto et sub-maculato, naso ventre pedibusque
lateritiis, cauda depressd elliptiedfulva. albo marginata ; subter grisea.

Short-tailed Marmot, with short obtusely pointed ears, the head and body above of a brownish-gray colour, tinged
with red, and speckled with a lighter colour ; nose, feet, and under surface of the body, brick-red 5 a flat
oblong oval tail, fox-red above, with a white margin, and iron-gray colour on the under surface.

This animal inhabits the plains of the Columbia. It is known to us only by the
description quoted below from the narrative of Captains Lewis and Clark. M.
Rafinesque, evidently from a misapprehension of the account of its feet, has con-
stituted for its reception the genus Anisonyx, the characters of which are fictitious * i

• The SewelleT, which is also provisionally referred to Anisonyx, by M, Rafinesque, belongs to a distinct genus to be
hereafter described under the name of Aplodontia,

J52 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

no character being assigned to it in the original description that can separate it
from the marmots.

DESCRIPTION.

" The burrowing squirrel (of the Columbia) somewhat resembles those found on the Mis-
souri; he measures one foot and five inches in length, of which the tail comprises two and
a half inches only : the neck and legs are short ; the ears are likewise short, obtusely pointed,
find lie close to the head, and the aperture is larger than will generally be found among bur-
rowing animals. The eyes are of a moderate size, the pupil black, and the iris of a dark
sooty brown ; the whiskers are full, long and black ; the teeth, and indeed the whole contour,
resemble those of the squirrel; each foot has five toes; the two inner ones (thumbs) of the
fore-feet are remarkably short, and are equipped with blunt nails ; the remaining toes on the
front-feet are long, black, slightly curved, and sharply pointed ; the hair of the tail is thickly
inserted on the sides only, which gives it a flat appearance, and a long oval form : the tips of
the hair forming the outer edges of the tail are white, the other extremity of a fox red ; the
under part of the tail resembles an iron-gray ; the upper is of a reddish-brown ; the lower
part of the jaws, the under part of the neck, legs and feet, from the body and belly downwards,
are of a light brick red ; the nose and eyes are of a darker shade of the same colour ; the
upper part of the head, neck and body, are of a curious brown-gray, with a slight tinge of
brick-red ; the longer hairs of these parts are of a reddish-white colour at their extremities,
and falling together, give this animal a speckled appearance."

'' These animals form in large companies, like those on the Missouri, occupying
with their burrows sometimes two hundred acres of land ; the burrows are
separate, and each possesses, perhaps, ten or twelve inhabitants. There is a
little mound in front of the hole, formed of the earth thrown out of the burrow,
and frequently there are three or four distinct holes, forming one burrow, with
their entrances around the base of these little mounds. The mounds, sometimes
about two feet in height and four in diameter, are occupied as watch-towers by the
inhabitants of these little communities. The squirrels, one or more, are irregularly
distributed on the tract they thus occupy, at the distance of ten, twenty, or some-
times from thirty to forty yards. When any one approaches, they make a shrill
whistling sound, somewhat resembling tweet, tweet, tweet, the signal for their
party to take the alarm^ and to retire into their intrenchments. They feed on the
roots of grass, &c."

The specific name of brachyiirus is not particularly happy in its application to
this animal; the A. Richardsonil has a tail equally short; the tail of the A.
Ludovicianus is even shorter ; that of the A. citillus both American and Siberian
specimens is shorter still ; and that of the A. mugosaricus of Lichtenstein is fully
twice as short in proportion to the length of the body.

MAMMALIA. 153

-f 4. Arctomys Monax. (Gmelin.) The Wood-Chuck,

Bahama Coney. Catesby, Carolina, vol. ii. p. ^0. An. 1743.
Monax, Edwauds, Birds, pi. 104.

Maryland Marmot. Pennant, Arctic Zool., vol. i. p. 111. Godman, Na(. i7is/., vol. ii. p. 100.
Arctomys Monax. Sabine. Linn. Trans., vo]. xiii. Tp. 585. Hablan, i^a«na, vol. i. p. 158.
GniFFiTHS, An. Ki7ig., vol. iii. p. 170. Cum figura, vol. v. No. 633.

A. [monax) auriculis eonspicuis rotundatis, corpore ex ferrugineo cinerascenti, vulltt plumbeo, caiida fusca mediocri.
Wood-Chuck, with prominent rounded ears; fur on the hody rust-coloured, tipped with gray; bluish-gray face; a
moderately long, dark-brown, rather bushy tail.

To render the list of American marmots^ given in this work, as perfect as our

present knowledge permits, I shall insert here short compiled accounts of two

species, which inhabit parts of North America, lying to the southward of the

district to which this work more particularly relates. Of these the Wood-chuck,

or Maryland Marmot, has been longest known to Naturalists. It is common in all

the middle states, and is described, by Drs. Harlan and Godman, as living in

society, and forming burrows in the sides of hills, which extend to great distances

under ground, and terminate in various chambers, according to the number of

inhabitants. The chambers are lined with dry grass, leaves, or other similar

materials, and the animals pass the winter in them in a torpid state, after having

closed the entrance. They feed on vegetables, are particularly fond of red-clover,

and often prove injurious to the farmer, by the extent of their depredations. They

sally forth in a body on their marauding excursions, generally at mid-day, and,

having placed sentinels, proceed to fill their mouths. On the approach of danger,

the sentinel gives the alarm by a clear, shrill whistle, and they betake themselves

to their burrows with their utmost speed. If one of them is intercepted by a doo-^

it boldly offers battle, and bites severely. They are capable of being tamed, and

become very playful, and fond of being handled. They are cleanly animals,

removing all fragments of food, and even loose earth, from the mouths of their

burrows, and carefully burying their excrement. The female produces six young

at a litter. Dr. Godman, from whom chiefly the above account of the habits of

this animal is borrowed, informs us that Edwards's figure is very unlike, and that

the only good representation is that given in Griffith's Animal Kingdom, which is

copied from a print done in America by Lesueur. He likewise mentions that it

has ample cheek-pouches, and an extension of the skin between the toes, rendering

154 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

the feet^ especially the hind ones^ distinctly semi-palmated. He also observes,
that the width of the auditory opening seems, at first sight, ill adapted for the
subterranean life which the Wood-chuck leads, but that it possesses the power of
closing it accurately.

DESCRIPTION.

[Extracted from Godman's Nat. Hist.]

" The body of the Maryland Marmot is about the size of that of a rabbit, and is covered
by long, rusty-brown hair, generally gray at the tips ; the face is of a pale, bluish ash-colour.
The ears are short, but broad, and as if they had been cropped at their superior edges ; the
tail is about half the length of the body, and is covered with dark-brown hairs, somewhat
bushy at its extremity. The feet and claws are black; the claws are long and sharp."
Warden says that, in Vermont, the largest weigh eleven pounds ; but that in the southern
states they attain a greater size.

"f 5. Arctomys (Spermophilus?) Ludovicianus. (Ord.)

The Wistonwish.

Gexus Arctomys. Gjielin. Sub-genus Spermophilus. F. Cuviek.

Prairie dog. Gass, Journal, p. 50. An. 1807.

Prairie dog, or Wistonwiiili. Pike, Journey, p. 207. An. 1811.

Petit chien, Prairie dog, Barking squirrel, Burrowing squirrel. Lewis and Clark, vol. i. pp. 93, 95, 254, &c.

Barking squirrel. Idem, vol. iii. p. 38 (but not the " bui-rowing squirrel," mentioned in the same volume).

An, 1814.
" Arctomys Ludovicianus. Ord, Guthi-ie's Geog., vol. ii. Tp. 302. An. 1815."
Cynomys socialis et cinereus. " RAFiNEsauE-SiUALTZ. Am. Month. Mag. An. 1817-"

Desmarest, iV/amm, p. 314.
Monax Missouriensis. Warden-, United States, vol. i. p 225. An. 1819.
Arctomys Ludovicianus. Say, Long's Journey, vol. ii. p. 334. Harlan, Fauna, p. IGO.
Arctomys latrans. Harlan, Fauna, p. 30G.
The Prairie Marmot. Godman, iVaZ. ^^i^-i., vol. ii. p. 114.

.4. Spermophilus ? {Ludovicianus^) super cervinus pilis nigris interspersis : suiter sordide. albus, ungue pollicariconic»

majusculo, cauda brevi apicem versus fuse o torquata.
Wistonwish, having cheek.pouches ? back reddish-brown mixed with gray and black; soiled white belly; a rather

large conical thumb-nail ; and a short tail banded with brown near the tip.

This animal, which has acquired so many appellations since the year 1807,
inhabits the banks of the Missouri and its tributaries. The best account of its
habits are given by Lieutenant Pike, and Captains Lewis and Clark. M.
Rafinesque, considering ihe petit chien, briefly noticed by Lewis and Clark, in their

MAMMALIA. 155

first volume, to be distinct from the barking squirrel, more fully described in their
third volume, drew up from their notices the characters of his Cynomys socialis, and
C. cinereus. Dr. Harlan has given the name of Arctomys latrans to the Cynomys
socialis, at the same time treating of the Arctomys hudoviciamis as a separate
species. An attentive perusal of Lewis and Clark's narrative, however, has led to
the conclusion, that, in the passages cited above, these travellers speak only of one
species of marmot under a variety of names *; and Mr. Say seems, also, to have
been of this opinion. Lewis and Clark, vol. i., page 246, mention a small
animal, about one-third of the size of their Missouri burrowing squirrel, but other-
wise closely resembling it. They could not obtain a specimen, and its characters,
therefore, have not been recorded by them ; but from their vicinity at the time to
ihe plains of the Saskatchewan, from the general colour of the animal, and from
their description of its earths, it most probably was the taivny marmot (No. 52)
of this work. The genus Cynomys of M. Rafinesque corresponds to the Spermo-
philus of M. F. Cuvier ; but the characters given by the latter author are more
precise and more skilfully drawn up. The following account of the Wistonwish is
quoted from Mr. Say, whose description was taken chiefly from a well-prepared
specimen, presented by Lewis and Clark to the Philadelphia museum. It seems
to differ from other American marmots, in the length of its thumb-nail, and to
approach in that respect to the A.fulvus of Lichtenstein.

"This interesting and sprightly little animal has received the name of Prairie
dog, from a fancied resemblance of its warning cry, to the hurried barking of a
small dog. The sound may be imitated, by the pronunciation of the syllable,
^chek, chek, chek !' in a sibilated manner, and in rapid succession, by propelling
the breath between the tip of the tongue and the roof of the mouth. As particular
places are in general occupied by the burrows of these animals, such assemblages
of dwellings are denominated Prairie-dog villages, by the hunters. They vary
widely in extent, — some being confined to an area of a few m.iles, others are
bounded by a circumference of many miles. Only one of these villages occurred
between the Missouri and the Prairie towns ; thence to the Platte they were much
more numerous. The entrance to the burrow is at the summit of the little mound
of earth, brought up by the animal during the progress of the excavation below.
These mounds are sometimes inconspicuous, but generally somewhat elevated
above the common surface, though rarely to the height of eighteen inches. Their
form is that of a truncated cone, on a base of two or three feet, perforated by a

^ * The Burrowing Squirrel of tlie Columbia {Arctomys hrachyxtrus of Dr. Harlan, and of this work) is described by
ttiem, in their third volume, as different from the Blissouri animal, mentioned also by the name of burrowing squirrel
in their first volume.

X2

156 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

comparatively large hole or entrance at the summit^ or in the side. The whole
surface, but more particularly the summit, is trodden down and compacted, like a
•well-worn pathway. The hole descends, vertically, to the depth of one or two feet,
whence it continues in an oblique direction downward. A single burrow may have
many occupants. We have seen seven or eight individuals sitting upon one
mound. The burrows occur usually at intervals of about twenty feet. They
delight to sport about the entrance of their burrows in pleasant weather. At
the approach of danger they retreat to their dens, or when its proximity is not
too immediate, they remain, barking and flourishing their tails, on the edge of
their holes, or sitting erect, to reconnoitre. When fired upon in this situation,
they never fail to escape, or, if killed, instantly to fall into their burrows, where
they aie beyond the reach of the hunter. As they pass the winter in a lethargic
sleep, they lay up no provision of food for that season, but defend themselves from
its rigours by accurately closing up the entrance of the burrow. The further
arrangements, which the Prairie dog makes for its comfort and security, are well
worthy of attention. He constructs for himself a very neat globular cell, with fine
dry grass, having an aperture at top, large enough to admit the finger, and so
compactly formed, that it might almost be rolled over the floor without injury."

DESCRIPTION.

"The animal is of a liglit, dirty reddish-brown colour above, which is intermixed with some
gray, also a few black hairs. This coating of hair is of a dark lead colour, next the skin, thea
bluish-white, then light reddish, then gray at the tip. The lower parts of the body are of a dirty
■white colour. The head is wide and depressed above, with large eyes ; the iris is dark brown ;
the ears are short and truncated ; the tvhiskers of moderate length, and black ; a few bristles
project from the anterior portion of the superior orbit of the eye, and a few also from a wart on
the cheek ; the nose is somewhat sharp and compressed ; the hair of the anterior legs, and
that of the throat and neck, is not dusky at the base. All the feet are five-toed, covered with
very short hair, and armed with rather long, black nails : the exterior one of the fore-foot
nearly attains the base of the next, and the middle one is half an inch in length ; the thumb is
armed with a conic nail, three-tenths of an inch in length ; the fail is rather short, banded
with brown near the tip, and the hair, excepting near the body, is not plumbeous at the base."

Dimensions

Of the above specimen.

Inches. Lines.

Length of head and body 16 0

„ the tail 2 9

„ the tail, including the fur .... 3 4

Lieutenant Pike's description, as far as it goes, agrees nearly with the above. " They have a

MAMMALIA. 157

dark brown colour, except their bellies, which are white ; their tails are not so long as those of
the gray squirrels, but are shaped the same." In page 93 of the first volume of Lewis and
Clark's narrative, where the animal is termed petit chien, it is stated that " The head resembles
the squirrel in every respect, except that the ear is shorter ; the tail like that of the ground
squirrel ; the toe-nails are long ; the fur fine, and the long hair is gray." In the third
volume, where it is called barking squirrel, the following particulars are mentioned: — "This
animal commonly weighs three pounds ; the colour is an uniform, bright brick- red and gray, and
the former predominates; the under side of the neck and belly are lighter than other parts
of the body ; the legs are short, and the breast and shoulders wide ; the head is short and
muscular, and terminates more bluntly, wider, and flatly than the common squirrel ; the ears
are short and have the appearance of amputation ; the jaw is furnished with a pouch to contain
his food, but not so large as that of the common squirrel*^ ; each foot has five toes, and the
two outer ones are much shorter than those in the centre. The two inner toes of the fore-feet
are long, sharp, and well adapted to digging and scratching. From the extremity of the nose
to the end of the tail, this animal measures one foot and five inches, of which the tail occupies
four inches."

Of the five preceding Marmots, the Arctomys Empetra has a slight folding of the
lining of the mouth, forming the rudiment of a cheek-pouch ; the A. pruinosus
has not been examined ; the presence or absence of cheek-pouches in the A.
hrachyurus is not noted by its describers ; the " ample" cheek-pouches of the
A. monax rest on the authority of Dr. Godman ; and those of the A. hudomcianus
are mentioned by Lewis and Clark alone, whilst their having escaped the notice of
so accurate an observer as Mr. Say, excites some doubt of their existence. The
Spermophiles, described in the following pages, have all cheek-pouches, which,
indeed, furnish the only character that distinguishes the sub-genus from the other
marmots. The solitary mode of life attributed to the Spermophiles, and some
other peculiarities, apply principally to A. citillus, and so many species have
been added since M. F. Cuvier first described the genus Spermophilus, that its
characters require to be re-modelled.

• It is not easy to divine what the " Commou Squirrel " is which has ample cheek -pouches.

158

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

£50.] 6. Arctomys (Spermophilus) Parryi. (Richardson.)

Parry s Marmot.

Genus Arctomys. Gmelin. Cdvieh. Sub.genus Spermophilus. F. Cuvier.
Ground squirrel. Hearne's Journey, pp. 141 and 386.
Quebec marmot. Forster, Phil. Trans., Ixii. p. 378.
Arctomys alpina. Parry's Second Voy., p. CI, Narrative.
Arctomys Parryi. Richardson, Parry's Second Voy., App., p. 316.
Seek-Seek. EsatilMAUX. Thce-thiay (Rock badger.) Chepewyans.

■A. Spermophilus (Parryi) auricuUs brevissimis, corpore super griseo nigrove creberrime. albo guttato ; subter
helvolo, vultu, badio, caudd pedes posticos esctensos tertid parte superante plana versus apicem nigra margine
extimo albescenti subtus helvold.

Parry's Mai-mot, with cheek-pouches, very short ears, body thickly spotted above with white on a gray or black ground,
pale rust-coloured beneath, face chestnut-coloured, the tail one-third part longer than the hind-feet,
stretched out flat, black at the extremity, with a narrow white margin, rust-coloured beneath.

Plate x.
This spermophile inhabits the barren grounds skirting the sea-coast from
Churchill in Hudson's Bay round by Melville Peninsula^ and the whole northern
extremity of the continent to Behring's Straits, where specimens precisely similar
were procured by Captain Beechey. It abounds in the neighbourhood of Fort
Enterprise, near the southern verge of the barren grounds, in latitude 65°, and is
also plentiful on Cape Parry, one of the most northern parts of the continent. It
is found generally in stony districts, but seems to delight chiefly in sandy hillocks
amongst rocks, where burrows, inhabited by different individuals, may be often
observed crowded together. One of the society is generally observed sitting erect
on the summit of the hillock^ whilst the others are feeding in the neighbourhood.
Upon the approach of danger, he gives the alarm, and they instantly betake them-
selves to their holes, remaining chattering, however, at the entrance until the
advance of the enemy obliges them to retire to the bottom. When their retreat
is cut off, they become much terrified, and seeking shelter in the first crevice that
offers, they not unfrequently succeed only in hiding the head and fore-part of the
body, whilst the projecting- tail is, as is usual with them when under the influence
of terror, spread out flat on the rock. Their cry, in this season of distress, strongly
resembles the loud alarm of the Hudson's Bay Squirrel, and is not very unlike the
sound of a watchman's rattle. The Esquimaux name of the animal seek-seek is an
attempt to express this sound. According to Hearne, they are easily tamed, and
are very cleanly and playful in a domestic state. They never come abroad during

T'lH

. MAMMALIA. 15^

the winter. Their food appears to be entirely veg-etable ; their pouches being
generally observed to be filled^ according to the season, with tender shoots of
herbaceous plants^ berries of the alpine arbutus^ and of other trailing shrubs^ or
the seeds of bents,, grasses, and leguminous plants. They produce about seven
young at a time.

The accompanying figure was drawn from a specimen procured on the bank&
of the Mackenzie.

DESCRIPTION.

Dentition the same as in the^. Richardsonii hereafter described. Forehead flat, straight j
nose short, thick, and very obtuse, projecting a little beyond the upper incisors, and covered
•with a close coat of very short, pale, yellowish-brown hairs. The face is clothed with short
brownish-orange or reddish-brown hairs, mixed with a few coarser black ones. There are
some short black ivhiskers on the upper lip, also a few black hairs over the eye and on the
posterior part of the cheeks, none of them exceeding half the length of the head. The eyes
are large fend promilient. The ear consists merely of a low, much rounded, hairy flap, not
above two or two and a half lines high, and situated above the ayditory opening, which is
large. The cheeks are of a paler red than the face, and in some specimens exhibit a con-
siderable intermixture of gray. The cheek-pouches are pretty large, and open into the mouth
immediately anterior to the grinders. The body, when the animal is fat, is thick, and flattish.
on the back, with a considerable breadth posteriorly. It is covered above with a dense coat
of short soft fur, consisting of a fine down, which has a dark smoke-gray colour at the roots,
pale French-gray in the middle, and yellowish-gray at the summits ; and of longer hairs, of
which the greater part are tipped with white, but many have lengthened black summits. The
colours are so disposed as to produce a crowded assemblage of somewhat quadrangular white
spots, margined and separated by black and yellowish-gray. The spots are nowhere well-
defined, but they are most so on the posterior part of the back. On the upper aspect of the
neck, and towards the sides, the white hairs, although numerous, do not produce spots. The
throat, sides of the neck, outside of the shoulders, fore and hind legs, and the whole inferior
aspect of the body have a colour intermediate, between brownish-red and brownish-orange,
which is generally most intense on the sides of the neck, but varies in brightness with the
season of the year. The hair on the belly and thighs is longer, and not so close as that of
the back, and has less down intermixed with it.

The tail is flat, and rounded at ihe tip ; its hair, particularly that inserted on the sides,
being capable of a distichous arrangement. In this state it presents on its upper surface a
mixture of gray, brown, and black in the centre, then a black border, becoming much broader
towards the tip of the tail ; and, lastly, a narrow margin of soiled brownish-white. Under-
neath it has an unmixed brownish-red colour to near the tip, where the black border and
pale margin appear. The hairs of the tail become longer towards its extremity, and there

160

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

they are blackish at the roots, then yellowish-brown for a short space, then brownish-black
for more than half their length ; and, lastly, tipped with pale brownish-white.

Extremities. — ^There is a tuft of four or five longer hairs on the posterior part of the
fore-leg. The toes are well separated, and are covered above with short adpressed hairs.
They are naked beneath, and have a callous enlargement at the roots of the claws. The
palms are also naked, and have similar callous eminences to those mentioned in the
description of A. Richardsonii. The very small thumb is protected and almost entirely
covered by a short, convex, rounded nail, and is situated on 'the inner s ide of a large
tubercle at the posterior part of the palm. The toes and claws have the same relative
length to each other as those of the A. Richardsonii, but the claws are larger in proportion.
The hind-feet are also similar in form to those of the animal just-mentioned. About half
an inch of the sole, next the heel, is well clothed with hair, the remainder is naked.

Lengi

Dimensions.

Inches.

Lines.

Inches

h of head and body

12 to 14

0

Length of the palm and middle fore-toe . 1

, head . ,

3

0

„ the middle fore-claw . , 0

, tail (vertebrse)

3

0

„ from heel to point of middle hind-

, tail including fur .

4

6

claw . . , . 2

, from the orbit to end of the

nose 1

0

„ the middle hind-claw . • 0

, orbit , ,

0

5

Lines.
4

7

MAMMALIA.

161

Arctomys Parryi, var. (3, erythrogluteia.

This variety^ procured by Mr. Drummond on the Rocky Mountains,, near the
sources of the Elk River^ in latitude 57°, differs from the preceding merely in
being- of somewhat smaller size, with a proportionally shorter head, longer tail,
smaller claws, and an ear about as high again, and of a more ovate form. There
is an obscure brownish streak down the centre of the back, the black hairs pre-
dominate on the upper part of the neck, and the space between the ear and eye is
occupied by an intimate intermixture of black and white hairs. The feet and
posterior surface of the hips and thighs are of a bright brownish-red colour. In all
other respects the resemblance to var. a, is very close.

DiMEKSIONS

OF

VAIl. /3.

Inches.

Lines.

Inches.

Lines

Length of head and body

11

0

Length of middle fore, claw

0

H

„ head

2

4

„ from heel to end of middle hind-

,, tail (vertebrse)

3

6

claw

1

9

,, tail, fur included

. 5

3

„ middle hind claw

0

4

,, palm and middle fore-claw

1

2

Arctomys Parryi, var. 7, ph^ognatha.

There is a specimen of a third variety in the Museum of the Zoological Society,
which was also brought from Hudson's Bay, but the particular district not
mentioned. It is characterized chiefly by a well-defined, deep, chestnut-coloured
mark under the eye.

162 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[51.] 7. Arctomys (Spermophilus) GUTTATUS ? The American Souslik.

Mus citilliis, var. guttata. Pallas, Glir. tab. 6. B. ?
Spermophilus guttatus. Temminck, Tab. Meth.?

A. Spermophilus {guttatus Americanus) auricvUs nullis, corpore super xerampelino creberrime alho giUtato suiter
ochreo, cauda abbreviaia corpore concolori, naso convexo fernighieo., palpebris labiisque albidis.

American Souslik, without external ears, having the upper parts of a clove-brown colour, varied by small crowded white
spots, the under parts and feet ochre-coloured, a short tail coloured like the body, convex reddish-brown.
nose, and whitish eyelids and lips.

Mr. Douglas broug-ht a small marmot from the western side of the Rocky
Mountains,, and several injured specimens of the same species exist in the Museum
of the Hudson's Bay Company. I can detect no external characters (except that
the spots on its fur are more crowded and indistinct) to distinguish it from the mus
noricus of Agricola or Hungarian Souslik, which I know only from the descriptions
and figures given by authors ; but a scull of the latter preserved in the College of
Surgeons^ although of the same size with the American animal, differs from it in
having a more arched facial line, and in possessing an uniform degree of curvature
from the occiput to the end of the nose. The American Soushk has a convex
nose^ with the frontal bone depressed between the orbits as in the A. Richardsonii,
It resembles the A. Farryi very closely in the colours and markings of its fur^
though it has not, when recent, one-third of the weight of that animal^ and its feet
and claws are much smaller^ being less than those even of the A. lateralis. I
have been able to collect no particular information respecting its habits. It
seems to be confined to the western declivity of the Rocky Mountains. Buffon
mentions that the name of Souslik given to the A. guttatus, on the Wolga, is
intended to express the great avidity that animal has for salt^ which induces it to
go on board vessels laden with that commodity, where it is often taken.

DESCRIPTION.

Dentition precisely similar to that of A. Richardsonii. Incisors slightly yellow. Cheek-
pouches. Nose obtuse; facial line slightly arched. Whiskers black, not strong. No external
ears, the auditory opening being surrounded merely by a thickish margin, having the appearance
of the cicatrix of an ear that has been cut off. Colour. — The upper surface of the nose is
reddish-brown, mixed with a few black and some white hairs. The upper lip, the upper and
under eye-lids, and the whole under jaw, are white. The cheeks and upper aspect of the

MAMMALIA.

m

head are of a mixed gray colour, produced by the fur being dark brown, ringed towards the
tips with white and frequently tipped with black. The whole of the back and upper surface
of the tail has a motled gray colour, produced by numerous small, somewhat quadrangular
white spots, spread over a dark ground, of a colour intermediate between clove and liver-
browns. The white nearly equals the brown in quantity, and the spots are less distinct
towards the sides. The fur is short and not very fine, dark towards the roots, ringed with
white above, and intermixed with longer hairs, having black tips. The throat, breast, belly,
under surface of the tail, and the extremities, are of a pale ferruginous colour, approaching to
ochre-yellow.

The tail is rather slender, and, excluding the fur at its tip, is about the same length
with the posterior extremities when stretched out, or about one-seventh of the length of
the body. The extremities are shaped like those of the other spermophiles, but the toes and
claws are more slender than usual. The palms are naked, and are entirely occupied by five
tubercles, \\z. three at the roots of the toes, and two behind them of a larger size. At the
base of the inner posterior tubercle there is a small convex obtuse nail, which is the only
vestige of a thumb. As is usual in the spermophiles, the second fore-toe and claw is longer
than the others, the third is scarcely longer than the first, and the fourth is the length of its
-claw shorter than the third. The fore-claws are slender, much compressed, and slightly
curved. The soles are naked, but in some measure protected by the hairs which curve in
from the margins of the tarsus. The three middle toes are nearly equal in length, the fifth is
considerably shorter, and the first is shorter than the fifth. The hind claws are much shorter,
not so much compressed, less curved, and more excavated beneath than the fore ones. All
the" claws are black.

Length of the head and body . , 8

„ body . .6

„ head . , 2

„ tail (vertebrae) . )

„ tail, including fur . 2

„ from wrist joint to end of middle

fore-daw . . .1

„ middle fore-claw . 0

Dimensions.

Lines.

6
6
0

0
3i

Length from heel to end of middle hind-claw
,, of the middle hind-toe and claw
„ middle hind-claw

,, cranium from end of the

nasal bones to the occipital spine
„ nasal bones

Breadth of the frontal bones between the
orbits ....

Inches,
1
0
0

I
0

0

Lines.
3

11

71
6i

liength of the head and body
„ tail

„ taU, including the fur

Dimensions
Of a second specimen.
Inches. Lines. Lines.

• 9 6 [ Length from the anterior part of the orbit to

I 6 the end of the nose . . •71

.2 0

Y 2

164 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[52.] 8. Arctomys (Spermophilus) Richardsonii. (Sabine.)

The Tawny Marmot*

Arctomys Richardsonii. Sabine, Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 589. t. 28. Idem, Franklin's Journ., p. 662. i
Griffith, An. Kingd., vol. v. p. 246. No. 639. British Museum, Spec. 110,
Tawny American Marmot. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 111.

A. Spermophilus {Richardsonii) super cervinus pilis nigris interspersis subter pallidior, cauda brevi corpore

concolori margine pallido, auriculis brevissimis.
Tawny Blarmot, with cheek-pouches ; hack yellowish -gray, interspersed with hlack hairs ; helly pale grayish-orange ;

a short tail coloured like the body with a pale margin ; very short ears.

Plate xi.

This animal inhabits the grassy plains that lie between the north and south
branches of the Saskatchewan River^ living in deep burrows, formed in the sandy
soil. It is very common in the neighbourhood of Carlton-house,, its burrows being
scattered at short distances over the whole plain. It can scarcely be said to live in
villages, though there are sometimes three or four of its burrows on a sandy hum-
mock, or other favourable spot. The burrows are proportionable to the size of the
animal, generally fork or branch off near the surface, and descend obliquely down-
wards to a considerable depth ; some few of them have more than one entrance.
The earth scraped out in forming them is thrown up in a small mound at the mouth
of the hole, and on it the animal seats itself on its hind-legs, to overlook the short
grass, and reconnoitre before it ventures to make an excursion. In the spring,
there are seldom more than two, and most frequently only one individual seen at
a time at the mouth of a hole ; and although I have captured many of them at that
season, by pouring water into their burrows, and compelling them to come out, I
have never obtained more than one from the same hole, unless when a stranger
has been chased into a burrow already occupied by another. There are many
little, well-worn pathways diverging from each burrow, and some of these roads
are observed, in the spring, to lead directly to the neighbouring holes, being most
probably formed by the males going in quest of a mate. The males fight when
they meet on these excursions, and it not unfrequently happens that the one which
is worsted loses a part of its tail as he endeavours to escape. They place no
sentinels, and there appears to be no concert between the tawny marmots
residing in the neighbourhood, every individual looking out for himself. They

4C^:^^

MAMMALIA, 165

never quit their holes in the winter ; and I believe they pass the greater part of
that season in a torpid state. The ground not being thawed when I was at
Carlton-house, I had not an opportunity of ascertaining how their sleeping apart-
ments were constructed, nor whether they lay up stores of food or not. About
the end of the first week of April, or as soon as a considerable portion of the
ground is bare of snow, they come forth ; and, when caught on their little
excursions, their cheek-pouches generally contain the tender buds of the ajiemone
nuttalliana, which is very abundant, and the earliest plant on the plains. They are
fat when they first appear, and their fur is in good condition ; but the males
immediately go in quest of the females, and in the course of a fortnight they become
lean, and the hair begins to fall off. They run pretty quick, but clumsily, and
their tails at the same time move up and down with a jerking motion. They dive
into their burrows on the approach of danger, but soon venture out again if they
hear no noise, and may be easily shot with the bow and arrow, or even knocked
down with a stick, by any one who will take the trouble to lie quietly on the grass
near their burrow for a few minutes. Their curiosity is so great, that they are sure
to come out to look around. As far as I could ascertain, they feed entirely on vege-
table matters, eating in the spring the young buds and tender sprouts of herbaceous
plants, and in the autumn the seeds of grasses and leguminous plants. Their cry,
when in danger, or when angry, so nearly resembles that of the Arctomys Parryi,
that I am unable to express the difference in letters. Several species of falcon
that frequent the plains of the Saskatchewan, prey much on these marmots ; but
their principal enemy is the American badger, which, by enlarging their burrows,
pursues them to their inmost retreats. Considerable parties of Indians have also
been known to subsist for a time on them, when the larger game is scarce, and
their flesh is palatable when they are fat. I have no precise information respecting
the range of this animal. It inhabits sandy prairies, is not found in thickly
wooded parts, and nowhere, I believe, further north than latitude 55°. It is
mentioned in the Appendix to Captain Franklin's Journey, that it was found on
the shores of the Arctic Sea ; but incorrectly, as I have since ascertained that I
had mistaken the preceding species for this one. It is one of the animals known to
the residents of the fur-countries by the name oi ground squirrel ; and to Canadian
voyagers, by that of siffleiir ; — it has considerable resemblance to the squirrels,
but is less active, and has less sprightliness and elegance in its attitudes. It is
most readily distinguished from the squirrels by the smallness of its ears ; the shape
of its incisors, which are larger, but not so strong, and much less compressed ; the
second, and not the third fore-toe, being the largest ; and its comparatively long

166 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

claws^ and less bushy tail. It seems to be the American representative of
the A. (spermophilus) concolor, or jevraska of Siberia. The Tawny Marmot has
been hitherto known only by Mr. Sabine's account^ in the Linnean Transactions, of
one obtained on Captain Franklin's first expedition. That description_, owing to
the imperfections of the specimen, is incorrect, in ascribing to the animal '^ a
tapering, sharp nose/' instead of a thick one, fully as obtuse as that of either the
preceding or following species, and considerably more so than that of the Hudson's
Bay squirrel. The figure, also, in the Linnean Transactions, is incorrect, in the
shape of the ears, and does not give so good an idea of the form of the animal, as.
Landseer's excellent etching in this work.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula ; incisors f, canines IJ^, molars '^ = 22,

The incisors are straw-coloured, rounded anteriorly, without the vestige of a groove, and
not so much compressed as the incisors of a squirrel, being fully as broad transversely as
they are from before backwards. The upper ones have even cutting edges, the under ones
rounded edges. In general form and structure, the upper grinders are similar to those of the
A7'ct. empetra, but they are rather more compressed, the duplicature of the plate of the
enamel from without inwards being more acute in proportion. The lower grinders have also
the same general form, but the points are more distinct, and the anterior pair of points on
each tooth rise in a more remarkable manner above the posterior pair.

Skull. — The os-frontis is flat between the orbits as in the Quebec marmot ; the nasal
process, however, does not rise, but forms with the nasal bones part of a flat, elliptical arch,
that extends from the occipital ridge nearly to the end of the nose, when it drops rather sud-
denly. The margin of the orbits is a little raised. The distance between the orbits is only
about 4 lines or 44 lines, being less than in the Arctomys Franklinii, and not above half the
space that exists between the orbits of the Sciurus Hudsonim. The capacity of the cavity
for containing the brain, is less in proportion than in the ^. Franklinii. The zygomatic
process is broader than in the latter animal, and has a large, hollow surface, for the lodgment
of the muscles.

Body, a little shorter, but thicker than that of the Hudson's Bay squirrel. Head roundish,
depressed ; nose obtuse ; the naked septum and margiri of the nostrils is of a blackish- brown
colour. The end of the nose is covered with very short, grayish hairs ; the rest of the face,
and dorsal aspect of the head, is coloured like the back, but has sometimes a darker yellowish-
brown tinge. Whiskers, black, shorter than the head. Cheek-pouches, capable of containing
a chestnut. Eyes, large. Ears, small, rounded, about a line high, situated above and
behind the auditory opening, thick, and clothed with short hairs. There is no part of the
auricle anterior to the auditory canal.

The colour of the back is yellowish-brown, verging towards gray, intermixed with black
hairs ; the fur is short and fine. On the sides the fur is a little longer, and has more of a

MAMMALIA. 167

yellowish-gray hue^ with few of the black hairs. The fur on the belly is longer but tliinner
than that on the back, and its colour is between pale rufous and yellowish-gray. The cheeks,
throat, and inside of the thighs are very pale ash-gray, verging towards white. The buttocks
and under surface of the tail have generally more or less of a rufous tinge. The far
throughout the body is shining pale ash-gray for the greater part of its length, the brown
tints being confined to the tips. The black hairs which are intermixed, are longer than the
others, and are of one colour their whole length. The tail is flat or depressed, nearly linear,
and rounded at the end. It is less than one-fourth of the length of the body and head, and
is clothed with hairs longer than the fur of the body, and capable of a distichicous arrange-
ment. The upper surface of the tail is darker than the back, the central parts, when the
hairs are spread out, being a mixture of black and rusty brown, in nearly equal proportions,
but not banded or spotted, being only clouded. The extremities of the hairs, and, conse-
quently, the margin of the tail, have a rusty colour, becoming paler towards the tips, which
are almost white. The hairs of the tail at its extremity are the longest, being an inch in
length, but the tail is by no means bushy.

There are four toes and a minute thumb on the fore-feet. The toes are covered above
with a close smooth coat of hair. On the naked palms there are five callous tubercles, one
small one at the root of the inner toe, a similar one at the root of the outer toe, and one a
little larger common to the two middle ones. Tliere is a pretty large one adjoining to the
thumb, and one nearly as large and of a conical form opposite to it. The first and third toe
are of tlie same length, the middle one is the longest, and the outer one is the shortest and
furthest back. The thumb has a very short joint, and is armed with a small convex obtuse
claw. The claws of the toes are long and much compressed, their edges being in contact
beneath, nearly to the tips, where they separate to form a narrow groove. Hind-feet with
five toes. Sole naked, its heel alone being protected by hairs which grow on its sides and
curve over it. It has four smooth tubercles, one of which is common to the middle and fourth
toe, and the other three are proper to the inner, second, and outer toes. The toes are slender
and distinct, a slight duplicature only of naked skin appearing at their bases when they are
pulled apart. The three middle toes differ little in length, and arise together ; the other two
are considerably smaller, and have their origin further back. The claws are shorter than
those of the fore-feet, though of similar shape, except that the edges are not in contact
beneath. All the claws are dark brownish-black.

Line:.
10

3

lOJ
8
4i.

Dimensions

Of a recent fafl-

grown specimen.

Inches.

Lines*

Inches,

gth of body and head

. 9

8

Length from heel to tip of middle hind-claw I

„ head

2

4

„ of middle hind-claw . . 0

„ body

. 7

4

,, of the cranium, from the end of the

„ tail (vertebrae)

2

0

nasal bone to the occipital ridge . I

„ tail, including fur

. 3

3

„ of the nasal bones . . 0

„ middle fore-claw

0

6

Distance between the orbits in the scull . 0

The females are generally smaller than the males.

168 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[53.] 9. Arctomys (Spermopiiilus) Franklinii. (Sabine.)

Franklins Marmot.

Arctomys Franklinii. Sabine, Lin. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 19. Franklin's Journ., p. 662. Harlan, Fauna, p. 167.
Franklin's Marmot. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. xi. p. 109.

A. SpEUMOrHiLus (Franklinii) corpore super cervino ferrugineove creherriml nigro maculato subter albido, vultu ex
nigra canescenti, caudd elongata cylindrica pilis albis nigro ter quaterve torquatis vestita.

Franklin's Marmot, with cheek pouches ; the upper surface of the body spotted thickly with black, on a yellowish-brown
ground, under surface grayish-white ; face black and white, intimately and equally mixed ; tail long, cylin-
drical, and clothed with hairs which are ringed alternately with black and white.

Plate xii.

This animal was seen only in the neighbourhood of Carlton-house^ where it lives
in burrows dug- in the sandy soil, amongst the little thickets of brushwood that
skirt the plains. It is about three weeks later in its appearance in the spring- than
the Arctomi/s Richardsonii, probably from the snow lying- longer on the shady
places it inhabits than on the open plains frequented by the latter. It runs on
the ground with considerable rapidity, and never, as far as I could learn^ ascends
trees. It has a louder and harsher voice than the A. Bfichardsonii, more resembling-
that of the Sciurus Hudsonius when terrified. Its food consists principally of the
seeds of leguminous plants^ which it can procure in considerable quantity as soon
as the snow melts and exposes the crop of the preceding year.

DESCRIPTION.

Franklin's Marmot has somewhat the shape of the Hudson's Bay Squirrel, but is larger.
It is more slender than the Arctomys Richardsonii. Its nose is not so obtuse as that of the
latter, but the difference is not great. The septum, naked margins of the nostrils, and margins
of the lips are of a light flesh-colour. In the Arctomys Richardsonii these parts are dark,
approaching to black. The ears are longer than those of the A. Richardsonii, having a
jnore conspicuous erect rounded flap, covered with hairs similar to those on the crown of the
head ; they resemble in form the ears of the Hudson's Bay Squirrel, but are not so large.
Eye larger than that of Sciurus Hudsonius. Cheek-pouches of a moderate size. Whiskers
mostly black.

The fur is coarser than that o( A. Richardsonii ; it is about four or five lines long. The
colour of the back is pale reddish-brown, minutely and regularly speckled with black. The
tips of all the hairs are brown ; the black forms a ring beneath the brown ; below the black

MAMMALIA.

169

the hair is brownish-gray, and at the bottom bluish-black. Black specklings occur on the
crown of the head, cheeks, and shoulders, but the tips of the hairs covering those parts are
white. On the top of the head the hair is short, and there is a large proportion of black in
that part. The eyelids are white, sometimes the brownish tints are very pale, and the animal
is orizzly on all the upper parts as in the individual described by Mr. Sabine. The throat,
chin, lower parts of the cheeks, inside of the thighs, and all the under parts are of a soiled
white without spots. The fur on the belly is rather thin, but of the same length with that
on the back.

The hairs on the tail are longer than those on the back, and are barred with black and
Avhite, which, when the hairs are distichously arranged, produces an indistinct appearance
of lono'itudinal stripes. But when the animal is pursued, the tail is cylindrical, the hairs
standing out in every direction. In this state, which was the only one in which I had an
opportunity of observing the living animal, the black and white colours of the tail are
intermixed, and in nearly equal proportions. The white forms the tips of the hairs, and
when they are spread out, the tail consequently appears to be bordered with white. There
is no difference of colour between the upper and under surface of the tail, in which respect
this species of marmot differs from all the others I have seen except the A. Beecheiji and
A. Douglasii. The scrotum is large and prominent in the spring, but not pendulous. The
feet are formed like those of A. Richardsonii, and are covered with short hairs, black at the
roots and white at the tips. The thumb has one joint, and is larger than those of the latter
animal, but has a smaller nail, which is white. The Sciurus Hudsonius has a shorter thumb
than either of these marmots, but it is armed with a more conspicuous nail. The hind-feet
when stretched out reach to the middle of the tail. The palms are naked. The hind soles
are hairy for about two-thirds of their length from the heels. The claws are dark at the base,
and pale-brown at their points.

On comparing the skull of this marmot with that of A. Richardsonii, the cavity for con-
taining the brain appears greater in proportion, and there is a considerably greater breadth
between the orbits. The margins of the orbits are not elevated as in the latter, but the bone
lying between them forms a regular arch in a longitudinal direction, though it is flat trans-
versely. The space between the orbits is not, however, so great as that between the orbits
of Sciurus Hudsonius. The teeth do not differ from those of A. Richardsonii.

DiMENSIOKS

Of a recent specimen full grown.

