228 EXPLORATION OF THE CANONS OF THE COLORADO. 
tion indeed, but accompanying it with a grotesque figure from a drawing by 
Major Davies, representing an amorphous creature with a pair of great skinny, 
veiny bags hanging loosely from the mouth; the pouches of his specimen hav 
ing everted, and this being their supposed natural state. The original figure 
in the Linnsean Transactions is somewhat improved upon in the General Zool 
ogy, but is still a very ludicrous object. The animal is said to have come from 
"Canada," where it was taken by some Indians in 1798, and afterward pre 
sented to Governor Prescott's wife. According to the description, the animal 
was in the plumbago state of pelage. There is no doubt whatever about the 
species (though some writers have refused to recognize it) ; even the wretched- 
figure in the General Zoology shows the grooved incisors clearly. Moreover, 
this identical specimen, which once formed part of the Bullock collection in 
London, and subsequently passed into the hands of Temminck, seems to have 
been examined both by Kuhl and Lichtenstein ; and, at about the same time, 
each of these naturalists made a new genus for its special benefit, Kuhl call 
ing it Saccophorus bursarius, after Shaw, and Lichtenstein renaming it Ascomys 
canadensis. This title prevailed with most German authors. Contemporary 
French authorities considered it a Hamster, and referred it to Cricetus. Say 
established, in 1823, the genus Pscudostoma, generally accepted by American 
writers. 
The original mistake (arising from faulty taxidermy, that prolific source 
of error with the dermatomaniacs) of supposing the pouches were pendulous 
sacs opening into the mouth was scotched several times before it was finally 
killed. Meanwhile, before Kuhl, Lichtenstein, and Say had severally made 
their new genera, species of the genus had already entered the peculiar field 
of vision, or supposed vision, of M. Rafinesque, who furnished two new 
names. The Diplostoma of this writer is diagnosticated by an expression 
few terms of which are founded in fact ; for he denies the animal tail, ears, and 
open eyes, and only credits it with four toes to each foot, whereas it has a 
tail, ears, open eyes, and five digits before and behind. In the same place, 
Rafinesque establishes another genus, Geomys, which is based upon fair char 
acters, though there is nothing in them to prove whether he had a Thomomys 
or a true Geomys in view. The primary reference is, however, to Mitchell's 
"Hamster of Georgia'' (G. pinetis), which fixes the matter. Rafinesque 
