4 



their whole skeletons, their bodies, the forms and colors of their 

 bodies and limbs, and their typical characteristics, are matters of 

 zoological science rather than of history, and shall be left undis- 

 cussed here. 



I shall also follow, in general, the nomenclature of Prof. 

 Baird, rather than (in all cases) look for such changes as have been 

 made therein by later scientists, such as Dr. Coues, Dr. Gill, and 

 others. 



The following named genera have not, as far as I can learn, 

 been found in Connecticut, and so they may be dismissed at 

 once : 



Genera. Species. 



Neosorex, blarina, and urotrichus, of the shrews and moles, 3 9 



Bassaris, or civet-cats, ...... 1 1 



Taxidea, or badger, . . . . . .1 1 



Spermophilus, or ground squirrel, . . . . 1 15 



Cynomys, or prairie dog, ..... 1 2 



Haplodontia, or sewellel, ..... 1 1 



Geomys, or pouched-gophers, ..... 1 5 



Thomomys, heap-gophers, ..... 1 8 



Dipodomys, or kangaro-rats, ..... 1 5 



Perognathus, tuft-tailed mice, . . . . . 1 11 



Sigmodon, or cotton-rats, ..... 1 2 



Myodes, or Lemmings, ..... 1 3 



Dasypus, or armadillo, . . . . . 1 1 



Dicotyles, or peccary, ...... 1 1 



Antilocapra, or pronghorn, ..... 1 1 



Haplocerus, or mountain-goat, ..... 1 1 



Ovis, or big-horn sheep, ...... 1 1 



Bos, or bison (buffalo) and musk-ox, . . . . 1 .2 



Total, . . . . . . . 20 -70 



This, at first sight, would seem to leave 32 genera and 179 

 species, of those quadrupedal mammals, now or once existing in 

 the United States, according to the list of Prof. Baird. But in 

 addition to those excluded above, we must exclude some 130 spe- 

 cies in the genera partly represented in Connecticut, but of which 

 we have not all the species ; that is, we would still have about 29 

 genera and about 50 species in this State, besides the bats, seals, 

 whales, and dolphins ; the latter being mammals, but not quad- 

 rupeds. 



Fortunately, we are not without information on this subject, 

 with especial reference to Connecticut. In 1840 Dr. Ebenezer 

 Emmons of Middlcfield, Mass., made an official report to the Leg- 

 islature of that State, giving a list of its mammalian fauna. In 

 1842, James Elsworth DeKay of Oyster Bay, L. I., prepared a sim- 

 ilar work for the State of New York. Both these gentlemen were 

 eminent in the science of zoology, and the fauna of those states 



