68 
Mammalia. 
Fam. Colymbidae. 
Gen. Colymbus, Linn. 
sp. C. torquatuB. Brem. Loon. 
Very common from 15th of April to 1st of November. 
sp. C. septentrionalis, Linn. Red-throated Diver. 
Rather rare. No nests obtained. 
Gen. Podiceps, Latham. 
sp. P. cornntUB, Latham. Horned Grebe. 
Rather common for its species, and a permanent resident. 
Gen. Podilymbus, Lesson. 
sp. P. podiceps, Law. Pied-billed Grebe. 
Common; breeds here, and a permanent resident. 
MAMMALIA OF MINNESOTA. 
BY. A. E. AMES, M. D. 
[Read before the Academy, December 2d, 1873.] 
This class of animals appeared on the earth at an early time. 
The fossil remains of the mole, hare, beaver, hyena, bear, martin, 
cat,dog, mastodon, elephant, hog, ox, horse,etc., are found in the 
Eocene, Miocene, Pliocene, and Post-tertiary epochs. In the 
Cenozoic time, the edentates, herbivorous, and carnivorous an¬ 
imals exceeded in number and size of any other period. 
As for the origin and early life of the Mammalia, that theme 
rightfully belongs to the department of Paleontology. 
The culmination of the Mammalja class of animals took place 
in the Post-tertiary epoch. In the domestication of the horse, 
ox, sheep and dog, many species of the same genera have been 
produced, by changing in breeding. We have been led by 
economy in this, that we might supply our manufactures with 
rare materal, and that we might enjoy profitable labor and good 
food. Zoological nomenclature arranges animals into orders, 
sub-orders; families, and sub-families; genus and sub-genus. 
To this I have appended the English name. 
It is not the intention of this report to present the outlines 
of zoological knowledge of the life-organism of this class of ani¬ 
mals. Such a report would detail the anatomical and physiol¬ 
ogical character, the appearance, habits, etc., of each species. At 
this time, it would make a report too voluminous to print in the 
Bulletin of our Academy. 
