May 30, 1889.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



378 



and I anticipate an unusually pleasant time this summer. 

 I have traveled thousands and thousands of miles, butaru 

 sorry to say I never kept a note-book. I now regret itex- 

 ceedingly,'and hereafter I intend to jot down everything 

 of interest", that it may benefit those of my fellow sports- 

 men who are so situated that they can not spare the time 

 to wander all over the earth. v Pacific. 



THE BEAUTIFUL OZARKS. 



KANSAS UITY. Mo.— Where shall I go? This ques- 

 tion presents itself to our Eastern friends with 

 more weight and gravity than to us Westerners. Dis- 

 tance, requiring necessarily time and expense, cuts a very 

 considerable figure, A half day or one night's ride from 

 our city and we are in some of the finest game regions in 

 the United States, ft is not to be inferred by this that 

 numbers alone should be considered, for the true sports- 

 men dislike to bring in game or fish simply to see it spoil. 

 I enjoy having and getting plenty of game, but how much 

 more is this enhanced when* one knows it is not killed in 

 wantoness. 



Friends have told me this past summer of the hundreds 

 of bass taken by parties fishing in some of the far north- 

 ern lakes where they had camped or stopped at some 

 farm, and that their party could not eat half there were 

 caught. "What did you do with them?" was asked. 

 "Threw them away." 



The expense to get there is large, the accommodations 

 in these frontier sections poor, in the iNorth the mosquitos 

 are simply terrible, and after summing it all up I see very 

 little pleasure as compa red with another section, and that 

 the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri and northern 

 Arkansas. 



My favorite spots are the streams and country con- 

 tiguous to Cahool, Mountain Grove, Thayer, Mammoth 

 Springs in Missouri, and Afton in Arkansas and Mam- 

 moth Springs on the line, or in both States. The Kansas 

 City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railway gives easy access, and 

 once upon the ground a variety of amusement can be ob- 

 tained from Mountain Grove to Black River. Such bass, 

 pickerel, salmon (jack), channel catfish and croppie; and 

 one never knows what the next fish will be. Some of our 

 fly anglers may smile at catfish being a game fish, but of 

 the gamiest fights I have ever had some have been with a 

 five or six pound channel catfish. The most beautiful 

 natural fishing ground in every respect that it has been 

 my fortune to try, however, is Spring River, below Mam- 

 moth Springs, A^ton being a convenient point and only 

 ten miles from Thayer, Mo. This stream is as clear and 

 cold during the seasons for angling as can be desired, and 

 at every half mile or so are natural reefs or dams running 

 diagonally across the stream, just enough water so one 

 can wade with hip boots, fishing below and above the 

 falls, a convenient log caught on the edge will afford a 

 place to tie the minnow bucket, as well as the live net, 

 and plenty of fish will be found in working the falls back 

 and forth." Thayer is the best place to stop, there being a 

 nice hotel there. One day can be spent looking the ground 

 over and catching minnows. The next morning the 

 early train will land you at Afton in season for good fish- 

 ing, and you can return to Thayer or Mammoth Springs 

 that night, and so on, for a couple of weeks. March, 

 April and May are the best spring seasons, and any time 

 after August for fall. And the fall go prepared to hunt 

 and fish all to your heart's content. 



The Gasconade is not far, and Black River and White 

 River, all game fish rivers. Then thei'e are bear and deer 

 in the woods, and turkey, chickens and quail, coon, pos- 

 sum and squirrels until you can't rest. 



The scenery is grand, those mountains just high 

 enough, the valleys just deep enough. The natives as a 

 rule are somewhat rude, but very hospitable, and will do 

 all in their power to make it pleasant. 



The only bad feature is that sometimes when hunting 

 for deer you will run across one of those animals that has 

 no place in or among mammalia as far as any researches 

 of mine own, "the Arfcansaw razorhack," lank, lean, long- 

 legged, with a snout half the length of his body, and 

 bristles Gin. high standing straight up. My, my! but how 

 they can run. One is liable to meet them miles and miles 

 from the farm, and it is a puzzle to me how they ever 

 catch them to butcher. 



