iftlhr ^^ ^^ o a ~ ijj i^ss^s a ^^^^s b-1 Jg p3 a a ^g in ^^^^^^ X a s in □ ru ^^22^ ^^^= ^^sss a =-~= ~ r £ ^ s. ^ ■ «. • . Batumi M*Ut$ OF NBWTORI BY AUTHOR II NEW TORE j D.APPLETON *C?AND WILEY & PUTNAM; BOSTON? GOULD, KENDALL & LINCOLN. ALB ANT, THURLOW WEED PRINTER TO THE STATE 1842 The copy right of this work is secured for the benefit of the People of the State of New- York. SAMUEL YOUNG, Secretary of State. Albany, 1842. GENERAL INTRODUCTION. PART I. ZOOLOGY; BY JAMES E. DE KAY. PART II. BOTANY; BY JOHN TORREY. PART DI. MINERALOGY; BY LEWIS C. BECK. PARTS IV. & V. ORDER OF THE WORK. GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY; BY WILLIAM W. MATHER, EBENEZER EMMONS, LARDNER VANUXEM AND JAMES HALL. ZOOLOGY OF NEW-YORK, OR THE NEW-YORK FAUNA; COMPRISING DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL THE ANIMALS HITHERTO OBSERVED WITHIN THE STATE OF NEW-YORK, WITH BRIEF NOTICES OF THOSE OCCASIONALLY FOUND NEAR ITS BORDERS, AND ACCOMPANIED BY APPROPRIATE ILLUSTRATIONS. BY JAMBS E. M Ml PART I. MAMMALIA. ALBANY: PRINTED BY W. & A. WHITE & J. VISSCHER. 1842. To William H. Seward, Governor of the State of New- York. SIR, I submit a Report on the Zoology of the State ; And have the honor to be, With great respect, Your obedient servant, JAMES E. DE KAY. The Locusts, Queens Co., L. I. January 1, 1842. PREFACE The examination of the Quadrupeds, (or as they are with more exactness, although perhaps with less elegance named, the Mammalia or Mammiferous animals) of the United States, has, until recently, attracted comparatively little at- tention among our own citizens. A few isolated species had been casually noticed, a few detached facts recorded ; and here and there, over this widely extended country, a few zealous observers, aware of the general apathy at home, had transmitted their observations to distinguished foreign naturalists. Such instances were, however, of comparatively rare occurrence. The chief historians of our animals have been foreigners, either accidentally led to our shores by motives entirely unconnected with scientific pursuits, or naturalists sent out under the patronage of their respective governments, to collect and describe our animals. In the first class may be mentioned De Liancourt, De Chastellux and others ; in the second, Bosc, Kalm, Michaux and Pal. de Beauvois. To these, and to other European naturalists who have described through the imperfect and often dis- torted medium of preserved specimens, we are indebted for the greater part of the knowledge which we possess respecting many of our own animals. Of late years, the attention of our countrymen has been more directed to the study of Zoology. The establishment of the Academy of Natural Sciences at Philadelphia, forms an epoch in this department of knowledge. This was soon succeeded by the formation of the Lyceum of Natural History of New- York, and by others in Boston, Baltimore, New-Haven and Salem. The American Journal of Science, which,' under the efficient guidance of Professor Silliman, has now reached its forty-third volume, is a rich mine to the American naturalist, and has contributed to promote and extend a taste for such inquiries. Pref. 1 V] PREFACE. At the commencement of the Survey, the services of an eminent naturalist, Mr. Abraham Halsey, of New- York, were engaged for the department of zoo- logy ; but before he had entered upon its duties, other engagements and occupa- tions demanded his attention, and he resigned his office. We may be permitted to express our regret that circumstances should have prevented him from under- taking a task, which could not have been committed to an abler hand. In the execution of this part of the work, I have to acknowledge my obliga- tions to Maj. Le Conte, for the valuable hints he has suggested, and the oppor- tunities which he has afforded of examining his drawings, manuscripts and spe- cimens. To Dr. Emmons, of the geological department of the Survey, I am obliged for his numerous specimens and communications. His many sterling qualities can scarcely be appreciated, except by those who, like myself, have been the companion of his journies through the uninhabited and as yet unknown forests of the northern district. To Prof. Hall, also of the Survey, I am indebted for several specimens, and for valuable communications on the zoology of the State. Mr. J. G. Bell and Mr. W. Cooper of New- York, Dr. Harlan of Phila- delphia, and the Rev. Mr. Linsley of Elmwood Place, Connecticut, have also in various ways facilitated my inquiries. I must also record my obligations to the Lyceum of Natural History of New-York, for the opportunities which their valuable collection has afforded me of comparison and description. Having thus briefly adverted to the sources of information, in connection more especially with the Mammalia of the State, it may be deemed proper to give a concise sketch of the region whose animals we have undertaken to describe. New- York, one of the twenty-six States of the North American Confederacy, lies wholly within the temperate zone. Its figure may be compared to that of an irregular triangle, with its apex touching the Atlantic, and one of its sides bounded by two of the great inland seas, and by their outlet to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Its connection with the Atlantic is extended easterly one hundred and forty miles, by a low sandy spur called Long Island. Including this easterly prolongation, the State of New- York may be said to extend through eight de- grees of longitude, and to be included between 40° 30' and 45° of north latitude. It contains more than 46,000 square miles, a surface larger in extent than that contained in Poland or Scotland, or Naples and Sicily ; three times larger than the Swiss Confederacy, and nearly equal in extent to that of England. Although situated within the same parallels of latitude which include the greater part of PREFACE. Vll Italy, the south of France, and the northern parts of Spain ; yet from the well established fact of the more southerly position of the isothermal lines on the western shores of the Atlantic, its mean annual temperature cannot be compared with that of the above mentioned countries, but rather with those lying from fifteen to twenty degrees farther north. The result of ten years' observations at New- York, gives one hundred and sixty-five days, or about five months, as the mean duration of winter ; but in the interior or northern district, many of the counties have scarcely a month without frost. This, it will readily be perceived, must exercise a great influence upon the number and distribution of its animals ; for while it has the summer heats of Spain and Italy, the rigor of its winters equals those of the northern portions of Europe. From this diversity of climate, it results that we have in the State similar classes of animals with those found in the northern parts of Europe, and at the same time other families existing chiefly in its southern portions. The families Cervidce and Mustelidce may serve as examples of the one, while the Vespertilionidce and Muridce will illustrate the other. Varieties of surface are also well known to be favorable to the multiplication of animal species, and in this respect, the State of New- York offers a great diver- sity ; for although few of its mountains exceed the height of five thousand feet, yet from the peculiarity of climate alluded to above, their summits have a tem- perature much lower than mountains of even higher altitude in corresponding parallels in Europe. The surface of New- York is considerably elevated, much of it lying on the great Allegany table land. The diversity of surface is, how- ever, so great, that for the purposes of more intelligible description, we may consider it as divided into four principal zoological districts, each sufficiently dis- tinct in itself, but of course so much blended at the lines of separation as not to be contradistinguished. 1. The Western District, includes that portion of the State which is bounded on the west and north by Lakes Erie and Ontario, and on the south by the boundary line separating it from the State of Pennsylvania ; and it extends east- ward]}' until it is lost in the valley of the Mohawk on the north, and the moun- tainous parts of the Hudson district. A large portion of this district is an elevated region, furrowed by valleys running in a north and south direction, supposed once to have been the outlets of a great inland ocean, but now the beds of rivers which, pursuing opposite courses, discharge themselves on the one hand through Vlll PREFACE. Lake Ontario into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and on the other into the Delaware and Chesapeake bays, and into the Gulf of Mexico. The central portion of this district is a level table land, rising in its southern parts into elevations of from a thousand to twelve hundred feet above tide, and abruptly subsiding on its western borders to the level of the great lakes. In the western part, we have the Cat- taraugus and Tonawanda streams pouring into Lake Erie and Niagara river ; the sources of the Allegany river ; one of the branches of the Ohio, itself a tribu- tary to the Mississippi ; and another branch of the Allegany takes its rise from Chautauque lake, a sheet of water sixteen miles in length, 1291 feet above tide, and 726 above Lake Erie. Eastward of these is the Genesee river, which, taking its rise in Pennsylvania, crosses the whole district in a north direction, and empties into Lake Ontario. As we proceed eastwardly, we cross successively, in the southern portions of this district, the Canisteo, Conhocton, Chenango, and great western branch or principal source of the Susquehannah, which takes its rise in the Otsego lake, a sheet of water nine miles long, with a breadth varying from three quarters of a mile to three miles. The central portions of this district are occupied by a series of ten to twelve lakes, stretching generally to north and south, varying from fifteen to thirty-eight miles in length ; all discharging them- selves by one common outlet, the Oswego river, into Lake Ontario. On its ex- tremely eastern border rises the Mohawk, a tributary of the Hudson, which con- nects it zoologically with the Hudson river district. The great inland seas of Erie and Ontario, the one two hundred and seventy miles in length, with a breadth from twenty to fifty miles ; and the other one hundred and ninety miles, with an average breadth of forty miles, exercise a great influence on its climate and consequent zoological character. The surface of Lake Erie, which is three hundred and thirty-four feet above Lake Ontario, discharges its waters through the rapids and falls of Niagara river, into that lake, within a distance of thirty-six miles. This entire district is exceedingly fertile, and is covered by a vigorous growth of forest trees in the uncultivated portions. Without entering into details which would find a more appropriate place in a topographical survey, it will be perceived, that while on the one hand the vicinity of such large masses of water must ameliorate its climate, its fertile soil irrigated by so many streams will fur- nish the means of subsistence to numerous species of animals. It is zoologically connected by its valleys and water courses with the great basin of the St. Law- rence, and we accordingly find in this district animals common to both, although PREFACE. IX not to so great an extent as in the region next to be described. Among the Mammalia, we find the Northern Lynx, the Deer Mouse and Porcupine ; while all the lakes in the interior of this district, which empty into the Lake Ontario, formerly abounded with Salmon, which found their way from the sea through the Gulf and River St. Lawrence. In its southern portions it is similarly con- nected with the basin of the Mississippi, and the intermediate regions are watered by the streams which empty into the Delaware and Chesapeake. 2. The Northern District comprises, as its name imports, the northern portion of the State, which forms an irregular truncated triangle, bounded on its western side by Lake Ontario and the River St. Lawrence, on its eastern side by Lake Champlain and Lake George, and lying north of the Mohawk valley. This district, in its southern and southeastern portions, rises into numerous conical peaks and short ranges, attaining in some places an elevation of more than five thousand feet. Towards Lakes Champlain and George, these subside suddenly to the level of those sheets of water. To the north and northwest, this descends by a gradual and almost imperceptible slope towards the River St. Lawrence. This slope is watered by the Oswegatchie, the Moose and Black rivers, the Ra- quet and Grass and St. Regis rivers, all arising from numerous lakes embosomed in the mountainous regions of its southern parts. Lake Champlain, a part of its eastern boundary, extends north and south one hundred and forty miles, is twelve miles wide in its broadest part, and discharges its water through the Sorel river into the St. Lawrence. Into the southern part of this lake is also poured the wa- ters of Lake George or Horicon, thirty-seven miles long, and varying from one to seven miles in breadth. The cluster of mountains in its southeastern portions may be considered as an offset from the great Appalachian system, which, de- scending through the States of Maine, New-Hampshire and Vermont, passes southwesterly between the Western and Hudson river districts, and is continued under the name of the Allegany range of mountains. In this region too we find the Sacondaga, Cedar, Jessup, and other tributaries of the Hudson, within a short distance of those which pour into the St. Lawrence. This mountainous region comprises the counties of Essex, Hamilton, Herkimer and Warren, and the southern part of the counties of Clinton, Franklin and St. Lawrence, and has been estimated to contain an area of about six thousand square miles. Its zoolo- gical character is strongly impressed by the features just alluded to. The chief growth of trees in this district are the Spruce, Pine, Larch, Balsam, Fir and PREFACE. Cedar. We find in this district many of the fur-bearing animals, such as the Sable, the Fisher, and the Beaver. Here too roam the Moose, the Wolverine, and others now only found in high northern latitudes. It also forms the southern limits of the migration of many arctic birds ; and we accordingly meet here with the Canada Jay and Spruce Grouse, the Swan, the Raven and the Arctic Wood- pecker. 3. The Hudson Valley District, includes those counties watered by the River Hudson and its tributaries. Its chief tributary, the Mohawk, after a course of about one hundred and forty miles, enters the Hudson from the west, at the dis- tance of one hundred and sixty miles from its entrance into the ocean. The shape of this district is of course modified by the length and direction of the Mohawk river, and bears some resemblance to the letter rj inverted. Smaller than either of the two preceding, it is nevertheless of much zoological interest. At its upper portion, it is connected with the Northern district, and contains many animals in common with the States bordering on the eastern margin. Along its western border, it becomes elevated into high ranges of mountains, called the Kaaterskills, some of which attain an elevation of nearly four thousand feet, containing deer, wolves, panthers and bears. By the valley of the Mohawk, it is zoologically connected with the Western district ; and this connection is be- coming daily more obvious, by the great artificial water channels which reflect so much honor on the zeal and enterprise of her citizens. Thus the Soft-shelled Turtle and Rock Bass of Lake Erie is now found in the Hudson ; in the same way that the Yellow Perch, the Muskallonge, and others peculiar to the great lakes, have, by means of the Ohio canal, found their way into the Mississippi through the Ohio. On the south it is connected with the Atlantic, and accord- ingly we find it teeming with the inhabitants of the ocean. On the other hand, the Hudson river appears to form a natural geographic limit to the extension of some species, at least in any considerable numbers. Thus, the Opossum of the South rarely, if ever, outsteps this boundary ; among reptiles, the Chain Snake and Brown Swift, and the Buzzard and many other species among the birds. From the north also this river appears to be a barrier to their progress south ; but these will be more fully detailed in the course of the following pages. 4. The Atlantic District comprises Long Island, with a medium breadth of ten miles, extending in a northeasterly direction one hundred and fifty miles. Its in- sular position influences its climate, and we accordingly find a great difference PREFACE. XI between its temperature and that of the main land. It is a low sandy region, with extensive plains, and rising along its northern borders into hills of moderate elevation, at but one point only exceeding three hundred feet in height. Although much smaller than any of the preceding districts, yet it possesses some zoological features of interest. Its insular position, and its early settlement, has occasioned the extirpation of the larger quadrupeds, such as the Otter, Wolf and Bear ; but deer are still numerous. It is more remarkable for the abundance and variety of its birds, than for the number of its mammalia. Here we find the extreme southern limits of the migrations of the arctic species, and the northernmost termination of the wanderings of the birds of the torrid zone. Thus we find in winter in this district, the Eider Duck, the Little White Goose, the Great Cor- morant, the Auk, and many others from the Arctic ocean. During the heats of summer, we meet with the Turkey Buzzard and Swallow-tailed Kite, the Fork- tailed Flycatcher from the tropical wilds of Guiana, and numerous others from the south. It seems also to be the boundary between the fishes and other classes of the northern and tropical seas, and occasionally furnishes specimens from either extremity. In conclusion, we have to make a few observations respecting the illustrations which accompany this work. These were all executed by Mr. J. W. Hill, and with the exceptions which are noted in their proper places, were taken from the animal itself, either alive, or from specimens carefully mounted by persons who had been conversant with their habits during life. In some classes, where the colors were fleeting, several individuals were successively employed, in order to secure with more certainty their evanescent hues. The outlines in all cases were taken with the camera lucida, which we conceive to be the best and most ex- peditious mode hitherto devised. It will be observed that the figures are not on a uniform scale, and that a small animal is often represented apparently larger than one of greater bulk. This could not be remedied, except by drawing them all on a scale which would have involved an expense of time and means utterly useless, and inadequate to the purposes of the Survey. This apparent defect is remedied by a notice on the plate, of the scale upon which the species is drawn ; and the measurements throughout the work are uniformly given in feet, inches, tenths and hundredths, which correspond with those employed by the English. It was originally proposed to employ the most eminent engravers upon the illustrations, in order to render the work more worthy of the State under whose auspices it was undertaken, and at the same time to furnish specimens of the XU PREFACE. state of this particular branch of the fine arts at the period of publication. This was, however, soon found to involve an enormous expense, and to be accompanied with a delay utterly incompatible with the early publication of the work. Most of the Mammalia, and a few of the Birds and Fishes, are thus executed ; but we hope that in the lithographies furnished by Mr. G. Endicott, the naturalist will not regret a departure from the original plan. In one instance I have introduced the figure of a species not known with cer- tainty to exist in the United States, and for which an explanation may appear necessary. I allude to the Manati, or Sea Cow of South America. The exceed- ingly rare opportunity which I had of examining this animal in a living state, of having a faithful drawing made, and of being subsequently enabled to enter into some of the osteological details, was too valuable to be allowed to escape. It was thought that it would be interesting to the American naturalist, to be thus enabled