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ON THE GEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 
PART III. 
ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY. 
CHAPTER XV. 
Mammals. 
The mammals of the Upper Missouri collections have been identified and described by 
Prof. S. F. Baird in his general report, which forms Vol. 8 of the P. 11. It. Surveys. The 
collection comprises skins, skeletons, and skulls of nearly all the larger quadrupeds of the 
plains, with a large number of specimens of most of the smaller ones. From the follow¬ 
ing catalogue some idea may be obtained of their geographical distribution in the North¬ 
west, though several species, which are well known in that country, are not included, from 
the fact that they are not in the collection. The Wolverine ( Gido luscus, Sabine) has been 
killed in the vicinity of Fort Benton, and is not unfrequently seen along the eastern base 
of the mountains, though none were observed by our party. The little Black Mink ( Pa - 
torius nigrescens ) was obtained by Lieut. Couch at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, 
and a skin of the black-footed ferret was procured at Fort Laramie by Mr. Alexander Cul¬ 
bertson. This specimen, from which the species was described by Audubon and Bachman, 
is the only one ever known. Prof. Baird says, “ It is a little remarkable that so conspicuous 
and well-marked a species should have eluded the notice of all the recent explorers in the 
Platte region.” 
The Black Bear ( Ursus Americanus ) is said to occur in the region ot Council bluffs. 
An individual was killed near the mouth of the Vermilion in the autumn of 1856. I 
cannot ascertain that it has ever been observed above that point along the Missouri. I 
saw the common Striped Squirrel ( Tamias striatus ) quite abundant at Bellevue, Nebraska, 
but was unable to obtain a specimen. They do not pass above the mouth of the Niobrara; 
very few are seen above Council bluffs. One or more species of Flying Squirrel occur in 
Nebraska, but were not observed by me during my explorations. A species of Mouse 
(Perognathus fasciatus Pr. Max.) was described by the Prince of Neuwied, from Fort Union, 
near the mouth of the Yellowstone. We were unable to rediscover this interesting spe¬ 
cies, but it holds a place in the fauna of that region. The Moose {Alee Americanus) can 
scarcely be considered as belonging to the fauna of the Upper Missouri, though several 
have been killed in that region. One was shot in the valley of the Shyenne river, a second 
near Milk river. These must have strayed down from the North, as they are not recog- 
