Preliminary list of the Mammals of New York 



INTRODUCTION 



At the suggestion of Dr Frederick J. H. Merrill, director of the New- 

 York state museum, I have prepared the following preliminary list of the 

 mammals of New York. To write a preliminary paper on this subject 

 14 years after the appearance of Dr C. Hart Merriam's two volumes on 

 the mammals of the Adirondack region, and 56 years after the publica- 

 tion of De Kay's elaborate work on the mammals of the state at large, may 

 at first seem paradoxical. Nevertheless one of the most important re- 

 sults of the recent great increase in our knowledge of the mammalian 

 fauna of New York is the realization that nothing more than preliminary 

 work can be done now. The whole area of the state must receive a 

 thorough biologic survey before final results can be expected. To aid 

 in preparing the way for such a final investigation is the main purpose 

 of this paper. My aim is to bring together the scattered published 

 knowledge of the subject rather than to add any considerable mass of 

 new facts. 



HISTORY OF THE TIST OF NEW YORK MAMMALS 



The first important work on the mammals of New York was pub- 

 lished by DeKay in 1842 as part one of the Zoology of New York. x 

 In this work 70 mammals are recorded as forming part of the natural 

 fauna of the state. Seven of these, Didelphis virginiana, opossum, Sorex 

 parvus ( =Blannaparva), small shrew, Sorex carclinensis ( -Blarina brevi- 

 cauda carolinensis), short-tailed shrew, Arvicola xanihognathus ( -Microtus 

 xanihognathus), yellow- cheeked meadow mouse, Rangifet tarandus 

 ( -Rangifer caribou), caribou, Rorqualus borealis ( -Sibbaldius borealis) 

 silver-bottom whale, and Delphinlis delphis, porpoise, are included with- 

 out definite knowledge of their occurrence within the boundaries of 

 the state. Eight others, Sorex dekayi ( -Blarina brevicauda, short-tailed 

 shrew), Otisorex platyrhinns ( -Sorex personatus, masked shrew), Mustela 

 fusca ( -Putorius richardsoni cicogtiani, Bonaparte's weasel), Sciurus niger 

 { =black phase of S. carolinensis leucolis, northern gray squirrel), Mus 

 americanus ( -M. rattus, black rat), Arvicola hirsutus ( -Microtus penn- 



1 For full title see bibliography, p. 379. 