Lines. '"*«=• Lines.

Length of middle fore-claw . .0 6|

„ from heel to end of middle hind-claw 2 2

„ middle hind-claw . . 0 3|

„ height of ear . .0 3^

Inches.

I;ength of hody and head ... 10 6

„ head . . .22

„ body . . . . 8 4

„ tail (vertebrae) . .53

„ including fur . .63

170 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

-f- 10. Arctomys (Spermophilus) Beecheyi. (Richardson.)
Beecheys Marmot.

QuauhtecallotlquapaclitU, ant Coztiocotequalliu. Fern axdez, Quad. Nov. Hisp., p. 8. ? nee tamen " Le
CoqiMllin" du BUFFON.

A. Speemophilus {Beecheyi), auriculis consjneids, corpore super rufescenti-albo fvUgneoq^ie minute maculaio
undulatove suiter cervino, caudd elongata e nigro canescenti.

Beechey's Marmot, -n-itli cheek-pouches, conspicuous ears ; body above minutely spotted or waved with reddish-
white marks on a blackish -brown gi-ound, under parts pale brownish-yellow ; an unusually long, round
tail of a mixed black and white colour.

Platk xa B.

Mr, Collie, surgeon of His Majesty's ship Blossom, informs me that this kind
of Spermophile " burrows in great numbers in the sandy declivities and dry plains
in tlie neighbourhood of San Francisco and Monterey^ in California, close to the
houses. They frequently stand up on their hind legs when looking round about
them. In running, they carry the tail generally straight out, but when passing
over any little inequality, it is raised^ as if to prevent its being soiled. In rainy
weather^ and when the fields are wet and dirty, they come but little above ground.
They take the alarm when any one passes within twenty or thirty yards of them,
and run off at full speed till they reach the mouth of their hole, where they stop a
little and then enter it. They soon come out again, but with caution, and if not
molested will proceed to their usual occupations of playing or feeding. Artemisias
and other vegetable matters were found in their stomachs.''

I have not met with any description or notice of this animal by preceding-
writers unless my quotation of Fernandez be correct. In colour, size, appearance
of the tail, and in general form, it approaches closely to the Arctomys Franklimi ; its
most evident distinctive character being the greater size of its ears. The specific
name has been adopted in honour of the able and scientific Commander of the
Blossom. The Arctomys Beecheyi is an inhabitant of more southern districts than
that to which this work is confined ; but it is introduced here for the purpose of
giving as complete a list as possible of the American marmots, which, until very
latelv, have not received their due share of attention.

MAMMAUA. 171

DESCRIPTION.

Dentition precisely similar to that of the A. Richardsonii. Incisors orange-coloured. The
shape of the scull resembles that of A. Franklinii, and in the size of its body it also cor-
responds with that animal. Head broad, depressed ; nose very obtuse, covered with short
brownish hairs. Cheek-pouches moderate sized. Whiskers strong, black. Eyes large ; eye-
lids whitish. Ears flat, semi-oval, and thin like those of a squirrel, covered with short
adpressed hairs, which project a little beyond the margin at the apex. At the base both the
anterior and posterior margins of the ear fold in a little and are hairy.

The /ur covering the ear behind is brownish-black, fading towards the posterior margin into
pale brown. The hairs lining the inner surface of the ear are pale brown. The upper aspect
of the head is clothed with short yellowish-brown hairs. A stripe of a darker brown colour,
slightly sprinkled with white, is continued from the hind head to the back, on each side of
which, from the ears to the shoulders, the fur is hoary. The whole dorsal aspect of the body
is coloured by a mixture of blackish-brown and very pale wood-brown or brownish-white, so
disposed that the whitish parts appear in small but not very distinct spots, which cover more
space than the blackish tints which separate them from each other. These markings occupy
,only the tips of the fur, which is short, close, lies smoothly, and has considerable lustre.
When blown aside, the fur presents an uniform brownish-black tint, from the roots to near the
tips. The upper parts of the cheeks are hoary; their lower parts, the margins of the mouth,
the chin, the throat, and all the under parts, the insides of the thighs and shoulders, and the
fore and hind legs and feet, are of an unspotted very pale brownish-yellow colour. The hair
covering the belly is, as in the rest of the spermophiles, thinner and somewhat coarser than
that on the back. The colours of the back and belly mingle a little at their line of junction
on the sides. The tail is linear, covered throughout with hair an inch and a half long, which
is capable of a somewhat distichous arrangement. In this state it presents three longitu-
dinal brownish-white stripes, and two brownish-black ones on each side of the vertebrse ;
one of the white stripes forms the margin of the tail, and the black one next it is the
broadest. These stripes originate in the hairs being of a brownish-white colour at the root,
then black, and so on in alternate broad rings to the tips, which are whitish. The animal
when pursued resembles the A. Franklinii in carrying its tail horizontally, and it is most
probable that the hairs will then stick out in every direction, when it will appear variegated
and hoary but not striped. The rings of alternate black and white on the hairs of the tail of
A. Franklinii are more numerous, smaller, and less distinct.

The shape of the extremities is precisely the same as in the other American spermophiles.
The fore-ones are proportionably larger than those ofy4. Richardsonii, ov A. Franklinii,
Palms, naked ; thumb, larger than even that of ^. Parryi, and armed with a thin, convex,
obtuse nail, adhering closely to its phalanx. Claws black, and similar to those of ^. Rich-
ardsonii. The soles of the hind-fed are covered with hairs posteriorly, and furnished with
naked tubercles anteriorly ; and the hind-claws are similar to those of the two spermophiles
just mentioned.

Z 2

172 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Lengtli of head and body ... 1 1 0

„ head 2 3

„ body .... 8 9

„ tail (vertebrae) ... 5 0

„ tail, including fur . . 6 6

„ whiskers .... 2 0

Dimensions.

Inches, Lines. Indies. Lines*

Height of the ear .... 0 6

Width of ditto at its base ... 0 C

Length of middle fore-claw . . 0 6

„ from heel to tip of middle hind-claw 2 2

„ of middle hind-toe and claw . 1 0

,; middle hind-claw ... 0 3J

The following anatomical notices were furnished by Mr. Collie : — ^I'his spermophile has an
epiglottis ; a firm, bony clavicle ; a large, simple stomach, resembling that of man in form,
and equalling, in bulk, the whole stomach and liver. The intestinal canal is five times the
length of the body, and it is not furnished within with valvules conniventes. The ctFcum is a
large, curved, membranous pouch, three inches and a half long. The liver is of a dark-red
colour, and has a large lobulus spigelii, but its left lobe is small. The gall-bladder is deeply
imbedded in the liver. The spleen is oblong and purplish. There is no well-marked pancreas.
The kidneys are situated close to the liver ; and there are no vestiges of capsules renales*.

[54.] 11. Arctomys ? (SpERMOPHiLus ?) DouGLAsii. Doughs' s Marmot.

A. SpEUMOPHiLUS ? (Doug/asii), auriculis conspicuis, corpore super anlici pruinoso linea interscapulari nigrescenti ;■
postice pallidi brunnescenti maculis fuligneis interstincto ; sicbler sordide albeseenti, Cauda elongaid
cylindricd pilis albis nigra torquatis vestitd.

Douglas's Marmot, with cheek-pouches, conspicuous ears, upper surface of the body hoary anteriorly, with a black
stripe betwixt the shoulders ; pale-brown posteriorly, with many indistinct transverse dark marks ; tail
long, cylindrical, and clothed with hairs, which are ringed alternately with black and white.

Through the kindness of Mr. David Douglas^ I have received from the banks
of the Columbia, a hunter's skin of an animal^ which very much resembles the
preceding one. The skull and teeth are wanting, neither is it possible now ta
ascertain whether cheek-pouches existed or not;, so that^ until more perfect speci-
mens are procured, some doubt must remain as to its place in the system. The

* Fernandez gives the following account of the Coztiocotequallin : — " Quauhtecallotl-quapachtli, aut Coztiocote-
quallin a luteo alvi colore dictus, in duplam fere crescit niagnitudinem {Sciuri Mexicani) alboque, nigro et fusco colore
promiscue tegitur, si ventrem excipias qui pallens est, ant fuh'us quemadniodum attigimus, et caudam gerit praelongam,
pilosamque qua se interdum operit ; vivit in terraj foraminibus, et antris inclusus, in quibus qiioque educat prolem :
vescitur indico frumenti, quod raptum ab arvis in hyemem recondit. Versutus est velut et reliqui, nee unquain.
cicuratur, aut congenitam deponit feritatem."

MAMMALIA. 173

form of its claws^ however, the second fore-toe being- the long-est_, too-ether with
the shortness of its tail and ears^ and the quahty and colours of its fur^ induce me
to think that it is a true spermophile, nearly allied to A. Franklinii and A. Beechei/i.
It agrees with these two, in the leng-th, form, and colours of its tail ; and the
colours exhibited by its fur have such a general resemblance, that, although they
can be readily distinguished by any one who has compared them, it is not easy to
convey a distinct idea of the differences by description. The A. Dougksii is
larger than either of the other two referred to ; and its claws are shorter. Its ears
are less than those of A. Beechei/i ; but considerably larger in proportion than
those of A. Franklinii.

DESCRIPTION.

The fur, as in the other marmots, is of two kinds, — a short down, and longer and coarser
hairs. The longer hairs are slender at their roots, become thicker upwards, and then taper
suddenly near the points, which are acute. They are not so long, nor do they produce so
fine and close a covering as the fur of any of the North American squirrels which have come
under my notice. On the back the down has a blackish- brown colour, deepening into black
over the spine ; on the sides, and also on the belly, it has a clove-brown colour; but the skin
being apparently a summer one, there is very little down on the belly. The longer hairs are,
for about two-thirds of their length, of a brownish-black colour, then brownish-white for a
space, and lastly, terminated by fine black tips of various lengths. On the shoulders the
hairs near their tips are pure white, instead of brownish-white, and the black tips are slender,
and not conspicuous, except in the hairs covering the spine.

Colours of the surface of the fur. — The sides of the mouth, and a narrow space round the
eyes, are of a soiled, white hue. The tip of the nose is covered with very short, brownish
hairs. The upper surface of the head is hoary, Avith a slight tinge of brown ; the hairs
covering this part are short, and their black tips are much less conspicuous than their
brownish-white parts. The ears are clove-brown posteriorly, deepening into blackish-brown
at their margins ; they are of a paler brown anteriorly. The superior surface of the neck and
anterior part of the back appear hoary from an intimate mixture of pure white and blackish-
brown, in which the former greatly predominates except over the spine, where there is a stripe
of blackish-brown, varied by a very few of the hairs being ringed with white. The predo-
minating colour of the surface of the fur on the posterior part of the back, is brownish-white,
on which there are many small, transverse, blackish specks, not distinctly marked. The
whole under parts are of a soiled white colour, with a brownish tinge on the throat, on the
inside of the thighs, and close to the tail. The extremities are whitish, with more or less
of a brownish tinge.

The tail is long for an animal of this genus, and exactly resembles in form and colour that
of A. Franklinii. It is clothed with long hairs, white or brownish-white at the roots, thei>

174 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

ringed alternately with black and white, and, lastly, tipped with white. There are three black
rings on each hair, and the one next to the white tip is considerably broader than the others.
The hairs are equally long on all sides of the tail, which has, therefore, a cylindrical form ;
but if the animal is capable of giving them a distichous direction, there Avill then appear four
white stripes, and three black ones on each side of its vertebrae, of which the exterior of the
black ones will be the broadest, and the whole tail will have a white border. The whishers are
black, and are shorter than the head. The external ears have a semi-ovate form, and are Avell
clothed on both sides with short hair. The margins fold in at their base like the ears of a
squirrel, or like those of ^. Beecheyi.

The feet are shaped like those of the other spermophiles ; the hind soles, for more than
half their length from the heels, are thickly clothed with hair. The claws are black. The
thumb-nail very much resembles that of A. Beecheyi, but the thumb is not quite so large and
distinct as in that animal.

Length of the head and body . .13 6

„ head ... 2 7

„ tail (vertebrae) • .5 9

„ ,, with fur . .73

Dimensions.

Inches. Lines- Inches. Lines.

Length of middle fore-claw . .0 4 J
,, from the heel to the tip of the middle

hind-claw . . . .2 ]

Height of the ear, measured posteriorly . 0 6

[55.] 12. Arctomys (Spermophilus) lateralis. Say's Marmot.

Small Gray Squirrel. Lewis and Clark, vol. iii. p. 35.

Sciurus laterahs. Say, Long's Exped., vol. ii. p. 235 (vol. ii. p. 46. Amer. edit.) Harlan, Fauna, p. 181.

The Rocky Mountain Ground Squirrel. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 144.

Arctomys (Spermophilus) lateralis. Richardson, Zoo?. J'ozjrno?, vol. ii. No. 12, p. 519. April, 1828.

A. Spermophilus lateralis'), linea in iitrogue latere liiteo-albu nigro marginata.
Say's 3Iarmot, with a yellowish-white stripe, bordered with black, on each flank.

Plate xiii.

This animal is an inhabitant of the Rocky Mountains^ and the first notice of it
occurs in Lewis and Clark's memorable expedition to the Pacific Ocean. Mr. Say
first described it, and placed it among the squirrels in the sub-genus tamias. I
havCj however, removed it to M. Frederick Cuvier's sub-genus spermophilus, on

MAMMALIA. 175

account of the form of its claws and incisors. It is_, indeed, intermediate between
these very nearly allied sub-genera, with respect to its claws and teeth ; and its fur
also is finer than that of the spermophilus Hoodiij but less so than the fur of
tamias Li/steri. Its incisors are stronger and shorter^ in proportion to its size^
than those of the other marmots,, but less compressed^ and more slender than those
of the squirrel. The claws likewise are rather more curved, and deeper at the
base than those of the marmots ; but considerably larger, and not so sharp as the
claws of a squirrel. The second toe from the thumb of the fore-feet is the
longest, as in the spermophiles, and not the third, as in the squirrels. Its ears
very much resemble the ears of a ground squirrel, but are not so much pointed.
I have been able to collect no certain information respecting the manners of this
little animal. Mr. Drummond obtained several specimens on the Rocky Mountains,
in latitude 57°, and noticed that it burrowed in the ground. Lewis and Clark say
that it is common to every part of the Rocky Mountains, where wood abounds.

DESCRIPTION.

Fo7in of body, that of a spermophile or squirrel ; head, rather large ; legs, shorter than those
of a squirrel. Incisors yellowish, flattened anteriorly, and narrower behind, but not shewing
the fine and numerous grooves which are ■visible when the incisors of the Sciuriis Lysteri or
quadrivittatus are viewed with a lens. Mouth situated about as far back as that o? Arctomys
Hoodii. Forehead convex ; nose obtuse, covered with very short hairs, except a naked space
round the nostrils. Whiskers black, shorter than the head. A few long black hairs over the
eye, and on the posterior part of the cheek. Eyes, moderately large ; ears, rather larger in
proportion than those oiA. empetra ; but smaller than the ears oi Sciurus Hudsonius or
quadrivittatus, consisting of a somewhat triangular flat flap, much rounded at the apex, placed
on the upper or meesial side of the auditory opening, thickly clothed on both surfaces with
short hairs, and having a small doubling of the anterior margin to form a helix, which, where
it approaches the auditory canal, is covered with longer hairs. The fur on the back is dark
at the roots, then pale-smoke-gray for a space, then brown, and, lastly, its tips are barred
with white and dark hair-brown. The colour of the surface, when the fur lies smooth, may
be termed a hoary brownish-gray. There is no vestige of a dorsal line. A yellowish-white
streak commences close behind each ear, and running backwards along the sides, terminates
at the hip. It is widest in the middle, being there three lines broad, and in some specimens
it is very faint on the neck, though its commencement at the ear is always distinct. The white
streak is bounded above and below between the shoulder and the hip by a pretty broad border
of brownish-black. The sides under the lower black border, all the ventral aspect, the inner
surfaces of the extremities, and the breast and throat, are of a soiled yellowish-white, some-

176

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

times tinged Avith brown. The cheeks, sides of the neck, and exterior parts of the fore and
hind extremities, have more or less of a chestnut-brown hue. The crown of the head is
brown, mixed with a little gray, and is darker on the msesial line. The ears are brown on the
margins, but pale elsewhere. There is a white circle round the eye. The nose and forehead
are pale yellowish-brown, and the upper lip and chin are nearly white.

The tail is depressed or distichous, nearly linear, being only very slightly broader towards
the tip. It is black above, with an intermixture of brownish-white hairs, and is bordered
with the latter colour; yellowish-brown beneath, and margined with black and brownish-white.

The feet are shaped like those of the four preceding spermophiles. The claws are much
longer and better fitted for digging than those of the Sciiirus Lysteri or quadrivittatus.
The thumb-tubercle is far back, and has a small, obtuse nail. The hind soles are naked to
the heel, as are also the palms, and under surface of the toes. The upper surfaces of the feet
are covered with short, yellowish-white hairs, which scarcely reach beyond the roots of the
black claws.

Dimensions

Of

prepared skins.

Inches.

Lines. Inches.

Lines.

Inches.

Lines.

Lengtli

of body and head, from 7

9 to 8

6

Length of palm and middle fore-claw .

. 0

11

head alone

2

2

,, hind-sole and middle-claw

1

6

nose to auditory opening

. 1

8

,, hind middle-claw

. 0

n

tail (vertebra?)

2

9

Height of ear ....

0

4

,, including fur

. 3

9

Breadth of base of external ear .

. 0

5

middle fore-claw

0

4i

#

MAMMALIA. 177

[56.'] 13. Arctomys (Spermophilus) Hoodii. (Sabine.)

The Leopard-Marmot.

Leopard ground-squirrel. Schoolcraft, Travels, p. 313 and Index. An. 1821.

Sciurus tridecem-lineatus. " Mitchell, Med. Ileposit07-'i/, An. 1821. Described from Mr. Schoolcraft's specimen."

Arctomys Hoodii. Sabine, Lin. Trans., vol.xiii. p. 590, An. 1822. Idem. FrankUn''s Journ., p. (iC3.

Striped and spotted ground squirrel. Say, Long^s Exped.

Spermophile raye. F. CuviEn, Histoire Naturelle des Mamm. cum figura. I never saw this Marmot assume the

rounded form given to it in this figure.
Arctomys tridecem-lineata. Harlan, Fauna, p. 104.
Hood's JIarmot. Godhan, vol. ii. p. 112.

A. SrERsiopHiLUS (^Hoodii), dorso occupato lineis octo pallidc rii/escenli-croceis cum lineis novem fuscis alternantihus
quarum qidnque latioribus serie guttarumcrocearum notatis et quaiuor {duobus nempe ulrinque) inferioribus
interruptis, cauda gracili elongatd.

The Leopard Marmot, with cheek-pouches, having its bacli striped with eight pale brownish-yellow lines, wliich alter-
nate with nine broader chocolate-brown ones, of wliich the two inferior ones on each side are interrupted,
and each of the other live is marked with a row of pale spots ; a long slender tail.

Plate xiv.

This, the most beautiful of the marmots, inhabits, in considerable numbers, the
open parts of the plains in the vicinity of Carlton-house, on the Saskatchewan.
Its burrows are interspersed among those of the A. Richardsonii, but may-
be distinguished by their smaller entrances and more perpendicular direction.
Some of them will admit a stick to be thrust straight down to the depth of
four or five feet. The manners of the Leopard-marmot are similar to those
of A. Richardsonii, but it is a more active animal, and of a bolder and more
irritable disposition. When it has been driven to take shelter in its burrow^
it may be heard expressing- its anger in a shrill and harsh repetition of the
syllable seek-se&k. This Marmot makes its appearance in spring, about the
same period with the A. FranJclinii, the depth of burrow evidently preventing the
warmth of the sun from reaching it so early as it does the A. Richardsonii. The
males very soon after coming abroad go in quest of their mates, and from their
boldness at that period, they are easily captured by the many beasts and birds of
prey which frequent the plains. The males fight when they meet, and in their
contests their tails are often mutilated. I observed several individuals which had
been recently injured in this way, and it is rare to meet a male which has a tail
equalling those of the females in length. Mr. Sabine's figure, and that in the
Histoire Naturelle des Mamtniferes, have both been made from mutilated specimens.

2 A

178 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

The most northern habitat of this animal is, as far as I know^ latitude 55°,
and, according- to Mr. Say^ they are not uncommon at Engineer Cantonment on
the Missouri, and on the plains which extend from thence to the Arkansas.
Mr. Schoolcraft mentions that they are numerous on the river St. Peter^ a
tributary of the Missouri, and have been found destructive to the gardens. They
also carry away g-rain from the fields at Carlton-house. They appear to be
confined to the level sandy country, and not to inhabit the rocky and more
thickly wooded parts.

A female^ killed at Carlton-house on the 17th of May, had ten young- in
the uterus.

DESCRIPTION
From recent Specimens.

Dentition tlie same as that of yi. Richardsonii,

Form of the body much hke a squirrel's. Top of the head convex, the forehead and nose
forming a more remarkable curve than in A. Franklinii, and consequently considerably more
than in A. Richardsonii. The nose is as obtuse in proportion as that of the former of these
species, and of similar form. It is covered above and on the sides with very short pale-
brownish hairs. The septum, and naked space round the nostrils, have a pale flesh colour.
The mouth is farther back than that of ^. Richardsonii, but not so much so as that of the
A. Franklinii, having nearly the position of the mouth of the Sciurus Hudsonius. Whiskers
black, tipped with yellowish-brown, shorter than the head. The eyes are rather larger in pro-
portion than a squirrel's. The ears consist of a very low lobe behind and above the auditory
opening, covered on both sides and on the margin with short hairs ; it curves in anteriorly
to form a minute helix, which is hairy. The inferior part of the auditory opening has a
naked margin, Avhich is not elevated, and appears as if a portion had been cut away.

Colour. — The end and sides of the nose, the lower part of the cheeks, the eyelids, the
throat, belly, part of the sides, and the extremities, are covered with a moderately close coat of
pale yellowish-brown hair, sometimes, especially on the shoulders and hips, tinged with
rust-colour. The upper part of the cheeks and side of the head are covered with a mixture
of pale yellowish-brown and black. The lower jaw is nearly white. On the back there are
five stripes of a chocolate-brown colour, each stripe having down its middle a row of square
spots nearly of the same colour Avith the fur on the belly. The central stripe, running from
the crown of the head to the root of the tail, is a little broader than the others, and the pale
spots in it are smaller. These chocolate stripes are separated from each other by narrower
stripes of the same colour with the belly. There are also two narrower stripes of chocolate-
brown on each side, less distinctly marked, and Avithout spots, but separated by yellowish-
broAvn stripes ; — forming in all nine chocolate stripes and eight pale ones, five of the former
being spotted with the pale colour.

The linear tail is narrower and longer than the tails eidier of A. Franklinii or A.

MAMMALIA. 179^.

Richardsonii, having, when its hairs are distichously arranged, a pale chocolate-brchvn
colour down its middle, bounded on each side by a deeper colour, approaching to black,
and lastly the whole tail is margined by pale brownish-gray. The same colours occur on the
under surface of the tail, but there is more of the pale-brown colour and less of the black.

The feet are formed like those of A. Richardsonii. The thumb is smaller, but it has a
larger nail; it has one joint and its nail is obtuse.

Inches. Lines
} palm, middle fore-toe, and

. 0 94

middle fore-claw . 0 3

sole, middle hind-toe, and

I 4

middle hind-claw . 0 2

The largest individual I saw was a male^ which measured nearly nine inches to
the insertion of the tail. The females were smaller than the males.

Dimensions

Of a recent Blale Specimen

Inches.

Lines.

Length of head and body

7

6

Length of

„ head

1

9

claw

„ tail (vertebrae)

3

4

„

„ tail including fur

4

1

„

Distance from tip of the nose to the anterior

claw

angle of the orbit ...

0

9

55

„ posterior angle of the orbit to

the auditory opening

0

n

In addition to the nine marmots described in the preceding- pages from speci-
mens either recent or prepared, and to the four of which I have given compiled
notices. North America most probably possesses many others^ among which may
possibly be reckoned the Techallotl of Fernandez*^ which^ like the Costiocoteqiiallin
(referred to the A. Beecheyi) feeds on grain, and lives in burrows. The author
has not mentioned whether either of these two animals has cheek-pouches or not.

The European species of the genus are : —

1. A. BOBAC (Polish marmot).

2. A. MARMOTTA (incwmot of the Alps).

3. A. SPERMOPHILUS GUTTATus (sousUk oT mcinnot of the Wolga).

* " Techallotl caudam fere depilem gestat, ac" breviorem, nee dodrantem vincit longitudine ; non cicuratur, sed
perpetuo mordet atrociter et corrodit oblata omnia ; fusco et candenti colore promiscue tingitur ; et posterioribus quoque
innixus pedibus oblatam edit alimoniam, sed precipue maizii spicas apprehensas anteriorlbus ; oculi sunt magni si illos
cum ceteris partibus conferas ; vivit in antris quse unguibus facile excavat ; consternitque lana, gossipiove et quovis aho
molli stramento, ac passeres voce imitatur." — .Fernandez, Quadi: Nov. Hisp., p. 9.

2 A 2

180 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

4. A. spERMOPHiLus ciTiLLUs seu uNDULATUs {Zizcl, Susct Or Hungarian
marmot).

5. A. SPERMOPHILUS coNcoLOR (Jevrusclika or Siberian marmot).

The three last were described^ by Pallas^ as varieties of one species, which he
named mus citillus. M. Lichtenstein has lately given the characters of the three
following new ones, brought from Bucharia by M. Eversman : —

6. A. FULvus, resembling the bobac, but having only eleven inches length,
exclusive of the tail, which is three inches and one-third long. Its fur is of a
shining, yellowish-brown colour, and is mixed with an ash-gray down. Its toes
are slender, and much longer than those of the bobac, and its thumb-nail is
peculiarly long.

7. A. LEPTODACTYLus is niho inches long, exclusive of the tail, which is two
inches and three-quarters. It is remarkable for the length of its toes, which is so
great, that the distance from the heel to the root of the claw of the middle hind-toe
is equal to one-fourth of the length of the body (whilst in the bobac and Siberian
souslik, it does not exceed the eighth part). The sole is not naked, as in the other
marmots, but is clothed, as well as the under surfaces of the toes, with the exception
of the two middle ones, with close, coarse hairs. The thumb of the fore-feet is
armed with a strong, obtuse nail, which curves inwards. The fur of the back is
composed of long, crowded, silky hairs, of a gold-yellow colour, mixed with black
down. The belly is white ; the crown of the head is grayish-brown, which colour
forms sharp, angular projections towards the nose, and is intersected by a white
stripe, occupying the space between the eye and the nose, and surmounted by a
black streak reaching from the inner angle of the eye to the upper lip. The tail
is coloured above like the back ; beneath, it has a shining, black centre, with a
white border.

8. A. MUGOSARicus, is nearly nine inches long, with a tail a little exceeding an
inch, and is without nails to the fore-feet. The soles of the hind-feet are broad
and short, having only about one-tenth of the length of the body. In other
respects it perfectly resembles the souslik.

m

MAMMALIA. 181

[57.] 1. SciuRus (Tamias) Lysteri. (Ray.) The Hackee.

Genus, Sciurus. Linn. Sub-genus, Tamias. Iluger.

Escurieux Suisses. Sagahd-Theodat, Canada, p. 746.

Ground squirreL Law son, Carolina, p. 124. Catesby, Caro/., vol. ii. p.'7i>.

Edwards, vol. iv. t. 181. Kalm, vol. i. p. 322. t. i.
Sciurus Lysteri. Ray, Synops. Quadr., p. 216.
Le Suisse. Charlevoix, Nouv. Fr., vol. v. p. 198.
Striped Dormouse. Pennant, Arct. Zool, vol. i. p. 126.
Sciurus striatus. Harlan, Fauna, p. 183.
Hackee. United States.
Ohihoin. Hurons.

Sc. Tamias (Lysteri), dorso brunnescenti-griseo postice helvolo lined centrali nigra percurso, lineaque in utroque latere
alba breviori latiori super subterque nigra marginata, ventre albo, Cauda breviiisculd.

The Hackee, with cheek-pouches ; a brownish-gray back, bright orange-brown buttocks, a slender black dorsal sti-ipe,
and a broader white one on each flank, with a broad black border above and below it ; a white belly ; a
shortish tail.

Plate xv.

This eleg-ant little animal is considered, by Pallas and subsequent writers^ to be
the same with the Asiatic sciurus striatus ; but the descriptions given of the latter
do not exactly correspond with American specimens, and I am not aware that
the identity of the species on the two continents has been established by actual
comparison. The observations of Pallas on the manners and form of the Asiatic
animal apply so exactly to the American one_, that a passage or two may be
quoted from his work with advantage : —

" They dig their barrows in woody places, in small hummocks of earth_, or near
the roots of trees ; but never, like the common squirrels, make their nests in the
trunks or branches of trees, although, when scared from their holes, they climb
with facility, and make their way from branch to branch with great speed. A
winding canal leads to their nest, and they generally form two or three lateral
chambers, to store their winter food in. The striped squirrel, in its manners, and
from its having cheek-pouches, is allied to the hamster and citillus (type of the
genus spermophilus), and is likewise connected with the latter by its convex nose,
proper for an animal accustomed to dig. In its whole habit it differs from the
squirrels which live in trees, and forms, with other striped squirrels, a division of
the genus. It has a longer head than the common squirrel ; rounded ears, not
tufted ; roundish, hairy tail, which it less frequently turns up ; a slender body,
and shorter extremities. The fur, likewise, is very short, and less fine. Yet, in

182 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

its diurnal habits^ and in not becoming torpid in winter^, it comes near the
squirrels. It is difficult to tame."

The hackee is common on the north shores of Lakes Huron and Superior ; but
I do not believe that it exists in a higher latitude than the 50th parallel. Although
very wild, it is fond of establishing its abode in the immediate vicinity of man,
and multiplies greatly in cultivated places.

DESCRIPTION

Of a recent male specimen, killed in April at Penetanguishene.

Dental formula ; incisors, f ; can. ^; grinders, *Ei = 20.

Incisors of a deep yellowish-brown colour, and marked with a number of very fine longi-
tudinal furrows. They are compressed, as is usual in squirrels, but they are not so strong in
proportion as the incisors of the Hudson's Bay squirrel, though they are longer. The lower
incisors are twice as long as the upper ones. The molars are nearly equal to each other in
size, and their crowns have nearly circular slightly excavated areas, with a small notch
exteriorly ; they are surrounded by a thin plate of enamel, which acquires a black crust.

Form. — Body slender ; the head tapers from the ears to the nose ; the forehead is slightly
convex, but the crown of the head is depressed ; the nose is not very obtuse, and is clothed
with short hairs. The nostrils open downwards, and their margins and septum are naked.
The ivliishers are fine, rather shorter than the head, and of a black colour. There are also
some fine black hairs on the cheek, and one or two longer ones springing from the eyebrow.
Eyes, large ; earsy ovate, rounded, erect, covered with short hair, and without tufts on their
margins. The cheek-pouches, which are of moderate size, and extend but a very short way
behind the ear, open into the mouth between the incisors and grinders. There are nine
transverse folds or plaits on the palate, of which the five posterior ones are divided by a
msesial ridge.

Colour. — The dorsal aspect of the head is covered with yellowish-brown hairs, which are
mixed Avith a smaller number of black ones. There is a black spot near the tip of the nose.
The eyelashes are black, the eyehds white ; there is a dark brown streak between the eye
and the ear, and a broad, yellowish-brown stripe extends from the nose, under the eye,
to behind the ear, deepening in its middle to chestnut-broAvn. The anterior part of the
back is hoary-gray, from a mixture of black and white hairs. The rump, hips, and exterior
surfaces of the thighs are of a bright orange-brown colour, mixed with a few black hairs. A
dark dorsal line commences at the occiput, and reaches to within an inch of the tail. This
hne is brownish at its commencement, but deepens to black posteriorly. There are also, on
each flank, two black lines, which commence behind the shoulders, extend to the hips, and
are separated by a moderately broad white stripe. All these stripes are more or less bordered
with brown. The sides, beneath the stripes, present a mixture of gray and very light brown.
The fur, covering the throat, chin, belly, and inner surface of the extremities, is longer and

MAMMALIA. 183

thinner than that on the dorsal aspect, and is white throughout its -whole length. The fur on
the upper parts of the body forms a smooth coat, and is blackish-gray at its roots. There is
no defined line of separation betwixt the colours of the back and belly.

Tail, sub-distichous, not bushy, brown for a small space at its root, afterwards grayish
approaching to black on its upper surface, the black hairs predominating over the whitish
ones. Underneath it is reddish-brown, Avith a margin of hoary- black. When the hind-legs
are stretched out, they reach within a quarter of an inch of the tip of the tail.

Extremities. — The fore-feet have four toes, and an imperfect thumb ; the palm is naked,
with five tubercles, three of which are situated at the roots of the toes, and two larger ones
behind. On the inner side of one of these there is a minute wart in place of a thumb, entirely
covered by a thin, roundish nail ; the claws are curved, compressed, and sharp-pointed,
convex above, and channelled underneath ; they bear the same proportion to the size of the
animal that those of the Hudson's Bay squirrel do ; are much smaller than the claws of the
spermophiles, and are partially concealed by the hairs of the toes. There are five toes on the
hind-feet, — the three middle ones nearly of equal length, the outer and inner ones shorter ;
the hind part of the sole is hairy.

Dimensions

Of

a recent specimen.

Length of head and body

„ head ....

Inches.
. 6
2

Lines.
0
0

Height of ears
Breadth of ditto

Inches.
. 0
0

Lines
4
3

„ tail, including fur

. 3

8

Length of middle fore-claw .

. 0

02

„ „ (vertebrse) .

3

0

184

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[58.] 2. SciuRUs (Tamias) quadrivittatus. (Say.)

Four-banded Pouched Squirrel.

Sclurus quadrivittatus. Say, Long's Exped., vol. ii. p. 34!). (vol. ii. p. 45, Amer, Ed.) Harlan, Fauna, p. 180.

Four-lined squirrel. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 137-

Four-banded squirrel. Griffith, An. Kingd., vol. v. No. 665.

Sciurus (Tamias) quadrivittatus. Richardson, Zool. Journ., No. 12, p. 519, April, 1828.

Sassacka-wappiscoos. Cbee Indians.

Sc. Tamias {quadrivittatus'), lineis quinque nigresceniihus cum quaiuor albis alternantibus dorsumque totum ocaqyanti-
bus, lateribus fcrrugineis, veiiire cinereo, cauda gracili elongata fuligneo spadiceoque varia.

Four-banded pouched Squirrel, having five blackish lines and four alternating white ones occupying the whole back ;
reddish-brown sides and gray under parts ; with a long slender tail exhibiting dusky and light-brown colours.

Plate xvi.

This diminutive squirrel is common throughout the woody districts, as far north
as Great Slave Lake, if not farther. It is found at the south end of Lake Winipeg-,
in latitude 50°, and within that range it seems to replace the Sciurus Lysteri.
Mr. Say observed it on the Rocky Mountains near tlie sources of the Arkansas and
Platte ; and Mr. Drummond brought specimens from the sources of the Peace River,
which rises on the same ridge. It is an exceedingly active little animal, and very
industrious in storing up provision, being generally observed with its pouches full
of the seeds of leguminous plants, bents, and grasses. It is most coinmon in dry
sandy spots, where there is much underwood, and is often seen in the summer
time sporting among the branches of willows and low bushes. It is a lively,
restless animal, troublesome to the hunter, and often provokes him to destroy it
by the angry chirrupping noise that it makes on his approach, and which is a
signal of alarm to the other inhabitants of the forest. During the winter it
resides in a burrow with several openings made at the root of a tree, and is never
seen on the surface of the snow at that season. When the snow disappears, many
small collections of hazel-nut shells, from which the kernel has been extracted
by a minute hole gnawed in the side, are to be seen on the ground near its
holes. Mr. Say states its nest to be composed of an extraordinary quantity of
the burrs oi xanthitim, portions of the upright cactus, small branches of pine-trees,
and other vegetable productions, sufficient in some instances to fill a cart. On
the banks of the Saskatchewan the mouths of their burrows are not so protected.
The four-banded squirrel is, in common with the hackee, named Le Suisse by the

V

0

MAMMALIA. 185

French Canadians, an appellation which_, according to Father Theodat_, arose
from their skins being rayed with black_, white, red and gray, like the breeches
of the Switzers who formed the Pope's guard. The same author informs us that
they bite bitterly when taken.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula, incisors |^, canines °-^, grinders ^, = 22.

Incisors much compressed, like those of the squirrels. The upper ones are short, and
their even cutting edges have an inclination backwards. Their anterior surfaces are of a deep
yellow colour, flatly convex, and under the microscope they appear to be marked with
longitudinal grooves. They are narrower behind. The anterior grinder of the upper jaw has
a round crown, and is very much smaller than the others, which resemble those of the
Sciurus Hudsonius. The inferior grinders are intermediate in form between the correspond-
ing teeth of the squirrels and those of the spermophiles, their areas not being so much
hollowed as in the former, nor presenting points so high as in the latter. The frontal bone
is more arched between the orbits than in the Sciurus Hudsonius, and its proportional
•breadth is not so great. The scull has an uniform slight curvature from the occiput to the
end of the nose ; the cavity for containing the brain is larger, the orbit is much smaller in
proportion, and the zygomatic arch less projecting than in the Hudson's Bay squirrel, or than
in any of the spermophiles noticed in this work.

Form. — The head is long, and tapers considerably from the eyes to the end of the nose,
which is not, however, remarkably sharp. The mouth is situated far back. The ivhiskers
are black and rather shorter than the head. The eye is small when compared with a
squirrel's. The ear is erect, semi-ovate, obtuse and flat, except a slight duplicature at the
base of the anterior margin ; it is covered on both sides with a coat of short hair. The
cheek-pouches extend to the angle of the jaw. The bodij has a more slender form than that
of the squirrels in general.

Colour of the head.— A narrow black line runs from the nostrils to the anterior part of the
orbit, and is continued from behind the orbit to near the ear. The cartilaginous margins of
the eyelids are black, but the eyelids themselves, both upper and under, are grayish-white.
This white marking is continued fromthe ear to the end of the nose, in two lines, separated
from each other by the black line above-mentioned. The upper white line reaches the end
of the nose, where it is separated from its fellow on the opposite side of the face by a narrow
meesiaUine of a dark brown colour. The under white line, after passing over the under eyelid,
is lost in the white of the upper and lower lip ; and there is a dark brown streak immediately
below its posterior part. The upper aspect of the head is dark hair-brown, sprinkled with
a few hoary specks. This colour is bounded by the white line, which passes over the
upper eyelid, and it is continued forward of a darker hue till it ends acutely at the tip of the
nose. This arrangement of colour gives a peculiar character of sharpness to the features,
and causes the nose to appear more pointed than it really is.

2 B

186 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Colour of the body. — A black or blackish-brown dorsal line commences between the ears
and terminates in the dark colours of the upper surface of the tail. A similar but rather
broader line begins at each shoulder and ends on the buttocks near the tail ; and on each
flank there is another line, -which extends from the shoulders to the haunches ; they are
separated on each side of the back by two other lines of equal breadth and of a grayish-white
colour, intermixed or bordered with reddish-brown hairs. These lines conjointly, viz. the
five dark ones and four pale ones, occupy the whole back, and there is none of the beautiful
gray ground which exists betwixt the lateral stripes of the hackee. The sides are bright
reddish-brown mixed with chestnut colour. The thighs and buttocks are hair-broAvn. The
upper and under lips, the throat, the belly, and the insides of the extremities, are pale
smoke-gray.

The tail is long and narrow, linear, or perhaps rather thicker at the root than at the tip,
covered above with hairs, which are light wood-brown at the roots, then blackish-brown,
and lastly wood-brown at the tips. The hairs are capable of an obscure distichou_s arrange-
ment, and the resulting colour is an ill-defined border of wood-brown, bounding a mixture of
blackish-brown, with a httle wood-brown. The under surface of the tail presents an un-
mixed reddish-brown colour in the centre, bounded by a black line which is faintly bordered
by reddish-brown.

Extremities. — The fore-feet are shaped like those of the Hudson's Bay squirrel, and have
four toes, with a small thumb of only one joint, armed with an obtuse nail. Palms naked.
Claws black, compressed, curved, and sharp like those of the squirrels, better fitted for
climbing than for digging. Posterior extremities long. Hind-feet with five slender toes
divided to the base, and four naked callous eminences on the sole at their roots : the rest of
the sole is well clothed with short hairs. Both the fore and hind-feet are covered above with
a smooth coat of pale grayish-brown hair. The hind soles are longer and more slender than
those of the spermophiles described in this work, and considerably more so than those of
the sciurus Hudsonius. The hind-claws likewise differ very much from the curved, sharp,
hind-claws of the last-mentioned animal, and have more resemblance to those of the
spermophiles.

Dimensions
Of a recent specimen killed at Carlton-liouse.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.

Length of the head and body . . 5 6 Height of the ear . . .0 4|

„ tail 4 3 Breadth of the ear at its base .0 5

5i head 1 5 j Length from the heel to the tip of the

„ from end of the nose to the centre | middle hind-claw .... 1 3

of the orbit . . . .0 7 ' „ of hind and fore-claws, about . 0 1

„ from the end of the nose to the !

auditory opening .... 1 1

The tails of this kind of squirrel, particularly of the males^ are often mutilated
in their contests with each other, and they are very liable to be broken off in the
attempt to catch them, so that it is rare to obtain a specimen with a perfect tail.

MAMMALIA. 187

[59.] 3. SciuRus HuDSONius. (Pennant.) The Chickaree.

Genus, Sciurus. Linn.

Escurieil comnuin ou Aroussen. Sagaud-Tiieodat, Canada^ p. 746.

Common Squirrel. Fouster, Phil. Trans., Ixii. p. 378. An. 1772.

Sciurus vulgaris, var. E. Erxlebein, Syst. An. 1777.

Hudson's Bay Squirrel. Pennant, Arctic Zool., vol. i. p. 1 IC. Hist, of Quadr., vol. ii. p. 147.

Common Squirrel. Heaune, Journ., p. 385.

Ked Barking Squirrel. Schoolcraft's Journ., p. 273.

Red Squirrel. AVarden, United States, vol. i. p. 330, No. 54.

Sciurus Huilsonius. Ejusdem, vol. i. p. 231, No. 56. Sabine, FrankUii's Journey, p. 663. Harlan,

Fauna, p. 185. (The Sc. Hudsonius of Gmelin is a Pteromys.)
Ecureil de la Baie d'Hudson. F. Cuvier, Hist. Natxirelle des Mammiferes,
Hudson's Bay Squirrel. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 138.
Chickaree. United States. Aroussen. Hurons. Annekcootchass. Cree Indians.

Plate xvii.

