Wild Animals Of North America - free ebook by Edward William Nelson

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Wild Animals Of North America

Edward William Nelson

152 chapters

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152 chapters

WILD ANIMALS OF NORTH AMERICA INTIMATE STUDIES OF BIG AND LITTLE CREATURES OF THE MAMMAL KINGDOM BY EDWARD W. NELSON Natural-Color Portraits from Paintings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes Track Sketches by Ernest Thompson Seton PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY WASHINGTON, D. C. U. S. A.

WILD ANIMALS OF NORTH AMERICA INTIMATE STUDIES OF BIG AND LITTLE CREATURES OF THE MAMMAL KINGDOM BY EDWARD W. NELSON Natural-Color Portraits from Paintings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes Track Sketches by Ernest Thompson Seton PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY WASHINGTON, D. C. U. S. A.

Copyright, 1918 BY THE National Geographic Society Washington, D. C. Press of Judd &amp; Detweiler, Inc....

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INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

In offering this volume of “Wild Animals of North America” to members of the National Geographic Society, the Editor combines the text and illustrations of two entire numbers of the National Geographic Magazine —that of November, 1916, devoted to the Larger Mammals of North America, and that of May, 1918, in which the Smaller Mammals of our continent were described and presented pictorially. Edward W. Nelson, the author of both articles, is one of the foremost naturalists of our time. For forty

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TRAINS HELD UP BY BUFFALO

TRAINS HELD UP BY BUFFALO

The original buffalo herds have been estimated to have contained from 30,000,000 to 60,000,000 animals, and in 1870 it was estimated that about 5,500,000 still survived. A number of men now living were privileged to see some of the great herds of the West before they were finally destroyed. Dr. George Bird Grinnell writes: “In 1870, I happened to be on a train that was stopped for three hours to let a herd of buffalo pass. We supposed they would soon pass by, but they kept coming. On a number of

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ANTELOPES EVERYWHERE

ANTELOPES EVERYWHERE

“I have certain memories of travel on the plains, when for the whole long day one would pass a continual succession of small bands of antelope, numbering from ten to fifty or sixty, those at a little distance paying no attention to the traveler, while those nearer at hand loped lazily and unconcernedly out of the way. In the year 1879, in certain valleys in North Park, Colorado, I saw wonderful congregations of antelope. As far as we could see in any direction, all over the basins, there were an

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WANTON WASTE OF WILD LIFE

WANTON WASTE OF WILD LIFE

Practically all other large game has alarmingly decreased, and its extermination has been partly stayed only by the recent enforcement of protective laws. It is quite true that the presence of wild buffalo, for instance, in any region occupied for farming and stock-raising purposes is incompatible with such use. Thus the extermination of the bison as a denizen of our western plains was inevitable. The destruction, however, of these noble game animals by millions for their hides only furnishes a

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SPECIES COME AND SPECIES GO

SPECIES COME AND SPECIES GO

The differences in the geographic distribution of mammal life between North and South America and the relationships between our fauna and that of the Old World are parts of the latest chapter of a wonderful story running back through geologic ages. The former chapters are recorded in the fossil beds of all the continents. While only a good beginning has been made in deciphering these records, enough has been done by the fascinating researches of Marsh, Cope, Osborn, Scott, and others to prove th

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VAST NATURAL MUSEUMS OF EXTINCT ANIMAL LIFE

VAST NATURAL MUSEUMS OF EXTINCT ANIMAL LIFE

For ages Asia appears to have served as a vast and fecund nursery for new mammals from which North Temperate and Arctic America have been supplied. The last and comparatively recent land bridge, across which came the ancestors of our moose, elk, caribou, prong-horned antelope, mountain goats, mountain sheep, musk-oxen, bears, and many other mammals, was in the far Northwest, where Bering Straits now form a shallow channel only 28 miles wide separating Siberia from Alaska. Photograph by L. Peters

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DID MAN LIVE THEN?

DID MAN LIVE THEN?

The geologically recent existence of this now vanished fauna is evidenced by the presence in the asphalt pits of bones of the gray fox, the mountain lion, and close relatives of the bobcat and coyote, as well as the condor, which still frequent that region, and thus link the past with the present. The only traces of the ancient vegetation discovered in these asphalt pits are a pine and two species of juniper, which are members of the existing flora. There is reason for believing that primitive m

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CAMELS AND HORSES ORIGINATED IN NORTH AMERICA

CAMELS AND HORSES ORIGINATED IN NORTH AMERICA

Among other marvels our fossil beds reveal the fact that both camels and horses originated in North America. The remains of many widely different species of both animals have been found in numerous localities extending from coast to coast in the United States. Camels and horses, with many species of antelope closely related to still existing forms in Africa, abounded over a large part of this country up to the end of the geological age immediately preceding the present era. Photograph by Carl J.

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FEWER LARGE MAMMALS IN THE TROPICS

FEWER LARGE MAMMALS IN THE TROPICS

It is notable that the fossil beds which prove the existence of an extraordinary abundance of large mammals in North America at various periods in the past, as well as the enormous aggregation of mammalian life which occupied this continent, both on land and at sea, at the time of its discovery, were confined to the Temperate and Arctic Zones. It is popularly believed that the tropics possess an exuberance of life beyond that of other climes, yet in no tropic lands or seas, except in parts of Af

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DESTROYING THE IRRESTORABLE

DESTROYING THE IRRESTORABLE

The splendid mammals which possessed the earth until man interfered were the ultimate product of Nature working through the ages that have elapsed since the dawn of life. All of them show myriads of exquisite adaptations to their environment in color, form, organs, and habits. The wanton destruction of any of these species thus deprives the world of a marvelous organism which no human power can ever restore. From a drawing by Charles R. Knight A PRIMITIVE FOUR-TUSKED ELEPHANT, STANDING ABOUT SIX

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SAVING OUR WILD LIFE

SAVING OUR WILD LIFE

Several strong national organizations are doing great service in forwarding the conservation of wild life, as the National Geographic Society, the National Association of Audubon Societies, American Bison Society, Boone and Crockett Club, New York Zoölogical Society, American Game Protective and Propagation Association, Permanent Wild Life Protective Fund, and others. In addition, a large number of unofficial State organizations have been formed to assist in this work. Through the authorization

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OPOSSUM, VIRGINIA OPOSSUM (Didelphis virginiana and its subspecies)

OPOSSUM, VIRGINIA OPOSSUM (Didelphis virginiana and its subspecies)

The opossums are the American representatives of the ancient order of Marsupials—a wonderfully varied group of mammals now limited to America and Australasia. Throughout the order the young are born in an embryonic condition and are transferred to teats located in an external pocket or pouch in the skin of the abdomen, where they complete their development. The kangaroos are among the most striking members of this group. Numerous species of opossums are known, all peculiar to America and distrib

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RACCOON (Procyon lotor and its subspecies)

RACCOON (Procyon lotor and its subspecies)

Few American wild animals are more widely known or excite more popular interest than the raccoon. It is a short, heavily built animal with a club-shaped tail, and with hind feet that rest flat on the ground, like those of a bear, and make tracks that have a curious resemblance to those of a very small child. Its front toes are long and well separated, thus permitting the use of the front feet with almost the facility of a monkey’s hands. Raccoons occupy most of the wooded parts of North America

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CANADA LYNX (Lynx canadensis)

CANADA LYNX (Lynx canadensis)

The lynxes are long-legged, short-bodied cats, with tufted ears and a short “bobbed” tail. They are distributed from the northern limit of trees south into the Temperate Zone throughout most of the northern part of both Old and New Worlds. In North America there are two types—the smaller animal, southern in distribution, and the larger, or Canada lynx, limited to the north, where its range extends from the northern limit of trees south to the northern border of the United States. It once occupie

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BOBCAT, OR BAY LYNX (Lynx ruffus and its subspecies)

BOBCAT, OR BAY LYNX (Lynx ruffus and its subspecies)

The bay lynx, bobcat, or wildcat, as Lynx ruffus and its close relatives are variously called in different parts of the country, is one of the most widely distributed and best known of our wild animals. It is about two-thirds the size of the Canada lynx and characterized by much slenderer proportions, especially in its legs and feet. The ears are less conspicuously tufted and the tip of the tail is black only on its upper half. Bobcats range from Nova Scotia and southern British Columbia over pr

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MOUNTAIN LION (Felis couguar and its subspecies)

MOUNTAIN LION (Felis couguar and its subspecies)

The mountain lion, next to the jaguar, is the largest of the cat tribe native to America. In various parts of its range it is also known as the panther, cougar, and puma. It is a slender-bodied animal with a small head and a long round tail, with a total length varying from seven to nine feet and a weight from about 150 to 200 pounds. It has from two to five young, which are paler brown than the adult and plainly marked with large dusky spots on the body and with dark bars on the tail. These spe

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JAGUAR (Felis hernandesi and its subspecies)

JAGUAR (Felis hernandesi and its subspecies)

The jaguar, or “el tigre,” as it is generally known throughout Spanish America, is the largest and handsomest of American cats. Its size and deep yellow color, profusely marked with black spots and rosettes, give it a close resemblance to the African leopard. It is, however, a heavier and more powerful animal. In parts of the dense tropical forests of South America coal-black jaguars occur, and while representing merely a color phase, they are popularly supposed to be much fiercer than the ordin

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JAGUARUNDI CAT, OR EYRA (Felis cacomitli and its subspecies)

JAGUARUNDI CAT, OR EYRA (Felis cacomitli and its subspecies)

The eyra differs greatly in general appearance from any of our other cats, although it is one of the most characteristic of the American members of this widely spread family. It is larger than an otter, with a small flattened head, long body, long tail, and short legs, thus having a distinctly otterlike form. It is characterized by two color phases—one a dull gray or dusky, and the other some shade of rusty rufous. Animals of these different colors were long supposed to represent distinct specie

