PREFATORY NOTE 
The writer could hardly claim much original- 
ity for this book, were he so disposed. His 
aim has not been a literary one, but rather to 
compose a useful handbook of the mammals— 
the wild four-footed tenants—of our American 
farm-lands, from the point of view of the 
agriculturist, orchardist and ranchman. The 
United States Department of Agriculture, 
through its various departments and publica- 
tions, has from time to time issued information 
—vast in its sum—in respect to economic 
zoology; and most of the Agricultural Colleges 
and Experiment Stations in the several States 
have repeated and supplemented this exten- 
sively. The bulk of this proffered matter, how- 
ever, relates to the ravages of injurious insects, 
or to the beauty and usefulness of birds—sub- 
jects which may receive attention in future 
volumes in this Library: 
The economic importance of the mammals— 
1x 