This squirrel is an inhabitant of the forests of white spruce, which cover a
great portion of the surface of the earth in the fur countries. The limits of its
range to the southward have not been mentioned by American writers_, but they
say that it is common in the middle states. It is found as far north as the spruce
trees extend, that is, to between the sixty-eighth and sixty-ninth parallel of
latitude, and it is one of the most numerous animals in the northern districts. It
digs its burrows, generally at the root of one of the largest and tallest trees it can
select, and forms four or five entrances, around which very large quantities of the
scales of spruce-fir canes are in process of time accumulated. It does not come
abroad in cold or stormy weather, but even in the depth of winter it may be seen,
during a gleam of sunshine, sporting among the branches of its tree. On the
approach of any one, it conceals itself behind a branch, but soon betrays its
position by the loud noise it makes, somewhat like the sound of a watchman's
rattle, and from whence it has obtained tlie expressive appellation of Chickaree.
When pursued and harassed it makes great leaps from tree to tree, but as
soon as it observes the way clear, it descends to the ground and seeks shelter
in its burrow. It does not appear to quit the tree beneath which it burrows, by
choice, unless when it makes an excursion in the spring in quest of a mate. In
the fur countries it subsists chiefly, if not entirely, on the seeds and young buds of
the spruce-fur. In the winter it collects the cones from the tree and carries them
to the entrance of its burrow, where it picks out the seeds beneath the snow.
Like the English squirrel, it makes hoards on the approach of severe weather.

2 B 2

188 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

The flesh of this squirrel is tender and edible, but that of the male has a strong-
murine flavour. The Indian boys kill many with the bow and arrow, and also
take them occasionally with snares set round the trunks of the trees which they
frequent. Hearne states that they are hard to tame. Their skins are of no value^i
have never formed an article of trade, and are not applied to any purpose even
by the Indians.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula, incisors |, canines ^, grinders l^\ or ^ = 20 or 22.

Incisors, strong, very much compressed, deep at their roots from before backwards; flat
on the sides ; convex and of a deep orange colour anteriorly. The upper ones have an even
chisel-shaped cutting edge. The lower ones are not much longer and are more pointed.
Grinders. — The squirrels are said to have five grinders in the upper jaw when young. The
Hudson's Bay squirrel loses the small anterior one very early, as, after examining a great
many specimens, I found none with more than four on a side in the upper jaw. In the tamia&
and spermophiles the fifth grinder remains when the animal is full grown, but is pro-
portionably larger in the latter than in the former. The inner surface of the upper grinders
of the Hudson's Bay squirrel are more obtuse, and consequently their areas are less Avedge--
shaped than those of the grinders of the Spermophiles. They are likewise more excavated
on the crowns, and have less elevated ridges of enamel. The lower grinders have also
excavated crowns, and the two anterior points of each tooth do not form an elevated crest
as in the spermophiles. The under jaw is shorter but rather stronger than in the latter
genus, and the space for the lodgement of the brain is larger. There is also a much greater
distance between the orbits ; the frontal bone is flat ; and the nose less arched than in the
genera tamias and spermojiliilus.

Form. — Nose obtuse, forehead very slightly arched. Mouth rather far back. Whiskers
black, longer than the head. Ears rounded, somewhat concave ; the posterior margin doubles
forwards to form a valve over the auditory opening, and the anterior one curves in to form a
helix. Both sides of the ear are covered with hair; that which clothes the outside being
longest, and when the fur is in prime order, projecting upwards beyond the margin; but there
is not at any time a distinct tuft on the tip of the ear, like that which ornaments the common
English Squirrel.

Colour. — There is a short blackish central stripe on the end of the nose ; the sides of the
nose are pale brown, sometimes almost white. A broad stripe of bright chestnut com-
mences between the ears, and is continued down the back and along the tail nearly to its
tip : this chestnut colour is intimately speckled with black, and mixes more or less gradually
with the colour of the sides in different specimens. The forehead, cheeks, sides, and exterior
surfaces of the extremities are of a grayish-brown speckled colour, resulting from minute
black specks being equally distributed over a pale yellowish-brown or wood-brown ground. The
upper and under eyelids, a space round the mouth and the throat, are white. The belly and

MAMMALIA.

189

inner sides of the extremities are smoke-gray. These colours vary with the season and
condition of the animal. In some seasons the chestnut-coloured dorsal stripe commences
behind the shoulders, is of a less bright hue, mingles more gradually with the colour of the
sides, and is not continued so far down the tail. The outer surfaces of the extremities have
occasionally an orange hue. The belly is in some instances nearly white, in others pretty
dark gray, from the number of black hairs interspersed over it. In summer specimens,
when the fur on the belly becomes thin, the colours of the upper and under parts are separated
by a blackish-gray line, extending from the shoulders to the thighs. This line is produced
by the roots of the fur being seen, and is not perceptible in the northern specimens,
whose fur is finer and longer ; nor have I noticed it in more southern specimens procured
in the winter. The fur on the back is fine and of a blackish-gray colour, from the roots for
half its length upwards ; the remainder of its length is wood-brown, with two or three rings
of black ; the tips of the longest hairs are black. The fur on the belly is in the winter
rather longer than that on the back, bluish-gray at the roots, then white, with a ring or two
of black below the tips.

The tail is somewhat depressed, and is linear. It is full of long hair, but is not nearly so
bushy as the tail of the English squirrel. Its hairs are capable of a somewhat distichous
arrangement, and then it presents on its upper surface a bright chestnut centre, and a light,
brown margin, separated from the chestnut by a black band, most distinct near the tip of the
tail. Beneath, the tail exhibits an intimate mixture of light brown and black, the latter
forming a band near the tip. The hairs on the upper surface of the tail carry the bright
brown colour to their roots, many of those beneath are black throughout their Avhole length,
but the majority of the under ones are brown, with a black tinge near their tips.

The extremities are covered with longer fur than those of the spermophiles ; the limbs are
robust ; the fore-feet have four toes, with the rudiment of a thumb, covered by an obtuse,
thin nail, closely applied ; the third toe is rather the longest, the second is next m length ;
the first and fourth are shorter, and arise further back. In the spermophiles, on the contrary,
the second toe is decidedly the longest, and the first does not arise so far back as in the
Hudson's Bay squirrel. The claws are very much compressed, and so much curved, as to feel
hooked ; and they are very acute. The palms and under surfaces of the toes are naked. The
hind soles are thickly hairy from the heel to the naked tubercles at the roots of the toes, which
are five in number, are rather stout, and not long ; the outer toe is longer than the innermost
one ; the hind claws are of the same form with the fore-ones, but are rather smaller. The
long hairs on the toes reach to the points of the claws. The scrotum is large, and m the

spring is rather pendulous.

Dimensions
Of a recent specimen.
Inches. Lines. I°<:l»es. Lines.

Length of tead and body ... 8 6 Length of fur on the hack ... 0 10

head 2 4 ,■,■:■, at the tip of the tail . . 1 G

tail (vertehrs) ... 5 0 Height of the ears (measured posteriorly) 0 GJ

„ including fur . . . G C Measurements of the scull : —

palm and middle fore-claw . 1 0 Distance between the orbits ... 0 7

sole and middle hind-claw . . 1 10 Length of nasal-bones ... 0 G

t90 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

SciuRus HuDSONius, var. (3. Columbia Pine-Squirrel.

Small brown Squirrel. Lewis and Clark, vol. iii. p. 37.

Lewis and Clark describe a small squirrel which inhabits the banks of the
Columbia, and has similar habits with the Hudson's Bay one. It is most probably
a distinct species ; but as all our knowledge of it is derived from the short account
of it given by those authors, I have,, as its discoverers have not bestowed on it
a specific name, ranked it, for the present, merely as a variety of the sciurus
Hiidsonius.

The DESCRIPTION given of it is as follows : —
" The small brown squirrel is a beautiful little animal, about the size and form of the red
squirrel {Sc. Hudsonius) of the A.tlantic states, and Western lakes. The tail is as long as the
body and neck, and formed like that of the red squirrel ; the eyes are black; the whiskers
long and black, but not abundant ; the back, sides, head, neck, and outer part of the legs are
of a reddish-brown ; the throat, breast, belly, and inner part of the legs are of a pale red ;
the tail is a mixture of black and fox-coloured red, in which the black predominates in the
middle, and the red on the edges and extremity; the hair of the body is about half an inch
long, and so fine and soft, that it has the appearance of fur ; the hair of the tail is coarser, and
double in length. This animal subsists chiefly on the seeds of various species of pine, and is
always found in the pine-country."

The sciurus riijiventer of Geoffroy, an inhabitant of the country around New
Orleans, has much similarity in colours to the above animal ; but neither the
description given by M. Desmarest, nor that by Dr. Harlan of the New Orleans
specimens, correspond exactly with the account of Lewis and Clark. The sciurus
rufiventer seems to have a shorter tail.

MAMMALIA. 191

[60.] 4. SciuRus NIGER. (Linn.) Black Squirrel.

Sciurus niger. Say, Long's Expedition, vol. i. p. 262.
Otcliitamon. Algonquins.

So much confusion has crept into the accounts of the American squirrels^ that
great uncertainty, respecting the species alluded to by authors^ must exists until
some resident naturalist favours the world with a good monograph of the squirrels
of that country. The black squirrels have been considered by some to be a
variety of the sciurus cinereus, or of the sc. vulpimis, and by others have been
referred to the sc. capistratus. M. Desmarest describes a small black squirrel^
which is distinguished from the large black variety of the masked squirrel, by the
softness of its fur. Pennant's black squirrel is evidently the sc. capistratus of
later writers.

The squirrel, which is the subject of this article, is larger than the iciirdl gris
de la Caroline of M. F. Cuvier (lesser gray squirrel. Pennant, Hist. Quad.), and
rather smaller than the 'Marge gray squirrel " of Catesby. It is not an uncommon
inhabitant of the northern shores of Lakes Huron and Superior, where the greater
or smaller gray squirrels are never seen, and is by far the largest squirrel existing
on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, to the northward of the Great Lakes.
It does not extend further north than the 50th parallel of latitude, but its range
to the southward cannot be determined until the species of American squirrels are
better known. It is probable that it is not rare in the United States. There are
at present two pairs of American gray squirrels in the menagerie of the Zoological
Society, which differ from each other in size, and in the smaller kind (lesser gray
squirrel) having a tawny-coloured belly. Both these kinds have, as was pointed
out to me by Mr. Vigors, U peculiar wideness in the posterior part of the body,
and a fulness of the skin of the flanks, being an approach to the form of a
pteromiys. In the sciurus Hudsonius, the hind quarters are as slender and distinct
from the flanks, as in common European squirrels ; and there does not appear to
have been any peculiar extension of the skin of the flanks, in the specimen of a
black squirrel procured for me at Penetanguishene, by Mr. Todd, surgeon to the
naval depot there, and from which the following description was drawn up.

192 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

DESCRIPTION
Of a full grown but young individual.

Dental formula, incisors, |, canines "E^, grinders ^ — 22.
Incisors, much compressed, very strong, and having a deep orange colour on their exterior
surfaces. The first or deciduous fjrinder is round and very small, the others are precisely
similar in form to the grinders of the Hudson's Bay squirrel.

Form. — Its head is somewhat narrower and its nose sharper than that of the large gray
American squirrel. Its frontal bone is not so flat between the orbits as that of the Hudson's
Bay squirrel, and has a nearly regular flat elliptical curve from the occipital ridge to the
end of the nose. Its scull is about twice as big as that of a Hudson's Bay squirrel. Ears
elliptical rounded at the tip, covered with short fur, and entirely without tufts.

Fur. — The whole fur is black, that on the back being particularly close and having a glossy
hue. When blown aside it appears downy towards the roots, and has a grayish-black colour
without lustre. The fur is much shorter and coarser than that of the gray squirrels. On the
dorsal aspect of the head it is of a shining black colour, without any lighter coloured spots
about the muzzle or behind the ear. On the cheeks and throat it is of a brownish-black.
The tail is clothed with long hair, unmixed with down, except close to the body. The feet
are clothed with a smooth coat of short black hair. The claws are curved, much compressed,
and sharp, exactly resembling those of the gray squirrel. The thumb tubercle is armed with
a rounded nail closely adhering to it. The claws of the hind-feet are somewhat sharper than
the fore ones, but are similar in form and nearly of equal size.

Length of the head and body

„ head . . . ,

,, tail (vei'tebrje)

„ tail including fur .

V palm to the tip of the middle

fore, claw ....

)j .. third or longest fore-toe and claw

Dimensions
Of the Penetanguishene Specimen.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines-

Length from the thumb to the tip of the middle
fore-claw . . .13

„ of the sole, middle hind-toe, and claw 2 8

„ middle hind-toe and claw

„ longest claws .

„ fur on the back

,, fur on the sides of the tail

,, fur at the end of the tail

13

0

3

0

9

e

13

0

1

c

1

1

1

1

0

3

0

9

2

6

3

6

Dimensions
Of the Scull of the same Specimen.

Inches. Lines.
Smallest breadth of the os frontis between the orbits . . 0 9

Length of the nasal bones . . . . . 0 9i

There is a specimen of rather larger dimensions, procured at Fort William, on
Lake Superior, and presented to the Zoological Society by Captain Bayfield, It has
a few white hairs scattered amongst the fur of the body and rather more in the tail.

Lewis and Clark mention their having met with gray squirrels on the
Columbia ; but from our ignorance of the species to which they belong, they cannot
be admitted into this work.

MAMMALIA. 193

[61. J 1. Pteromys Sabrinus. Severn River Flying Squirrel.

Genus Pteromys. Cuvier. Sciuropterus. F. Cuvier.

Greater Flying-Squirrel. Forster, Phil. Trans., vol. l.^ii. p. 379-

Severn-River Squirrel. Pennant, Hist. Quad.,vo\. ii. p. 153. Arct. Zool., vol. 1. p. 122.

Sciurus Hudsonius. Gmelin, Si/sl., vol. i. p. 153.

Sciurus Sabrinus. Shaw, ZooL, vol. ii. pt. i. p. 157.

Pteromys Sabrinus. Richardson, Zool. Journ., No. 12. p. 519, April, 1828.

Pt. (Sabrinus), super ex ruhesoenti brtinneus, cauda planiusculd corpus suhoequanti dorsoque concolori, lohulo

membrance volitantis rotundato.
Severn River Flying-squirrel, pale reddish-brown above ; tail flattisli, nearly as long as the body, and of the

same colour with the back ; flying membrane having a small rounded projection behind the wrist.

This is a very distinct species from the much smaller Assapan, (Pt. volucella)
which is common in the United States. It was first described by Forster^ who saw
a specimen brought from Severn River that falls into James's Bay, and was con-
sidered by him to be the same species with the European flying squirrel, which
it much resembles. I have followed Pennant and Shaw in separating it from
the latter, on account of its longer tail, different coloured far, and the smalhiess
of the rounded projection of the flying-membrane behind the wrist.

The Severn River Flying Squirrel does not extend its range further north than
latitude 52' (unless the Rocky Mountain one prove to be only a variety of it.)
Mr. Tod sent me a specimen from Penetanguishene on Lake Huron, and I have
seen others from Moose Factory, at the bottom of James's Bay.

DESCRIPTION.

Dental formula, incisors f , canines ^J, grinders ~ = 22.

Head round, nose short and obtuse, covered above with a smooth shining coat of Hght
gray hair. Incisors nearly even with the end of the nose, anteriorly of a deep orange colour.
TFhishers black, longer than the head. Eyes large, surrounded by a blackish -gray marking
in the fur. Flying-membrane extending from the wrist to the middle of the hind leg, nearly
straight, having only a very slight rounded projection close to the wrist.

The fur is every where remarkably fine and soft. On the dorsal aspect of the head, body,
and flying-membrane, it is of a deep blackish-gray colour from its roots to its tips, which are
of a pale reddish-brown, and which form the colour of the surface when the fur lies smoothly.
There is no different coloured stripe on the flying-membrane, but the dark colour of the
roots of the fur is more easily seen there. The outer surfaces of the fore and hind-feet are

2 C

;194 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

pale bluish-gray. The margins of the mouth, sides of the nose, cheeks, and whole ventral
aspect of the body are white, with in some parts a slight tinge of buff colour, particularly on
the under surface of the flying-membrane. The tail is depressed, slightly convex on its
upper surface, but quite flat or even somewhat channelled beneath. It is broadest about an
inch from the body, and then tapers gradually but slightly towards the extremity, which is
rounded. The flattened form is given to the tail, not so much by the distichous arrange-
ment of the hair, as by the fur on its sides being much longer than that on its upper surface.
Its colour above is nearly that of the back, with an intermixture, however, of black hairs ;
beneath it has a bright buff" colour.

The extremities are small. The fore-ones are connected with the flying-membrane down
to the wrist, and the feet are hairy both above and below. There are four toes on the fore-
feet, which are short, and the claws are small, compressed, curved, sharp-pointed, and white.
Under their roots there is a compressed callus projecting from the end of each toe. The third
toe is the longest, then the second, next to it the outer one, and lastly the inner one ; but the
difference of length betwixt them is not great. There is a flat callus in place of a thumb,
armed with a very minute nail. There are five hind-toes, of which the inner one is the
shortest, then the outer one, and the remaining three are nearly equal to each other. The
claws resemble those of the fore-feet, and are almost concealed by the hair of the toes. The
soles are covered with a dense brush of soft white fur like the feet of a rabbit or hare.

Dimensions
Of the skin of a Lake Huron specimen.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines..

Length of the head and hody . . ^ 9 Length of the hind-sole, middle toe and

,, head , . .20 claw . . . . .1 4

„ tail (vertebrae) . .4 0 Greatest breadth of the tail . .1 9

„ tail including fur .50 Width from margin of one flying-membrane

„ fore palm, middle-toe, and to the margin of the opposite one . 4 0

claw 0 9

MAMiMALIA. 195

Pteromys Sabrinus. var. (3. alpinus. Rocky Mountain
Flying- Squirrel.

Pteromys alpinus. Richardson, Zool. Journ. No. 12. p. 519. March, 1828.
Specimens in the Zoological Mijseum and Hudson Bay Co.'s Mus.

Pieromys {alpinus), super luteo-fiiscus, caudd plaiiA fuligned corpus lo7igitudine excedenti, margine membranai volitanlis

redo.
Rocky Mountain Flying-Squirrel, yellowish-brown above ; tail flat, longer than the body, blackish-gi-ay ; flying mem.

brane with a straight border.

Plate xviii.

This animal was discovered by Mr. Drummond, on the Rocky Mountains^ living-
in dense pine-forests, and seldom venturing from its retreats, except in the night.
I have received specimens of it from the head of the Elk River, and also from the
south branch of the Mackenzie. It approaches nearer to the Pt. volans of Siberia
in the colour of its fur than to Ft. Sabrinus, but it has much resemblance to
the latter in its form. It is entirely destitute of any rounded process of the flying
membrane behind the fore-leg* ; and when its scull is compared with that of
Pt. Sabrinus^ the frontal bone between the orbits appears narrower. The size of
its limbs and tail is also greater. These remarks were made on a comparison
of the specimens of this animal, and of the Pt. Sabrinus, which I at first received,
and I was induced to think that they were specifically distinct ; but having lately
had an opportunity of examining a more complete suite of specimens from
Hudson's Bay, doubts were excited on the subject, and although it is probable,
from the distance between their respective localities, that they may prove eventually
to be distinct, I think it better at present to describe them as mere varieties.
Except that the size of both these species is considerably greater than that of Pt.
volans, they might be united with that species, without any great inconvenience.

DESCRIPTION.

Dentition the same as in Pt. Sabrinus. Head and extremities larger than in the latter
animal ; and its tail is also longer, flatter, and has a more elliptical form. The flying-mem-

* In the accompanying plate the artist has fore -shortened the tail, so that it does not appear to possess its relative
length to the body, and the position he has given to the fore-foot has produced a slight rounding of the flying-membrane
at the elbow. The true form of the membrane is given in the figure in the distance.

2C2

J96

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

brane is not so full as in the latter, and its border is straight. The end of the nose is hair-
brown, and the fur about the month and on the sides of the nose has a dark smoke-gray
colour. The ears are thin and membranous in appearance, thinly covered on both sides
with short adpressed hairs, but having some fur at their base posteriorly, similar to that on the
adjoining parts of the head. Their form is semi-oval with rounded tips. The surface of the
fur on the back has a yellowish-brown colour, without any tendency to the more red hue of
the back of the Pt. Sabri7ms. The fur of the throat and belly is a grayish-white, without
any tinge of buff-colour ; the tail has a flat, oblong, oval form, and has a blackish-brown
colour above, and is merely paler beneath.

The extremities are shaped like those oi Pt. Sabrinus, but are larger in proportion. The
soles, palms, and under surfaces of the toes, are well covered with fur, except a small callous
eminence at the end of each toe, five eminences on the palm of which the two posterior ones
are the largest, and four on the soles situated at the root of the toes. The brush of soft fur
near the outer edge of the soles is as conspicuous as in the Pt. Sabrinus.

Dimensions.

Length of head and body . .

head
„ tail (vertebrae)
„ ,, including fur ,
„ palm, middle fore-toe and claw
„ sole, middle hind-toe and claw
,, whiskers
Breadth between the outer edges of the flying
membrane

Inches.

. 8
2
5
G
0
1

Lines.
0
2
3
3
10
6
6

9

Inches.
. 0

Height of the ears posteriorly

Dimensions of the scull.
Length from tip of nasal bones to occipital
ridge of nasal bones ... 1

„ of nasal bones . . . 0

Breadth at the posterior part of the zygo-
matic process . . . .1
Breadth of frontal bone between the orbits 0

Lines.
6

There is a specimen in the Hudson's Bay Mnseum, which measures nine inches

from the end of the nose to the origin of the tail.

MAMMALIA. 197

Geomys. (Rafinesque.) Sand-Rat.

Geomys. " Rafinesque-Smai.tz, Amer. Month. Mag, for 1817, ?• 45." Desmarest, Mamm., p. 314.

Lesson. Man. de Mammal., p. 200.
Ascomys. Lichtenstein ? Saccomys. F. Cuvter ?
Pseudostoma. Say ?

Plate xviii C. Fig. 1 to 6.

CHARACTERS.

Dental formula, incisors, f , canines ^, grinders ~ = 20.

Incisors strong ; linear and flattish anteriorly ; narrower posteriorly, and chamfered away
evenly from their insertion into the sockets to their tips. The upper ones are generally
marked with one or more grooves anteriorly; the lower ones have sometimes a faint groove
op their exterior sides. The second and third pairs of grinders in each jaw are quite simple
in their structure, each tooth consisting merely of a slightly curved cylinder of enamel,
without roots, compressed from before backwards, with a longitudinal depression or shallow
furrow on one side, which it renders more acute than the opposite one ; the acute side of the
grinders faces outwards in the upper jaw, and inwards in the lower one. The crowns of these
teeth are flat, and have a transversely pear-shaped area, composed of soft bone, enclosed by
a rim of enamel, but there are no transverse ridges. The posterior pair of grinders in each
jaw are not so much compressed as those just described, but are nearly cylindrical, and have
a roundish, slightly angular crown. The anterior pair, above and below, differ still more
widely from the rest in being double, each of them being composed of two cylinders,
shaped like the other teeth, and connected with each other by a narrow neck : the anterior
cylinder is smaller than the other, and the long diameter of its crown is parallel to the
axis of the jaw, and consequently is at right angles to the transverse pear-shaped crown of
the posterior cylinder, and to the crowns of the teeth which succeed it. The upper grinders
incline slightly backwards, the lower ones have a similar inclination forwards, and the grinding
surfaces of both are very even.

The lower jaw is particularly thick and strong, and its symphysis which slopes upward^
nearly in the same direction with the incisors is about one-third of its whole length. The
palate is very narrow, and in the scull exhibits a central longitudinal crest of bone, wit?i a
deep and partially covered furrow on each side of it for the passage of vessels.

The head is large and depressed ; the nose short. On examining the scull, the frontal
and nasal bones are observed to be in the same plane, and the zygomatic arch is but a
little depressed below the crown of the head.

The nostrils are small round openings, facing downwards and somewhat laterally, separated

198 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

from each other by a naked furrowed septum, and surrounded by a small naked space ; their
inner margins are a little arched or ventricose.

The mouth is small, being contracted by an union of the lips behind the upper incisors.
The cheek-pouches are large and pendulous, thinly clothed with short hairs, or sometimes
almost naked, opening into the mouth by the side of the molar teeth.

The eyes are small and far apart. There is no other external ear than a slightly raised
margin to the auditory openings, which are large.

Body cylindrical. Tail of moderate length, round and tapering, more or less hairy.

Extremities short, with five short toes to each foot. The palms are naked, and have a
remarkable callous protuberance, projecting like a heel at their posterior part. The second
and fourth toes are united nearly the whole length of their first phalanges to the middle one
by skin. The fifth toe is considerably smaller and much further back than these, and the
thumb is the smallest of all, and is situated a little further back than the fifth toe. The fore-
claws are long, compressed towards their roots, slender and awl-shaped near their points,
acute and considerably curved ; the middle one is the longest, the thumb one is small and
more blunt, and the others are of intermediate sizes, proportionable to the length of their
respective toes. The hind-feet are more slender than the fore-ones, and their soles, which
are entirely naked, are narrower than the palms. The outermost and innermost hind-toes
are situated further back than the other three, of which the middle one is the longest. The
hind-claws are much shorter and more obtuse than the fore-ones, are excavated underneath,
and are but slightly compressed.

The fur resembles in quality that with which the meadow-mice are clothed. The tail and
feet are covered with shorter and coarser hair.

Habit. — The sand-rats burrow in sandy soils and feed on acorns, nuts, roots,
and grass, which they convey to their burrows in their cheek-pouches. They
throw up little mounds of earth like mole-hills^ in the summer_, but are not seen
abroad in the winter^ nor do they throw up earth during- that season. Their
pouches when full have an oblong form, and nearly touch the ground,, but when
empty they are retracted for three-fourths of their length. Their interior is very
glandular^ particularly round the orifice that opens into the mouth.

Remarks. — M. Rafinesque-Smaltz^ in 1817^ founded his genus georays on the
hamster of Georgia {geomys pinetis), described by Mitchill_, Anderson^ Meares,
and others, and referred to it, as a second species, the Canada pouched-rat
{mils biirsarms of Sha.\v). He at the same time ranged under another genus,
named by him diplostoma, some Louisiana or Missouri animals, known to the
Canadian voyagers by the appellation of gatiffres, and remarkable for their large
cheek-pouches, which open forwards exterior to the mouth and incisors, to which
they form a kind of hood. These two genera have been adopted by few

MAMMALIA. 199

naturalists ; and the American systematic writers have either overlooked M.
Rafinesque's species entirely, or referred them all to the mus bursarius. In the
latter case^ they are undoubtedly wrong, for there are at least six or seven distinct
species belonging- to one or other of these genera, which inhabit America ; and I
think that both geomi/s and cUplostoma will eventually prove to be good genera : —
the Sand-rats belonging to the former having cheek-pouches^ which are filled from-
within the mouth, and the gaiiffres or camas-rats of the latter genus having their
cheek-pouches exterior to the mouthy and entirely unconnected with its cavity.
I have had no opportunity of examining the geomys pinetis, which is the type of
the genus; but Mr. Leadbetter^ with his wonted liberality, has permitted me to
inspect an individual of a hitherto undescribed species from Cadadaguios ; and
Mr. David Douglas veiy kindly sent me a specimen of another species, which he
captured on the banks of the Columbia, and which forms the subject of the
following article. From these two the characters of the genus, given in the preced-
ing pages, were drawn up, the description of the teeth, and the views of the scull,
being made from the latter. With regard to the Canada pouched-rat, great doubt
still exists as to whether it belongs properly to geomys or to diplostoma. It was
first described by Dr. Shaw, and an engraving published in the Linnean Trans-
actions, from a drawing by Major Davies, of a specimen sent to Governor Prescot,
from the interior of Canada. Judging merely from that figure and description, I
should have httle doubt of the cheek-pouches opening into the mouth, and of their
being precisely similar in form and functions to the cheek-pouches of the sand- rats ;
but I have been told, on good authority, that the identical specimen described by
Shaw (and which, on the dispersion of Mr. Bullock's collection, passed into the
hands of M. Temminck) is, in fact, similar to the gaufFres, in having cheek-pouches
that open exteriorly, and that consequently Major Davies's drawing represented
them in an unnatural, inverted position. Mr. Say, under the generic name of
pseudostoma, gives the characters of a Missouri gaufFre, with cheek-pouches
opening exteriorly, and he identifies his specimen with the mifs bursarius. He
alludes to the Georgia hamster, as belonging to the same genus, without giving
any further account of its characters than merely quoting Dr. Barton's remark, of
its being only half the size of the Missouri one. His account of the dentition of the
Missouri gauffre corresponds, as far as it goes, pretty closely with that of the
Columbia geomys. Dr. Harlan and Dr. Godman refer the Georgia, Canada, and
Missouri animals, to one species.

200 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[62.] 1. Geomys Douglasii. (Rich.) Columbia Sand-Rat.

G. {Douglasii), super fuligneus suiter pedihusque pallidior, caudd dimidium corporis superanti.

Columbia Sand-rat, of a dusky-brown colour above, paler beneath, and on the feet, with a tail exceeding half the body
in length,

#

Plate xviu C. Fig. 1 to 6,

DESCRIPTION.

The head is large and depressed ; the nose obtuse, particularly when viewed sideways. The
nostrils are small and round, situated at the extremity of the nose, and separated by a
furrowed septum about a line wide; they have a small naked margin, and the narrow upper
lip betwixt them and the roots of the upper incisors is covered with short hair. Mouth
moderately large ; lips hairy. Incisors, strong, exserted, orange-coloured 5 upper ones with a
fine but distinct furrow on their anterior surface, close to their inner edges ; lower ones with
a similar furrow on their sides, close to their outer edges. Cheelc-poiiches large, much
resembling the thumb of a lady's glove, in form and size, and hanging down by the sides of
the head ; they have a pale buff-colour, and are of a soft membranous texture, nearly bare
outside, ha\ing merely some very short, soft, scarcely visible, white hairs, scattered over them,
Viith a reticulation of darker nerves : within they appear glandular, and their openings into
the mouth are sufficiently wide to admit the point of the little finger, being nearly equal to
the diameter of the pouch itself. The fore-side of the pouch is posterior to the eye, and the
hind-side is opposite to the ear ; its tip, which must touch the ground when the animal walks,
is very obtuse. The whiskers are short and soft.

Body, shaped like that of a mole, and covered with short, soft, dense, velvety fur, of an
uniform dusky-brown colour. The fur on the belly and feet has a lighter hue. Tail, more
than half the length of the body, round, tapering, and obtuse ; covered with hair, particularly
near its root.

Legs, short and thick. Fore-toes short, but very flexible ; the three middle ones united at
their bases by skin ; the outer one is smaller and further back, and the thumb is very small,
but is armed with a claw similar in form to the others, though it is much smaller. The claws
are very sharp-pointed, compressed, curved, and about as long again as their respective toes.
The 2Jcdm is naked, and its posterior part is filled by a large, rounded, callous eminence.
The hind-feet are a little more slender than the fore-ones, and they are armed with smaller
claws, shaped like those on the hind-feet of the spermophiles. The hind-soles are entirely
naked, without any conspicuous tubercles ; the heel is naked and narrow.

Lengtli of head and body ,

,, head . .

„ tail (vertebras)

,, cheek-pouches
Diameter of cheek-pouches, about
Distance from the end of tlie nose to the eye

,, „ of the nose to the

auditory opening

,, between the eyes
Length from wrist-joint to end of the middle-
claw . . t • ■

MAMMALIA,

Dimensions.

Inches
. 6

Lines
6

In

Length of the middle fore-toe, excluding the

lies

1

10

claw ....

0

. 2

10

„ from the heel to end of middle claw,

1

3

measured along the sole

1

0
0

. 1
0

C
11

8

7

Dimensions of (he scull.
Length from the extremity of the upper jaw

to the occipital crest (by calipers)
Breadth, including the zygomatic arches

,, of frontal bone between the orbits ,
Length of the lower jaw from the condyles to

1
1

0

. 1

0

its anterior extremity

1

^201

Plate xvni C.

Fig. 1, 2, and 3. Views of the scull (nat. size.) I Fig. 5. A'iew of the palate and upper teeth (magnified.

— 4. View of the lower jaw (nat. size.) ] — C. View of the first upper grinders (magnified.)

The specimen here described is a female, which was taken in her nest^ with
three young ones^ by Mr. Douglas, near the mouth of the Columbia. When put
into my hands, the fur had mostly fallen off, but the specimen was in other respects
perfect, and what was wanting has been supplied in the description from Mr.
Douglas's notes. The state of ossification of the scull shewed the animal to be
an old one. Mr. Douglas acquaints me, that the outside of the pouches was
cold to the touch, even when the animal was alive, and that on the inside they
were lined with small, orbicular, indurated glands, more numerous near the
opening into the mouth. When full, the pouches had an oblong form, and, when
empty, they were corrugated or retracted to one-third of their length ; but
they are never inverted so as to produce the hood-like form of the pouch of
a diplostoma. When in the act of emptying its pouches, the animal sits on its
hams like a marmot or squirrel, and squeezes his sacks against the breast with his
chin and fore-paws.

These little sand-rats are numerous in the neighbourhood of Fort Vancouver,
where they inhabit the declivities of low hills, and burrow in the sandy soil.
They feed on acorns, nuts [coiijlus rostrata), and grass, and commit great havoc in
the potatoe-fields adjoining to the Fort, not only by eating the potatoes on the
spot, but by carrying off large quantities of them in their pouches. The specific
name is a small tribute of respect for the zeal and intelligence of its active and
dilisrent discoverer.

2D

202

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

•f* 2. Geomys ujvibrinus. (Rich.) Leadbeater's Sand-Rat.

G. {umhrinus), super umhrinus subler griseus, gula pedihusque albidis, cauda grisea vestitd longitudine capitis.
Leadbeater's Sand-Rat, of an umber-brown colour on the dorsal aspect, gray below, witli white feet and throat, and a
gray hairy tail, as long as the head.

BESCRIPTION.

The head is large ; the nose, wide and obtuse, and, with the exception of the naked margins
of the nostrils, covered with fur similar in colour and quality to that on the crown of the head.
The nostrils are small round openings, half a line apart, with a furrowed septum, and having
their superior margins naked and vaulted ; a narrow, hairy, upper lip, not exceeding a line
in width, separates the nostrils from the upper incisors. The whiskers are white, and are
shorter than the head. The incisors are much exserted, and are without grooves on their
anterior surfaces, which are slightly convex, and of a deep yellow colour. The lips unite
behind the upper incisors, so as to form a naked furrow leading towards the mouth, which is
rendered more complete by the stiffness of the hairs on each side of it. The cheek-pouches
are of a soiled buff-colour, and are clothed throughout their exterior surface with very short,
soft, whitish hairs, which do not lie so close as entirely to conceal the skin. The middle of
the pouch is opposite to the ear, and its anterior margin extends forwards to between the eye
and the angle of the mouth ; its tip is rounded.

The body, in shape, resembles that of a mole. It is covered with a smooth coat of fur, of
the length and quality of that of a meadow-mouse ; but possessing more nearly the lustre and
appearance of the fur of a musk-rat. For the greater part of its length from the roots
upwards, it has a blackish-gray colour. On the upper and lateral parts of the head, and over
the whole of the back, the tips of the fur are of a nearly pure umber-brown colour, deepest
on the head, and slightly intermixed with chestnut-brown on the flanks. The belly, and fore
and hind legs, are pale gray, with, in some parts, a tinge of brown. The sides of the mouth
are dark-brown, with a few white hairs intermixed. The chin, throat, feet, and claws, are
white. The tail is round and tapering, and is well covered with short grayish-white hairs j
the hairs on the sides of the fore-feet are rather stiff, and curve a little over the naked palms ;
those on the hind-feet are shorter ; the posterior extremities are situated far forward.

Dimensions,

Length of the head and body

„ head

„ tail

Distance from the end of the nose to the
anterior angle of the orbit , .

Diameter of the orbit, about

Inches.

7
1
1

0
0

Lines,
0
8
9

9

Inches.
Distance from the posterior angle of the orbit
to the auditory opening

,, „ posterior part of the Avrist

tubercle to the tip of the middle fore-claw
Length of the middle fore-claw
Distance from the heel to the tip of the mid-
dle hind-claw ....

0

10

Although this animal is not an inhabitant of the fur countries, the above
description has been inserted with the view of rendering the account of the genus
more complete. I received no information respecting its manners or food. The
specimen came from Cadadaguios, a town in the south-western part of Louisiana.

MAMMALIA. 203

[63.] 3? Geomys ? BURSARius. Canada Pouched- Rat.

Mus bursarius. Shaw, Linnean Trans., vol. v. p. 227, ?>• 8.

Canada rat. Shaw, Zool., vol. ii. part 1. p. 100.

Geomys cinereus. " Rafinesqtje-Smai-tz, Amer. Month. Mag., 1817-" Desmarest, Mamm. in iiotis ad pag. 315.

Hamster du Canada. Des.marest, Mamm., p. 312.

This animal was not seen by us on the late expeditions,, and, as has been
mentioned in a preceding- page (199)^ it is still a matter of doubt whether it ought
to be included in this genus or in the following one. The specimen figured by
Major Davies^ in the Linnean Transactions, was of a pale gray colour^ and nine
inches and a half long from the nose to the root of the tail, which measured two
inches and a half. The belly was paler than the back, and the cheek-pouches
were covered with very short pale hairs. Its superior incisors were deeply
grooved in the middle, and more faintly close to their inner margins.

The tiican of Fernandez has been considered by some as identical with the
mus bursarius of Shaw, but without sufficient grounds. Fernandez describes it
merely as a fat, thick, gnawer, a span long, clothed with tawny fur, having a long
murine nose, short round ears, a short tail, very short legs, crooked claws ; and
he adds that it is scarcely abl to see in day-light, leads a subterranean life, and
feeds on roots and seeds, which it hoards up in its burrows. He also mentions
that there are several other kinds of moles in New Spain which cannot see at all.

2D 2

204 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[64.] 4? Geomys ? TALPOiDEs. (Richardsoii.)

Mole-shaped Sand-Rat,

Cricetus ? talpoides. Richardson, Zool. Journ., No. 12, p. 018.
Ootaw-chee-goeshees. Cree Indians ?

G. 9 {talpoides), super siibterque cinerascenti-niger, gula caudaque hrevi a/bis, pedibus posticis sub-tetradactylis.
Jlole-shaped Sand-rat ? of a grayish-black colour, with white chin, throat, and tail, and only four perfect toes on the
hind-feet.

The specimen described in this article was presented to the Zoological Society
by Mr. Leadbeater^ who obtained it from Hudson's Bay^ but it was not accom-
panied by any notice of its precise habitat or a description of its manners. I am
inclined to identify it v\'ith a small animal inhabiting the banks of the Saskatchewan,
which I know only from the accounts of the residents and the mounds it throws
up in the form of mole-hills^ but generally rather larger. It lives entirely under
ground, and during the winter it must either sleep or confine itself to its old paths,
as the soil is then too much frozen to permit it to make new roads. As soon as
the snow disappears in the spring, and whilst the ground is as yet only partially
thawed, little heaps of earth newly thrown up attest the activity of this animal. I
could not, however, procure a specimen, the soil being, at the period I was residing-
on the banks of the Saskatchewan, still too much frozen to permit me to reach the
animal by digging. The earth thrown up then I suppose to have been merely
the clearings of the galleries which it had made during the preceding year. It
inhabits only sandy banks, and its food probably consists principally of roots.
It cannot, like the English mole, feed on earth worms, for none exist in those
latitudes *.

As the teeth of the specimen could not be examined, the genus to which it
belongs is uncertain ; but from its strong general resemblance to G. Douglasii and
G. umbrinus, it is placed with them at present. Some uncertainty also exists as
to the form of its cheek-pouches, which have been partially inverted in mounting,
probably from an attempt of the artist to imitate the cheek-pouches of a diplostoma;
but if so, he has been unable to give them the hood-like form of the pouches of
the latter.

* I was told by a gentleman who has for forty years superintended the cultivation of considerable pieces of ground
on the banks of the Saskatchewan, that during the whole of that period he never saw an earth-worm turned up.

MAMMALIA. 205

DESCRIPTION.

Body shaped like that of the mole ; head rather small, but when the pouches are distended
it must have considerable breadth. The obtuse nose is covered with short hairs. The;
incisors are very strong, and have flat, anterior surfaces ; the upper ones are short and straight'
and are each marked with a single very fine groove, close to its inner edge ; the under ones
are long, curved inwards, and not grooved. The whiskers are composed of fine hairs as long
as the head. The eyes are small and far back. The auditory opening is capable of receiving
the head of a pin, and is slightly margined. The pouches are covered on the outside with
fur of the same colour with that on the back, but beneath and on their posterior margins
their hairy covering is white. On the head and body the fur is of a grayish-black colour
its Avhole length, with a faint brownish reflection in some lights, and it is as fine as that of
the common mole, but not quite so close and velvety. The chin and throat are white. The
tail is very short and cylindrical, and is covered by a close smooth coat of short white hairs.

The extremities are very short ; the fore-foot has four toes and the rudiment of a thumb.
Of these the middle toe is the longest, and has the largest claw ; the first and third are equal
to each other in length ; the outer one is shorter and far back, and the thumb is still farther
back, and consists merely of a short claw. The fore-claws are long, compressed, slightly-
curved and pointed. There are four short toes on the hind-foot, armed with compressed
claws much shorter than the fore-ones, and the rudiment of a fifth toe, so small that it wa,S
discovered only after very minute inspection.

DiMENSIOKS

Of the specimen in the Zoological JMuseum.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines,

Length of the fur on the hack . .06

„ from the tubercle at the posterior
part of the palm to the end of the middle
fore-claw . . , .0 10^

„ of middle fore-claw , .04

,, from the heel to the tip of the mid-
dle hind-claw . .0 11

Length of head and body . .

„ tail . . . .

„ from end of nose to the eye
,, from ditto to the auditory opening
„ from back part of the eye to the
auditory opening , .

Height of the back . . .

Length of the lower incisors . .

7

4

1

10

0

9

1

3

0

6

2

0

0

5

206 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[_65.'] 1. DiPLOSTOMA? BULBivoRUM. (Rich.) Camas-Rat.

Genus. Diplostoma. RAFiNESQtTE-SjiALTz ? (Desmarest, Mamm.)

Plate xviii B.

There is a specimen of a quadruped in the Hudson's Bay Museum, which
Mr. David Douglas informs me is the animal known on the banks of the Columbia
by the name of the Camas-rat, because the bulbous root of the Quamash or Camas
plant (Scilla esculenta) forms its favourite food. The scull is wanting-, and the
animal, therefore, cannot be with certainty referred to a genus, but the form of
its exterior cheek-pouches leads me to think that it may belong to the diplostoma of
M. Rafinesque-Smaltz. There is, however, a discrepancy in the number of its
toes and in the presence of a tail, which, if M. Rafinesque's specimen was perfect,
is decisive against this arrangement. The characters of the genus diplostoma, as
quoted by M. Desmarest, are as follows : —

" Diplostoma (Am. Month. Mag. 1817.) — Mouth double ; the exterior one
formed by two great pouches, which extend as far back as the shoulders, and
meet before the incisors, all of which are furrowed ; four molar teeth of a side
in each jaw ; body cylindrical ; neither tail nor ears ; eyes hid by the fur ; four
toes on each foot. This genus is nearly allied to that of the mole-rat, but differs
in its cheek-pouches, and in the number of its toes. Two species were discovered
by Bradbury on the Missouri. They live beneath the surface of the earth and eat
roots. The early French travellers named them ganffres." .