Let some of our Eastern friends try this section for 

 game and I will guarantee them a good time. I have 

 fished and hunted in New England. Colorado and Minne- 

 sota, and yet have to find better sport and as large variety, 

 together with the magnificent scenery, the conveniences 

 and every thing desirable that I have found in the beau- 

 tiful Ozarks. Tile. 



THE CARNIVORA. 



BT B. W. SHUFELDT, M.D., C.M.Z.S. 

 (Concluded from Paye 335.) 



IN treating these pinnipeds, it was my intention to 

 present views of skulls of the leading genera, but 

 while thinking this matter over, and still adhering 'to the 

 idea, I came to the conclusion that it would be far better 

 to submit all such illustrations in one paper, for then 

 their value is at once much enhanced from the fact that 

 they appear side by side for comparison. I selected the 

 present contribution as the most fitting article for these 

 illustrations, and very instructive figures they are, as 

 will be appreciated by a glance at the plate. As we 

 would naturally expect, the skull of the walrus is widely 

 different from that of any of the seals, aside even from 

 its prodigiously elongated canine teeth (Fig. 5); while 

 the skull of the ordinary harbor seal (Phoca vitulina, 

 Fig. 9; is seen to be quite different from either that of a 

 sea bear (C. ursimis), or even others of its own family, as, 

 for instance, the hooded seal (C. eristata) or the Cali- 

 fornia sea elephant (Macrorhimis). 



When we come to study the forms of the individual 

 species of many of the land Carnivores, I hope to present 

 other figures of their skulls, and then the reader will be 

 enabled to appreciate, better than by any other method, 

 the real kinship which exists among these marine and 

 terrestrial representations of the order. 



Regarded as a whole and as at present restricted, the 

 Carrtivora constitutes a group quite sharply defined 

 among the class to which it belongs. Adopting the class- 

 ification of such an eminent authority as Prof. Flower, 



the following scheme will present the reader with a very 

 good idea of the Carnivora in their entirety! 



Order. Suborder. Section. Family. Examples. 



I FeUdoi, Lions, Tigers, Cats, etc. 

 <&lurotdea.l VlvcrrUhc; Civem, (tenets, etc. 

 | HyosmOm., Hywna. 



Fisstperiia, . I Cunoidest . . Dogs, etc. 



f MvMcUda:, Otters, Weasels, Skunks, 

 etc. 



Aretiiidt'd.. •; Proeynnidii Raccoons. 

 5 I ! AH/imdeq, Panda. 



jJ I 1 Urmda', Bears. 



H ( OtarUdo}, Sea Bears, 



( PltniliJi dia - Wchcehldce, Walrus. 



j i'lmcid(i\ Common Seal. 



By comparing this scheme with the list given above, it 

 can easily be ascertained which families we have repre- 

 sented in'our own United States fauna. The land Car- 

 nivora maybe either strictly terrestrial, as the dogs, 

 foxes, etc.j or arbo-terrestrial, as bears, raccoons and 

 others, or marine, as the seals and walruses, which latter 

 frequently come ashore for certain purposes, but only for 

 very limited distances. None of the order have less than 

 four well-developed toes on each foot, which in the vast 

 majority of species support sharp and curved claws, but 

 the inner toes are never opposable to any of the other 

 digits. All have teeth of three kinds, viz., incisors, ca- 

 nines and molars; the first usually numbering six in either 

 jaw, while the canines are conical and pointed, and the 

 tubercttlated molars vary considerably, though they are 

 generally broad, with pointed cusps, and are well formed 

 for the uses to which they are put, the cutting of flesh. 



Among many species the mechanism of the jaw and 

 associated parts, so constructed as to enable the ani- 

 mal to hold on with the greatest possible tenacit y, is a 

 subject of great interest. This is well exemplified in the 

 skud of an old badger {Taxidea americana), which I have 

 in my hand. 



Here we find a powerfully constructed skull, roughly 

 conical in form, with its base the occiput, and its apex 

 the muzzle. The base is notably broad , and is roughened 

 for the insertion of those great muscles, by whose aid 

 the necessary strength is imparted to the remainder of 

 the mechanism. 