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TIGER-CATS, OR OCELOTS (Felis pardalis and its relatives)

TIGER-CATS, OR OCELOTS (Felis pardalis and its relatives)

The brushy and forested areas of America from southern Texas and Sonora to Paraguay are inhabited by spotted cats of different species, varying from the size of a large house cat to that of a Canada lynx. Only one of these occurs in the United States. All are characterized by long tails and a yellowish ground color, conspicuously marked by black spots, and on neck and back by short, longitudinal stripes—a color pattern that strongly suggests the leopard. In the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas t

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RED FOX (Vulpes fulva and its relatives)

RED FOX (Vulpes fulva and its relatives)

Red foxes are characterized by their rusty red fur, black-fronted fore legs, and white-tipped tail. They inhabit the forested regions in the temperate and subarctic parts of both Old and New Worlds, and, like other types of animal life having a wide range, they break up into numerous distinct species and geographic races. In America they originally ranged over nearly all the forested region from the northern limit of trees in Alaska and Canada south, east of the Great Plains, to Texas; also down

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ALASKA RED FOX (Vulpes kenaiensis)

ALASKA RED FOX (Vulpes kenaiensis)

The red fox of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and the adjacent mainland is probably the largest of its kind in the world, although those of Kodiak Island and of the Mackenzie River valley are nearly as large. Compared with its relatives of the United States, the Kenai fox is a giant, with heavier, duller-colored coat and a huge tail, more like that of a wolf than of a fox. The spruce and birch forests of Alaska and the Mackenzie Valley are apparently peculiarly adapted to red foxes, as shown by th

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GRAY FOX (Urocyon cinereoargenteus and its relatives)

GRAY FOX (Urocyon cinereoargenteus and its relatives)

Gray foxes average about the size of common red foxes, but are longer and more slender in body, with longer legs and a longer, thinner tail. They are peculiar to America, where they have a wide range—from New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Oregon south through Mexico and Central America to Colombia. Within this area there are numerous geographic forms closely alike in color and general appearance, but varying much in size; the largest of all, larger than the red fox, occupying the New England States.

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DESERT FOX (Vulpes macrotis and its subspecies)

DESERT FOX (Vulpes macrotis and its subspecies)

A small fox, akin to the kit fox or swift of the western plains, frequents the arid cactus-grown desert region of the Southwest. It is found from the southern parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and California south into the adjacent parts of Mexico. The desert fox is a beautiful species, slender in form, and extraordinarily quick and graceful in its movements, but so generally nocturnal in habits as to be rarely seen by the desert traveler. On the rare occasions when one is encountered abroad by day,

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BADGER (Taxidea taxus and its subspecies)

BADGER (Taxidea taxus and its subspecies)

The favorite home of the badger is on grassy, brush-grown plains, where there is an abundance of mice, pocket gophers, ground-squirrels, prairie-dogs, or other small mammals. There it wanders far and wide at night searching for the burrows of the small rodents, which are its chief prey. When its acute sense of smell announces that a burrow is occupied, it sets to work with sharp claws and powerful fore legs and digs down to the terrified inmate in an amazingly short time. The trail of a badger f

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ARCTIC WOLF (Canis tundrarum)

ARCTIC WOLF (Canis tundrarum)

In order to fit properly into a high northern environment, Arctic wolves have developed white coats, which they wear throughout the year. They are among the largest of their kind and have all the surpassing vigor needful for successful beasts of prey in the rigors of such a home. Nature is more than ordinarily hard on weaklings in the far North and only the fittest survive. The range of the white wolves covers the treeless barren grounds bordering the Arctic coast of Alaska and Canada and extend

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GRAY, OR TIMBER, WOLF (Canis nubilus and its relatives)

GRAY, OR TIMBER, WOLF (Canis nubilus and its relatives)

Large wolves, closely related to those of Europe and Siberia, once infested practically all of Arctic and temperate North America, excepting only the arid desert plains. This range extended from the remotest northern lands beyond 83 degrees of latitude south to the mountains about the Valley of Mexico. When America was first colonized by white men, wolves were numerous everywhere in proportion to the great abundance of game animals. With the increased occupation of the continent and the destruct

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PLAINS COYOTE, OR PRAIRIE WOLF (Canis latrans)

PLAINS COYOTE, OR PRAIRIE WOLF (Canis latrans)

Western North America is inhabited by a peculiar group of small wolves, known as coyotes, this being a Spanish corruption of the Aztec name coyotl . They range from northern Michigan, northern Alberta, and British Columbia south to Costa Rica, and from western Iowa and Texas to the Pacific coast. As a group they are animals of the open plains and sparsely wooded districts, ranging from sea-level to above timber-line on the highest mountains. They are most at home on the wide brushy or grassy pla

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ARIZONA, OR MEARNS, COYOTE (Canis mearnsi)

ARIZONA, OR MEARNS, COYOTE (Canis mearnsi)

The Arizona coyote is one of the smallest and at the same time the most handsomely colored of all its kind. Its home is limited to the arid deserts on both sides of the lower Colorado River, but mainly in southwestern Arizona and adjacent parts of Sonora. This is one of the hottest and most arid regions of the continent, and for coyotes successfully to hold their own there requires the exercise of all the acute intelligence for which they are noted. Instead of the winter blizzards and biting col

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WHITE, OR ARCTIC, FOX (Alopex lagopus)

WHITE, OR ARCTIC, FOX (Alopex lagopus)

The Arctic fox, clothed in long, fluffy white fur, is an extremely handsome animal, about two-thirds the size of the common red fox. It is a circumpolar species, which in America ranges over all the barren grounds beyond the limit of trees, including the coastal belt of tundra from the Peninsula of Alaska to Bering Straits, the Arctic islands, and the frozen sea to beyond 83 degrees of latitude. The blue fox of commerce is a color phase of this species, usually of sporadic occurrence, like the b

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PRIBILOF BLUE FOX (Alopex lagopus pribilofensis)

PRIBILOF BLUE FOX (Alopex lagopus pribilofensis)

The blue fox is a color phase of the Arctic white fox and may occur anywhere in the range of the typical animal. In fact, the blue phase bears the same relationship to the white that the black phase does to the red fox. In the Pribilof, or Fur Seal, Islands of Alaska, however, through the influence of favorable climatic conditions, assisted by artificial selection in weeding out white animals, the blue phase has become the resident form. Isolation on these islands has developed other characters

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WOLVERINE (Gulo luscus)

WOLVERINE (Gulo luscus)

The wolverine, or carcajou of the Canadian voyageurs, is a circumpolar species belonging to the northern forested areas of both continents. In North America it formerly ranged from the northern limit of trees south to New England and New York, and down the Rocky Mountains to Colorado, and down the Sierra Nevada to near Mount Whitney, California. It is a low, squat, heavy-bodied animal, with strong legs and feet armed with sharp claws, and is the largest and most formidable of the weasel family.

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PACIFIC WALRUS (Odobenus obesus)

PACIFIC WALRUS (Odobenus obesus)

The walruses, or “sea horses” of the old navigators, are the strangest and most grotesque of all sea mammals. Their large, rugged heads, armed with two long ivory tusks, and their huge swollen bodies, covered with hairless, wrinkled, and warty skin, gives them a formidable appearance unlike that of any other mammal. They are much larger than most seals, the old males weighing from 2,000 to 3,000 pounds and the females about two-thirds as much. These strange beasts are confined to the Arctic Ocea

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ALASKA FUR SEAL (Callorhinus alascanus)

ALASKA FUR SEAL (Callorhinus alascanus)

Several species of fur seals are known, all of them limited to the southern oceans or the coasts and islands of the North Pacific. All are strongly gregarious and formerly sought their island breeding grounds in vast numbers. At one period, soon after the purchase of Alaska, it was estimated that several million fur seals were on the Pribilof Islands in one season. During the height of their abundance the southern fur seals were equally numerous. The value of their skins and the facility with wh

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STELLER SEA-LION (Eumetopias jubata)

STELLER SEA-LION (Eumetopias jubata)

Sea-lions are near relatives of the fur seals and have a nearly similar distribution, both in far southern and northern seas. The males of the several species are more than twice the size of the females and are characterized by an enormous development of neck and shoulders. The Steller sea-lion is the largest member of the group, the old bulls weighing from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds. All are extremely gregarious and polygamous. The Steller sea-lions belong to the North Pacific, whence they range in

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SEA OTTER (Latax lutris and its subspecies)

SEA OTTER (Latax lutris and its subspecies)

Sea otters, distant relatives of land otters, are heavy-bodied animals, about 4 feet long, with broad webbed hind feet. When in the water they have a general resemblance to seals, whose mode of life is similar to theirs. Their fur is extremely dense and on the skins of adult males is almost black, closely sprinkled with long white-tipped hairs. The fur of prime skins has a silky luster, equaled in beauty by only the finest silver-tipped fox skins. For centuries sea-otter fur has been highly priz

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NORTHERN SEA-ELEPHANT, OR ELEPHANT SEAL (Mirounga augustirostris)

NORTHERN SEA-ELEPHANT, OR ELEPHANT SEAL (Mirounga augustirostris)

Sea-elephants are the largest and among the most remarkable of the seals. Two species are known—one from islands on the borders of the Antarctic Ocean and the other from the Pacific coast of Upper and Lower California. The northern species formerly existed in vast numbers along the coast and among outlying islands from Point Reyes, north of San Francisco, south to Cedros Island, but is now reduced to a single small herd living about Guadalupe Island, off Lower California. The old males attain a

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HARBOR SEAL, OR LEOPARD SEAL (Phoca vitulina)