DKSCRIPTION.

Form. — Body like that of a great mole, with a head that appears large and clumsy owing
to the swelling out of the cheek-pouches. The nose being margined by a slight prolongation
of the superior edge of the cheek-pouch appears flat and broad, but its tip and nostrils are
comparatively small ; it does not project in the least beyond the plane of the incisors.

The incisors are entirely exserted, are stronger than those of the musk-rat, and have three
convex sides. The anterior 'side is the broadest, is without grooves, and has a yellowish
colour. The upper incisors have even cutting edges, and project forwards and downwards
immediately from under the nostrils, instead of standing out from a cleft in the upper lip.
The lower ones are linear, with round tips, and project nine lines above their sockets, being
longer than the upper ones. The true month is a vertical slit, nearly an inch long, situated

w

MAMMALIA. 207

behind the incisors and hidden by them. The lips, wliich in fact are right and left, and not
upper and under, are covered with white hair. There is a hollow space of about half an inch
in length between the upper incisors and the upper corner of the mouth, which is partially
•naked, but is protected by some coarse white hairs that incline over it. The inferior incisors
are situated in the lower angle of the mouth, but the lips come into apposition behind them.
No part of either upper or under incisors that projects beyond the sockets is covered by the
lips. On each cheek there is a wide pouch, not communicating with the cavity of the mouth,,
but opening forwards, and with its fellow forming a kind of hood, in the middle of which are
placed the mouth, incisors, and extremity of the lower jaw, the latter having an upward direc-
tion. The pouch is widest at its mouth ; its anterior margin commences on the side of the
nose, about half an inch from its tip, and curving downwards is united with the lower jaw, a
little more than an inch from the insertion of the incisors. The integument forming the
outer parietes of the pouch is covered externally by fur of the same quality and colour with
that on the head and body ; and when the animal is viewed in profile, the cheek appears
merely a little puffed up, but exhibits no membranaceous or bag-like projection like the pouches
in the genus geomys. Interiorly the pouches are clothed with a shorter and coarser hair,
particularly the side forming the parietes of the mouth, Avhich is well covered with short
white hairs ; the opposite side of the lining of the pouch is furnished, howe\er, merely with
scattered patches of hair, and is in some places quite naked. Each pouch has a semi-cup-
shaped cavity when distended ; — the distance from the union of its upper margin with the
nose to that of its lower margin with the chin, is about two inches, and its depth is nearly
as much. The whiskers are very short. The eyes (which appear to have been small) are
situated about an inch from the tip of the nose. The auditory ojienings are moderately
large, but there are no external ears.

Fur. — The body and head are covered with short fur like that which clothes the
meadow-mice. On the dorsal aspect it has a colour intermediate between chestnut and
yellowish-brown, darker on the crown of the head than elsewhere. On the belly the brown
is mixed with a considerable portion of gray. The lips, the lower jaw, the lining of the
pouches, and a narrow space round the anus are covered with white-fur. Close to the upper
part of each side of the mouth there is a rhomboidal mark, which is clothed with hair of a
liver-brown colour. The fur on the back has that dark, shining, lead-gray colour, from the
roots to near the tips, which is usually seen in the meadow-mice.

The tail is short, round, and tapering, with an obtuse tip, and is thinly clothed with hairs
of a pale brown colour. The extremities are short, and are covered down to the wrist and
ankle joints with fur similar to that on the body. There are five toes on each foot. The
fore-feet are hairy above, with naked palms, Avhich have a large callous tubercle at their
posterior part, resembling a heel, as in the genus geomys ; behind this tubercle there is a
tuft of strong while hairs. The toes are short; the middle one is the longest, the one on each
side of it are a little shorter ; the fifth or exterior toe is much shorter and considerably further
back, its extremity (without the claw) reaching only to the root of the third toe. The thumb
is still shorter and further back than the fifth toe. The claws are long, strong, slightly

208 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

curved, and much compressed. Their edges are in contact beneath at their insertions into
the ends of the toes, and separate a httle towards their points, being very similar in form to
the claws of the spermophiles, but not so strong in proportion to the size of the animal. The
middle claw is the longest ; those belonging to the thumb and outer toe are much shorter and
more conical than the rest, but they are in other respects similar, the thumb-claw differing in
that respect from the obtuse, rounded flat thumb-claw of a spermophile.

The hind-feet are covered above with whitish hairs. The soles are naked and narrow, and
the toes short. The first and fifth toe are so much smaller and further back than the others,
that, at first sight, there appear to be only three hind-toes. Of these three the middle one
is longer than the one on each side of it ; and of the other two, the first toe is a little further
back, but somewhat larger than the outer or fifth one. The hind nails are short, conical,
obtuse, and more or less excavated underneath. The nail of the fourth toe is more spoon-
shaped than the others.

Length of the head and body . . .11 0

„ „ head .... 3 0

Breadth of the head behind the eyes, when

the pouches are distended ... 3 6

Length of the tail .... 2 6

„ pahii, middle fore-toe and claw . 1 0

,, middle fore-toe ... 0 3

,, middle fore-claw ... 0 4:

Dimensions.

Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines.

Length of middle hind-toe ... 0 4

,, middle hind-claw ... 0 2

„ upper incisors (the exposed portion) 0 6

,, lower incisors ditto . 0 !>

,, from the orbit to the tip of the nose 1 2

,, of the orbit, about . . 0 3

,, from the orbit to the auditory opening 0 6

Height of the back, about ... 4 0

,, sole, middle hind-toe and claw 1 C j Length of the fur on the back ... 0 6

M. Rafinesque has not detailed the characters of his diplostoma fiisca from the
Missouri sufticiently to enable ns to judge how far it differs from the camas-rat;
but the furrows on the upper and lower incisors of his species, and no mention
being" made of the white fur about the mouth, lead me to consider it as distinct.
The want of a tail, and the smaller number of toes on his specimen, may have
been owing to an injury the skin had sustained^ as he had not an opportunity of
examining the recent animal.

Mr. Schoolcraft gives a description of a '^'^ gopher" that he procured at the
Falls of St. Anthony, on the Mississippi, which I shall transcribe, as it contains
the fullest account of the habits of these animals which I have met with. " It is
about ten inches long from the nose to the tail, with a body shaped very much
like that of a large wharf rat, which it also resembles in the colour of its hair and
the length and nudity of its tail. Its legs are short, and each foot is furnished
with five long and sharp claws. It has two large fore-teeth in each jaw, resembling
those of the squirrel, but its most remarkable character is a pouch on each side of
the jaw, formed by a duplicature of the skin of the cheek. These project inwardly,
where they are accommodated by an unusual width and flattening out of the head.

MAMMALIA. g09

As the animal lives wholly under ground like a mole, these pouches serve the
purpose of bags for carrying- the earth out of their holes. They are filled with the
fore-claws, and emptied at the mouth of the hole by a power which the animal
possesses of ejecting- the pouches from each cheek in the manner that a cap or
stocking is turned. In this way it works its path under ground^ and ploughs up the
prairies in many places in such a manner, that the white hunters of the Missouri and
Arkansas frequently avail themselves of the labours of the gopher by planting-
corn upon the prairies which have been thus mellowed. It lives entirely upon
the roots of plants^ eating all with indiscriminate voracity, and has been found
particularly destructive to beets, carrots, and other tap rooted plants in the military
gardens at St. Peter's*."

Mr. Schoolcraft's account of the manners of the Mississippi gauffre, and the
mode in which it uses its cheek-pouches, is evidently the testimony of an eye-
witness, and may be compared with Mr. Douglas's equally clear and precise
description of the habits of the Columbia sand-rat. A minute examination of the
specimens in my possession induces me to place implicit reliance on both these
accounts. The skin of the geomt/.s Douglasii, even when thoroughly soaked, cannot
be made to fold in, so as to produce the hood-like cheek-pouch of a gauffre, neither
can the pouch of the diplostoma bulbwomm be everted, so as to become pen-
dulous. Its bottom alone can be turned out, by which it is emptied of its contents
in the manner mentioned by Mr. Schoolcraft ; but the lining of the exterior parietes
of the pouch is firmly united to the external skin, and is incapable of being everted.
The incisors in form and position, the form of the mouth, the ears, eyes, extremities,
and tail of the sand-rats, bear, however, a very close resemblance to those of the
gauffres, and they cannot be finally established as separate genera, until their
dentition has been compared. The Camas-rats are very common on the plains of
the Multnomah River, and may, as Mr. Douglas informs me, be easily snared in
the summer.

* Schoolcraft, Journ., p. 365.

2E

210 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Aplodontia. (Richardson.) Sewellel.

Aplodontia. Richardson, ZooL Journ. January, 1819.
CHARACTERS.

Dental formula ; incisors f, canines ^E^j grinders ^ = 22.

Incisors, very strong, flatly-convex anteriorly without grooves ; narrower behind. Grinders
simple, remarkably even on the crowns. The first in the upper jaw, small, cylindrical, and
pointed, is placed within the anterior corner of the second one, and exists in the adult. The
rest of the grinders are perfectly simple in their structure, without roots, and have slightly
concave crowns, which are merely bordered with enamel without any transverse ridges or
eminences. On the exterior side of the four posterior pairs of upper grinders, and the inner
side of all the lower ones, there is an acute vertical ridge extending the whole length of the
tooth, formed by a sharp fold of enamel. When the grinders are in situ, there is a wide
semicircular furrow between each pair of ridges, formed by the two adjoining teeth. The side of
each tooth opposite the ridge is convexly semicircular. The second grinder in the upper jaw,
and the first in the lower one, are a little larger than the more posterior ones, and the former
has a projection of enamel at its anterior corner, producing a second though smaller vertical
ridge, within which the first small grinder is situated and leans towards it. There is a slight
furrow on the exterior sides of the lower grinders, most conspicuous in the first one.

Palate narrow, bounded by perfectly parallel and straight rows of grinders.

Head flat and broad, nose a little arched, thick and obtuse. Loiver jaw thick and strong,
with a large triangular process, concave behind, projecting at its posterior inferior angle further
out than the zygomatic arch. The transverse diameter of the articulating surface of the
condyle is greater than the longitudinal one. The jaw is altogether stronger than is usual in
the Rodentia.

" Cheek-pouches none" *.

Eyes very small. Ears short and rounded, approaching in form to the human ear, and
thickly clothed on both sides with short hair.

Body thick and short, clothed with fur like that of a musk-rat, but not so long or fine.

Limbs robust, short ; feet moderately strong, Avith naked soles. Five toes on all the {eet^
rather short, but well separated. The thumb of the fore-feet is considerably shorter than
the other toes. Claws, particularly the fore-ones, very long, strong, much compressed, and
but little curved.

Tail very short, concealed by the fur of the hips. MammcB six, the anterior pair situated
between the fore-legs.

Habits. — Animals forming small societies, feeding on vegetable substances, and living in
burrows,

* Mr. David Douglas.

G-eomys

Plate. 18 .C.

MAMMALIA. 211

[66.] 1. Aplodontia leporina. (Richardson.) The Sewellel,

Sewellel. Lewis and Clark, vol. iii. p. 39.

Anisonyx ? rufa. RAFiNEsaTJE-SsiALTz. Desmaeest, ilfamm., p. 330, in notis.

Arctomys rufa. Harlan, Fauna, p. 308. Griffith's Anim. Kingdom, vol. v. p 245. sp. 636.

Marmot, No. 17- Hudson's Bay Museum.

Aplodontia leporina. Richardson, Zool. Journ. January, 1829. No. 15. p. 335.

Plate xviii C. Fig. 7 to 14.
description.

Form. — The Sewellel stands very low on its legs, and has a short thick body like that of a
rabbit, with a rather large head. The nose is thick and obtuse, and is covered with a dense
coat of very short fur. The nostrils are like those of a rat, small and roundish, and are
separated by a narrow furrowed septum, but the fur comes close to their margins. The
mouth is rather small, considering the size of the incisors, the lips are thick, clothed with
stifiF hairs, and a stiff brush of white hair projects into the mouth from the upper lip, near
its union with the lower one. Whiskers very strong, longer than the head, partly black,
partly white. There are also some long stiff hairs over the eye and on the cheek. The eye
is very small, the opening between the eyelids not exceeding two lines in length. The
external ear strongly resembles the human one in form. It rises about four lines above the
auditory opening, has a small fold of the anterior part of its base inwards, and is prolonged
posteriorly and beneath the opening in form of a narrow thick margin representing the lobe
and anti-tragus. There are also folds and eminences in the concavity of the auricle, such as
exist in the human ear. The whole of the ear is clothed with a very short, close and fine
coat of pale hairs, and on its inner side there are some longer and darker ones, which
pi-oject beyond its margin.

The stump of the tail is scarcely half an inch long, and has a slender cylindrical form. It
js covered with fur of the same colour and length with that oh the neighbouring parts, and is
scarcely perceptible, so that the animal on a cursory view might be considered to be tail-less.

The legs are very short, and are covered down to the wrists and heels with fur similar to
that on the body. A little above the wrist joint, on the inner side, there is a small tuft of
stiff white hairs. The feet are shaped somewhat like those of a marmot.

Fore-feet. — .The palms and under surfaces of the toes are nalied. There are three small
callous eminences at the root of the toes, disposed as in the marmots, one of them being
common to the two middle toes, one proper to the fore-toe, and the third to the little toe.
There is a large prominent callus at the root of the thumb, and one nearly of the same size

2 E 2

212 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

on the opposite side of the palm. The thumb is of sufficient length to be of use in grasping^
and its upper phalanx is closely covered by a smooth rounded nail. As in the marmots, the
second toe is the longest, the third is a little shorter, the first is about two lines shorter than
the second, and the fourth or last is scarcely shorter than the first, being considerably longer
than the thumb. The claws are large and very much compressed, so that their edges are in
contact beneath nearly their whole length. They are slightly arched above and nearljr,
straight below. The hind-feet are more slender than the fore ones, and the claws are about
one-half smaller, rather more arched, and less compressed, their edges separating beneath so
as to form a narrow oblong groove towards their points. The soles are longer than the
palms, and are naked to the heel. They are furnished with four callous eminences situated
at the roots of the toes, and two placed further back, all more conspicuous than those on the
hind-feet of the American spermophiles. The innermost and outermost toe are nearly equal
in length, and are shorter than the three others.

Fur. — The quality of the fur is very much like that of a rabbit when out of season. It
consists of a close short fur, four or five lines long, mixed with longer hairs. The latter are
most numerous about the sides of the neck and fore-part of the back. They are scattered
over the posterior part of the back and belly, and are numerous on the shoulders and thighs.
The sides and upper part of the nose are covered with short fur, and the fur on all the feet
is short.

Colour. — Incisors yellow ; claws white. The general hue of the hack is intermediate
between umber and chestnut browns, without any tendency towards a rufous hue, and it is
rendered darker by most of the long scattered hairs on that part being black. The belly is
grayish, or clove-brown, and many of the long hairs there, and on the sides, are tipped with
white. The nose is clothed with short hairs, nearly of the colour of the back j the lips are
whitish, and there is a pretty large spot of pure white on the throat. The position of the
mammce in the female is indicated by brown circular marks. The fur has no lustre on its
surface, and little beauty ; that on the back, when blown aside, exhibits a grayish-black
shining colour, from the roots to the brownish tips.

Dimensions
Of a full-grown specimen.
Inches. Lir.es. Inches. Lines,

Length of head and body . . 14 0

„ tail . . . .00

„ from the elbow to the wrist joint 2 0

„ ,, the wrist joint to the end of the
middle-claw ... 1 9

„ of thumb . . .0 3

,, middle toe . . 0 C

„ middle-claw . . .0 C

„ from the knee-joint to the heel 2 2

,, „ heel to the tip of the middle

claw . , . .20

,, of middle hind toe and claw . 0 9

Dimensions of the scull of same spenimen.
Breadth of the scull, measured from the out-
side of one zygomatic arch to the outside of
the other, posteriorly . , 2 4

Length of the orbit . . .10

AVidth of ditto, posteriorly . 1 ft

Smallest distance between the orbits, measured

across the frontal bone . .0 3^

Width of the palate . .03

Length of the nasal bones . .1 1

Greatest breadth of each nasal bone . 0 3

mXmmalia. 213

References to Plate xviii C.

Fig. 7, 8, 10. Different views of the anterior half of the

skull (nat. size.)
— 9. Lower jaw with one condyle broken off.

Fig. 11. Upper molar tooth.

— 12, 13. Views of the upper surface of the fore-feet.

— 14. Sole of the hinif-feet.

Amongst Mr. Douglas's specimens;, there is a young one, with more white hairs
interspersed through its fur, and some differences in the form of its scull, which
seem to point it out as a second species. The breadth of its frontal bone, between
the orbits, where least, is six lines, being twice the breadth of the same bone in
A. hporina. Its nasal bones are as broad as in the latter, but are three lines
shorter. The dentition is perfectly the same in both^ but in the young specimen
there is a new set of grinders in the lower jaw, which have destroyed the greater
part of the bodies of the old grinders, leaving merely a long process before, another
behind, in each socket, resembling fangs. The specimen is not sufficiently perfect
to enable me to give its characters as a distinct species, but I have little doubt of
its being so.

Since the account of this genus was published in the Zoological Journal^ Mr.
Douglas has placed in my hands an Indian blanket or robe, formed by sewing the
skins of the sewellel together. The robe contains twenty-seven skins, which have
been selected when the fur was in prime order. In all of them the long hairs
are so numerous as to hide the wool or down at their roots, and their points have
a very high lustre. The general colour of the surface of the fur is between
chestnut and umber browns, lighter, and with more lustre on the sides. Some of
the skins^ which are in the best order, have the longer hairs on the back of the
head, and between the shoulders almost black. It is probable, however, that
these are the skins of two species of sewellels, in the robe, and that one of them
wants the white mark on the throat. The down of all the skins of the robe has a
shining blackish-gray colour.

S14

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[67.] 1. Hystrix piLOsus. (Catesby.) Canada Porcupine.

Genus Hystrix. Linn. Erethizon. F. CuviEit.

Hystrix pilosus, Americanus. Catesby, Carol. App., p. 30. An. 1741.

The Porcupine, from Hudson's Bay. Edwards, Birds, p. 52. Fig.

Cavia Hudsonis. Klein, Qwadr., p. 51. An. 1751.

Hystrix Hudsonius. Brisson, Regn. An., p. 148. An. 1750.

Hystrix dorsata. Linn., Syst., p. 5?. An. 1757.

L'Urson. Btjffon, vol. xii. p. 42C. t. 55. An. 1776.

Canada Porcupine. Forster, Phil. Trans., vol. Ixii. p. 374. Pennant, Quadr., vol. ii. p. 126.

Arct. Zool., vol. i. p. 109.
The Porcupine. Hearne, Jojtrwa/, p. 381. Hutchins, Jl/S'5'.
Erethizon Dorsatum. F. Cuvier, Mem. de Mus., vol. ix. p. 413.
Hystrix dorsata. Sabine, Frankliii's Journ., p. 664. Harlan, Fauna, p. 190.
Canada Porcupine. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. ICO. The figure represents only four toes on the

hind feet, instead of five.
Cawquaw. Cree Indians. Ooketook. Esquimaux.

This sluggish and unsightly animal early attracted the notice of travellers to the
northern parts of America. Buffon invented for it the appellation '' urson/' by
which he intended to recall the memory of Henry Hudson, the illustrious but
unfortunate discoverer of the country, where the animal chiefly abounds, and also
to denote its spiny armature, resembling that of the common hedgehog (I'herisson).
Linne gave it the specific name of dorsata, but I have preferred Catesby 's prior
epithet oi pilosus, which seems to be equally, if not more, appropriate.

The Canada porcupine is found on the banks of the Mackenzie, as high as
latitude 67°, and, according to American writers, it ranges as far south as
latitude 37°. It is said to be very rare in Virginia ; but to be numerous in some
parts of Kentucky ; and it is reported to have multiplied greatly, of late years, near
Oneida Lake, in the state of New York*. In the fur countries, it is most numerous
in sandy districts, covered with the jnnus Baiiksiana, on the bark of which it
delights to feed. It also eats the bark of the larch and spruce firs, and the buds
of various kinds of willow. In the more southern districts, it is said to feed chiefly
on the bark and leaves of the pinus Canadensis and tilia glabra, and to be fond of
sweet apples and young maize, which it eats in a sitting posture, holding them to
its mouth with the fore-paws. It travels slowly, and Hearne remarks, that " the
Indians, going with packets from fort to fort, often see them in the trees, but not
having occasion for them at the time, leave them until their return, and should

* CozzENS, Lyceum Kat. Hist., New York, vol. i. p. 190.

MAMMALIA. 215

their absence be a week or ten days, they are sure to find them within a mile of the
place where they had seen them before." Mr. Hutchins observes^ that^ " in walk-
ing, the tail is drawn along the snow^ making a deep tracks which is often the
means of betraying the animal ; but its haunts are most readily discovered by the
barked trees on which it has fed, which, if done the same winter, is a sure sign that
the porcupine is near the spot. They are usually found on the branches, and, on
approaching them, they make a crying noise, like a child. The tree, being cut
down, the animal is despatched by only striking it on the nose." It is readily
attacked by the Indian dogs, and soon killed, but not without injury to its assailants,
for its quills, which it erects when attacked, are rough, with minute teeth directed
backwards, that have the effect of rendering this seemingly weak and flexible
weapon a very dangerous one. Their points, which are pretty sharp, have no
sooner insinuated themselves into the skin of an assailant than they gradually bury
themselves, and travel onwards until they cause death", by wounding some vital
organ. These spines, which are detached from tlie porcupine by the slightest
touch, and probably by the will of the animal, soon fill the mouths of the dogs,
which worry it, and unless the Indian women carefully pick them out, seldom
fail to kill them. Wolves occasionally die from the same cause. The Canada
porcupine makes its retreat amongst the roots of an old tree, and is said to pass
much of its time in sleeping. When disturbed, it makes a whining or mewing
noise. It pairs in the latter end of September, and brings forth two young ones
in April or May. Its flesh, which tastes like flabby pork, is relished by the Indians,
but is soon nauseated by Europeans. The bones are often deeply tinged with a
greenish yeUow colour. Like other animals, which feed on coarse vegetable sub-
stances, it is much infested by intestinal worms. The quills or spines are dyed of
various bright colours by the native women, and worked into shot-pouches, belts,
shoes, and other ornamental articles of dress.

DESCRIPTION.

Form, — Body thick and clumsy, back much arched in a reg ular curve from the nose to
the buttocks, when it droops more rapidly to the tail, which is very low. Legs very short.
Tail short, thick, rounded at the tip, and turned a little upwards. Nose flattish above, broad
and abrupt. There is a narrow naked margin round the nostrils, but there is no smooth
dividing line on the upper lip. Eyes lateral, very small, and round. Ears situated behind and
above the auditory opening, covered as thickly with fur as the neighbouring parts, and entirely
concealed by it. Incisors nearly as strong as those of the beaver. . They curve forwards a
little so as to project beyond the nose, are convex anteriorly, narrower behind, and are not

216 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

much compressed. They have a yellow colour. The crowns of the grinders as they wear
acquire an even surface.

Fur. — The upper-lip is covered with short hair of a dull yellowish-brown colour. The
cheeks and forehead are clothed with liver-brown hair, moderately long, interspersed with
a, very few black and white hairs. The hair on the body, both above and below, is long,
and of a dull liver-brown colour, intermixed on all the upper parts and on the hips with still
longer hairs, some of which are entirely black, others entirely white, and a third set black at
the roots and white at the tips. The white hairs are most numerous on the posterior part
of the body. There are also many round spindle-shaped, sharp-pointed spines or quills
fixed amongst the hair which covers the upper parts. The spines commence on the crown
of the head, and are there short, thick, very sharp-pointed, and veiy numerous. There are a
good many longer and more slender ones on the shoulders and fore-part of the back. There are
also many on the sides and middle of the back, but these are still more slender and flexible as
well as less conspicuous. The buttocks and thighs are thickly set with long, very strong, and
sharp spines. Some of the spines are entirely white, others brown at the tips. The throat
and helly are covered with brown hair, not so long as that on the back, lying more smoothly,
and unmixed with either white hairs or spines. The tail is covered with brown hair above
and below, and soiled white hair on its margin and tip. There are many small spines
amongst the hair on its upper surface.

The lega are covered with brown hairs, mixed on their exterior surfaces with some white
ones. The palms are nearly oval, or rather egg-shaped, being semicircular before and
narrower behind. There are four very short toes on the fore-feet, which are armed with long,
compressed, curved, blackish claws, grooved underneath their whole length. Their points are
not acute. The middle or second fore-toe is rather the longest, the one on each side of it
is scarcely inferior in length, and the outer one is a little smaller and somewhat further back.
The hind-soles are oval, approaching to circular, larger than the palms, destitute of hair and
covered with a rough skin like shagreen. There are five toes on the hind-foot, which do not
differ much from each other in length, but their roots and consequently their extremities are
arranged in a curved line, corresponding with that of the anterior margin of the soles. The
hind-claws resemble the fore-ones. The hair which covers the upper surface of the feet curves
down by the sides of the soles, and being worn even, as if clipped off, it forms a thick marginal
brush, which considerably increases the diameter of the soles, and fits them for walking on
the snow.

The Canada porcupines vary in the depth of their colours. Pennant informs us that Sir
Ashton Lever had a white one.

Length of the head and body

„ tail

Height of the centre of the back
Length of hair on the body j .

Dimensions.

Inches.

Lines.

Inches.

Lines.

. 30

0 Diameter of the eye

. 0

2

8

0 Breadth of the uose .

I

0

. 14

0 Length of the longest claw

. 1

6

3

9

MAMMALIA. 217

[68.] 1. Lepus Americanus. (Erxlebein.) The American Hare.

Genus. Lepus. Linn.

Lievre, (Queutonmalisia.) Sagard-Theodat, Canarfa, p. 747. An. 1636.

Hare, Hedge-coney. Lawson, p. 122. Catesby, App., xxviii.

Eabbit. Smith, Fo!/., vol. i. p. 156. An. 1748.

American Hare. Kalji, Travels, vol. i. p. 105 ; vol. ii. p. 45.

Lepus Aniericanus. Euxlebein, Syst., An. 1777-

Lepus Hudsonius. Pallas, Glires, p. 30. An. 1778'

American Hare. Fousteti, Phil. Trans., vol. Ix'n.Tp. 376. Pennant, Arct.' ZooL, vol. 1. p. 90. Hearne,

Journ.^Tj). 3S4.
Lepus Americanus. Bavi^^e, Franklin's Journ., p. 664. Richardson, Append. Parry'' s Second Voy., p. 324.

Harlan, Fauna, p. 193.
The American Hare. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 157.
Wawpoos. Cree Indians. Kah. Chepewyans.
Rabbit. European Residents at Hudson's Bay.
Leiapin. French Canadians.

This is a common animal^ in the woody districts of North America, from one
extremity of the continent to the other. It abounds in Mackenzie's River as high
as the sixty-eighth parallel of latitude * ; but on the barren grounds to the eastward
of the Coppermine, and on the extensive plains or prairies through which the
Missouri and Saskatchewan flow, it is replaced by other and larger species.

The American Hare does not burrow. In the northern districts it resides
mostly in willow thickets, or in woods where willows or dwarf birch constitute
much of the underwood. The bark of the willow forms a great part of its food
in the winter, but in the summer it eats grass and other vegetables. It is reported
to do much damage in cultivated districts, to fields of cabbage or turnips. In the
fur countries, few are killed in the summer, because the natives can then procure
abundance of water-fowl and game of various kinds. In the winter, however,
they are more sought after^ and in the Hare-Indian country, on the banks of the
Mackenzie, where larger animals are scarce during that season, they constitute
the chief food of the natives. They are principally taken in snares set in the paths
that they make through the snow, and fixed to a pole which springs up when the
noose is drawn, care being taken to obstruct their passage on one side of the
noose by a small hedge of branches. To prevent them from cutting the snare

* From a clerical error in the appendix to Capt. Franklin's Narrative, it is stated that the American hare does not
exist " further north than Carlton-house." It should have been " further north than Fort Enterprise."

2 F

218 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

instead of endeavouring- to pass through it, it is occasionally rubbed with a little
of their own dung-. The Hare-Indians, when they come to a place where the
hare-tracks are numerous, beg'in their operations by beating a circular path in the
snow, so as to enclose a pretty large clump of wood, knowing that the hares will
not readily cross such a path. They next bar the ways by little hedges, in the
gaps of which they set snares, and then they enter the circle and beat amongst
the bushes with their dogs to drive the hares into the nooses. On the success of
this operation the supper of a whole horde often depends, as, with the usual
improvidence attendant on a hunter's life, these Indians seldom keep any stock of
provision by them. Unless when disturbed, the American hare rarely runs about
during the day. It has numerous enemies, such as wolves, foxes, wolverenes,
martins, ermines, snowy owls, and various hawks ; but the Canada lynx is the
animal which perhaps most exclusively feeds upon it. It has been remarked that
lynxes are numerous only when there are plenty of hares in the neighbourhood.
At some periods a sort of epidemic has destroyed vast numbers of hares in par-
ticular distiicts, and they have not recruited again until after the lapse of several
years, during which the lynxes were likewise scarce. In the spring and summer
the hares are much infested by a large species of cmiex. In the fur countries
this hare becomes white in the winter. This change takes place in the
northern districts in the month of October, and the animals retain their white
coat until the end of April, when it begins to fall off, and is replaced by their
shorter and coloured summer dress. The white colour is less perfect in more
southern districts, and to the southward of New England, according to Pennant,
the brown dress endures all the year. The same author says that the winter
coat, in northern districts, consists of a multitude of long white hairs, twice the
length of the summer fur, which still remains beneath. After a careful exa-
mination, however, of many specimens in different states, I agree with the clerk
of the California* in thinking that the change to the winter dress takes place
by a lengthening and blanching of the summer fur ; whilst the change in the
beginning of summer consists in the winter coat falling off during the growth
of new and coloured fur.

The winter skins of this animal are imported by the Hudson's Bay Company
under the name of rabbit-skins ; but from their small value the importation does
not at present exceed eight or ten thousand in a year, as they will not cover the
expenses of carriage from the interior. Mr. Jeremie relates that in one season

• Voyage in search of a North. IVcst Passage.

MAMMALIA.

219

twenty-five thousand were taken at the post at which he resided in Hudson's Bay,
and gTeat numbers might still be obtained in some districts^ were it an object
to do so. In some parts of the fur countries the natives line their dresses with
hare-skinSj and the Hare-Indians sometimes tear the skins with the fur into strips,
and plait them into a kind of cloth. They resort to this expedient, however, only
from the scarcity of deer-skins and moose-leather, which form closer and bettei
dresses.

DESCRIPTION.

The form of this animal is similar to that of the other species of the genus amongst which
there is a great resemblance, and it is so like that of the common European rabbit, that it is
universally called " the rabbit" by the English residents at Hudson's Bay. Its average
■weight is about four lbs.

Dental formula ; incisors, | ; canines ^; grinders, 5::^ = 28.

Incisors, white ; superior ones linear, flattened anteriorly with a deep groove near their
inner margins, rounded laterally, without a groove there ; inferior ones quite flat and smooth
aiiteriorly, and on the sides ; somewhat narrower behind ; with slightly oblique cutting edges.

In the ivinter this animal is covered with a thick coat of fine long fur, which, when lying
smooth, appears every where of a pure white colour, except a narrow border on the posterior
margins of the ears, and round their tips, and about one-third down their anterior margins,
whicli are blackish-brown, on account of the dark roots of the hair being visible on these parts.
The ivhiskers, which are three inches long, are some of them black throughout, whilst
others are black only at the base. There are four or five long black hairs ovei the eyes,
and a narrow margin of the eyelids is blackish-brown.

The fur on the back, when blown aside, shews a blackish-gray colour for more than one-
third of its length from the roots upwards ; then a clear yellowish or wood-brown for rather
a shorter space ; and, lastly, a pure snow-white to the tips. There are also interspersed
many longer and rather stronger hairs, which are white their whole length. The fur on
the throat is similar to that on the back, but on the belly it is almost entirely wliite, there
being merely a slight tinge of gray at the roots. The fur on the upper aspect of the head
is shorter than that on the body, and the brown colour beneath the white tips is much
darker. The fur on the ears is blackish-brown from beneath the white tips to the roots.
The tail appears entirely white in winter, but the fur is coloured towards its base like that
on the back, though with less of the pale brown in its middle parts. The fur on the outer
and anterior aspect of the extremities corresponds in colour with that of the back, whilst the
fur on the inner aspects is white nearly its whole length, as on the belly. The fore-nails are
narrow, nearly straight, and very sharp. The hind-ones are broader and longer. Their
colour on both feet is nearly white.

In its summer dress, the fur on the upper parts is shining blackish-gray at the roots as in

2 F 2

220

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

winter, but towards the tips it is ringed with yellowish-brown and black. On the back, the
black is in large proportion, and the resulting colour of the surface is a dark umher-brown,
mixed with yellowish-brown. On the head there is more brown, and it has a brighter tint.
There is more black on the crown of the head than on the cheeks ; the sides of the muzzle
are paler, and are sprinkled with white. A white circle surrounds the eye, but the margins
of the eyelids are black as in Avinter. The under jaw is smoke-gray, the throat unmixed
yellowish-brown. The white colour commences between the fore-legs, extends over all the
belly, and predominates on the extremities ; but wherever the fur on the latter is ruffled,
the brown colours of the roots of the fur are seen. The sides present a dull, pale, yellowish-
brown colour, with a few scattered black hairs. The ears are nearly naked in the summer,
but the fur generally remains on their margins of a mixed white and blackish- brown, the
latter colour prevailing at their tips. The tail is white underneath ; on its upper surface the
gray and brown colours appear through the white. Whiskers as in winter.

DiJIENSIONS

Of full-sized individuals.

■ Inches.

Length of Lead and body . . 19

„ from nose to the tip of the middle
claw of the hind leg, when sti-etched out . 27

,, of head, measured with a line over
the curvature of the forehead . 4

,, of head, measured with callipers . 3
„ ears, in their winter fur (posteriorly) 3

claw

ears, from rictus to apex
tail (vertebra;) .

tail, including fur .
whiskers . .

Fore Extremities.
ulna
from carpal joint to point of middle

Lines.
0

Length of middle toe and claw

,, the middle fore-claw alone
Ilind Extremities.

„ from knee joint to end of middle
claw

,, of tibia

,, from heel to end of middle claw

,, heel to root of middle toe

,, of middle toe and claw

„ middle claw

„ tlie scull, from the insertion of the
incisors to occipital spine (measured by
calliper compasses)

dies.

Lines

1

3

0

7

9

«

4

<>

5

6

3

3

2

4

0

f<l

MAMMALIA. 221

[69.] 2. Lepus glacialis. (Leach.) Polar Hare.

Varying Hare. Pennant, Arct. ZooL, vol. i. p. 9-1. Hearne, Journey, p. 302.

Lepus timidus. Fabricius, Fauna Grcenl., p. 25.

Lepus glacialis. Leach, Ross's Voyage. Capt. Sabine, Suppl. Parry's First Voy., clxxxviii. Sabine (Mr.),.

Franklin's Journ., p. GC4. Richardson, Appendix Parry's Second Voy., p. 32L Harlan,

Fauna, p. 194.
The Polar Hare. Godman, JVat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 162,
Kaw-choh. Copper and Hare Indians.
Ookalik. EsauiMAUX. Rekaleek. Greenlanders.

This animal was, down to the period of Captain Ross's voyage to Baffin's Bay,
considered as the same with the varying- hare ; although Pennant had remarked
that its size was greater than that of the latter animal. Dr. Leach first noted
Captain Ross's specimens .as belonging to a distinct species ; and Captain Sabine
enumerated its specific characters in the Appendix to Captain Parry's First Voyage.
Many specimens_, brought home by the late arctic voyagers, exist in various
museums in Great Britain. The-Polar Hare inhabits both sides of Baffin's Bay,
and is common on the Barren Grounds, at the northern extremity of the American
continent. Its most southerly known habitat is the neighbourhood of Fort
Churchill, on Hudson's Bay, which is in the 58th parallel of latitude ; but it may,
perhaps, extend further to the southward on the elevated ridge of the Rocky
Mountains, or on the eastern coast of Labrador. It is not found in wooded
districts ; hence, it does not come further south on the line of the Mackenzie and
Slave Lake than latitude 64°. It was found in latitude 75° on the North Georoian
Islands. Although it does not frequent thick woods, it is often seen near the
small and thin clumps of spruce fir, which are scattered on the confines of the
Barren Grounds. It seeks the sides of hills, where the wind prevents the snow
from lodging deeply, and where, even in the winter, it can procure the berries of
the alpine arbutus, the bark of some dwarf willows, or the evergreen leaves of the
Labrador tea-plant (ledum) *. It does not dig burrows, but shelters itself amongst
large stones, or in the crevices of rocks, and in the winter time its form is
generally found in a wreath of snow, at the base of a cliff. The Polar Hare is
not a very shy animal, and on the approach of a hunter it merely runs to a little
distance, and sits down, repeating this manoeuvre as often as its pursuer comes

* On the barren coast of Winter Island, the hares went out on the ice to the ships, to feed on the tea-leaves,
thrown overboard by the sailors.— Lyon's Private Journal.

222 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

nearly within gunshot^ until it is thoroughly scared by his perseverance, when it
makes off. It is not difficult to get within bow-shot of it, by walking round it, and
gradually contracting the circle — a method much practised by the Indians. In
the late boat-voyage along the northern coast, we landed on a rocky islet, off
Cape Parry, which, though not above three hundred yards in diameter, was
tenanted by a solitary alpine hare. The whole party went in pursuit of this poor
animal ; but it availed itself so skilfully of the shelter of the rocks, and retreated
with so much cunning and activity from stone to stone, that none of us could
obtain a shot at it, although it never was able to conceal itself from our search for
more than a minute or two at a time.

The winter fur of the Polar Hare is of a snow-white colour to the roots, and is
more dense, and of a finer quality than that of the American hare. It bears a
close resemblance to swan-down. The fur is in prime order in latitude 65°, about
the end of October, and begins towards the end of April to be replaced by the
summer coat, which is more or less coloured. I have killed individuals at the
time they were losing their winter fnr, and have seen others exhibiting dark
colours later in the season, but have not been able to obtain a full-grown summer
specimen. Fabricius informs us that, in Greenland, the Polar Hares retain their
white colour all the summer. Captain Sabine states, that some full-grown spe-
cimens, killed on Melville Island (lat. 75 ), in the height of summer, had the hair
of the back and sides of a grayish-brown colour towards the points, but the mass
of fur beneath still remained white ; the face and front of the ears were of a
deeper gray. Tlie fur was interspersed with long solitary hairs, which, in many
individuals, were banded with brown and white in the middle of summer. The
weight of a full-grown Polar Hare varies, according to its condition, from 7 to 141bs.^
and a similar variation, in the weight of the common British hare, is known to
exist. Its flesh is whitish, and well flavoured, being greatly superior to that of
the American hare ; and also much more juicy than the alpine or varying hare of
Scotland.

According to Indian information, the Polar Hare brings forth once in the year,
and from two to four young at a time. Fabricius says that, in Greenland, they
produce eight young at a birth, in the month of June : they pair in April.

DESCRIPTION

Of a full-grown winter specimen, from Bear Lake.

Size. — Equal to that of the largest English hare, superior to that of the varying or Alpine
hare of Scotland. Scull one-third larger than that of the American hare, with a larger

MAMMALIA*

orbital cavity, and smaller space for containing the brain. The breadth of the frontal bone
or distance between the orbits is not greater than in the smaller scull of the American hare.
The margins of the orbits project considerably, so as to produce a well-marked depression in
the anterior part of the frontal bone, included between them.

Dental formula, incisors |, canines ^, grinders ^, = 28.

Incisors white, four-sided. Upper ones with a conspicuous but rather shallow groove near
their inner margins anteriorly, and another groove on their sides. The posterior or supple-
mental upper incisors have two grooves on their posterior faces, which give them a prismatical
form. The cutting edges of the incisors are nearly even.

The fur is every where entirely white, except on the tips of the ears, which are brownish-
black. The back and margins of the ears are covered with a close coat of hair, which is
white to the roots. The hairs lining the interior of the ear are white and moderately long,
but they are not so close as to prevent the dark skin from partially appearing. The hair on
the tips of the ears is mostly brownish-black to its base, a little of it only, where it adjoins to
the white fur, shewing a wood-brown colour near its roots. The whiskers in some specimens
are entirely white, in others partially black. The fur on the back is remarkably close and
fine, that on the belly is longer and not quite so close. The extremities are covered with a
smooth coat of hair of a pure white colour to the roots. The brush on the soles has a soiled
yellowish-white colour. The fore-toes are short, and their claws are of a dark-brownish horn
colour, and are very long and considerably curved, but their general shape nearly resembles
that of the claws of the common hare. They are more curved and blunter than the claws
of the American hare, and project much further beyond the fur. The hind-claws are rather
broader than the fore-ones, dark at the roots and pale at the tips. The tail is covered with
pretty long fur, woolly at the roots, and of a pure white colour its whole length. The irides
are of a honey-yellow colour. The skin of the polar-hare, when in full winter dress, is so
tender, that it is difficult to take it off without tearing it.

Dimensions.

Inclies
Length of the head and body . . 22

,, from the nose to the point of the mid-
dle claw, when the hind leg is stretched out 30

„ of the head, from the occipital spine
to the end of the nose, measured over the
forehead, and pressing down the fur . 5

,, of the head, measured with a pair of
calliper compasses . . .4

„ of the ears, including the fur, mea.
sured posteriorly . . .

„ the ears, from rictus to apex .

,, „ black fur at the tip of the ear

,, „ tail (vertebrae)

„ „ tail, including the fur

„ „ whiskers .

Lines.
C

4

6

3

6

0

6

1

C

3

6

3

6

Inches, Lines.

Fore Extremities,

Length from wrist joint to point of the middle

claw . . t, ,3 4

„ of middle toe and claw . 1 10

,, the middle fore-claw . .1 0

Hind Extremities.
„ from the heel to the base of the mid-
dle toe . . • . 4 0
„ of middle toe and claw . 2 6
„ from the heel to the end of the middle
claw . ... 6 6

,, of the scull, from the insertion of the
incisors to the occipital crest, measured by
callipers . .

10

224 NORTHERN ZOOLOGV.

DESCRIPTION

Of a Polar hare, three months old, killed on the 12th of August at Repulse Bay.
The head and back are hoary, from an intermixture of hairs entirely black, with others
which are black at the base and white at the tips. When these hairs are blown aside, they
permit a shorter yellowish-gray down to be seen. On the breast, flanks, and thighs, the
longer hairs have fewer white tips, and are more thinly scattered, allowing much of the down
to become visible ; the down on these parts has a bluish-gray colour. The belly, feet, and
tail are entirely white. The hairs on the belly are very long. The ears have a similar colour
witli the back, but the proportion of black hairs is rather greater. Their margins are white,
and there is a small brownish-black spot at their tips.

