Notes on mammals of the middle Mississippi Valley, with description of a new woodrat

Vol. _XXII, pp. 23-34

March

23, 191

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

NOTES ON MAMMALS OF THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, WITH DESCPJPTION OF

A NEW WOODRAT.

[

V^

BY ARTHUR H. HOWELL.

The

field

work

of the Biological

Survey

^{in IDOl)}

^{included a}

i^urvey of

southeastern

_Missouri,

southern

Illinois

and Indiana, and

_partsof

Kentucky. ^This

trip,

accomplished between _April 20 and _July

15, resulted in the

accumulation

of

much new information on

the distribution of the

mammals

of the region,

and

since

very

^little

has been published concerning

^the

mam-

mals

of

any

^of

^the

^Statesvisited,

excepting Indiana,*

^{it is}

con-

sidered desirable to place

on record

the

more _important

results of the season's

work.

Missouri was the

first State_visited,

and

after

a few days spent near

St.

Louis —

at

Horseshoe _Lake,

St.

Charles County (April

21,

22) —

I

proceeded

^to

the

interesting

"sunken lands"

of

southeastern

Missouri. Collections

were made

principally

on

the St.

Francis

_River,

west

of

Senath (April 25-30) and

at

Kennett (May

1,2), Portageville

(May

3,4),

and Cushion Lake (May 5-7). Short

_{stops at}

Marble

Hill

(May 8-10) and

at

Cape ^Girardeau (May

11,

12)

resulted in

determining

^the

upper

limitsof

Lower Austral Zone

in the State.

After crossing the Mississippi at

Cape Girardeau,

investiga- tions

were continued

in Illinois at the following ^localities:

McClure (May

13), Olive

Branch (May 14-21), Cobden and Lick Creek (May

22), ^Volf

Lake (May 23-25), Riehl

Station,

near Alton (May

29, 30),

Odin (June

4, 5),

Olney (June 6-9), Kansas (June

10, 11), ^St. Francisville

(June

12),

Shawnee-

*Seea valuable contributionby W. L. Hahn, on "The Mammals of Indiana,"

<

33clAnn.Rep. Dcpt.Geol.ctNat.Resourcesof In<liana,I'.iO'.t,pp. -in-dOa.

G—

Pkoc.Biol. Soc.Wash.,Vol.XXIII,1910. (23)

24 Hovrll — _Mainmah

_nf the

Middle

Mississippi VaUc]i.

town (June

17, 18),

Golconda (June 19-21), and

Reevesville

(June

22).

In Indiana

short stops

were made

at Cypress,

Knox _County

(June

12),

New _Harmony (June lo-lo), and Mt. Vernon (June

1(0.

In Kentucky

collections

were made

at the followinglocalities:

Rockport (June

23, 24),

Hawesville (June 25-28), INIammoth Cave (June 29-July

5),

Midway (July 6-11), and Jackson

(July 12-14).

The

region ^visited

during

this trip

forms

the

meeting

place for

Upper-and-Lower Austral Zones, and an

^effort

was made

to

determine with some exactness

the

boundary between them.

Lower Austral occupies the "

sunken lands " and swampy

^river

bottoms

of

southeastern

^Missouri

and western Kentucky, ^extend- ing north

ⁱⁿ

Missouri

as faras

Whitewater and _Cape ^Girardeau.

A

^line

^drawn diagonally

^{acrossthe State}

through Poplar

^Bluff

and _Cape Girardeau

will

mark

quite accurately the

upper

^limit

of

Lower ^Austral

^{in Missouri.}

^In

Illinois this

zone

covers the

whole

^of the

southern

_portion of

the

State

from East Cape Girardeau

to

Golconda, with a

^{narrow^}

tongue along

the Missis- sippi as ^far

north

as

Grand Tower. In Kentucky

the eastern limits of

Lower Austral were not

definitely

determined, but

^it doubtless includes the greater part ^ofthe counties

bordering

^the Mississippi River,

and extends

in

a narrow

belt

along

^the

Ohio

as far as

Berry Ferry

(opposite

Golconda,

^{Illinois). All the} rest of

Kentucky

^{is in}

Upper Austral Zone, excepting a few

isolated

mountain summits

in the

extreme

eastern part ^of the State,

where small

areas of

Transition appear.

Following

^{is a list of the}

most

characteristic

Lower Austral

species

occurring

ⁱⁿ

southern

Illinois:

MAMMALS OF LOWER AUSTRAL

ZONE.

