May 16. 1889.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



336 



THE CARNIVORA. 



BY R. W. SHUFELDT, M.D., C.M.Z.S. 



LEAVING behind us the diminutive shrews and moles, 

 which we considered in our last contribution under 

 the order Insectivora, we now come to a group of mam- 

 mals, the Canrivora, which, in ages gone by, as well as 

 with the present tauna of the earth, stand among the 

 most formidable animals known to us. In the fauna of 

 our own territorial domains the Carnivura are well repre- 

 sented, and they are seen in the sea lions and seals, 

 several .species of bears, a still greater number of rac- 

 coons, a long list of the Mustelidie, including otters, 

 skunks, badgers, weasels and their kind, and finally, an 

 interesting array of Canidte and Felidm, 



To present these to the mind of the reader, however, 

 more in detail, and grouped in orderly arrangement, we 

 will here continue the Provisional List of the XL S. 

 National Museum, which disposes these forms in the fol- 

 lowing manner: 



Order CARNIVORA. Flesh Eaters. 

 stTBocDEK P1JW1PEDIA. The Ska Lions and Skals. 

 pie Family C-TARimffl. llie Eared Seals, 

 Zalophus calif amicus (Lesson), Allen. California Sea Lion. Coast 

 of California. 



Eumetopias stclleri (Lesson), Peters. Steller's Sea Lion, North 



Pacific from Beluinp Straits to California. 

 Callorhimts urslmis (Linne), Gray. Northern Kur Seal, Sea Bear. 



Shores of the North Pacific. 



Family PhociduB. The Seals. 

 1-7/ oca vilnliiuu Linne. Harbor Seal. North Atlantic from. New 



Jersey to the Arctic regions, European coast. North Pacific 



from .Southern California to Arctic regions. 

 Pltoca grienlandica. Fabric ius. Harp Seat. North Atlantic from 



Newfoundland to Arctic .Seas, North Pacific. 

 Fhoca Ixetida, Fabricius. Ringed Seal. North Atlantic, North 



Pacific and Arctic Seas. 

 Phoca fatciata, Zimmerman. Ribbon Seal. North Pacific. 

 Engiiaiiius barhalUS (Fabr.), Gill. Bearded Seal. North Atlantic, 



North Pacific and Arctic Seas. 

 HalMiarns grffluts (Fabr.), Nilsson. Gray Seal. North Atlantic 



from Newfoundland and Western islands northward. 

 MonaeJim tro/Xcollg, Gray. West Indies heal. West Indies, Flor- 

 ida (?), Mexico (?). 

 Clitiapiioni crixtata (Erxleben), Nilsson. Hooded Seal. North 



Atlantic and Arctic Seas. 

 Maerorhinus august.irostris. Gill. California Sea Elephant. Coast 



of .southern California and Western Mexico. 



Family 0DOB.«Ntn^3. 'Flic Walruses. 

 Odobiatus rnsmorus (Mtlmgren). Atlantic Walrus. Labrador to 



the Arctic Circle. Arctic Europe and Asia. 

 udolxcnus ohesm (111.), Allen. Pacific Walrus. Behring Straits. 

 Suboudkr F1SSIPEDIA. The Terrestrial Carnjvores 

 Family Ursid^s. The Bears. 

 V-mui amerieamis. Pallas. Black Bear. North America from 



Mexico to Alaska. 

 Crsus horrihUis, Ord. Grizzly Bear. Western North America 



from Mexico to Alaska. 

 Wrsus richardsoni, Audubon and Baehman. Barren-ground Bear. 



Barren gruimds of Northwestern North America. 

 Tltalassarrtds marttimus (Linne), Gray. White or Polar Bear. 



Nort hern America, Europe and Asia. 



Fa m fly PKOCTONin^. The Raccoons. 

 Cercolepics c<tuttivolviiliix (Pallas), Tomes. Mexico to Peru. 

 Nasua narica (Linne), Allen. Texas to Panama. 

 Procyon War (Linnet, Starr. Raccoon. United States and Central 



America. 



Procyon cancrivorus (Cnvier) Sclater. Crab-eating Raccoon. 



Panama to Guiana. 

 Basxaris axtttta, Lictitcnstein. Common Cacomistle. Oregon, 



Ohio to Mexico. 



Bassaris snmiehrarti. De Saussure. Southern Cacomistle, Mexico 



to Costa Rica. 

 BassaHc.yon fjabbt, Allen. Costa Rica. 



Family MtrsTEt/injs. The Weasels. 

 Enhydrix hitrls (Limit), DeKay. Sea Otter. North Paci fic Ocean 



south to Lower California. 