Dimensions.

Inches. Lines.
Length of the head and body , . . .17 6

,, ,, ears .... 36

A nearly mature foetal specimen was of a blackish-brown colour on all the
upper parts and outsides of the extremities.

[70.] 3. Lepus Virginianus. (Harlan.) Prairie Hare.

Varying Hare. Lewis and Clark, Jortrney, &c., vol. ii. p. 178.
The Varying Hare ? Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 163.
Lepus Virginianus. Harlan, Fauna, p. 312.
Prairie Hare. Fur Traders.

The servants of the North-west and Hudson's Bay Companies have long
been acquainted with this animal^ but it is still very imperfectly known to
naturalists. The best account of it is contained in the narrative of Lewis
and Clark's interesting Journey to the Columbia ; but Dr. Harlan first named
it as a species distinct from the Lepus variabilis. It is a common animal on
the plains through which the north and south branches of the Saskatchewan
flow, and which extend as far eastward as the Winepegoosis and southern
extremity of Winepeg lake, and to the southward, unite with the plains of
the Missouri, where this hare is also found^ as well as on the great plains of
the Columbia. I have not heard of its existing- further north, than latitude 55°.

MAMMALIA.

225

It frequents the open plains, where it lives much after the solitary manner of the
common European hare^ without burrowing ; it is also occasionally met with among
the small clumps of poplars and willows,, with which the plains are studded near
their confines ; but it does not resort to the thick woods, like the American
hare. It possesses great speed. I was not successful in the attempts I made to
obtain specimens of this hare, a mutilated hunter's skin, in the winter dress, being
all I could procure. Mr. Drummond killed a full-grown individual on the banks
of the Saskatchewan, in the month of September, and remarked that, as far as his
recollection went, there was no difference betwixt it and the common English hare.
Owing to a succession of wet weather, and want of convenience for drying speci-
mens, the skin unfortunately became putrid, and was thrown away.

DKSCRIPTION
Of a mutilated winter skin.

The fur is not quite so dense and fine as that of the Polar hare, but more so than that of
the American hare. It is everywhere of a pure white colour on the surface, except on the
borders of the ears. The whiskers and muzzle are white. There are no coloured rings round
the eye, but when the fur there is blown aside, it is seen to be of a very pale wood-brown or
fawn colour for about two-thirds of its length from the roots upwards. On the upper aspect
of the head, the wood-brown colour of the concealed parts of the fur is deeper, and is mixed
with a little bluish-gray. On the cheeks the fur is longer, and white to very near the roots^
where it is bluish-gray. On the sides of the neck, the fur is bluish-gray for a short space at
the roots, then of a buff colour intermediate between pale wood-brown and cream-yellow for
two-thirds of its length; and, lastly, white at the tips. On the hack, the fur is white for one-
third of its length from the roots, then pale brownish-yellow or buff colour for less than a
third ; and, lastly, white to the tips. The fur on the helly and le(js is white its whole length.
The ears have a pretty broad wood-brown or fawn-coloured border along their anterior
margin, and a narrower one tovvards the base of the posterior margin ; the fur on these
borders is blackish-brown towards its roots. The back of the ear between the fawn-coloured
margins is covered with entirely white fur. The ear has a brownish-black tip about the same
size with the black tip of the ear of the Polar hare.

Length of the head and body . .22 0

,, fur of back ..14

„ fur of belly . . .2 4

,, whiskers ..36

Dimensions.

Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length of the ears, meastu-ed posteriorly, in-
cluding fur . . . .4 0

,, ,, from rictus to apex, with-
out fur .... 3 0
,, fur, at tip of the ear . 0 6

The Description of this .species of hare, by Lewis and Clark, is as follows : —
" They weigh from seven to eleven pounds; the eve is large and prominent, the pupil of a
deep sea-green, the iris of a bright yellow and silver colour ; the head, neck, back, shoulders,

2 G

226 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

and outer parts of the legs and thighs are of a lead colour ; the sides, as they approach the
belly, become gradually more white ; the belly, breast, and inner parts of the legs and thighs
are white, with a light shade of lead colour ; the tail is covered with white, soft fur, not quite
so long as on the other parts of the body; the body is covered with a deep, fine, soft, close
fur. The animal assumes these colours from the middle of April to the middle of November ;
during the rest of the year it is of a pure white, except the black and reddish-brown of the ears,
which never changes. In March, a few reddish spots are sometimes mixed with the white on
the head and upper parts of the neck and shoulders. This animal can leap twenty-one feet.
Its food is grass and herbs, and in winter it feeds much on the bark of aromatic shrubs,
which grow on the plains. These hares are generally found separate, and never associate in
greater numbers than two or three."

Dr. Godman has given the following- account of a specimen belonging- to the
Prince of Musignano, which was killed on the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania.
This species is said to be common throughout the mountainous regions of the
United States ; but its identity with the Lepiis Virginianus of Harlan has not
been ascertained, and it may be observed, that nothing is said in Dr. Godman's
description respecting the fawn-coloured margins of the ear, which distinguish
the Lepus Virginianus, in its winter dress, from the Polar hare.

" In its summer dress the general colour of this hare is a light reddish-brown, which is
lighter on the breast and head, becoming darker from the superior parts of the shoulders to
the posterior parts of the body. The hairs are coloured in the following manner : — They are
plumbeous at the base, then light yellow, then dusky, then reddish-brown, and finally, black
at tip. The under jaw is white, and this colour extends backwards until opposite the
' bases of the ears. The belly and legs are white, faintly tinged with light reddish-brown ; the
tail is whitish, which colour is superiorly mingled with bluish or lead colour. The ears are
externally bluish-white, and darker at the tip ; internally they are of a faint reddish-white.

" In ivinter dress the general colour is pure white, the fur being long, soft, fine, and in
greatest quantity upon the breast. The hairs are plumbeous at the base, then reddish, and
at tip of a snowy whiteness. The ears are slightly tipped with dark lead colour, and
edged within by brown and white hairs intermixed. The whiskers are entirely white or black
at the base and white at tip. The feet are thickly clothed with hair, that conceals the
slightly-curved nails, which are long and narrow at the base."

Dimensions
Of a recent specimen.

Feet. Inches.
" Totnl length . . . ,2 7 ' Length of fore-arm

Height to top of fore-shoulder . 0 10

,, top of thigh . . .1 2

Length of head ... 0 4

„ the ears . . .0 4

Distance from eyes to the end of the nose 0 1 1

fore-paw
the tliigh
hind-foot
the tail

Feet.

Inches

0

4

0

'-4

0

6

0

6

0

H

»<>'

MAMMALIA- 227

{71.] 4. Lepus (Lagomys) princeps. (Richardson.)

The Little- Chief Hare,

Genus, Lepus. Linn. Sub-genus, Lagomys. Cuvier.

Lepus (Lagomys) princeps. Richardson, ZooL Journal. No. 12, p. 520. March, 1828.

Lepus Lagomys (princeps), fuscus subfer ffriseufs, capite brevi, auriculis rotundatis.

The Little-Chief Hare ; tailless ; colour blackish-brown, beneath gray ; head short and thick ; ears rounded. ]

This highly interesting little animal inhabits the Rocky Mountains^ from
latitude 52° to 60\ Through the kindness of Mr. Macpherson, I obtained some
specimens from the River of the Mountains, or south branch of the Mackenzie ;
and Mr. Drummond killed several near the sources of the Elk River. There is
likewise a good specimen in the museum of the Hudson's Bay Company.

Mr. Drummond informs me, that the Little-Chief Hare frequents heaps of loose
stones^ through the interstices of which it makes its way with great facility. It is
often seen at sun-set, mounted on a stone, and calling to its mates by a peculiar
shrill whistle. On the approach of a man, it utters a feeble cry, like the squeak
of a rabbit when hurt, and instantly disappears, to re-appear in a minute or two,
at the distance of twenty or thirty yards, if the object of its apprehension remains
stationary. On the least movement of the intruder, it instantly conceals itself
again, repeating its cry of fear, which, when there are several of the animals in the
same neighbourhood, is passed from one to the other. Mr. Drummond describes
their cry as very deceptive, and as appearing to come from an animal at a great
distance, whilst, in fact, the little creature is close at hand ; and, if seated on a gray
limestone rock, its colour is so similar, that it can scarcely be discerned. These
animals feed on vegetables. Mr. Drummond never found their burrows, and he
thinks that they do not make any, but that they construct their nests amongst
the stones. He does not know whether they store up hay for the winter or not,
but is certain that they do not come abroad during that season.

The trivial name which I have adopted for the species, is a translation of the
Indian appellation, buckathrce kah-yawzw. The Little-Chief Hare resembles the
pika {lagomys alpimis) in its alpine habits and general form. It is, however, a
smaller animal, the largest of our specimens falling short of seven inches, which is
the length of the smallest pika seen by Pallas. I have not had an opportunity of

2 G 2

228 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

comparing it with a specimen of the pika ; but a scull of the latter, preserved in
the museum of the College of Surgeons, is twice the size^ and differs in form. The
pika has not only a larger head^ but its fur is described as coarse^ and its colours
as dissimilar to those of the Little-Chief Hare. The pika is said, by Pallas,
to inhabit Karaskatcha ; and, by Pennant_, to have been discovered on the
Aleutian Islands.

The Little-Chief Hare presents differences in its teeth from those of the true
hares^ which fully entitle it to rank in a distinct genus ; and it is further entitled
to that distinction from the naked tubercles at the end of its toes, and its very
different habits.

DESCRIPTION.

Size somewhat less than the Alpine Pika of Siberia ; length 6| inches.

On comparing the scull of this animal with those of the true hares, there appears a larger
cavity in proportion to its size for the reception of the brain. The breadth of the scull too
behind is increased by very large and spongy auditory processes. The bone anterior to the
orbit is not cribriform as in the hares, although it is thin, and there is no depression of the
frontal bone between the orbits.

Dental formula, incisors ^, canines ^, grinders ^5 = 26.

Incisors white, anterior upper ones marked with a deep furrow nearer their interior margins,
and having cutting edges, which present conjointly three well-marked points, the middle one
of which is common to both teeth, and is shorter than the exterior one. These incisors
are much thinner than the incisors of a hare, and are scooped out like a gouge behind.
The small round posterior or accessary upper incisors, have flat summits. The lower
incisors are thinner than those of the hares, and are chamfered away towards their summits
more in form of a gouge than like the chisel-shaped edge of the incisors of a hare.
Grinders. — The upper grinders are not very dissimilar to those of the hare on the crowns,
but the transverse plates of enamel are more distinct. They differ in each tooth, having a
very deep furrow on its inner side, which separates the folds of enamel. This furrow is nearly
obsolete in the hares, whilst in this Lagomys it is as conspicuous as the separation betwixt
the teeth. The small posterior grinder which exists in the upper jaw of the adult hares is
entirely wanting in the different specimens of the little-chief hare which I have examined.
The lower grinders, from the depth of their lateral grooves, have at first sight a greater
resemblance to the grinders of animals belonging to the genus arvicola than to those of a
hare ; their crowns exhibit a single series of acute triangles with hollow areas. The first
grinder has three not very deep grooves on a side, and is not so unlike the corresponding
tooth of a hare as those which succeed it. The second, third and fourth, have each a groove
in both sides, so deep as nearly to divide the tooth, and each of their crowns exhibits two
triangular folds of enamel. The posterior grinder forms only one triangle.

MAMMALIA.

229

Shape. — The body of the little-chief hare is moderately thick, and the head is short and
broad with an arched forehead. The whiskers are longer than the head. The ears are lar^-e
and nearly round, but do not, as far as I can judge from the prepared specimens, appear to
have the incurvation of their anterior margins, which gives the funnel shape to the ears of
the pika, as described by Pallas. An obtuse projection of the rump is the only vestige
of a tail.

The fur is soft to the touch, and differs in quality from that of the hare, being less downy
and having more the character of the fur of a meadow-mouse. It is of an uniform, shining
grayish-black colour for three-fourths of its length from the roots upwards, then partly
yellowish-brown, and partly white, and on the superior parts of the body, most of the hairs
have short black tips. The black predominates on the posterior part of the back, but even
there it is mixed with brown. Yellowish-brown prevails on the shoulders and sides ; the
under part of the protuberance which represents the tail is white, and all the under parts of
the body are smoke-gray, tinged on the chest and some parts of the belly Avith brown. The
fur on the back is about three-quarters of an inch long, that on the belly is somewhat shorter.
In some specimens the principal colour of the head is yellowish-brown, in others there are
many black hairs scattered over the crown. The ears have a narrow white border, and are
pretty well clothed anteriorly with white hairs tipped with black. The hairs which cover
them posteriorly are longer, and nearly black for their whole length.

The extremities are white with a brownish tinge. The soles of the feet are clothed with
dusky-brown hair. The claws are black, short, arched, much compressed, but not very
sharp, and are concealed by the fur of the toes. There is a large naked black tubercle at
the root of each of the four fore-claws, and a fifth minute tubercle far back near the
exterior margin of the rather broad and flat palm. The thumb is a little further back than
the outer toe, but not so far as the last-mentioned tubercle. It is very short, and has no
naked callus at its base, but its claw is as large as those of the toes. There are four toes
on the hind-foot, each terminated by a naked callus and claw, similar to those on the
fore-toes.

Dimensions.

Length of head and body

,, head

,, from nose to auditory opening

„ from nose to centre of pupil
Height of the ear
Breadth of the ear

Lengtli from heel to the middle claw of the
hind-foot . . , ,

„ fur on the back

Inches.
6
2
1
0
1
0

1

0

Lines,
9
2
9
9
0
9

U
10

Inches. Lines.
Length of largest whiskers ..29
„ fore-foot, from wrist-joint to end
of middle claw . . . .0 9

Breadth of fore-palm at the thumb . 0 4

Length of the scull from incisors to occipital

spine .... 1 6

Total breadth of the scull at the auditory
openings ..... 9

230 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

-f 1. LipuRA HuDsoNiA. (Illiger.) Tail-less Marmot.

Genus, Lipura. Illiger.

Tail-less Marmot. Pennant, Arct. ZooL, vol. i. p. 112. Hist. Quadr., vol. ii. p. 137.

Bewick, Quadr.,-p. .374.
Daman de la baie d'Hudson. Schreber, t. 240. C.
Arctomys Hudsonius. Turton, Linn., vol. 1. p. 90.
Hyrax Hudsonius. Shaw, ZooL, vol. ii. p. 225.

This animal was first described by Pennant from a specimen preserved in the
Leverian Museum^ and said to have been brought from Hudson's Bay. It has not
been obtained from that quarter since Pennant's time, and there is much reason to
doubt the habitat assigned to the animal^ though there appears to be none to
question the genuineness of the specimen.

The characters attributed to the genus lipura, by lUiger, are : " two superior
incisors ; four inferior ones, obhquely truncated ; an interval between the incisors
and the grinders^ which are composed of folded layers of enamel ; a pointed
muzzle ; body covered with coarse hair ; no tail ; feet, with four toes, armed
with fiat nails.

Pennant describes the animal as being of the she of the common marmot
(^. e. head and body, 16 inches long) with short ears; head and body of a
cinereous brown ; the ends of the hairs white ; two cutting teeth above, four
below ; no tail."

MAMMALIA. 231

[72.] 1. Equus caballus. (Linn.) The Horse.

The Horse. Warden, United States, p. 234.

Wild Horse. Long, Journ., vol. ii. p. 313 ; vol. iii. p. 107.

Herds of wild horses^ the offspring of those which have escaped from the
Spanish possessions in Mexico_, are not uncommon on the extensive prairies that
lie to the west of the Mississipi. They were once numerous on the Kootannie
Lands^ near the northern sources of the Columbia, on the eastern side of the
Rocky Mountain ridge, but of late years they have been almost eradicated in
that quarter. They are not known to exist in a wild state to the northward of
the fifty-second or fifty-third parallel of latitude. The young stallions five in
separate herds, being driven away by the old ones, and are easily ensnared by
using domestic mares as a decoy. The Kootannies are acquainted with the
Spanish-American mode of taking them with the lasso. Major Long mentions
that " horses are an object of a particular hunt to the Osages. For the purposes
of obtaining these animals, which in their wild state preserve all their fleetness,
they go in a large party to the country of the Red Canadian River, where they are
to be found in considerable numbers. When they discover a gang of the horses,
they distribute themselves into three parties, two of which take their stations at
different and proper distances on their route, which by previous experience they
know the horses will most probably take when endeavouring to escape. This
arrangement being completed, the first party commences the pursuit in the
direction of their colleagues, at whose position they at length arrive. The second
party then continues the chase with fresh horses, and pursues the fugitives to the
third party, which generally succeeds in so far running them down as to noose
and capture a considerable number of them."

The domestic horse is an object of great value to the nomadic tribes of
Indians that frequent the extensive plains of the Saskatchewan and Missouri, for
they are not only useful in transporting their tents and families from place to
place, but one of the highest objects of the ambition of a young Indian is to
possess a good horse for the chase of the buffalo, an exercise of which they are
passionately fond. To steal the horses of an adverse tribe is considered to be
nearly as heroic an exploit as killing an enemy on the field of battle, and the

232 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

distance to which they occasionally travel, and the privations they undergo on
their horse-stealing excursions, are almost incredible. An Indian who owns a
horse scarcely ever ventures to sleep after nightfall, but sits at his tent door with
the halter in one hand and his gun in the other, the horse's fore-legs being at the
same time tied together with thongs of leather. Notwithstanding all this care,
however, it often happens that the hunter, suflfering himself to be overpowered by
sleep for only a few minutes, awakes from the noise made by the thief gallopping
off with the animal.

Tlie Spokans, who inhabit the country lying between the forks of the Columbia,
as well as some other tribes of Indians, are fond of horse-flesh as an article of
food ; and the residents at some of the Hudson's Bay Company's posts on that
river, are under the necessity of making it their principal article of diet.

[73.] 1. Cervus ALCES. (Linn.) Moose Deer.

Gents, Cervus. Lixx.

Elian, stag-g, or aptaptou. De Mont's Kova Francia, p. 250. An. 1C04.

Eslaii ou oiignat. Sagard-Theodat, Co?!ffrfa, p. 749. An. 1G3C.

Orignal. La Hontan, Voy., p. 72. An. 1703.

Bloose deer. Dudi-ey, Phil. Trans. No. 368. p. IG5. An. 172L

Orignac. Hist, de rAmerique. An. 1723.

Orignal. Charlevoix, Nouv. France, vol. v. p. 185. An. 1744. Denys, Descr. de VAmer., vol. i. p. 2?. p. 1C3 ;

vol. ii. pp. 321, 425. Du Pratz, Louis, vol. i. p. 301.
Moose deer. Pennant, ^re^ic Zoo^., vol. i. p. 17. Cum fig. An. 1784.

Moose. Umfreville, i/j/f/s. £«?/. An. 1790. Heriot's Trai'. An. 1807. With a good figure.
Moose deer. Warden, United States, vol. i. p. 328. Godman, Nat. Hist.,vo\. ii. p. 274.
Cervus alces. Harlan, Fauna, p. 229. Griffith, An. King., vol. iv. p. 72. A good figure of the head.
"Orignac. Basque Settlers in Canada." (De Monts.)
Orignal. French Canadians of the present day.
Moosoa. Cree Indians. Denyai. Chepewyans.
" Sondareinta. Hurons." (Theodat.)

The Moose Deer is said to derive its present English name from its Algonquin
and Cree appellation of mongsoa or moosoa. It early attracted the attention of
travellers in America, and various descriptions of it appear in their works, some
oi which are quoted above. Live specimens have occasionally been brought to

MAMMALIA. 233

England, and one was sent to his late Majesty, from Churchill, in Hudson's Bay.
Naturalists have generally considered the moose deer to be the same species with
the elk of the northern parts of the old world*=. The Anglo-Americans, however,
having given the trivial name of elk to the Canada stag or red deer, some confusion
has occasionally crept into the accounts published by travellers, of the size, man-
ners, and geographical distribution of the moose ; and it has also sometimes been
confounded with the rein deer, from its possessing, in common with that animal,
palmated horns. The fact, that few of the American quadrupeds have been found
precisely similar to their European representatives, ought to excite doubts of the
identity of the moose and Scandinavian elk, until it is established by satisfactory
comparisons. This does not appear, however, to have been hitherto done, and
some differences between them are hinted at by La Hontan. Major Smith also
mentions, that the lower parts of the antlers of the American animal more often
separate into branches than those of the European one.

Du Pratz informs us that, in his time, moose deer were found as far south as the
Ohio ; and Denys says, that they were once plentiful on the island of Cape Breton,
though at the time that he wrote they had been extirpated. At present, according
to Dr. Godman, they are not known in the state of Maine ; but they exist in consi-
derable numbers in the neighbourhood of the bay of Fundy. They frequent the
woody tracts in the fur countries to their most northern limit. Several were seen on
Captain Franklin's last expedition, at the mouth of the Mackenzie, feeding on the
willows, which, owing to the rich alluvial deposits on that great river, extend to the
shores of the Arctic sea, in lat. 69°. Further to the eastward, towards the Copper-
mine river, they are not found in a higher latitude than 65°, on account of the scarcity
on the Barren Grounds of the aspen and willow, which constitute their food. I have
not been able to ascertain whether they occupy the whole width of the continent or
not. Mackenzie saw them high up on the eastern declivity of the Rocky Moun-
tains, near the sources of the Elk river ; but I suspect that they are rarely, if ever,
found to the westward of the mountains. Authors mention that the moose gene-
rally form small herds in Canada. La Hontan, who travelled in that country in
1683, says, that whilst he accompanied the Indians they hunted the elk with dogs^
when there was a crust on the snow ; and that, after a chase of a few leagues, they
generally found ten, fifteen, or twenty of them in a body : in three months his party
killed fifty-six, and might have taken as many more. It is probable, however, that

* According to BuflFon, the elk was unknown to the Greeks ; and the word alee first occurs m the writings of Julius
€sesar, and was probably adopted by him from the Celtae. Its Celtic name is elch ; and Swedish, eelg.

2 U

234 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

La Hontan in this passage confounds the Canada stag and moose deer together.
He mentions the animal being able to run, in the summer season, for three days and
nights in succession, and the excellent flavour of its flesh, — facts which apply to the
moose deer, but not to the Canada stag ; on the other hand, the weight of the horns,
which, he says, sometimes amounts to four hundred weight, is true only of the stag.
In like manner, the accounts of the other early writers on Canada are liable to sus-
picion. In the more northern parts, the moose deer is quite a solitary animal, more
than one being very seldom seen at a time, unless during the rutting season, or
when a female is accompanied by her fawns. It has the sense of hearing in very
great perfection, and is the most shy and wary of all the deer species ; and on this
account the art of moose-hunting is looked upon as the greatest of an Indian's
acquirements, particularly by the Crees, who take to themselves the credit of
being able to instruct the hunters of every other tribe. The skill of a moose-
hunter is most tried in the early part of the winter ; for during the summer the
moose, as well as other animals, are so much tormented by musquitoes, that they
become regardless of the approach of man. In the winter the hunter tracks the
moose by its foot-marks in the snow, and it is necessary that he should keep con-
stantly to leeward of the chase, and make his advances with the utmost caution, for
the rustling of a withered leaf, or the cracking of a rotten twig, is sufficient to alarm
the watchful beast. The difficulty of approach is increased by a habit which the
moose deer has of making daily a sharp turn in its route, and choosing a place
of repose so near some part of its path, that it can hear the least noise made by
one that attempts to track it. To avoid this, the judicious hunter, instead of
walking in the animal's footsteps, forms his judgment, from the appearance of the
country, of the direction it is likely to have taken, and makes a circuit to leeward,
until he again finds the track. This manoeuvre is repeated, until he discovers, by
the softness of the snow in the foot-marks and other signs, that he is very near the
chase. He then disencumbers himself of every thing that might embarrass his
motions, and makes his approach in the most cautious manner. If he gets close
to the animal's lair, without being seen, it is usual for him to break a small twig,
which, alarming the moose, it instantly starts up ; but, not fully aware of the
danger, squats on its hams, and voids its urine, preparatory to setting off. In
this posture it presents the fairest mark, and the hunter's shot seldom fails to take
effect in a mortal part. In the rutting season the bucks lay aside their timidity,
and attack every animal that comes in their way, and even conquer their fear of man
himself. The hunters then bring them within gun-shot, by scraping on the blade-

MAMMALIA. 235

bone of a deer, and by whistling-, which, deceiving the male, he blindly hastens to the
spot, to assail his supposed rival. If the hunter fails in giving- it a mortal wound as
it approaches, he shelters himself from its fury behind a tree ; and I have heard of
several instances in which the enraged animal- has completely stripped the bark
from the trunk of a large tree^ by striking with its fore-feet. In the spring time,
when the snow is very deep, the hunters frequently run down the moose on snow-
shoes. An instance is recorded in the narrative of Captain Franklin's second
journey, where three hunters pursued a moose-deer for four successive days, until
the footsteps of the chace were marked with blood, although they had not yet got
a view of it. At this period of the pursuit the principal hunter had the misfortune
to sprain his ankle, and the two others were tired out ; but one of them,
having rested for twelve hours, set out again, and succeeded in killing the
animal, after a further pursuit of two days' continuance. Notwithstanding the
lengthened chase which the moose can sustain, when pursued on the snow,
Jlearne remarks that it is both tender-footed and short-winded ; and that,
were it found in a country free from underwood, and dry under foot, it would
become an easy prey to horsemen and dogs. The same author informs us, that
in the summer moose-deer are often killed in the water by the Indians, who have
the fortune to surprise them while they are crossing rivers or lakes, and that at
such times they are the most inoffensive of animals, never making any resistance.
" The young ones, in particular," says he, " are so simple, that I remember to
have seen an Indian paddle his canoe up to one of them, and take it by the poll,
without experiencing the least opposition ; the poor, harmless animal seeming, at
the same time, as contented alongside the canoe, as if swimming by the side of its
dam, and looking up in our faces with the same fearless innocence that a house-
lamb would, making use of its fore-foot almost every instant, to clear its eyes of
mosquitoes, which at that time were remarkably immerous. The moose is the
easiest to tame and domesticate of any of the deer kind,"

With respect to the food of the moose, the same traveller says, " Their legs are
so long, and their necks so short, that they cannot graze on the level ground like
other animals, but are obliged to browze on the tops of large plants and the
leaves of trees in the summer, and in winter they always feed on the tops of
willows and the small branches of the birch tree, on which account they are never
found during that season but in such places as can afford them a plentiful supply
of their favourite food ; and although they have no fore-teeth in the upper jaw, yet
I have often seen willows and small birch trees cropped by them in the same
manner as if they had been cut by a gardener's shears, though some of them were

2 H2

236

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

not smaller than a common pipe-stem* ; they seem particularly partial to red
willows" (cornus alba.) To the eastward of the Rocky Mountains the evergreen
leaves of the gualtheria shallon hvm, according to Lewis and Clark, a favourite,
part of the food of the moose-deer.

The flesh of the moose is more relished by the Indians and residents in the fur
countries than that of any other animal, and principally, I believe^ on account of its
soft fat. It bears a greater resemblance in its flavour to beef than to venison.^
^' The flesh of the moose/' says Hearne^ '* is very good, though the grain is but
coarse^ and it is much tougher than any other kind of venison. The nose is most
excellent^ as is also the tongue, though by no means so fat and delicate as that of
the common deer (rein-deer.) The fat of the intestines is hard like suet ; but all
the external fat is soft like that of a breast of mutton, and_, when put into a bladder,
is as fine as marrow. In this they differ from all the other species of deer_, of
which the external fat is as hard as that of the kidnies."

The moose acquires a large size, particularly the males, which^ I have been,
informed, occasionally attain a weight of eleven or twelve hundred pounds. Moose
dung is in form of oval, brown pellets. Their skins, when properly dressed^ make
a soft, thick, pliable leather, excellently adapted for moccasins, or other articles
of winter clothing. The Dog-ribs excel in the art of dressing the skins, which is
done in the following manner. They are first scraped to an equal thickness
throughout, and the hair taken off by a scraper, made of the shin-bone of a deer,
split longitudinally ; they are then repeatedly moistened and rubbed, after being
smeared with the brains of the animal, until they acquire a soft, spongy feel ;
and lastly, they are suspended over a fire, made of rotten wood, until they are well
impregnated with the smoke. This last-mentioned process imparts a peculiar
odour to the leather, and has the effect of preventing it from becoming so hard,
after being wet, as it would otherwise do.

The DESCRIPTION of the moose, by Major Smith, being the fullest and most
correct I have met with, I have quoted almost the whole of it.

" This animal is the largest of the genus, being higher at the shoulders than the horse ; its
horns weigh sometimes near fifty pounds f : accordingly, to bear this heavy Aveight, its neck
is short and strong, taking away much of the elegance of proportion so generally predominant
in the deer ; but when it is asserted that the elk wants beauty or majesty, the opinion can

• The wooden pipe-stems used in Hudson's Bay are about the thickness of the little finger.

-j- Hearne says, that the horns of the moose sometimes exceed 601bs., and have a harder texture than any other deer-
horns to be found in the fur.-countries.

MAMMALIA. 237

be entertained by those who have seen the female only, the young, or the mere stuffed
specimen : for us who have had the opportunity of viewing the animal in all the glory of
his full grown horns, amid the scenery of his own wilderness, no animal could appear more
majestic or more imposing. It is, however, the aggregate of his appearance which produces
this effect ; for when the proportions of its structure are considered in detail, they certainly
•will seem destitute of that harmony of parts which in the imagination produces the feeling
of beauty. The head, measuring above two feet in length, is narrow and clumsily shaped,
by the swelling upon the upper part of the nose and nostrils ; the eye is proportionably small
and sunk ; the ears long, hairy, and asinine ; the neck and withers are surmounted by a
heavy mane, and the throat furnished with long coarse hair, and in younger specimens
encumbered with a pendulous gland : these give altogether an uncouth character to this
part of the animal. Its body, however, is round, compact, and short ; the tail not more
than four inches long, and the legs, though very long, are remarkably clean and firm ; this
length of limbs, and the overhanging lips, have caused the ancients to fancy that it grazed
walking backwards. The hair of the animal is coarse and angular, breaking if bent.

" Its movements are rather heavy, and the shoulders being higher than the croup, it does
not gallop, but shuffles or ambles along, its joints cracking at every step, with a sound heard
to some distance. Increasing its speed, the hind-feet straddle to avoid treading on its fore-
heels, tossing the head and shoulders like a horse about to break from a trot to a gallop. It
does not leap, but steps without effort over a fallen tree, a gate, or a split fence. During its
progress it holds the nose up, so as to lay the horns horizontally back. This attitude prevents
it seeing the ground distinctly ; and as the weight is carried very high upon its elevated legs, it
is said sometimes to trip by treading on its fore-heels, or otherwise, and occasionally to give
itself a heavy fall. It is probably owing to this occurrence that the elk was believed by the
ancients to have frequent attacks of epilepsy, and to be obliged to smell its hoof before it
could recover; hence the Teutonic name of Elend (miserable), and the reputation, especially
of the fore-hoofs, as a specific against the disease."

238 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[73.] 2. Cervus tarandus. (Linn.) The Rein-Deer,

or Caribou.

Genus Cervus. Linn. Sectio, Rangiferini.

Caribou ou Asne sauvage. Sagard-Theodat, Caraac^a, p. 751. An. 1636. La Hontan, t. i. p. 77- An. 1703.

Charlevoix, Nouv. France, t. v. p. 190.
Rein-deer, or Rain deer. Dbage, Voy., vol. i. p. 25. Dobbs, Huds. Bay, pp. 19, 22. Pennant, Arctic Zool.y

vol. i. p. 22. Cartwright, Labrador, pp. 91, 112, 133. Franklin, First Journey, &c., pp. 240, 245.

Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 283.
Common deer. Hearne, Journ.,^. 195, 200. Parry's and Lyon's iVarraiu'e*,. passim.
Cervus tarandus. Sabine, Svppl. Parry's First Voy., p. exc. Richardson, App. Parry's Second Voy., p. 326.

Ross, Parry''s Third Voy. Harlan, Fauna, p. 232.
Carre-boeuf, or Caribou. French Canadians.

Attebk. Cree Indians. Ettbin. Chepewyans and otter Northern Indians.
Tooktoo. Esquimaux. Tukta. Greenlanders (Fabricius.)

The rein-deer inhabits the arctic islands of Spitzbergen and the northern
extremity of the old continent ; its range, according to Baron Cuvier, never
having extended to the southward of the Baltic. It has long been domesticated,
and its manners are well ascertained, and have been carefully described by able
naturalists. It varies in size according to the district in which it is fed ; the
breed which the Laplanders train to the sledge being of small stature when com-
pared with the large kind reared in the north of Asia by the Tungusians, who ride
upon them. The rein-deer or caribou of North America are much less perfectly
known. They have indeed so great a general resemblance in appearance and
manners to the Lapland deer, that they have been always considered to be the
same species, without the fact having ever been completely established. Pennant
states that the rein-deer are most numerous in the countries surrounding
Hudson's Bay, and that their most southern residence is the northern parts of
Canada*. They exist in Greenland, Labrador, and Newfoundland, but are not
known in Iceland. They extend most probably completely across the northern
parts of the American continent, and are mentioned both by Pennant and
Langsdorff, as inhabitants of the coast opposite to the Fox or Aleutian islands.
They do not appear, however, to extend so far to the southward on the Pacific
coast as they do in Labrador, and on the shores of Hudson's Bay. Some parts

* Dr. Harlan informs us, that the rein-deer extend as far south as the district of Maine, but without quoting his
authority. Charlevoix says, that it is so unusual for them to come so far south as Quebec, that he knew of only one

individual having wandered thither The one he alludes to, on being chased, precipitated itself from Cape Diamond,

and, swimming across the St. Lawrence, was killed by some Indians, who were encamped on Point Levi.

MAMMALIA. 239

of New Caledonia seem to be altogether destitute of them. According to
Pennant, they are not found on the islands that lie between Asia and America,
but are numerous in Kamtschatka. The Koreki, a nation bordering on the
latter country, are said to keep immense herds of rein-deer, some rich individuals
possessing to the enormous extent often or twenty thousand. The limits assigned
by writers to the rein-deer in America are liable to some uncertainty, because
the term of caribou, by which they are generally known, has, particularly in
Canada, been applied to very distinct species of deer*. Be this, however, as
it may, there are two well-marked and permanent varieties of caribou that inhabit
the fur-countries, one of them confined to the woody and more southern districts,
and the other retiring to the woods only in the winter, but passing the summer
on the coast of the arctic sea, or on the Barren Grounds, so often mentioned in
this work. The early French writers on Canada, and Jeremie, Ellis, Dobbs,
Umfreville, and others, who have given an account of that part of the Hudson
Bay Company's possessions which lie to the southward of Churchill River, treat
of the woodland variety only. Hearne's descriptions of the rein-deer, on the
other hand, relate principally to the Barren Ground kind, with which he was
thoroughly acquainted ; and it is of this variety that specimens have been brouo-ht
home by the late arctic expeditions. Neither variety has as yet been properly
compared with the European or Asiatic races of rein-deer, and the distinguishing
characters, if any exist, are still unknown. Major Smith, indeed, observes that
" a probable distinction, by which some, if not all the varieties of caribou may be
distinguished from the rein-deer of the old continent, is, that their horns are
always shorter, less concave, more robust, the palm narrower, and with fewer
processes than those of the former." I have had but little opportunity of ascer-
taining how far these remarks apply to the woodland variety of caribou, but I can
with confidence say, after having seen many thousands of the Barren Ground kind,
that the horns of the old males are as much if not more palmated than any antlers
of the European rein-deer to be found in the British museums. The annexed cuts
were made from drawings by Captain Back, of the antlers of two old buck
caribou, killed on the Barren Grounds in the neighbourhood of Fort Enterprise.
It is to be recollected, however, that the antlers of the rein-deer assume an almost
infinite number of forms, no two individuals having them alike.

" Thus, Mr. Henry, when he mentions Caribou that weigh 4001bs., must have some other species of deer in view.

240

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

MAMMALIA. 241

Cervus tarandus, var. a., arctica. Barren Ground Caribou.

Common Deer. Heahne, Journey, p. 195-200.

Bedsee-awseh. Coppeu Indians and Dog-ribs.

Bedsee-choh. {Male) Iidem. Tsootai. {Female) Iidem.

Tampeh. {Female, with a fawn) Iidem.

Took-too. Esquimaux (took-took, dual; took-toot, plural.)

Tukta. Greenlanders. (Pangnek, raa^e ; kollowak, /ema^g ; norak, young. — Fabricius.)

This variety of rein-deer is of small stature, and weighs so little, that I have
seen a Canadian voyager throw a full-grown doe on his shoulders, and carry it as
an English butcher would a sheep. The bucks are of larger size, and weigh,
exclusive of the offal, when in good condition, from 90 to 130 lbs. The old males
have in general the largest and most palmated horns, while the young ones and
the females have them less branched and more cylindrical and pointed ; but this
is not uniformly the case, and the variety of forms assumed by the horns of the
Caribou is indeed so great, that it is difficult to comprehend them all in a general
description. Some have the branches and extremities broadly palmated, and set
round with finger-like points ; others have them cylindrical, and even tapering,
without any palmated portion whatever. The majority of adult males have a
brow antler, in form of a broad vertical plate running down betwixt the eyes and
hanging over the nose. In some, this plate springs from the right horn, in
others from the left ; in many there is a plate from each side, and in a considerable
number it is altogether wanting : the plate is in general widest at its extremity,
and is set with four or five points which are sometimes recurved. The main stem
of the horns also exhibits an endless variety in its thickness, altitude, and curva-
ture. During the growth of the horns they are covered with a hairy skin, which
is soft and velvety to the touch, and in an early stage their interior consists of a
substance which has the flavour of marrow, and resembles it much in appearance,
but has a finer consistence, and is furnished with more conspicuous blood-vessels.
The horns become indurated as they increase in size, and when they have attained
their full growth, their velvety covering shrivels and peels off in ragged filaments.
This takes place in the males in September, previous to the commencement of the
rutting season, and by the end of November most of the old bucks have shed
their horns. The young males retain theirs much lopger, and the females do not

2 I

242 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

lose their horns until they are about to drop their young in the month of May.
Hearne observes, that the Barren-Ground Caribou bears horns twice the size of
those of the woodland variety, notwithstanding that the latter is a much larger
animal.

In the month of July the Caribou sheds its winter covering, and acquires a
short, smooth coat of hair, of a colour composed of clove-brown, mingled with
deep reddish and yellowish browns ; the under surface of the neck, the belly, and
the inner sides of the extremities, remaining white in all seasons. The hair at
first is fine and flexible, but as it lengthens it increases gradually in diameter at
its roots, becoming at the same time white, soft, compressible, and brittle, like the
hair of the moose-deer. In the course of the winter the thickness of the hairs at
their roots becomes so great that they are exceedingly close, and no longer lie
down smoothly, but stand erect, and they are then so soft and tender below, that
the flexible, coloured points are easily rubbed off", and the fur appears white^
especially on the flanks. This occurs in a smaller degree on the back ; and on the
under parts the hair, although it acquires length, remains more flexible and
slender at its roots, and is, consequently, not so subject to break. Towards the
spring, when the deer are tormented by the larvae of the gad-fly making their way
through the skin, they rub themselves against stones and rocks, until all the
coloured tops of the hair are worn off, and their fur appears to be entirely of a
soiled white colour.

The closeness of the hair of the Caribou, and the lightness of its skin^ when
properly dressed, renders it the most appropriate article for winter clothing in the
high latitudes. The skins of the young deer make the best dresses, and they
should be killed for that purpose in the months of August or September, as after
the latter date the hair becomes too long and brittle. The prime parts of
eight or ten deer-skins make a complete suit of clothing for a grown person^
which is so impervious to the cold, that, with the addition of a blanket of
the same material, any one, so clothed, may bivouack on the snow with safety^
and even M'ith comfort, in the most intense cold of an Arctic winter's night.
The hoofs of this variety of rein-deer are very large, and spread greatly ; and
the posterior or accessory ones make a loud clattering noise when the animal
runs. The forms of the latter are almost always visible in its foot-marks, unless
the ground be so hard that even the principal hoofs make little impression.

The Barren-Ground Caribou, which resort to the coast of the Arctic Sea, in
summer, retire in winter to the woods lying between the sixty-third and the sixty-
sixth degree of latitude, where they feed on the imiecE, akdorm, and other lichens.

MAMMALIA.. 243

which hang from the trees, and on the long- grass of the swamps. About the end
of Aprils when the partial melting of the snow has softened the cetrarice, cornicularice,
and cenomyces^ which clothe the barren-grounds like a carpet, they make short
excursions from the woods, but return to them when the weather is frosty. In
May the females proceed towards the sea-coast, and towards the end of June the
males are in full march in the same direction. At that period the power of the
sun has dried up the lichens on the barren-grounds, and the Caribou frequent the
moist pastures which cover the bottoms of the narrow vallies on the coasts and
islands of the Arctic Sea, where they graze on the sprouting carices, and on the
withered grass or hay of the preceding year, which is at that period still standing,
and retaining part of its sap. Their spring journey is performed partly on the
snow, and partly, after the snow has disappeared, on the ice covering the rivers
and lakes, which have, in general, a northerly direction. Soon after their arrival
on the coast the females drop their young ; they commence their return to the
south in September, and reach the vicinity of the woods towards the end of October,
where they are joined by the males. This journey takes place after the snow has
fallen, and they scrape it away with their feet to procure the lichens, which are
then tender and pulpy, being preserved moist and unfrozen by the heat still
remaining in the earth. Except in the rutting season, the bulk of the males and
females live separately : the former retire deeper into the woods in the winter,
whilst herds of the pregnant does stay on the skirts of the Barren Grounds, and
proceed to the coast very early in spring. Captain Parry saw deer on Melville
Peninsula as late as the 23d of September, and the females, with their fawns,
made their first appearance on the 22d of April. The males in general do not go
so far north as the females. On the coast of Hudson's Bay the Barren-Ground
Caribou migrate further south than those on the Coppermine or Mackenzie Rivers ;
but none of them go to the southward of Churchill.