Peromyscus

r/ossj/pinus S.i/lcilagus aqaaticus

Oryzomjfs palv.stris

Blarina

hrevicauda carolinensis

Nyct

^iceius

humeral

is.

BIRDS OF LOWER AUSTRAL

ZONE.

CfUharista

uruhu Helinaia

swainsoni

Antrostomus

carolinensis Protonoteiria citrea

Peucasaaestivalis

bachmani

Howell — _Mammals

_of the

Middle

Mississi^ypi Valley.

25 PLANTS OF LOWER AUSTRAL ZONE.*

Taxodium

distirhmn

Ulmns

alnta

Ni/ssa aquatira. ^CeltlsmJssissippiensis Querrui^ lyrata Gleditsia aquatica

Arundinaria

^tectu

LIST OF

:ma:\i:mals.

Sciurus niger rufiventer (ieoffroy.

FOX

SQUIRREL.

Fox

.squirrel.'^ are _fairly

common

_locally over thewhole of the region traversed.

Records weresecured of theiroccurrence atthefollowino; localities:

Missotiri: Horseshoe Lake, ^{St. Charles} County; Marble Hill; Cushion

Lake

(4 specimens).

Illinois:

Wolf

_Lake; Olive

Branch

; Kansas; ^Cxolconda.

Indiana:

New _Harmony

(1 specimen).

Kentncky^: Hawesville;

Mammoth

Cave;

Midway;

^Jackson.

Tamias

striatus (Linnaeus).

CAROLINIAN CHIPMUNK.

Occurs in moderate

mnnhers

_{nearly everywhere excepting} in the big

swamps.

They

^werereported^to

me

atthe followinglocalities:

Missouri^: INTarble Hill.

Illinois : Olive

Branch

;

Wolf Lake

(1specimen^{); A\'oodlawn;} Olney.

Indiana^:

New _Harmony.

Ke)iliiek}i^: Kockport;

Mammotli Cave

(L'specimens^);

Midway;

^Jackson.

Marmota monax

(Linn;eus).

WOODCHICK;

(JROUND HOG.

The woodchnck

occurs in the _hilly portions ^{of tlie} Mississippi Valley States as far south at leastas southern _Illinois,southern _Missouri,

and

western Kentucky.

Records weresecuredoftheiroccurrence inthe following^{localities :} Missouri:

Meramec

_Highlands ^(1")miles soutliwestofSt.Louis); ]Marble

Hill.

Illinois: Shelbyville (sjiecinicn fromthere seen inaSt.Louis taxidermist shop); ^RiehlStation,near

A

^Itiin;

Woodlawn;

Golconda; ^OliveBranch.

Indiana^:

New _Harmony.

Kentuclqi^:

Mammoth

Cave (1 specimen); BerryFerry; ^lidway; Jack- son.

*In thisfonnootion,^seepaper.-*byRobortRidgway onthenativetrees ofthelower WahasliValley,inProc.U.S.N.M.,V.pp.Jii-SS,1SS2,un<lXVII,pp.tOtWUl,l.SiM.

26 Howell — _Mammals

_of the

Middle

Mississippi Valley.

Citellus tridecemlineatus (]Mitcliill).

STRIPED SPKIIMOI'IIILE:

OROrND

SQl'IKKEL.

This small <:ruuu(l siniirrclis a iirairicdwcllcr, ami ^is(listribnted locally over the northern parts of ^lllin(]is ami Indiana, llahn records it from various places ⁱⁿ northern In(hana as far sonthas Terre Ilante.* Its

sonthernlimit in Illinois

was

found to be close to the

town

of Kansas, wherea small colonywaslocatedina cemetery. Inquiries^fortheanimal at Casey

and

_Greenup, a little fartlier south, indicated that ^it does not occurthere.

Specimens ^liave been idt'ntilled intlie Biological Survey from ^thefol- lowinglocalities:

Illinois^: IVw'kory,

Lake

_County;

Sunbeam,

^{^ifercer} County; Saxon,

Henry County

^; Kishwaukee; Kansas; Argenta; AVarsaw ⁽specimenⁱⁿ U. S. Nat. Mus.).

Peromyscus gossypinus megacephalus

^(Rhoads).

WESTERN COTTON

MOUSE.