 Lutra canadensis (Turton). F. Cur. North American Otter. North 



America generally. 

 Lutra Mind, Molina. Chinchimen. California to Chili- (?) 



Alaska. 



Lutra hraxiUewU, F. Cuvier. South American Otter. Central 



and Sonlh America. 

 Mephitis mephitica (Shaw), Baird. Common Skunk. Hudson's 



Bay to Guatemala. 

 Mephitis pntorius (Linne), Coues. Little Striped Skunk. Caro- 

 Inas northwestward to British Columbia, south westward to 

 Guatemala. 



Mephitis m-acriimx, Licht. Long-tailed Mexican Skunk. Mexico 

 MephitU Cha,msi8< F. Cuvier. Chilian Skunk. Costa Rica and 



southward t hrough South America. 

 Conepatus mttpiirUo (Gmeltn), Coues. White-backed Skunk. 

 Southwestern border of the United States southward to Costa 



Ta.rid.ca amerieuna americana. (Boddaert). American Badger 



Hudson's Bay to Mexico. 

 la.vidca americana herlandicri (Baird), Gray. Mexican Badger. 



Southwestern border of the United Stares southward ^ 

 Gvin Iwcus (Linne), Sabine. Wolverine. Northern half of the 



United States to the Arctic. Ocean. 

 Gcdietis barhara (Linne), Franklin. Tayra. Mexico to La Plata 

 Putorius rison (Schreber), Gapper. American Mink. All North 



America. 



Putorius niitrlpes, A. and B. American or Black-footed Ferret 



Central region east ot the Rocky Mountains. 

 Put'irtus vulgaris, Linne. Least. Weasel. Northern United States 



northward, Europe, Asia. 

 Putorim erminea (Linne), Griffith. Ermine, Stoat. United States 

 except the Austroripanan and Sonoran regions, northward to 

 the Arctic coast. 

 Putorius longimuda (Bp.), Rich. Long-tailed Weasel. Central 



and Sonoran regions, northward. 

 Putorius brasiMenMs frenatm (Stewart), Coues. Bridled Weasel 

 California and Sonoran regions and southern Texas to Gua- 

 temala. 



Putorim trasiliensis wquatn talis (Stewart;, Coues. JFouatori<il 



Weasel. Guatemala to Ecuador. H ' dl 



Musteia pennanti, Erxleben. Pekan, Pennant's Marten Eastern 



aud central and Pacific regions northward to the Arctic circle 

 ^tstela americana, Turton. American Sable or Marten. New 



England eastward to the Pacific coast, northward to the 



Arctic coast. 



Family Canid^. The Dogs. 

 Uroeyon virgin ianus -rirginianm (Schreber). Gray Fox. United 



Slates northward to Costa Rica. 

 Uroeyon vtn In-.anm (Moral is (Baird), Gill. Coast Grav Fox Coast 



of California. 



Yulpes velox (Say). Aud. and Bach. Kit Fox or Swift Fox. United 



States west of the Mississippi. 

 I ulpes macrurus. Baird. Prairie Fox. Rocky Mouutain region 



of tue Cnited States. 

 rnlpes fulvits fulms (Desmarest). Red Fox. Arctic America to 



JS on hern United States. 

 Yulpes fulvus argentatus (Shaw), Aud. and Bach. Silver Fox 



Black Fox. Arctic America to Northern United States. 

 Wipes fvhni* dcsamitu* (Desm.). Cross Fox. Arctic America to 



Northern United States. 

 Yulpes lagopus (Linne), Gray. Arctic Fox. Arctic regions of the 



globe sotith to SO N. 

 Canis lupus griseo-alhus (Linne), Sabine. Gray Wolf North 



America. 



Cams latranx, Say. Coyote. Saskatchewan to Costa Rica. 



Family Felidje. The Oats. 

 Fells caucolor, Linne\ Puma or Cougar. America generally 

 Fclis purdplis. Linne. Ocelot or Tiger Cat. Arkansas to Pat a- 

 [ gonia. 



Felisovea, Linne. Jaguar. Louisiana to Patagonia. 

 .Felts vtQuarnmtU Desmarest. Yaguarundi Cat. Texas to Para- 

 i guay. 



Pel/8 eyra, Desmarest. Eyra Cat. Texas to Paraguay. 

 Mis tiurina. Erxleben. Margay Cat. Mexico to Paragua y 

 Lynx- hurrah's canadensis (Gray.), Mivart, Canada Lvnx North- 

 era North America, 



Lyne uiaeulatus (Vigors and Horsfield). Spotted Lvnx. Texas, 



California, and Northern Mexico. 