to compare it with the Florida Manati, from which it has been strongly suspected to be specifically distinct. I was, moreover, desirous of giving an accurate illustration of one of the herbivorous cetacea, a group the least known of all the class Mammalia. I may possibly have attached more importance to the various popular names given in different districts, than will perhaps be acknowledged by the technical naturalist. It has been objected to their use, that they are often unmeaning or absurd, and often doubtful in their application. The careful collator of syno- nimes will, however, doubtless have discovered that the same charge may often be applied to names drawn up with technical nicety, and in conformity with the laws of nomenclature. As this work is intended for general readers, I have introduced popular names whenever they could be obtained. The greater part of our knowledge of the habits of animals is derived from persons unskilled in natural history ; and the fact that the same popular name is variously employed in diffe- rent districts, will often enable us to avoid error. A familiar example of this is afforded by the history of the Wolverine. Under this name three different ani- mals, the Northern Lynx, the Wolverine proper and the Bay Lynx have been described, and their habits strangely confounded by writers who were not aware that the same popular name had been applied in different districts to them all. In consulting authorities, we have taken pains to cite all the American writers within our reach. The student is frequently at a loss where to find descriptions of such animals as may come under his notice ; and these are distributed through PREFACE. X1H so many journals, magazines and other periodicals entirely unconnected with natural history, that we hope their citation will be favorable received. In set- tling the weight due to contradictory statements, we have endeavored to avoid the influence which is supposed to be connected with the verba magistri; and in all cases have freely, and we trust not offensively, expressed our opinions when our own observations have been at variance with those of previous writers. JAMES E. DE KAY. The Locusts, Queens County. January 1, 1842. Pref. TABULAR VIEW OF THE GENERA OF MAMMALIA OBSERVED IN THE STATE OF NEW-YORK. Orders. Marsupiata,. Families. Carni RODENTIA, < Ungblata, < Cetacea, < Didelphidje, Vespertilionidaj, Sorecidae, UrsidcE,. ■{ Mustelidoe,. . Lutridae, Canidae Felidae, .. Phocidas, Sciuridae, Arctomidae,.. Gerbillidae, .. Castoridae, Hystricid33,.. Muridae, Leporidas, Elephantidre,. Suidoc, Eqnidae, Bovidae, Capridss, Cervidas, Bala?nidce, Delphinidte, Genera. Didelphis. Vespertilio. Condylura. Scalops. So rex. Otisorex. Ursus. Procyon. Gulo. Mephitis. Mustek. Putorius. Lutra. Can is. Lupus. Vulpus. Felis. Lyncus. Phoca. Stemmatopus. Sciurus. Pteromys. Arctomys. Meriones. Castor. Fiber. Hystrix. Mus. Arvicola. Lepus. Elephas. Mastodon. Sua Equus. Bos. Ovis. Cervus. Elaphus. Rangifer. Balasna. Physeter. Rorqualus. Globicephalus. Phocasna. Delphinus. THE NEW-YORK FAUNA. . CLASS I. MAMMALIA. VIVIPAROUS, OR BRINGING FORTH THEIR YOUNG ALIVE. SUCKLE THEIR YOUNG BY MAMMjE OR TEATS, AND HENCE THE NAME. FURNISHED WITH WARM RED BLOOD. HEART WITH TWO AURICLES AND TWO VENTRICLES ; BREATHING BY LUNGS. BODY USUALLY COVERED WITH HAIR, AND FURNISHED IN MOST CASES WITH FOUR FEET. The characters assigned to this class are sufficiently distinctive ; and yet, with the single exception of suckling their young, none are absolute or invariable. Thus in the Manis and Armadillo of South America, the body is covered with scales ; in the Manatus of Florida, there are but two feet ; and these in the Whales, Po?~poises, &c. are reduced to the shape and functions of fins. In the totality of the characters, however, we obtain a correct idea of the class under consideration. According to the generally received arrangement of the animals of this class, it is divided into seven orders.* The characters of two of these are derived from the number or structural functions of their extremities ; of three, from the form, disposition or entire absence of their teeth ; of the sixth, from the nature of the coverings of their feet ; and of the seventh, from the form of their body, and the element in which they live, and the peculiar shape and arrange- ment of their extremities. * From the time of Aristotle to the present day, Man has invariably been placed at the head of this class. There are not wanting, however, many eminent naturalists, who are unwilling to see Man standing as a representative of a Genus, or even of of an Order among his kindred brutes ; who are not disposed to admit that Man, created in the image of God, has any affinity with the beasts that perish ; or that, because he possesses certain zoological characters which are entirely secondary and subor- dinate, he should be classed with brutes, when his noblest attribute, reason, destroys every vestige of affinity, and places him immeasurably above them all. Fauna. 1 2 NEW- YORK FAUNA. In any natural arrangement, the most appropriate distinction of each order would seem to be that which is derived from the same set of organs. This has, however, been attempted in vain • and we are accordingly left at liberty to select from the various systems that which may seem best adapted to the great end proposed by all naturalists, the knowledge of species, and their relations to each other. The animals arranged under the Order Quadrumana, comprising Lemurs, Monkeys, &c. are rarely found on this continent beyond the tropical regions, and of course are not known within our territorial limits. Lichtenstein asserts that none have been seen beyond the twenty- ninth degree of north latitude. ORDER II. MARSUPIATA. Carnivorous and herbivorous. Thumb of the hind feet opposable to the toes, the nail small or wanting. Many of the females with abdominal pouches opening externally, and sup- ported by peculiar bones attached to the pubis. Teeth various, but usually numerous. Tail long, naked or hairy, generally prehensile. Obs. The natural position of the animals belonging to this order, has long exercised the ingenuity of naturalists. Their internal organization is so varied and peculiar, that as Cuvier observes, they may be looked upon as a class containing several orders running parallel with the orders of the ordinary quadrupeds. Some species, by their teeth, naturally belong to the Order Carnivora ; whilst others can only be arranged (in a system derived from the teeth alone) with the Order Rodentia ; and this has in fact been attempted by some naturalists. We have ventured to place this order here, as it seems to form, by the structure of its feet and tail, a natural passage from the Quadrumana. FAMILY DIDELPHIDM. Three kinds of teeth, forming nearly a continuous series. Tail long, naked or hairy, usually prehensile. Female with a loose fold of skin on the abdomen, forming a sac or pouch for the reception of her young. Obs. The animals of this family are found in America, Australia and the Indian Archi- pelago. The sac or pouch is supported by two bones attached to the pubis ; and it is worthy of note, that the male, who has no pouch, nevertheless possesses these marsupial bones. It is stated by geologists, that the earliest mammiferous animals whose remains are found in the ancient strata belong to this order. None have been found, we believe, in North America, FAMILY DIDELPHID^E. 3 and they are of very rare occurrence in any part of the world.* There are about fifty living species, distributed among ten or twelve genera, which have been described by different natu- ralists ; but one only is found in the United States. GENUS DIDELPHIS. Linneus. Muzzle pointed ; cars large and me?nbranous. Internal toe of the hind foot opposable, with- out a nail. Tail half hairy and scaly. Teats varying in number, and placed within the pouch. Teeth, 48 - 50 : Incisors, y ; Canines, § ; Cheek teeth, ~ . THE AMERICAN OPOSSUM. DiDELPHIS VIRGINIANA. PLATE XV. FIG. 2 Virginian Opossum. Pennant, Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 73; Hist. Quad. Vol. 2, p. 18, pi. 63. he Sarigue a oreilles bicolorcs. Cuvier, Regne Animal, Vol. 1, p. 172. Ed. prima. Diddphis virginiana. Harlan, Fauna, p. 119. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2, p. 7 (figure). Virginian Opossum. Griffith's Cuv. Vol. 3, p. 24 (figure). Characteristics. Greyish white. Fur woolly, intermixed with long white hair. Ears black ; base and margin flesh color. Length two feet. Description. Head long and pointed, with the facial outline nearly straight ; long black bristles on the sides of the nose, over each eye and on the sides of the cheeks. Eyes oblique, and placed near the facial outline. Nostrils separated by a groove. Ears thin, membranous. Gape of the mouth wide, and exhibiting most of the teeth. Nails rather short, and curved on all the toes, except on the thumb or inner toe of the posterior extremities. In the figure given by Godman, this is represented as clawed, but his generic character asserts the con- trary. Soles of the hind feet furnished with large fleshy tubercles. Mammae or teats are, according to Desmarest, thirteen in number, and disposed in a circle around a central one ; according to Godman, there are eight on each side, which we suppose to be the normal num- ber. Tail enlarged at the base, where it is hairy for about four inches ; the remaining part scaly, and covered with a few inconspicuous short rigid hairs. Fur of two kinds ; a short woolly hair beneath, intermixed with longer and more rigid hairs, but all arc very soft. Incisors ten above, the two anterior rather cylindrical, longest ; an interspace between the incisors and the canine, which is compressed and pointed ; the first jaw tooth smallest, the four first compressed, the three last transversely broader. In the lower jaw, the eight inci- sors rounded and directed forwards, with no interspace between them and the canine. The cheek teeth with regular points, and not transversely dilated. Color. Greyish white, darker along the sides ; on the face and abdomen, lighter grey. This color is produced by the intermixture of the short wool, which is white at the base and * Broderip, Zool. Journ. Vol. 3, page 408. 4 NEW-YORK FAUNA. black at the tips, with the long white hairs. On the back, and on the legs, this color be- comes of a deeper hue, with various shades of intensity, sometimes even approaching to black. Ears black at base, the borders white. Length of head and body, 15' 0-20*0. Length of tail, IO-O-12'O. Weight, 10-14 lbs. The Opossum is a nocturnal animal, moving with great agility among the branches of trees, and using his tail as a means of support, in the same way that it is employed by the members of the Family Cebidcz, or Monkeys of South America. On the ground his movements are clumsy and slow, and he appears to depend more upon cunning than upon strength or activity for the means of escape. When surprised on the ground, he compresses himself into the smallest possible space, and remains perfectly quiet. If discovered, and even handled in this state, it still counterfeits death, and takes the first opportunity to effect its escape. From this and other traits of cunning, has arisen the local phrase of " playing possum," to designate any adroit cheat. The singular and anomalous organization of this animal, and its consequent peculiarities of reproduction, have long excited much attention among scientific inquirers. The young are found in the external abdominal sac, firmly attached to a teat in the form of a small gelati- nous body, not weighing more than a grain. It was for a long time believed that there existed a direct passage from the uterus to the teat, but this has been disproved by dissection. Another opinion is, that the embryo is excluded from the uterus in the usual manner, and placed by the mother to the teat ; and a third, that the embryo is formed where it is first found. Whether this transfer actually takes place, and, if so, the physiological considera- tions connected with it, still remain involved in great obscurity. I do not find with whom the Latin specific name originated. It is usually attributed to Pennant, who, in his History of Quadrupeds, calls it the Virginia Opossum, and refers to Linneus under the name of Didelphis marsupialis. In Gmelin, it stands as Didelphis opos- sum. The Opossum is an inhabitant of the temperate regions of North America. Although it is abundant in New-Jersey, I have never seen it in this State, but have heard that it has been noticed in the southern counties on the west side of the River Hudson, and it will pro- bably be found in the western counties. I am not aware that it has ever been observed east of the Hudson. It inhabits chiefly wooded districts, and, as might be inferred from its struc- ture, passes most of its life on trees. It feeds on birds and their eggs, on wild fruits, espe- cially the persimon (Diospyros virginiana.) It is an excellent article of food, resembling in flavor that of a sucking pig. When pressed by hunger, it occasionally prowls round the barnyard, and commits ravages among the poultry. Its westerly distribution extends to the Pacific, as it has been found in California, and it is asserted to be common in Mexico, and inhabits all the intertropical regions ; but it is possible that it may have been confounded with two other closely allied species found in South America. FAMILY VESPERTILIONID^E. 5 ORDER III. CARNIVORA. Furnished ivith sharp and strong claws. Three kinds of teeth, differing considerably from each other. Living exclusively on animal substances, and the more exclusively so as their teeth are furnished with acute points. No thumbs on the fore feet opposable to the other fingers. This order embraces animals exceedingly varied in form, such as the Bat and Seal, Shrew- moles, and Bears. It represents the Order Ferce of Linneus, and a portion of his Primates. In this State, we have the representatives of eight families. FAMILY I. VESPERTILIONID&. Anterior fingers excessively prolonged ; the anterior and posterior extremities connected by a more or less naked expansion of the skin, adapted to flight. Two pectoral mamma.. Penis external, pendulous. Incisors varying in number. Summits of the cheek teeth ending in sharp points. Prey upon the wing. Hybernate. This is a natural and very numerous group, comprising more than one hundred and fifty species, distributed over the globe. These are arranged by modern systematic writers under twenty-seven genera, and this has been subsequently carried to forty-eight genera. Their habits are nocturnal, feeding almost exclusively upon winged insects. Some species, however, are occasionally seen flying about in open daylight. We have noticed five species in the State of New-York, all included under one genus. GENUS VESPERTILIO. Linneus. Incisors two to four above and six beneath ; anterior cheek teeth simple conic ; the posterior with sharp points. No nasal appendages ; the ears lateral and distinct. The index finger of one joint. Tail rarely exceeding the interfemoral membrane. Obs. In this latitude, the Bat, on the approach of winter, retreats to cavities in trees, or to caverns, and becomes perfectly torpid. They bring forth from one to three at a birth, in the months of June and July. Period of gestation unknown. 6 NEW- YORK FAUNA. THE NEW-YORK BAT. Vespertilio novebobacensis. PLATE I. FIG. 2. — (STATE COLLECTION.) New-York Bat. Pennant, Arctic Zoology, Vol.], 184. Vespertilio noveboracensis. Linneus, Syst. Gen. Red Bat. Wilson, Am. Ornithology, Vol. 0, plate 50 Vespertilio rufus. Warden, Disc. U. S. Vol. 5, C08. Vespertilio noveboracensis. Harlan, Fauna Americana, p. 20. V. id. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, 68, figure. Taphozous rufus. Harlan, Faun. Am. p. 23. New-York Bat. Cooper, Ann. Lye. New-York, Vol.3, 57. Kirtland, Zool. Report, p. 175. Emmons, Mass. Rep. 1840, p. 9. Characteristics. Color reddish tawny. Brachial membrane naked above, except near the body and at the base of the phalanges. A patch of white hairs at the insertion of the wings. Description. Ears broad, with an obtuse tip and a naked anterior lobe. Nostrils tubular, with a few short black whiskers on the sides of the cheeks. Interfemoral membrane broader than long, including the entire tail, and is supported by a bony process from the tibia on each side a quarter of an inch long. This process is most obvious from beneath. The membrane is naked beneath for more than two-thirds of its extent ; hairy above. Hind feet with five subequal toes, of which the interior is shortest. Brachial membrane entirely naked, except near the thumb. Dental formula : Incisors, f ; canines, § ; cheek teeth, T\ = 30. Color, of the head and cheeks reddish tawny, which is also the general color of the fur on the body above, frequently mixed with white, and producing a light cream or hoary color, and often a bright chesnut red. A small portion of the brachial membrane nearest the body, and the whole of the interfemoral membrane, together with the leg's, covered with tawny hair ; this is longest, and varied with white, on the sides of the body. Beneath, the general color is somewhat lighter, and the fur extends but a short distance down the interfemoral membrane. A white patch of hair on the sides of the body near the insertion of the wings, most con- spicuous on the under side. The brachial membrane is dark brown, with lighter colored reticulations, and entirely denuded, except near the thumb-nail above and a short distance along the course of the forefinger, where we may observe a few white hairs. On the under side of this membrane is a patch of light tawny hair at the base of the phalanges, and extend- ing sparsely along the forearm. Totallength, 3-0- 4'0. Length of tail, 1-5- 1-8. Spread of wings, 10-0-12-0. This is the most common species in our State, and can scarcely be confounded with any other unless it may be with the Hoary Bat. It is usually, however, smaller, but resembles it in FAMILY VESPERTILIONID^E. 7 its dentition, and frequently in its external markings, even to the white spot at the insertion of the wings. Its strongest distinctive character is to be found in its general tawny hue, and the absence of a hairy patch at the elbow or first joint of the forearm. One of the specimens, which furnished us with the preceding description, is among the largest we have seen, ap- proaching very nearly in size to the hoary bat. The geographical range of this species, as far as it has yet been noticed, extends between the thirty-third and forty-second parallels of latitude, and from Massachusetts to the Rocky Mountains. According to Kirtland, it is comparatively a rare animal in Ohio. Except in the northern mountainous districts, it occurs in every part of this State. THE HOARY BAT. Vespertilio pruinosus. plate ii. fig. 2.— (state collection.) Vespertilio pruinosus. Say, Long's Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Vol. 1, p. 168. V. id. Harlan, Fauna Americana, p. 221. Godman, Am. Nat. History, Vol. ], p. 68, figure 3. V. id. Richardson, Fauna Boreali Americana, Vol. 1, p. 1. V. id. Coofer, Ann. Lyceum N. Y. Vol. 4, p. 54. V. id. Wheatland, Essex Journal Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 76. Emmons, Mass. Rep. 1840, p. 8. Characteristics. Greyish above.- Margin of the interfemoral membrane naked ; a small white hairy patch at the elbow and wrist above. Lips and chin black. Throat with a fawn-colored band. Description. Body robust. Ears broad, short and rounded ; naked on the superior margins, hairy within, and with a tuft of fawn-colored hair behind the anterior margin, which is broadly dilated and free at the base. Tragus or inner ear hairy externally, convex on its outer margin, concave on its inner margin, and terminating in an obtuse tip. Wing membrane naked above the small tufts noted in the specific phrase. Interfemoral membrane hairy, except along the • external margins. Beneath, the humeral membrane is covered with dense hair except on the margin ; at the insertion of the wings behind the humerus, there is a broad patch of hair extending to the elbow, and forming a band 0-4 broad, along the course of the forearm to the wrist ; the remaining part of this membrane is naked. Forearm longer than the tail, which is entirely included in the membrane. Richardson, however, states that in the specimen which he examined, there was a very slight smooth projection of the tail. This may be the case in prepared specimens, but I have not noticed.it in recent subjects. Tibial processes stout, and 0-8 long. Dental formula: Incisors, f ; canines, §; cheek teeth, || = 34. Color. Upper part of the head, light yellowish ; the parts surrounding the mouth and nose, deep blackish brown ; posterior part of the ears two colors, light yellowish at the base, black along the margins ; internally there are short greyish hairs ; margin black and naked, except on the portion near the nose, where there is a patch of short light yellowish 8 NEW-YORK FAUNA. hairs. Body and interfemoral membrane above covered with hair, black at the base, then light yellowish, subsequently black, and finally tipped with white. From this results a gene- ral grey or hoary appearance, which suggested the specific name. Towards the margin of the interfemoral membrane, this hoary color passes into faint reddish. Humeral membrane dusky, with a reddish tint near the shoulder. Beneath, a buff colored band or cravat sur- rounds the neck ; the breast colored like the back, and passing into clay yellow on the abdo- men and the anterior part of the interfemoral membrane. Total length 4-8. Thumbnail,., 0-4. Length of tail, 1'6. Tibia,.... 