MINUTES OF MEETINGS. 127 



Mr. Kirkpatrick stated that the facts regarding its capture 

 were, that Mr. Brainerd observed tracks in the snow, in the 

 early part of this moiilh, with which he was not familiar, 

 although he had been engaged in hunting a considerable 

 portion of his life. These tracks led to a large white oak 

 tree. At that time he was unwilling to cut down the tree, 

 and let it remain without further examination. 



On visiting the place a few days after, he found that the 

 animal had left the tree and taken shelter in the crevices 

 of some rocks. Three days after this time the animal was 

 discovered to have returned to its old abode in the tree. 

 Mr. Brainerd then cut down the tree, and his dog killed the 

 animal 



No one in the township of Parma knowing anything of 

 the creature, he brought it to this city. The furriers here 

 were equally ignorant, no skin of the sort having ever been 

 seen by them. He then brought it to the office of the Ohio 

 Farmer^ and presented it to the Secretary of the Academy 

 for preservation and deposit in the museum. 



The specimen is a female, evidently mature, but not aged. 

 Her measurement is rather less than that of a male, given 

 in Audubon and Bachman's Quadrupeds of North America, 

 Vol. H., page, 314, plate 98, Otherwise the description is 

 accurate. 



Mr. Kirkpatrick stated that since he procured this speci- 

 men he had found a mutilated skin belonging to this species, 

 in the possession of a saloon keeper in this city, who obtained 

 the live animal nearly two y -ars ago, and kept it a long 

 time as a pet. Its owner said that it was very familiar and 

 social, climbing on his shoulder and gamboling around the 

 room. At one time its owner placed a mink — Putorius 

 vison — in the same cage with it. For a long time the two 

 animals remained motionless at opposite ends of the cage, 

 with their eyes fixed intently upon each other, until the 

 Bassaris, evidently overcome by the gaze of the Mink, sud- 

 denly sprung up in terror, making frantic efforts to escape, 



