﻿ALLEN'.] 
  FORMER 
  GlEOGRAPHICAL 
  DISTRIBUTION. 
  477 
  

  

  Furthermore, 
  no 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  have 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  tlie 
  

   Indian 
  shell-mounds 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast,* 
  while 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  elk, 
  deer, 
  

   caribou, 
  bear, 
  and 
  other 
  large 
  mammals 
  and 
  birds 
  occur 
  with 
  greater 
  or 
  

   less 
  frequency 
  at 
  different 
  localities, 
  t 
  

  

  Professor 
  Baird, 
  however, 
  refers 
  to 
  tlie 
  occurrence 
  of 
  their 
  bones 
  " 
  in 
  

   the 
  alluvial 
  deposits 
  of 
  rivers, 
  bogs, 
  and 
  caves," 
  near 
  Carlisle, 
  in 
  Peun- 
  

   sylvania.t 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  references 
  to 
  the 
  supposed 
  occurrence 
  

   of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  slope, 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Potomac, 
  are 
  the 
  

   following. 
  One 
  often 
  quoted 
  is 
  that 
  contained 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  Mr. 
  

   Anthonie 
  Parkhurst 
  to 
  Richard 
  Hakluyt, 
  dated 
  1578, 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   "true 
  state 
  and 
  commodities 
  of 
  Newfoundland." 
  Parkhurst 
  writes: 
  

   "Nowe 
  againe, 
  for 
  Venison 
  plentie, 
  especially 
  to 
  the 
  Korth 
  about 
  

   the 
  grand 
  bale, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  neere 
  Cape 
  Eace 
  and 
  Plesance 
  : 
  

   there 
  are 
  many 
  other 
  kinds 
  of 
  beasts, 
  as 
  Luzarnes, 
  and 
  other 
  mighty 
  

   beastes 
  like 
  to 
  camels 
  in 
  greatnesse, 
  and 
  their 
  feete 
  cloven, 
  I 
  did 
  see 
  

   them 
  farre 
  off 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  discerne 
  thera 
  i)erfectly, 
  but 
  their 
  steps 
  

   shewed 
  that 
  their 
  feete 
  were 
  cloven, 
  and 
  bigger 
  than 
  the 
  feete 
  of 
  

   Camels, 
  I 
  suppose 
  them 
  to 
  bee 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  Buffes 
  which 
  I 
  read 
  to 
  

   be 
  in 
  the 
  countreyes 
  adjacent, 
  and 
  very 
  many 
  in 
  the 
  firme 
  lande."§ 
  

   Though 
  it 
  is 
  supposed 
  by 
  some 
  that 
  the 
  musk 
  ox 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  

   referred 
  to 
  in 
  this 
  allusion 
  to 
  a 
  " 
  kind 
  of 
  Buffes," 
  there 
  is 
  apparently 
  

  

  Beasts, 
  the 
  chiefe 
  are 
  Deare, 
  uotliiDg 
  differing 
  from 
  ours. 
  lu 
  the 
  Desarts, 
  towards 
  the 
  

   heads 
  of 
  the 
  Rivers, 
  there 
  are 
  many, 
  bat 
  amongst 
  the 
  Rivers, 
  few. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  beast 
  

   they 
  call 
  Aroughcun, 
  much 
  like 
  a 
  Badger, 
  but 
  useth 
  to 
  live 
  on 
  trees 
  as 
  Squirrels 
  doe. 
  

   Their 
  squirrels, 
  some 
  are 
  neere 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  our 
  smallest 
  sort 
  of 
  wilde 
  Rabbets, 
  some 
  

   blackish, 
  or 
  blacke 
  and 
  white, 
  but 
  the 
  most 
  are 
  gray. 
  A 
  small 
  beast 
  they 
  have, 
  they 
  

   call 
  Assapanick, 
  but 
  wee 
  call 
  them 
  flying 
  Squirrels, 
  because 
  spreading 
  their 
  legs, 
  and 
  

   80 
  stretching 
  the 
  largeness 
  of 
  their 
  skinnes, 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  to 
  flie 
  thirtio 
  or 
  

   fortie 
  yards. 
  An 
  Opassam 
  hath 
  a 
  head 
  like 
  a 
  Swine, 
  and 
  a 
  taile 
  like 
  a 
  Rat, 
  and 
  is 
  of 
  

   the 
  bignesse 
  of 
  a 
  Cat. 
  Under 
  her 
  belly 
  she 
  hath 
  a 
  bag, 
  wherein 
  she 
  lodgeth, 
  carrieth, 
  

   and 
  suckleth 
  her 
  young. 
  Mussascus, 
  is 
  a 
  beast 
  of 
  the 
  forme 
  and 
  nature 
  of 
  our 
  water 
  

