May 14, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



757 



essential difiference from the big wolves 

 with which they are associated, and which 

 are themselves essentially like the big 

 wolves of Europe and north Asia ; and it 

 seems to me that these facts can best be 

 brought out by including the coyote and 

 the wolf in one genus and treating each as a 

 species. Then the geographical and other 

 varieties may or may not be treated as 

 worthy of subspecific rank according to the 

 •exigencies of the particular case." 



The above remarks are based on a total 

 misapprehension of the facts in the case 

 and remind one of the judge who gave his 

 decision first and tried the case afterward. 

 As a matter of fact, two assumptions are 

 made by Mr. Roosevelt which are widely 

 at variance with the facts. The first is the 

 assumed 'essential likeness of all the coyotes 

 one to the other ;' the second, the assumed 

 ^ essential difierence [of the coyotes] from 

 the big wolves. ' I can show Mr. Eoosevelt 

 a series of skulls of wolves fi?om the United 

 States in which the great gaps are not be- 

 tween the big wolves and coyotes, but be- 

 tween two species of big wolves and two of 

 coyotes. Thus, there is an enormous gap 

 / between the large northern coyote (C 

 / latrans) and the small C. microdon from the 

 lower Rio Grande, and another great gap be- 

 tween the big red wolf of Arizona and the big 

 gray wolf of "Wyoming. On the other hand, 

 no such gap exists between the northern 

 coyote and the big red wolf of Arizona, 

 the skulls and molar teeth of these species 

 resembling one another surprisingly. Mr. 

 Roosevelt's third assumption, the assumed 

 essential likeness of our big wolves to the 

 big wolves of Europe, may be correct or in- 

 correct according to the parts of Europe and 

 America from which specimens are taken. 

 The southern wolves of the two countries 

 are too unlike to require close comparison, 

 and even in the case of the northern forms 

 the specific distinctness is apparent as soon 

 as the skulls are brought together. Thus, 



not to mention other differences, the long 

 muzzle and narrow forehead of the wolf of 

 our northern plains offer a sufficient con- 

 trast to the short muzzle and broad fore- 

 head of the Scandinavian animal. 



In my paper on the coyotes eleven forms 

 were recognized, of which seven were named 

 for the first time. All were treated bi- 

 nomially, but it was intimated that pallidus 

 and lestes would probably be found to inter- 

 grade with latrans, and that estor might in- 

 tergrade with mearnsi, leaving eight as dis- 

 tinct species. It was stated that the avail- 

 able material was insufficient to admit ' of 

 determining which members of each group 

 do and which do not intergrade,' for which 

 reason it was necessary, in obedience to the 

 rule respecting the use of specific and sub- 

 specific names given at the beginning of this 

 article, to treat all as species. This was 

 done reluctantly and with the conviction 

 that the rule is illogical and should be 

 changed. If the plan here recommended is 

 adopted we need not care whether inter- 

 gradation occurs or not, but may bring to- 

 gether as subspecies the closely related 

 forms, and accept as species those more 

 distantly connected. 



In conclusion, let me appeal to museums, 

 sportsmen and naturalists to take advan- 

 tage of every opportunity, before it is too 

 late, to secure and preserve specimens of 

 our larger mammals from remote parts of 

 theii- ranges. In Europe it is certain that 

 many species have been exterminated 

 through the agency of man, and in this 

 country the process is not only about to be 

 repeated, but has already begun. The fa- 

 miliar story of the vanishing buffalo is only 

 one of many. The largest carnivorous 

 animal of the United States, the giant 

 grizzly of southern California, is on the 

 v«rge of extinction, and it is doubtful if a 

 museum specimen will ever be obtained. 

 The large wolves have been exterminated 

 over more than half the area they formerly 



