140 
ON THE GEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 
SCALOPS ARGENTATUS, Aud. & Bach. 
Silvery Mole. Baird, General Report on Mammals, 1857, p. 63. 
Very little is yet known of the habits of this beautiful mole, though it has been known 
to naturalists for several years. It was first discovered on the prairies in Michigan, and 
described by Audubon and Bachman in their work on Quadrupeds of North America. 
Though abundant on the rich bottoms along the Lower Missouri, it is seldom, if ever, seen 
above longitude 98°. A single specimen was caught near the mouth of the Big Sioux in 
the autumn of 1856. If this animal existed in large numbers, its fine glossy, silky, sil¬ 
very fur would render it an important object of pursuit for economical purposes. Range: 
Detroit to mouth of Big Sioux river, and south to Prairie Mer Rouge 1 It was also ob¬ 
tained by Mr. Wood twenty miles west of Fort Riley, in Kansas Territory. 
Lynx rufus, Raf. 
Wild Cat. Baird, General Report on Mammals, 1857, p. 90. 
Though seldom seen by the traveller, this animal is not rare in any part of the country 
drained by the Missouri and its tributaries. It is very often caught in the traps which 
the traders set for wolves. The flesh of the wild cat is not unfrequently used for food by 
the Indians, and its skin for ornamental purposes. In the month of January, 1855, I at¬ 
tempted to cross the prairie from Pinau’s spring to the Fur Company’s trading-houses near 
the forks of the Shyenne river, a distance of about thirty miles. Losing my course, I 
wandered for two days without food among the innumerable ravines of the tributaries of 
that river, and on the third day came to a lodge of Sioux Indians, who had separated 
from their band, and were subsisting on the products of each day’s hunt. The old chief 
offered me kindly the hospitality of his hut, which I gladly accepted, and on entering the 
lodge found the inmates quietly watching the carcass of a large wild cat, which was roast¬ 
ing before the fire. As soon as the meat was cooked, the Indians ate of it with a keen 
relish, and placed a portion before me, and though almost famished with hunger, one 
mouthful was sufficient to satisfy me, and I gladly turned to the more palatable meat of 
Black-tailed Deer. These animals are caught every year to a greater or less extent at 
Fort Pierre, Fort Clark, Fort Union, Fort Benton, and on the Yellowstone. Lieut. 
Warren killed two young wild cats near the “ Big Bend” of the Missouri in the autumn 
of 1856. The skins were preserved and added to our collection. We also obtained the 
skin of a very large individual near the mouth of Big Sioux river on the Missouri. Range: 
Atlantic to Pacific. Upper Missouri to Gila river. Not on the Rio Grande'? The Canada 
Lynx (Lynx Canadensis ) has been seen in many portions of the Upper Missouri country 
by Indians and traders, but no skins were obtained by our party. 
