SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 351 



deringly, keeping my lonely vigil. A very brief 

 examination revealed the fact that I had caught 

 a magnificent specimen of the Aplodontia leporina, 

 of which I had only read. 



Captains Lewis and Clark obtained some vague 

 information about this animal, which is given in 

 their journal of travel across the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, in 1804. All they say of its habits is, 

 ' that it climbs trees, and digs like a squirrel.' 

 They obtained no specimen of the animal, but 

 saw, probably, robes made of the skins. It 

 was subsequently described by Rafinesque, and 

 by him named Anysonyx rufa, and by Harlan 

 Arctomys rufa. In 1829 Sir John Richardson 

 obtained a specimen, and, after a careful anato- 

 mical examination, this eminent naturalist deter- 

 mined it to be a new genus, and renamed it, 

 generically and specifically. The generic name 

 (Aplodontia) is founded on its having rootless 

 molars, or grinding teeth aploos, simple ; odons, 

 a tooth. It belongs to the sub-family Castorince, 

 dental formula 9 - -If 22. 



Sp. ch. Size, that of a musk-rat; tail veiy 

 short, barely visible ; colour, glossy blackish- 

 brown. Male, length about 14 inches ; female 

 resembling the male, but smaller. The fur is 

 dense and woolly, with long bristly hairs, thickly 