Passing beyond this, anteriorly, we next note the ex- 

 tensive lateral surfaces devoted to the origin of the tem- 

 poral muscles, the power of which in the present instance 

 must be enormous, and capable of closing the jaw like a 

 vise. But this is not all, for turning to the joint com- 

 posing the "hinge" of the jaw, a most remarkable struc- 

 ture is presented to us. We find the "sockets" (glenoid 

 cavities) to be transverse, deep, and, measured on their 

 transverse diameters, 2. '£ centimeters long (about % of an 

 inch), while the outer half of the anterior lip of either 

 one is curled backward, and the inner halves of the pos- 

 terior lips are curled forward. When the lower jaw, 

 now, is articulated in such cavities as these, with its own 

 transverse condyles, its retention there is eminently in- 

 sured, for I find in the dry skull before me, it cannot be 

 "unlocked" without moving the jaw from right to left, 

 when it may be detached from the cranium. But by 

 opening the jaws, as the animal in life opens its 

 mouth, I find that it cannot be detached by means of a 

 direct pull, whatever the angle of opening may be; and 

 this could only be accomplished by applying sufficient 

 force to break off the lips or edges of the sockets 

 (glenoid cavities), described above. Supplementing such 

 a structure as this, we find the badger possessing a 

 powerful armature, of teeth, where the incisors fit closely 

 together, the long canines cross each other, and the cusps 

 of the rear upper molars fit into depressions of the teet h 

 below, one upper molar, the next to the last one, even 

 engaging, in this way, two of the lower molars, thus 

 doubling the strength of the lock. No wonder a badger 

 can hold on, when his teeth are once well in! Others of 

 the larger and more powerful Carnivora show much the 

 same arrangement of these parts, and the mechanism in 

 the jaw of an old African lion is a subject worthy of 

 study. 



Another very interesting and well-known structure is 

 the retractile claws of the cats (Feffldm), and of that as 

 yet little-known animal of Madagascar, the largest carni- 

 vore of her fauna, the Cryptoproetd fero-v. This arrange- 

 ment, which is evidently intended to prevent the points 

 of the claws from becoming blunted, is thus tersely 

 described by an authority at my hand: "The last or 

 claw joint of each toe is drawn back by ligaments 

 attached to the penultimate joint until it assumes a per- 

 pendicular position, when the claw, which it supports, is 

 completely retracted within a sort of sheath, and is 

 entirely concealed by the fur. This is ehected by the 

 elasticity of the ligaments, and without any exertion on 

 the part of the animal. But, when a cat is about to strike 

 its prey, the claw joint is pulled down by the flexor mus- 

 cles, and. the formidable talons are then protruded, ready 

 to be buried in the flesh of the victim." 



As to their method of locomotion, Carnivora may be 

 digitigrade, or the toes alone coming in contact with the 

 ground: plantigrade, or where the entire anatomical foot 

 is applied; and finally semi-plantigrade, or where only a 

 portion of the foot, or rather the sole of it, is applied to 

 the ground. Then of course there are the seals, which in 

 their waddling means of progression while on shore may 

 possibly at times combine all three of these modes of 

 locomotion, but these last animals are more naturally 

 swimmers, and but poorly adapted to terrestrial move- 

 ment. The seals have been designated as the Pinni- 

 grada by some authorities. Members of this order 

 possess abdominal mamma:, which vary considerably in 

 the several families, and as interesting points in their 

 osteology, we are to note that the bony orbits in the skull 

 are never complete, and the collar bones are frequently 

 absent, and when present are but feebly developed. 



Most of the Carnivora are typical flesh eaters, but Pro- 

 fessor Flower speaking of this says that "The large 

 majority of the species comprising this order subsist 

 chiefly upon some variety of animal food, though many 

 are omnivorous, and some few chiefly, though not entire- 

 ly, vegetable eaters. The more typical forms live alto- 

 gether on recently-killed warm-blooded animals, and 

 their whole organization is thoroughly adapted to a pre- 

 daceous mode of life;. In conformity with this maimer of 

 obtaining their subsistence, they are generally bold and 

 savage in disposition, though some species are capable of 

 being domesticated, and when placed under favorable 

 circumstances for the development of such qualities, ex- 

 hibit a very high degree of intelligence and fidelity." 