HARBOR SEAL, OR LEOPARD SEAL (Phoca vitulina)

The harbor seal, one of the smallest of the hair seals, attaining a length of only 5 or 6 feet, is one of the most widely distributed and best known of its kind. It is a circumpolar species, formerly ranging well south on the European coast and to the Carolinas on the American side of the Atlantic, though now more restricted in its southern extension. On the North Pacific it ranges south to the coast of Japan on the Asiatic side and to Lower California on the American side. Throughout its range

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HARP SEAL, SADDLE-BACK, OR GREENLAND SEAL (Phoca grœnlandica)

HARP SEAL, SADDLE-BACK, OR GREENLAND SEAL (Phoca grœnlandica)

The black head, gray body, and large dorsal ring of the male harp seal are strongly distinctive markings in a group generally characterized by plain dull colors. The harp seal is a large species, the old males weighing from 600 to 800 pounds. It is nearly circumpolar in distribution, but its area of greatest abundance extends from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Greenland, and thence eastward in that part of the Arctic Ocean lying north of Europe and western Siberia. Its reported presence in the Arc

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RIBBON SEAL (Phoca fasciata) (see polar bear group, page 438)

RIBBON SEAL (Phoca fasciata) (see polar bear group, page 438)

The broad-banded markings of the male ribbon seal render it the handsomest and most strongly characterized of the group of hair seals to which it belongs. Its size is about that of the harbor seal. Its range extends from the Aleutian Islands, on the coast of Alaska, and from the Kuriles, on the Asiatic shore of the Pacific, north to Bering Straits. This seal is so scarce and its home is in such remote and little-frequented waters that its habits are almost unknown. Apparently it is even less gre

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POLAR BEAR (Thalarctos maritimus)

POLAR BEAR (Thalarctos maritimus)

Both summer and winter the great ice bear of the frozen north is appropriately clothed in white. It is also distinguished from all other bears by its long neck, slender pointed head, and the quantity of fur on the soles of its feet. It is a circumpolar species, the limits of whose range nearly everywhere coincide with the southern border of the pack ice. The great majority live permanently on the ice, often hundreds of miles from the nearest land. During summer the polar bear rarely visits shore

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BLACK BEAR (Ursus americanus and its subspecies)

BLACK BEAR (Ursus americanus and its subspecies)

Numerous species of black bears varying in size occur in North and South America and in Asia. In North America a black bear, remarkably uniform in general appearance, but representing various geographic races and possibly species, is generally distributed throughout the forested areas from the borders of the Arctic barrens, at the northern limit of trees, south throughout the United States and down the wooded Sierra Madre to Jalisco, Mexico, and from Newfoundland on the east to Queen Charlotte I

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GLACIER BEAR (Ursus emmonsi)

GLACIER BEAR (Ursus emmonsi)

When first discovered the glacier bear was supposed to be a distinct and well-marked species. Recently cubs representing the glacier bear and the typical black bear have been found in the same litter, thus proving it to be merely a color phase of the black bear. Its color varies exceedingly, from a light smoky, almost bluish, gray to a dark iron gray, becoming almost black. Some individuals are extraordinary appearing beasts, quite unlike any other bear. The interest in this curious color develo

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GRIZZLY BEAR (Ursus horribilis and its relatives)

GRIZZLY BEAR (Ursus horribilis and its relatives)

Recent research has shown that the popular terms grizzly or silver-tip cover a group containing numerous species of large bears peculiar to North America, some of which, especially in California, have become extinct within the last 25 years. These bears vary much in size, some about equaling the black bear and others attaining a weight of more than 1,000 pounds. They vary in color from pale dull buffy to nearly black, usually with lighter tips to the hairs, which produce the characteristic grizz

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ALASKAN BROWN BEAR (Ursus gyas and its relatives)

ALASKAN BROWN BEAR (Ursus gyas and its relatives)

( See frontispiece of this Magazine for the illustration of this remarkable animal ) The Alaskan brown bears form a group of gigantic animals peculiar to North America and limited to the coast and islands of Alaska, from the head of Norton Sound to the Sitka Islands. The group includes a number of species, individuals of two of which, Ursus gyas , of the Alaska Peninsula, and Ursus middendorffi , of Kodiak Island, sometimes attain a weight of 1,500 pounds or more, and are not only the largest ex

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AMERICAN BEAVER (Castor canadensis and its subspecies)

AMERICAN BEAVER (Castor canadensis and its subspecies)

When North America was first colonized, beavers existed in great numbers from coast to coast, in almost every locality where trees and bushes bordered streams and lakes, from near the Yukon Delta, in Alaska, and the Mackenzie Delta, on the Arctic coast, south to the mouths of the Colorado and the Rio Grande. Although now exterminated from most of their former range in the eastern United States, they still occur in diminished numbers over nearly all the remainder of their original territory, even

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FISHER, OR PEKAN (Mustela pennanti)

FISHER, OR PEKAN (Mustela pennanti)

The fisher is one of the largest and handsomest members of the weasel family. Like others of this group, it is a long-bodied, short-legged animal. It attains an extreme length of from 3 to 3½ feet and a weight of 18 or 20 pounds, but the average is decidedly lower than these figures. In general, it is like a gigantic marten, and from its size and dark color is sometimes known locally as the “black cat” or “black fox.” It lives in the forested parts of Canada and the United States, where it origi

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OTTER (Lutra canadensis and its relatives)

OTTER (Lutra canadensis and its relatives)

Land otters are common throughout a large part of the Old World, and when America was explored the animals were found generally distributed, and sometimes common, from the northern limit of trees in North America to southern South America. Within this great area a considerable number of species and geographic races of otters occur, all having a close general resemblance in appearance and habits. The Canadian otter is the well-known type throughout the United States, Canada, and Alaska. It is a s

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COLLARED PECCARY, OR MUSKHOG (Pecari angulatus)

COLLARED PECCARY, OR MUSKHOG (Pecari angulatus)

The numerous and extraordinarily varied species of wild pigs of the Old World are represented in America by the peccaries, a specialized group containing two species of small pigs peculiar to North and South America. One of the many differences between them and their Old World relatives is their having but two young. The name muskhog, applied to them, is based on their possession of a large gland, located high up on the middle of the rump, which emits a powerful odor. The musky odor from this qu

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP (Ovis canadensis and its relatives)

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP (Ovis canadensis and its relatives)

Wild sheep inhabit mountain ranges in both Old and New Worlds. Northern Africa and southern Europe have representative species, but Asia appears to be the true home of the group. There the greatest variety of species is found, including such giants as Ovis poli . In the New World they occur only in North America, where there are two or three species, with numerous geographic races. Among these the sheep inhabiting the main Rocky Mountain region is best known. It is a heavier animal than its nort

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STONE MOUNTAIN SHEEP (Ovis stonei)

STONE MOUNTAIN SHEEP (Ovis stonei)

Owing to its dark, iron gray color, Ovis stonei is often called the “black” mountain sheep. Despite its dark color, the Stone sheep is probably a geographic race of the pure white Dall sheep of Alaska. It has the same slender, gracefully coiled horns, frequently amber colored and extended in a widely spread spiral. Its range lies in northern British Columbia, especially about the upper Stikine River and its tributaries; thence it extends easterly to Laurier Pass in the Rocky Mountains, north of

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DALL MOUNTAIN SHEEP (Ovis dalli)

DALL MOUNTAIN SHEEP (Ovis dalli)

The only variation in the pure white coat of the Dall sheep is a mixture of a few black hairs on the rump, sometimes becoming plentiful enough to form a blackish spot on the tail and a light brownish stain over the entire body, due to the slight discoloration at the tips of the hairs from contact with the earth in their bedding-down places. Their horns are usually dull amber yellow and are notable for their slender proportions and the grace of their sweeping coils, which sometimes curve close to

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT (Oreamnos montanus and its subspecies)

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT (Oreamnos montanus and its subspecies)

The numerous wild goats of the Himalayas and other mountains of Asia are represented in America solely by the Rocky Mountain goat. This is one of the most characteristic, but least graceful in form and action, of our big-game animals. It is distinguished by a long ungainly head, ornamented with small black horns; a heavy body, humped at the shoulders like a buffalo, and a coat of long shaggy white hair. The range of these habitants of the cliffs extends from the head of Cook Inlet, Alaska, easte

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PRONG-HORN ANTELOPE (Antilocapra americana and its geographic races)

PRONG-HORN ANTELOPE (Antilocapra americana and its geographic races)

Unique among the antelope of the world, among which it has no near relatives, the prong-horn, because of its beauty of coloration, its grace, and fleetness, claims the attention of sportsmen and nature lovers alike. It is a smaller and slenderer animal than the larger forms of the Virginia deer. Its hair is coarse and brittle, and the spongy skin lacks the tough fiber needed to make good buckskin. Both sexes have horns, those of the doe being smaller and slenderer. One of the extraordinary pecul

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WAPITI, OR AMERICAN ELK (Cervus canadensis and its relatives)

WAPITI, OR AMERICAN ELK (Cervus canadensis and its relatives)

By a curious transposition of names the early settlers applied to the American wapiti the term elk, which belongs to the European representative of our moose. Our elk is a close relative of the European stag. It is the handsomest and, next to the moose, the largest member of the deer family in America. The old bulls, weighing more than 800 pounds, bear superb widely branched antlers, which give them a picturesque and noble mien. This is the only American deer which has a well-marked light rump-p

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MULE DEER (Odocoileus hemionus and its subspecies)

MULE DEER (Odocoileus hemionus and its subspecies)

