NATURAL HISTORY. 



557 



this characteristic distinction : the 

 ordinary iiouse rat we found on 

 the banks of the Missouri, as far 

 u_p as the woody country extends, 

 and the rat, such as has been de- 

 scril)ed, Captain Lewis found in 

 the state of Georgia, and also in 

 Madison's cave in Virginia. 



20. The mouse which inhabits 

 this covintry is precisely the same 

 with those which inliabit the Uni- 

 ted States. 



21. The mole. This animal 

 differs in no respect from the spe- 

 cies so common in the United 

 States. 



2'J. The panther is found in- 

 differently, either in the great 

 plains of the Columbia, the wes- 

 tern side of the Rocky mountains, 

 or on the coast of the Pacific. 

 He is the same animal so well 

 known on the Atlantic coast, and 

 most commonly found on the 

 frontiers, or unsettled parts of 

 our country. He is very seldom 

 found, and when found, so wary, 

 it is difficult to reach him with a 

 musket. 



23. The hare on this side of 

 the Rocky mountains inhabits the 

 great plafns of the Columbia. 

 To the eastward of those moun- 

 tains they inhabit the plains of the 

 Missouri. They weigli from 

 seven to eleven pounds : the eye 

 is large and prominent, the pupil 

 of a deep sea-green, occupying 

 one-third of the diam.cter of the 

 eye ; the iris is of a bright yel- 

 lowish and silver colour ; the ears 

 are placed far back, and very near 

 each other, which the animal can, 

 witlj surprising ca.^e and quick- 

 ness, dilate, ami throw forward, 

 or contract, and hold upon his 

 back at pleasure : the head, neck, 

 back_, sbouldersj thighs, and outer 



part of the legs and thighs are of 

 a lead colour . the sides, as they 

 approach the belly, bcconie gra- 

 dually more white : the belly,, 

 breast and inner part of the legs 

 and thighs are white, with a light 

 shade of lead colour : the tail is 

 round and bluntly pointed, cover- 

 ed with white, soft, fine, fur, not 

 quite so long as on the other parts 

 of the body : the body is covered 

 with a deep, fine, soft, close fur. 

 The colours here described are 

 those whicli the animal assumes 

 from the middle of April to tlie 

 middle of November ; the rest of 

 the year he is of a pure white, 

 except the black and reddish 

 brown of the ea)s, which never 

 change. A few reddish brown 

 spots are sometimes intermixed 

 with the white, at this season/Fe- 

 bruary 26, ISOG,) on their heads 

 and the upper part of their necks 

 and shoulders : the body of the 

 animal is smaller and longer in 

 proportion to its height tlian the 

 rabbit : when he runs he conveys 

 his tail straight behind, in the 

 direction of his body : he appears 

 to run and bound with surprising 

 agility and ease : he is extremely 

 fleet, and never burrows or takes 

 shelter in the ground w hen pur- 

 sued. His teeth are like those of 

 the rabbit, as is also his upper 

 lip, which is divided as high 

 as the nose. His food is 

 grass, herbs, and in winter he 

 feeds much on the bark of seve- 

 riil aromatic herbs growing on the 

 plains. Captain Lewis measured 

 the leaps of this animal, and found 

 them commonly from eighteen to 

 twenty-one feet : they are gene- 

 rally found separate, and are ne- 

 ver seen to associate in greater 

 numbers than two yr tluse, 



24. The 