   Rats, 
  but 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  smell 
  exceeding 
  strongly 
  of 
  Musk. 
  Their 
  Hares 
  are 
  uo 
  bigger 
  

   than 
  our 
  Conies, 
  and 
  few 
  of 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  '•Their 
  Beares 
  are 
  very 
  little 
  in 
  comparison 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  Muscovia 
  and 
  Tartaria. 
  The 
  

   Beaver 
  is 
  as 
  big 
  as 
  any 
  ordinarie 
  great 
  Dog, 
  but 
  his 
  legs 
  exceeding 
  short. 
  His 
  fore 
  

   feet 
  like 
  a 
  Dogs, 
  his 
  hinder 
  feet 
  like 
  a 
  Swans. 
  His 
  taile 
  somewhat 
  like 
  the 
  forme 
  of 
  a 
  

   Racket 
  bare 
  without 
  haire, 
  which 
  to 
  eate 
  the 
  Savages 
  esteeme 
  a 
  great 
  delicate. 
  They 
  

   have 
  many 
  Otters, 
  which 
  as 
  the 
  Beavers 
  they 
  take 
  with 
  snares, 
  and 
  esteeme 
  the 
  skins 
  

   great 
  ornaments, 
  and 
  of 
  all 
  those 
  beasts 
  they 
  use 
  to 
  feede 
  when 
  they 
  catch 
  them. 
  

  

  " 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  heastVetchunqvoyes, 
  in 
  the 
  forme 
  of 
  a 
  wilde 
  Cat, 
  their 
  Foxes 
  are 
  like 
  

   our 
  silver 
  haired 
  Conies 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  proportion, 
  and 
  not 
  smelling 
  like 
  those 
  in 
  England. 
  

   Their 
  Dogs 
  of 
  that 
  Countrey 
  are 
  like 
  their 
  Wolves, 
  and 
  cannot 
  barke 
  but 
  howle 
  ; 
  and 
  

   their 
  Wolves 
  not 
  much 
  bigger 
  than 
  our 
  English 
  Foxes. 
  Martins, 
  Powlecats, 
  Weessels, 
  

   and 
  Minks 
  we 
  know 
  they 
  have, 
  because 
  we 
  have 
  scene 
  many 
  of 
  their 
  skins, 
  though 
  

   very 
  seldome 
  any 
  of 
  them 
  alive. 
  But 
  one 
  thing 
  is 
  strange, 
  that 
  wee 
  could 
  never 
  per- 
  

   our 
  Hen 
  ~ 
  

   peruitic 
  

   ^__ 
  deadly. 
  . 
  ,.^ 
  

  

  In 
  Hakluyt's 
  " 
  Description 
  of 
  Florida," 
  compiled 
  from 
  the 
  French 
  authors, 
  he 
  says, 
  

   under 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  " 
  The 
  Beastes 
  of 
  Florida 
  : 
  " 
  " 
  The 
  Beastes 
  best 
  known 
  in 
  this 
  Couu- 
  

   trey 
  are 
  Stagges, 
  Hindes, 
  Goates, 
  Deere, 
  Leopards 
  [Lynxes], 
  Ounces, 
  Lusernes, 
  divers 
  

   sorts 
  of 
  Wolves, 
  wilde 
  Dogs, 
  Hares, 
  Cuunies, 
  and 
  a 
  certaine 
  kinde 
  of 
  Beast 
  that 
  difter- 
  

   eth 
  little 
  from 
  the 
  Lyon 
  of 
  Africa."— 
  Hakluyt, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  p. 
  369. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  •' 
  True 
  Declaration 
  of 
  the 
  estate 
  of 
  the 
  Colonic 
  in 
  Virginia," 
  printed 
  in 
  1610, 
  we 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  assured 
  of 
  this 
  fact 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Professor 
  J. 
  Wyman, 
  and 
  by 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  W. 
  

   Putnam, 
  and 
  others 
  wbo 
  have 
  made 
  these 
  prehistoric 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  aborigines 
  a 
  

   special 
  study. 
  

  

  tSeeWyman's 
  Account 
  of 
  some 
  Kjoekenmceddings, 
  or 
  Shell-heaps, 
  in 
  Maine 
  and 
  

   Massachusetts. 
  — 
  Amer. 
  JSaturalist, 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  pp. 
  501-564, 
  1868. 
  

  

  t 
  Patent-Oflice 
  Report, 
  Agricultural, 
  1851-'5:i, 
  p. 
  1-24. 
  

  

  4 
  Hakluyt, 
  Voyages, 
  etc.. 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  p. 
  173, 
  London, 
  IGOO. 
  (The 
  Edit! 
  u 
  of 
  1810 
  is 
  the 
  

   one 
  quoted 
  in 
  this 
  memoir.) 
  

  

  