Mule deer are larger than the common white-tails, with a heavier, stockier form. Their strongest characteristics lie in the large doubly branching antlers, large broad ears, and rounded whitish tail with a brushlike black tip. Their common name in this country and the name “venado burro” in Mexico are derived from the great, donkeylike ears. Their antlers vary much in size, but in some examples are almost intermediate between those of the white-tail and of the elk. Antlers of the mule deer and o

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BLACK-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus columbianus and its subspecies)

BLACK-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus columbianus and its subspecies)

In general appearance the black-tails have a close resemblance to the mule deer, but average smaller. They have the same large ears, forked tines to the antlers, and rather “stocky” body; but the brushy all-black tail distinguishes them from any other American deer. In color they have much the same shade of brown as the Virginia deer. They have the usual cycle of annual changes common to most American deer—assuming a dull coat in fall and losing their horns in winter, followed by the resumption

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VIRGINIA, OR WHITE-TAILED, DEER (Odocoileus virginianus and its subspecies)

VIRGINIA, OR WHITE-TAILED, DEER (Odocoileus virginianus and its subspecies)

The aptness of the name “white-tail” for the Virginia deer is obvious to any one who has startled one in the forest and seen it dash away with the tail upright and flashing vivid white signals at every leap. The adults have two strongly contrasted coats each year: brownish gray in winter and rusty red in summer. The fawns, usually two in number, are dull rusty brown, marked with a series of large white spots, which remain until the gray winter coat is assumed in the fall. Large bucks sometimes a

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ARIZONA WHITE-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus couesi)

ARIZONA WHITE-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus couesi)

The Arizona white-tails are slight and graceful animals, like pigmy Virginia deer, so small that hunters often ride into camp with a full-grown buck tied back of the saddle. They have two seasonal pelages—gray in winter and more rusty brown in summer. The antlers, very small, but in form similar to those of the Virginia deer, are shed in winter and renewed before the end of summer. These handsome little deer, the smallest of our white-tails, are common in many of the wooded mountains of middle a

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WOODLAND CARIBOU (Rangifer caribou and its subspecies)

WOODLAND CARIBOU (Rangifer caribou and its subspecies)

The caribou lacks the symmetry and grace of the true deer. Its large head topped with irregular antlers, heavy body, and thick, sturdy legs, ending in large, broad-spreading hoofs, produce a distinctly ungainly animal. It is the only member of the deer family in which both sexes have antlers, those of the female being smaller and slenderer than those of the male. It varies in size in different parts of its range, but large old bulls usually weigh from 300 to 400 pounds. A single calf is the rule

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BARREN GROUND CARIBOU (Rangifer arcticus and its subspecies) (see illustration, page 422).

BARREN GROUND CARIBOU (Rangifer arcticus and its subspecies) (see illustration, page 422).

The typical barren ground caribou is smaller and paler colored than the woodland species. Several geographic races have been distinguished, among which the most notable is the Peary caribou, the palest of all and the subject of the accompanying drawing. Like other members of the group, this species is a heavily built animal, with thick legs and large feet. The barren ground caribou is characteristic of the desolate Arctic barrens and tundras beyond the limit of trees, ranging to the northernmost

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MOOSE (Alces americanus and its subspecies)

MOOSE (Alces americanus and its subspecies)

The American moose is a large cousin of the elk of the northern forests of Europe and Siberia. The Old World animal is characterized not only by its smaller size, but also by smaller antlers. The moose is a large, grotesquely formed animal, with the most impressive individuality of any of our large game. Its great head, with oddly formed nose, huge palmated antlers, pendulous bell under the neck, short body, and disproportionately long legs unite to lend the impression that it may be a strange s

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AMERICAN BISON (Bison bison and its subspecies)

AMERICAN BISON (Bison bison and its subspecies)

The American bison, or buffalo, is a close relative of the larger bison which once inhabited Europe and survives in limited numbers in certain game preserves of Poland and the Caucasus. The size, dark shaggy coat, great head, and high arched shoulders of our bison give them a unique individuality among American big game. They once roamed in vast numbers over a broad territory, extending from Great Slave Lake, Canada, south to southern New Mexico, and from Pennsylvania and eastern Georgia to Ariz

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MUSK-OX (Ovibos moschatus and its subspecies)

MUSK-OX (Ovibos moschatus and its subspecies)

The musk-ox is one of the unique and most interesting of American game animals. In general appearance it suggests a small, odd kind of buffalo, and is, in fact, related to both cattle and sheep. It is a heavily built, round-bodied animal, with short, strong legs and long fringelike hair which hangs so low on the sides that it sometimes trails on the snow. The horns—broad, flat, and massive at the base—curve down and out to a sharp point on each side of the head and form very effective weapons fo

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FLORIDA MANATI (Trichechus latirostris)

FLORIDA MANATI (Trichechus latirostris)

The manatis, or manatees, are strange aquatic mammals, with seal-like heads and whalelike bodies. Compared with whales, their flippers are more flexible at the joints, and thus can be used much more freely. They have very small eyes and a heavy upper lip, deeply cleft in the middle and forming a thick lobe on each side. The skin is hairless and covered with fine wrinkles. These animals inhabit the rivers entering the sea and shallow coastal lagoons on both sides of the Atlantic, in tropical part

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KILLER WHALE (Orcinus orca)

KILLER WHALE (Orcinus orca)

The killer whale is a habitant of all oceans from the border of the Arctic ice fields to the stormy glacial margin of the Antarctic continent. So far as definitely known, there appears to be but a single species. It attains an extreme length of approximately 30 feet and is mainly black with well-defined white areas on the sides and underparts of the body. Its most striking and picturesque characteristic is the large black fin, several feet long, standing upright on the middle of the back. The ki

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WHITE WHALE, OR BELUGA (Delphinapterus leucas)

WHITE WHALE, OR BELUGA (Delphinapterus leucas)

The white whale, or beluga of the Russians, is a circumpolar species, limited to the extreme northern coasts of the Old and the New Worlds. The adult is entirely of a milk-white color, is very conspicuous, and as it comes up to “blow” presents an interesting sight. The young beluga is dark slate color, becoming gradually paler for several years until it attains its growth. The beluga usually lives in the shallow waters along shore, and not only frequents sheltered bays and tidal streams, but asc

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GREENLAND RIGHT WHALE, OR BOWHEAD (Balæna mysticetus)

GREENLAND RIGHT WHALE, OR BOWHEAD (Balæna mysticetus)

The Greenland right whale is one of the largest of sea mammals, reaching a length of from 50 to 60 feet, and has a marvelously specialized development. Its enormous head comprises about one-third of the total length, with a gigantic mouth provided with about 400 long, narrow plates of baleen, or whalebone, attached at one end and hanging in overlapping series from the roof of the mouth. These thin plates of baleen rarely exceed a foot in width and are from 2 to over 10 feet long. One edge and th

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SPERM WHALE, OR CACHALOT (Physeter macrocephalus)

SPERM WHALE, OR CACHALOT (Physeter macrocephalus)

The cachalot is from 40 to 60 feet long, about equaling the Greenland bowhead whale in size. It has a huge blunt head, which comprises about one-third of the entire animal. The mouth is large and the under jaw is provided with a row of heavy teeth, consisting of ivory finer in grain than that from an elephant’s tusk. The great whaling industry of the last two centuries was based mainly on the sperm and the bowhead whales. The largest of the bowheads is limited to the cold northern waters, but th

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THE LARGER NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS

THE LARGER NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS

In that part of North America lying north of Mexico more than 1,300 species and geographic races of mammals are known to exist. Of these by far the greater number, both of species and individuals, fall into the class of smaller mammals. Some of the most characteristic types which appear to have originated in North America are the mountain-beavers, pocket-gophers, kangaroo-rats, pocket-mice, wood-rats, white-footed mice, muskrats, skunks, and ring-tailed cats. In Siberia and Europe live close cou

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FURRY FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

FURRY FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

The muskrats, minks, martens, and skunks for many years have yielded an enormous annual return from their furs; the squirrels and rabbits afford sport and a large supply of excellent flesh for food; the prairie-dogs and some of the ground-squirrels existing in enormous numbers have been excessively destructive to crops; and others, like the porcupine and the armadillo, have attracted particular attention because of their strange characteristics....

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ANIMALS THAT LEARNED TO “DIG IN”

ANIMALS THAT LEARNED TO “DIG IN”

The smaller mammals live everywhere, from the tropical end of Florida to the uttermost lands of the frozen North, and from the seashore to the limit of vegetation on the high mountains. The heaviest forests, open meadows, rugged mountain slopes, arctic barrens, and sun-scorched desert plains all have their small four-footed habitants. Many modifications of parts and organs of the various species have been necessary to adapt the small mammals to specialized modes of life. This is strikingly illus

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A DEPARTURE FOR EVERY NEED

A DEPARTURE FOR EVERY NEED

Photograph by Howard Taylor Middleton HEREDITARY ENEMIES: A CAT WATCHING A GRAY SQUIRREL At one time the gray squirrel was so abundant as to make ruinous inroads on the corn and wheat crops of our pioneers. In Ohio, a hundred years ago, there was a law requiring each free white man to deliver 100 squirrel scalps every year or pay a penalty of $3. Today the gray squirrel needs legal protection to prevent its extermination. Another member of this group, the flying-squirrel, has developed an extens

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STRANGE ADAPTATIONS TO MEET CONDITIONS OF ENVIRONMENT AND COMPETITION

STRANGE ADAPTATIONS TO MEET CONDITIONS OF ENVIRONMENT AND COMPETITION

In such ways, by thousands of adaptations and modifications of the typical four-footed mammal, are they fitted to their varied modes of life, each so far as possible in some special place of its own. The effect of the pressure of environment and competition upon the various species of mammals in any region could not be better shown than by the kangaroos of Australia. That continent is occupied by many species of these peculiar mammals, some of which inhabit the open plains like our jack-rabbits