This_speciesis

common

ⁱⁿtheswamjis^ofthe

Lower

Austral

Zone

andis

frequently taken,^{also, in}

wooded

^{blntis intlie}

same

/.one. Itranges^nortli tosouthern Illinois

and

southeastern ^{^Missouri.}

S})ecinienswerecollected atthe followinglocalities:

Missouri^: St.FrancisRiver (westofSenath),S; Portageville, 1; Cushion Lake, ^1.

Illinois^: OliveRranch, 2;

Wolf

Lake, ^{1 ;} (Jolconda, ^3.

Peromyscus

maniculatus bairdi

(Hoy

^tV: Kennicott).

PRAIRIE

WHITE-FOOTED

MOUSE.

Although mainly^confinedto prairie regions, this s]iecie.shas been taken occasionally ⁱⁿ l)ottomland timber. ^Its range extends ^{south to}extreme southern Illinois.

Specimens were taken^atthe followinglocalities:

Missouri: Horseshoe Lake,^{St. Cliarles}County, ^1.

Illinois: Riehl Station, near Alton, 1; Kansas, ^{:!; ()live} Rranch, ^1; McClure, ^1.

Oryzomys

palustris (Harlan)- RICE i;at.

This_speciesis found throughoutthe Austrorii)arian

Fauna

anditsrange extendsalso well into theCarolinian along^streams.

It was taken ^for the first time in Missouri and Illinois and

may

^l)e looked for as well insouthern Indiana

and

Ohio.

Specimens werecollected atthe followinglocalities:

Missouri: Kennett, 2; Portageville, 1; .Ahirbk- Hill, ^1.

Illinois: Olive I'.ranch, 4.

*Tliirl.v-thinlAnn.R(>i'.Dept.Cieol.of Imliana,]i\>- I75-17S,^T.iOi).

Hou-fU —

Mainnial-i of ^the

Middle

Mississippi Vallaj. 2^4

Neotoma

pennsylvanica ^Stone.

ALLKOUKXY CAVE

RAT.

Tlii.s.species

may

^{l)efound in}suitable situationsthrougliout the eastern part^of

Kentucky

at least as farwestas]Mammotli_Cave,

and

as farnorth asthe Ohio^{River. It} prol)al)ly occurs, also, inthe cliflTs

on

the Indiana

side ofthe river. ^•

At jNIammoth

Cave

_{they are}numerous, both ^{in the}

main

cave

and

ina small cave

known

asthe

White

_Cave, butI found

no

signs of their pres- ence aljout the cliffs

and

_largerockson the Green River hillside at this place. In the

]Mammoth Cave

_{they are} found as far l)ack as one can penetrate.

Two

specimens were trapped^ata point^aljout2}4. milesfrom the entrance,

and

others at the

mouth

^of the cave.

The

ratsenter the cavethrough^the

main

entrance (which ^isthe'only

known

entrance)

and

possibly^alsothrough^{small crevices}leading

down

fromthecliflls orsmall caves on the

Green

River hillside.

At

various pointsⁱⁿthe cave their tracks are very

abundant

inthesand

on

the^floor

and

there are

numerous

hard-i>acked^trailsrunning^{close tothe walls}

and

intoside crevices.

The

greatnumljeroftracks doubtless givesan exaggerated^ideaofthe al)und- ance of the _rats, for since there is nothing except

human

footsteps to obliteratethe _tracks,they

may

^{remainintact for}a long period. Several large piles of rat excrement werenoticed,])nt comparatively^littlerubbish

had

been _brouglitin

by

^{the animals.} Quite a few nut shells (hickory, acorns,

and

hazel nuts) were_seen,but

no

green vegetation

and no

_piles

of sticks.

The

guides frequently^see therats wliile in the cave,

and

as they are neverdistnrVjedthey are very gentle

and

unsuspicious.

They

occasionally

come

about the tables inthe dining ^{hall in the cave}

and

instances are reported ^{of their} having

come

regularly^to be fed

by

the guides.

The

former

manager

^ofthe

Mammoth Cave

estateonce

had

acaveratincap- tivity,

and

he discovered accidentally that not only could he handle it

with impunity, but^itactuallyenjoyed being^stroked

and

seemedto

become

drowsy under the operation. This rat always chose vegetable food ⁱⁿ place^of

meat when

bothwereofferedit.

In the

White

_Cave, whichisoidy^al)out 200 yards long,

and

near the surface, ^I foundtherats

numerous and

wasable to ol)serve their ])eculiar

mode

of living. Inthiscave they

make

small nests or "

forms " _{of finely} shredded cedar bark,just about the size

and

_{shajje of} a

meadow

lark's nest, though ^notarchedoverat all. These resemblecloselythe " forms "

ofthecottontail rabbit. ^I found fiveorsix of thesenestsplacedon the floor of tlie cave,closeto.the_wall,

and

on a narrow _ledgeof rock near the _ceiling.

