company,

inferred, from the quantity of furs procured by the Russian that woody regions, similar to such as exist to the eastward of the mountains, also occur in this north-west corner of America.

CHAPTER VI.

The Quadrupeds of the Northern Regions of America.

Inaccuracies of some Historical Writers-No Monkeys in North America --Bats-Shrewmice-Genus Scalops, or Shrewmole-Other Moles of America-The Star-nose-Various Bears-Different digitated Quadrupeds-The Canada Otter-The Sea-otter-The Dogs and Wolves of America-The Foxes-The Beaver-The Musk-rat-Meadow Mice and Lemmings-The Rocky Mountain Neotoma--The American Fieldmouse-The Marmots-The Squirrel Tribe-The Canada Porcupine— The American Hare-The Polar Hare-The Prairie Hare-The Little Chief Hare-Genus Cervus-The Elk, or Moose-deer-The Rein-deer -The Woodland Caribou-The Rocky Mountain Sheep-The Rocky Mountain Goat-The Bison, or American Buffalo-The Musk-ox.

HAVING in the preceding chapter exhibited a general sketch of some of the prevailing features in the physical geography of the northern countries of America, we shall now proceed to a more detailed and systematic account of their natural history. But, in the first place, we may notice a slight inaccuracy which prevails in regard to the comparative size of the ferine inhabitants of the Old and New World. "Nature," says Dr. Robertson,* "was not only less prolific in the New World, but she appears likewise to have been less vigorous in her productions. The animals originally belonging to this quarter of the globe appear to be of an inferior race, neither so robust nor so fierce as those of the other continent. America gives birth to no creature of such bulk as to be compared with the elephant or rhinoceros, or that equals the lion and tiger in strength and ferocity. The tapir of Brazil, the largest quadruped of the ravenous tribe in the New World, is not larger than a calf of six months old. The puma and jaguar, the fiercest beasts of prey,

* In his History of America.

which Europeans have inaccurately denominated lions and tigers, possess neither the undaunted courage of the former, nor the ravenous cruelty of the latter.* They are inactive and timid, hardly formidable to man, and often turn their backs upon the least appearance of resistance. The same qualities in the climate of America which stinted the growth and enfeebled the spirit of its native animals have proved pernicious to such as have migrated into it voluntarily from the other continent, or have been transported thither by the Europeans. The bears, the wolves, the deer of America, are not equal in size to those of the Old World." Now this idea that the quadrupeds of the New World are smaller than those of the Old is correct only in relation to the southern regions of each. The elephant and rhinoceros of India are of much more vast dimensions than the tapir and lama of South America; but "the bears, wolves, and deer" of North America are much larger than those of Europe, and the reptiles of that same quarter of the globe are infinitely larger than any which occur in corresponding latitudes of the ancient continent. Even in regard to the feline tribes which the great Scotch historian considered as so inferior in the New World, perhaps there is less disparity than is usually supposed. Buffon's observations on the "cowardly tigers" of the new continent are known to be applicable to the small species called the ocelot; and it is ascertained that the real jaguar of the Orinoco sometimes leaps into the water and seizes the Indians in their canoes, --a practice not entirely consistent with the idea of its fearing the face of man. Let us peruse the following passages from the writings of Humboldt :-"The night was gloomy; the Devil's Wall and its denticulated rocks appeared from time to time at a distance, illumined by the burning of the savannas, or wrapped in ruddy smoke. At the spot where the bushes were the thickest, our horses were frightened by the yell of an animal that seemed to fol

Buffon, Hist. Nat. tom. ix. p. 87. Margravii Hist. Nat. Brazil, p. 229. † Ibid. ix. 13, 203. Acosta, Hist. lib. iv. c. 34. Pisonis, Hist. p. 6. Herrera, dec. 4, lib. iv. c. 1. lib. x. c. 13.

Churchill, v. p. 691. Ovalle, Relat. of Chili. Churchill, iii. p. 10. Sommario de Oviedo, c. 14-22. Voyage du Des Marchais, iii. 299.

Buffon, Hist. Nat. ix. 103. Kalm's Travels, i. 102. Biet. Voy. de France Equinox, p. 339.

low us closely. It was a large jaguar that had roamed for three years among these mountains. He had constantly escaped the pursuit of the boldest hunters, and had carried off horses and mules from the midst of enclosures; but, having no want of food, had not yet attacked men. The negro who conducted us uttered wild cries. He thought he should frighten the jaguar; but these means were of course without effect. The jaguar, like the wolf of Europe, follows travellers even when he will not attack them; the wolf in the open fields and unsheltered places, the jaguar skirting the road, and appearing only at intervals between the bushes."* The same illustrious observer also remarks,"Near the Joval, nature assumes an awful and savage aspect. We there saw the largest jaguar we had ever met with. The natives themselves were astonished at its prodigious length, which surpassed that of all the tigers of India I had seen in the collections of Europe."+

The first fact to which we shall here allude is one of a negative character, viz. the entire absence of the monkey tribe, commonly called the Quadrumanous order, from the countries of our present disquisition. The climate is too rigorous and variable for that "pigmy people."

