CANADA POUCHED RAT. 339 



Rocky Mountains from Mexico to Canada, cannot be doubted, but the 

 difficulty of distinguishing the species is greater than is usually supposed. 



They possess similar habits, specimens belonging to the same species 

 are found of different sizes and of different colours ; all the species have 

 short ears and tails. They live under the earth ; and many persons who 

 have for years resided in their immediate vicinity, although they daily 

 observe traces of their existence, have never seen the animals. 



American naturalists have sometimes been reminded by their Euro- 

 pean brethren, of the duty devolving on them of investigating the 

 habits and describing the species of animals existing in their country. 

 The charge of our having hitherto depended too much on Europeans to 

 effect this laudable object, is true to a considerable extent. It should, 

 however, be borne in mind, that this vast country belongs to many 

 nations, that large portions of it are either unpeopled deserts or are 

 roamed over by fierce savage tribes, that the Northern regions visited by 

 Richardson are exclusively under the control of Great Britain, and that 

 the vast chain of the Rocky Mountains presents more formidable barriers 

 than the oceans v^hich separate Europe from the Western shores of 

 America. 



It is not, therefore, surprising, that in order to become acquainted with 

 some rare species, American naturalists are obliged to seek access to 

 European museums, instead of the imperfect private collections of their 

 own country. 



In the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, we are not aware 

 of the existence of more than two species of Pouched Rat, — the present 

 species and another existing in Georgia and Florida. It is, however, not 

 improbable that Pseudostoma Mexicanus may yet be found in Texas. 



