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MONOGRAPHS OF NORTH AMKRICAN RODRNTIA. 



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by Forster, who flnscribcd a specimen fniin Cliurcliill River ns the- "Quebec 

 MnriiKtt", (loubtfiiUy referring it to Pcnnunt's Quebec Marmot, which is the 

 Arrtomys monax of recent authors, but generally wrongly referred to the 

 Mus cmpetra of PuUas. Forster's description shows clearly that his animal, 

 as first stated by Richardson,* is identical with his S. parryi. Hearne, 

 during his long Arctic journey (1769-72), also met with it in the region west 

 of Hudson's Bay, and in iiis narrative of his travels, published in 1807, refers 

 to it under the name "Ground Squirrel". 



In 1778, Pallas described a Mm empetra, based on a specimen in the 

 Leyden Museum from boreal America, which is unquestionably referable to 

 the present species, subsequently (in 1825) described by Richardson under 

 the name Arctomys parryi. His account of the size, form, proportions, and 

 color are all applical)le here, and not at all to Arctomys monax, to which 

 his name has commonly of late been referred. A few years later (about 

 1784), Pallas's Mus empetra was redescribed by Schreber under the name 

 Arctomys empetra. Schreber also gave of it a colored figure, made from a 

 drawing of Pallas's Mus einjietra sent to him by Pallas himself This figure, 

 as no one can well doubt, is a fair representation of the Arctomys parryi of 

 Riciiardson, the Spermophitus parryi of recent authors. Pallas cites, as a 

 synonym of his Mus empetra, the Quebec Marmot of Pennant, and also the 

 Quebec Marmot of Forster.f Pallas, in thus citing Pennant, referred an 

 unquestionably distinct species to his Mus empetra, which complication was 

 perpetuated by subsequent writers, who uniformly blended Pennant's Quebec 

 Marmot with Forster's Quebec Marmot and Pallas's Mus empetra. The ani- 

 mal described by Pallas, however, as already stated, is the Arctomys parryi 

 of later authors, as is fully shown by the publication of his figure by Schre- 

 ber, and as is also unquestionably evident from his description. J This is 

 evident from the short tail, small size, and coloration, in these points the 

 figure and description agreeing with no American species of the restricted 



• Parry's 8il Voy. App. p. 318. 



t Tbene citatinoB, n-ndered by PttUiw into Latin, are as fallows : — " Marmota quebekaita Pennant, 

 8yn. p. 270. 8p. I'Jfl, tab. 84, f. a, bona. Forstkk, Act. angl. vol. LXII, p. 378." 



i Pallas's description, from the specimen in the Leyden Mnseum, is as follows :— " MagHiiiido Cavia> 

 Pocai, sea Inter Marraotani & Citillum media ; habitns plane Marniotie vel A'Qtomyna ; longitadn oircitnr 

 pedalis. Caput reiusiiin, supra fnsco-DJgrescens, lateribns albicans. Dentet primores maxni, nadati ut 

 iik^armota, nee antice I'lilvi. Juricula parvte, snbuudas, rotnndatte, vix pilo lon)(io[es. Vermcie plures 

 sparsfe, suiiercilinres bisetm, paroticee blsetie, pilis ulbidis distinotiu, jtuliiris unisetn. Corpm subtoB 

 totuni artusqne rnfo.f«rrn){inea : snpra corpus funcnni. extremis pilorom e ({ryseo-albicautibus nudulata 

 nebnIoHum. Pnira extremi brnnneo nigri, nnguibus fuscis; pafimr Hine veHti);iu polliois. Coiufa bipolli- 

 oarls cum diniidio, dorso concolor, apice nigresoeuit." — (Ifov. Spec, tllires, p. 75.) 



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