Some

of

them

were occupied

by

^{the rats at} the time,

and

several specimens were ^{secured here.}

The

only other material brought into thiscaveby^{the ratsaresmalltips of}cedar l^ranches;these arestrewn quitethicklyaroundtheirnests

and

one_largerock

was

_completelycovered with them.

A

few old nut shells were found also, but

no

leaves or branchesof

any

^{tree but cedar} {Juniper^usvirglniana).

The

cedar

may

have been brouahtin tobeused as food, but

none

ofit

was

found inthe

28 Howell — _Mammals

_of t\c

Middle

Mississippi Valley.

stomachsofthe rats takenhere

which

have been examined.

They

^were found tol)e tilledwith afinely

chewed mass

offreshgreen vegetation,not identifiable, but_certainlynotcedar.

The

stomachsofthetwoindividuals taken_{2)4 miles} back in

IMammoth Cave

contained fragments ^of apple, leaves,

sorghum

^seeds

and

_{onion, a}fewsmall beetle larvfo, fly larvje

and

bitsof beetle.

At

Hawesville, Kentucky, ^I found this species fairly

numerous

al)0ut the

wooded

^clifis_along the river,

and

here, as at

Mammoth

Cave, very fewsticks

had

beencarried into the_crevices, ^l)ut _freshly cut leaves

and

plantswere observed inseveral_places.

In the vicinity ofJackson, Kentucky,^{theseratsare well}

known

tothe inhabitants

and

are apparently

common

about rocky ledges^all through that _region.

They

^often

come down

about farm buildings locatednear thecliffs

and

are reported^'to do

some damage

^incorncribs.

One

_speci-

men

was trapped along^{aclilt'close to a} house at Lost Creek, Breathitt County.

Neotoma

floridana illinoensis _sul)sp. nov.

ILLIXOLS

WOODRAT.

Type from

Wolf

_Lake, Illinois. Adult female, No. _1(17,752, U. 8. Na- tional

Museum,

Biological Survey Collection, .January 12, 1010. Jolui Johnson.

General characters.

—

_Similar in color to ^A''._/. baileyibutwith longer

and

^darkertail; skullnearesttothatof_{iV. /.}rubida but_slightlysmaller.

Color.

—

ITpperparts

mixed

bufi" and black, varyingⁱⁿ

some

_specimens

toochraceousbufi'; fore part^ofhead

and

facegray^{; tail} distinctly bicolor, blackish above, grayish-whitebelow;^feetpure white^; underpartsgrayish- white with_{a tinge}ofyellow.

Cranialcharacters.

—

Skull _slightlysmaller than that of rubida; zygo-

mata more

_widelyspreadinganteriorly, their sides nearlyimrallel^; palate

more

_deeply notched (the interpterygoid ^{fossa less} evenly rounded);

spheno-palatine^vacuitiesreducedto

narrow

slits.

From

_baileyi

and

atfwateri the present form differs craniallyⁱⁿ the

same

characters that distinguish ^it fromrubida

and

inaddition theros-

trum and

nasalsare longer

and

slenderer.

Measurements.

—

_Averageofeight adultsfrom_typelocality: totallength,

-JiJO(390-4:5.3); ^tailvertebrae, 195 (187-205)^; hind_foot, 3S (3(i-40).

Remarks.

— Woodrats

of this group have not previously ^Ijeentaken in the Mississippi Valley bottomlandsat

any

point north ^of Louisiana. It

was

_{quite a}surprise, therefore, to lind theanimalsin southernIllinoisat theupper edge^{of the}

Lower

AustralZ(~>ne.

A

fewold _signs

and

deserted nests ofwoodrats were found in the heavy timber along ^{the St. Francis} River, Missouri, ^{but ail efforts to} traj) specimens i)rovi'd unsuccessful.

The

cliffsalong ^the .Alississipj)! River north of Alton, Illinois,

and

south of St. Louis, Missouri, were explored ^for signs ^{of the.se} aninuils, but

no

in<lications of theirpresencewere discovered.

They

^{werealsolookedfor} unsuccessfullyⁱⁿthecliffsat⁽Jolconda, ^Illinois.