The lichens, on which the Caribou principally feed whilst on the Barren-Grounds,
are the cornicularia tristis, divergem, and oc/irileiica, the cetraria nwalls, cucidlata,
and islandica, and the cenomycc rangiferina. When in condition, there is a layer
of fat deposited on the back and rump of the males to the depth of two or three
inches or more, immediately under the skin, which is termed depouille by the
Canadian voyagers ; and as an article of Indian trade, it is often of more value
than all the remainder of the carcass. The depoiiille is thickest at the commence-
ment of the rutting season ; it then becomes of a red colour, and acquires a high
flavour, and soon afterwards disappears. The females at that period are lean ;
but in the course of the winter they acquire a small depoiiille, which is exhausted

2 12

244 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

soon after they drop their young-. The flesh of the caribou is very tender^ and its
flavour when in season is^ in my opinion, superior to that of the finest English
venison ; but when the animal is lean it is very insipid^ the difference being- greater
between well-fed and lean caribou than any one can conceive who has not had an
opportunity of judging-. The lean meat fills the stomach but never satisfies the
appetite, and scarcely serves to recruit the strength when exhausted by labour.
The flesh of the moose-deer and buffalo, on the other hand, is tough when lean,
but is never so utterly tasteless and devoid of nourishment as that of a caribou in
poor condition. The Chepewyans, the Copper Indians, the Dog-ribs and Hare
Indians of Great Bear Lake, would be totally unable to inhabit their barren lands
v^^ere it not for the immense herds of this deer that exist there. Of the caribou
horns they form their fish-spears and hooks ; and previous to the introduction of
European iron, ice-chisels and various other utensils were likewise made of them.
The hide dressed with the fur is, as has been already mentioned, excellent for
winter clothing, and supplies the place of both blanket and feather-bed to the
inhabitants of the Arctic wilds. When subjected to the process described in the
article on the moose-deer, it forms a soft and pliable leather, adapted for mocassins
and summer clothing, or when sixty or seventy skins are sewed together, they
make a tent sufficient for the residence of a large family. The shin-bone of the
deer, split so as to present a sharp edge, is the knife that is used to remove the
hair in the process of making the leather. The undressed hide, after the hair is
taken off", is cut into thongs of various thickness, which are twisted into deer-
snares, bow-strings, net-lines, and in fact supply all the purposes of rope. The
finer thongs are used in the manufacture of fishing nets or in working snow-
shoes ; while the tendons of the dorsal muscles are split into fine and excellent
sewing thread.

Besides these and many other uses to which the Indians appropriate different
parts of the caribou in their domestic economy, the animal is no less useful in the
way of food. The hunter breaks the leg bones of a recently-slaughtered deer, and
while the marrow is still warm devours it with much relish. The kidneys and
part of the intestines, particularly the thin folds of the third stomach or many-plies,
are likewise occasionally eaten when raw% and the summits of the antlers, as long
as they are soft, are also delicacies in a raw state. The colon or large gut is
inverted, so as to preserve its fatty appendages, and is, when either roasted or
boiled, one of the richest and most savoury morsels the country affords, either to
the native or white resident. The remainder of the intestines, after being cleaned,
are hung in the smoke for a few days and then broiled. The stomach and its

MAMMALIA. 245

contents^ termed by the Esquimaux nerrooks, and by the Greenlanders ncrrolcah or
nerriookak, are also eaten, and it would appear that the lichens and other
vegetable matters on which the caribou feeds are more easily digested by the
human stomach when they have are mixed with the salivary and gastric juices
of a ruminating animal. Many of the Indians and Canadian voyagers prefer
this savoury mixture after it has undergone a degree of fermentation,, or lain
to season, as they term it, for a few days. The blood, if mixed in proper
proportion with a strong decoction of fat meat, forms, after some nicety in
the cooking, a rich soup, which is very palatable and highly nutritious, but
very difficult of digestion. When all the soft parts of the animal are consumed,
the bones are pounded small, and a large quantity of marrow is extracted
from them by boiling. This is used in making the better kinds of the mixture of
dried meat and fat, which is named pemmican, and it is also preserved by the
young men and females for anointing the hair and greasing the face on dress
occasions. The tongue roasted, when fresh or when half dried, is a delicious
morsel. Wlien it is necessary to preserve the caribou meat for use at a future
period, it is cut into thin slices and dried over the smoke of a slow fire, and then
pounded betwixt two stones. This pounded meat is very dry and husky if
eaten alone, but when a quantity of the back fat or depouille of the deer is added
to it, is one of the greatest treats that can be offered to a resident in the fur
countries. Pemmican is formed by pouring one-third part of melted fat over the
pounded meat and incorporating them well together. If kept dry it may be pre-
served sound for three or four years, and from the quantity of nourishment it
contains in small bulk, it is perhaps the best kind of food for those who travel
through desert lands. Thueehawgan is a mixture of pounded deer's meat and
dried fish or fish-roe, which is eaten raw, or when made into soup, by tlnowing a
handful of it into boiling water.

The caribou travel in herds, varying in number from eight or ten to two or three
hundred, and their daily excursions are generally towards the quarter from whence
the wind blows. The Indians kill them with the bow and arrow or gun, take them
in snares, or spear them in crossing rivers or lakes. The Esquimaux also take
them in traps ingeniously formed of ice or snow. Of all the deer of North
America, they are the most easy of approach, and are slaughtered in the greatest
numbers. A single family of Indians will sometimes destroy two or three hundred
in a few weeks, and in many cases they are killed for the sake of their tongues alone.

The following extract from Captain Lyon's interesting Journal, details some
of the Esquimaux methods of killing them. *' The rein-deer^" says he*,

* Private Journal, p, 336.

246 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY,

" visits the polar regions at the latter end of May or the early part of June^ and
remains until late in September. On his first arrival, he is thin_, and his flesh is
tasteless^ but the short summer is sufficient to fatten him to two or three inches on
the haunches. When feeding on the level ground^ an Esquimaux makes no
attempt to approach him, but should a few rocks be near^ the wary hunter feels
secure of his prey. Behind one of these he cautiously creeps, and having laid
himself very close, with his bow and arrow before him, imitates the bellow of the
deer when calling to each other. Sometimes, for more complete deception^ the
hunter wears his deer-skin coat and hood so drawn over his head, as to resemble,
in a great measure, the unsuspecting animals he is enticing. Though the bellow
proves a considerable attraction, yet if a man has great patience he may do
without it, and may be equally certain that his prey will ultimately come to
examine him ; the rein-deer being an inquisitive animal, and at the same time so
silly, that if he sees any suspicious object which is not actually chasing him, he
will gradually, and after many caperings, and forming repeated circles, approach
nearer and nearer to it. The Esquimaux rarely shoot until the creature is within
twelve paces, and I have frequently been told of their being killed at a much
shorter distance. It is to be observed that the hunters never appear openly, but
employ stratagem for their purpose ; thus, by patience and ingenuity, rendering
their rudely-formed bows, and still worse arrows, as effective as the rifles of
Europeans. When two men hunt in company, they sometimes purposely shew
themselves to the deer, and when his attention is fully engaged, walk slowly
away from him, one before the other. The deer follows, and when the hunters
arrive near a stone, the foremost drops behind it and prepares his bow, while his
companion continues walking steadily forward. This latter, the deer still follows
unsuspectingly, and thus passes near the concealed man, who takes a deliberate
aim and kills the animal. When the deer assemble in herds, there are particular
passes which they invariably take, and on being driven to them are killed by
arrows by the men, while the women, with shouts, drive them to the water.
Here they swim with the ease and activity of water-dogs, the people in kayaks
chasing and easily spearing them ; the carcasses float, and the hunter then
presses forward and kills as many as he finds in his track. No springs or traps
are used in the capture of these animals, as is practised to the southward, in
consequence of the total absence of standing wood." The caribou entirely quit
the districts which Captain Lyon visited, in the winter ; but the Esquimaux who
inhabit the coast of the Welcome, to the southward of Chesterfield inlet, have
an opportunity, by the animals continuing in their country, of shewing their
ingenuity in the construction of deer-traps, of their convenient and elegant

MAMMALIA.

247

building material, compact snow. The sides of the trap are built of slabs of
that substance, cut as if for a snow-house ; an inclined plane of snow leads to
the entrance of the pit, which is about five feet deep, and of sufficient dimen-
sions to contain two or three large deer. The pit is covered with a large,
thin slab of snow, which the animal is enticed to tread upon by a quantity
of the lichens on which it feeds being placed conspicuously on an eminence
beyond the opening. The exterior of the trap is banked up with snow so as to
resemble a natural hillock, and care is taken to render it so steep on all sides but
one, that the deer must pass over the mouth of the trap before it can reach the
bait. The slab is sufficiently strong to bear the weight of a deer until it has
passed its middle, when it revolves on two short axles of wood, precipitates the
deer into the trap, and returns to its place again in consequence of the lower end
being heavier than the other. Throughout the whole line of coast frequented by
the Esquimaux, it is customary to see long lines of stones set on an end, or of turfs
piled up at intervals of about twenty yards, for the purpose of leading the caribou
to stations where they can be more easily approached. The natives find by
experience that the animals, in feeding, imperceptibly take the line of direction
of the objects thus placed before them, and the hunter can approach a herd
that he sees from a distance, by gradually crawling from stone to stone, and
remaining motionless when he sees any of the animals looking towards him. The
whole of the Barren-Grounds are intersected by caribou paths, like sheep tracks,
which are of service to travellers at times in leading them to convenient crossing
places of lakes or rivers.

Hearne gives the following account of the deer pound in use amongst the
Chepewyans : —

'' When the Indians design to impound deer, they look out for one of the
paths in which a number of them have trod, and which is observed to be still
frequented by them. When these paths cross a lake, a wide river, or a barren
plain, they are found to be much the best for the purpose ; and if the path run
through a cluster of woods, capable of affording materials for building the pound,
it adds considerably to the commodiousness of the situation. The pound is built
by making a strong fence with brushy trees, without observing any degree of
regularity, and the work is continued to any extent, according to the pleasure of
the builders. 1 have seen some that were not less than a mile round, and am
informed that there are others still more extensive. The door or entrance of the
pound is not larger than a common gate, and the inside is so crowded with small
counter-hedges as very much to resemble a maze, in every opening of which

248 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

they set a snare, made with thongs of parchment deer-skins well twisted together,
which are amazingly strong. One end of the snare is usually made fast to a
growing pole ; but if no one of a sufficient size can be found near the place where
the snare is set, a loose pole is substituted in its room, which is always of such
size and length that a deer cannot drag it far before it gets entangled among the
other woods, which are all left standing, except what is found necessary for
making the fence, hedges, &c. The pound being thus prepared, a row of small
brush-wood is stuck up in the snow on each side of the door or entrance, and these
hedge rows are continued along the open part of the lake, river, or plain, where
neither stick nor stump besides is to be seen, which makes them the more dis-
tinctly observed. These poles or brush-wood are generally placed at the distance
of fifteen or twenty yards from each other, and ranged in such a manner as to form
two sides of a long" acute angle, growing gradually wider in proportion to the
distance they extend from the pound, which sometimes is not less than two or
three miles, while the deer's path is exactly along the middle, between the two
rows of brush- wood.

" Indians employed on this service always pitch their tents on or near to an
eminence that affords a commanding prospect of the path leading to the pound ;
and when they see any deer going that way, men, women, and children walk along
the lake or river side under cover of the woods, till they get behind them, then
step forth to open view, and proceed towards the pound in form of a crescent.
The poor timorous deer finding themselves pursued, and at the same time taking
the two rows of brushy poles to be two ranks of people stationed to prevent their
passing on either side, run straight forward in the path till they get into the pound.
The Indians then close in, and block up the entrance with some brushy trees that
■have been cut down and lie at hand for that purpose. The deer being thus
enclosed, the women and children walk round the pound to prevent them from
jumping over or breaking- through the fence, while the men are employed spearing
such as are entangled in the snares, and shooting with bows and arrows those which
remain loose in the pound. This method of hunting, if it deserve the name, is
sometimes so successful, that many families subsist by it without having occasion
to move their tents above once or twice during the course of a whole winter ; and
when the spring- advances, both the deer and Indians draw out to the eastward,
on the ground which is entirely barren, or at least what is called so in these parts,
as it neither produces trees nor shrubs of any kind, so that moss and some little
grass is all the herbage which is to be found on it."

Captain Franklin observes that " the rein-deer has a quick eye, but the hunter

MAMMALIA. 249

by keeping- to leeward of them, and using a little caution, may approach very
near ; their apprehensions being- much more easily roused by the smell than the
sight of any unusual object. Indeed their curiosity often causes them to come
close up to and wheel round the hunter, thus affording him a good opportunity of
singling out the fattest of the herd, and upon these occasions they become so
confused by the shouts and gestures of their enemy, that they run backwards and
forwards with great rapidity, but without the power of making their escape. The
Copper Indians find by experience that a white dress attracts them most readily,
and they often succeed in bringing them within shot, by kneeling and vibrating
the gun from side to side, in imitation of the motion of a deer's horns wlien he is
in the act of rubbing his head against a stone. The Dog-rib Indians have a mode
of killing these animals, which, though simple, is very successful. It was thus
described by Mr. Wentzel, who resided long amongst that people. The hunters
go in pairs, the foremost man carrying in one hand the horns and part of the skin
of the head of a deer, and in the other a small bundle of twigs, against which he,
from time to time, rubs the horns, imitating the gestures peculiar to the animal.
His comrade follows treading exactly in his footsteps, and holding the guns of
both in a horizontal position, so that the muzzles project under the arms of him
who carries the head. Both hunters have a fillet of white skin round their fore-
heads, and the foremost has a strip of the same round his wrists. They approach
the herd by degrees, raising their legs very slowly but setting them down some-
what suddenly, after the manner of a deer, and always taking care to lift their
right or left feet simultaneously. If any of the herd leave off feeding to gaze
upon this extraordinary phenomenon, it instantly stops, and the head begins to
play its part by licking its shoulders and performing other necessary movements.
In this way the hunters attain the very centre of the herd without exciting sus-
picion, and have leisure to single out the fattest. The hindmost man then pushes
forward his comrade's gun, the head is dropt, and they both fire nearly at the
same instant. The deer scamper off, the hunters trot after them ; in a short
time the poor animals halt to ascertain the cause of their teiror, their foes stop at
the same moment, and having loaded as they ran, greet the gazers with a second
fatal discharge. The consternation of the deer increases, they run to and fro in
the utmost confusion, and sometimes a great part of the herd is destroyed within
the space of a few hundred yards."

2E

250 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

Cervus tarandus, var. (B, sylvestris. Woodland Caribou.

Caribou. Theodat, La Hontan, Chahlevoix, &c.

Rein-deer. Drage, Dobbs, &c.

Attehk. Cree Indians. Tantseeah. Copper Indians.

Of the form of this variety I know little, having seen few of them alive or in an
entire state when killed. It is much larger than the Barren-Ground Caribou, has
smaller horns, and even when in good condition is vastly inferior as an article of
food. The proper country of this deer is a stripe of low primitive rocks, well
clothed with wood, about one hundred miles wide, and extending at the distance of
eighty or a hundred miles from the shores of Hudson's Bay, from Athapescow
Lake to Lake Superior. Contrary to the practice of the Barren-Ground Caribou,
the Woodland variety travels to the southward in the spring. They cross the
Nelson and Severn Rivers in immense herds in the month of May, pass the sum-
mer on the low, marshy shores of James' Bay, and return to the northward, and
at the same time retire more inland in the month of September. From November
to April it is rare to meet with one within ninety or a hundred miles of the
coast. A few deer of this kind frequent the svramps near Cumberland- house
in the winter, but it is extremely rare indeed for a stray individual to wander on
that parallel so far to the westward as Carlton-house. Mr. Hutchins mentions
that he has seen eighty carcasses of this kind of deer brought into York
Factory in one day, and many others were refused, for want of salt to preserve
them. These were killed when in the act of crossing Hayes- River, and the
natives continued to destroy them, for the sake of the skins, long after they
had stored up more meat than they required. I have been informed by several
of the residents at York Factory that the herds are sometimes so large as ta
require several hours to cross the river in a crowded phalanx. The rut takes
place in the beginning of October, and the doe drops her young in June. Mr.
Hutchins said that several of the fawns have been brought up at the factories,
and have become as tame as a pet lamb, but that they all died in the chops of
the Channel when attempts were made to carry them to England. The same
gentleman mentions that the buck has a peculiar bag or cist in the lower part of
the neck about the bigness of a crown-piece, and filled with fine flaxen hair
neatly coiled round to the thickness of an inch. There is an opening through

MAMMALIA. ^1

iSae skiiij near t"he head, leading to the cist^ but Mr. Hutchins does not offer a con-
jecture as to its uses in the economy of the animal. Camper found a membranous
cist in the rein-deer above the thyroid cartilage and opening into the larynx, but
I have met with no account of a cist with a duct opening externally like that
described by Mr. Hutchins, and, unfortunately, 1 was not aware of his remarks
tmtil the means of ascertaining whether such a sac exists in the Barren-Ground
caribou were beyond my reach. Both the Barren-Ground and Woodland caribous
are infested by the gadfly.

[75.] 3. Cervus strongyloceros. (Schreber.) The Wapiti.

Stag. Pennant, Arctic Zool., vol. i. p. 27.

Wewaskiss. Heakne, Journ., p. 300.

Waskeesews, or Red-deer. Hutchins, MSS.

Red-deer. Umfuevii-le, Hudson's Bay^ p. 1C3. An. 1790.

The Elk. Lewis and Clark, Voy., vol. ii. p. 107. An. 1810.

American Elk. Bewick, Quadr., p. 112.

Wapiti. " Barton, Med. and Phys. Jotirii., vol. iii. p. 30." Warden, United States, vol. i. p. 241.

Le "Wapiti. F. Cuvier, Hist. Nat. des Mamni-, Livr. 20 and 28. An. 1820.

The Wapiti (C. Strongyloceros). Smith, Griffith's An. Kingd., vol. iv. p. 90.

Red-deer. Hudson's Bay Traders. La Biche. Canadian Voyagers.

Wawaskeeshoo ; also, awaskees and moostoosh. Crees.

This animal does not extend its range further to the north than the 56th or o7th
parallel of latitude, nor is it found to the eastward of a line drawn from the south
end of Lake Winipeg to the Saskatchewan, in the 103d degree of longitude, and
from thence till it strikes the Elk River in the 111th degree. To the South of
Lake Winipeg it may perhaps exist further to the eastward. They are pretty
numerous amongst the clumps of wood that skirt the plains of the Saskatchewan,
where they live in small families of six or seven individuals. They feed on grass,
on the young shoots of willows and poplars, and are very fond of the hips of the
rosa blcinda, which forms much of the underwood in the districts which they
frequent. Hearne remarks that they are " the most stupid of all the deer kind,
and frequently make a shrill whistling and quivering noise, not very unlike the
braying of an ass." Mr. Drummond, who saw many of these deer in his journies
through the plains of the Saskatchewan, informs me that the wawaskeesh does not
iell like the English red-deer ; and M. F. Cuvier describes the cry of the male as

2 K2

252 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

being- prolonged and acute^ and consisting of the successive sounds of the vowels
a, 0, u, (french,) uttered with so much strength as to offend the ear. The cry of
the European stag, when compared to it, is dull and base, though not deficient iu
strength. The velvety covering shrivels and is rubbed off the horns of the
Wapiti in the month of October, at the commencement of the rutting seascn_, but
the horns themselves do not fall until the months of March or April. Two male
Wapitis were found near Edmonton -house, lying dead, with their horns locked
into each other, and the moose and rein deer are reported to have occasionally
died under similar circumstances. The flesh of the Wapiti is coarse, and is
little prized by the natives, principally on account of its fat being hard liiie suet.
It seemed to me to want the juiciness of venison, and to resemble dry but small
grained beef. Its hide, when made into leather, after the Indian fashion, is said
not to turn hard in drying after being wet, and in that respect to excel moose or
rein-deer leather.

The wawaskeesh of the Saskatchewan River was long considered by the
Fur Traders as the same with the red-deer or stag of Europe, and its re-
semblance to that animal is, indeed, so great, that, as M. F. Cuvier states, their
specific differences become apparent only when an opportunity occurs of comparing
them with each other, and of attentively studying their manners when they are
placed under similar circumstances. Pennant, without having seen a specimen
of the true ivawaskeesh, or, as he writes it, waskesse, applies that name to the
moose, probably misled by the appellation of '^ grey moose," which was given
to the ivupiti in contradistinction to the name of " black moose," which was appro-
priated to the Cerviis alces. Its trivial name of ^^ wapiti" has been only recently
adopted in scientific works, but is preferable to fhe appellations either of elk,
grey-moose, or red-deer, which have already been the means of confounding it
with other species. A number of live specimens were brought from the Missouri
to Europe some years ago, and were by several authors described as a new
species, and introduced into the catalogues under the name of Cerviis Wapiti.
Several Hudson's-Bay Traders, however, well acquahited with the wawaskeesh,
recognised it at once in the wapiti shewn in England ; and my recollections of two
recent specimens of the wawaskeesh, which I had an opportunity of examining on
the Saskatchewan, induce me to conform without hesitation to their opinion. It is
also without doubt the Canada stag of various authors, but, as M. F. Cuvier has
observed, the want of a pale mark on the rump in Perrault's figure is sufficient to
excite a doubt of its being the CervJis Canadensis * of that author. Indeed, I do

* Perrault, 3Iem. sur les An., vol, ii. p. 45.

MAMMALIA. 253

not think it at all improbable that his fig-ure is that of the Cerous macrotls, which
may hereafter prove to be an inhabitant of Upper Canada *.

DESCRIPTION.
Translated from the Hist. Naturelle des Mammifires.

The height of the wapiti at the shoulders is 4i feet, whilst that of the European sta"' is
more than a foot less. They agree with each other in the form and proportions of their
heads and limbs, but they differ in their respective tints of colour, that of the common stag
being an uniform blackish-brown, whilst the wapiti has all its superior parts and the lower
jaw of a pretty lively yellowish-brown, and a black mark extends from the angle of the mouth
along the side of the lower jaw. There is a whitish circle round the eye of the European
animal, but in the American one this circle is brown.

The common stag has generally the first antlers turned upwards at their points, whilst in
the wapiti these antlers are depressed in the direction of the facial line, and this character
appears to be constant. The neck in both species has a deeper tint of colour than the sides
of the body; it is blackish- brown in the European stag, and mixed red and black in the
American one, with coarse black hairs depending from it like a dewlap ; and this colour,
which changes to a brown mixed with white from the shoulders to the hips in the former,
becomes a clear French-gray in the same parts of the latter. In both, the limbs have a
deeper brown colour anteriorly than posteriorly ; and both also have a very pale yellowish
spot on the buttocks, bounded on the thighs by a black line, and the tail is likewise of this
yellowish colour, but it is nearly seven inches long in the European stag, whilst it is
scarcely two and a half in the Canadian one. The colours here mentioned are those which
exist at the commencement of the autumn.

The hair of the wapiti is of mean length on the shoulders, the back, the flanks, the thighs,
and the under part of the head : the sides and the limbs are clothed with shorter hairs ; but
they are very long on the sides of the head posteriorly and on the neck, particularly beneath,
where they form, as has been mentioned above, a kind of dewlap ; and there is on the
posterior and outer aspect of the hind-leg a brush of tawny hair which surrounds a narrow,
long, horny substance. The ears are white interiorly, and clothed with tufted hairs ; ex-
teriorly their colour is the same with that of the neighbouring parts. There is a naked
triangular space round the lachrymal opening near the inner angle of the orbit. The hoofs of
the wapiti are small.

The wapiti, like the common stag, has very large lachrymal or suborbital openings f, a
muzzle, upper canine teeth, a soft tongue, coarse brittle hair, with a short wool beneath it, &c.

* The following passage occurs in the History of Canada by Theodat. " Les cerfs qu'lls appellant Sconoton, sont
plus communs dans le pays des Neutres, qu'en toutes les autres contrees Huronnes, mais lis sont un peu plus petits
que les nostres de deija, et tres legers de pied." The stag that he here speaks of as being smaller than the common
one, cannot be the Wapiti. He mentions the Elk and Rein-deer, under their names of Eslan and Caribou, and he
refers probably to the Cerviis Virginiamis^ by the appellation of Le Dain, which he says is an animal that he knew
merely by report as an inhabitant of North America. The country of the Neutres seems to have been on the
northern shores of Lake Huron near the River Nattawasaga.

f The Crees probably on this account term the wapiti "stinking head."

B54 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[76.] 4. Cervus macrotis. (Say.) The Black-tailed Deer.

Jumping deer. Umfbeville, Hiidsoii's Bay, 'p. 1C4.

Black-tailed or Mule deer. Gass, Jotirn., p. 55.

Black-tailed deer. Mule-deer. Lewis and Clark, vol. i. pp. 91, 92, IOC, 152, 239, 264, 328 ; vol. ii. p. 152 ; vol. ii£.

p. 27, 125.
Mule-deer. ^Varden, United States, vol. i. -p. 2-io.
Cervus auritus. Idem, (Ed. Gall.,) t. v. p. 640."
Cerf mulet. Desjiarest, Mamm. in notis, p. 443.
Le Dain fauve a queue noire. Idem, /oco citato.
Black-tailed or Mule deer. James, Long's Exped., vol. ii. p. 276.
Cervus macrotis. Say, Long's Expedit., vol. ii. p. 254. (American ed., vol. ii. p. 88.) Sabine, Franklin's Journ.,

p. 667- Harlax, Fauna, p. 243.
Black-tail deer. Godman, A^a/. i/jrf., vol. ii. p. 305.

Great-eared deer (Cervus macrotis). Griffith, An. Kingd., vol. iv. p. 133.
Cerv-us macrotis. Idem, vol, v. No. 794.

Plate xx.

Lewis and Clark, in various parts of the narrative of tlieir interesting journey,
speak of a black-tailed deer, and of a mule-deer^ which, on referring to Serjeant
Gass' Journal, are found to be the same animal. Mr. Say thinks that his Cervus
macrotis is also the same species, and this opinion is confirmed by the observations
of Mr. David Douglas. I have seen no authenticated specimens of Cervus
macrotis, but the skins of male and female deer killed in the vicinity of the
Rocky Mountains, and presented to the Zoological Society, have all the
characters ascribed by Mr. Say to his species. The plains of the Saskat-
chewan are frequented by only four Cervi, two of which, the moose and wapiti,
are well ascertained. The other two have long been termed indiscriminately
by the Canadian voyagers " chevreuil,'' and by the Hudson's-Bay traders
" jumping deer." The Cree Indians call them both in their language apeesee-
mongsoos (little moose), but when they wish to be more precise they distinguish
one as the atheeneefoo apeesee-mongsoos (real little moose), and the other as
the kinwaithoo-ioai/oo apeesee-mongsoos (long-tailed little moose), or simply as
kmwaithoos (long-tail). I used every endeavour whilst residing in that quarter
to procure specimens of both kinds, and sent out Indian hunters for the purpose
with the promise of a good reward if they succeeded ; but it happened to
be a period of scarcity, and although some were killed, the appetites of the
hunters proved superior to their love of gain, and they devoured them all even to

MAMMALIA. 2S5

the skins. I collected^ however, information respecting them, which induces me
to refer one to the Cerviis macrotis of Say, and the other to the Cervtis leuciinis of
Doug-las, which is the long-tailed common fallow deer of Lewis and Clark. They
are both said to be of a grey colour, but differ in size, in the length of their tails,
and in their gait. The larger one (C macrotis) when roused, makes off by
uninterrupted bounds, raising all its feet from the ground at once, and vibrating
its black-tipped tail from side to side ; while the small one trots a few steps,
makes a great bound, and trots again, much like the Cerviis Virginiamis.

If these indications be coiTect, the Cervus macrotis may be said to inhabit the
whole extent of the plains of the Missouri, Saskatchewan, and Columbia ; and
according to Lewis and Clark, it is the only species to be found on the Mountains
in the vicinity of the first falls of the Columbia. They are numerous on the
Quamash Flats, which border on the Kooskooskee *River. Their most northern
range is the banks of the Saskatchewan, in about latitude 54°, and they do not
come to the eastward of longitude 105° in that parallel. This deer being an
inhabitant on the east side of the mountains of a district frequented by immense
herds of buffalo, and also by the large moose deer and wapiti, is of small esteem
amongst the Indians in that quarter, and has attracted but little attention from the
traders : hence, with the exception of a brief notice by Umfreville, it was almost
unknown to naturalists until Lewis and Clark's expedition gave some information
respecting it.

DESCRIPTION

Of a male specimen, killed in January, 1827, noted as fvJl-grown, but not old, now in the Zoological Museum,
Size. — Height about that of the Woodland-caribou ; weight, said to be about two hundred-
weight. Horns, cyUndrical, twice forked, the first fork situated ten inches from the base, the
second one six inches from the first. The stem has a direction upwards, outwards, and a
little backwards, with a gentle curvature. It is two inches apart from its fellow at its union
•with the scull, and its lower part is rough, and somewhat knobbed. One of the anterior
knobs in this specimen seems to be the rudiment of a snag or branchlet. At the first bifur-
cation one branch projects directly forwards, the other is nearly erect. Each fork subdivides
into two tapering branchlets, nine or ten inches long ; one branchlet of each pair curves
forwards, and has its point turned a little inwards, the other is rather taller, and more
upright. The horns are compressed for a short space at the forks : their total height is
twenty inches, their summits, or the most erect of the posterior pair of points, are fifteen
inches apart ; and the superior points of the anterior pair are twenty inches apart. The
horns want the small basal process which exists in Mr. Say's specimen. The lachrymal
openings* are large, and situated close beneath the eye. The ears reach to the bifurcation of

* Larmiers, French Authors. Cr!<»ie;j5 (th. cruwena, a bag.) Flemixg.

256 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

the horns. Colour. — The nose and face are grayish-white, and a brown mark, originating
between the nostrils, is continued behind their naked margins downwards to the lower jaw, to
unite with a dark patch that is situated behind the chin ; the chin and throat are white ; the
forehead is of a dull or soiled dark brown, mixed with umber. The neck, back, sides, and
hips, are brownish-gray, the hairs clothing those parts being dark brown from their roots to
near their tips, Avhere they exhibit a pale yellowish-brown ring, surmounted by a black tip.
The black tips are more conspicuous on the spinous processes of the neck, and form there a
dark line, which is continued, though less distinctly, down the middle of the back. The
colour of the chest is blackish-brown, and a dark line is continued from it down the centre of
the belly; the fur on the posterior part of the belly is long and hairy; the anterior part of
the belly is fawn-coloured ; the posterior part is white, as are likewise the interior surfaces of
the thighs. The tail, at its junction with the back, has a dark brown mark ; the greater part
of it is, however, white, with a tinge of brown, and its tip is black. The legs are of a mixed
yellowish-brown and black colour, anteriorly, and of a very pale brownish-white, posteriorly.

Feet.
Length from the tip of the nose to the brow

between the horns . , 1

„ from the brow to the tail . . 4

DESCRIPTION

Of a full-grown female, killed April, 1827.

Has no antlers ; the colours of the fur are more distinct ; the upper parts are gray, with
minute specklings ; colour of the chest, between the fore-legs, dark hair-brown ; between the
hind-legs the fur is nearly white. The forehead is of a paler gray than the forehead of the
male, and there is a large white patch surrounding the origin of the tail.

Feet.
Length of back, from the neck to the tail . 3
,, neck ... 1

„ head, from nose to between the

ears . . . .1

Dimensions.

Inches.
0

Length of the tail (vertebrae)
„ „ with the hair

Feet.
. 0
0

Indies
6
9

4

Height at the fore-shoulder

2

C

Dimensions.

Inches.

Feet.

Inches.

0

Length of head and body

. 5

1

0

„ tail, with the hair, about

0

8-1

,, ears

, 0

8

1

Height, about ....

2

5

MAMMALIA. 257

Cervus macrotis, var. /3. Columbiana.

Black-tailed fallow deer. Lewis and Clark, vol. iii. pp. 26, 125.
Long-tailed deer. Griffith, Anim. Kingd., vol. iv. p. 134.
Cervus macrourus. Idem, vol. v. No. 795.

Whether this be distinct or not from the Cermis macrotis, I am unable to say,
having seen no specimens, and knowing it only from the short account by Lewis
and Clark. Mr. Griffith, following Warden, has confounded this with the "long-
tailed fallow deer " of these travellers, termed also by them " common red-deer
with a long tail^" to which the name oi macrourus would have been appropriate,
but which does not apply to this, which is said to have " a tail of the same length
with that of the common deer."

Lewis and Clark's account of the variety or species is as follows. '' The black-
tailed fallow deer are peculiar to this coast (mouth of the Columbia), and are a
distinct species, partaking equally of the qualities of the mule and the common
deer. Their ears are longer than those of the common deer (C. virginianus
or leucurus). The receptacle of the eye more conspicuous, their legs shorter,
their bodies thicker and larger. The tail is of the same length with that of
the common deer, the hair on the under side white, and on its sides and
top of a deep jetty black ; the hams resembling in form and colour those of the
mule deer, which it likewise resembles in its gait. The black-tailed deer never
runs at full speed, but bounds with every foot from the ground at the same time,
like the mule-deer. He sometimes inhabits the woodlands, but more often tlie
prairies and open grounds. It may be generally said that he is of a size larger
than the common deer, and less than the mule deer. The flesh is seldom fat, and
in flavour is far inferior to any other of the species."

2L

258 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

[77.] 5. Cervus leucurus. (Douglas.) Long-tailed Deer.

Hoe-buck. Dobbs, Hudson's Bay, p. 41. An. 1744.

Fallow or Virginian deer. Cook, Third Voy., vol. ii. p. 292. An. 1778.

Long-tailed jumping deer. Ujifreville, Hudson's Bay, p. 190. An. 1790.

Deer, with small horns and a long tail. Gass, Jonm., p. 55. An. 1808.

Long-tailed red deer. Lewis and Clark, vol. ii. p. 41.

Small deer of the Pacific. Iideji, vol. ii. p. 342.

Common red deer. Tide it, vol. iii. p. 20.

Common fallow deer, with long tails. Iideji, vol. iii. p. 85.

Apeesee-mongsoos. Cree Indians. Jumping deer. Hudson's Bay Traders.

Chevreuil. Canadian Voyagers. Mowitch. Indians west of the Rocky Mountains.

This animal_, from the general resemblance it has in size^ form^ and habits,, to
the Cervus capreolus of Europe, has obtained the name of Chevreuil from the
French Canadians, and of Roebuck from the Scottish highlanders employed by the
Hudson's Bay Company. These names occur in the works of several authors
who have written on the fur countries, and Umfreville gives a brief, but, as far as
it goes, a correct description of it. Lewis and Clark allude to it, as far as I can
judge from their short notices under the different appellations quoted above, aH
of which indicate that they considered it to be a variety of the Cervus virginianuSj
which is named red or fallow-deer in different parts of the United States. The
specific name of Cervus macrourus seems to have been intended to designate this
deer ; but the characters authors * have assigned to it appertain to var. ^ of the
Cervus macrotis, having been compiled from Lewis and Clark's short account
of their black-tailed fallow-deer. The black tip of the tail of the Cervus nmcrotis
or mule-deer, renders it a more conspicuous object than that of the long-tailed
deer, and the former is often termed kinwaithoos or long-tail by the Cree hunters,
although the epithet is more appropriate to the latter. I could not, whilst
residing on the banks of the Saskatchewan, procure a specimen of this animal, as
has been mentioned in the preceding article, but have lately had an opportunity
of examining the skin of a female one presented to the Zoological Museum by the
Hudson's Bay Company. Mr. David Douglas has given an account of the
habits of the species in the Zoological Journal, and I have adopted his specific
name of leucurus, which is preferable to macrourus, because the original descrip-
tions given under the latter name are not applicable to this species.

• Warden, United Slates, vol. i. p. 245, Gbiffith's An. Kingd., vol. iv. p. 134. ; vol. v. p, 316. No. 25.

MAMMALIA. 259

This, like the preceding' species, does not, on the east side of the Rocky
Mountains, range further north than latitude 54°, nor is it found in that parallel
to the eastward of the 105th decree of longfitude. Mr. Doug-las informs us that
ift is '' the most common deer of any in the districts adjoining- the river Columbia,
more especially in the fertile prairies of the Cowalidske and Multnomah Rivers,
vi'ithin one hundred miles of the Pacific Ocean. It is also occasionally met with
near the base of the Rocky Mountains on the same side of that ridge. Its
favourite haunts are the coppices, composed of Corijlus, Rubus, Rosa, and
Amelanchier, on the declivities of the low hills or dry undulating grounds. Its
gait is two ambling steps and a bound, exceeding double the distange of the steps,
vrhich mode it does not depart from even when closely pursued. In running the
tail is erect, wagging from side to side, and from its unusual length is the most
remarkable feature about the animal. The voice of the male calling the female,
is like the sound produced by blowing in the muzzle of a gun or in a hollow cane.
The voice of the female calling the young is nice mce, pronounced shortly.
This is well imitated by the native tribes, with a stem of Heracleiim lanatum, cut
at a joint, leaving six inches of a tube. With this, aided by a head and horns of
a full grown buck, which the hunter carries with him as a decoy, and which he
moves backwards and forwards among the long grass, alternately feigning th&
voice with the tube, the unsuspecting animal is attracted within a few yards in the
hope of finding its partner, when instantly springing up the hunter plants an
arrow in his object. The flesh is excellent when in good order, and remarkably
tender and well flavoured." "^ They go in herds from November to April and
May, when the female secretes herself to bring forth. The young are spotted
with white until the middle of the first winter, when they change to the same
colour as the most aged."

Lewis and Clark say of it — " The common red deer inhabit the Rocky
Mountains, in the neighbourhood of the Chopunnish, and about the Columbia,
and down the river as low as where the tide-water commences. They do not
differ essentially from those of the United States, being the same in shape, size,
and appearance. The tail is, however, different, which is of unusual length, far
exceeding that of the common deer. Captain Lewis measured one, and found it
to be seventeen inches long." In another passage they remark, " the common
fallow deer with long tails, though very poor, are better than the black-tailed
fallow deer of the coast, from which they differ materially." As these intelligent
travellers have remarked, this deer approaches very near to the Cervus virginianus
in all its characters, and may eventually prove to be only a variety.

2L2

260 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

DESCRIPTION

Of a female specimen, killed Febniary, 1827, and presented by the Hudson's Bay Company to the Zoological

Museum. — Noted as full-grown.

Form, elegant ; limbs, very slender. Lachrymal opening apparently only a small fold
in the skin close to the eye. Head and back fawn-colour, mixed with black ; sides
and cheeks paler ; ears edged with dusky-brown ; chin and throat white ; the tail is
fawn-coloured, inclining to rusty above, and pure white underneath and at the tip ; hoofS;^
small and neat.

Length of back
„ neck
„ head
„ „ and body

Dimensions.

eet.
3

1

Inches.
0

1

Length of tail

,, ,, with fur

0
5

11
0

Height of the ears

Feet. Inches.

0 9

1 1
0 5

This is the smallest deer known in the fur countries, its weight falling short of
that of the Barren-ground caribou.

Mr. Douglas brought home the horns of a full grown male. They have a close
resemblance in form to the horns of the Cercus virginianus. The main stem
rises at right angles to the facial line^ and gives out near its base an erect, thick^
conical snag ; above this the horn makes a regular curve, nearly in a horizontal
direction forwards, outwards, and at the extreme tip, a little inwards towards its
fellow ; two tapering erect antlers spring at right angles from the horizontal part
of the main stem. The distance from the base of the horn to the tip of the snag
or first antler is four inches ; from the same place to the tip of the second antler,
which springs from where the horn takes a horizontal direction, is ten inches,
being the whole height of the horns ; from the base to the tip of the third antler
is also ten inches ; and from the same place to the extreme tip of the horn, the
distance, owing to the curvature of the main beam, is only eight inches. The
lengths of the second and third antlers are respectively four and three inches.
The distance from the tip of the first antler to that of its fellow on the other horn,
is five inches ; between the tips of the second antlers, thirteen inches ; between
the tips of the third antlers, sixteen inches; and between the extreme tips of each
horn, twelve inches. Mr. Douglas describes the colour of the upper parts of the
animal in summer as reddish-brown, which changes to a light gray in winter.

I received from Penetanguishene, on Lake Huron, the skin of a very young
deer, which is of a dark yellowish-brown colour on the upper parts, interspersed
with white round spots from the size of a pea to that of a small marble. On each
side of the spine the spots are arranged in a pretty close even row, and on the

•i^

MAMMALIA, 261

neck there is a continuous wliite line prolonged from each row of dorsal spots.
The spots on the sides of the animal are distributed without order. The belly is
white, and between it and the middle of the back the hair is pale yellowish-brown^
and this is also the colour of the chest. I cannot ascertain whether it is the
young- of the present species, or of the Cerms virgmianus, the tail being mutilated;
nor have I been able to discover the true Cervus mrginianus within the district to
which this work refers. It may probably exist, however, on the borders of Lakes
Huron and Superior.

[78.] 1. Antilope FURCiFER. (Smith.) Prong-horned J ntilope.

Oenus. Antilope. Pallas.

Teuthlalma<;ame. Hernandez, iVou. ITwp., p. 324, 325. Fig. 324 ? An. 1651.

Le Squenoton. Hist, de V Amerique^ p. 175. An. 1723 ?

Squinaton. Dobbs, Hudsoii's Bay, p. 24. An. 1744 ?

Wild goats, or Matheh-tuckwuck. Hutchins, MSS.

Apistochickoshish. Ujifreville, Hudson's Bay, p. 165. An. 1790.

Antilope, cabre,or goat. GAis,Journ., &c., pp. 49, 111.

Antilope. Lewis and Clark, Journ., &c., vol. i. pp. 75, 208, 369 ; vol. ii. p. 169.

Antilope Americana. " Ord, Guthrie's Geogr. (Philad. ed.,) 1815."

Cervus hamatns. Blainville, JVouv. Bull. Societ. Phil., 1816, p. 80.

Antilocapra Americana. Ord, Journ, de Phys., 1818.

Cervus bifurcatus. Rafinesque.

Antilope furcifer. C. Hamilton Smith, Lin. Trans., vol. xiii. PI. 2. An. 1823. Desmarest, Mamm., p. 479.

Sabine, Frankliji's First Journ., p. 667- Griffith, An. Kingd., vol. v. p. 323.
Antilope palmata. Smith, Opere citato. Desmarest, il/amm., p. 478.
The prong-horned antilope. Godman, iVa<. //is^, vol. ii. p. 321. Cum figura. S.iriTll, Griffith's An. Kingd.,

vol. iv. p. 170. Cum figura.
Antilocapra Americana. Harlan, Fauna, p. 250.

Apeestat-chcekoos, also, My-attehk (plur. My-attekwuck.) Cree Indians.
Cabree. Canadian Voyagers. Goat. Fur Traders.

Plate xxr.
An animal described and figured by Hernandez under the appellation of
Tcuthlalmaqame, has been referred by Major Smith to the same group of antilopes
with the subject of this article ; and Messrs. Ord_, Harlan, and others, are even of
opinion that the figure represents this very species. The figure, however, is so
rude, and the description so imperfect*, that the matter must remain doubtful,

* Hernandez's words, as reported by Recchus, are : — " Teuthtlalmagame, Temamagame ego potius computaverim
inter Capreos." " Teuthtlalmafame, qaecaTprnmraTaeiiocThiin, paulove majori constant magnitudine. Pile teguntur
cano, et qui facile avellatur, fulvoque sed lateribus, et ventre candentibus, unde Berendos indigeni Hispani vocare
Solent. Cornua gestant juxta cxortum lata, ac in paucos, parvosque teretes ac praeacutos ramos divisa, et sub eis oculos
quorum imaginem exhibemus."