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GEOGRAPHY AND COLOR

GEOGRAPHY AND COLOR

In arid areas the colors are usually distinctly paler and grayer, in the humid districts they are darker and browner. Other conditions also effect these changes among members of the same species, as is shown in some of the most arid and desert plains of the southwestern United States, where mammals living among dark-colored lava beds are darker than those found, sometimes within a few rods, on paler adjoining soil. Complete isolation under the same climatic and other conditions sometimes produce

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ANIMAL CHEMISTS CHANGE STARCH INTO WATER

ANIMAL CHEMISTS CHANGE STARCH INTO WATER

One of the most striking modifications of mammalian economy by environment is that shown in many small mammals of our southwestern desert region and adjacent parts of Mexico, in which such species as the kangaroo-rats, pocket-mice, prairie-dogs, and others are able to exist under the most arid conditions without drinking. The liquid necessary for supplying their bodily needs is obtained through chemical action in their digestive tracts, whereby some of the starchy parts of their food are changed

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GNAWERS MOST NUMEROUS OF MAMMALS

GNAWERS MOST NUMEROUS OF MAMMALS

The rodents vastly outnumber all other mammals and are typified by the squirrels, rats, and mice; their food is mainly vegetable matter, but many of them eat insects and meat whenever available. The carnivores, including such species as the weasel, mink, and marten, are mainly flesh eaters, preying largely upon rodents, but they also eat insects and fruits of many kinds. The insectivores include the moles and shrews, which, with all the bats found within our limits, are almost exclusively eaters

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CASES OF CONCENTRATED FEROCITY

CASES OF CONCENTRATED FEROCITY

To a certain extent the ferocity of mammals appears to increase in proportion to a decrease in their size. The smaller members of the weasel family—the weasels—are relatively far more active and bloodthirsty than the minks, martens, and other larger members of the group. If the common weasel should be increased to the bulk of a mountain-lion and retain its nature and physical prowess, it would be many times more dangerous than any existing carnivore and the devastations it would commit would be

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WHY THE SKUNK NEVER HURRIES

WHY THE SKUNK NEVER HURRIES

In addition, skunks have an even more potent weapon in the secretion of a vile-smelling liquid which is sprayed on a dangerous enemy. So confident are skunks in the efficacy of this weapon that they are extremely calm and unhurried in their manners and take little trouble to avoid an encounter with man or beast. Their odorous weapon is not used among themselves and appears to be held for service against more dangerous enemies. Scent glands are common among rodents, carnivores, and insectivores,

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GOOD HOUSEKEEPING IN RODENT LAND

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING IN RODENT LAND

One can but marvel at the wise prescience with which northern rodents gather their winter stores and hide them away safe from the weather in secret places in hollow trees, old logs, crevices among the rocks, or in neat storage chambers dug for the purpose adjoining underground burrows. The size of the stores and the tireless industry of these little husbandmen in gathering them might well serve as examples worthy of emulation by some of their human neighbors. The seeds gathered are freed from ch

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THE EBB AND FLOW OF ANTAGONISTIC SPECIES

THE EBB AND FLOW OF ANTAGONISTIC SPECIES

With this stimulated increase of rodent life goes a related increase in the number of birds and mammals which prey upon them. The close relationship between the numbers of rodents and of the carnivores which prey upon them is shown by the records of the Hudson Bay Company, in which with the increase or decrease in the abundance of varying-hare skins secured by the fur traders goes a corresponding increase or decrease in the number of lynx skins taken. Photograph by Howard Taylor Middleton IT IS

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ANIMALS THAT SEEK SAFETY IN DARKNESS

ANIMALS THAT SEEK SAFETY IN DARKNESS

For some reason, perhaps owing to their small size and defenselessness against birds and beasts of prey, the great majority of small mammals, including hundreds of species and untold millions of individuals, are nocturnal or live such obscure and hidden lives they are unknown except to the comparatively few people who go much afield, with all their powers of observation alert by day and by night. Many of the mainly nocturnal species pursue minor activities by day, where shelter of one kind or an

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COUNTLESS BEASTS THAT ROAM THE NIGHT

COUNTLESS BEASTS THAT ROAM THE NIGHT

By day the squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, and spermophiles are abroad and unite with the birds to lend an air of pleasant animation to forest and plain. With the falling shades of night, near the abodes of mankind as well as in the remote wilderness, everywhere a countless multitude of small beasts come forth and form a little, bright-eyed furry world, clad in delicate shades of gray and brown and characterized by remarkable grace and agility. These small folk of the night swarm out from snug

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ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE AKIN TO MAN’S

ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE AKIN TO MAN’S

When viewed with unbiased attention, these little animals of the wilds are certain to charm the observer either by their beauty and grace or by their varied and interesting habits. No one can long study mammals, large or small, without observing many traits of intelligence so akin to his own that they awaken feelings of friendly fellowship. The modes of life of small mammals are much more varied than those of the larger species. At times radical differences in habits may be noted among different

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PEEPS INTO FUR-FOLK HOMES

PEEPS INTO FUR-FOLK HOMES

The homes of small mammals vary greatly. The species living in underground burrows usually excavate an oval chamber which is filled with fine vegetable material to form a snug retreat. The muskrat places a conical lodge on the border of a marshy stream or lake. The wood-rat lives in an underground burrow, in a nest of sticks and trash heaped above the ground or in a stick nest placed among the branches of low trees. Harvest mice build a little hollow ball of grass blades, lined with finer materi

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NEW COATS FOR BOREAS’ COURT

NEW COATS FOR BOREAS’ COURT

The most marked of all examples of “directive” coloration among the small mammals appears to be that of certain white-sided jack-rabbits, in which the white areas on the sides and rump are drawn up and down as the animal runs across the plains, giving a flashing effect, which attracts attention to them exactly as does the white rump-patch of the antelope. In the northern part of the continent, where snow lies for many months, several species of hares are dusky or buffy gray in summer and change

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ANIMALS THAT HAVE TO SING

ANIMALS THAT HAVE TO SING

Small mammals vary greatly in their vocal powers, but the changes in intonation and character of the notes and calls indicate plainly that they are used to convey a variety of meanings. Some are practically voiceless, as in the case of rabbits and hares, except when in an extremity of fear they utter loud shrieks of terror. Squirrels, prairie-dogs, and some other small mammals bark and chatter, while mice and bats have a variety of curious squeaking notes. Marmots and ground-squirrels have chatt

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BATS WITH BULLDOG FACES

BATS WITH BULLDOG FACES

The heads of bats are strangely sculptured, some being smoothly contoured and shaped like those of little foxes; others appear like miniature bulldogs; and still others have curious cartilaginous nose-leaves upright on the muzzle. Some have the entire face molded into a hideous mask repulsive to look upon. Their habits are equally varied to meet special conditions: Some are eaters of fruit alone; others feed solely upon insects, while others bite other mammals, including man, for the purpose of

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ANIMALS THAT PUT THEMSELVES IN COLD STORAGE

ANIMALS THAT PUT THEMSELVES IN COLD STORAGE

In the northern parts of the Old and New Worlds many mammals, including bears, marmots, prairie-dogs, ground-squirrels, and jumping mice, pass a large part of the winter months in a lethargic sleep called hibernation. While hibernating these animals have extremely slow and slight heart action and their bodily temperature falls far below the normal of their active periods. During the most profound hibernation an animal may be awakened if brought into a warm temperature, but when again put into th

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DEFENSIVE AND OFFENSIVE ANIMAL ALLIANCES

DEFENSIVE AND OFFENSIVE ANIMAL ALLIANCES

A great number of both large and small mammals live solitary lives except for brief periods during the mating season or the association of the young with the mother. Some species, however, like the wolves and coyotes, may mate permanently and show great mutual affection and constancy. Many species have well-developed social instincts, which appear in some cases to combine two purposes, self-defense and the desire for companionship. Herds of large herbivorous mammals, such as musk-oxen and buffal

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THE ANTELOPE JACK RABBIT (Lepus alleni and its relatives)

THE ANTELOPE JACK RABBIT (Lepus alleni and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 506 ) The antelope, or Allen, jack rabbit is one of the most picturesque of American mammals. It is larger than the common western jack rabbit and is strongly characterized by enormous ears, long, slender legs, short tail, and contrasting colors. It is a member of the white-sided group of jack rabbits, which are distinguished by the extension of the white of the underparts well up on the sides of the body. This group is represented in limited areas on our southern bo

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THE CALIFORNIA JACK RABBIT

THE CALIFORNIA JACK RABBIT

( Lepus californicus and its subspecies) ( For illustration, see page 507 ) The common hares, or gray-sided “jack rabbits” of the Western States, are among our best known and most interesting mammals. They are characterized by long, thin necks, long ears tipped with black, long legs, grayish sides differing but little from the color of the back, and a rather long tail, black on its upper side and dingy gray below. They are abundant and generally distributed over a vast and mainly treeless area i

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THE VARYING HARES (Lepus americanus and its relatives)

THE VARYING HARES (Lepus americanus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 507 ) The varying hares, white rabbits, or snowshoe rabbits, as they are known, form a small group of closely related species and geographic races of hares peculiar to northern North America. They sometimes attain a weight of five pounds and are about half the size of the arctic hares, which they resemble in form, except that they are more heavily built and have proportionately shorter legs and larger hind feet. With a single exception they become white in winter and

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THE ARCTIC HARE (Lepus arcticus and its relatives)

THE ARCTIC HARE (Lepus arcticus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 510 ) Many parts of the northernmost circumpolar lands are occupied by large hares, which attain a weight of more than ten pounds. They are about the size of large jack rabbits, but are more heavily proportioned, with much shorter ears and shorter, stronger legs. There are several species and geographic races of these animals, all of which are snowy white in winter except for a small black tip on each ear. In summer the southern arctic hares change to a nearly unifor