 Iffltis rufm (Gtildenstadt) Rafinesque. Red Lynx. Southern 



United States and Mexico. 



Obviously, it will bo impossible to do anything like jus- 

 tice to this host of splendid species of animals in a single 

 chapter: the more especially since the vast majority of 

 them occur in our own fauna. Seeing then that we 

 shall be obliged to devote a number of chapters to the 

 consideration of this important order, T will in my next 

 contribution deal with the leading characteristics of the 

 Carmvora as a whole, and next take up the sea lions, 

 seals and walruses. 



[to be concluded. 1 



A NATURAL HISTORY CAMP. 



Editoi Forest and Stream.: 



A long sheet qf water, deep, clear and cool, fed by many 

 springs and gurgling trout brooks, stretching away to 

 the north among wooded hills, and southward to open 

 meadows and flowed lands, the 1 muni of herons, where 

 the water lilies grow and the gaunt pickerel lie among 

 the water weeds watching for their prey. Here and 

 there a wooded ridge conceals some long bay or smaller 

 confluent lake or meadow deeply set, spreading low be- 

 tween the pine-clad banks. Such is Quinsigamond. the 

 "long lake" of the Indians. 



A high shore slopes down to the water's edge from a 

 reach of grassy, undulating plain, shaded by scattering 

 pines. This is the ancient summer camping ground of 

 the Nipmuck tribe. Here and there great rocks jut up, 

 a stone's throw from the shore a long hill rises, on the 

 north with gentle slope, but south there is a mass of 

 sheer and broken ledges. Great rocks moss-grown and 

 weather-beaten rise tier on tier, home of the fox and 

 ground squirrel. Among these rocks, clinging and cleav- 

 ing with sturdy roots, the strong old trees bear up. defy- 

 ing winter storms, and in summer shutting out from 

 view with their green leaves the rugged face of the 

 broken cliff. The hill above is covered to its crest with a 

 dense growth of vines, bushes, trees, and all the mazy tan- 

 gle of the wild wood . Along the shore to Coalmine Brook 

 north from the ledges the woodland is unkempt and wild. 

 At the hillfoot, back from the Indian landing place, an 

 amphitheater of rocks rises high to an overhanging pulpit 

 rock. Here great vines swing their fantastic forms over 

 the place which in centuries past has rung with the 

 oratory of the red men of the forest. Such is the camp- 

 ing ground on Wigwam Hill. 



How often in planning a summer's outing is the ques- 

 tion asked by anxious parents, "What shall we do with 

 our boys?" The natural history camp at Worcester 

 answers the question, for there they will be well cared 

 for, have a good time, learn many manly accomplish- 

 ments, gain in health and strength, 'and come home with 

 their minds stored with that useful knowledge which 

 comes from communion with Harare, and daily associa- 

 tion with enthusiastic students in her fields, their facul- 

 ties stimulated by observation and reflection, practiced 

 not in the light of work or study, but as recreation. 



In 1885 Dr. W. H. Raymenton, president of the Wor- 

 cester Natural History Society, conceived the plan of ex- 

 tending the spring field meetings of the society and 

 making a camp where the members could live outdoors 

 and devote themselves, each for a longer or shorter 

 period, as his means or time would permit, to the study 

 of nature out of doors. Accordingly, forty acres of land 

 were secured which have since been paid for, and an 

 annual camp established by the. efforts of the president, 

 seconded by many of the liberal citizens of Worcester! 

 To-day there, is a fine array of tents, a large pavilion, 

 workshop and cook house, and much valuable camp 

 property. Although originally intended for Worcester 

 boys, the fame of the undertaking has gone abroad until 

 it has been found necessary to admit boys from many of 

 the States of the Union, As the camp has come to the 

 notice of many of the most prominent educators, they 

 have without exception commended it. to their friends, 

 so that now many boys travel long distances to avail 

 themselves of its advantages. During the past season a 

 description of its work has occupied several pages of the 

 report of the Massachusetts Board of Education, in which 

 it is highly commended. 



The boy's summer vacation is generally given up to 

 comparative idleness or purposeless ill directed activity. 