0"8. Forearm, 2*0. Spread, 15 "5. This is the largest species observed in this State. It appears to be less nocturnal than many of the other species, and retires quite late to its winter quarters. On the 12th December of this year, (1841,) I noticed two flying about quite actively shortly before noon. It is not a common species. Its geographical range is very extensive. It was first discovered by Nuttall, at Council Bluff on the Missouri ; subsequently seen in Georgia by Le Conte, and since noticed in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. It was found by Richardson as far north as the fifty-fourth degree of latitude. Nothing is known of its habits. THE LITTLE BROWN BAT. Vespertilio SL'BULATUS. PLATE III. FIG. 2. — (STATE COLLECTION.) Vespertilio subulatus. Say, Long's Exped. Vol. 2, p. 65. V. carolinensis, var. Harlan, Fauna Amer. p. 22. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 71. V. domesticus. Green, Cab. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2, p. 290. V. lucifugus. Le Conte, McMurtrie's Cuvier, Vol. 1, p. 431. V. subulatus. Cooper, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. Vol. 4, p. 61. Say's Bat. Richardson, Fauna Bor. Am. Vol. 1, p. 3. Characteristics. Small olive brown above ; greyish beneath. The fore-arm and tail sube- qual. Tragus awl-shaped. Description. Head short and broad. Ears membranous, longer than broad, ovate ; poste- rior margin broadly emarginate, somewhat narrowed at the tip. Within sparsely hairy ; more densely so at the base, and ascending sparsely along the anterior margins, which are plaited. Tragus linear, subulate, from 0'2-0-3 in length, ending in an obtuse tip. Interfemoral membrane broad ; naked, including the tip of the tail. In dried .specimens this tip appears beyond the membrane. Fur remarkably soft and silky, and the membranes very thin and delicate. Dental formula : Incisors, f ; canines, § ; cheek teeth, if = 38. Color. In the neighborhood of the mouth and chin the hair is of a deep brown, approaching to black. Beneath, the fur is deep brownish black at the base, and light yellowish at the FAMILY VESPERTILIONIDJE. 9 tips, forming, by its admixture with other hairs, a uniform yellowish grey. Above, the fur is also brownish black at base, arid olive brown on the surface. Total length, 3 3. Forearm, TO. Tibia, 0"7. Spread, 9"0. Tail, 1-0. The Little Brown Bat appears to be subject to great variation in size and color. Usually they are scarcely one-half the preceding dimensions. I have received from Prof. Emmons, several specimens of this species, obtained in September from the northern districts. They are smaller, and of a dark hue approaching to black. The plaits on the anterior margins of the ear were not observed. The fur longer than in the specimen described above, which was the same employed by Mr. Cooper in his Monography. The ears appeared to be proportiona- bly longer ; but in the black color surrounding the mouth, and in the other characters, no difference could be observed. In one of the specimens, the dorsal surface was varied with black and grey ; and in another, dark brown intermixed with olive brown. The Little Brown Bat can scarcely be confounded with any other species found in this State, unless it be with the Carolina bat. It is found in almost every part of the Union, and ranges as far as the fifty-third degree of north latitude. It has been observed in New-Hampshire, Arkansas at the eastern base of the Rocky mountains, on the Columbia river, in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Carolina, &c. In this State, I have obtained specimens from the northern and western districts. It is very numerous about Lake Oneida, and in the southern counties. THE SILVER-HAIRED BAT. Vespertilio noctivagans. PLATE I. FIG. 1. — (STATE COLLECTION.) Vespertilio noctivagans, Le Conte, McMurtrie's Cuvier, Vol. 1, p. 431. V. mtduboni, Harlan, Am. Jour. Geol. Vol. 1, p. 220, pi. 4. V. id. Id. Med. and Phys. Researches, p. 26, plate. V. noctivagans, Cooper, Ann. Lye. N. Y. Vol. 4, p. 59. Characteristics. Black, with silvery hairs above and beneath ; above, a whitish collar across the shoulders, extending upwards towards the ears. Tail beyond the membrane. Description. Body densely hairy, particularly in the region of the neck. Ears large, broad, and obtusely ovate ; the outer border with a fold, producing a broad and distinct emargina- tion above, and an abrupt one beneath. Tragus small, ovate, dilated beneath. Nostrils ter- minal, sub-bilobate. Interfemoral membrane including all but the two last joints of the tail ; densely hairy on the anterior part of its upper surface, becoming more sparse as it approaches the extremity of the tail ; beneath, it is nearly naked. The bony processes of the tibia, sup- porting the sides of the membrane, are an inch long. Brachial membrane naked, except near Fauna. 2 10 - NEW-YORK FAUNA. its junction with the body. Feet hairy, with five subequal toes. Dental formula : Incisors, 4 ; canine, § ; cheek teeth, }£ = 34. Two of the upper incisors have bilobate tips, with a free space between them. Color. Above of a uniform black or brownish black, the wing membrane being of a some- what lighter color. On the back there is a sort of collar, composed of white or silver-tipped hairs surrounding the neck, ascending towards the ears, and descending in some instances a short distance down the back. Traces of these white tipped hairs may be observed towards the interfemoral membrane. (In one individual, sent to me by the Revd. Mr. Linsley, from Elmwood, Connecticut, the whole upper surface was varied with white hairs.) Beneath, these silvery hairs are distributed over the breast and abdomen, and more distinctly on the sides towards the brachial membrane. Totallength, 3-6. Alar extent, lO'O-ll-O. Length of tail, 1"4. The Silver-haired Bat is common on Long-Island, and the southern counties of the State. As far as it is yet known, Connecticut, and possibly Massachusetts, forms its extreme northern range. It has been observed in the Atlantic States as far south as Georgia. The female from which the foregoing description was taken, is much larger than the male. In common with the other species, it takes refuge during the day in hollow trees. Its history is yet incom- plete. THE CAROLINA BAT. Vesfertjlio CAROLINEN'SIS. PLATE II. FIG. 1. — (STATE COLLECTION.) VespertMo carolmcnsis. Geoffroy, Ann. Mus. Vol. 8, p. 193, pi. 47 and 48. V. iil. Le Conte, McMurtrie's Cuvier, Vol. 1, p. 481. Carolina Bat. Cooper, Ann. Lye. N. Y. Vol. 4, p. 60. Emmons, Mass. Rep. 1840, p. 10. Characteristics. Large ; chesnut color above ; forearm longer than the tail. Description. Ears large, naked, higher than broad. Tips subacutely rounded, emarginate on the posterior edge. Tragus long and sublinear, resembling that of the little brown bat, but more obtuse at the tip. Interfemoral membrane naked above and beneath, and not in- cluding the extreme tip of the tail. The bony processes supporting this membrane are very stout, and nearly an inch long. Dental formula : Incisors, £ ; canines, f- ; cheek teeth, TV = 32. The two medial incisors notched or bifid towards the tip. Color. Jaws and snout dark brown. Body above bright glossy chesnut ; beneath of the same color, but of a lighter shade, ami in some lights appearing as if intermixed with grey. Base of the fur brown, with a few hairs of a greyish hue. FAMILY VESPERTILIONID^E. 1 1 Total length, 3 "8. Tibial process, 0-9. Length of tail, L5. Spread, 120. Tibia, 0*8. This species can scarcely be confounded with any other species, unle.ss it may be with the New-York bat ; from this, however, it is distinguishable by its greater size, and its distinct color. The bony processes supporting the interfemoral membrane are so stout and long, as to subtend that membrane, and alter its usual triangular form. The Carolina Bat is found along the Atlantic States, from Georgia to Connecticut. I have obtained it from Kings county, and Prof. Emmons has observed it at Albany, in the months of February and March. Its season of torpidity is probably of short duration. (EXTRA-LIM1TAL.)* V. monticole. (Bachman, Proceed. Ac. Sc. p. 92.) Fulvous; smaller than subulatus ; ears shorter; tragus less than half the length of the ear. Virginia. V. virginianus. (Id. ib. p. 93.) Sooty brown, above ash brown ; a little larger than the preceding; ears slightly longer and more acute ; incisors above simple ; interfemoral membrane naked ; a black spot at base of the wing. Virginia. Genus Molossus, Geoffroy. Head and muzzle very large ; canines varying from § to J ; incisors in the upper jaw bifid ; tragus small forward and outside ; interfemoral membrane enveloping about half the tail ; nose simple. M. cynoccphalus. (Cooper, Ann. Lye. Vol. 4, p. 65, figure.) Sooty brown; ears crimped on their posterior half; lips thick and pendent ; incisors f . Southern States. M. fuliginosus. (Id. ib. p. 67, figure.) Sooty brown; incisors f ; more than half the tail free. South- ern States. Genus Plecotus, Geoffroy. Incisors | ; two large fleshy appendages in the form of crests, between the eyes and nostrils ; ears enormously dilated, united at their bases and fringed on their internal margins ; tail projecting beyond the membrane. P. lecontii. (Id. ib. p. 72, figure.) Dusky; beneath towards the tail, white; tragus less than half the length of the ears. Southern States. P. townsendi. (Ac. Sc. Vol. 7.) Ferruginous, beneath reddish ash; tragus half the length of the ears; larger than the preceding. Columbia river. * Under this head, we include short notices of species observed in the United States, or the adjacent regions, but winch we have not seen in this State. The authority for the species must, of course, rest with their respective describers. 12 NEW-YORK FAUNA. FAMILY II. SORECIDM. No lateral membranes performing the functions of wings. Incisors elongated, or spoon- shaped. Molars varying in shape, and with conical points. Muzzle elongated, flexible, sometimes surrounded by filaments. Mamma, ventral. Fur dense, occasionally with rigid, hair's or spines. Strong musky odor. Ears rarely prominent. Eyes exceedingly minute. Soles of the hinder feet applied to the ground. Nocturnal ; subterranean. Some species hibernate. Comprises the smallest of the quadrupeds. This family embraces numerous small animals, such as Moles, Shrews, Hedge Hogs, &c. all allied by similar habits. They are for the most part nocturnal, and form their habitations under ground. They all hibernate ; and one genus, Centenes, Illiger, from Madagascar, is said to pass three of the warmest months of the year in a state of torpidity. They are occasion- ally injurious to the gardener and farmer, by destroying roots and seeds, although their chief food is composed of earth worms, grubs and other noxious animals. In this State, we have observed species illustrative of four genera, namely, Condylura, Scalops, Sorex and Otisorex. GENUS CONDYLURA. Illiger. Muzzle elongated, with radiating cartilages. Incisors six above and four below ; the two intermediate above, largest; spoon-shaped. Cheek teeth fourteen above, sixteen beloiv. Ears none. Feet five-toed ; anterior claws formed for digging. Obs. This genus was established by Illiger for the reception of a singular little animal from North America, which had been hitherto described as a mole and as a shrew. The name, although founded on an accidental character, it has been found convenient to retain. We have met with but one species in this State. THE COMMON STAR-NOSE. Condylura cristata. plate iv. fig. 1. — (state collection.) Sorex cristatus. LlNN. Ed. 12, p. 73. Long-tailed Mole. Penn. Syn. Quad. Fide Erxleben. Talpa longicaudata. Erxleben, Syst. p. 118. Radiated Mole. Penn. Hist. Quad. Vol. 2, p. 232, (fig.) Taupe de Canada. Delafaille, Essai sur la Taupe. Long-tailed Mole. Penn. Arctic Zool. Vol. 1, p. 140. Condylure a longue queue. Desmarest, Mamm. p. 15S. Condylura cristata. Harlan, Fauna Am. p. 36. C. longicaudata. Id. ib. p. 39. The Star-nose Mole. Godman, Am. Nat. History, Vol. 1, p. 100, (fig.) FAMILY SORECnXE. 13 Condyhtra longicaudata. Richardson, F. B. A. p. 13. C. macroura. Id. ib. p. 284, pi. 24. C. longicaudata and macroura. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1840, p. 17. Characteristics. Color of a nearly uniform brownish black. Tail more than half the length of the head and body. Length 7. •Description. Body cylindrical throughout, without any very distinct' neck. Fur exceed- ingly dense and fine. Head with a slender elongated muzzle, terminating in a vertical circu- lar disk, of from eighteen to twenty subequal cartilaginous fibres ; of these, the two superior and four inferior are shortest, and not in the same plane with the others. These fibres are 0 " 2 long. The eyes exceedingly minute, and not easily discovered ; but they may be found by examining the space above the angle of the mouth, where three or four rigid subequal hairs are apparent. Whiskers 0-4 long, light-colored at the tips, and curved forwards. A large orifice in place of an external ear, not projecting above the skin. Fore feet short, with broad robust palms ; on their upper surface a series of horny scales, somewhat analagous to those on the feet of birds ; on the edges of the palms, these scales are accompanied with rigid hairs. The interior of the palms with small circular scales. The fingers gradually increase in size to the fourth from the exterior ; the outer equals the second from the interior. The claws are flattened, obtusely pointed, and channelled beneath. Hind feet placed far back, and quite feeble ; the toes distinctly separate and scaly ; the claws long, sharp, compressed, and channelled beneath. Tail sub-cylindrical, sparsely hairy, permitting the scales to be seen beneath, and pencilled at its tip. In cabinet specimens, the tail often appears knotted throughout, and strangulated at its base. The jaws present the remarkable peculiarity of two spoon-shaped incisors above and four beneath. In the upper jaw, on each side of these, are two other incisors, the first of which is long, and resembles a canine tooth ; the other is separated by a small interval from the preceding, is very small, conic and compressed. The incisors of the lower jaw are spoon-shaped, approximated and subequal. The cheek teeth in both jaws vary much in form and size, the first of the lower jaw being long and pointed like a canine tooth. Color, throughout of a nearly uniform deep brownish black, varying somewhat according to the light in which it is viewed. The base of all the fur is of a deep slate color ; beneath of a lighter hue, and may be termed ashen or plumbeous. Feet whitish. I have noticed a specimen which was of a uniform soiled white. Total length, 7'5. Hind leg, 1*1. Length of tail, 2*8. Breadth of palm, 0"4. Of fore feet, 0-7. Girth of body, 3"5. The name given by Illiger, which was founded on a figure which exhibited the knotted appearance of the tail in a desiccated specimen, and therefore not characteristic, it has been nevertheless found convenient to retain, as designating a remarkable generic type. Pennant, in his Synopsis of Quadrupeds, 1771, published a notice and figure of what he terms the 14 NEW-YORK FAUNA. long-tailed mole. Linneus, in his 12th edition, 1776, published his description of the Sorex cristati/s. The following year, Erxleben gave the name of longicaudata to Pennant's mole. We suppose that all these refer to the same species, Linneus having described from an injured specimen. In the third edition of the Synopsis, (possibly in the second, which we have not seen,) which was published under the title of the History of Quadrupeds, Pennant introduces the Linnean cristatus, with a deplorable figure, and adds his long-tailed mole with a figure scarcely superior to the other. From his account, it is apparent that he described an immature star-nose for the cristatus. In his Arctic Zoology, having in the interval received specimens from this country, he describes some additional particulars ; of these the most important diagnostic character attributed to the cristatus, is " toes of the hind feet closely connected ;" and yet Desmarest, Op. cit. who has given a detailed description, expressly states " Pieds de derriere, etc." " Hind feet with the toes deeply divided, all the toes free ;" and this accords with our own observations. The account of the longicaudata by Desmarest, is evidently copied from Pennant by some culpably careless transcriber. From these observations, we would infer, 1st, that the cristatus of Linneus is the only species yet discovered in this country, and is identical with the long-tailed mole of Pennant; 2d, that the name of cristatus is entitled to priority ; 3d, that if the name longicaudata ever appears in the systems, it must be attributed to Erxleben, and not to Pennant. The C. macroura of Harlan, although adopted, described in detail and figured by Rich- ardson, we cannot, after a careful comparison of descriptions, acknowledge to be a distinct species. It is well known that the tail undergoes, at certain seasons, changes in shape and bulk ; and species founded on such characters should be received with great reserve. We have specimens of the common star-nose differing in no respect from the macroura, except in its tail not being quite as much dilated as in the figure of Richardson. It is proper, however, to add, that we have not been enabled to examine the individual from which Dr. Harlan drew up his description ; and his account purports to have been derived from a cabinet spe- cimen. The Star-nose burrows in moist places near the surface, forming elevated ridges like the Shrew-mole, and chambers for rearing their young. These are most numerous near the borders of streams. When observed in confinement, they continually attempt to hide them- selves by digging, and the cartilaginous tendrils around their nose are in perpetual motion. Godman states that they feed readily on flesh, either raw or cooked, and exhibit no willing- ness to eat vegetable matter. The Star-nose is abundant throughout New-York, where it is occasionally called the Button-nose Mole. Its geographic limits are not yet established. It is, however, known at present to be found from Hudson's Bay to Virginia. FAMILY SORECID^E. 15 GENUS SCALOPS. Cuvier. Muzzle elongated and simple, flexible, cartilaginous. Eyes minute, and scarcely visible. No external ears, but simply a minute aperture. Feet short, five-toed ; the hand broad, with fingers joined together by the integuments to the last phalanx ; the claws long and flat. Hind feet slender, with delicate hooked nails. Teeth : Incisors, § - £ ,• cheek teeth, i| - || = 34 - 46. A musky gland near the vent. THE COMMON SHREW-MOLE. SCALOPS AdUATICUS. PLATE IV. FIG a.— (STATE COLLECTION.) Sorex aquations. Lin. 12 ed. p. 74. Brown Mole. Penn. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. HI. S. aquatints. Schreber, Saugthiere, pl. 158, (indifferent.) •S'. canadensis. Harlan, Fauna Americana, p. 32. The Shreio-mole. Gc;D.man, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 81, fig. 3. Scalops canadmisis. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 9. Shrew-mole. Emmons, Massachusetts Report, 1840, p. 15. Characteristics. Fur glossy, and like velvet ; its most usual color silvery grey, brown. Length, 6-8 inches. — Var. a, bright tawny ; b, hoary. Description. Body cylindrical, without any distinctly apparent neck. Fur thick, velvety and lustrous. Head small, with its muzzle elongated to a point. The muzzle about a quarter of an inch long, and naked towards its extremity, which is truncated. The nostrils are oblong, and placed just above its smooth truncated extremity. Eyes exceedingly minute, and completely concealed among the fur. No external ear ; the auditory opening entirely concealed in the fur about three-quarters of an inch behind the eye, and just admitting the point of a pin. Fore feet apparently naked, but in fact covered with short white hairs. The five phalanges are united at the base of the claws, which are large, white, flat, slightly curved, and brownish beneath near their bases. According to Godman, it is furnished exterior to the thumb with an additional bone articulated to the wrist, and a similar rudimentary one on the external edge of the hand. Hind feet slender, thinly covered by hair, and with small white compressed claws. Tail thickest in the middle, tapering to a point, and sparsely furnished with short hairs. The descriptions of the teeth, as given by various authors, vary not only in the names given to the different kinds of teeth, but likewise in the total number ; the incisors, for instance, are confounded with the canines, these latter with the molars. Hence, when the second cheek tooth on each side is lost, the first, which is closely in contact with the incisor, is considered as a second incisor; and thus confusion arises from the inspection of a single head, or from immature or imperfect ones. Desniarest accordingly assigns thirty teeth as the total number; F. Cuvier thirty-six, in which he is copied by God- man ; and Richardson, with a fully developed skull, enumerates forty-four. We have but 16 NEW-YORK FAUNA. once seen a skull with this number ; and this formula, which has been erroneously printed, has, by another error, been applied to the star-nose. Color. The entire animal is covered with a beautiful glossy fur of silvery grey brown, somewhat lighter about the head, where it assumes a slight yellowish tinge ; but this is far from being a constant character. Muzzle of a delicate flesh color. Tail and feet whitish. Varieties are not uncommon, of a uniform bright tawny or orange, and occasionally hoary. Total length, 6*0. Tail, 1-0. This little animal, from its appearance and habits, is commonly called a mole ; but from this it is widely different. It has the burrowing habits of the common mole of Europe, but does not exclusively occupy the vicinity of rivers and water courses, as its name would seem to imply. It may naturally prefer moist places ; for the earth is more easily excavated in such situations, and its favorite food, the earth worm- (Lumbricus terrenus, Say,) is there found in the greatest abundance. They have also been observed in the dry sandy pine barrens of New-Jersey, in search of the larva? of ants. Their burrows are usually from one to three inches from the surface, although occasionally much deeper. He is well known as the pest of gardeners, defacing the smooth walks, and injuring the appearance of the beds. It may well be doubted, however, whether the good he does in destroying grubs, worms, etc. does not more than compensate for the injury he is supposed to occasion to roots and germi- nating seeds. It is asserted that he has a great aversion to the castor-oil plant (Palma Christi), and that he will avoid gardens in which they grow. Our own experience would lead us to attach little importance to this remedy. The Shrew-mole, for its size, is remarkably strong, and is capable of domestication. In eating, it employed its flexible snout to thrust food into its mouth, and frequently burrowed in the earth in order to eat its food undisturbed. An interesting account of the habits of the Shrew-mole is given by Dr. Godman,* to which we refer the reader. We take this opportunity to state, that the existence on this continent of the true mole of Europe, has frequently been asserted and denied. Dr. Harlan, in his Fauna, p. 43, has published from the manuscripts of Bartram, notes of an animal which may have reference to a true mole. Of this several varieties are noted, which, unless Bartram had the shrew-mole in view, would seem to indicate the existence of a very common species. It is to be regretted that Bartram's notes are silent respecting the dentition, which would have settled all doubts on the subject. Godman, Vol, 1, p. 106, discredits its existence ; and the translator of the American edition of Cuvier's Regne Animal, coincides with this opinion. One of the most recent writers on our Mammalia, states, however, that there are several true moles in the * Rambles of a Naturalist, by J. D. Godman, Philad. 1833. FAMILY SORECIDiE. 17 collection of the Zoological Society of London, undoubtedly from America, but the particular district was not known. The Shrew-mole has a wide geographical range, being found from Carolina to the fiftieth degree of north latitude, and from the Atlantic to the shores of the Pacific. GENUS SOREX. Linneus. Cutting teeth, §•; the upper curved and notched at the base. Head elongated; snout pro- duced and moveable. Ears short, rounded, broader than long, concealed, occasionally not elevated above the skull. Feet short, with five nails ; phalanges small, separate, with feeble hooked nails. A series of glands, exhaling a strong odor, along the flanks. Cheek teeth, 2£. Obs. This genus contains some of the smallest of our quadrupeds. The English translator of Cuvier's Regne Animal, asserts that no genuine Shrews are to be found, except on the ancient continent ; an assertion which is contradicted by the fact that thirteen species have been described in North America, and when farther investigations are made, the number will probably be much increased. It will be found that the characters of the genus will require careful revision, and several small but distinct groups will be established. The habits of the animals of this genus are nocturnal, and they burrow for the most part in the ground like the shrew-mole. All are said to be fond of the water, swimming with great ease, and diving well. DE KAY'S SHREW SOREX DEKAYI. PLATE V. FIG. 2. — (STATE COLLECTION.) Sorex dekayi. Bachman, Acad. Sc. Vol. 7, p. 377, pi. 23, fig. 4. Characteristics. Uniform dark bluish throughout. Chin light brown. Feet reddish brown. Total length 5 to 6 inches. Description. Body subfusiform, tapering gradually to the snout, which is elongated, emar- ginate, and covered near the extremity with short hairs. Head small ; nostrils terminal. Eyes visible, and 0-6 distant from the snout. No projecting external ear. Whiskers nu- merous, whitish ; the longest were five-tenths of an inch long. The fore feet 0 • 5 long, sparsely hairy, with scaly phalanges ; the internal toe or thumb is articulated high up, and is shorter than the external ; the second and fourth subequal ; the middle longest ; claws short, white, and feebly channelled beneath for two-thirds of their length from the tips. Base of the claws enlarged, and compressed laterally. Hind legs placed very far back, 0*6 long, and sparsely hairy ; the three middle claws subequal. Tail very slender, subquadrate, with Fauna. 3 18 NEW-YORK FAUNA. adpressed hairs, and slightly pencilled at the tip. Teeth white at the base, piceous at the tips. Dental formula : Incisors, § ; cheek teeth, f| = 30. (Bachman, in his valuable mono- graph cited above, attributes 18 cheek teeth lo this species.) Above, the incisors are in- curved, pointed, channelled behind, with a broad base dilated posteriorly, and furnished with a distinct point ; the four succeeding cheek teeth on each side small, with their external points most elevated ; the first of the remaining jaw teeth largest of all, with four and occasionally five distinct points ; the remainder smaller, and irregularly pointed. In the lower jaw, the incisors are long, not contiguous, and projecting horizontally from the jaw ; they are curved, with pointed tips, and channelled within ; the external edges are sharp, with two and occa sionally three distinct emarginations, the base laterally compressed. The first jaw tooth is a small pointed prism, lying immediately on the base of the incisor, and directed forwards ; the next is still over the root of the incisor, somewhat larger, with an oblique cutting edge ; the third is five-pointed, and largest of all ; the last is somewhat larger than the second. Color. Uniform glossy slate, or if we take a more definite standard, resembling the fur of the star-nose. Beneath, merely a shade lighter ; and in particular lights there is no per- ceptible difference in the color, the whole appearing hoary and lustrous. Chin and nose light brown. Feet flesh-colored. Length of head and body, . 4-8. To the end of the hairs, 0"9. Length of tail, 0-8. Girth, 2"7. I am indebted to Mr. Bell for an opportunity of examining other specimens of this Shrew, from Rockland county. In one, the length of the head and body was 3 • 5 ; of tail, 0 • 7. In others, the dimensions were somewhat smaller. The specimens from which our description is taken, were obtained from Queens county, and were described and exhibited before the Lyceum of Natural History nearly fifteen years ago. I then gave it the name of concolor, but the description was never published. Dr. Bachman, who examined the same specimen, gave the present name, which, by the just and rigid rule of priority, must be preserved. It is nearly allied to brevicaudus, but is larger and more robust in its form. This Shrew is found in Albany county, and in the southern parts of the State. Its geo- graphical range along the Atlantic extends from Massachusetts to Virginia. THE SHORT-TAILED SHEEW. SOREX BREVICAUDCS. (STATE COLLECTION.) Sorex brevicaudus. Say, Long's Exped. Vol. 1, p. 164. Short-tailed Shrew. Bachman, Ac. Sc. Vol. 7, p. 381. Harlan, Fauna, p. 29. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 79, figure. Kiktland, Ohio Report, p. 175. Linsley, Am. Jour. Sc. Vol.39, p. 388. Emmons, Mass. Rep. 1840, p. 13. Characteristics. Blackish, plumbeous above. Nose livid brown. Tail nearly as long as hind feet. Total length, 4-0-4-5. FAMILY SORECIDjE. 19 Description. Fur very long. Head large ; eyes very minute. Fore feet naked, the hind ones sparsely covered with hair. Nose emarginate. Auditory foramen large, with two dis- tinct half divisions, sparsely hairy. Nails nearly as long as the toes. Tail sparsely covered with hair. Teeth : Incisors, § ; cheek teeth, if = 32. Color. Above, blackish lead when looked at from before, and silvery lead when viewed in an opposite direction : paler beneath. Teeth black ; nose livid brown ; feet white. Length of head and body, 3 • 2 - 3 ' 5. Tail, 0-9-1-0. I have seen several specimens of this animal from the opposite shore" of New-Jersey, and have heard of its capture near Albany, but have never had the fortune to meet with it in this State. Mr. Linsley, in the work cited above, states that he has taken it in Connecticut, answering exactly to the description given by Godman. Since the above was written, I have had an opportunity of examining a recent specimen from Queens county, which I refer to this species with the following description : Rostrum robust, broad. Whiskers numerous, long, radiating ; those along the margin of the mouth 0*5 long. A projecting fleshy septum just anterior to the two upper incisors, and extending nearly between them. Fur thick, moderately long, dark brown, very sparse around the region of the mouth and on the extremities, rather allowing the skin beneath to be seen ; rather more dense on the tail. Nose dark brown, bifid. Eyes with a small naked space around them, 0'55 distant from the nose. Auditory hole large, transverse, narrowed beneath, naked, with an oblique septum across the upper half, and a small lobe near the middle, about 0" 5 posterior to the eye. Fore feet 0- 5 long ; three toes subequal, longest ; outer toe slightly longer than the inner. Tubercles on the palms six ; two in a line behind the inner toe, and two behind the outer ; the fifth between the base of the second and third toes, counting from the outside, and the sixth is placed at the base of the fourth toe. On the hind feet, the tubercles are similar in number and situation, but are larger and more distinct. When the animal lies on its back, with the hind legs extended, the claws reach beyond the middle of the tail. Tail cylindrical, very slightly tapering. Total length, 4"00. Of the tail, 0-75. Hind feet, 0-75. THE SMALL SHREW. SOREX PARVUS. Sorex parvus. Say, Long's Exped. Vol. 1, p. 163. Linsley, Am. Jour. Vol. 39, p. 388. Small Shrew. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 78, pi. fig. 2. Characteristics. Color brownish ash above, ash beneath. Tail one-third the length of head and body. Total length 3 • 0 - 3 • 5. 20 NEW- YORK FAUNA. Description. I have not had an opportunity of examining this species ; but as it has been found in Connecticut, it will in all probability be detected in this State. We subjoin the description given by Say, the original describer : " Body above brownish cinereous, beneath " cinereous; head elongated; eyes and ears concealed; whiskers long, the longest nearly " attaining the back of the head ; nose naked, emarginate ; front teeth black, lateral ones " piceous ; feet whitish, five-toed ; nails prominent, acute, white ; tail short, sub-cylindric, of " moderate thickness, slightly thicker in the middle, whitish beneath. Length of head and "body, 2-4; of tail, 0-75." Richardson, p. 8, states that a specimen obtained at Behring's Straits, is probably to be referred to this species : " Dark brownish grey above, and grey beneath ; length of head and " body 2-3, tail l'O." Mr. Linsley, Op. sup. cit., describes his parvus with the following dimension : " Head and " body 2-0, tail 0'75." In a letter to me, January, 1842, he states, "though a trifle shorter " than your Otisorex platyrhinus, it was larger in bulk ; nevertheless it could not have weighed " over 50 - 60 grains, the otisorex weighing 47 grains. The parvus, I am satisfied, could " not have been the young of dekayi or brevicaudus, from his peculiar construction being " wholly unlike either of the other three species ; besides, I have both the old and young of " the latter." FORSTERS SHREW. SOREX FORSTERI. PLATE XXI. FIG. 3. American Shrew. Forster, Phil. Trans. Vol. 62, p. 3, 381. Sorex forsteri. Richardson, Zool. Jour. 1828. Gafpar, Zool. Jour. Vol. 5, p. 201. Forster's Shrew-mouse. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 6. Sorex forsteri. Bachman, Ac. Sciences, Vol. 7, p. 386, pi. 24, fig. 6. Characteristics. Small ; dark cinereous, tipped with brown ; beneath cinereous. Fur short. Ears broad and hairy. Tail nearly as long as the body. Length four inches. ■ Description. Body slender. Nose elongated and divided at the tip. Ears somewhat shorter than the fur, and concealed beneath it. Whiskers long, and white and black. Fur fine and short. Feet slender, with five white and slender toes: Tail foursided, with a slight pencil of hairs at the tip. Teeth piceous at the tips, as in the most of the species. Dental formula : Incisors, §; cheekteeth, if = 32. The two medial incisors above, with a lobe behind; beneath, the two medial incisors with two obtuse lobes. Color. Fur, for two-thirds of its length, dark ash above, and brown at the tips ; beneath, lighter ash. Feet flesh-colored, with short yellowish white hairs. Tail dark brown above, soiled white beneath. FAMILY SORECIDjE. 21 Total length, 4-0. Of tail, 1'5. Length of head and body, . 2 "5. Of head, 0-8. This hardy little animal is found as far north as the sixty-seventh degree of latitude, and was first noticed by Forster in the work cited above, notwithstanding the English translator of Cuvier asserts " that no genuine Shrews are to be found except on the ancient continent." The tracks of this species are seen frequently during winter on the snow ; and this has been noticed by Richardson, even when the thermometer stood at 40 to 50 degrees below zero. They are found in all parts of the State, but we are as yet uncertain as to their southern range. THE CAROLINA SHREW. SOREX CAROLINENS1S. PLATE XXI. FIG. 2. Sorex carolinensis. Bachman, Ac. Nat. Sc. Vol. 7, p. 366, pi. 23, fig. 1. Characteristics. Uniform iron grey. Tail short, flat, nearly half the length of the head. Larger than the preceding. Description. Body rather robust. Snout long and slender, with a bilobate tip.. No external ears, but simply an auditory aperture. Whiskers long, and in some lights whitish. Eyes exceedingly minute. Fore feet rather robust, covered sparsely with hairs ; hind feet more slender. Nails moderate, subequal. Tail flat, with a small thin pencil at tip. Dental for- mula : Incisors, | ; cheek teeth, ff = 36 ; all piceous at their tips. Color. A bright lustrous iron-grey over the surface, the base being of a slate color. Nose and feet flesh-colored. Head and body 4 - 0. Headl'O. Tail 0*4. We have referred, with some doubts, specimens of a Shrew commonly found in this State, to this species. In this we have followed Bachman, until we had an opportunity of examin- ing a specimen in a living state. Such an occasion has not yet presented itself. In the only one which I had an opportunity to examine with any attention, the number of cheek teeth exceeded those assigned to this species by Bachman. According to this author, their nests are about a foot under ground, and composed of fibres of roots and grasses. They feed on worms, larvae of insects, etc. This species requires farther examination. (EXTRA-LIMITAL.) S. cinereus. (Bachman, Ac. Sc. Vol. 7, p. 373, pi. 23, fig-. 3.) Dark iron-grey above, silver grey beneath; teeth 26; length 3-3. Carolina. S. richardsonii. (Id. ib. p. 383, pi. 24, fig. 5.) & parvus. (Richardson, Vol. 1, p. 8.) Rusty brown above, beneath cinereous ; total length 4*2; teeth 32. N. W. Territory. 22 NEW- YORK FAUNA. S. cooperi. (Id. ib. p. 388, pi. 24, fig. 7.) Dark brown, beneath ash; nose long and pointed ; tail as long as the head and body; total length 3 -5. N. W. Territory. The smallest quadruped yet observed in the United States. S. fimbripes. (Id. ib. p. 391, pi. 24, fig. 8.) Dark brown above, fawn-colored beneath; feet broad, fringed at the edges ; tail a little shorter than the body ; total length 3*9. Pennsylvania. S. palustris. (Richardson, F. B. A. p. 5.) Blackish hoary above, lighter beneath ; total length 6*2. Arctic Regio?is. GENUS OTISOREX. Ears large and prominent, beyond the fur. Nose elongated. Eyes distinct. Tail quad- rangular. Teeth, 33. Obs. We have ventured to propose this group, founded upon a northern and southern species, both exceedingly small. THE BROAD-NOSED SHREW. Otisorex platyrhinus. PLATE V. FIG. 1. — (STATE COLLECTION.) Characteristics. Dark brown, paler beneath. Total length, four inches. Description. Head large. Nose much elongated, and flattened vertically ; bordered on each side above with long whiskers, the tips of the most posterior extending beyond the ears ; a few shorter ones on the lower jaw. Extremity of the muzzle naked and blackish, bilobate at the tip ; nostrils small, lateral. Eyes small, but distinct and black, equi-distant between the tip of the nose and the margins of the ears. Ears very large, rounded and membrana- ceous, sub-angular on the upper margin, sparsely covered within and without with long hairs ; a transverse membranous septum across the auditory foramen, thinly covered with hair. Fore feet feeble, pentadactyle, 0-5 long. Toes separate, covered with short, shining, whitish hairs ; internal shortest ; the outer, second, fourth and third, counting from within, suc- cessively longer. Nails moderate, slightly curved. Hind feet slender, 0-8 long, sparsely covered with light rufous hairs. Tail quadrangular, slightly constricted at its base, tapering to a point, covered thinly with short hairs, but not concealing the annulations. Fur over the whole body quite long and thick, varying from 0*2 to 0'4 inches. Tongue long, sublinear, papillose with transverse ruga;. Weight, 45-50 grains. Skull elongated. Teeth minute, tinged with piceous at their tips. Dental formula : Incisors, §; cheekteeth, -]-£ = 32. In the upper jaw the incisors are short, with broad and dilated bases : They have a double tip, the posterior being small, distant and tubercular ; the five succeeding are small, the fifth being, however, so exceedingly minute as to escape observation, unless aided by the lens ; the sixth with a trifid tip, and a small dilated tubercular heel ; the seventh and eighth sub- FAMILY URSID.E. 23 equal, larger than the preceding, with the heel more robust ; the last very small, with a single colored tip on its anterior margin. Beneath, the incisors arc in a line with the lower jaw, with two distant tubercles on the outer margin : The first cheek teeth small, and lying on the base of the incisor, with a single tip ; the second larger, with two small eminences ; the third largest of all, and with three very acute tips ; the two succeeding similar in shape, but smaller. Color. Dark cinereous, slightly tinged with dusky rufous, particularly on the upper part of the muzzle and inferior portion of the neck ; beneath, ash grey. Length of head and body, . 