In studying the FiMipedia one must pay especial regard 

 to the teeth, as they constitute highly important charac- 

 ters; for instance, it is an interesting thing to know that 

 the dental formula, or the number of teeth in the jaws of 

 an adult European badger (Meles) is different from that 

 in our own species (Taxidea). 



Carnivora, agreeing with the vast majority of existing 

 mammals, are with respect to their teeth, diphyodont, or 

 they develop and shed a "milk set." Now, taking the 

 jaws of this American badger before me, a thoroughly 

 matured animal, and consequently in possession of its 

 full set of permanent teeth, we find in the upper jaw in 

 front a row of six small teeth, the larger ones being at 

 either outer end of the row. They are the "upper in- 

 cisors," and in writing a dental formula are designated by 

 the letter i (in italics). Passing around this upper jaw 

 on either side, we find next quite a considerable inter- 

 val wherein there is no tooth, and into which fits, when 

 the jaws are closed, the canine of the lower jaw. This 

 interval is called a diastema. Next come, on either side, 

 the long curved and pointed cauines or "laniary" tooth 

 of the Carnivora, which in the dental formula is desig- 

 nated by the letter e, Immediately behind this canine 

 tooth in the upper jaw. is a small pointed tooth, the first 

 premolar, followed by another one behind it, about 

 double its size and much the same in form — the second 

 premolar. Glancing at the lower jaw we find two sim- 

 ilar teeth there also. Now, behind these in the upper 

 jaw, on either side, we find a third premolar, consisting 

 of a very large tooth with its crown raised into two inner 

 points and a broad outer double point. The third pre- 

 molar of the lower jaw is a very much smaller tooth and 

 is raised into only two fairly well defined points on its 

 crown. These points are termed cusps, and the ridge 

 encircling them at their bases, the cingidmn. In the 

 dental formula, the premolars are designated by the let- 

 ters pm., and in our Fissiped Carn ivora these last pre- 

 molar teeth are known as "sectorial" or "carnassial" 

 teeth, being the last teeth in the jaw which have pre- 

 decessors in the milk set. As they differ markedly in the 

 different families and genera, much study has been given 

 them. Now, the last tooth in the upper jaw of this 

 badger, is a great broad tuberculated molar tooth, while 

 we find two smaller molar teeth on either side in the 

 lower jaw. This completes the dental armature of an 

 adult American badger. But it becomes very convenient 

 for us to write out these teeth for the various species of 

 animals, in order that we may appreciate them at a 

 glance; such abbreviations are known as dental formulae, 

 and the dental formula in our badger would stand thus: 

 , 3-3 1-1 3-3 1-1 16 „. . . . 

 <■ 3=3 C " 1=5 **■ 3=3 m - 3=2 = l8 =34 totaL 



Here the upper fine of figures give the number of teeth 

 in the upper jaw, and the lower the lower, and adding 

 these together we find 16 in the upper jaw and 18 in the 

 lower, or a total of 34 teeth in the skull of the animal 

 under consideration. 



Sometimes such formulas are simplified by writing 

 them thus: i. t, c. \, pm. |, m. £=§, and §-x2= r »--34 total. 

 Written in this way, of course, only one side of the jaw 

 is given, and we must multiply by two to get our total, 

 It is hardly necessary to say that the teeth of either jaw 

 are the same for either side of the jaw. 



In properly studying the number of teeth in mammals, 

 and formulating them in this way, we should have before 

 us skulls of the very youngest specimens, and the series 

 complete to include the skulls of adult males and fer 

 males. 



The hints I have been enabled to give above briefly in- 

 dicate some of the more salient structural features of our 

 Carnivora; and in future papers, upon seals, walruses, 

 sea lions, bears, raccoons, the weasels and their congeners, . 

 the dogs and the cats, I hope to be able to enlarge a little 

 upon such important matters. 