263 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

and the inquiry can be interesting only in as far as it regards the change which
time may have produced in the geographical distribution of the species^ for there
can be no great difficulty in ascertaining whether the animal is at present an
inhabitant of California or not ; and if the credit of having first noticed it be
conceded to Hernandez^ still it is to Lewis and Clark that naturalists owe their
present knowledge of this animal. These intelligent travellers passed through
the country where it chiefly abounds, and as it was often an object of chase with
them^ they had an opportunity of observing its manners ; hence to the facts which
they have recorded little of importance has been added by subsequent writers. It
is a common animal on the plains lying betwixt the Saskatchewan and Missouri
rivers ; yet, although the English Fur Traders established themselves above the
forks of the former river_, in the year 1770^ and the French Canadians had been
in the habit of collecting furs along both rivers many years previous to that date^
and must have been well acquainted with this animal^ from the circumstances
probably of its skin being of no value in trade, and its flesh little prized as food,
nothing beyond its name was known to the civilized world until the year 1790,
when Umfreville gave a short account of it in his " Present State of Hudson's
Bay." The anonymous author of the Histoire de VAmerique Septeiitrioiiale has a
passage respecting an animal that he terms Squenoton, and which has been copied
by Dobbs. His description of it is too short to be of any use in determining the
species *, but from the habitat which he assigns to it, of the plains to the south
west of Lake Winipeg, we know that he must allude either to the Antilopefurciferj
or to the Cervus macrotis. The Cermis mexicanus, to which Pennant refers the
Squenoton, does not inhabit those plains, and the author mentions the Cervus
kucurus under the name of Chevreuil. The appellation of Squenoton has not
descended to the present day, and this antilope has for a considerable time past
been known among the Canadian voyagers by the name of Cahrie, which is
probably a Basque corruption of the Spanish word Cahra (goat), as it resembles
the common goat in colour, and in the erect position of the hair covering the
spine of the neck, and forming a kind of mane. The English Fur Traders still
call it " the goat."

Lewis and Clark brought a specimen from the Missouri, which was deposited in
Peale's Museum at Philadelphia, and described (according to Dr. Godman) by
Mr. Ord, under the name of Antilope Americana, in an American edition of

* His words are : — " Le Squenoton ressemble au Che^'reuil {Cervus virginianus or leucurus ;) il est plus haut, la
jarabe plus fine, et la tete plus longue et plus pointue." The word squenoton is perhaps derived from the Huron
language. Theodat uses a nearly similar term (sconoton) to designate the stags which frequent the borders of Lake
Huron. — Vide p. 753.

MAMMALIA. 263

Guthrie's Geography^ published in 1815 ; and in 1818^ the same naturalist pub-
lished in the Journal de Plvysique an account of a new genns founded upon it,
which he termed Antilocapra. M, Blainville having inspected a pair of horns of
this antilope in the Museum of the College of Surgeons, where they were attached
to a board with their points in a wrong direction, published a notice of them in

1816, wherein he named the animal to which they belonged Cervus hamatus ; and
an account and figure of Lewis and Clark's specimen, taken by Major Smith in

1817, appeared, in 1823, in the 13th volume of the Linnean Transactions.
Major Smith considers the horns mentioned by M. Blainville to belong to a
distinct species, whose name he has altered to Antilope palmata. From this
detail it is evident that the specific name of Americana is the prior one ; but
the termfurcifer having been generally adopted by naturalists, I have retained it
here, including under it also the Antilope palmata, as I conceive the greater
breadth of the horns to be merely the effect of age. The terra Americana is
objectionable as a specific name, where more than one species of the same genus
exists in that country, and in reference to the present instance, the animal which
will be afterwards described and figured as the Capra Americana, is by several
eminent naturalists considered to be an antilope ; and if it is to be permanently
placed in that genus, a change of name either of it or of the species at present
under consideration would be indispensably necessary. The Antilope furcifer
differs from the true antilopes, in having a snag or branch on its horns, and
wanting the crumens or lachrymal openings, and also in being destitute of the
posterior or accessory hoofs, there being only two on each foot.

The most northerly range of the prong-horned antilope is latitude 53°, on the
banks of the north branch of the Saskatchewan. Some of them remain the whole
year on the south branch of that river, but they are merely summer visitors to the
north branch. They come every year to the neighbourhood of Carlton-house,
when the snow has mostly gone ; soon after their arrival the females drop their
young, and they retire to the southwards again in the autumn as soon as the
snow begins to fall. Almost every year a small herd linger on a piece of rising
ground not far from Carlton-house, until the snow has become too deep on the
plains to permit them to travel over them. Few or none of that herd, however,
survive until the spring, as they are persecuted by the wolves during the whole
winter. They are found in the summer season in the fifty-third parallel of latitude,
from longitude 106° to the foot of the Rooky Mountains. According to Lewis
and Clark, they also abound on the plains of the Columbia to the west of the

264 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

mountains^ where they form the chief game of the Shoshonees. They frequent open
prairies and low hills, interspersed with clumps of wood, but are not met with in
the continuously-wooded country. Major Smith has fallen into an unaccountable
mistake in supposing- that the palmated antilope inhabits *' the bleak regions
near the frozen ocean/' and that specimens have been brought from Baffin's Bay.
No specimens whatever of this antilope were obtained on any of the expeditions
to Baffin's Bay^ nor is there any mention made of the animal either in the
narrative or Zoological appendices of Captain Ross's or of any of Captain Parry's
voyages. If an imaginary line be drawn from the mouth of the Mackenzie, in
longitude 135° to the intersection of the 100th degree of longitude, with the 53d
parallel of latitude, it cuts off to the eastward a very large portion of the continent,
which I am certain is not inhabited by either goat^ sheep, or antilope. The only
ruminating animals of that rocky but well-watered tract, which, to the south of
latitude GO^", is in general woody, and to the north barren, are the moose, caribou,
and musk-ox. The last is confined to the northern parts, the moose to the
woody districts, and the caribou migrates from one to the other according to the
season. The bison is found on the confines of the above-mentioned line, but
I believe does not wander far to the eastward of the Slave and Churchill or
Missinippi rivers.

The head and horns of a young male, and the entire skin of a very young fawn
of this antilope were obtained at Carlton on Captain Franklin's first expedition,
and deposited, the former at the College of Surgeons, and the latter at the British
Museum. On his last expedition, heads of the adult male and female, together
with the entire skin of a male two years old, were brought from the same place.
The latter is now in the Zoological Museum, and the accompanying etching by
Landseer was made from it, but the horns were added from the adult male head.
Very lately the institution just mentioned has received several good specimens
from the Hudson's Bay Company.

The prong-horned antilope appears on the banks of the Saskatchewan some-
times a solitary animal, sometimes assembled in herds often or twelve. Its sight
and sense of smell are acute, and its speed is greater than that of any other
inhabitant of the plains, although I have been informed by Mr. Prudens, who has
resided forty years in that quarter, that when there is a little snow on the ground
it may, with some little management, be run down by a high bred horse. The In-
dian hunters have no difficulty in bringing an antilope within gun-shot, by various
stratagems, such as lying down on their backs and kicking their heels in the air.

MAMMALIA. 265

holding- up a white rag, or clothing themselves in a white shirt, and shewing
themselves only at intervals*. By these and similar manoeuvres, the curiosity
of a herd of antilopes is so much roused that they wheel round the object of their
attention^ and at length approach near enough to enable the hunter to make sure
of his mark. From this disposition of the prong-horned antilopes, they are more
easily killed than any of the deer of the district which they inhabit. They are,,
however, objects of little interest to the Indians, who eat their flesh only when the
bison, moose or wapiti are not to be procured, and their skins are of no value as
an article of trade. The Mandans on the Missouri are said to capture them in
pounds. The antilopes feed on the grass of the plains during the summer, and,
according to Lewis and Clark, they migrate towards the mountains at the com-
mencement of winter, and subsist there during that season on leaves and shrubs.
They bring forth one, or more rarely two, young early in June.

DESCRIPTION

Of a male, killed at Carlton, in June 1327. — This individual must have attained a considerable age, as the sagittal and
some other sutures of the scull were obliterated.

Dental formula, incisors |, canines ^, grinders ^ = 32.

Incisors white ; the two exterior incisors are much smaller than the others, and they are
all disposed with their edges tiled slightly over each other, and their points inclining outwards
in the segment of a circle, adapted to the reception of the callous pad, which terminates the
upper jaw. The upper grinders gradually increase in size from the first to the fourth, which
is considerably larger ; the fifth is of equal or, perhaps, greater size than the fourth ; and the
sixth is somewhat smaller. The three posterior ones have each a deep furrow on their inner
sides, corresponding to a fold or ridge of enamel on the outer side, so, at first sight, each
appears like two teeth. The furrow is shallow in the third tooth, and does not exist in the
two first. In the lower jaw, the posterior grinder is the largest, and is divided into three
portions by two deep furrows on its exterior side. The fourth and fifth have, each, one deep
furrow, and the third has two shallow furrows ; these three are nearly equal to each other
in size, and are a little smaller than the sixth one. The first and second lower orinders are
much smaller than the others.

In the scull there is a considerable depression in the frontal bone, between the anterior
parts of the orbits ; the orbits project considerably, and the solid osseous nucleus of the horn
is sealed on the projecting plate. The supra-orbitar foramen is situated close to the inner

* " This same curiosity enables the wolves to make thera a prey : for sometimes one of them will leave his compa-
nions to go and look at the wolves, which, should the antelope be frightened, at first crouch down, repeating the
manreuvre, sometimes relieving each other, until they succeed in decoying it within their power, when it is pulled down
and devoured." — Godjian, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 323.

2M

266

NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

side of this bony projection. The nasal bones are very shghtly arched, and there is no
external suborbitar opening, but in the bone there is an oblong and somewhat irregular
foramen, an inch and a quarter long, which, in the recent subject, is entirely closed by a
tense membrane. The scull is smaller than that of the English domestic sheep ; the jaws
more slender, and the cavity for containing the brain smaller in proportion.

The horns are black, rise directly upwards and outwards, without any inclination either
forwards or backwards, and curve sharply in towards each other at their tips. At the base
the distance between them is 3^ inches ; within 2 inches of the tip, where they begin to
curve inwards, the distance between them is 10^ inches, and the tips are 7 inches apart.
The horns are much compressed, in a lateral direction, to about half their height, where they
give out a thin, triangular, or bracket-shaped process, which projects directly forAvards for
more than an inch. The surface of the lower half of the horns is striated, and is rough, with
small warts and knobs, two or three of which project from a quarter to half an inch. The
situation of these larger knobs varies in different specimens. The horns above the flat snag
have a shining, striated surface, are nearly round, and taper considerably.

No. 1 is a section of the right horn, at its base ; No. 2 a similar section at the
commencement of the snag ; and No. 3 is a section of the horn and snag ; —
natural size.
This animal has a graceful form, a slender head, with large eyes, and long and delicate
limbs. The nostrils turn obliquely upwards from the raphe of the upper lip, and are
separated by a small, tumid, triangular, naked space. The naked margins of the lips are
blackish, but the lips and chin are covered with white hair. The nose is nearly straight, or

MAMMALIA. ' 267

very slightly arched, narrow, and is clothed towards its tip with short hair of a liver-brown
colour, which gradually mingles towards the forehead with yellowish-brown hair. The orbits
have a narrow, blackish-brown margin, and the eye-lashes, composed of a row of stiff, erect
hairs, are black. The cheeks are covered with short hair, mostly of a wooJ-brown colour,
and the forehead is clothed with longer bushy hair, and presents two white marks, one
extending from ear to ear, the other a little anterior to it ; the latter mark is slightly
tinged with brown. The ears are upwards of six inches high, narrow, and have the inner side
curving in for half their height ; from thence to their acute tips they are flat. They are
covered posteriorly by a smooth coat of short hair, of a yellowish-brown colour, mixed with
dark umber, the latter colour prevailing near the tip. They are lined interiorly with longer
hair of a grayish-white colour. There is a dark blackish-brown spot at the angle of each
jaw, which exhales a strong hircine odour, and between this spot and the ear the hair is pale,
or nearly white. There are no external indications whatever of a crumen or lachrymal
opening. The upper parts of the body are of a clear, yellowish-brown colour, deepening on
the ridge of the back into blackish-gray. The hairs are much longer between the ears, and
on the back of the neck, where they form an erect mane, of a blackish brown colour on its
tips. The sides and thighs are paler than the back, and approach in colour to a clear wood-
brown. The under jaw has a very pale yellowish-brown colour, fading to white. The hair is
bushy about the angle of the lower jaw, and has a wood-brown colour. This colour forms
three belts across the throat, which differ from each other in breadth, and are separated by
two patches of pure white. The chest, belly, insides of the thighs, and legs, the tail, and a
large patch round it, which includes the rump, and upper part of the buttocks, are pure white.
There is a pale yellowish mark at the root of the tail. The tail is 4^ inches long. The legs
are slender, with long shank-bones ; the fur, covering their anterior surfaces, is yellowish-
brown. It has only two hoofs, there being no vestige of the posterior supplementary ones.

The hair, which clothes the body, resembles that of a moose or rein-deer in its structure.
It is long, round, tapering from the root to the point, waved, and of a soft and brittle texture,
particularly towards the root, where it is easily compressed, and does not regain its round form
again. Its interior is white and spongy, like the pith of rush. When the hair makes its
first appearance in the summer, it forms a smooth coat, and has the ordinary flexibility and
appearance of hair ; but as it lengthens it acquires the brittle, spongy texture, at its roots,
and, increasing at the same time in diameter, it becomes erect, and forms a very close coat.
As the spring approaches the fine and flexible points are rubbed off, particularly on the sides,
where the hair appears as if it had been clipped. The mane on the hind-head and neck
retains its darker points, even when the winter coat is dropping off. The nose, cheeks, part
of the lower jaw, ears, and legs, are clothed at all times with short, flexible hairs, which
lie smoothly.

Dimensions.

Feet. Inches.

Length from the nose to the root of the tail 4 4

Height at the fore-shoulder ..30

„ „ haunches . .30

Girth hehind the fore-legs .

„ before the hind-legs
Length of the tail, with the hair
2 JM 2

Feet.

Inches.

3

0

2

10

0

44

268 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

The females are stated, by some A-merican writers, to have horns like the males, although
smaller; but in gravid, and, therefore, at least nearly full-grown individuals, which I have
examined, there was merely a short, obtuse process, of the frontal bone, scarcely to be felt
through the fur, and not covered with horn.

The young, at birth, are covered on the upper parts with short hair, of a clove-brown
colour, more or less hoary. The situation of the mane is marked by a dark line. The tail is
yellowish-brown, and the buttocks are pure white. The dark mark on the nose, the one
behind the angle of the jaw, and the bands across the throat, exist as in the adult. The legs
are of a pure wood-brown colour.

[79.] 1. Capra Americana. Rocky-Mountain Goat.

Genus. Capra. LixN.

Antilope Americana et Rupicapra Americana. Blainville, .Bm?/. 5'oc. PAi/. An. 1816, p. 80.

Ovis montana. Ord, J^oj«-ra. P/ii/. y/carf., vol. i. pt. i. p. 8. An. 1817.

" Mazama sericea. Rafinesque-Smaltz, Am. Month. Mag. An. 1817, p. 44."

Rocky-Mountain sheep. Jameson, Wernerian Trans.., vol. iii. p. 306. An. 1821 (read An. 1819.)

Antilope lanigera. S.mith, Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 38. t. 4. An. 1822.

PlA^TE XXII.

The Rocky Mountain Goat has been supposed to be an inhabitant of California,
where it is said to have been discovered by Fathers Piccolo and De Salvatierra,
as will be noticed in the article on the Rocky Mountain sheep. Vancouver
brought home a mutilated skin which he obtained on the North-west coast of
America ; and Lieutenant-General Davies presented a specimen to the Linnean
Society, of which an account was published by M. de Blainville_, in 1816. Mr.
Ord, in 1817_, described a skin brought home by Lewis and Clark under a new
specific name, and a detailed description by Major C. H. Smithy drawn up in
the same year from General Davies' specimen, was published in the Linnean
Transactions for 1821^ under a third name *. The animal has been known to the
members of the North-west and Hudson's Bay Companies from the first establish-
ment of their trading posts on the banks of the Columbia River, and in New
Caledonia_, and they have sent several specimens to Europe. One of these being

• Griffith's An. Kingd., vol. iv. p. 206.

MAMMALIA. 269

presented to the Wernerian Society of Edinburgh, was submitted to a competent
judg-e, who reported that " the wool, which forms the chief covering- of the skin,
is fully an inch and a half long, and is of the very finest quality. It is unlike the
fleece of the common sheep, which contains a variety of different kinds of wool
suitable to the fabrication of articles very dissimilar in their nature, and requires
much care to distribute them in their proper order. The fleece under considera-
tion is wholly fine. That on the forepart of the skin has all the apparent qualities
of wool : on the back part it very much resembles cotton. The whole fleece is
much mixed with hairs, and on those parts where the hairs are long and pendant,
there is almost no wool." In consequence of this report, a suggestion was made
to the Highland Society of the advantage likely to accrue from the introduction
into Scotland of an animal bearing so valuable a fleece. The Hudson's Bay
Company alone possess the power of effecting this patriotic design. Very lately
that Company presented a perfect specimen of the goat to the Zoological Society,
from which the accompanying etching was executed by Landseer. From the
circumstance of this animal bearing wool, it has been occasionally termed a sheep
by the voyagers and even by naturalists ; and as it has often gone by the same
name with the Rocky Mountain sheep of the following article, some little confusion
has crept into the accounts of their habits which have been published from the
reports of the traders.

The Rocky Mountain goat inhabits the most lofty peaks of the range, from
whence it derives its English appellation, seldom descending so near the lov\r
country as the Rocky Mountain sheep does. Mr. Drummond saw no goats on
the eastern declivity of the mountains near the sources of the Elk River, where the
sheep are numerous, but he learnt from the Indians that they frequent the steepest
precipices, and are much more difficult to procure than the sheep. Their
manners are said to resemble greatly those of the domestic goat. The exact
limits of the range of this animal have not been ascertained, but it probably
extends from the 40th to the 64th or 65th degree of latitude. It is common
on the elevated part of the Rocky Mountain range that gives origin to four great
tributaries to as many different seas, viz. the Mackenzie, the Columbia, the
Nelson, and the Missouri Rivers.

The fine wool which the animal produces grows principally on the back and
hips, and is intermixed with long coarse hair. Its flesh is hard and dry, and is
little esteemed*. The Indians make caps and saddles of its skin. I have
followed Dr. Harlan in ranking this quadruped in the genus Capra, and have

• Mr. Donald M'Kenzie says, its flesh has a musky flavour.— Harlan, Fauna, p. 258.

27G NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

adopted M. de Blainville's specific name, though somewhat objectionable, because
it is due to the first describer of an animal to retain if possible the appellation he
bestows on it^ in preference even to a better though later name*.

DESCRIPTION
Of the specimen in the Zoological Museum.

Sixe of the domestic sheep, and a resemblance exists to the merino breed, in the mode in
which the fleece hangs down on the sides. The form of the body and neck is robust, like
that of the common goat. Nose nearly straight. Ears pointed ; lined with long hair. The
horns are awl shaped, sharp pointed, and nearly erect, having but a slight curvature, and
inclination backwards. They are marked at the base with rings, which disappear above
half way up, and towards the tips they are remarkably even, smooth, and polished ; their
surface throughout is black and shining.

Colour. — The animal is totally white except the horns, hoofs, lips, and margins of the
nostrils.

Fleece. — The body is covered with long straight hair, considerably coarser than the wool
of sheep, but softer than that of the common goat. This long hair is abundant on the
shoulders, neck, back, and thighs ; a considerable tuft of it attached to the chin forms a
beard, and there is likewise much of it on the chest and lower part of the throat. The tail
is short, and though clothed with long hair is almost concealed by that which covers the
rump. Under the hair of the body there is a close coat of fine white wool. The hair on the
face and legs is short without wool. The legs are thick and short ; the fetlocks are short,
and with the hoofs are perpendicular. The latter are of a black colour, and are deeply
grooved on the soles. They resemble those of the common goat. The small posterior
hoofs do not touch the ground.

* Blr. Oi-d's specific name of montana^ if hereafter adopted, may be inconvenient should this animal be arranged
\ifith the antelopes, because an antelope discovered on the banks of the White Nile by M. RUppeU, has been figured
under the name of Antelope monlana.

#

■^

MAMMALIA. 271

[80.] 1. Ovis MONTANA. (DesHiarest.) Rocky -Mountain Sheep»

Argali. Cook, Third Voy. An. 1778.

White buffalo. Mackenzie, Voy., p. 76. An. 1789. (The horn is mentioned page 208.)

Mountain goat. Umfreville, Hudson's Bay, p. 164.

Mountain ram. M'Gillivray, New York Med. Reposit., vol. vi. p. 238, with a figure. An. 1803.

Big-horn. Lewis and Clark, vol. i. p. 144.

Belier sauvage d'Amerique. Geoffroy, Ann. du Museum, t. ii, pi. lx.

Ovis montana. '■'■ Encyclop., fl. , suppl. 14. Fig. 4. Schreber, pi. ccxiv D." RicuAKOSoiJ, Werner. Trans

vol. iv. Part 1. p. 22.
Rocky-Mountain sheep. Warden, United St., vol. i. p. 217.
Mouflon d'Amerique. Desmarest, Mamm., p. 487.
Ovis Ammon. Harlan, Fauna, p. 259.
The Argali. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 329.

Ovis Ammon, var. ? Pygargus. Griffith, An. King., vol. iv. p. 318, with a figure ; and vol. v. p. 359. No. 873,
Cul-blanc et grosse corne. Canadian Voyagers.
My-attehk. Cree Indians.

Ema-kee-kawnow. Pegans, Blood Indians, and Black-feet.
Afasahta. Mandans.

Plate xxiii.

When Fathers Piccolo and de Salvatierra, in the year 1697, established the
first mission in California nearly two centuries after the first discovery of that
country, they found, says the former, " two sorts of deer that we know nothing of:
we call them sheep, because they somewhat resemble ours in make. The first
sort is as large as a calf of one or two years old ; its head is much like that of a
stag, and its horns, which are very large, are like those of a ram ; its tail and
hair are speckled, and shorter than a stag's, but its hoof is large, round, and cleft
as an ox's. I have eaten of these beasts ; their flesh is very tender and delicious.
The other sort of sheep, some of which are white and others black, differ less
from ours. They are larger, and have a great deal more wool, which is very
good, and easy to be spun and wrought*." Hernandez, Clavighiero, and other
writers on California, likewise mention these animals, and Vanegas has given a
figure of the first-mentioned one, which has, though evidently on insufficient
grounds, been considered to be the same with the Siberian Argali, and with the
subject of this article ; while the one noticed in the latter part of the quotation
has been referred to the species already described under the name of Rocky
Mountain goat. The speckled hair does not agree with any descriptions I have
met with of the Rocky Mountain sheep, nor have I heard that black individuals

• Philos. Trans. No. 318. p. 232 ; and Jones's Abridg., vol. v. p. 194.

272 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

are ever met with in tlie herds of the Rocky Mountain goat ; it is therefore
probable that the Californian animals are different from the allied ones, which
inhabit the more northern part of the Rocky Mountain ridge. Mr. David Douglas
describes Piccolo's sheep under the name of Ovis Calif ornica *. Pennant^ who
considers the Asiatic argali (0. cmimon) and the Corsican mufro (0. musimon) to be
varieties of the same species^ says, in Arctic Zoology, that " the argali is suspected
to be found in California_, but not on the best authorities."

On Cook's third voyage he obtained the spoils of an animal on the North-west
coast of America, which the editor of the journal takes for granted were those of
the argali. They were, doubtless, skins of the Rocky Mountain sheep. Sir
Alexander Mackenzie, in his voyage down the great river which bears his name,
received an account of the mountain sheep, called by the natives of that district
" white buffaloes," and in his subsequent journey across the Rocky Mountains at
the sources of the Elk River, he saw some utensils made of their horns, which he
not unaptly compares with the horns of the musk-ox. When, in consequence of
the important discoveries of that adventurous and intelligent traveller, the English
North-west Fur Company were led in the spirit of commercial enterprise to cross
the Rocky Mountains twice every year, they became well acquainted with the
mountain sheep, and sent several skins of it to Europe, which do not however
appear to have fallen into scientific hands, as no account of them was published.
The attention of naturalists was drawn to the animal in 1803, by a paper pub-
lished in the Medical Repository of New York, by Mr. M'Gillivray, who also
presented to the New York Museum a specimen procured by him three years
previously on the mountains from whence the Elk River takes its origin. This
specimen being afterwards sent to M. Geoffroy, he published a description of it
with a figure in the Annales (hi Museum. Some years afterwards Lewis and
Clark brought male and female specimens to Philadelphia^ which have lately been
figured by Griffith and Godman. Mr. Drummond shot many in the same district
in which Mr. M'Gillivray procured his one ; and two specimens obtained on the
mountains which skirt the south branch of the Mackenzie, were presented to
me by Mr. Macpherson, and are now in the Museum of the Zoological Society.
They are male and female, and are the subjects from which the accompanying
spirited and very accurate etchings were made by Landseer.

The Rocky Mountain sheep inhabit the lofty chain of mountains from whence
they derive their name from its northern termination in latitude 68° to about
latitude 40°, and most likely still further south. They also frequent the elevated

• ZooL Journ. April, 1829.

MAMMALIA. 273

and cragg-y ridges with which the country between the great mountain range and
the Pacific is intersected ; but they do not appear to have advanced further to the
eastward than the declivity of the Rocky Mountains, nor are they found in any of
the hilly tracts nearer to Hudson's Bay. They collect in flocks consisting- of
from three to thirty, the young rams and the females herding together during the
winter and spring, while the old rams form separate flocks, except during the
month of December^ which is their rutting season. The ewes bring forth in June
or July_, and then retire with their lambs to the most inaccessible heights. Mr.
Drummond informs me that in the retired parts of the mountains, where the
hunters had seldom penetrated, he found no difficulty in approaching the Rocky
Mountain sheep, which there exhibited the simplicity of character so remarkable
in the domestic species ; but that where they had been often fired at, they were
exceedingly wild, alarmed their companions on the approach of danger by a
hissing noise, and scaled the rocks with a speed and agility that baffled pursuit.
He lost several that he had mortally wounded, by their retiring to die amongst the
secluded precipices. Their favourite feeding places are grassy knolls, skirted
by craggy rocks, to which they can retreat when pursued by dogs or wolves.
They are accustomed to pay daily visits to certain caves in the mountains, that
are encrusted with a saline efflorescence, of which they are fond. These caves are
situated in slaty rocks, and it was in them alone that Mr. Drummond found the
Weissia macrocarpa growing. The same gentleman mentions that the horns of
the old rams attain a size so enormous, and curve so much forwards and down-
wards, that they effectually prevent the animal from feeding on level ground.
The flesh of the Rocky Mountain sheep is stated by Mr. Drummond and others,
who have fed on it, to be quite delicious when it is in season, far superior to that
of any of the deer species which frequent the same quarter, and even exceeding in
flavour the finest English mutton. The Kamschatdales, in like manner, esteem the
flesh of the argali as food fit for the gods.

The missionaries who first discovered the Rocky Mountain sheep, or the nearly
allied species of California, described it correctly as possessing the hair of the stag
and the horns of the ram ; and M. Geoffi'oy has also briefly characterised it as
having the head of a sheep with the body of a deer. Several naturalists of
eminence have considered it as forming but one species with the argali ; and
Baron Cuvier supposes that it may have crossed Behring's Straits on the ice. It
resembles the argali, indeed, perfectly in its manners, in the form of its body, and
in the nature and colours of its hairy coat ; but it seems to be a larger animal, and
to present a constant difference in the form of curvature of its horns. Whether it

2 N

274 NORTHERN ZOOLOGV.

Miay eventually prove to be a distinct species^, or merely a permanent variety, no
inconvenience can result from describing- it^ for the present^ under a name already
appropriated to it. In the Museum of the Linnean Society there is a good
specimen of a sheep from the mountains of Nepaul, which does not appear to
differ from the Siberian argali, but seems very distinct from the American one.

DESCRIPTION.

Size, much greater than the largest-sized varieties of the domestic sheep. It is bigger than
the argali.

The horns of the male are very large, arise a short way above the eyes, and occupy almost
the whole space between the ears, but do not touch each other at their bases. They curve
first backwards, then downwards, forwards and upwards, until they form a complete turn,
during the whole course of which they recede from the side of the head in a spiral manner..
They diminish in size rapidly towards their points, which are turned upwards. At their bases,,
and for a considerable portion of their length, they are three-sided, the anterior or upper side
being, as it were, thickened, and projecting obtusely at its union with the two others. This
side is marked by transverse furrows, which are less deep the further they are from the scull j
and towards the tips the horns are rounded, and but obscurely wrinkled. The furrows extend
to the other two sides of the horn, but are there less distinct. The intervals of the furrows
swell out, or are rounded.

The horns of the female are much smaller, and nearly erect, having but a slight curvature^
and an inclination backwards and outwards.

The ears are of a moderate size ; the facial line straight, and the general form of the
animal rather elegant, being intermediate betwixt that of the sheep and the stag. Tail very
short. The hair is like that of the rein-deer, being, on its first growth in the autumn, short,,
fine, and flexible ; but, as the winter advances, becoming much coarser, dry, and brittle, though
at the same time it feels soft to the touch. In the latter season the hair is so close at its
roots, that it is necessarily erect. The legs are covered with shorter hairs.

The head, buttocks, and posterior part of the belly, are white ; the rest of the body and the
neck are of a pale umber or dusky wood-brown colour. A deeper and more shining brown
prevails on the anterior aspect of the legs. The tail is dark-brown, and a narrow brown line,
extending from its base, runs up betwixt the white buttocks, to unite with the brown colour of
the back. The colours reside in the ends of the hair, and as these are rubbed ofi" during the
progress of the winter, the tints become paler. The old rams are almost totally white in the
spring. This is the case with the male specimen in our plate. The female, in the back
ground, presented the colours mentioned aboA^e.

Dimensions
Of an Old Rocky- Jlountain Ram, killed on the south branch of the Mackenzie, and now in the Zoological Museum.

Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches.-

liength of head and body . . . G 0

Height at fore shoulder ..35

Length of tail . . . , o 2

„ one hoiT., measured along its

curvature , . . 2 10

Circumference of a horn at its base . I

Distance from the tip of one horn to the tip
of the other . . . .2

MAMMALIA. 27$

[81.] 1. OviBOs MOscHxVTus. (BlaiiiviUe.) Musk-Ox.

Genus. Ovibos. Blainville.

Le bceuf musque. M. Jeremie, Voy.au Nord, t. iii. p. 31-1. Charlevoix, Nouv. France^ t. v. p^l94.

Musk-Ox. Drage, Fo^., vol. ii. p. 2G0. Dobbs, Hurfio/i'i jSay, pp. 19, 25. Ellis, Foy., p. 232. Pennant,
Quad):, vol. i. p. 31. Arctic Zool., vol. i. p. 9. Hearne, Journey, p. 137- Paury, First Voy., p. 257,
with a plate. jJecorarf Foy., pp. 497, 503, 512. British Museubi. Specimen on the stair.

Bos moscliatus. Gmelin, Syst. Sabine (Capt.), Parry's First Voy., Suppl., p. clxx.\ix. Sabine (Mb.), Franks
tin's Journ., p. 668. Richardson, Parry''s Second Voy., Appendix; p. 331 .

Matheh-moostoos (ugly bison.) Cree Indians.

Adgiddah-yawseh (little bison.) Chepewyans and Copper Indians.

Oomingmak. Esquimaux.

We are indebted for the first notice of this animal to M. Jeremie, who brought
some of its wool to France, and had some stockings made of it, which were said
to have been more beautiful than silk. The earlier English voyagers also give us
some information respecting it, but Pennant has the merit of being the first who
systematically arranged and described it, from the skin of a specimen sent home
by Hearne, the celebrated traveller. From its want of a naked muzzle and some
other peculiarities, M. Blainville has placed it in a genus, intermediate, as its
name denotes, between the sheep and the ox ; but it is remarkable amongst the
American animals for never having had more than one specific appellation, whilst
other animals, of much less interest, have been honoured with a long list of
synonyms.

The musk-ox inhabits the Barren-lands of America lying to the northward of
the sixtieth parallel of latitude*. Hearne mentions that he once saw tracks of one
within a few miles of Fort Churchill, in latitude 59' ; and in his first journey to the
north, he saw many in about latitude 61°. I have been informed that they do not
now come so far to the southward even on the Hudson's Bay shore ; and further
to the westward they are rarely seen in any numbers lower than latitude 67°,
although from portions of their sculls and horns, which are occasionally found
near the northern borders of Great Slave Lake, it is probable that they ranged
at no very distant period over the whole country lying betwixt that great sheet of
water and the Polar sea. I have not heard of their having been seen on the
banks of Mackenzie's River to the southward of Great Bear Lake, nor do they

* Pennant says, that they are found in the lands of the Cris or Crist'inaux, and Assinibouls ; this is, however, a
mistake. The lands he alludes to, are the plains which extend from the Red River of Lake AVinipeg to the Saskat-
chewan, and are inhabited by the Crees or Natheh-wye-withinyoo, and the Asseeneepools or Asseeneepoytuck ; but it
is the bison that frequents that district, and not the musk-ox. He is correct, however, in saying that they are hunted
by the Attimospiquay, who are the Dog-ribs of Great Bear Lake.

2 N 2

276 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

come to the southwestern end of that lake^ although they exist in numbers on its
north-eastern arm. Tliey range over the islands which lie to the north of the
American continent as far as Melville island, in latitude 75°, but they do not_, like
the rein-deer, extend to Greenland, Spitzbergen, or Lapland. From Indian
information, we learn that to the westward of the Rocky Mountains, which skirt
the Mackenzie, there is an extensive tract of barren country, which is also
inhabited by the musk-ox and rein-deer. It is to the Russian traders that we
must look for information on this head ; but it is probable that, owing to the
greater mildness of the climate to the westward of the Rocky Mountains, the
musk-ox, which affects a cold barren district, where grass is replaced by lichens,
does not range so far to the southward on the Pacific coast as it does on the
shores of Hudson's Bay. It is not known in New Caledonia, nor on the banks of
the Columbia, nor is it found on the Rocky Mountain ridge at the usual crossing-
places near the sources of the Peace, Elk, and Saskatchewan rivers. It is,
therefore, fair to conclude that the animal described by Fathers Marco de Ni^a
and Gomara, as an inhabitant of New Mexico, and which Pennant refers to the
musk-ox, is of a different species*. The musk-ox has not crossed over to the
Asiatic shore, and does not exist in Siberia, although fossil sculls have been
found there of a species nearly allied, which has been enumerated in the systematic
works under the name of Ovibos Pallanlis. The appearance of musk-oxen on
Melville Island, in the month of May, as ascertained on Captain Parry's first
voyage, is interesting, not merely as a part of their natural history, but as giving
us reason to infer that a chain of islands lies between Melville Island and Cape
Lyon, or that Wollaston and Banks' Lands form one large island, over which
the migrations of the animals must have been performed.

The districts inhabited by the musk-ox are the proper lands of the Esquimauxf ;
and neither the Northern Indians nor the Crees have an original name for it, both
terming it bison, with an additional epithet. The country frequented by the
musk-ox is mostly rocky and destitute of wood, except on the banks of the larger
rivers, which are generally more or less thickly clothed with spruce trees. Their
food is similar to that of the Caribou, grass at one season and lichens at another ;
and the contents of its paunch are eaten by the natives with the same relish that
they devour the " nerrooks " of the caribou. The dung of the musk-ox takes
the form of round pellets, differing from those of the caribou only in their greater

* The IMexican aiiinial is said to be a sheep, as large as a horse, with long hair, short tails, and enormous horns.
The only horse which the musk-ox can be said to resemble in size, is a Shetland pony.

t The northern Indian appellation for an Esquimaux, is " Inhabitant of the Barren Land,"

MAMMALIA. 277

size. When this animal is fat, its flesh is well tasted, and resembles that of the
caribou_, but has a coarser grain. The flesh of the bulls is high flavoured_, and
both bulls and cows, when lean, smell. strongly of musk, their flesh at the same
time being very dark and tough, and certainly far inferior to that of any other
ruminating animal existing in North America. The carcase of a musk-ox weighs^
exclusive of the offal, about three hundred weight, or nearly three times as much
as a Barren-ground caribou, and twice as much as one of the Woodland caribou.
Notwithstanding the shortness of the legs of the musk-ox, it runs fast, and it
climbs hills and rocks with great ease. One, pursued on the banks of the Copper-
mine, scaled a lofty sand cliff, having so great a declivity that we were obliged to
crawl on hands and knees to follow it. Its foot-marks are very similar to those of
the caribou, but are rather longer and narrower. These oxen assemble in herds
of from twenty to thirty, rut about the end of August and beginning of September,
and bring forth one calf about the latter end of May or beginning of June.
Hearne, from the circumstance of few bulls being seen, supposes that they kill
each other in their contests for the cows. If the hunters keep themselves con-
cealed when they fire upon a herd of musk-oxen, the poor animals mistake the
noise for thunder, and, forming themselves into a group, crowd nearer and nearer
together as their companions fall around them ; but should they discover their
enemies by sight or by their sense of smell, which is very acute, the whole herd
seek for safety by instant flight. The bulls, however, are very irascible, and,
particularly when wounded, will often attack the hunter and endanger his life,
unless he possesses both activity and presence of mind. The Esquimaux, who
are well accustomed to the pursuit of this animal, sometimes turn its irritable
disposition to good account ; for an expert hunter having provoked a bull to
attack him, wheels round it more quickly than it can turn, and by repeated
stabs in the belly, puts an end to its life. The wool of the musk-ox resembles
that of the bison, but is perhaps finer, and would no doubt be highly useful in
the arts if it could be procured in suflicient quantity.

DESCRIPTION.

In size, tlie full-grown musk-ox nearly equals the small breed of cattle peculiar to the
highland districts of Scotland. The horns are very broad at their origin, covering the brow
and whole crown of the head, and touching each other for their entire breadth from before
backwards. As each horn rises from its flatly convex base, it becomes round and tapering,
and curves directly downwards between the eye and the ear, until it reaches the angle of the
mouth, when it turns upwards in the segment of a circle to above the level of the eye. The

278 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

horn, for half its length, is dull white, and is rough, with small longitudinal splinters of
unequal length ; beyond that, it is smooth and shining, and near the point it becomes black.
The head is large and broad, and the nose is very obtuse. The nostrils are oblong openings
that incline towards each other from above downwards. Their inner margins, for the breadth
of three lines, are naked, and they are united for half an inch at their base. There is no other
vestige of a muzzle; the rest of the end of the nose, the middle part of the upper lip, and
the greater part of the lower lip and chin, are covered with a close coat of short, white hairs.
There is no furrow on the upper lip. The remainder of the head, anterior to the horns, is
covered with very dark umber-brown hair, which is long and bushy towards the root of the
nose, giving an arched appearance to the facial line, which does not exist in the scull. There
is also a quantity of long, straight hair, on the lateral margins of the mouth, and sides of the
lower jaw. The ei/es are moderately large, and the hair immediately round them is shorter
and paler than on the rest of the cheeks. The ears are short, and being similar in colour to
the long hair on the hind head, are not very conspicuous.

The general colour of the hair of the body is brown. On the neck and between the
shoulders it is long, matted, and somewhat curled, and has more or less of a grizzled hue,
being of a dull brown colour, fading on the tips into brownish-white. The bushy appearance
of the hair on these parts causes the animal to seem humped. The hair on the back and
hips is also long, but lies smoothly ; and on the shoulders, sides, and thighs, it is so long as
to hang down below the middle of the leg. On the centre of the back it has a soiled brownish-
white colour, forming a mark, which is aptly termed by Captain Parry the saddle ; the colour
of the hips is a darker brown ; and on the thighs, sides, and belly, its surface is nearly
blackish-brown. The hair on the throat and chest is very straight and long, and, together
with the long hair on the lower jaw, hangs down Uke a beard and dewlap. The tail is so
short, as to be concealed by the fur of the hips. There is a large quantity of fine brownish-
ash-coloured wool or down among the hair covering the body.

The legs are short and thick, and are clothed with short, dull, brownish-white hair,
unmixed with wool. The hoofs are narrower, and not longer than those of the caribou, but
are so similar in form, that it requires the experience of a practised hunter to knoAv the
difference of the impressions they leave in the soil.

The cow differs from the bull, in having smaller horns, whose bases, instead of touching, are
separated by a hairy space, and in the hair on the throat and chest being shorter. It is also
considerably smaller than the bull.

MAMMAUA. 279

[82.] 1. Bos Americanus. (Gmelin.) American Bison.

Genus. Bos.

Taurus Mexicanus. Hehwandez, iVfeo?., p. 587. Fig. (male.) An. 1651.

Taureau sauvage. HENNEPiN,"iVoMy. Z)ecoMU., vol. i., p. 186. Fig. (male.) An. 1699.

The buffalo. Lawson, Carol, p. 115. Fig. Catesby, Carol., Append, xxxvii. tab. 20. Harmon, Journey, p. 415.

Fbanklin, First Journey, p. 113; with a plate of a buffalo-pound, p. 1 10.
Bison. Ray, Synop. Quadr., p. 71- Pennant, Arctic Zool, vol. i. p. 1. Long, Exped., vol. iii. p. 68.
Bos Americanus. Gmelin, Syst. Sabine, Franklin's Journey, p. 668.
American wild ox, or bison. Warden, United States, vol. i. p. 248.
Peecheek. Algonquins. (Nochena peecheek. Bison cow.)
Moostoosh. Crees. Adgiddah. Chepewyans.

Buffalo. Hudson's Bay Traders. Le boeuf. Canadian Voyagers.
It is unknown to the Esquimaux of the Polar Sea.

- At the period when Europeans began to form settlements in North America,
this animal was occasionally met with on the Atlantic coast ; but even then
it appears to have been rare to the eastward of the Apalachian mountains,
for Lawson has thought it to be a fact worth recording, that two were killed in
one season on Cape Fear River. As early as the first discovery of Canada, it was
unknown in that country, and no mention of it whatever occurs in the Voyages du
Sieur de Champlain Xaintongeois, nor in the Nova Francia of De Monts, who
obtained the first monopoly of the fur trade. Theodat, whose history of Canada
was published in 1636, merely says that he was informed that bulls existed in the
remote western countries *. Warden mentions that at no very distant date herds
of them existed in the western parts of Pennsylvania ; and that as bte as the
year 1766, they were pretty numerous in Kentucky; but they have gradually
retired before the white population, and are now, he says, rarely seen to the south
of the Ohio, or on the east side of the Mississippi. They still exist, however, in
vast numbers in Louisiana, roaming in countless herds over the prairies that
are watered by the Arkansa, Platte, Missouri, and upper branches of the Saskat-
chewan and Peace rivers. Great Slave Lake, in latitude 60^ was at one time
the northern boundary of their range; but of late years, according to the testimony
of the natives, they have taken possession of the flat limestone district of Slave
Point, on the north side of that lake, and have wandered to the vicinity of Great
Marten Lake, in latitude 63° or 64°. As far as I have been able to ascertain, the

* His words are, — "On tient qu'il y a des dains en quelques contrees ; mais pour des huffles, le P. Joseph m'a asseure
en avoir veu des peaux entieres entres les mains d'un sauvage de pays fort esloigne ; je n'en ay point veu, mais je croy ce
bon Pere." — Sagard-Theodat, Histoiredu Canada,-^. 756.

