151 



1792. Mus zihethicus, Schreb., Saug., iv, " 1792," 638, pi. 176.— Gm., Syst. 

 Nat , i, 1788, 125, No. 2 (quotes Schreber).— Shaw, Gen. Zool., 

 ii, 1801, 44, pi. 129 (lower fig.). 



1792. Myocastor zibelhicus, " Kerr's Linnaeus, 1792." 



1817. Fiber zihethicus, Cuv., E. A., i. 1817, 192.— Desm., Mamm., ii, 1822, 

 279 ; Encyc. M6th., pi. 67, f. 6 ; Nouv. Diet., xxiii, 506.— Sab., 

 Franklin's Journ., 659.— Harlan, Pn. Amer , 1825, 132 — GriflF., 

 Anim. Kingd., v, 1827, 208.— Godman, Am. Nat. Hist., ii, 2d 

 ed., 1831, 58.— Rich., F. B. A., i, 1829, 115 (describes black, white, 

 and pied varieties — DeKay. N. Y. Zool., i, 1842, 75, pi. 20, f. 2, 

 pi. 32, f. 3 (skull).- Schinz, Syn., ii, 1845, 257.— Aud. & Bach., 

 Q. N. A., i, 1849, 108, pL- 13 — Kennicott, Agric. Rep. U. S. Pat. 

 Office for 1856-57, 105, pi. 14 — Baird, M. N. A.„ 1857, 661.— 

 Bulger, P. Z. S., 1865, 682 (habits).— Coues, Proc. Acad. Nat. 

 Sci., Phila., 1874, 196; Mon. N. A. Rodentia, 1877, 254.— Coues 

 and Yarrow, Zool. Expl. W. 100th Merid., 1876, 108.— Jordan, 

 Man. Vert., 1878, 33 ; and of authors generally. 



1829. Lemmus zihethicus, " Fr. Cuvier, Diet. Sc. Nat., vi, 310, fig. • — ." — 

 Fisch., Synop , 1829, 289, No. 1. 



1827. Ondatra zihethicus, Less., Man., 1827, 286, No. 793.— Waterh., 

 Charlesw. Mag., iii, 1839, 594. 



Description. — A full-grown specimen is about fifteen inches in length, 

 from nose to root ot tail, and the tail ten inches; the body is heavy, eyes 

 small, and incisor teeth large; the ears are small, furry, and deeply im- 

 bedded in the general pelage, adapted to exclude water; the tail is mod- 

 ified into the semblance and for the purpose of a rudder, being flattened 

 sideways nearly throughout its length, permitting free lateral, but little 

 vertical flexion. The oblique set of the feet enable the animal to 

 "feather the oar," as Professor Baird puts it, or bring the feet forward in 

 swimming. The sides of the hands and feet are fringed with hairs ; the 

 soles and palms are perfectly naked ; the hands and feet above are closely 

 pilous, with very short adpressed hairs; the palms have five tuher'^les, 

 the soles four; the vertical width of the tail is increased by a f.inge of 

 stifiish hairs. The color of the body is ashy-brown above, ashy on the 

 under parts. The hair is of two distinct sorts ; the basal, long, silky, 

 fine, and slightly wrinkled ; this is closely compact, especially on the 

 belly. The basal hair is light, rusty-brown. Mixed with the basal hair, 

 and concealing it on the upper surface, are longer, coarser hairs, of a rich 

 chestnut brown, on the belly and sides of head and body. 



Habits. — The Muskrat inhabits North America at large, it is eminently 

 aquatic ; on land its movements are as awkward as a duck's. They are 