As for fossil Carnivora, we find in recent geological for- 

 mations the remains of forms which are the immediate 

 ancestors of existing types, and the array of species is a 

 large one, taking into consideration all these countries 

 where the geology has been looked into. Passing still 

 deeper, and into the older strata, these types soon begin 

 to show in their fossil remains the evidences of generali- 

 zation, so that typical Carnivores begin to disappear by 

 insensibly shading into such groups as the Insectivora, 

 and, no cioubt, certain marsupial forms and others. Cope 

 lias grouped the entire lot, including our modern Insecti- 

 vora, into his one order Biinotheria, a suborder of which, 

 the Creodonta, seems to be most nearly related to our 

 modern Carnivora. Fossil seals have also come to light 

 from both the Miocene and Pliocene formations of this 

 country and Europe; but thus far the types are only such 

 as are closely connected with modern species, and aid us 

 very little in ascertaining the origin of the suborder. 

 What we hope for in this line is soon to meet, as some 

 day we undoubtedly will, with those generalized phocine 

 types which were the connecting forms standing between 

 the ancestors of our existing eared seals, and those gen- 

 eralized carnivorous extinct types, from which the seals 

 and walruses arose. No such remains have as yet re- 

 warded our researches, and the forms that we have met 

 with have a closer kinship with the true seals (Phocidce) 

 than with the eared seals {Otariidtv). It was probably 

 from some time in the Tertiary age that these marine 

 Carnivores date their birth. 



BiBLroGRAPHY Or the Carnivora.— The bibliography of this 

 order is very large, and it will be impossible here to more than 

 allude to a few works which the student will find of great advan- 

 tage to peruse in a general reading upon the subject. I present 

 them without any special arrangement as to subject matter, or 

 date of publication. Fuller, D., "Keport on the Period of Gesta- 

 tion of the Puma (Felix <wo?or)," P. Z. S., 1833, p. 63. Martin, W. 

 O. L„ numerous papers ou Carnivora m P. Z. 183(1-43. OKilv.y, 

 W., numerous papers in P. Z. S. on carnivorous mammals, 1830-45. 

 Owen, R., numerous list of memoirs in P. Z. S. touching unon the 

 m nai oni v of Carnivora, 1830-1846, also "Anat. and Phys. of Verts.," 

 V,ds. 1.-111., and many other works by the same authority. 

 Waterhouse, «. R., memoirs ou the order in P. Z. S., 1836-46, suoh 

 for example as "On the Skull and Dentition of the American 

 Badger,'" P. Z. S„ 1838, p. 153. White, A.. "Dissection of Felix leo," 

 P. Z. S. 1844, p. 54. Gray, J. E., Mem. in P. Z. S. on Carnivora. 

 1848-70, pp. 31-430. Turner, H. M., Jr., "Obs. ou Some Foramina 

 at the base of the Skull in Mamm., and on the Classification of 

 the Order Carnivora," P. Z. S. 1848, p. 63. Abbott, Captain C. 

 C, "On the Seals of the Falkland Islands," P. Z. S. 1888, p. 189. 

 Marie, James, "Notice of a Memoir on the Anatomy of the Wal- 

 rus," P. Z. S. 1870, p. 544, and "On Phoca (iroenlandico. Mull.; its 

 Modes of Progression and Anatomy, op. cit., p. 604. Huxley, T. 

 H , "On the Cranial and Dental Characters of the Canidre, P. 2. S. 

 18S0,p. 238. htraus-Duckhelm,"Anat. descrip. du Chat," 4to, 3 vols., 

 Paris. Flower, W. H., "On the Value of the Characters of the 

 Base of the Cranium in the Classification of the Order Carnivora," 

 P. Z. S. 1889, p. 4. Mivart, St. Geo., "On the Classification and 

 Distribution of the ^Eluroidea," ibid, 1883, p. 135; also his "Cat." 

 Cope, E. D., "On the Extinct Cats of America," Amer. Nat., 1880, 

 and other papers by same author. Allen, J. A., "History of North 