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THE COTTONTAIL RABBITS (Sylvilagus floridanus and its relatives)

THE COTTONTAIL RABBITS (Sylvilagus floridanus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 510 ) North America has several species of hares, but no typical representative of the European rabbit. The American cottontails and their near relatives, the brush rabbits and others, combine characteristics of both the hares and rabbits, but are most like the rabbits, of which they appear to form aberrant groups. The cottontails are distinctly smaller than most of the American hares and average from two to three pounds in weight. They are otherwise contrasted with

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THE MARSH RABBIT (Sylvilagus palustris and its relatives)

THE MARSH RABBIT (Sylvilagus palustris and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 511 ) The marsh rabbit, or “pontoon,” as it is known in Georgia, is a distinctively American species allied to the cottontails, but distinguished from them by its more heavily proportioned body, smaller ears, shorter and slenderer legs and feet, and shorter, nearly unicolored tail. Its only close relative in the United States is the swamp rabbit, known in Alabama as the “cane-cutter.” These two species appear to be members of a Tropical American group of which other

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THE PIKA, OR CONY (Ochotona princeps and its relatives)

THE PIKA, OR CONY (Ochotona princeps and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 511 ) The pika, little chief hare, or cony, as it is variously named, is among the most attractive and interesting of our mountain animals. It is about the size and shape of a small guinea-pig, with a short, blunt head, broad, rounded ears, short legs, practically no tail, and a long, fluffy coat of fur. While most nearly related to the hares and rabbits, it has very different habits. The pikas form a group comprising many species, much alike in general appearance an

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THE PORCUPINE (Erethizon dorsatum and its relatives)

THE PORCUPINE (Erethizon dorsatum and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 514 ) The porcupine is one of the most grotesque of the smaller North American mammals. With a weight of from fifteen to twenty pounds, its heavy body is supported on short legs, the feet resting flat on the ground like those of the raccoon, instead of on the toes, as in most small animals. Its strongest peculiarity is the specialized development of most of the fur into rigid, sharp-pointed spines or “quills” from half an inch to over three inches in length. That the

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THE JUMPING MOUSE (Zapus hudsonius and its relatives)

THE JUMPING MOUSE (Zapus hudsonius and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 514 ) In several ways the jumping mouse is unique among American mammals. Its strongest characteristics are a dull, rusty yellowish color, a slender body about three inches long, a remarkably slender tail about five inches in length, and long hind legs and feet, which are specially developed for jumping, like those of a little kangaroo. In addition it is provided with cheek pouches, one on each side of the mouth, in which it gathers food to be carried to its hidden s

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THE SILKY POCKET MICE (Perognathus flavus and its relatives)

THE SILKY POCKET MICE (Perognathus flavus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 515 ) Soft, shining fur, delicate coloring, and graceful form distinguish the silky pocket mice from others of their kind. The family of which they are members consists of rodents peculiar to America and includes many other species of pocket mice and kangaroo rats. All are provided with little pouches on each side of the mouth for gathering and carrying food, have proportionately long tails, and hind legs and feet more or less developed for jumping. Only in the most

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THE SPINY POCKET MICE (Perognathus hispidus and its relatives)

THE SPINY POCKET MICE (Perognathus hispidus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 515 ) Pocket mice are divided into several natural groups of species, all having certain characters in common, as a pointed head, lengthened hind feet and legs, and external cheek pouches for carrying food. The spiny group contains numerous species, the smallest of which is about the size of a house mouse and the largest nearly twice that size. They are more slenderly built than the silky species and have longer tails, with the hairs lengthened along the terminal hal

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THE POCKET GOPHERS (Geomys bursarius and its relatives)

THE POCKET GOPHERS (Geomys bursarius and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 515 ) With the exception of the moles no other extensive group of American land mammals is so highly specialized for a peculiarly restricted mode of life as the pocket gophers. They form a strongly marked family, the Geomyidæ, which includes various genera and many species, all very similar in external form, but varying from the size of a large mouse to a massively formed animal equalling a large house rat in weight. Without exception they are powerfully built for th

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THE KANGAROO RATS (Dipodomys spectabilis and its relatives)

THE KANGAROO RATS (Dipodomys spectabilis and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 518 ) The desert regions of western North America have developed several peculiar types of mammals, and among them are none handsomer or more interesting than the kangaroo rats. These rodents, despite their name, are neither kangaroos nor rats, but are near relatives of the pocket mice, which share their desert haunts. All are characterized by a kangaroo-like form, including small fore legs and feet, long hind legs and feet for jumping, and a tail longer than the bod

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THE BANDED LEMMING (Dicrostonyx nelsoni and its relatives)

THE BANDED LEMMING (Dicrostonyx nelsoni and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 519 ) Banded lemmings are unique among the mouse tribe in their change from the rufous brown, or gray summer coat to pure white in winter. With the assumption of the white winter fur a thick, horny, padlike growth develops on the underside of the two middle claws of the front feet, which is molted in spring when the winter coat is lost. For an animal living in the far North the usefulness of a white coat in winter is evident, but no good reason is apparent for these

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THE BROWN LEMMING (Lemmus alascensis and its relatives)

THE BROWN LEMMING (Lemmus alascensis and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 579 ) Few small mammals are so well known in far northern lands as the brown lemmings. They form a small group of species having a close general resemblance to some of the field mice, from which, however, they may at once be distinguished by their much heavier proportions, extremely short tails, and the remarkable length of the hair on their backs and rumps. They inhabit most of the arctic and subarctic lands of both Old and New Worlds. In North America they are know

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THE COMMON FIELD MOUSE, OR MEADOW MOUSE (Microtus pennsylvanicus and its relatives)

THE COMMON FIELD MOUSE, OR MEADOW MOUSE (Microtus pennsylvanicus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 522 ) The Pennsylvania meadow mouse is a small species about as long in body as the house mouse, but much more heavily proportioned. Its head is rounded, the eyes small and beadlike, the legs and tail are short, and the comparatively coarse fur is so long that it almost conceals the short, rounded ears. It is a typical representative of a group of small mammals commonly known as field mice, or “bear mice,” which includes a great number of species closely similar in g

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THE PINE MOUSE (Pitymys pinetorum and its relatives)

THE PINE MOUSE (Pitymys pinetorum and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 522 ) The pine mice form a small group of species peculiar to North America and closely related to the field mice. They are similar in form to the common field mice of the Eastern States, but are usually smaller, with much shorter tails and shorter, finer, and more glossy fur. Most of the pine mice are limited to the wooded region of the States between the Atlantic coast and the eastern border of the Great Plains, and from the Hudson River valley and the border of th

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THE RED-BACKED MOUSE (Evotomys gapperi and its relatives)

THE RED-BACKED MOUSE (Evotomys gapperi and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 523 ) With the exception of the banded lemmings the red-backed mice are the most brightly colored of the smaller northern rodents. They are close relatives of the common field mice, which they about equal in size, but from which they are distinguished externally by rufous coloration, finer and more glossy pelage, larger ears, and proportionately longer tails. The red-backed mice form a group containing a considerable number of species distributed throughout the north

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THE RUFOUS TREE MOUSE (Phenacomys longicaudus and its relatives)

THE RUFOUS TREE MOUSE (Phenacomys longicaudus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 523 ) The genus Phenacomys, to which the rufous tree mouse belongs, includes a number of species closely similar in size and external appearance to some of the well-known field mice. The structure of their teeth, however, shows that they form a distinct group of animals. So far as known, the living members of the genus are confined to the Boreal parts of North America, where they range from the Atlantic to the Pacific in Canada, and southward along the mountains to N

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THE MUSKRAT (Fiber zibethicus and its relatives)

THE MUSKRAT (Fiber zibethicus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 526 ) The muskrat, or “musquash,” as it is widely known in the northern fur country, is three or four times the size of the common house rat, to which it bears a superficial resemblance. It has a compactly formed body, short legs, and strong hind feet partly webbed and otherwise modified for swimming. The long, nearly naked, and scaly tail is strongly flattened vertically and in the water serves well as a rudder. The fur is nearly as fine and dense as that of the bea

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THE WOODRAT (Neotoma albigula and its relatives)

THE WOODRAT (Neotoma albigula and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 526 ) In the East known as woodrats, in the West, where much more numerous and better known, these animals are called “mountain rats” or “trade rats.” Despite a certain superficial resemblance in size and appearance, woodrats are not related to those exotic parasites, the house rats, with coarse hair and bare tails, but are far more attractive and handsome animals, clothed in fine soft fur, delicately colored above in soft shades of gray, buffy, or ferruginous, while

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THE HARVEST MOUSE (Reithrodontomys megalotis and its relatives)

THE HARVEST MOUSE (Reithrodontomys megalotis and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 527 ) In size, proportions, and color the harvest mice, of all our American species, most closely resembles the common house mouse. Many of them are decidedly smaller than that animal and they rarely, if ever, exceed it in size. They may be distinguished from the house mouse by their browner colors, more hairy tail and especially by a little groove which extends down the front of each upper incisor. The mice of this group include many species and have a wide distribu

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THE GRASSHOPPER MOUSE (Onychomys leucogaster and its relatives)

THE GRASSHOPPER MOUSE (Onychomys leucogaster and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 527 ) The grasshopper mice are notable for the delicate coloring and velvety quality of their fur. While closely resembling some of the white-footed mice, they may readily be distinguished from them by more robust form, short, thick tail, and the character of the fur. Only two species, each with numerous geographic races, are known and both are peculiar to North America. Characteristic animals of the arid and semi-arid treeless plains, plateaus, and foothills of the