2 "5. Of head, 0-9. Length of tail, 1*6. Height of ear, 0-2. I am indebted to Mr. J. G. Bell, a zealous and acute observer, for the opportunity offered of making the preceding description. It was captured last summer at Tappan, Rockland county, in the cellar of a dwelling house, having taken up its abode between the stones of the foundation. It was exceedingly agile ; and when excited, emitted a shrill, twittering squeak. It ate greedily of fresh meat, but died in the course of a few days. Through the politeness of my friend, the Revd. J. H. Linsley of Elmwood Place, Connecticut, I had an opportunity of examining another specimen, which was obtained from a log in the forest in winter, near Stratford. According to Mr. Linsley, it weighed 47 grains ; and he adds, "it is the smallest " quadruped I have seen, and probably the least in America." It appears very closely allied to the Long-nosed Shrew of Bachman, but differs in its general color, its larger size, and its proportionally longer tail. Dr. Bachman inclines to the opinion that his species is aquatic in its habits. (EXTRA-LIMITAL.) O. longirostris. (Bachman, Ac. Sc. Vol. 7, p. 370, pi. 23, fig. 2.) Chesnut; nose elongated; total length 2 • 8. South Carolina. FAMILY III. URSIDsE. Six incisors in each jaw. Teeth of three kinds. Feet with strong claws. Nose moveable, adapted for excavating. Walk on the soles of the feet. Carnivorous and frugivorous. Some species hybernate. This group comprises the Bear, the Raccoon, Badger and Wolverine of this country. They can scarcely be said to be prejudicial to man. 24 NEW- YORK FAUNA. GENUS URS.US. Linneus. Head large ; body and limbs large and powerful. Covered with long shaggy hair. Grinders varying in number, the four last large and tubercular. No glandular pouch under the tail, which is very short. Incisors, £ ; canines, § ; molars, if = 42. THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. Ursus americanus. PLATE VI. FIG. I. Ursus americanus. Pallas, Spicileg. Zool. Vol. 14, p. 6. Slack Bear. Penn. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 57. U. americanus. Harlan, Fauna, p. 51. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 114. Plate. Oursgulaire. Geoffroy, Mem. Mas. (Variety.) The Black Bear. Emmons, Mass. Rep. 1840, p. 20; Characteristics. Black or brownish black ; a soiled brown or yellowish patch on each side of the nose. Facial outline somewhat arched. Young with hair wavy or curled. Description. Ears high, oval, rounded at the tips, and distant. Soles of the feet short ; the hair projects slightly beyond the claws. Fur long, straight, shining and rather soft. Tail very short. Claws short, blunt, somewhat incurved. Color. Beside the general black color of the body, which is occasionally light brown, verging in some instances into soiled yellowish, the sides of the nose are of a fawn color ; occasionally a white dash on the forehead or throat, and sometimes a small spot of the same is seen above the eyes. Length 4 to 6 feet. The Bear, once so numerous in this State, is now chiefly to be found in the mountainous and thinly inhabited districts, where they breed. The female, after a gestation of about one hundred days, brings forth two cubs. It does not eat animal food from choice, and never unless pressed by hunger : it prefers berries and fruits. In the forests in the northern parts of the State, a tornado will sometimes sweep through a region, prostrating the pines to an extent of many miles. In the course of a few years, the wild cherry tree springs up in great numbers on this tract ; and in the fruit season, it becomes the resort of numerous bears.* It also feeds-upon the whortleberry, grapes, honey, persimons (Diospyros), and roots of various kinds. Its fondness for sweet things is evident whenever it enters an apple orchard, invari- ably selecting the sweetest kinds. It will also devour eggs, insects, and small quadrupeds and birds ; but when it has abundance of its favorite vegetable food, will pass the carcase of * The effects of such a tornado we observed in Hamilton county, in the summer of 1840, near Eighth lake. The course of the windfall, as' it is popularly called, was from west to east. It extended thirty miles, with a breadth varying from half a mile to two miles. This occurred fifteen years ago. It has been subsequently burned over, and abounds in poplar, white birch, wild cherries, wild raspberries, etc., which attracted to this district great numbers of deer and numerous bears. FAMILY URSIDyE. 25 a deer without touching it. The Bear is an imitative animal ; and hence, when it meets a man, it will rise on its hind legs, but is apparently soon satisfied with the comparison, and endeavors to make its escape. It is a great traveller, and when pursued by tracking, has been known to perform long journeys. It never makes immediately for its retreat ; but approaches it in a circling manner. A bear was started near Schroon some years since, and after a chase of eighteen days, was finally killed. Although seldom seen during the chase, yet he appeared to be fully aware that he was an object of pursuit, and the worn and lacerated condition of his feet testified to his exertions to escape. They are numerous along the borders of the Saranac, and in the mountainous regions of Rockland and Greene. Occasion- ally they invade the enclosures of the farmer, in search of potatoes and indian corn. Their depredations are, however, speedily checked ; for they are timid, and will never attack a man, unless previously wounded, or in defence of their young. Some of the hunters imagine that there are two varieties of the common Black Bear, viz. the short-legged and the long- legged ; but others inform me that the difference is owing entirely to the fact that some are fatter and more robust, which produces an apparent difference in the length of their legs. The Yellow Bear of Carolina, and the Cinnamon Bear of the northern regions, are varieties of this species. In this State, they retire with the first fall of snow, to caverns, or to the hollow of some decayed tree, or beneath a prostrate tree, during the winter, and pass three or four months in a state of torpidity. In more southern latitudes, the hybernation is of shorter duration, and ceases to occur when the mildness of the winter enables them to procure food. They are fat when they enter their winter quarters, and much emaciated when they leave it in the spring. Indeed this condition of fatness is so necessary, that when the supply of food is cut off, instead of retiring to winter quarters, they migrate southwardly to warmer regions. Hence great numbers are occasionally known to enter our territory from the north, composed entirely of lean males, or females not with young. The flesh of the bear is savory, but rather luscious, and tastes not unlike pork. It was once so common an article of food in New-York, as to have given the name of Bear market to one of the principal markets in the city. The female goes with young seven months, bringing forth two young in February or March. The oil sells for one dollar per pound, and the skin from four to twelve dollars, according to its value. The engraving illustrative of this species was taken from a very large individual shot on the Kaaterskill mountains, Greene county, during the winter of 1839. It measured six feel and a half from the nose to the tip of the tail ; and at the foreshoulders, measured three feet two inches from the ground. (EXTRA-LIMITAL) U.ferox. (Say, Long's Exped. 2, 244. Richardson, pi. 1 and 2.) Larger than the preceding color white, brown and black intermixed; facial outline nearly straight. Northern arid western regions. U. maritimus. (Godman, pi. fig.) White; facial outline somewhat convex ; ears small; soles of the feet very long. Arctic Sea. Fauna. 4 26 NEW-YORK FAUNA. GENUS PROCYON. Storr. Head short, triangular, with a fox-like appearance. Muzzle tapering, and projecting considerably beyond the mouth. Ears small. Tail long, bushy, not prehensile. Stand on the heel of the hinder leg, but walk on the toes. Mamma, six, ventral. Feel five-toed, with large and strong nails. A glandular pouch on each side of the vent. Incisors, £ ; canines, § ; molars, \% = 40. Nocturnal, THE RACCOON. Procton lotor. plate vi. fig. 2. — (state collection.) Linneus, Beskrifnung pa ctt americanst djur. Vetensk. Acad. Handl. 1747, p. 277. Ursus americanus, Cauda elongata. Lin. Analect. Transalp. Tom. 2, p. 35. Ursus lotor. Lin. ed. 12, p. 35. Roloff, Description d'un Quadrupede d'Amerique. Hist, de Acad, de Berlin, 1750, p. 149. Schultze, 'Bemerkungen iiber den waschharen. Hamburg, 1787. Raccoon Bear. Pennant, Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 69. Procyon lotor. Harlan, Fauna, p. 54. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 163, (figure.) P. id. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 36. The Raccoon. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1840, p. 25. Characteristics. Brownish ; a broad black patch across the eyes. Tail bushy, and ringed with black and grey. Total length 2 to 3 feet. Description. Body rather low on the legs, and covered with long bushy hair. Ears erect, with rounded tips. Head rounded, terminating in a pointed muzzle. Feet with five toes, furnished with sharp curved claws. Soles with five stout tubercles. Pupils round. Female larger than the male.- Hair on the legs and feet short. Color varies somewhat with age, sex and season. In the very fine specimen in the State Collection, the color above is a dark grey mixed with black. Ears dingy white ; muzzle black; the chin and space above the snout reddish white. The broad black band across the eyes unites under the throat ; the upper edge of this band is margined with white over the cheeks and eyes. Hair beneath long and hoary. • Tail annulafed, with twelve alternate bands of black and light, fulvous ; tip black. In the female, the black markings on the body and tail are of a deeper hue. Total length 36 inches ; tail, 10. This is a well known animal, found in every part of the State. It has been quaintly de- scribed as having the limbs of a bear, the body of a badger, the head of a fox, the nose of a dog, the tail of a cat, and sharp claws by which it climbs trees like a monkey. The Raccoon is a restless, mischievous animal, feeding on wild and domesticated fowls, frogs, lizards, fish and insects. From its fondness for water, it is most usually found in low wooded swamps, making its lair in some hollow tree, and producing four to six cubs at a litter about: the begin- ning of April. It is susceptible of domestication. Its fur is an article of considerable value FAMILY URSID,E. 27 ill commerce, being used principally in the fabrication of hats. Its flesh, when young and tender, is savory, tasting not unlike pig; but in adults, is rank and disagreeable. Occa- sionally the raccoon commits great ravages among indian corn, while it is in a milky state ; and this, together with his occasional descents upon the barn-yard, scarcely compensates the farmer for his zeal in digging up and devouring grubs or larva? of injurious insects. The Raccoon is found all over North America. It has been seen as high as 60° north on the Pacific Ocean. Its southern limits are not so well defined, although it is said to exist as far as Paraguay ; it may possibly be confounded with another species, which, however, has not yet been clearly identified. (EXTRA-LIMITAL.) Genus Meles, Brisson. Body robust, low on the legs; ears short and wide; anterior nails very large. Tail short, with a glandular pouch beneath. Incisors, f ; canines, § ; molars, }§ = 38. Bur- rowing ; nocturnal. M.labradoria. American badger. (Godman, 1, 176, fig. Rich. pi. 2.) Hoary; a white stripe down the forehead ; a greyish brown or blackish patch includes the eye, and extends to the tip of the nose. Tail 3. Northern regions. Plains of Missouri. Obs. In some parts of this State, the woodchuck (Arctomys monax) is called Badger ; but I am not aware that the true Badger exists here. GENUS GULO. Storr, Cuvier. Body long, and low on the legs. Soles of the hind feet capable of being applied ivholly or in part upon the ground. Tail bushy. A simple fold beneath the tail, instead of a glandular pouch. Feet five-toed, with strong hooked claws. 36 - 38 teeth. Carniverous. Noc- turnal. Obs. This genus is arranged by some naturalists among the Mustelidce, to which indeed it bears by its dental system a close relation. The ensemble of its characters would seem, however, to place it in its present family, making an easy transition to the next. In the latest systematic writers, four species are noted, most of them peculiar to America. The two from North America appear to differ only in color, and are considered by many as mere varieties. THE WOLVERENE. GtJLO LUSCUS. PLATE XII. FIG. 2. —(CABINET OF THE LYCEUM.) Carcajou,. La Hontan, Voyage, Vol. 1, p. 81. Ursus luscus. LlN. 12 ed. p. 71. Wolverene. Penn. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 60. Lawson, Carolina, figure. Gulo arcticus. Harlan, Fauna, p. 60. G. luscus. Godman, Am. Nat. Hiit. Vol. 1, p. 185, plate. Wolverene. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 41. 28 NEW-YORK FAUNA. Characteristics. Color dark brown, passing into black, with a lighter broad band on the flanks and thighs. Tail with long pendulous hairs. Description. Body stout and compactly made, with an arched back, and little elevated from the ground. Head small, broad, rounded, suddenly diminishing to the nose. Ears small, rounded, and nearly concealed among the fur. Eyes small. Fur loose and shaggy. The tail, which scarcely exceeds six inches, is very bushy, and covered on its sides and extremity with long pendulous hairs. Legs short and ihick ; toes distinct, and armed with five hooked claws. Soles of the fore feet with five, and hind feet with four tubercles. Color. There is a great variety in the general color of this animal, varying from light cream to a deep blackish brown. Its usual color is as follows : Blackish brown, becoming deeper on the sides of the face, on the back and extremities ; more or less white on the chin and between the fore legs. Hair on the tail, deep black ; on the legs, brownish black. A pale crescent-shaped band over the head, between the ears and the eyes. A broad band of light chesnut along the flanks, becoming dilated on the thigh, and ascending over the rump, where it meets with a similar band from the other side. The young have a uniform downy cream- colored fur. Head and body, 24" 0; tail (vertebra?), 6'0; including fur, 9-0. Although we have not met with this animal, yet hunters who have killed them repeatedly, and knew them well, have assured us that they are still found in the districts north of Raquet lake. It is, however, every where a rare species. Prof. Emmons states that they still exist in the Hoosac mountains, Massachusetts. The Wolverene is a very troublesome and destructive animal. Like the Fisher, it has been known to follow " a sable line" of 40 - 50 miles, destroying every trap for the purpose of obtaining the bait. Much of the fictitious history of this animal is founded on the circum- stance that the name of Wolverene is also applied to the Felis rufa, or Bay Lynx ; and in this we are to account for its habit of climbing trees, etc. attributed to it by Lawson, Buffon and others. It destroys great numbers of the smaller quadrupeds. The celebrated half breed, John Hunter, informed me that it was called gwing-gwah-gay by the Indians of his tribe, which he interpreted "a tough thing," or as he afterwards explained it, "a hard character," in allusion to its mischievous disposition. He assured me that he had known it fo be domes- ticated, and employed by the Indians to catch beaver. The Wolverene was formerly found as far south as Carolina, but its southern limits at pre- sent do not extend south of the forty-second degree. To the north, it extends to the polar seas, as high as the seventy-fifth degree of north latitude. FAMILY MUSTELID^E. 29 FAMILY IV. MUSTELIDjE. Comprises small carnivorous animals, with long vermiform bodies on short feet. Neck long. Ears short and rounded. Tail long, rarely bushy. Digitigrade, or walking on their toes. All diffusing a strong odor, which in some genera forms a defensive weapon. In- cisors, | ; canines, § ; cheek teeth, ^ = 34 - 36. Obs. This family embraces the animals formerly included in the old linnean genus Mustek, and familiarly known in this country under the names of Mink, Skunk, Weasel and Marten. They have been distributed by Cuvier into four, and by later writers into fifteen genera, in- cluding nearly sixty species distributed over the globe. In this State, we have the types of three genera : Mephitis, Mustek and Putorius. GENUS MEPHITIS. Cuvier. Head small, ivith a blunt muzzle and slight arched facial outline. Fur coarse and shaggy. Tail bushy. Forefeet robust, with five long stout claivs. Incisors, £ ; canines, § ; cheek teeth, T% = 32. Nocturnal. Burrowing. Peculiar to America. Obs. Were we to place reliance upon figures and descriptions, we might enumerate nineteen species ; all of which are, however, considered mere varieties. THE SKUNK. Mephitis Americana, plate xii. fig. ]. — (state collection.) Viverra mephitis. Lin. Gmel. Striated Weasel, and Skunk. Penn. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 83 and 85. • Stifling Weasel. LosKIEL, p. 85. Mnsteta americana. Desmarest, Mamtn. p. 186. Mephitis id. Sabine, Frank. Jour. p. 653. Harlan, Fauna, p. 70. M. id. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 213, figure. M. id. var. hudsonica. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 55. Characteristics. Black or brownish black, with an irregular whitish patch or stripe over the shoulders. Many varieties in its white marks. Length about two feet. Description. Head small, when compared to the mass of the body ; arched on its facial out- line. Snout obtuse. Eyes small and black. Ears small, broad and rounded. Feet broad) and covered with hair, concealing the strong and white claws ; those on the anterior extremi- ties very robust and curved. Canines strong and conical. The great carnivorous molar above, with a large internal tubercle. Trunk of the tail of a moderate length, about half the length of the head and body. 30 NEW-YORK FAUNA. Colo?'. The variations in its markings are so great, that it is almost impossible to construct a specific phrase, applicable to the greatest number of these varieties. The specimen in the State Collection, which is remarkable for its size and the beauty of its fur, presents the fol- lowing appearances : Deep jet black over the whole body and tail, with the exceptions to be noted. A narrow longitudinal white streak, rather more than an inch in length, commences between the eyes, and extends to the nape. Somewhat posterior to this, is a broad patch of a light cream-color, commencing abruptly, dilated on the sides of the neck, then narrowing on the shoulders where it bifurcates. It terminates dilated on the side, where the base of the hair appears tinted with flesh-color ; a few straggling white hairs on the rump. Tail with white hairs, but black throughout so much of outer ends as to assume that color, except where they are entirely white and quite long. Total length, 30' 0; tail (vertebra;), 9"0; tips of hairs, 13-0. This well known and thoroughly detested animal is supposed to exist tliroughout the whole American continent, from th« frozen regions of the north, to Paraguay and Chili. The pecu- liar organs of defence with which it is provided, render it highly interesting. These fetid and detestable discharges do not proceed from the bladder ; nor is it distributed over its enemies by its tail, as is generally supposed. It proceeds from two anal glands, which open by ducts into the rectum, and is ejected by muscular exertion at the will of the animal ; the tail being elevated at the same time, in order to prevent its coming into contact with this yellow fluid, which must be as disgusting to itself as it is deadly nauseating to its enemies. It is stated by Godman, that this fetid discharge was perceived at night to be luminous. Fortunately for the comfort of his neighbors, he appears to be a peaceful animal, and never emits his potent odors unless attacked by an animal larger than himself. Some idea of the subtle and far per- vading influence of this fetor may be conceived from a fact by Dr. Wiley of Block Island, in the Medical Repository : He has distinctly perceived the smell of a skunk, although the nearest land was twenty miles distant. It is nocturnal in its habits, and is often seen sporting about on a bright moonlight night. He is a good burrower, and for this purpose his fore feet and claws are well adapted. I have seen some of their burrows running horizontally twelve to fifteen feet under ground, at about two feet below the surface. The flesh, when carefully prepared, is very sweet ; but from the general repugnance to its unsavory habits, it is only eaten by the curious or the indigent. A person in my neighborhood took nineteen from one burrow, and salted them for family use during the winter. It produces from six to ten at a litter. It feeds on birds and their eggs, on frogs, and on field mice and other small quadrupeds. He is regarded as a fit subject for extermination, on account of the havoc whicrf he causes in the poultry-house and barn-yard. His fur is coarse, and of no value as an article of com- merce. FAMILY MUSTELINE. 