TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. Ill 



americana, Procyon Hernandezii, species common to several regions — while the 

 beaver, wolves of various species, the fisher {Mustela Pennantii), are found in all 

 the districts of North-west America. 



The insular faunas of North-west America are identical with those of the nearest 

 mainland, with the remarkable exception of the Queen Charlotte Islands, about 

 forty miles off the north-west coast of British Columbia. On these islands there 

 are no deer or wolves, and there is rumoured to be no beaver or racoon either, 

 though all of these animals are exceedingly abundant on the mainland. 



The prevailing habitats of the mammals of North-west America may be judged 

 from the following enumeration, the numbers aifecting each locality being in a 

 direct ratio to the order in which the habitats are mentioned. 



1. Sylvan : species affecting woods. 



2. Campestral : species affecting prairies and open ground. 



3. Periaquatic : species found in swamps, or around streams and lakes. 



4. Marine : species frequenting or living in the sea. 



Introduced or Extinct Species. 



1. In addition to domestic animals, Mus decKmmms and 31. musculm have esta- 

 blished themselves. The horse was originally obtained from the Conianches, who 

 stole it from the Mexicans, into whose country it was introduced by the followers 

 of Cortes. Among the Indians it has much degenerated, and owing to the wooded 

 character of the country, is not found much north of the Frazer, or to the west 

 of the Cascades. 



2. With the exception of the Rliytina, there is no evidence of any animal 

 having become extinct within historical periods, unless indeed the vague rumours 

 of the Mastodon having been contemporary with man be received as^such. The 

 buffalo {Bos americanm) has, however, been exterminated in North-west America 

 within the memory of this generation. 



Systematic History of the North-icest American Mammals. 

 The following is an approximate enumeration of the species found in each 

 order : — 



1. Cheiroptera, about 10 species. 5. Ruminantia, 10 species. 



2. Insectivora, 6 species. 6. Pinnipedia, 7 species. 



3. Carnivora, 31 species. 7. Cetacea (approximately) 12 species. 



4. Rodentia, 47 species. Total— 123 species. 



On the Salmon Rivers of Devon and CormvalJ, and how to improve them. 



By Frank Euckland. 



On Chiaris alba. By Egbert 0. Cunningham, M.D., C.M.Z.S. 



After referring to the different opinions of ornithologists as to the true place of 

 the Sheathbill in the class to which it belongs, on account of its peculiarities of 

 forui and habit, the following notes on the digestive organs of a female bird 

 obtained in the Strait of Magellan were read : — 



_ The tongue was rather thick and deeply hollowed on each side of the mesial 

 line. The entire length of the oesophagus (including the proventiculus) was 64 

 inches. It presented a well-marked enlargement, which, though not materially 

 differmg m its structure from the rest of the tribe, may be regarded as a modified 

 crop. This crop was empty. The stomach, which contained small pebbles alone, 

 was moderately muscular, and its lining membrane was of an orange-yellow 

 colour. Its long diameter measured If of an inch, and its greatest fransverse 

 diameter i of an inch. The intestinal canal, from the pyloric orifice of the 

 stomach to the anus, measured a little over 40 inches. The cffica, two in number 

 and of equal size, were 7 inches long, and the distance between their orio-in and 

 the anus was 2^ inches. They considerably exceeded the diameter of the intestine 

 at then- extremities, and tapered to their origin in the intestine, at which point 

 their diameter was much less. They were filled with a pulpy yellow substance 