 The plan and scope then of this summer camp are to place 

 before the boy a great variety of useful occupations, 

 physical exercises, studies and recreations, and then to 

 direct his energies without burdening him with irritating 

 discipline or restrictions. Each bov is allowed, to follow 

 his own peculiar bent. Is he a born mechanic, there is 

 the workshop stocked with tools and simple machines, 

 where he can build boats, traps, camp furniture, etc., 

 with the advantage of having skilled mechanics to assist 

 him; or he may spend hours in watching the boat build- 

 ing and other occupations. Does his" youthful mind 

 aspire to excel as a hunter, trapper or angler, then he 

 will follow the steps of the camp hunter, watch the mak- 

 ing and setting of traps, the building of log camps, the 

 netting of bait and the tying of flies: he will learn the 

 use of the woodsman's ax and the handling of boats and 

 canoes; he will learn the secrets of woodcraft or frequent 

 the shooting grounds. Should he have the instincts of a 

 naturalist, he will follow the ornithologist in his search 

 for birds, the entomologist in his excursions after bugs, 

 beetles and many-legged things, the botanist who gathers 

 wildflowers, or the geologist among the rocks; he may 

 spend hotu-s with the taxidermist, learning the art of 

 preparing and mounting specimens, or in the laboratory 

 or by the shore, he may watch the curious foims under 

 the microscope. Should his taste be artistic, he will join 

 the roaming class in outdoor sketching. Should his in- 

 clination favor the militarv, he will have an opportunity 

 to exercise them by a daily drill with the cadets, and if 

 he proves efficient he may be made an officer. There are 

 gymnastic exercises and swimming lessons given by a 

 former student at West Point Military Academy. Caution 

 is taught when m and upon the water, and as every safe- 

 guard is put around both those who are experienced and 

 those who are not, there has never been an accident. 

 Many means of recreation are provided. Games and 

 sports are freely encouraged. Entertainments are given 

 in the pavilion. Illuminations or fireworks occasionally 

 fill out the evenings, and on special occasions, gathered 

 round the camp-fire, the veteran hunter, ornithologist, 

 woodsman, soldier and forester, will tell tales of adven- 

 tures in the wilderness, on the prairie, mountain or 



shore, which will linger in the memory for years. And 

 so the summer waxes and wanes and the late summer 

 evenings come when the chorus of the katydids is swell- 

 ing in the trees and the whippoorwills are heard no more 

 upon the hill. The boys gather for the last time about 

 the camp-fire, happy if looking forward to another sum- 

 mer under the shadow of old Wigwam Hill. 



Of course in an article like this we can give but a 

 limited sketch of the undertaking and its scope. All who 

 care to follow it further or obtain more definite informa- 

 tion will be cheerfully accommodated bv applying to the 

 president of the Worcester Natural History Society. 

 WoRCESTER,;Mass.. May ft. EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH. 



Bullfrogs as Bird Eaters.— New York.— In your 

 issue of yesterday I noticed an item by E. I. J., Bethel, 

 Conn., in which he states he thought that bullfrogs are 

 insect eaters only, but cites a case where they proved to 

 be of cannibalistic propensities as an unusual occurrence. 

 Once while out after snipe, not far from Montreal, Can., 

 with Mr. Frank Livingston, a well-known sportsman of 

 Toronto, we suddenly came upon a spot where some 

 dozen birds or so were scattered about feeding. Motion- 

 ing to Frank to get ready, we both raised our guns and 

 fired simultaneously, Frank killing two and myself one. 

 My snipe was knocked over into the water, and what was 

 my surprise when on reaching the bank to secure him, to 

 see an enormous bullfrog shoot suddenly from the water, 

 seize my game and make off with it under my very nose. 

 To say I was "flabbergasted" or "thunderstruck" would 

 be a mild way of expressing my astonishment at the 

 audacity of this marine robber, but raising my gun and 

 taking rapid aim I let him have a charge of No. 8, which 

 effectually stopped him in his plundering career. He 

 had swallowed whole the legs, body and all but the head 

 of a snipe one-half the size of himself .—J. S. de Casa- 

 nova. [While returning one summer afternoon from 

 beach bird shooting on the shores of Long Island, a com- 

 panion shot a bank swallow, which fell on the margin of 

 a pool on the salt meadows. On going to fish it up it 

 could not be found, but in the water at the edge of the 

 pool was seen the head of a huge bullfrog, and from its 

 mouth projected like two horns the tips of the swallow's 

 wings, j 



The Black-Footed Ferret.— At the last meeting of 

 the Biological Society, of Washington. Mr. W. T. Horna- 

 day exhibited a living black-footed ferret (Pirtoriits 

 nigripes), one of the rare little mammals of the United 

 States. This is probably the first live example seen by 

 naturalists. The species was described by Audubon in 

 1852, but the type was lost and the ferret' was not seen 

 again for so many years that the describer was supposed 

 to have dealt with an imaginary animal. In 1874 the 

 National Museum had only two skins, one of which was 

 imperfect. Now it possesses about twelve, and Dr. Mer- 

 riam has ten. These are the largest collections known. 

