434 



Under the siDgularly misleading name of " Tiger Cat," the Lynx of the 

 Northwest is elaborately described by the authors with minute accuracy. 

 Eafinesque gave it the name of Lynx fasciatus, through a misunder- 

 standing of the meaning of Lewis and Clarke, he supposing that they 

 said the "back" was transversely striped, whereas it is evident from 

 the context that they meant the back or inner 'side of the legs. The 

 mistake is exposed by Baird (M. N. A. 1857, 98). The animal is now 

 generally considered as a local race of the common Lynx rufus, though 

 for many } ears rated as a distinct species. 



^^ Large Bed Fox of the Plains.''^ 



Allen, ii. 168.— Eees, 4to, 4G1.— Bees, 8vo., iii. 29.— M'Vickar, ii. 312. 



I refrain from any further citation in this case, since it is uncertain 

 whether the actual reference is to the common species, or to the larger 

 and otherwise somewhat different animal called Viilpes macrourus by 

 Baird, and V. utali by Audubon and Bachmau. 



^^BlacTi Fox:' 



Allen, ii. 168.— Rees, 4to, 465.— Eees, 8vo, iii. 29.— M'Vickar, ii. 342. 

 Musfela canadensis^ Schreber, Saug. iii. 1778, 492, pi. 144; aud authors. 

 Mustela ijennantii, Erxleben, Syst. An. 1777, 479: and authors. 



Better known under the name of "Fisher," also applied to it by the 

 authors, who describe it sufficiently, and note its agility in climbing. 

 Their use of the term "Black Fox" is to be carefully discriminated from 

 any application of the term to the following variety of Vidpes fulvus. 



'•^Silver Fox^ 



Allen, ii. 169.— Eees, 4to, 465.— Eees, 8vo, iii. 29.— M'Vickar, ii. 343. 

 Canis argentatus, Shaw, Gen. Zool. i. 1800, 325. 

 Vulpes fulvus var. argentatns of modern authors. 



A well-known strain of the common species, though it should be noted 

 that the actual reference may have been to the same state of pelage of 

 Y. macrunis. The authors note its rarity and beanty, aud compare it 

 with their ''Large Red Fox." 



"T/te Antelope:^ 



Allen-, ii. 169.— Eees, 4to, 465.— Eees, 8vo, iii. 430.— M'Vickar, ii. 343. 



AntUope americana, Ord, Guthrie's Geog. 2d Am. ed. ii. 1815, 292, 

 308.— Doughty's Cab. X. H. ii. 1833, 49, pi. 5 (from Lewis aud Clarke's 

 specimen in Phila. Mus). 



AntHocapra ainericana, Ord, Bull. Soc. Philom. 1818, 146, aud of 

 most authors. 



It is certainly not a little singular that a large ruminant, which in 

 the West yields only to the Buffalo itself in its abundauce and the uni- 

 versality of its distribution, should not have been scientifically named 

 until 1815 ; yet, for all I can discover to the contrary, such is the case. 

 Lewis and Clarke were of course not its discoverers, nor are their accounts 

 the earliest, siuce, for example, the animal was mentioned by Hernan- 

 dez ; yet the imposition of Ord's name along with several others based 

 exclusively upon these authors makes them virtually the sponsors of 

 the species upon its introductiou to the system. 