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THE WHITE-FOOTED MOUSE (Peromyscus leucopus and its relatives)

THE WHITE-FOOTED MOUSE (Peromyscus leucopus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 530 ) Few of our smaller wild mammals are so generally known as the white-footed mice. Usually a little larger and proportionately shorter bodied than the house mice, they may at once be distinguished from them by the contrast between the delicate shades of fawn color, brown, or gray of the upper parts of the body, and the snowy white feet and under parts. Like other members of the genus, they have cheek pouches inside the mouth for gathering and carrying food to the

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THE BEACH MOUSE (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris and its relatives)

THE BEACH MOUSE (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 530 ) The beach mouse is a beautiful, velvety-furred little creature about the size of a house mouse and one of the smallest species of the genus Peromyscus. Its back is colored with delicate shades of pale vinaceous-buffy and its underparts, including the feet, are snowy white. The species Peromyscus polionotus , of which the beach mouse is one of several geographic races, or subspecies, occupies a comparatively restricted range in the lowland region of Alabama and

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THE BIG-EARED ROCK MOUSE (Peromyscus truei and its relatives)

THE BIG-EARED ROCK MOUSE (Peromyscus truei and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 531 ) The numerous species of mice of the genus Peromyscus in North America include a great variety of little beasts, many of which are distinguished by beauty of form and color. One of the most striking and picturesque individualities among these is found in the big-eared rock mouse, which is characterized by its great ears, a thick, soft coat of buffy brown fur, and a long, well-haired tail. In size it exceeds the common house mouse and even the white-footed mice w

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THE BROWN RAT (Rattus norvegicus and its relatives)

THE BROWN RAT (Rattus norvegicus and its relatives)

It is safe to assume that few readers need an introduction to that world-wide pest variously known as the brown rat, house rat, wharf rat, or Norway rat. Two European relatives, the black rat and the roof rat, preceded the brown rat to the New World and became widely distributed. They resemble the brown rat, but are much smaller and are soon killed, driven away, or reduced to a secondary status by their larger and fiercer cousin, which averages about sixteen inches in length, although large indi

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THE HOUSE MOUSE (Mus musculus)

THE HOUSE MOUSE (Mus musculus)

( For illustration, see page 531 ) The familiar house mouse is of Old World origin and may be distinguished from most of our native mice by its proportionately slenderer body, long hairless tail, and the nearly uniform color on the upper and under parts of the body. Like the house rat, wandering an alien from its original home in Asia, and transported by ship and by inland commerce, it has gained permanent foothold and thrives in lands of the most diverse climatic conditions, except those of the

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THE MOUNTAIN-BEAVER (Aplodontia rufa phaea and its relatives)

THE MOUNTAIN-BEAVER (Aplodontia rufa phaea and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 534 ) The first adventurous fur traders who penetrated the Oregon wilds found the Chinook Indians provided with robes made of skins of the mountain-beaver. From that time until recently but little accurate information has been available concerning the habits of this curious animal. Locally it is known by several other names, including “Sewellel,” “mountain boomer,” “boomer,” and, in the Olympic mountains, “chehalis.” The genus of mountain-beavers contains only a sing

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THE COMMON WOODCHUCK, OR AMERICAN MARMOT (Marmota monax and its relatives)

THE COMMON WOODCHUCK, OR AMERICAN MARMOT (Marmota monax and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 534 ) The woodchuck or “groundhog” is a typical marmot, with coarse hair, heavy body, short neck, short, bushy tail, powerful legs, and feet armed with strong claws for digging. When fully grown it averages about ten pounds in weight. Its usual color is a grizzled brown, but in some districts black, or melanistic, individuals are not uncommon. Marmots are common to Europe, Asia, and North America. The group contains many species and geographic races varying in size a

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THE HOARY MARMOT, OR WHISTLER (Marmota caligata and its relatives)

THE HOARY MARMOT, OR WHISTLER (Marmota caligata and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 535 ) The whistler is the largest and handsomest of the American marmots. It is similar in proportions to the common woodchuck, but averages nearly twice its weight. Its fur, far thicker and of a better quality, might have a value in the fur trade if enough of the skins were available. As it is, the skins are used only for robes and sometimes for clothing by the Indians. The distribution of this characteristic animal of the northern Rocky Mountains and outlying range

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THE PRAIRIE-DOG (Cynomys ludovicianus and its relatives)

THE PRAIRIE-DOG (Cynomys ludovicianus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 538 ) Prairie-dogs are not “dogs,” but typical rodents, first cousins to the ground squirrels, or spermophiles. As a rule, they may be distinguished from the ground squirrels by their larger size, proportionately shorter and heavier bodies, and shorter tails. In length they vary from fourteen to over seventeen inches, and in weight from one and one-half to more than three pounds. These rodents are limited to the interior of North America and form a small group of fiv

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THE STRIPED GROUND SQUIRREL (Citellus tridecemlineatus and its subspecies)

THE STRIPED GROUND SQUIRREL (Citellus tridecemlineatus and its subspecies)

( For illustration, see page 538 ) Small size and a series of thirteen narrow, well-defined stripes, or lines, marking the upperparts of the striped ground squirrel serve to distinguish it from all its relatives. Its total length is about eleven inches and its form is nearly as slender as that of the weasel. Its brightly colored markings blend so well with the brown earth and plant stems in its haunts that when quiet it is difficult to distinguish. This protective coloration is of vital service

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THE CALIFORNIA GROUND SQUIRREL (Citellus beecheyi and its relatives)

THE CALIFORNIA GROUND SQUIRREL (Citellus beecheyi and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 539 ) Owing to its habits, the California ground squirrel is known locally as the digger-, rock-, or ground-squirrel. Its prominent ears, bushy tail, color, and form give it the general appearance of a heavy-bodied gray tree squirrel, but in reality it is a true, spermophile and close kin to the marmots. GOLDEN CHIPMUNK Callospermophilus lateralis chrysodeirus EASTERN CHIPMUNK Tamias striatus Spermophiles are nearly circumpolar in distribution, ranging through northe

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THE ANTELOPE CHIPMUNK (Ammospermophilus leucurus and its relatives)

THE ANTELOPE CHIPMUNK (Ammospermophilus leucurus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 539 ) Commonly known as the antelope, or white-tailed, chipmunk, this handsome little mammal is in reality a species of spermophile, or ground squirrel. The misnomer is due, no doubt, to its small size, striped back, and sprightly ways. From the true chipmunks it may be distinguished by its heavier proportions, and from both chipmunks and all other spermophiles by its odd, upturned tail, carried closely recurved along the top of the rump. This character renders the s

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THE GOLDEN CHIPMUNK (Callospermophilus lateralis chrysodeirus and its relatives)

THE GOLDEN CHIPMUNK (Callospermophilus lateralis chrysodeirus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 542 ) RED SQUIRREL Sciurus hudsonicus DOUGLAS SQUIRREL Sciurus douglasi The golden chipmunk, or calico squirrel, as it is named in Oregon, is the most richly colored of the several geographic races of a widely known species, Callospermophilus lateralis , abundant among the open forests of yellow pines and firs of the western ranges, including the Rocky Mountains, Cascades, and Sierra Nevada. Although commonly known as a chipmunk, this handsome animal is a ground squi

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THE EASTERN CHIPMUNK (Tamias striatus and its relatives)

THE EASTERN CHIPMUNK (Tamias striatus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 542 ) The chipmunks are close relatives of the tree squirrels, but live mainly on the ground, are provided with cheek pouches for carrying food to their hidden stores, and have many ways similar to those of the spermophiles, or ground squirrels. They are nearly circumpolar in distribution, ranging through eastern Europe and northern Asia as well as from the Atlantic to the Pacific in North America. On this continent they are far more numerous in species and individua

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THE OREGON CHIPMUNK (Eutamias townsendi and its relatives)

THE OREGON CHIPMUNK (Eutamias townsendi and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 543 ) The resident species of birds and mammals in the humid coastal region of Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia are strikingly characterized by their darker and browner colors in comparison with closely related species in more arid districts. The Oregon chipmunk is one of the common species showing marked response to these local climatic conditions and is the darkest of all the many species of chipmunks in the Western States. This chipmunk is one of

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THE PAINTED CHIPMUNK (Eutamias minimus pictus and its relatives)

THE PAINTED CHIPMUNK (Eutamias minimus pictus and its relatives)

The preceding sketch tells how the Oregon chipmunk, living under a cool, humid climate, in a region of great forests, has responded to its environment by developing dark colors and a robust physique. The painted chipmunk of the Great Basin has given an equally perfect response to entirely different conditions. It is one of the geographic races of a species peculiar to the sagebrush-covered plains and hills from the Dakotas across the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin region to the east slope o

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THE RED SQUIRREL (Sciurus hudsonicus and its relatives)

THE RED SQUIRREL (Sciurus hudsonicus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 546 ) Every one who has visited the forests of Canada and northeastern United States knows the vivacious, rollicking, and frequently impudent red squirrel. This entertaining little beast, known also as the pine squirrel and chickaree, has little of that woodland shyness so characteristic of most forest animals. It often searches out the human visitor to its haunts and from a low branch or tree trunk sputters, barks, and scolds the intruder, working itself into a fren

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THE DOUGLAS SQUIRREL (Sciurus douglasi and its relatives)

THE DOUGLAS SQUIRREL (Sciurus douglasi and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 546 ) In all details of size, form, notes, and habits the Douglas squirrel gives testimony to its descent from the same ancestral stock as the common red squirrel ( Sciurus hudsonicus ). The typical Douglas squirrel, represented in the accompanying illustration, is one of several geographic races of a species which ranges from the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the Pacific, and from British Columbia south to the San Pedro Martir Mountains of Lower California. The home

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THE GRAY SQUIRREL (Sciurus carolinensis and its relatives)

THE GRAY SQUIRREL (Sciurus carolinensis and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 547 ) The gray squirrel is so well known to everyone in the Eastern States that it scarcely needs an introduction. Many who have not seen it in its native haunts are familiar with it as a graceful and charming resident of parks in many cities. It is about twice as large as the red squirrel and intermediate in size between that species and the fox squirrel. Although sharing some of the range of both the species named, the color of the gray squirrel at once distinguish

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THE FOX SQUIRREL (Sciurus niger and its relatives)

THE FOX SQUIRREL (Sciurus niger and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 547 )...

