190 



Notes on Illinois. 



will make circuit after circuit, round the prairie, carefully avoiding the 

 forest, or only dashing into it occasionally when hard pressed, and then 

 returning to the plain. In size and appearance, this animal is midway 

 between the wolf and the fox, and in colour it resembles the latter, being of 

 a very light red. It preys upon poultry, rabbits, young pigs, calves, &c. The 

 most friendly relations subsist between this animal and the common wolf, and 

 they constantly hunt in packs together. Nothing is more common than to 

 see a large black wolf, in company with several prairie wolves. I am well 

 satisfied that the latter is the jackal of Asia. 



Several years ago an agricultural society, which was established at the 

 seat of government, offered a large premium to the person who should kill 

 the greatest number of wolves in one year. The legislature at the same 

 time offered a bounty for each wolf scalp that should be taken. The conse- 

 quence was, that the expenditure for wolf scalps became so great, as to render 

 it necessary to repeal the law. These animals, although still numerous, and 

 troublesome to the farmer, are greatly decreased in number, and are no longer 

 dangerous to man. We know of no instances in late years, of a human being 

 having been attacked by them. 



We have the fox, in some places in great numbers ; though generally 

 speaking, I think the animal is scarce. It will undoubtedly increase with 

 the population. 



The panther and wild-cat are found in our forests. Our open country is 

 not, however, well suited to their shy habits, and they are less frequently 

 seen than in some of the neighbouring states. 



The beaver and otter, were once numerous, but are now seldom seen 

 except on our frontiers. 



The gopher,* is, as we suppose, a non descript. The name does not occur 

 in books of natural history, nor do we find any animal of a corresponding 

 description. The only account that we have seen of it, is in " Long's Second 

 Expedition." In a residence in this state of eleven years, we have never 

 seen one, nor have we ever conversed with a person who has seen one — we 

 mean, who has seen one near enough to examine it, and to be certain that it 

 was not something else. That such an animal exists is doubtless ; but they 

 are very shy and their numbers small. They burrow in the earth, and are 

 supposed to throw up those hillocks which are seen in such vast abundance 

 over our prairies. This is to some extent a mistake, for we know that many 

 of these little mounds are thrown up by craw-fish, and by ants. 



The polecat is very destructive to our poultry. 



The raccoon and opossum are very numerous, and extremely trouble- 

 some to the farmer, as they not only attack his poultry, but plunder his 

 cornfields. They are hunted by boys, and large numbers of them destroyed. 

 The skins of the raccoons pay well for the trouble of taking them, as the 

 fur is in demand. 



Rabbits are very abundant, and in some places extremely destructive to the 

 young orchards, and to garden vegetables. 



We have the large grey squirrel, and the ground squirrel. 



There are no rats, except along the large rivers, where they have landed 

 from the boats. 



* The writer of this interesting article, appears not to be aware that the Gopher 

 has already been described. It belongs to the class Mammalia, order Rodentia. It 

 was formerly included in the genus Mus, of Linnaeus, but Rafinesque has given it 

 the elegant name of ' Geomys.' It is the ' Pseudostoma'- of Say, and the Mus Bur- 

 sarius of Shaw. There is but one species yet known, the Geomys JSursarius, or Earth 

 Mat with Pouches. It is the size of a rat, of a reddish grey colour, has deep cheek 

 pouches, which open externally, enlarging the sides of the head and neck. When it 

 was first figured in the Transactions of the Linnrean Society, and in Shaw, vol. 2, 

 part 1, these pouches were represented turned inside out, as though it had a bag on 

 each side of the head. — Ed, , 



