100 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS-47TH PARALLEL 
APLODONTIA LEPORINA, Rich. 
Sewellel; Shotw’I. 
Baird, Gen. Rep. Mammals, 1857, 353. 
Sp. Ch.—S ize of muskrat. Tail scarcely appreciable. Color reddish brown. 
Three specimens collected at Steilacoom—(11, 93, 92.) 
They are found in considerable numbers on the Cowlitz rivers, as well as in other localities 
near here. Being about the size of muskrats, their skins were formerly palmed off to the 
Hudson Bay Company’s agents by the Indians as skins of that animal, thereby frequently 
deceiving the new and inexperienced employes of the company. Mr. Gibbs (who presented 
me with the specimen sent) has handed me the following notes concerning it: 
“The specimen I send you was obtained at Seattle, where it was killed in a garden. Its 
name, in the Nisqually language, is Showt’l, ( Showlmrll, Suckley.) Color gray; hair short and 
coarse; legs short; eyes small; tail almost wanting. This animal burrows extensively in the 
ground. It chiefly frequents spring heads in rich moist places, and is found as far up as the 
dividing ridge of the Cascade mountains and on both sides of the divide. I noticed their bur¬ 
rows in 1853 at the top of the main Yakima pass. Near their abodes were small bundles of 
some herb or plant cut with nicety and laid out on logs to dry or wilt. The Indians trap them, 
and value their meat very much as food.” 
The Nisqually Indians formely made garments by sewing together a number of the dried 
skins of this animal. They are caught generally by traps resembling in action our “figure 
4” traps. 
CASTOR CANADENSIS, Kuhl. 
Beaver. 
Baird, Gen. Rep. Mammals, 1857, 355. 
Milk river. Neb. 
DIPODOMYS PHILLIPII, Gray. 
Baird, Gen. Rep. Mammals, 1857, 412. 
Sp. Ch. —Above yellowish brown ; beneath white, with a white stripe across the thighs. Tail much longer than the body ; 
black, with a white stripe on each side. 
Walla-Walla, 1854, No. 51. Called Sim-tup-tup by the Wasco Indians. They are also 
found near the Dalles, at the bases of the eastern spurs of the Cascades mountains. 
The Indians say that they find them most plentiful about the berry patches on the eastern 
slope of the Cascades. That from Walla-Walla was probably found in the Blue mountains. 
THOMOMYS DOUGLASSII. 
Columbia Gopher. 
Geomys douglassii, Rich. F. Bor. Am. I, 1829, 200 ; pi. xviii, C, fig. 1-6. (Skull.)— Ib. Zool. of Blossom, 1839,12. 
Leconte, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phila. VI, 1852, 162 
Jlscomys douglassii, Wagner, Suppl. Schreb. Ill, 1843, 392. 
Pseudostoma douglassii, Add. & Bacii. N. Am. Quad. Ill, 1853, 24; pi. cv. 
Thomomys douglassii, Giebel, Saugt. 1855, 531. 
Baird, Gen. Rep. Mammals, 1857, 394. 
Sp. Ch. —Cheek pouches large ; [sparsely haired on the outer wall. Tail, one-third to nearly one-half the body. Upper 
ncisors nearly plane in front, with a distinct and sharp groove. Hand large ; claws very large and stout ; palm and digits 