31 GENUS MUSTELA. Cuvier. Head small, oval. Fur exceedingly fine. Tail usually long and cylindrical. One addi- tional molar above and below. THE FISHER. Ml'STELA CANADENSIS. PLATE XIII. FIG. 1. Skull. — (CABINET OF THE LYCEUM.) Muslela canadensis. Lin. Gmel. Vol. 1, p. 95. The Fisher. Penn. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 82. M. pennanti. Erxleben, System, p. 470. M. canadensis. Harlan, Faun. Am. p. G5. Pennant's Marten. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 203. Pekan or Fisher. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. ], p. 52. Pekan or Fisher Weasel. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1838, p. 24 ; of 1840, p. 38. Black Cat of the New-York hunters. Characteristics. Greyish over the head and anterior parts of the body ; dark brown or black behind. Tail bushy. The largest of the genus. Description. Form of the body typical. Head broad ; nose-acute. Ears about three inches from the nose, broad, rounded and distant. Canines long, more particularly those of the upper jaw ; penultimate molar with a process on its inner anterior margin. Fore feet shorter than hind feet, robust, and covered with long hair. Soles of the feet thickly covered with short hair. Toes connected partially by a short hairy web ; the nails sharp, strong, and incurved. Tail moderately long, bushy and acuminated at the tip, the hairs reaching two and a half to three inches beyond the vertebrae. Fur long, fine and lustrous, increasing in length on the posterior parts of the animal ; it consists of two kinds, a short brown down, and longer and more rigid hairs ; longer and blacker in winter than in summer. Color. The markings are somewhat irregular ; and there is a variety which, with the ex- ception of the nose and feet, is entirely white. The general and more usual distribution of the colors is noted in the specific phrase. The long rigid hairs are brown at the base, and greyish towards the tips. This greyish color predominates so much on the head, neck, shoulders, upper and anterior portions of the body, as to give to those parts a hoary appearance. Towards the posterior part of the body, and including the tail, the color deepens into a dark brown or jet black. Throat, legs and belly blackish brown, with occasionally a small white spot on its throat, and a trace of another on the belly, sometimes unspotted beneath. Chin and nose brown. Ears margined with yellowish white. It is said to be lighter in winter than in summer. Length of head and body, 24' 0 ; of tail (vertebras), 1 1 ■ 0. The Fisher or Black Cat of our hunters, is a large and powerful animal, standing nearly a foot from the ground. It was formerly very abundant in this State, but is now confined to 32 NEW-YORK FAUNA. thinly settled northern districts. Twenty years ago, they were numerous in the western part of the State, where they are now scarcely ever seen. It is a nocturnal species, and lives chiefly on the smaller quadrupeds, but also devours frogs, fish and serpents. It climbs trees with great ease, and takes up its abode in the trunk of a tree. It appears to prefer marshy wooded swamps, and the vicinity of lakes and water courses. The name of Fisher, which has been censured as not applicable to this animal, is, however, that by which it is best known, and which it has received from its characteristic habits. Richardson states that it feeds on the hoards of frozen fish stored up by the residents. We are informed by a person who resided many years near Lake Oneida, where the Fisher was then common, that the name was derived from its singular fondness for the fish used to bait traps. The hunters were in the practice of soaking their fish over night, and it was frequently carried off by the fisher, whose well known tracks were seen in the vicinity. In Hamilton county it is still numerous and troublesome. The hunters there have assured me that they have known a fisher to destroy twelve out of thirteen traps in a line of not more than fourteen miles in length. It brings forth two young annually. The hunting season for the fisher in the northern part of the State, commences about the tenth of October, and lasts to the middle of May, when the furs are not so valuable. The ordinary price is $1"50 per skin ; but it is not so fine, nor so highly valued as that of the sable. Its geographical range is included between the fortieth and seventieth parallels of latitude, extending across the continent. THE AMERICAN SABLE. MCSTELA MARTES. PLATE XI. FIG. 2. — PLATE XIX. FIG. 2. Skull. — (CABINET OF THE LYCEUM.) Mustela martes. Lin. Gmel. Vol. 1, p. 95. Pine Marten. Pekn. Arct. Zool. Vol. ], p. 76. Harlan, Fauna, p. 67. Godman, Vol. 1, p. 200, figure. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 51, (summer dress.) M. zibbellina? Godman, Vol. 1, p. 208. M. huro. Fred. Cuvier. Pine Marten. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1838, p. 25. The Sable of the New-York hunters. Characteristics. Varying in color from tawny to brown or black. Head constantly lighter. Length 20 - 30 inches. Description. Head long and pointed. Stands rather high on its feet. Ears broad, short, and somewhat acuminated. Eyes small and black. Tail bushy, and enlarged towards the end. Toes with long, slender and compressed nails, nearly concealed by the hair. Color, various, according to age, season and latitude. The following notes are derived from four specimens in the Cabinet of the Lyceum : No. 1 is larger and higher colored than the others, measuring thirty inches in its total length. Head, sides of the neck and upper part of the throat white. Chin with a slight FAMILY MUSTELID^E. 33 tinge of brown. Ears margined with white. Reddish brown behind the ears. The inside of the legs, inferior and posterior parts of the feet, and the palms, dark brown. Tail ten and a half inches long, the tip of the hairs extending four inches beyond the vertebrae ; dark brown at the tip, intermixed with a few white hairs ; remainder of the body and tail yellowish white, becoming deeper on the posterior parts of the body. Throughout pale yellow. Claws white. The plate represents this specimen. No. 2 is smaller, being only twenty-two inches in length. Head, chin and cars entirely white. Feet at the base with an obsolete circle of dusky brown. A dusky indistinct line along the dorsal ridge. Tail dusky for two-thirds of its length from the tip. General color bright orange, more vivid on the flanks and abdomen. Palms light-colored. No. 3 and 4 resemble each other in the distribution of their colors, but are smaller than the preceding. Head greyish white ; brownish behind the ears. General color fulvous, inter- mixed on the back and abdomen with brown, giving a dark hue to the animal. Legs, feet and tail blackish brown, the latter increasing in intensity towards its tip. The Sable is a very pretty and active little animal, inhabiting the elevated and wooded districts in the northern parts of the State. It lives entirely in trees, and brings forth six to eight at a litter. It is a nocturnal animal, and excessively carnivorous ; feeding on mice, birds' eggs, squirrels, etc. The females are said to be smaller than the males. It has been tamed ; but from its petulant character, is never docile. The fur is exceedingly beautiful, and highly esteemed. The hunters assure me, that as you proceed north, the fur becomes darker and more valuable, but this seems rather a peculiarity in certain districts. Those obtained in our State, are more usually of the color noted in the figure, and sell for about $1-25 apiece. The Sable is exceedingly active, and destroys great quantities of squirrels, the red squirrel only occasionally escaping by its superior agility. It is so prolific, and finds the means of living with so much ease, that it would long since have multiplied to a great extent, were it not hunted so perseveringly for its fur. The hunting season for the sable in this State begins about the tenth of October, and ends in the middle of April. The hunters assert, that in the beech-nut season, when they are very abundant, the sable will not touch bait of any kind, believing that at that time it feeds upon these nuts. It is probable, however, that the abundance of nuts attracts great numbers of the smaller quadrupeds, who are thus offered an easy prey to the sable. A line of traps for these animals, technically called " a sable line," sometimes extends sixty or seventy miles, containing six to ten traps in a mile, according to the nature of the ground. The construction of these traps is exceedingly simple. The hunter cuts off long chips from the nearest tree, and drives them into the ground, forming three sides of a square about six inches across ; the top is covered with spruce boughs. The bait, which is either a bit of venison, mice, red squirrel, or any other small animal, is put on the end of a round stick and placed within the trap, resting on a round stick lying on the ground across the open end ; on this rests a short upright stick, supporting a heavy log or small tree. Any distur- bance of the bait causes the log to fall and crush the animal. These traps are visited once a Fauna. 5 34 NEW-YORK FAUNA. fortnight, and oftener if practicable. The fisher and wolvrene, as we have before remarked, will often destroy these traps, by breaking into them behind, and eat up not only the bait, but the captured animal. I am inclined to believe that the American Sable is very distinct from the Pine Marten of Europe, with which it is usually arranged ; but as I have had no means of making a direct comparison, I shall adhere to the ancient name. Its geographical range extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and it is found in all the dry wooded districts between the fortieth and sixty-eighth parallels of north latitude. THE SMALL WEASEL. MCSTELA PUSILLA. PLATE XIV. FIG. 1. — (ALBANY MUSEUM.) Mustela (Putorius) vulgaris. Richardsox, (excl. syn.j Fauna Bor. Am. Vol. 1, p. 45. P. vulgaris. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1840, p. 44. Characteristics. Color same as that of P. noveboracensis in its summer coat, but smaller; unchanging. Tail one-fourth of the whole length. Length 12- 13 inches. Description. Body vermiform ; head somewhat obtusely pointed. Ears broad, wide, and slightly pointed above. Eyes black and prominent. A series of dark brownish whiskers along the upper lips, and another, consisting of five or six, parallel with it above ; a small patch of two or three above the eye. Fore feet short, and rather robust ; claws acute, curved, and almost entirely concealed by the long hairs. Tail short, cylindrical, even throughout, not bushy ; the tips of hairs extending beyond the vertebra;. Teeth of the typical number ; above, the two outer incisors largest, the intermediate ones equal ; beneath, they are crowded, with the two external largest, the two intermediate small, and the remaining two behind and somewhat between the external and medial incisors. In the upper jaw, the second jaw tooth is small and distant, the posterior with a large spur directed inwards. . Color. Uniform throughout the year ; more glossy, but paler than in the New-York weasel. Upper part of the head, neck and body, of a light reddish brown ; the same color prevails on the outer and anterior part of the fore legs, the whole of the head, legs, rump and tail. The chin, a small spot above the angle of the jaw extending to the borders of the upper lip, throat, belly and breast, white. On the throat this color extends to the sides of the neck, appears on the posterior parts of the fore legs, becomes dilated on the anterior part of the abdomen, then irregularly contracted, and subsequently throwing off an acute-angled patch of the same color on the upper and external part of the thighs. Tail a shade darker at the tip. Totallength, 10-8. Tail (vertebra), 1-8. Head and neck, 2 "8. Ditto, including fur, 2:1. Body,... 6-0. FAMILY MUSTELID^E. 35 We suppose this to be the Common Weasel of Richardson, which he states to be identical with the Common Weasel of Europe. It is, however, generically different, and we have been consequently compelled to suggest a distinctive name. Godman, Vol. 1, p. 193, asserts, on the authority of Charles Bonaparte, that the Ermine, in its summer coat, has been usually considered by naturalists as the M. vulgaris of Europe. This is a mistake : it is the present species which has thus been confounded. It is by no means a rare animal, but is. difficult to capture, and is usually known under the name of the Little Weasel. It feeds on mice, insects, young birds, eggs, etc., and possesses all the voracity characteristic of the tribe. THE BROWN WEASEL. MUSTELA FUSCA. Muslelafusca. Bachman, Proceed. Ac. Sc. 1841, p. 94. Characteristics. Brown above ; pure white beneath. Tail one-fifth of the whole length. Feet with long hairs. Length, 12" 0. Description. Form as in the preceding, but more robust. Feet remarkably robust, and densely covered with long hairs, which almost conceal the nails. Ears broad and. rounded. Tail with no enlarged tuft at the end. '% Color. Dark fawn above, becoming deeper on the posterior part of the back ; the tip of the tail still darker. Beneath, pure white, from the chin extending around the mouth, throat, belly, and interior of the extremities. Head and body, 9*1. Tail (vertebra?), 24 8. Tail, including hairs, 3 • 2. In the State Collection is a specimen of this animal, upon which I made, in 1840, two years since, the following note : " Taken in May, in Suffolk county ; differs from pusilla in its legs, " which are very robust, and covered with long hair. It resembles noveboracensis in its " markings ; allied to vulgaris of Richardson, (excl. syn.), but his species has slender feet. " We wait for more extended opportunities of comparison, before considering it a new " species." Recently, Bachman, (Op. cit.) has given this a careful examination, and distinguished it as a new species. We adopt his name. (EXTRA-LIMITAL.) M.frenaia, Lichtenstein. (Bachm. Proc. Ac. Sc.) Light fawn above, yellowish beneath ; ears and nose dark brown ; a white spot on the head, and a band above the eyes. Whole length 18 inches ; tail 6 • 5. California. 36 NEW-YORK FAUNA. GENUS PUTORIUS. Cuvier. Form and habits of the preceding. Head sub-globose. Muzzle short and blunt. Body highly vermiform. Neck very long. Tail long, cylindrical, not bushy. Cheek teeth T\. All with a musky odor. Nocturnal. THE NEW-YORK ERMINE. PCTORIOS NOVEEORACENSIS. TLATE XII. FIG. 2, Winter dress. — PLATE XIV. FIG. 2, Summer dress. — (STATE COLLECTION.) Stoat Weasel. Penn. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 75. Muslela erminea. Harlan, Fauna Am. p. 62. The Ermine Weasel. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 193, fig. 1, winter dress. Id. ib. Vol. 1, p. 093, pi. fig. 2, summer dress. Pulorius novebaracensis. Report N. Y. Survey, 1840, p. 18. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1840, p. 45. Characteristics. Summer, reddish brown above, yellowish beneath ; winter, white. Tip of the tail black. Length 16-24 inches. Description. Neck and body long and slender. Forehead convex. Whiskers numerous, a few extending as far as the ears. Eyes small, black and lively, 0-7 distant from the nose. Ears low, broad and rounded, 0-5 high, not entirely surrounding the auditory canal, which is covered with long hair ; on the margin, the hairs are sparse and short. Legs short, robust, five-toed, the inner much the shortest. In winter, the sharp curved claws and the soles covered with hair. Six abdominal and ventral teats. Fur short and soft, some- what coarser and longer on the hairy tail, which is bushy at the end. Teeth thirty-four, as in P. vison. Color. In summer the head, neck and body chesnut brown above, darker behind, and in- creasing in intensity along the tail to the tip. This brown color extends along the flanks, and the external parts of the extremities. Chin whitish, passing into yellowish white. A whitish stripe commencing at the chin, expanding a little on the throat towards the ears, broader over the breast, covering the interior and upper part of the fore legs, preserves nearly the same breadth along the belly, and terminates on the upper and inner part of the thighs. This color is separated along its course from the brown above by a well defined irregular line, which is occasionally dark brown. This is the ordinary state of the fur during summer, which it often retains late in autumn, and, as I have reason to believe, often through the winter. My friend Mr. Linsley has a specimen, which is " entirely rufous black, with two white spots "under the throat; lower jaw white from the point to the rictus." In its complete winter coat, it is pure white along the back, light sulphur yellow along the sides and beneath, including the legs. Tail jet black at the tip. FAMILY MUSTELID.E. 37 Length of head, 2*0. Tail (vertebrae), 4*0. Length of neck, 2"0. Ditto, including fur, . 5"1. Length of body, . 6 '5. These are, however, not the largest dimensions. I have seen one from Dutchess county, and another from Rockland county, measuring sixteen and a half inches ; and my friend Mr. Linsley states, that he has one measuring twenty and a half inches. The habits of this animal, as the ruthless destroyer of poultry, are well known ; but these injuries, which are obvious and potent, are, we think, more than counterbalanced by their destruction of hordes of mice which congregate in barns and in stacks of grain exposed in the fields. Upon one occasion, we remember to have seen an example of fifty or sixty mice, whose lacerated remains bore testimony to the valuable services of this species. I have never seen the true Ermine in its summer dress, and only know it from Pennant's description (Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 75) : " Ears edged with white ; head, back, side and legs, " pale tawny brown ; under side of body white ; lower part of tail brown, end black." Our animal is exceedingly active, nocturnal in its habits, and hiding under piles of wood or stone. We do not know whether it makes a burrow. Its geographical limits as yet are not settled. We suppose it to be a northern animal, found as far south as Pennsylvania. In its white coat, it is called, in some parts of the State, the Catamingo, and the White Weasel. THE MINK. PUTORIUS VISON. PLATE XI. FIG. 1. — PLATE VIII. TIG. 3, a, b. Skull. — (STATE COLLECTION.) Mustela vison. Lin. Gmel. Vol.1, p. 94. Minx Otter. Penn. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 87. Vison. Id. ib. p. 78. M. vison. Haflan, Fauna Am. p. 65. M. lutreola. