THE MUSEUM. 



4i 



ow running water and, where disturb- 

 ed, will disappear with great rapid- 

 ity amongst the weeds and gravel, its 

 dusky color aiding in its concealment. 

 The average length is about four and 

 one-half inches. The color is gener- 

 ally brown above, with gray or pink 

 shades, both the sides and belly being 

 marked. Cope mentions a variety of 

 D. fitsca as occurring only in the 

 southern states but I did not secure 

 any specimens of it. 



This salamander hunt occupied sev- 

 eral hours and was rather tiresome 

 physically but I felt well repaid as did 

 my assistant by the number and vari- 

 ty of specimens secured. Upon reach- 

 ing the house again I put the sala- 

 manders into five per cent, formalin, 

 keeping the different varieties separate 

 and labeling all fully so that data would 

 not be lacking when I came to study 

 them at home. 



From this time on I took trips al- 

 most daily, sometimes with ornitho- 

 logical intent, sometimes after snakes 

 or turtles, but always with a deep re- 

 spect for the beautiful panorama of na- 

 ture constantly changing before me as 

 I wandered over the hills and through 

 the valleys. I shall not try to give an 

 account of these trips in any regular 

 order but shall dwell more particular- 

 ly on a few excursions that were of 

 especial interest to me and on the 

 specimens secured. 



Being desirous of collecting some 

 rough skeletons of mammals, I inter- 

 ested one of Mr. White's sons, a not- 

 ed trapper, in my behalf and together 

 we set a line of traps up to the very 

 top of the mountain — the rock pile 

 which I have mentioned before as be- 

 ing called Buzzard's Peak." Every 

 morning early for several days we 

 made the round of these traps, but 

 finding game rather scarce we finally 

 gave it up. I will give a few brief 

 notes on the mammals obtained in- 

 cluding also a few species which Mr. . 

 White traps every winter. 



Vulpes fulvus (Red Fox). This 

 species seems to be fairly common in 



the northeastern part of Virginia. In 

 the vicinity of Mr. White's cottage 

 they were quite plentiful although 

 hunted a great deal with hounds. On 

 two occasions I saw one enter almost 

 into the dooryard and that too in the 

 daytime. Neither of these animals 

 seemed particularly disturbed at see- 

 ing me but turned around slowly and 

 loped off through the wood. The 

 hounds belonging to the people in the 

 vicinity sometimes get loose at night 

 and on these occasions they have a 

 grand fox hunt of their own, spending 

 a whole night in running around and 

 barking. 



Vulpes virginianus (Gray Fox). 

 While not as common as the fore- 

 mentioned species the Gray Fox is 

 still taken not infrequently. I did not 

 see one at all but on several occasions 

 when the hounds were having oue of 

 their noisy hunts Mr. White told me 

 they were after a Gray Fox. He said 

 that there was a difference in the 

 course taken by the two species of 

 foxes when pursued by hounds, the 

 Gray Fox keeping for as long a time 

 as possible in a comparatively small 

 area dodging back and forth in hopes 

 of throwing the hounds on a false 

 scent, while the Red Fox relied more 

 on its legs for escaping. Mr. White 

 traps several each year. 



Putorius vulgaris (Weasel). I be- 

 lieve this species to be quite common. 

 Have heard the residents mention it 

 as being destructive to their chickens 

 which are also subject to attacks from 

 the Fox, Skunk, Mink and Rats. I 

 saw only one specimen. 



Putorius vison (Mink). The Mink 

 is quite common, finding excellent 

 dwelling and hunting grounds along 

 the banks of the various winding 

 streams with which this country is 

 well supplied. Mr. White traps many 

 each winter. 



Lutra canadensis (Am. Otter). 

 During the winter of 1896 Mr. White 

 caught his first specimen of this spec- 

 ies. Since then he has caught two or 

 three each winter and said that he 