Of the next order, the Cheiroptera or bats, there are several North American species, of which we shall here name only the Vespertilio subulatus of Say, a small-bodied species, common near the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, on the upper branches of the Peace River and Saskatchawan.

The slender and delicately-formed tribe of shrewmice are well known in America. Forster's shrew (Sorex Forsteri, Rich.) is widely spread over the whole of the fur-countries as far as the sixty-seventh degree of north latitude; and wherever the snow is sufficiently firm to retain the impres sion, its little footmarks are seen throughout the dreary winter. Dr. Richardson often traced its paths to the top of a stalk of grass, by which it appeared to descend from the surface of the deep snow; but he always sought in vain for its habitation beneath. This is the smallest quadruped with which the Indians are acquainted, and they carefully preserve its ↑ Ibid. p. 427.

* Personal Narrative, vol. iv. p. 176.

skin in their conjuring bags. It has been a source of wonder and admiration how the vital power should preserve its delicate limbs from freezing in a country where the winter temperature sinks to fifty degrees below zero. Of this species the tail is of a square form, and of the same length with the head and body, which together measure rather more than a couple of inches. The ears are short and furry, the back is of a clove-brown colour, and the under parts are pale yellowish brown.

A singular animal (classed under the genus Scalops of Cuvier) is known to the American naturalists by the name of shrewmole. It has a thick cylindrical body, resembling that of the common mole, without any distinct neck. Its limbs are very short, and appear remarkably so in consequence of their being enveloped in the skin of the body as far as the wrists and ankle-joints. The snout is linear and moveable, and projects above the third of an inch beyond the incisive teeth. The eyes are concealed by the fur, and are so exceedingly small, according to Dr. Godman, that the aperture of the skin is just large enough to admit the entrance of an ordinary-sized human hair. The paws closely resemble those of the European mole, and the fur has the same rich velvety appearance. It is of a brownish-black colour, with a slight chestnut tinge upon the forehead, and somewhat paler on the throat.

Considerable confusion exists in the history of the American moles, and it is still a matter of doubt whether any true mole (of the genus Talpa) inhabits the New World. "Before the sun rose," says Sir Alexander Mackenzie, "our guides summoned us to proceed, when we descended into a beautiful valley, watered by a small river. At eight we came to the termination of it, when we saw a great number of moles."* Now, in this country, though molehills are abundant, it seldom happens that we see of the creatures themselves more than one at a time, and even that but rarely. From this it may perhaps be inferred that the species are distinct. However, the one which we have described above is frequent on the banks of the Columbia and the neighbouring coasts of the Pacific. According to Lewis and Clarke, "it differs in no respect from the species

Voyages from Montreal, on the river St. Lawrence, through the Continent of North America, to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans, p. 314.

so common in the United States."* The northern range of the shrewmole is still unknown. It is supposed not to advance beyond the fiftieth degree of latitude, because its favourite food consists of earth-worms, which are unknown in the countries of Hudson's Bay, although it may probably reach a somewhat higher latitude along the milder Pacific shores. Its general habits resemble those of our own kind. It is a subterranean dweller, excavates galleries, throws up mounds, and feeds on insects. This species is said to have the singular custom of coming to the surface exactly at noon. A domesticated individual kept by Mr. Titian Peale was lively, playful, and familiar; it would follow the hand of its feeder by the scent, and then, after burrowing for a short distance in the loose earth, and making a small circuit, would return again for a supply of food. It fed on fresh meat, either cooked or raw, and was observed to drink freely.t

Another singular subterranean species is the long-tailed mole of Pennant (Condylura longicaudata, Harlan). The length of this animal, exclusive of the tail, is nearly five inches. It is covered with a brownish-black velvety coat of fur, and the extremity of its snout is furnished with a cartilaginous fringe of eighteen rays, with two short bifid ones beneath the nostrils. It is from these appendages that it has obtained the name of star-nose. Specimens were transmitted to the Zoological Society from Moose Factory, Hudson's Bay. It is called naspass-kasic by the Salteur Indians.

We come now to the group of bears (genus Ursus), which includes the largest and most powerful of the American beasts of prey. It is natural to suppose that animals of almost gigantic size, of great strength, and ferocious habits would be too formidable and dangerous to the human race to remain unknown in any of their distinguishing characteristics. Yet the specific differences of the black and brown bears of Europe and America are still insufficiently illustrated. Both continents produce a black bear and a brown one,-the white or polar bear is com

Travels to the Source of the Missouri River, vol. iii. p. 42. ↑ American Natural History, by John D. Godman, M.D., vol. i. p. 84.