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 200. M. (Putorius) vison. Richakdson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 18. Characteristics. Tawny. Chin white or yellowish white. Ears short, and mostly concealed in the fur. Tail half as long as head and body. Length 20" 0 - 25 -0. Description. Body long and slender. Head small and rounded. Ears broad and low, with the auricular opening very large ; they are nearly hidden by the fur. Eyes small. Whiskers stiff, shorter than the head. Muzzle thick, and somewhat depressed. Neck very long. Legs short in proportion to the bulk of the animal. Claws short, slightly curved, blackish at the base, horn-colored at the tips, and nearly concealed by long subrigid hairs. Toes webbed, with short hairs on the webs above and below. Tail thick at the base, cylindrical, slender, gradually tapering to the tip. The fur shortest on the head, longer behind, and is of two kinds ; a soft light grey down, covered by longer lustrous hairs. Two fetid glands near the 38 NEW-YORK FAUNA. insertion of the tail. Six teats, ventral. Teeth 34. Above, the four intermediate incisors are alike, and subequal ; the exterior larger, channelled on the outside, and somewhat enlarged at the base. Upper canines larger and longer than those below, and in their reciprocal posi- tion exterior to, and reaching below the sockets of the lower canines, with no tubercle to their bases. First cheek tooth above smallest, with a sharp point, and. a broad shoulder directed outwards, with two fangs ; the second larger, with a single point, and two equal shoulders ; the third largest,- with three points in a line, the middle largest and the anterior smallest, with a fourth on an internal space : this tooth is emarginate in front, almost receiving the posterior shoulder of the preceding tooth. The last cheek tooth wider than long, with two elevations externally circumscribed by a raised margin ; its internal projection has one blunt point, like- wise surrounded by a raised margin. In the lower jaw, the incisors are smaller than those above, the two medial smallest and subequal ; the first cheek tooth very small, elevated in front, with a slight ridge dividing the shoulder behind ; the next larger, with its posterior shoulder lower than that in front ; the succeeding one tricuspid, triangular, with its shoulders equal ; penultimate tooth largest, tricuspid, its posterior point truncate with a sharp ridge ; the ■ last smallest, with a central depression, and a raised margin which is highest on the outside. Color. Nearly uniform, reddish brown or tawny above, slightly paler beneath. Chin, and frequently a small spot on the throat, and occasionally one or two smaller spots between the fore legs, white. Posterior portion of the tail blackish, frequently intensely black at the tip. Head and body, 14" 0. Height at meatus, 0-9. Tail (vertebras), 7"0. Greatest diameter behind meatus, l'l. Ditto (tips of fur), 8 * 0. Extent over zygomatic arches, 1 ' 3. Length of skull, 2 • 3. Skull in the same line, 0 • 5. The Mink is a well known animal in every part of the State. Its popular name is corrupted from inearth, given to it by our early Swedish colonists. It lives almost exclusively near ponds and water courses, feeding on fish, fresh-water shells, aquatic reptiles, and the eggs of tor- toises. In their habits they are closely allied to the Otter ; so much so, that Pennant arranged it under that genus, and in his History of Quadrupeds calls it the Lesser Otter. It swims and dives with great facility, and can remain a long time under water. It has a strong disa- greeable odor, which, according to Prof. Emmons, is that of the skunk and cat combined. Occasionally it invades the poultry yard, and causes great havoc. It feeds also upon field mice, and other small quadrupeds. It is said to be capable of domestication. The hunters in the north of the State have described to me two varieties of the Mink : One they call Mountain Mink, which is small and black ; the other, which they call the Water Mink, is much larger, and of a chesnut red. From their dissimilar habits, I should be inclined to sus- pect the first to be a distinct and hitherto undescribed species. FAMILY LUTRID.E.. 39 FAMILY V. LUTRIDM. Embraces the Otters, which are amphibious, ivith broad palmate feet. Tail enlarged at the base, and more or less horizontally flattened. Piscivorous; valuable for their fur. Coin- prises hvo genera. GENUS LUTRA. Ray, Cuvier. Head broad and rounded, terminating in a blunt muzzle. Ears very short. Body robust. Legs short. Toes five before, and, the rudiment of a fifth behind, connected by a mem- brane, and armed with short not retractile claws. A fetid gland on each side of the vent, containing fetid matter. Good swimmers ; live along banks of streams. Incisors, £ ; canines, § ; cheek teeth, {% = 36. Obs. In the latest systems, nine species are enumerated, of which three arc from America. The existence of more than one species in America is, however, as yet not clearly esta- blished. THE NORTH AMERICAN OTTER. LiUTRA CANADENSIS. PLATE III. FIG. 1. — PLATE XXXIII. FIG. I, 2, 3. Views of the skull. Common Otter. Pennant, Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 86. Land Otter. Warden, Hist. U. S. Vol. 1, p. 206. Lutra canadensis. Sabine, Franklin's Jour. p. 653. L. braziliensis. Haklan, Faun. p. 72. Godman, Vol. 1, p. 57, pi. fig. 2. L. canadensis. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 57. (Large Northern Var.) Canadian Otter. Griffith, Cuv. R. An. Vol. 2, p. 316, figure. American Otter. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1S33, p. 25 ; 1840, p. 46. Characteristics. Glossy brown. Chin and throat dusky white. Tail shorter than the body. Length three and a half to five feet. Description. Head globular, but not as much as in the European species. Lips thick arid fleshy. Ears short and rounded. Eyes small for the size of the animal, and near together. Whiskers remarkably rigid. Body long, cylindrical. Tail slightly depressed at the base, nearly one-fourth of the total length ; at the base of the tail, two oval glands. Fur fine and dense, intermixed with coarser hairs. In their dentition, the Otters are eminently characterized by the enormous dilatation of the two posterior cheek teeth in the upper jaw. Our species, in this particular, offers some variations from the European Otter. The penultimate jaw tooth, in one species, has abroad internal heel directed obliquely forward,. with a deep fissure dividing the surface into two rounded and elevated portions ; and the pointed tubercle is broad, with a high shoulder posteriorly, and comparatively little elevated. The last tubercular tooth 40 NEW-YORK FAUNA. subquadrate, nearly as large as the preceding, and its greatest axis directed obliquely back- wards, with four or rather six distinct elevated points ; but the outer raised margin, which is so conspicuous in the European Otter, appears to be indistinct, or simply elevated into two pointed tubercles, or wanting entirely, in the American. With age the anterior jaw teeth be- come effaced. In a very aged specimen which we have placed in the State Collection, the two anterior jaw teeth on each side (false molars) have disappeared, and even the canines are worn down to the sockets. Length of this skull, 4'1 ; height at meatus, l-7; transverse diameter at meatus, 2*2; distance across the zygomatic arches, 2 " 9 ; narrowest diameter, 0 " 8. Color. This varies with the season to a slight extent, but is usually of a dark glossy brown, and white or light-colored about the face and throat. In summer, nearly black, lighter be- neath. Tail darkest towards the tip. Head and body, 39-0-48-0. Tail, 14-0-18-0. The females are smaller than the males. The American Otter, once so numerous in every part of the State, is now exceedingly scarce. In the counties of Kings, Queens, Suffolk and Richmond, it is now extirpated. In the northern districts, it is yet sufficiently numerous to become an object of pursuit. The hunting season for the otter commences there about the twentieth of September, and continues until the middle of May, and its fur ranks in value next to that of the beaver : a good skin is worth eight dollars. They are used by hatters for the finer sort of hats, and are also converted into costly caps. The Otter is a sagacious, wary animal, selecting low swampy grounds near a pond or running stream for its abode. He makes an excavation in the bank, which opens under water, and a small breathing hole to the surface of the ground. Like the Beaver, he is too sagacious to be caught by any bait in a trap ; and accordingly, the steel trap is placed in the water be- neath the exit from their burrow, or at the bottom of one of their slides. These otter slides, as they are termed, form one of the most interesting peculiarities in the history of the animal, and almost approach the fabulous. In winter, they select a high bank of snow, and amuse themselves for hours in sliding down, head foremost. In summer, they choose a steep bank by the side of a stream, which terminates in deep water, and indulge there in the same recrea- tion. I have never seen the animal thus employed, but it is universally believed among hunt- ers ; and I saw, in the uninhabited northern districts of the State, many of the places which had been used as slides, and which pointed out to the keen eye of the hunter a sure sign of numerous otters in the vicinity. The Otter is capable of being domesticated, and lives principally on fish and other aquatic animals. They live in small families, like the Beaver. They have two young at a litter, about the middle or latter end of March, but the period of gestation is unknown. The secre- tion from their anal glands is used as a bait. FAMILY CANID.E. 41 The Canadian Otter, as described bv Richardson, appears to be a large variety, with a uni- formly colored fur above and beneath. The figure given by Griffith represents it with a white nose, chin and abdomen. I have carefully compared the skull of the southern species lataxina, with the New- York Otter, and can find no essential nor even trivial difference. If, then, as I apprehend, the species described by Richardson, and the lataxina, are identical with the one above described, this Otter is found from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the shores of the Arctic sea. (EXTRALIMITAL ) L. lataxina. '(Fred. Cvv. Die. Sc. Nat. Vol. 27, p. 243.) Deep blackish brown, paler beneath; the long coarse hair uniform brown black ; the fine down brownish above, greyish on sides of the head and under side of neck. Carolina, Kentucky. Genus Enhydra, Fleming. Embraces the Sea Otter, and characterized by having six incisors above, and but four beneath. Cheek teeth, }| = 38. Body very long ; legs and tail very short. E. lutris. Sea Otter. (Griff Cuv. Vol. 2, p. 316, fig.) Chesnut brown or black; twice the size of the common otter; fur exceedingly fine. Total length five feet ; tail ten inches. North Pacific Coast. FAMILY VI. CAN1DM. Muzzle elongated, naked, glandular. Ears moderately large, and in most of the domesti- cated species pendent. Tongue smooth and soft. Tail for the most part bushy. Fore feet with five, and hind feet with four not retractile claivs. Cheek teeth twelve above, and fourteen below. Obs. In this family, we propose to include the Dog, Fox and Wolf, which are extremely difficult to separate by positive characters. The former is known only in a domesticated state. GENUS CAMS. Tail recurved. Pupil of the eye circular. Vary indefinitely in form, size and color, the result of domestication. THE DOMESTIC DOG. Canis familiaris. Upwards of thirty varieties or races have been enumerated by systematic writers, nearly all of which have been introduced into this country. Of those peculiar to North America, we find, Var. a, borealis. (Esquimaux Dog.) Fur long, thick and woolly beneath ; top of the head and back black ; nose, cheeks, belly and legs white ; ears short, erect. Fauna, s 6 42 NEW-YORK FAUNA. Var. b, lagopus. White, with patches of blackish grey ; ears pointed, erect ; foot broad and hairy ; tail bushy. Var. c, terra-nova. (Newfoundland Dog.) Head broad; nose blunt; ears long, soft and pendulous. Of this there appears to be two distinct races : One has the breast, posterior part of the thighs and tail with long waved hair, the re?t of the body with smooth and compressed hair ; the other variety is entirely covered with long waved silken hair. Var. d, canadensis. Black and grey, mixed with white ; ears erect, long, shaggy. Var. e, novce-caledonice. Spotted ; body long ; legs short, straight ; ears erect. The most conspicuous among the imported varieties are, the danicus, or Spotted Carriage Dog ; graius, or Greyhound, of which there are several races ; exlrarius, or Spaniel ; aqua- ticus, or Curly Poodle ; avicularius, or Pointer ; molossus, or Bulldog ; sagax, or Hound, &c. In this State, our hunting dogs are almost exclusively derived from England. The breed used for deer is the Fox-hound, and frequently a mixed breed between the Harrier and Stag- hound. GENUS LUPUS. Eyes oblique. Tail straight. Pupil of the eye circular. THE COMMON AMERICAN WOLF. Lupus occidentals. PLATE XXVIf. FIG. 2. Canis lupus. Harlan, Fauna, p. 81. The Common Wolf. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 255, fig. 1. C. {Lupus) occidentalis. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 60. C. lupus. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1838, p. 26; 1840, p. 28. Characteristics. Color various from white to black, usually greyish. Space between the ears greater than their height. Feet broad. Neck and tail with bushy hair. Description. Compared with the European species, the body is more robust, and the legs shorter ; the muzzle thicker and more obtuse. Ears erect and conical. Color. In this State, the prevailing color is dark grey, mixed with reddish ; darker along the back ; shorter in summer. Frequently whitish about the ears, throat and breast. Exterior of the ears and legs with a reddish tinge. Anterior part of fore legs blackish. Tail varied with white, black and ferruginous. Length of head and body, 36 • 0 - 48 ■ 0. Tail, 100-12-0. Prof. Emmons gives the total length from a specimen in his possession, 60 ■ 3. FAMILY CANIDJE. 43 The American Wolf, hitherto confounded by our systematic writers with the European, offers many varieties, which, as in dogs, seem to affect particular localities. In this State we have two varieties. Var. a. Grey Wolf. White or greyish white in winter ; in summer it has short reddish hairs. This is the most common kind. Var. b. Black Wolf. Entirely black, more bulky and powerful than the preceding. Aery rare. The Wolf, in this State, confines its depredations chiefly to deer and other animals. In some of the southern counties, where they were formerly so numerous as to require legislative enactments, they are now entirely extirpated. Vanderdonck, writing from New-York about the year 1645, says, that one of the principal objections to keeping sheep in the Colony, was the number of wolves. They are still found in the mountainous and wooded parts of the State, and, we believe, are most numerous in St. Lawrence and the adjacent counties. We have been assured by intelligent hunters, that their ravages among deer are so great that they destroy five to one killed by man. They follow deer either singly, or in packs of eight or ten, with all the ardor of a pack of hounds, and with a prolonged howl. They usually select a young or injured deer, and trust more to tire him down, than to overtake him by superior speed. In the summer, their prey easily escapes by taking to the water ; but in winter, the same instinct leads to his immediate capture, for on the ice the wolf quickly overtakes him. Towards spring, there is scarcely a lake in the north of the State that has not numerous car- cases of deer on its frozen surface. In most of the counties, bounties varying from ten to twenty dollars per head are offered for the wolf, paid partly by the State, and partly by the county and the township. Our wolf is equally voracious and cowardly, flying before man. I have, however, known them, when satiating their hunger over the carcase of a deer, to snarl and snap at the approach of a man, and only to leave their prey reluctantly when he arrived almost within striking distance. (EXTRA LIMITAL.) Var. a. Dusky Wolf. (Say, Long's Exped. Vol. 1, p. 333. Richardson, pi. 3.) Northern and Western Regions. Var. b. Pied Wolf. (Richardson, Vol. 1, p. 68.) Arctic Regions. Var. c. White Wolf. (Lewis and Clark, Vol. 1, p. 107.) Arctic and Western Regions. Var. d. Florida Wolf. (Bartram, p. 199.) Var. e. Yellow Wolf. (Lewis & Clark, Vol. 1, p. 40.) Missouri Var. f. Prairie Wolf. (Say, Long's Exped. Vol. 1, p. 27 and 162.) Missouri. 44 NEW-YORK FAUNA. GENUS VULPES. Nose pointed. Head more triangular than in the preceding . Pupils linear. Eyes oblique. Upper incisors nearly vertical. Tail long, bushy and cylindrical, without pendulous hairs. Have a fetid odor, and burrow in the earth. Nocturnal. Smaller and more numerous than the preceding. THE RED FOX. VULPES FULVUS. PLATE VII. FIG. 1. — (STATE COLLECTION.) Red Fox. Lewis & Clark, Vol. 2, p. 159. Canis fidvus. Desm. Mammalogie, p. 203. Red Fox. Sabine, App. Frankl. Joumey, p. 656. C. wipes? and C.fulvus. Harlan, Fauna, p. 86 and 89. The Red Fox. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 276. American Fox. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 91, pi. 6. Canis ( Vidpes vulgaris) wipes ? The Fox. Id. ib. p. 97. Cross Fox. Id. ib. p. 93, (Variety.) The Red Fox. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1840, p. 30. Characteristics. Reddish above, whitish beneath. Ears behind, and anterior part of legs varying from light brown to deep black. Length 3-4 feet. Var. a, decussatus, with black stripes across the neck and shoulders. Var. b, argentatus, black entirely. Description, (from a large male killed in Queens county, January.) Snout small and pointed. Length of head, 7*0. Color. Anterior part of the head, the flanks and back, bright reddish, more particularly along the back and foreshoulders, where the color is more intense. Margin of the upper jaw and chin, pure white. Throat, breast, and a narrow space along the belly, whitish, mixed with brown on the latter. Fore and hind feet black in front, the black on the latter extending up on the outside of the thigh. Toes margined with fulvous. Brush ample, reddish, com- posed of two sorts of hairs ; the one, black at the base and reddish at the tips ; the other, much longer, entirely black, and giving to the whole tail a dusky appearance. Head and body, 29-0. Tail (vertebra?), 12-0. Ditto, tips of hairs, 1 6 • 0. The Red Fox varies considerably in weight and size ; the specimen above described weighed eleven pounds, and I have heard of others weighing fifteen pounds, but such are not common : the more usual weight is from eight to ten pounds. Although this fox burrows well, yet it is not uncommon to find them taking possession of the burrows of the skunk, for the purpose FAMILY CANID^E. 45 of rearing their young. Richardson states that it burrows in summer, and in winter takes refuge under a fallen tree. It brings forth four to six young, about the latter end of March or first of April, in my neighborhood : these are at first covered with a smoke-brown fur. In a litter which I once saw, the tips of the tail in all were white, and like the dog, were blind for some days after birth. They feed on the smaller quadrupeds and birds, and are accused of destroying lambs. They make occasional forays upon the barnyard, but in this respect they are not so daring as the other species, and perhaps in some measure compensate for these injuries by destroying field mice and other noxious vermin. Its flesh is rank and disa- greeable. It is to this species we refer two strongly marked varieties, which have by some naturalists been treated as species. 1. The Cross Fox. Color of the preceding, with a dark stripe on the neck from the head to the back, crossed at right angles by another dark stripe over the shoulders. This cross is sometimes only feebly distinct, and at others well defined. It has the size, form, habits and fine fur of the Red Fox, and is always considered by the hunters as a variety. The caprice of fashion has attached a great value to this skin. While the red fox skin is valued at about two dollars, the cross fox has been known to sell for twelve, and sometimes as high as fifteen dollars. It occurs in every part of the State, but more particularly in the northern districts. 2. The Black Fox. (Godman, Vol. 1, p. 274, pi. fig. 1.) Almost entirely black ; the end of the tail and spots on the breast occasionally white, sometimes intensely hoary. This is very rare in this State. I have never met with it ; but I have been assured by hunters, in the northern counties, that they have sometimes killed it. Richardson, p. 94, asserts that its fur fetches six times the price of any other fur produced in North America. Its value doubt- less increases with the intensity and purity of the black color. THE GREY FOX. VlILPES V1RG1NIANUS. PLATE VII. FIG. 2.