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THE RUSTY FOX SQUIRREL (Sciurus niger rufiventer)

THE RUSTY FOX SQUIRREL (Sciurus niger rufiventer)

Three species of tree squirrels inhabit the varied forests of eastern North America, each having its marked individuality expressed in color, size, and habits. All occupy a wide territory with varying climatic conditions, to which each species has responded by becoming modified into a series of geographic races, or subspecies. The red and the gray squirrels have already been described and it remains to give an account of the largest and in some respects the most remarkable of the three, the fox

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THE ABERT SQUIRREL (Sciurus aberti and its subspecies)

THE ABERT SQUIRREL (Sciurus aberti and its subspecies)

( For illustration, see page 550 )...

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THE KAIBAB SQUIRREL (Sciurus kaibabensis)

THE KAIBAB SQUIRREL (Sciurus kaibabensis)

Among the many kinds of squirrels which lend animation and charm to the forests of North and South America, none equal in beauty the subjects of this sketch—the Abert and the Kaibab squirrels. These are the only American squirrels endowed with conspicuous ear tufts, which character they share with the squirrels occupying the forests in the northern parts of the Old World from England to Japan. In weight they about equal a large gray squirrel, but are shorter and distinctly more heavily proportio

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THE FLYING SQUIRREL (Glaucomys volans and its relatives)

THE FLYING SQUIRREL (Glaucomys volans and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 551 ) No one can see one of our small flying squirrels in life without being charmed by its delicate grace of form and velvety fur, nor fail to note the large black eyes which give it a pleasing air of lively intelligence. Flying squirrels are distinguished from all other members of the squirrel family by extensions of the skin along the sides, which unite the front and hind legs, so that when the animal leaps from some elevated point with legs outspread the membrane

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THE BLACK-FOOTED FERRET (Mustela nigripes and its relatives)

THE BLACK-FOOTED FERRET (Mustela nigripes and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 551 ) Of all the varied forms of mammalian life in America, the black-footed ferret has always impressed me as one of the strangest and most like a stranded exotic. It is about the size of a mink, but, as the illustration shows, is entirely different in appearance and has the general form of a giant weasel. It has no close relative in America, but bears an extraordinarily close resemblance in size, form, and color to the Siberian ferret ( Mustela eversmanni ). The bl

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THE LEAST WEASEL (Mustela rixosus and its relatives)

THE LEAST WEASEL (Mustela rixosus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 554 ) In addition to the larger members of the tribe briefly described in the foregoing sketch, the true weasels include another group of species, so small they may appropriately be termed the dwarfs of their kind. They vary from a half to less than a fourth the size of the larger weasels, but have the same characteristic form and proportions, except that the tail is very short and never tipped with black. Like the larger species, they change their brown summer coat

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THE AMERICAN MINK (Mustela vison and its relatives)

THE AMERICAN MINK (Mustela vison and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 555 ) In the American mink we have one of the most widely known and valuable fur-bearers of the weasel family. It is a long-bodied animal, but more heavily proportioned than the weasel, and attains a weight of from one and one-half to more than two pounds. It has short legs and walks slowly and rather clumsily with the back arched. When desiring to travel rapidly it moves in a series of rapid easy bounds which it appears able to continue tirelessly. THE TRACK OF A FO

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THE MARTEN, OR AMERICAN SABLE (Martes americana and its relatives)

THE MARTEN, OR AMERICAN SABLE (Martes americana and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 555 ) Wild animals possess an endless variety of mental traits which endow them in many instances with marked individualities. Few are more strongly characterized in this respect than the marten. One of the most graceful and beautiful of our forest animals, it frequents the more inaccessible parts of the wilderness and retires shyly before the inroads of the settler’s ax. Its rich brown coat, so highly prized that the pursuit of it goes on winter after winter in all

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THE LITTLE SPOTTED SKUNK (Spilogale putorius and its relatives)

THE LITTLE SPOTTED SKUNK (Spilogale putorius and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 558 ) The skunks form a distinct section of the weasel family, limited to North and South America. The group is divided into three well-marked sections. One of these, the little spotted skunks, is distinguished from all other mammals by the curious and pleasing symmetry of the black and white markings of the animals. Few more beautiful fur garments are made than those from the skins of these animals in their natural colors. These skunks are smaller than any members o

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THE HOG-NOSED SKUNK (Conepatus mesoleucus and its relatives)

THE HOG-NOSED SKUNK (Conepatus mesoleucus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 559 ) The third and last group of skunks contains a number of species showing well-marked differences from the two groups already described. The species vary in size, but among them is included the largest of all skunks. All are characterized by comparatively short hair, especially on the tail, and this appendage lacks the plumelike appearance observed in other skunks. The nose is prolonged into a distinct “snout,” naked on the top and sides and evidently used for ro

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THE NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO (Dasypus novemcincta and its relatives)

THE NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO (Dasypus novemcincta and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 559 ) Armadillos are distinguished from other mammals by having the nearly, or quite, hairless skin developed into a bony armor covering the upperparts of the head and body and all of the tail. They lack teeth in the front of both upper and lower jaws, and are members of the group of toothless animals which includes the ant-eaters. The insects they feed on are licked up by the sticky surface of their extensile tongues. In the remote past many species of armadillos, s

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THE OREGON MOLE (Scapanus townsendi and its relatives)

THE OREGON MOLE (Scapanus townsendi and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 563 ) The effect on mammals of a narrowly specialized mode of life is well illustrated in the mole. It is an expertly constructed living mechanism for tunneling through the earth. The pointed nose, short neck, compactly and powerfully built cylindrical body, with ribs strongly braced to withstand pressure, and the short, paddlelike hands armed with strong claws for digging are all fitted for a single purpose. Eyes and ears are of little service in an underground life

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THE STAR-NOSED MOLE (Condylura cristata)

THE STAR-NOSED MOLE (Condylura cristata)

( For illustration, see page 563 ) The star-nosed mole, known in parts of Maine as the “gopher,” is peculiar among the moles in having a fringe around the end of its nose formed by twenty-two short fleshy tentacles. A less-marked character is in the proportionately long tail, which becomes greatly enlarged in fall and remains in this condition during the winter months. Otherwise the external appearance of this species is much like that of the common moles of America and the Old World. The star-n

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THE COMMON SHREW (Sorex personatus and its relatives)

THE COMMON SHREW (Sorex personatus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 566 ) Many interesting small mammals are nocturnal or lead such obscure and hidden lives that they are rarely observed except by naturalists. Of these are the numerous species of shrews, which include the smallest mammals in the world. These tiny beasts all live among the vegetation and debris on the surface of the ground or in little burrows below. With the moles they are members of the order Insectivora and depend mainly on insects and meat for food. Despite their

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THE SHORT-TAILED SHREW (Blarina brevicauda and its relatives)

THE SHORT-TAILED SHREW (Blarina brevicauda and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 566 ) Several groups of species or genera of the little mouselike animals known as shrews are peculiar to North America. Of these one of the most numerous and best known is the short-tailed shrew. It is a dark-colored animal much more heavily proportioned, larger, and with a shorter tail than the common shrew. Its fur is so thick and velvety that it is confused by many people with the mole, despite its smaller size. The short-tailed shrews, sometimes called mole shre

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THE RED BAT (Nycteris borealis)

THE RED BAT (Nycteris borealis)

( For illustration, see page 566 ) Bats reach their greatest development in the tropics, where a marvelous variety of these curious mammals exist. To the northward the number of species gradually decreases, until eventually, in northern Canada and Alaska, a single species represents the group. The United States, occupying the middle latitudes, has a considerable number of different kinds. Some of these remain throughout the year, hibernating in caves during the period of cold, when insects are n

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THE HOARY BAT (Nycteris cinereus)

THE HOARY BAT (Nycteris cinereus)

The hoary bat is a close relative of the red bat described above, but is larger, about five inches long, and, as its name implies, is of a different color. It is widely distributed over a large part of North America, where it is known to breed from Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and the southern shore of Great Slave Lake south practically throughout the United States. It is one of our larger species and is remarkable for its power and skill on the wing. The wings are long and narrow and carry their owne

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THE MEXICAN BAT (Nyctinomus mexicanus and its subspecies)

THE MEXICAN BAT (Nyctinomus mexicanus and its subspecies)

( For illustration, see page 567 ) Reference has been made in several preceding sketches of this series to the mammals of tropical origin which have invaded our southern border. The Mexican bat is a notable member of this class. It differs in many curious ways from the bats with which it associates in temperate regions. It is smaller than any of the other three bats treated here and is strongly characterized by a flattening of the head and body which enables it to creep into a surprisingly narro

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THE BIG-EARED DESERT BAT (Antrozous pallidus and its relatives)

THE BIG-EARED DESERT BAT (Antrozous pallidus and its relatives)

( For illustration, see page 567 ) The marvelous variations in structure of the ears and other organs about the heads of insect-eating bats serve probably as microphones by which the flight of their prey may be detected and its direction located with instantaneous certainty. The beautiful accuracy with which this hearing mechanism works must be evident to any one who will take a position where he may have the evening glow of the western sky as a background for flights of bats. It is certain that

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