280 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

limestone and sandstone formations^ lying between the great Rocky Mountain
ridge and the lower eastern chain of primitive rocks, are the only districts in
the fur countries that are frequented by the bison. In these comparatively level
tracts there is much prairie land^ on which they find good grass in the summer ;
and also many marshes overgrown with bulrushes and carices^, which supply them
with winter food. Salt springs and lakes also abound on the confines of the
limestone, and there are several well known salt-licks where bison are sure to be
found at all seasons of the year. They do not frequent any of the districts formed
of primitive rocks, and the limits of their range to the eastward within the
Hudson Bay Company's territories may be nearly correctly marked on the map by
a line commencing in longitude 97° on the Red River which flows into the south-end
of Lake Winipeg, crossing the Saskatchewan to the westward of Basquiau hill,
and running from thence by the Athapescow to the east end of Great Slave Lake.
Their migrations to the westward were formerly limited by the Rocky Mountain
range^ and they are still unknown in New Caledonia and on the shores of the
Pacific to the north of the Columbia river ; but of late years they have found out
a passage across the mountains near the sources of the Saskatchewan, and their
numbers to the westward are said to be annually increasing. In 1806, when
Lewis and Clark crossed the mountains at the head of the Missouri, bison skins
were an important article of traffic between the inhabitants on the east side and
the natives to the westward. Further to the southward, in New Mexico and Cali-
fornia, the bison appears to be numerous on both sides of the Rocky Mountain
chain. One of the earliest accounts we have of the animal is by Hernandez ; and
Recchus' edition of his observations, or rather commentary upon them, is illustrated
by an engraving which seems to have been made from a rude sketch of the bison,
altered by the European artist to a closer resemblance with the European ox.
Hennepin, in the narrative of his discovery of Louisiana^ and his travels through
that country between the years 1669 and 1682, gives a very good description of the
bison, together with a figure, which is apparently a copy of that of Recchus. It
does not appear to have excited much attention in Europe until lately, when several
specimens, having been imported into England, were exhibited under the attractive
title oiBonasus, which, though described by the ancients, was asserted to have been
lost to the moderns until recognised in the American animal. The American
bison has in fact much resemblance to the aurochs of the Germans {Bos tints,
BoDDiERT) ideatified by Cuvier with the bonassus of Aristotle, the bison of
Pausanias and Pliny, and the vrus of Caesar, and which, down to the reign of

MAMMALIA. 281

Charlemag-ne, was not rare in Germany^ but is now nearly confined to the
hilly country lying between the Caspian and Black Sea.

The bison wander constantly from place to place^ either from being disturbed
by hunters or in quest of food. They are much attracted by the soft tender
grass, which springs up after a fire has spread over the prairie. In winter
they scrape away the snow with their feet to reach the grass. The bulls and
cows live in separate herds for the greatest part of the year, but at all seasons
one or two old bulls generally accompany a large herd of cows. In the rutting
season, the males fight against each other with great fury, and at that period it is
very dangerous to approach them. The bison is, however, in general, a shy
animal, and takes to flight instantly on winding an enemy, which the acuteness
of its sense of smell enables it to do from a great distance. They are less wary
when they are assembled together in numbers, and will then often blindly follow
their leaders, regardless of, or trampling down the hunters posted in their way. It
is dangerous for the hunter to shew himself after having wounded one, for it
will pursue him, and although its gait may appear heavy and awkward, it will
have no great difficulty in overtaking the fleetest runner. While I resided at
Carlton-house, an accident of this kind occurred. Mr. Finnan M'Donald, one of
the Hudson's Bay Company's clerks, was descending the Saskatchewan in a boat,
and one evening having pitched his tent for the night, he went out in the dusk to
look for game. It had become nearly dark when he fired at a bison-bull, which
was galloping over a small eminence, and as he was hastening forward to see if
his shot had taken effect, the wounded beast made a rush at him. He had the
presence of mind to seize the animal by the long hair on its forehead as it struck
him on the side with its horn, and being a remarkably tall and powerful man, a
struggle ensued, which continued until his wrist was severely sprained, and his
arm was rendered powerless ; he then fell, and after receiving two or three blows
became senseless. Shortly afterwards he was found by his companions lying
bathed in blood, being gored in several places, and the bison was couched beside
him, apparently waiting to renew the attack had he shewn any signs of life.
Mr. M'Donald recovered from the immediate effects of the injuiies he received,
but died a few months afterwards. Many other instances might be mentioned
of the tenaciousness with which this animal pursues its revenge, and I have
been told of a hunter having been detained for many hours in a tree by aa
old bull which had taken its post below to watch him. When it contends with
a dog, it strikes violently with its fore-feet, and in that way proves more than

2 o

282 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

a match for an English bull-dog. The favourite Indian method of killing the
bison is by riding up to the fattest of the herd on horseback, and shooting it with
an arrow. When a large party of hunters are engaged in this way on an
extensive plain, the spectacle is very imposing, and the young men have many
opportunities of displaying their skill and agility. The horses appear to enjoy
the sport as much as their riders, and are very active in eluding the shock of
the animal, should it turn on its pursuer. The most generally-practised plan,
however, of shooting the bison, is by crawling towards them from to leeward, and
in favourable places great numbers are taken in pounds. When the bison runs,
it leans very much to, first, one side for a short space of time, and then to the
other, and so on alternately.

The flesh of a bison in good condition is very juicy and well flavoured, much
resembling that of well-fed beef. The tongue is reckoned a delicacy, and may be
cured so as to surpass in flavour the tongue of an English cow. The hump
of flesh covering the long spinous processes of the first dorsal vertebrse is
much esteemed. It is named bos by the Canadian voyagers, and wig by the
Orkney men in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. The wig has a fine
grain, and when salted and cut transversely it is almost as rich and tender as the
tongue. The fine wool which clothes the bison renders its skin when properly
dressed an excellent blanket ; and they are valued so highly, that a good one sells
for three or four pounds in Canada, where they are used as wrappers by those
who travel over the snow in carioles. The wool has been manufactured in
England into a remarkably fine and beautiful cloth, and in the colony of
Osnaboyna, on the Red River, a warm and durable coarse cloth is formed of it.
Much of the pemmican used by the voyagers attached to the fur companies is
made of bison meat procured at their posts on the Red River and Saskatchewan.
One bison cow in good condition furnishes dried meat and fat enough to make
a bag of pemmican weighing 90 lbs. The bison which frequent the woody parts
of the country form smaller herds than those which roam over the plains, but are
said to be individually of a greater size.

DESCRIPTION.

The most remarkable features of the male bison are the enormous size of its head, which is
Carried low ; the great conical hump between the shoulders, small piercing eyes, short black
horns, and the great profusion of shaggy hair on the fore-parts, which all contribute to give to
the animal a wild and malicious aspect. The hind quarters, being clothed with shorter wool,

MAMMALIA. 283

appear disproportionably weak. The forehead is broad, the cheeks rather lank, and the face,
which tapers from the eye towards the nose, has a form approaching to triangular. The horns
are small, tapering, and acute, set far apart, and nearly erect, being only slightly curved at the
base and tips, which point outwards. The bulk of the hump consists, exclusive of a deposit
of fat, which varies much in quantity, of the muscles that are attached to the unusually long
spinous processes of the posterior cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae, and are destined for
the support of the head. The hair on the forehead, hump, fore-quarters, under-jaw, and
throat, is very long and shaggy, and is mixed with much wool. The back, hind-quarters, belly,
and legs, are clothed with shorter, and in many parts curly hair. The general colour of the
hair, when the animal has acquired its new coat at the close of the summer, is between dark
umber and liver-brown, and it has then a considerable lustre. As the hair lengthens during
the winter, its tips become paler, and before it is shed in the summer much of it is of a pale,
dull, yellowish-brown colour. The tail is covered with short fur for the greatest part of its
length, but is terminated by a tuft of long, straight, coarse hair, of a blackish-brown colour.
The legs are strong.

The bison, when full grown, is said to attain at times a weight of two thousand pounds ; but
12 or 14 cwt. is generally considered a full size in the fur countries. Its length, exclusive of
the tail, is about eight feet and a half; its height, at the fore-quarters, upwards of six feet, and
the length of its tail is twenty inches.

The cow has a smaller head, and shorter hair on the fore-parts, than the bull.

There is a variety of the buffalo which is nearly white.

2 0 2

284 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.

ADDENDUM.

[83.] 2. CoNDYLURA MACROURA.. (Harlan.) Thick-Tailed

Star-Nose.

Condylura macroura. Harlan, Fauna, p. 39.

Plate xxiv.

Since the greater part of the preceding sheets were printed off, Mr. David
Douglas has presented me with a specimen of tliis remarkable animal^ procured
by him on the banks of the Columbia. Dr. Harlan has described an individual
which is preserved in the Philadelphia Museum, but its native locality is not
mentioned. Mr. Douglas's specimen possesses all the characters ascribed by
Dr. Harlan to his; and I have^ therefore^ considered it to belong to the same
species. I received no information respecting its habits.

DnSCRIPTION.

The head is remarkably large ; the body is thick and short, and beconaes narrower towards-
the tail, and the hind legs are consequently nearer to each other than the fore-ones. The nose
is rather thick, and projects beyond the mouth ; it is naked towards its end, is marked with a
furrow above, and terminates in aflat surface, which is surrounded by seventeen cartilaginous
processes, with two more anterior ones situated above the nostrils, and a pair of forked ones
immediately beloAV the nostrils. The surfaces of these processes are minutely granulated.
Some white whiskers spring from the side of the nose, and reach about half the length of the
head. There are othere not so long on the upper and under lips.

The/«r on the body is very soft and fine, and has considerable lustre. It is longer than
the fur of the other two known species. Its colour on the dorsal aspect is dark umber-brown,
approaching to blackish-brown. On the belly it is pale liver-brown. When the fur is blown
aside, it exhibits a shining blackish-gray colour towards its roots. It is longer on the hind-
head and neck than on the belly.

The tail is narrow at its origin, but it suddenly swells to an inch and a half in circum-
ference ; it then tapers gradually until it ends in a fine point, formed by a pencil of hairs about
half an inch long. It is round, or very slightly compressed, and is covered with scales about as
large as those on the feet, and with short, tapering, acute hairs, which do not conceal the
scales. The hairs covering the upper surface of the tail are nearly black ; those beneath are
of a browner hue.

The extremities are shaped almost precisely like those of the condylura longicaudafa. Only
the palms and toes o^ the fore-feet project beyond the body. The palms are nearly circular, and

"' ¥•-

MAMMALIA.

285

are protected by a granulated skin, like shagreen. The sides of the feet are furnished with
long, white hairs, which curve in over the palms. The (5) toes are very short, equal to each
other in length, and, together with the back of the hands, are covered with hexagonal scales.
The /ore-cZatt>s are white, nearly straight, broadly linear, and acute, convex above, and flat
underneath. The palms turn obliquely outwards, which causes the fourth claw to project
rather furthest ; but the third one measures as much, the second is shorter, and the first and
fifth are equal to each other, and a little shorter than the rest.

The hind-feet are also turned obliquely outwards, and are scaly, with a few interspersed
hairs above, and granulated underneath. The sides are narrow, and present a conspicuous
callous tubercle, posterior to the origin of the inner toe. The hind legs are very short, and
are clothed with soft brown hair, a tuft of which curves over the heel. There are no hairs on
the sides of the hind-feet, like those which form a margin to the fore-ones. The hind-toes are
longer than the fore-ones, and are armed with more slender claws, which are white, awl-
shaped, curved, and acute. They have a narrow groove towards their points underneath.

Dimensions.

Indies.

Lines.

nches.

Lines.

Length of the head and body

. 4

3

Length of the longest fore-claw ,

0

3

„ head .

1

C

,, hind leg

0

2

„ tail

2

C

„ „ from the heel to the

„ ,, inchiding the pencil of

roots of the toes

0

6

hair at its extremity

3

3

„ longest hind-toe and claw

0

44

„ naked part of the nose,

ex-

„ „ „ claw alone .

0

3

elusive of the awl-shaped processes

. 0

n

„ fur on the back ,

0

5

Breadth of the palm

. 0

4

The condi/lnra longicaudafa, described at page 13_, has the scales on the feet^
particularly the fore ones, more conspicuous, and with fewer interspersed hairs.

There is a third specimen in the Zoological Museum which was procured at
Mr. Brookes's sale, which I suppose to be the conclylura cristata of Desmarest, or
the radiated mole of Pennant.

Its colour is between umber and chestnut browns, and its tail is somewhat four-
sided, slender, and tapering gradually from the root to the tip, which is terminated
by a small pencil of hairs. The tail is obscurely scaly, and is covered with strong,
short, tapering hairs. It is similar to the other two species in other respects, and
has the same number of processes to its nose with the condylura macroura.

Length of head and body
,, the tail .

Dimensions.

Inches. Lines. Inches.

. 5 3 I Lengtii of the hind-foot, from the heel to

2 6 the end of the middle-claw . . 1

The native place of the specimen is not recorded.

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

The Latin specific names are in

SMALL CAriTALS, and the Synonyms and Native names in Italics.

PAGE

PAGE

Ahsahta ....

. 271

Antilope

. 261

AmaroJc ....

66

Antilope Americana

261, 268

American badger

. 37

Antilope furcifer

. 261

„ beaver ,

105

Antilope lanigera

268

„ black-bear .

. 14

„ palmata

. 261

i, , cross-fox

93

Antilope, palmated

261

American elk

. 251

Antilope^ prong-horned

. 261

American field-raonse

142

Apesee-mong-soos

254, 258

American field-rat

14-2

Apeestatchcekoos

. 261

American fox .

. 91

Apistochickoshish

261

American hare

217

Aplodontia, genus

. 210

„ marsh-shrew

5

Aplodontia leporina .

211

American otter ,

67

Appeeccoosheesh

. 142

American souslik . . .

. 162

Aptaptou

232

„ wolf . . .

60

Arctic fox

. 83

Amefoo . . . . .

. 80

Archithenew fox

98

Ammisk ....

105

Arctomys alpina .

. 158

Anarisqua , . . .

, 101

Arctomys bobac

179

Animous ....

80

Arctomys brachyura

. 151

Anisonyx brachyura .

. 151

Arctomys braciiyurus

151

Anisonyx? rufa

211

Arctomys brachyurus

. 157

Annek-coot-chass

. 187

„ citillus .

157

Antilocapra Americana

261

Arctomys empetra

. 147

283

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

Ardomys empetra
,, FrankUnii

PAGE

157

. 168
180

. 177
230

. 154
154, 157

. 180

Arctomys fulvus
Ardomys Hood'd ,

„ Hudsonius

„ latrans

„ Ludovidanus
Ahctomys leptodactylus

„ marmotta , . . 179

„ MONAX .... 153

„ MUGOSARICUS . . 180

Ardomys Parryi .... 158

Arctomys Pakryi erythroglutaeius 161

„ ,, phseognathus . 161

„ PRUINOSUS . . . 150

Ardomys 2^ mil los'us . . . 157

„ Rldiardsonii . . 164
„ riifa . , . ,211

Arctomys (Spermophilus) Beecheyi 170

„ „ citillus . 180

„ '- ,, concolor . 180

,, ,, douglasii . 172

,, ■ ,, Franklinii 168

,, ' ,, GTJTTATUS 162, 179

,, . „ HooDii . 177

,, ,, LATERALIS 174

,, ,, LunoviciANus 154

,, ,, Parry[ . 158

„ ,, RiCHARDSONII 164

,, ,, UNDULATUS . 180

Ardomijs trcdecim Uneatus . . 177

Arguli 271

Aroussen . . . . . 187

Arvicola eorealis . . . 127

Arvicola (Georychus) GpffiNaANDicus 134

„ ,, nELVOLus . 128

PAOB

Arvicola(Georychus) Hudsonius 132

,, ,, trimucroxatus 130

Arvicola Grcenlandicus

134

„ Hudsonia .

. 132

„ (lemmiis) helvolus

128

Arvicola Noaoboracensis

. 126

„ Pennsylvanicus .

124

Arvicola Pennsylvanica

. 124

Arvicola riparius

120

„ XANTIIOGNATHUS

. 122

Ascomys, genus

197

Asne sauvage

. 238

Atjadcashew

48

Athcencetoo-apcescemomjsoos

. . 254

Attehk ....

238, 250

Attim ....

. 80

Awaskees ....

251

Awawteekceoo .

. 37

/Iwinnak ....

127

Back's lemming

130, 136

Badgei-, American

. 37

Badger, common .

37

,, mountain

. 150

,, thick-ivood

147

„ var. /3. American

. 37

Bahama coney

153

Banded lynx

. 104

Bank Meadow-mouse

120

Barking squirrel

. 154

„ red

187

Barren-ground bear .

. 21

,, caribou .

241

Bat, hoary

1

,, Say's . . . .

3

Bat subulate . . ,

3

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

289

PAGE

PAGE

Bay lynx , . ,

. 103

Black bear

. 14

Bear .....

30

Black bear, American .

14

Bear, barren-ground

. 21

Black beaver

. 113

, „ black, American .

14

Black fox

94

Bear, brown-gray . .

24

Black fot

. 52

„ brown, var. S

. 21

Black musquash .

119

,, cinnamon

. 15

Black rat ...

. 140

„ gray ....

24

Black or silver fox

94

Bear, grisly

. 24

Black squirrel .

. 191

Bear, grisly ....

24

Black-tailed deer

254

„ grizzle

. 24

Black wolf

. 70

„ grizzly

. 21,24

Blaireau

37

Bear, polar

. 30

„ d'Ame'rique :

. 37

Bear, raccoon ...

36

Blue fox

89

Bear, sea . . . .

. 30

Br air 0 ....

. 37

Bear, variegated .

24

Brown bears

: . 21

„ ivhite

. 24

Brown-gray bear

. 24

„ yellow of Carolina

15

Brown mole

9

Bears, brown

21

Brown rat ...

. 141

Beaver ....

. 105

Buffalo, white

271

Beaver, American

105

Burrowing dog

. 73

„ black . . . .

. 113

fox

98

Beaver, Castor

105

„ squirrel

151, 154

„ musk . . .

. 115

„ sea ,

59

Cabre ....

. 261

Beaver, spotted

. 114

Cabree

261

,, white

114

Camas rat ...

. 206

Bedsee-awseh

. 241

Campagnol, marsh

120

Bedsee-choh

241

Canada lynx

. 101

Beechey's marmot

. 170

„ otter

57

Bdier sauvage d'Am^rique

. 271

,, porcupine

. 214

BeloduschJci

93

,, pouched rat

203

Berendos

. 261

Canada rat

. 203

Big-horn ....

271

Canis argentatus

94

Black American bear

. 14

„ cinereo-argentatus

96, 98

Black American wolf

70

Canis familiaris

75

2P

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

'

PAGE

PAGE

CaNIS-FAMIIIARIS, BOHEALTS

. 75

Carrier-Indian dog

. 82

„ • }> ' Canadensis

80

Cased wolves = .» .

73

„ . J, Nov^ Caledonia

82

Castor albus

114

' „ ■ „ ■ LAGOPUS . .

. 78

Castor Amerioanus -

105

Canis fulvus

91,97

Castor beaver

105

Cants fulvus argentatus

. 94

„ blanc ....

. 114

„ „ . DECUSSATUS • S

93

,, fiber-

105

„ Virginianus

. 96

Castor fiber, albus

. 114

Cams fuliginosus

. 89

„ „ Ameriganus>

105

Canis lagopi, varietas

89

„ „ NIGER

. 113

„ lagopus

. 83

Castor fiber, var.B.

113

Canis latrans

. 73

„ „ var. D. . .

, 114

Canis lupus ....

60,66

Castor fiber varius .

114

Canis lupus, aleus

. 68

Castor fort noir

. 113

„ „ ATBR .....

70

„ ordinaire ■ . ■ .

105

„ ,, griseus

. 66

,, zibethicus . ' .

. 115

„ ,, nubilus

69

Cat lynx . . . '

101

„ ,, OCCIDENTALIS

. 60

„ tiger

. 104

„ „ Sticte ...

68

„ wild

101

Canis lycaon .

. 70

Cavia Hudsonis

. 214

„ nubilus ■ . ' .

69

Cawquaw . . . .

214

,, velox ■.-...

. 98

Cerf mulet

. 254

„ Virginianus

96

Cervus alces

232

Canis vulpes ? ...

. 97

Cervus auritus

. 254

Canis. (vulpes) cinereo-argentatus

98

„ bifurcatus . *

261

,, ,, FULVUS

. 91

,, capreolus ...

. 258

„ „ LAGOPUS

83

,, hamatus

261

5, ;, ■ „ ■ FULIGINOSUS

89

Cervus macrotis

. 254

CapuGca . ... . . .

. 57

„ STRONGYLOCEROS

251

Carcajou

37,41

„ tarandus .

. 238

Caribou

. 238

„ •„ arcticus

241

Caribou^ ^ . . .

250

„ „ - . SYLVESTRIS

. 250

Caribou, barren-ground

. 241

Cervus Virginianus • . .

258

„ woodland •

250

Chevreuil ■...-.

254, 258

Carigueiheju

57

Chienbrun ....

89

Garr^-bosuf ....

238

Chickaree . . .

. 187

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

PAGE

PAGE

Chocartoosh,

37

Deer, fallow with long. tails

25S

Cinnamon bear

. 15

„ fallow, ox Virginian, .

. 258

Columbia pine-squirrel

190

,, great eared , . , .

. 254

Columbia sand-rat

. 200

Deer, moose

232

Common badger » .

. 37

Deer, jumping . .

. 254

, , deer '

238, 241

„ long-tailed jumping . .

258

„ fallow deer, with long

tails . 258

,, mule .

254

Common gray wolf -

66

„ red . . . . . .

. 251

Common marmot . - .

. 147

" red, long- tailed . .

258

Common mouse .- . ^

141

Deer, rein .

. 238

Common otter

. 57

Deer, rein =, . ^ .

250

„ red-deer ■

258

,, with small horns, 8fc.

. 258

„ squirrel ■ .

. 187

„ small,.of the Pacific

258

Common-weasel

45

DiPLOSTOMA ? BULBIVORUM

. 206

CONDYLURA CRISTATA

285

Denyai . .

232

„ LONGICAUDATA

13

Dog, burrowing

73

„ MACROURA

284

Dog, carrier-Indian

82

Condylure a longue queue

. 13

„ domestic

• 75

Coquallin ....

170

„ Esquimaux ..

75

Coyotlhumili

. 41

Dog, Greenland

. 83

CoztiocotequalUn .

170

Dog, Hare-Indian

78

Cricetus? taipoides

. 204

„ North American

80

Cross-fox . . .

93

Dog, prairie

154

Cross-fox, American

. 93

„ sooty . ^ .

. 89

Cul-blanc ....

271

Domestic dog

75

Cuskeeteh-musquaw .

. 14

Dormouse, striped

. 181

Cynomys-cinereus

154

Douglas's marmot .

172

„ socialis .

154

Dusky wolf . . . .

. 69

Daim fauve- a queue noire .

. 254

Ecureuil de la baie d' Hudson .

187

Daman de la baie d^Hudson .

. 230

Elend

. 237

Deer, black-tailed

.254

Elk ...... ..

232, 251

Deer, black-tailed, fallow - .

. . . 257

Elk, Jfmeriean . . .• .

. 251

„ common

238,241

Elian H «■ « i .

232

f, red .

. 258

Emakeekanow , .

. 271

,j long-tailed ■ . » .

258

Enhydra, sub-genus . .

59

2 P 2

292

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

Enhydra, marina
Equus caballus .
Erethizon dorsatum ,
Ermine or Stoat . . .
Escurieil commun . ,
Escurieux Suisses
EsTcimaux dog . .
Eslan .....
Esquimaux dog
Etthin ....
European fox
European fox, var. a. .

Fallow deer, common, ivith long fails
Fallow or Virginian deer
Felis Canadensis
„ fasciata

J, RUFA ....

Fiber zibethicus

33 „ ALB us

,3 33 MACULOSUS .

33 „ NIGER

Field-mouse, American
Field-rat) American
Fisher .....
Fisher-iveasel . .

Flying-squirrel, greater
Flying-squirrel, Rocky Mountain

33 3, Severn River
Forster's Shrew mouse
Fox

„ American ....
Fox, Archithinew .
Fox, arctic ....

,, black or silver

PAGE

PAGE

. 59

Fox, American cross .

. 93

231

Foxes pied

83

. 214

Fox, European, var. a.

. 94

46

„ European, var, ^.

93

. 187

Fox, gray . ...

. 96

181

Fox, grizzle , ,

94

. 75

Fox, kit . . . • .

. 98

232

Fox, large ....

91

. 75

„ red . . .

. 91

. 238

Fox, silver . ...

94

91

Fox, small hurr owing

. 98

94

Fox, sooty ....

89

. 93

Fox, swift ....

. 98

Four-banded pouched squirrel

184

h . 258

Four-handed squirrel ,

. 184

. 258

Four-lined squirrel

184

101

Foutereau

. 48

. 104

Franklin's marmot

168

103

. 115

Gauffres .....

. 206

119

Geomys, genus

197

. 119

Geomys? bursarius

. 203

119

Geomys cinereus

203

. 142

Geomys Douglasii

. 200

142

„ TALPOIDES !' .

204

. 52

„ UMBRINUS .

. 202

52

Georychus, sub-genus

128

193

Gerbillus Hudsonius

. 144

. 195

„ Labradorius .

144

193

Glis Canadensis

. 147

6

Glouion, Wolverine

41

97

Glutton .....

. 41

. 91

Goat .....

261

98

Goat, Mountain

. 271

. 83

Goat, Rocky-Mountain

268

94

Goats, wild . » . ♦

. 261

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

293

Gopher " . ...

PAGE

208

Hohhost ....

PAGE

24

Gray hear ....

.

24

Hood's marmot

. 177

Gray fox ....

.

96

Horse

231

„ wolf, Commoa

.

66

Hudson's bay lemming

132, 136

Gray squirrel, lesser .

Great eared deer . . .

•

191
254

Hudson's rat ....
Hudson's bay skunk

. 132
55

Greater flying-squirrel
Greenland dog

•

193

83

Hudson's bay squirrel
Hudther ....

. 187
80

Greenland lemming .

134

,136

Hungarian marmot .

. 180

Grisly bear ....

.

24

Hyrax Hudsonius

230

Grizzle bear

.

24

Hystrix dorsata

. 214

„ fox .

.

94

„ Hudsonis.

214

Grizzly bear ...

. 21,24

Hystrix pilosus

. 214

Grosse corne . .

.

271

Hystrix pilosus, Americanus .

214

Ground hog

„ squirrel
Ground-squirrel leopard

„ ,f Rocky mountain
Gido arcticus, var. A. .

GULO LUSCU3

158

150
181
177
174
41
41

Isatis .....

Jackash ....

Jevrascka ....
Jumping-deer

„ long-tailed

. 83

48

. 180

254, 258

. 258

Hackee . .

181

Jumping-mouse, Labrador

. 1.44

Hahyuha ....

.

94

ICablee-areeoo

41

Hamster du Canada

203

Kalan . . . . •

. 59

Hare .....

217

Kath-hillcB-kooay .

147

Hare, American

217

Kats^

. 144

Hare-Indian dog

78

Kawchoh ....

221

Hare, Little- Chief

227

Kernektak ....

. 89

„ polar ....

221

Kinwaithoos

254

„ prairie
Hare-tailed mouse

132,

224
136

Kinwaithoo-wayoo apeesee-mongsoos
Kit-fox . .

. 254
98

„ „ rat .

134

KoUowak ....

. 241

Hare, varying ....

Hedge coney

Hey

221,

224
217

80

Labrador jumping-mouse
Lagomys, sub-genus .

144

. 227

Hoary bat ....
Hoary marmot ....

1
150

Land otter ....
Lapin .. . • •

57
. 217

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

Lapland lemming ..,
Large fox ...

Large red fox of the .plains
Leadbeater's Sand-rat
Lemming, Back's
Lemming, Back's
Lemming, Greenland
Lemming, Greenland .

Lemming, Hudson's Bay
Lemming, Hudson's Bay

„ Lapland . .

,, Norway „ .
Lemming, tawny . . .
Lemming^ tawny

„ ringed
Lemmus Hudsonius

„ Novoboracensis

, , torquatus
Leopard ground-squirrel
Leopard marmot
Lepus Americanus
Lepus (Lagomys) princeps
Lepus Gii^AciALis
Lepus Htidsonius

„ timidus
Lepus Virginianus
Lesser gray squirrel
Lievre

LiPURA HUDSSNIA ,

Little-Chief hare
Little moose, real
Long-tailed mole .
Long-tailed red deer
Long-tailed Star-nose
Loup Cervier
Louji-noir de Canada
Loutre'de Canada^ ,

PACK

136
91
91
202
130
136
134
136
132
136
136
136
128
136
136
132
126
136
177
177
217
227
221
217
221
224
191
217
230
227
254
13
258
13
101
70
57

PAGE

Lupus alhus . .

. 68

„ ater

70

„ griseus , .

. 66

Lupus nuhilus , . « .

69

„ Sticte . . . - ,

. 68

Lutra Brasiliensis ...

57

LuTRA Canadensis

. 57

LuTRA (Enhydra) marina

59

Lutra marina .- .,. .

. 59

Lynx

101

Lynx, banded . , .

. 104

„ bay - . ...

103

„ Canada

. 101

Lynx, cat . , . , .

101

Lynx fasciatus . , .

. 104

Maconsh .....

14

Mahaygan

. 66

Makkeeshew

91

Marmot, Beechey's

. 170

Marmot, common

147

Marmot, Douglas's .

. 172

,, Franklin's

168

Marmot, hoary

. 150

„ Hood's

177

Marmot, Hungarian

. 180

„ leopard

177

Marmot, Maryland

. 153

Marmot, Parry's .

158

„ PoUsh .

179

„ of the Alps

. 179

„ American Soulik

158

„ of the Wolga

. 179

Marmot, prairie

. 154

Marmot, Quebec .

147, 158

„ Say's

174

„ short-tailed .

. 151

■INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

295

PAGE

Marmot, Siberiaa . . • . ,

180

M00S&, reahlittle •

Marmot, tail-less • . . .

230

Moosooa .

Marmot, tawny • . .

164

Moostoosh . . .

Marmot, tawny American

164

Mouflon d'Am^rique .

Marsh, campagnol

120

Mountain badger , .

Marsh-shrew, American

5

„ goat

Matheh-tuck wuok ...

261

„ ram

Martin, Pennant's ••••..

52

Mouse

Martin, Pine

51

Mouse, common

Maryland marmot ...

153

„ American field-

Mazama sericea . * . .

268

Mouse, hare-tailed

Meadoiv-mouse • . • . • 120

,124

,, jumping , .

Meadow-mouse, bank . • .

120

,, meadow . .

„• northern ,

127

Mouse, bank-meadow .

• „ sharp-^iosed

126

Mouse, No. 15, Forster

„■ yellow-cheeked

122

„ short-tailed-

■ „ • Wilson's

124

Mowitch

Meesheh musquaw i . .

24

Mucquaw

Meesteh-chaggoneesh . ■ .

73

Mule-deer

Meles Labradoria

37

Mus agrarius

Mephitis Americana . . . .

55

,, bursar ius

Mephitis Americana, Hudsonica

55

„ citillus guttatus .

Meriones Labradorius . .

144

Mus decumanus

Mink . . ,

48

Mus empetra

Minx

48

„ Groenlandicus

Minx-otter . .

48

„ Hudsonius

Missouri wolf . •. : .

60

,, Labradorius

Mistonusk ....

37

Mus MUSCULUS

Mcenk

48

„ LEUCOPUS

Mole

9

,, RATTUS

„ brown

9

Mus sylvaticus

„ long-tailed .• .- .

13

,, Zibethkus

Mole-shaped Sand-rat-

204

Musaraigne-taupe

„ shrew • . i « ,

9

Musk-beaver

Monax . .■ . .• . ;

153

Musk-rat

Monax Missouriensis <

154

MusTELA Canadensis

Moose-deer

232

Mustela erminea

PAGE

254
232
251
271
150
271
271
141
141
142
132, 136
144
120, 124
. 120
127
124
258
14
254
142
203
162
141
147
134
132
144
141
142
140
142
115
9
115
115
52
4S

S96

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

PAGE

PAGE

Mustela lutreocephaJa

. 48

Ookalik . .

. 221

„ lutreola

. 48

Oosaw-wusquaw

' . 14

„ nivalis

45

Ootaw chce-gceshees

. 204

Mustela martes

. 51

Orignac . , . .

232

Mustela Pennanti

52

Orignal ....

. 232

Mustela (Putorius) erminea

. 45

Orignat . . . .

232

,, ,, VISON

48

Otay ....

. 48

„ „ vulgaris

. 45

Otchoek

52

Mustela vulgaris

45

OtcJiitamon . . . .

191

Musquash ....

. 115

Otter, Canada .

57

„ black

119

Otter, land . . . .

57

„ pied

. 119

Otter, sea . . . .

59

„ white

119

Ours blanc

24,30

Musquaw . . . .

. 14

Ours gulaire

15

My-attehk

261, 271

0ms ammon

. 271

My-attickwuck

261

„ » pygargus .

271

Mynomes, genus

. 121

„ Callfornica

. 272

Myoxus Drummondii

137

„ monfana

268

Ovis Montana

271

Naghaieh . . . . •

. 41

Owinyak ....

. 134

NannaspaclicS'neeskeeshew

37

Nannook . . . . •

. 30

Palmated antelope

262

Napasskasick

13

Pangnek ....

. 241

Neekeek .....

. 57

Parry's marmot

158

Nennook , . . .

30

Peeshoo ....

. 101

Neotoma Drummondii

. 137

Peesquaw-tupeyew

115

Neotoma, Rocky-Mountain

137

Pekan, or Fisher

. 52

Norak . . . . ■

. 241

Pekan, white

54

North-American dog

80

Pennant's martin

. 52

Northern Meadow-mouse .

. 127

Petit chien . . . .

154

Norway lemming . .

136

Peszi ....

. 83

Ohihoin . . . . .

. 181

Pied-foxes . . . .

83

Oksecoohawgees

41

Pied Musquash

. 119

Okeecoohaivgeew

. 41

„ wolf . . . .

68

Ommeethatsees , »

41

Pine martin

. 51

Ondathra . . . . •

. 115

Pine squirrel

190

Ondatra . . . -

115

Pine squirrel, Columbia

. 190

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

297

PAr.E

PAGE

Polar bear

30

Rat, black .....

140

Polar hare ....

. 221

„ brown ....

. 141

Polish marmot

179

„ camas , . . . .

206

Porcupine ....

. 214

Rat, field, American .

. 142

Porcupine, Canada

214

,, hare-tailed ....

134

Porcupine from Hudson s Bay .

. 214

„ Hudson's

. 132

Pouched-rat, Canada

203

„ musque ....

115

Pouched-squirrel, four-banded .

. 184

Rat, pouched ....

. 203

„ „ hackee .

181

Rat, Rocky Mountain

137

Prairie dog ....

154

Raton .....

. 36

Prairie hare ....

. 224

Real little-moose . . ^ .

254

Prairie marmot

154

Red barking-squirrel .

. 187

Prairie wolf . . .

. 73

Red- deer

251

Prarow ....

37

„ common

. 258

Procyon lotor

36

„ long-tailed

258

Prong-horned antilope .

261

Redfox

91

Pseudostoma, genus .

. 197

„ squirrel . . . . .

187

Pteromys Sabrinos

193

Rein-deer . ...

. 238

„ ALPINUS .

. 195

Rein-deer . . . . .

250

Putorius, sub-genus

45

Rekaleek

. 221

Putorius vulgaris

45

Renard argente ■ . . .

94

Quauhpecofli
QuauhtecallotlquapachtU
Quebec marmot ...
Quebec marmot ....
Queuetonmalisia

Quikehatch ....
Quickhatch ....
Quiquihatch ....
Quisquissu ....

41

. 170

147

. 158

217

. 41

41

41

Renard barre ....
Renard de Virginie
Renard noir . .

„ tricolor . . .
Ringed lemming
Rocky Mountain flying-squirrel

„ „ goat
Rocky Mountain ground-squirrel

93

91

. 94

98
. 136

195
. 268

174

rtl.

150

Rocky Mountain Neotoma
„ „ sheep .

. 137
271

Rabbit .....

. 217

Rocky Mountain sheep

. 268

Raccoon ....

36

Roebuck .....

258

Raccoon bear ....

36

Rupicapra Americana

. 268

Rain- deer . . .

238

Ram, Mountain

. 271

Saccomys, genus

. 197

2Q

298

LNDEX OF THE SPECIES.

PAGE

Sand-ratj . . 197

„ Columbia . . . .200

„ Leadbeater's . . . 202

„ Mole-shaped . . .204

Saricovienne .... 57

Sarigoviou ..... 57

Sass 14

Say's bat ...... 3

Say's marmot . . . 174

Scacah ...... 82

Scalope de Canada ... 9

ScALOPS Canadensis ... 9

Sciuropterus, genus . . . 193

SciURUS HUDSONIUS . . . 187

„ „ vat: /3. . . 190

Sciurus Hudsonius .... 193

Sciurus lateralis .... 174

„ Lysteri .... 181

Sciurus nicer .... 191

Sciurus quadrivittatus . . ■ 184

„ Sabrinus .... 193

„ striatus . . . .181

„ tridecim Uneatus . . 177

Sciurus (Tamias) Lysteri . . 181

,, „ quadrivittatus 184

Sea-bear ...... 30

Sea-beaver ..... 59

Sea-otter ^ ..... 59

Seecawk ..... 55

Seegoos ...... 46

Seek-seek . . ■ 158

Severn-river flying-squirrel . . 193

Sewellel 212

Shaccooshew ..... 46

Shackw(Bshew .... 48

Sharp-nosed Meadow-mouse . . 126

Sheep, Rocky Mountain
Sheep, Rocky Mountain
Shong .

Short-tailed marmot .
Short-tailed mouse
Shrew-mole
Shrew-mouse, Forster's

„ „ small .

Siberian marmot
Siffieur
Silver-fox

Skunk, Hudson's Bay
Skunk iveasel
Skwey-kwey
Small brown squirrel

„ burroiving fox

,, deer of the Pacific

„ gray squirrel
Small shrew-mouse
Small wolves
Sondareinta
Sooiy dog
Sooty fox .
Sorex aquaticus
Sorex Forsteri

„ palustris

„ PARVUS .

Sorex talpceformis .
Souffieur .
Souslik

„ American
Spermophile ray^
Spermophilus, sub-genus
Spermophilus guttatus
Spotted beaver .
Spotted ground squirrel

271

. 268

80

. 151

124

9

6

8

180

37, 147

94

56

. 55

150

. 190

95

. 258

174

8

73

. 232

89

. 89

9

6

5

8

9

. 150

179

. 162

177

. 154

162

. 114

177

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

2^9

Squenoton .
Squinototi
Squirrel, barking
Squirrel, black
Squirrel, burrowing

„ common

„ flying .

„ four-banded

„ four-lined .

„ ground .
Squirrel, ground
Squirrel, Hudson^s Bay

„ lesser gray .

„ pine

„ red

„ Severn river

„ small brown

„ small gray
Stag ....
Stagg .
Star-nose, long-tailed

„ thick-tailed

Stoat

Stoat weasel
Stone fox
Striped dormouse

„ ground squirrel
Subulate bat
Suisse
Suzet
Swift fox

Tail-less marmot
Talpa longicaudata
Tamias, sub-genus .

PAGE

PAGE

. 261

Tampek ....

241

261

Tarbogan ....

. 147

154, 187

Tawny American raarmot

164

191

Tawny marmot

. 164

151, 154

Tawny lemming

. 128

187

Tawny lemming

136

. 195

Taxus Labradoricus .

. 37

184

Techallotl . • . .

179

. 184

Temamaqame .

. 261

174, 181

Terienniak ....

83

.. 158

Terree-anee-arioo

. 83

187

Terreeya ....

46

. 191

Teuthlal-magame

. 261

190

Thcsthiay ....

158

. 187

Tilling ....

80

193

Thick-wood badger

147

. 190

Tiger cat ....

. 104

174

Tlalcoyotl ....

41

. 251

Tooktoo ....

238, 241

232

Tree-inncBUck-kannortoot

89

. 13

Tschernoburi . . . .

. 94

. 285

Tsinantontonque

93

45

Tsoutaye . . . . .

. 105

. 46

Tukta .....

238, 241

83

. 181

Urson .....

214

177

Ursus Americanus .

. 14

3

Ursus arctos ....

14

181

Ursus arctos ? Americanus .

. 21

. 180

Ursus candescens .

24

98

,, cinereus . . . .

. 24

Ursus ferox

24

. 230

Ursus horribilis

. 24

13

„ Freti Hudsonis

41

. 181

,, Labradoricus .

. 37

300

Ursus lotor

„ luscus

„ marinus
Ursus maritimus
Ursus niger Eurojxsus

Variegated bear
Varying hare

VeSPERTILIO PRUINOSCS
„ SUBULATUS

Virginian fox .

Vison ....

Vison-weasel
VuLPEs, sub-genus
Vulpes vulgaris

Wachusk

Wapiti ....

Wappeeskeeshew makkeeshew

Waskeesews

Waskesse

Watsus

Watts ....

Wawaskeesh

JVawaskeeshew

Wawbeechins

Wawpeestan

Wawpoos

Wawpusk

Weasel, common .

Weenusk

JVejack

Wewaskiss

•

#-^

INDEX OF THE SPECIES.

•

PAGE

PAGE

36

Whistler ....

. 150

. 41

TV/lite bear ....

24,34

30

White beaver

. IM

. 30

White buffalo

. 271

14

White musquash

119

„ pekan

. 54

24

„ wolf

68

221, 224

Wildcat ....

. 101

1

„ goats

26]

3

„ horse ....

. 231

. 96

Wilson's Meadow-mouse

124

48

Wistonwish

. 154

. 48

Wolf ....

60

83

Wolf, American

60

. 97

„ black American

70

Wolf, black . . . .

. 70

115

„ cased

73

. 251

Wolf, common gray

. 66

. 83

„ pied

68

251

„ prairie

. 73

. 252

„ white

68

115

Wolves, small

. 73

. 80

Wolverin ....

41

. 251

Wolverine . . . .

. 41

. 251

Wood-chuck

153

51

Woodland caribou

. 250

. 51

Wooclshock

52

217

. 30

Yellow bear of Carolina

. 15

45

Yellow- cheeked meadow-mouse

122

. 147

Ytzcuintecuani

. 41

52

. 251

Zisel

180

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