— (STATE COLLECTION.) The Grey Fox. Catesby, Car. Vol. 2, p. 78. Canis virginianus. Gmelin, Syst. Vol. 1, p. 74. C. cinereo-argentatus. Say, Long's Exped. Vol. 2, p. 340. C. virginiamis. Harlan, Fauna Americana, p. 89. The Grey Fox. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 280 (figure). Emmons, Mass. Report, 1840, p. 31. Characteristics. Grey, varied with fulvous ; a patch of black on each side, between the eye and nose. Smaller than the preceding. Description. The body is lower on its legs, and its muzzle is more acute than in the Red Fox. Tail thick and bushy. Color, generally hoary or silvery grey, becoming darker from the foreshoulders to the posterior parts. Fur at base lead color, then soiled white, gradually becoming white, and tipped with black. Head grey. Ears yellowish within, tinged with reddish around their bases ; tips dark brown, yellowish behind. On each side of the head a sub-triangular patch 46 NEW-YORK FAUNA. between the eyes and nose ; near the orbits, this black patch is produced upwards in a narrow line towards the ears. Muzzle black, yellowish on each side for a small space above ; sides of the neck tawny ; lower jaw black. Breast occasionally spotted with white. Beneath, light colored. Tail of the general hue of the body, slightly tinged with rufous beneath, and occa- sionally darker at the tip. Head and body, 18-0-25-0. Tail (vertebras), 7-0- 10'0. Ditto (tip of hairs), 9"0 - 12*0. This species is more common in the southern counties than farther north. On Long Island it is very abundant, and is there frequently known under the name of the Plain or Grass Fox. It affords great amusement to hunters, but not for the reasons assigned by Godman ; namely, that it is killed generally near the place where it is first started : On the contrary, it usually takes a direct course for many miles, at least on the great plains ; and as the ordinary deer- hound is generally employed, I have often known it to escape. The Grey Fox is bolder and more astute, if possible, than the red one, and more frequently prowls about barn-yards. Very little, however, is known of his habits, beyond his destructive propensities. Catesby asserts that they climb trees with facility. This is probable, for I have witnessed the same fact in the Red Fox, when closely pursued by hounds. The Grey Fox does not extend far beyond 42° north, and its southern limits extend to Florida. (EXTRA-LIMITAL.) C. velox. Burrowing Fox. (Say, Long's Exped. Vol. 1, p. 486.) Body slender ; silvery grey, varied with fulvous. Tail long and blackish. Smallest of the American Foxes. Missouri. FAMILY VII. FELIDJE. Head short in proportion to its length, rounded. Muzzle short, obtuse. Claws completely retractile. Exclusively carnivorous. Nocturnal. Obs. This family, which corresponds nearly with the old linnean genus Felis, has been extended, by some modern system-mongers, to include Dogs, Wolves and Foxes. As we understand it, it comprises four or five genera, and about forty species. In this State, we have but three representatives of this family, included under two genera. FAMILY FELIDiE. 47 GENUS FELIS. Linneus. Ears short and distant, not tufted. No mane. Tail long, varying occasionally in the same species. Tongue roughened with prickles. Claws curved and acute. Cheek teeth eight above, and six below. Obs. The common imported Domestic Cat belongs to this genus. It is now generally believed to have been derived from the F. maniculata, Ruppel, which still exists in a wild state in the northern parts of Africa. Ruppel supposes it to have been first reclaimed by the Egyptians. It is a common opinion that we have, in this country, wild cats, which have been derived either from the domestic cat resuming its primitive wildness, or by alliance with those already in a wild state. This is a great error. We have no small species, characterized by a long tail, in the country. THE NORTHERN PANTHER. Felis concolor. PLATE IX. FIG. 2. Adult. — PLATE IX. FIG. 1. Youko. Felis concolor. Lin., Gmel. Vol. 1, p. 79. Cuguar. Loskiel, p. 82. F. cougar. Temminck, Monog. cle Mamm. p. 134. F. concolor. Harlan, Fauna Am. p. 94. The Cougar. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 291, figure. F. concolor. Desm. Mammalogie, p. 218. The Puma, or American Lion. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1840, p. 35. Characteristics. Very large. Uniform tawny, paler beneath. Length 7 -10 feet. Young, spotted with brown. Description. Body long, cylindrical, and rather slender. Legs robust, and comparatively short. Ears somewhat rounded. Tail long, slender, cylindrical. Fur soft and short. Color. Body and legs of a uniform fulvous or tawny hue. I have never observed the spots of a deeper hue, seen only in certain lights, which Temminck ascribes to this species. Ears light-colored within, blackish behind. Belly pale reddish or reddish white. Face sometimes with a uniform lighter tint than the general hue of the body ; oftener with the mouth, chin, and internal angle of the eyes white. " Tail of the male longer than the female, dark brown " at the extremity." (Emmons.) Head and body, 53-0-84-0. Tail, 20-0-27-0. Description of a young Panther, not more than a week old, from the Collection of Prof. Emmons. Ears pendulous, furnished with hair within and without, projecting beyond the margins. The whole body covered with a soft dense fur, forming on the sides of the neck an indistinct collar. Claws sharp, curved, not channelled. 48 NEW-YORK FAUNA. Color. The whole body light reddish grey, with oblong irregular blackish brown spots. According to Prof. Emmons, these spots mostly disappear at the first shedding of the hair. Tail with four annulations of the same color, blackish at the tip ; beneath, light dusky brown. Outside of the legs irregularly banded with grey and brownish, the latter predominating on the fore legs. Space between the eyes, light brown. Ears black exteriorly, white within. Eyes large and black. A space on the middle portion of the upper lip, together with the whiskers, white. Infra-orbital space and the chin soiled grey. Head and neck, 4'5. Height of ears, 0'7. Body, 8 • 0. Ditto at foreshoulders, . . 4 * 8. Tail, 4-8. Girth round chest, 7*5. In this specimen, only the four lower incisors were developed. The difference in the length of the tail in this species is worthy of note ; amounting, in individuals of nearly the same size, to several inches. In a specimen alluded to by Godman, the head and body was four feet five inches, and the tail two feet four inches. Prof. Em- mons gives a total length to one individual, of nine feet four inches. In a female, the tail was one foot nine inches ; and in a male, two feet three inches. Whether this is a constant sexual distinction, is not yet sufficiently determined. The largest individual of which we have any account, is in the Museum at Utica. It was discovered on a small island on Lake Fourth, Herkimer county, and killed by the hunter Wood, just after it had taken to the water. When recently killed, it had a total length of eleven feet three inches. The Cougar or Painter, (a corruption of the word Panther,) is now rarely seen in the southern parts of the State ; though the writer remembers, when a boy, the consternation occasioned by the appearance of one of these animals in Westchester county, not more than twenty-five miles from New- York. In the early settlement of this State, this animal was believed to be a lion ; and we find in Vanderdonck's History of the New-Netherlands, the following passage in relation to this subject : " Although the New-Netherlands lie in a fierce " climate, and the country in winter seems rather cold, nevertheless lions are found there, " but not by the christians, who have traversed the land without seeing one. It is only known " to us by the skins of the females, which are sometimes brought in for sale by the natives. " In reply to our inquiries, they say that the lions are found far to the southwest, fifteen to " twenty days journey ; that they live in very high mountains, and that the males are too " active and fierce to be taken." In this State, the Panther is most numerous in the rocky northern districts, and particu- larly in the counties of Herkimer, Hamilton and St. Lawrence. They are occasionally seen among the Kaaterskill mountains ; and the specimen in the New-York Museum, which has served as a basis for many marvellous legends, was obtained from this locality. It appears rarely by daylight, unless hard pressed for food, but usually conceals itself behind fallen trees or rocks until evening. It prefers for its usual retreat, ledges of rocks inaccessible to man, which are known familiarly to the hunters under the name of panther ledges. They wander, FAMILY FELID.E. 49 however, over large tracts of country in search of their prey, but rarely leave the forests. When followed by dogs, it takes to the nearest tree, and looking down upon its assailants, makes a noise like the purr of a cat, but much louder. The screams attributed to this ani- mal during the night, are supposed by many hunters to proceed from some species of owl. The female brings forth two at a litter. They prey upon deer, and all the smaller quadru- peds, not even refusing the Canada porcupine. Occasionally they take to the water, but swim deeply and badly. The Panther is an animal of undoubted strength and ferocity ; and under certain circum- stances, such as are so graphically depicted by our celebrated novelist Cooper, may be induced to take a stand before the hunter. Notwithstanding the various stories of their fero- city and courage, I have never yet met with a well authenticated account of their having attacked a man. In this I am sustained by the testimony of every hunter I have conversed with ; they represent them as uniformly cowardly, and retreating as quickly as possible from the face of man. Prof. Emmons states, that most of the tales relating to its depredations are fictitious ; and that in the part of St. Lawrence county where they are most numerous, no instance is known of their having destroyed a single individual, man or child. I was told by a hunter, that upon one occasion, he met with a female panther and two of her cubs. They were quite helpless, and he took them up in his arms, the mother following at some distance, and stopping whenever he stopped, without venturing to attack him. In this way she fol- lowed him for two or three miles, when, as he approached a settlement, she finally disappeared. They have been known, however, to approach the shanty of the hunter, attracted no doubt by the fire or the smell of victuals ; but the smallest movement on the part of the hunter would be the signal for their disappearance. I was told of one in Warren county, that resorted to a barn, from whence he was repeatedly dislodged, and finally killed. He showed no fight whatever. His mouth was found to be filled with the spines of the Canada porcupine, which was proba- bly the cause of his diminished wariness and ferocity, and would in all probability have finally caused his death. The geographical range of the Cougar, Panther or Catamount, is very extensive. About fifteen years ago, one was shot near Montpelier in Vermont, and a few have been occasionally observed in Massachusetts. Its present northern limits do not probably extend beyond New- York. To the south, its limits are not well defined. It is said to extend through the inter- tropical regions to Paraguay. It is far from being well established that the northern and southern species are identical. Fauna. 50 * NEW-YORK FAUNA. GENUS LYNCUS. Gray. Ears triangular, more or less tufted. Tail shorter than the head THE NORTHERN LYNX Lyncus borealis. PLATE X. FIG. 2. Lynx Cat. Penn. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 50. Lynx de Canada. Cuv. Oss. Foss. Ed. altera. Vol. 4, p. 443. Felis borealis. Temminck, Monographic, p. 109. F. canadensis. Harlan, Fauna, p. 9S. The Northern Lynx. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 302, figure. Canada Lynx. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 101. F. canadensis. Emmons, Mass. Report, 1838, p. 27; 1840, p. 32. Characteristics. Grey, with darker spots. Ears acute, margined with rufous and black. Tail shorter than the head. Soles hairy. Generally larger than the suc- ceeding. Description, {from a fine adult male in the Collection of Prof Emmons.) Body raised high on its legs. Head large and rounded. Ears triangular, 2'0 high, 3"5 apart, with long black cylindrical tufts 2' 3 high. Eyes large, 1 '5 apart. Whiskers stiff, horizontal, arranged in two oblique series, some of the longest 3 '5, and white; the posterior series brown horn- color. A broad ruff commences behind or rather beneath the ears, and surrounds the neck, except behind the ears, where there is comparatively a free interval ; on the sides of the head it is short, but beneath it is from 3-5 to 4'0 long. (In the female, this ruff is much shorter, and not particolored.) The fur is of two kinds ; a long fine wool, intermixed with longer subrigid hairs. On the line of the back, the fur is 1 • 5 long ; on the belly it is loose and pen- dulous, and 4-5 long. Base of the feet so densely furred as to conceal entirely the soles and claws, which latter are white, long, curved, acute, and channelled beneath. Color. The general color is grey, intermixed with rufous and black. Margin of the lips, upper margin of the nose and tip of the chin, bright rufous. Nose black, and slightly fur- rowed in the centre. Front of the head grey. Eyes yellowish in the living state. Ears white in front, margined with rufous, and behind this again bordered with black ; posterior part of the ear, light ash ; ear tufts black. Ruff white in front, and behind this it is longer and darker, approaching to black beneath ; on the sides of the head it is shorter, with a greater admixture of rufous. On the back, the fur varies from reddish brown to blackish brown at the base ; then dark brown or black, with hoary tips. Sides light fulvous at base, tipped with hoary. Anterior part of fore and iiind legs, light fulvous. On the belly, the long loose hairs are soiled white, with a slight admixture of light fulvous at the base, and here and there scattered bunches of fulvous hairs. Tail rufous above for more than two-thirds of its length, tipped broadly with black ; beneath rufous, mixed with lighter colored hairs. FAMILY FELIDJE. 51 Total length, 40 '0. Length of fore paws, . . 3*5. Length of head, 7"0. Ditto of tail (vertebrae), 4'0. Ditto of fore legs, . . 130. Ditto (including fur), .. 50. Ditto of hind legs, . . 14*0. Girth at foreshoulder, . 190. This is the Loup-cervier of the early French writers, and the Big Grey Wild-cat and Wol- verene of the New- York hunters. It is not uncommon in the northern districts of the State, preying chiefly on the northern hare and other small quadrupeds, and occasionally devouring lambs, pigs, etc. It is a timid animal, and is easily killed. Its progress is said to be a suc- cession of leaps, lighting on all four feet at once, but not advancing with great rapidity : Hence it is probable that it usually obtains its prey by surprise. Contrary to the usual habits of its family, it has no dread of water, but swims well and for a long distance. It breeds once a year, and has two young at a time. Its flesh is tender, but insipid. Its fur is much esteemed, and a skin usually sells for from three to four dollars. It is strictly a northern animal. Its geographical range is between 66° and 43° north latitude. THE WILD CAT, OR BAY LYNX. Ltncus rufus. plate x. fig. 1. — (state collection.) The Bay Lynx. Penn. Arct. Zoo]. Vol. 1, p. 51. Id. Hist. Quad. Vol. 1, p. 303, pi. 60. Mountain Lynx. Id. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 51. (Variety?) Fths catits-ferus. LosKIEL, p. 83. Felts rufa. Temminck, Monographie, p. Ml. Wild Cat. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 3, p. 239, (figure in vol. 1.) Emmons, Mass. Rep. 1838, p. 27 ; 1840, p. 34. Characteristics. A grey spot, bordered with black, behind the ears. Tail nearly as long as the head. Reddish yellow in summer, ashy brown in winter. Soles naked. Description of an adult male. Head large and rounded. Body rather slender, with the legs disproportionately long. Ears large, subrotund, scarcely acute, with long hairs within ; 2-8 high and 3-3 distant, with moderate black tufts scarcely an inch long. Whiskers nu- merous, about 2*0 long, and for the most part white. Length of the head 6*0, breadth 4-8. Fore legs 10 ■ 0 long, with five long, curved, acute, compressed, channelled claws of a greenish white color; the internal claw placed higher up, and rather more curved and robust than the others. Hind feet 12' 0 long, with the soles uncovered, and with four claws resembling those on the fore feet. Tail rather slender, slightly curved upwards, and 5' 5 in length to the tips of the hairs. The ruff of elongated hairs surrounding the neck, indistinct, and not so conspi- cuous as in the preceding species. Female and young with imperfect tufts on the ears. Color. Generally rufous, with various shades of brown, and darker along the dorsal line, being deepest about the middle of the back. Head obscurely lineated, with black between the ears. Eyelids black, margined with yellowish white. Sides of the nose white, with four 52 NEW-YORK FAUNA. or five parallel narrow interrupted lines of black, running towards the cheeks. Ears fulvous in front, black behind, with a greyish spot in the centre, dilated towards the external margin of the ear. Tail above of the same general color of the upper parts of the body, indistinctly annulated on its sides with dark brown ; beneath, white ; tip, deep black, intermixed with a few white hairs. Outer sides of the legs rufous, obsoletely barred, and spotted with reddish brown. Insides of the fore legs soiled white, barred with black. (Pennant supposes these bars and the semi-annulated tail to be constant specific characters, but this does not accord with my observations.) Fore paws and hair between the soles, dark brown. Hind legs whitish on the inside, obscurely barred and spotted with black. Chin greyish ; throat bright fulvous ; belly whitish, irregularly spotted with black. Total length, 36"0. Length of head, 6-0. Ditto of tail (vertebra?), 5 • 0. This was a large individual, and, as I think, above the average size, and more distinctly marked than usual. It was captured in the Tonnewanda swamp, Genesee county. The females, I am induced to believe, either have no tufts, or lose them in summer. Even, how- ever, in the case of the males, they can scarcely be considered as resembling the round elon- gated tufts of the other species. I am indebted to Prof. Hall, of the Geological Survey, for the specimen which furnished the above description. Prof. Emmons describes this species as rufous, with the insides of the legs spotted with brown, and a triangular patch of yellowish white bordered with blackish behind the ears. Godman, describing the animal as deep reddish with small spots of blackish brown, speaks of nearly vertical streaks of black between the ears. I suppose the Moun- tain Cat described by Loskiel as having reddish or orange-colored hair, with black streaks, to have been the Bay Lynx. The F. rufa of Richardson, from Columbia river, can not be referred to this species. Several species have been enumerated as inhabiting the United States ; but as I have not had an opportunity to examine them, I must pass them over in silence. It is scarcely worth while to burthen our list of American animals with new names, proposed by greedy and unscrupulous writers, for animals which they have never seen, and only know from the brief notes of tra- vellers. It would be desirable if the remarks of Temminck, cited below,* could be continually borne in mind by all writers, not only in reference to this, but every other genus. The Wild Cat is one of the animals alluded to by Vanderdonck, as being very common in the Colony at its first settlement. A hundred and thirty years ago, they were so numerous in Suffolk county, as to recjuire the interposition of the Legislature. An act was passed in the * " Ceux qui veulent decrire les Chats sur des individus isolcs, seront sans cesse exposes a multiplier les especes. II faut avoir vu un tres-grand nombre de depouilles, et s'etre adonne a des recherehes et a des comparaisons souvent renouvellees, pour emettre une opinion sur la difference speeifique de ces animaux, si difficiles de distinguer les uns des autres." (Monogra- pftits,