556 ANNUAL REGISTKR, 1816. 



long, and from seven to ni)ie in 

 widtli ; the tail is always separa- 

 ted from the skin by the natives 

 when making their robes. This 

 animal mounts a tree and burrows 

 in the ground precisely like a 

 sipiirrel : the ears are short, thin, 

 and pointed, and covered with a 

 iiae short hair, of a uniform red- 

 dish brown : the bottom, or the 

 base of the long hairs, whicli ex- 

 ceed the fur but little in lengtii, 

 as well as the fur itself, are of a 

 dark ctdour next to the skin for 

 two-thirds of the length of this 

 animal : the fur and hair are very 

 fine, short, thickly set, and silky : 

 the ends of the fur, and tip of the 

 hair, are of a i eddish brov/n, and 

 that colour predominates in the 

 usual appearance of the animal. 

 Captain Lewis offered consider- 

 able rewards to tl\e Indians, but 

 was never able to procure one of 

 these animals alive. 



18. The braro, so called from 

 the French engagecs, appears to 

 be an animal of the civet species, 

 and much resembles the common 

 badger. 'J'hese animals inhabit 

 the ojjen plains of the C(dumbia, 

 sometimes those of the Missouri, 

 and ai'e sometimes founil in the 

 woods ; they burrow in hard 

 giounds with surpiising ease and 

 dexterity, and will cover them- 

 sehes in a very fcNV niouicnts : 

 they have five long iixed nails on 

 eacli foot ; those on the foi'e-feet 

 are much tlie longest, and one of 

 those on each hind foot is double, 

 like that of the beaver : they 

 weigh from fourteen to eighteen 

 jjounds: tlie body is long in ]»ro- 

 portion to its thickness : the fore 

 legs are remarkably large, mus- 

 cular, ar,d are formed like those 

 ' of the turnsj/it dog, and, as well 



as the hind legs, are short : tliese 

 animals are broad across the 

 shoulders and l)reast : the neck is 

 short, the mouth wide, and fur- 

 nished with sharp stiaight teeth, 

 both above and below, with four 

 sliarp, straight pointed tusks, two 

 in the ujiper and two in the lower 

 jaw : the eyes are black and 

 small ; whiskers are phu'ed in 

 four points on each side near the 

 nose, and on the jaws near tlie 

 opening of the mouth: the ears 

 are short, wide, and oppressed, as 

 if a [art liad been amputated : the 

 tail is four inches in length, the 

 hair of which is longest at the 

 point of the junction with the 

 body, and giowing shorter until 

 it ends in an acute point : the 

 hairs of the body are much long- 

 er on the sides and rump than 

 those on any other part, which 

 gives the body an apparent flat- 

 ness, particularly when the ani- 

 mal rests upon his belly : the 

 hair is upwards of three inches in 

 length, esjiecially cm the rump, 

 whcie it extends so far towaids 

 the point, of the tail, it conceals 

 the shape of that part, and gives 

 to the whole of the hinder parts 

 of the body the appearance of a 

 right-angled triangle, of which 

 the point of the tail forms an 

 aoite angle : the small (juantity 

 of coarse far interniixed a\ ith the 

 hair is of a reddish pale yellow. 



19. The rats which inhabit the 

 rocky Mountains, like those on 

 the borders of the Missouri, in the 

 neigb.bourhood of the mountains, 

 have the distinguishing trait of 

 possessing a tail covered with hair 

 like the other parts of the body. 

 These animals are probably of 

 the same species with those of the 

 Atlantic states, which have not 



tins 