 Most of the specimens are from Kansas. In its native 

 haunts the black-footed ferret has a mission: its chief 

 aim in life is the destruction of the young prairie dogs, 

 which it forces into their burrows and then proceeds to 

 devour at its leisure. The specimen living in the 

 zoological collection is fed on rats, birds, and other flesh, 

 which has greatly improved its physical condition, but 

 has not entirely sweetened its disposition. 



New Hampshire Bird Arrivals.— Cliff swallows ap- 

 peared on the 30th of last month; hairy woodpecker and 

 least flyeatcher on the 4th inst. ; whippoorwill on the 6th- 

 Baltimore oriole on the 8th; redstart, catbird and bittern 

 the 10th; yellow-rumped warbler, ovenbird and thrasher 

 the 11th; chewink the 12th.— P. C. (Concord. N. H.). 



Central Lake, Mich.— House wrens came May 5.— 

 Kelpie. 



Arrivals at the PmxAOKnPHiA Zoological Garden Dur- 

 ing April, 1889,-Purchased -Three wildcats (Lynx rufm), one 

 Dorcas gazelle (Guzella doreas), two black-hacked jackals iOani* 

 mesmnelusK two gray squirrels (Srivrvs comUnensM', four southern 

 - squirrels (Snuras nigerh one flicker (Volaplcs aural us), two 

 te-eaT'ed eomires « onurus Icueotls), two St. Tnomas conures 

 (Cmiuriis xantliolremus), one American swan ((•,ij l ;,nis americanus) 

 one Canada, goose (BrrnicUt canadensis), one European quail 

 (('nfuriur communis), one ground rattlesnake { fandi^niia mdiaria) 

 one blaeksnake (Bascauiou. eanstrietar), two hog-nosed snakes 

 (Hetcrado), p<at.;pMnc>s), one king snake {Ophibnlus oetulus), one 

 Brazilian tortoise (lc*tudo tabula ta), two black tortoises [Tcstwlo 

 earbonarai), and four tuherculatcd iguanas {Iguana tuhereulata) 

 Presented -One prairie wolf (Pauls lot ra us-), one raccoon (Proeuim 

 lotitr), two prairifcdogB (Cynomys huhivivvinus), one opossum and 

 four young (Fnilelphys virginiana), one marmoset. {Ha pale jaeehtm) 

 one summer duck (Ate sponsa), one red and blue macaw (Am 

 mucriM), one golden eagle (JmfOa c.hrysai'los), one American coot. 

 ( h'ulira ana ricantt), one broad- winged buzzard {Bitten peinuylvani- 

 eum). one alligator {Alligator misslssippiensi.--), one glass snake 

 « iphcosaurus centralis), four gila monsters i Hdoderma suspectum) 

 eighteen chameleons (Anolis principalis), and one blaeksnake 

 (Bascanion comtrirlor). Born— One hog deer (Vermis poreiinis) two 

 prairie wolves {Canis latravs), and two Virginia deer (Cermis vir- 

 gin ianus). 



Smoky Fireplaces.— Editor Forest and Stream: In 

 answer to "Keouk's 1 ' request in your issue of May 9; if 

 he will build bis fireplace in proper proportion with the 

 following dimensions he will get a non-smoking chimney : 

 Inside measurements of fireplace, depth at bottom from 

 jamb to back of hearth, 15iin. Depth at top of fireplace, 

 from breast of chimney to back, a Franklin back, lOin. 

 Height from hearth to breast, 2ft. ilfin. Width from 

 janio to jamb, 2ft. 9iin. Gradually after leaving the 

 Franklin back "draw in" till the funnel is reached, when 

 the inside dimensions should be two bricks long and one 

 brick wide, and this should be pursued till the desired 

 height of chimney is reached. Before pulling down his 

 present chimney to rebuild, I would advise him to make 

 trial of this device: Bore or pick a hole through the 

 bricks from the center of the fireplace at the back of 

 hearth to the outside, insert, imbedded in mortar, a I4i». 

 iron pipe. Let the inside mouth of pipe be flush with 

 back of hearth, the hole to be at a slight depressed angle. 

 The other end of pipe may project one or two inches. In 

 this way he will get a "bully" draught from outside, a 

 draught sufficient to carry all his smoke up, and he will 

 most likely not have to tear down his chimney. I have 

 used this device with wonderful success.— V. S. Mac N. 



Names and Portraits ou- Biros, by Gurdon Trumbull. A 

 book particularly interesting to gunners, for by its use they can 

 identify without question all the American game birds which 

 they may kill. Cloth, 320 pages, price 83.50. For sale by Forest 



AND STREAM. 



