Mammals of the District of Columbia. 91) 



Procyon lotor. The Raccoon is not rare, even in the immediate vicinity 

 of Washington. I have seen their tracks along Rock Creek in the lower 

 end of the Zoological Park, on the bank of the Potomac near High Island, 

 and along Beaver Dam Branch on the east side of Anacostia River. Skins 

 are l)ronght into the market by negro trappers from across the Potomac. 



Mephitis mephitica. Skunk. In 1894 a skunk was found under a 

 house in the middle of Georgetown. It was treated with carbon bisul- 

 phide, and its skin is now in the Departaientof Agriculture collection in 

 the National Museum. They are fairly common along the Potomac River 

 above Georgetown, where their tracks may be found in the dusty road 

 along the canal almost every morning, and I have found both tracks and 

 holes on the west side of the Potomac, above Chain Bridge. Tracks are 

 less frequently seen in other localities near the cit}^ and occasionally an 

 unmistakable skunkj^ odor blows into town. 



Lutra hudsonica. Otters are scarce, but proliably less so than is 

 generally supposed. Dr. Coues mentions one brought into the National 

 Museum in the flesh in 1874.* A man living near High Island tells me 

 that an otter has been on the island during the past winter, and that one 

 was caught near Great Falls. I cannot vouch for the truth of these re- 

 ports, but see no reason to doubt them. The rapids of the Potomac and 

 the rocky shores, with numerous drift-heaps and overhanging ))anks, offer 

 the favorite environment for otter. 



Lutreola vlson. Mink are common along the Potomac, along Rock 

 Creek, Anacostia River, Beaver Dam Branch, and probably on every 

 small stream in the District. I have seen their tracks in all of the places 

 mentioned, and the freshly killed animals have been brought to the De- 

 partment of Agriculture from several points near Washington. One was 

 brought in last February from College Station, Maryland, 8 miles north- 

 east of the city. 



Putorius noveboracensis. Weasels, while not plentiful, are by no 

 means rare. Tracks are occasionally seen on the banks of streams. The 

 National Museum contains a number of skins labeled Washington, and 

 in the Department of Agriculture collection are two skins of weasels 

 caught near the city. One of these I caught in April, 1896, a short dis- 

 tance above the west end of Chain Bridge. The spot was close to the old 

 District line, but I could not tell on which side. Mr. C. W. Richmond 

 t3lls me that a small weasel was caught a few years ago near the Central 

 High School. 



Sorex personatus. This tiny Long-tailed Shrew is one of the rarest 

 mammals of the region. It has not yet been taken within the District of 

 Columbia, though no doubt it occurs in very limited numbers in some of 

 the swamps. In the mammal collection of Dr. ]Merriam there is a much- 

 damaged specimen, picked u}i in a jiath near Sandy Si)rings, Maryland, 

 some years ago. During February of the present year (1896) I succeeded 

 in catching three of these shrews in a sphagnum swamp near Hyattsville, 



* Fur-bearing Animals, p. 311, 1877. 



