1867.] 319 [Hayden. 



the qundrupeds and birds of the Upper Missouri, but a few species 

 only will be mentioned in this connection. On the prairies of Illi- 

 nois, Indiana, and Iowa, the prairie hen or ruffed grouse, Cvpidonia 

 CvpkJo, is very abundant, but in ascending the Missouri River, this 

 species gradually disappears near the mouth of the Niobrara River, 

 and is replaced by the sharp-tailed grouse, Pcdiocees jiliasianelhis, 

 which continues thence to the foot of the mountains. Although the 

 wild turkey is abundant within tlie limits of the settled portions .lof 

 the West, it has never been seen above the mouth of White River. 

 The quail, Ortyx Virf/iniuna, is not known to occur above the mouth 

 of the Niobrara. 



The Western fox-squirrel, Sciiti-Ks Lvdovicianus, is quite abun- 

 dant about Council Bluffs, but gradually becomes rarer toward the 

 West, until it ceases to appear near the mouth of the White River, in 

 latitude 43|° ; longitude 99 J°. The gray and black squirrel, S. Caro- 

 Imiensis, is common at Leavenworth City, Kansas, has been seen as 

 far up the Missouri as the mouth of the Platte, but has never been 

 observed farther westward. The raccoon, Procj/oiilvfor, is qmte abun- 

 dant as far westward as Big Sioux River, where a considerable trade 

 is carried on between the whites and Indians in their skins. None 

 have been observed west of White River. The white-tailed or wood 

 deer, Cervus leucurus, is very abundant on the wooded bottoms of 

 the Missouri, from the mouth of the Kansas to the Big Sioux, and 

 not rare from thence to the mountains, but it is confined to the 

 wooded valleys of streams. On the other hand, the black-tailed or 

 mule-deer, C. maa-otis, is rarely seen below Fort Pierre, and its fa- 

 vorite haunts seem to be among the rugged and interminable ravines 

 and canons of the streams in the "bad-lands" and along the foot 

 hills of the mountains. It will be seen at a glance from the few ob- 

 servations here made, that most animals and plants are restricted by 

 nature within certain geographical limits. The beautiful species of 

 rabbit, Lepus Bairdi, n. s., which was collected by Dr. Hayden for 

 the first time in the spring of 1860, on the summit of Wind River 

 Mountains, seems peculiarly adapted to dwell in these regions of 

 perpetual snow. Its long toes, having very flexible joints, and covered 

 ■with long thick hair, enables it to travel with ease over the snow, leav- 

 ing behind it a track altogether out of proportion in extent, to the size 

 of the animal. Its geographical limits are not yet well known, but 

 it would appear to be restricted to the snow-covered summits of the 

 mountains. 



Dr. Hayden stated that he had made these remarks simply to 