The

animalsare

common

^atWolf Lake, inhabiting thehigh rocky^bluflls

Hoivell

— _Mammals

_of the

Middle

3Iiss{ssi2)]n Valley. ^l29 which border theeast sideot the lake.

They

^{live increvices}

and

caves into

which

_{theycarrylargequantities}of sticks, leaves,

and

other rubbish.

Their habitsin this localityarethus like thoseof

N.

pennsylvanica

and

unlike thoseof rtibida in the Southern States

where

this species lives in

swamps and

^{buildsits nests in hollow}logsor trees

and

in the branches of trees

some

distance from the ground.

The swamp

^{conditions were}

present^{at this}northern _station, l)ut the adjacent ^clifi'sevidently proved

more

attractive tothem, ^asisusually the case^Avith the

members

of this genus.

Threeadults aiidone young, ^allin

worn

_pelage,werecaptured ^atM'nli

Lake

_]May24, 25,

and

in January, ^11)10, eight

more

^{adults in full} fresh pelageweresecuredl)y a local trapper.

Microtus pennsylvanicus

^(Ord).

KASTEUX MEADOW

MOUSE.

The conmion meadow mouse

occupies the l>Iuegrass region ^of

Ken-

tucky, ^l)ut

was

not found in other sections of the State. Itwasrather

common

at ^Midway, where specimens were taken, and Dr. ]Mearns has also taken

them

at Lexington. Their range proba))ly does not extend

much

farther south or west than this.

None

were found in southern Illinoisorinthe AVa]>ash Valleyⁱⁿ Indiana.

Hahn

records the_.'^iwcies, however, fromBloomington

and

Bascom, Indiana.*

Microtus

ochrogaster (Wagner).

i'];aii;ie

.meadow

mouse.

This isthe

common meadow mouse

ofthe upper^lississippi Valley, ^at leastas farsouthas southernIllinois

and

Mi.s.souri. Unlikethe eastern species (M.pennsijloanictis) they preferdrysituations,

and

are frequently found inmattedgrassalong^roadsides

and

inold

meadows. They

^havenot

as yetbeen taken inKentucky, ^{but in} a grass^{field at} ^lauunoth

Cave

^I foundafew

mouse

signswhichIbelievewere

made

_bythis species.

Hahn

recordsthe_species fromvarious points across the State^of Indiana,^t

and Langdon

speaks^of

them

as

common

inthevicinity ofCincinnati.t

Specimens were taken^attlie following localities:

Missouri^: Horseshoe Lake, (i; INIarble Hill,^3.

Illinois: OliveBranch,3; AVolfLake,¹; McClure, ^1; Odin,2; Olney, 2;

Kansas, ^2.

Fiber zibethicus (Linnaeus).

MUSKRAT.

]\Iuskrats are

common

on^all thestreamsinthe regionvisited, particu- larly intheSt.Francis River,^Missouri,

and on

Horseshoe

Lake

(near Olive Branch),^Illinois. IMany thousands ^are trapped here every winter, but atthetime of

my

^visit(April

and

_]May)their

numbers had

1:)een greatly reduced

and

_theywere_veryshy

and

difficult tosecure.

A

few breeding

*Mammals^ofIndiana, 33dAnn.Rep. Dept.Geol.

&

Nat.ResourcesofIndiana, pp.

536,507, 1909.

fMammalsof Incliana,1.c.pp.509, 510.

tJourn. ChicinuatiSoc.Nat.Hist., Ill, p. 307, 1880.

30

Hoiccll

— Mammalfi

of ^the

Middle

Mississippi Valley.

(lens ))uilt umler the roots of largetupelos'orcypresses growing ⁱⁿdeep water,were examined, butonlyone

young muskrat was

caught.

During

the winter the ratsl)uild

numerous

_largehousesin the lakes ormarshes, hut byspring thesedensare usually^alldestroyed or carried

away

l)yhigh water.

Five specimens, taken in Horseshoe Lake,Illinois, inDecember, agree verycloselywith September specimens^oizlbethicns from^Massachusetts.

Muskrats were _reportedto occuratthe followinglocalities:

Missouri^: Horseshoe Lake,St.CharlesCounty; ^St.Francis River; Cush- ionLake;

Marble

Hill.

Illinois: Olive Brancli;

Wolf

Lake; AVoodlawn; Olney; Kansas;

Shaw-

neetown.

Kentucky:

^Midway;

Mammoth

Cave; Jackson.

Synaptomys

gossi Merriam.

(iOSS

LEMMING

MOUSE.

Tills sju'cies,previously

known

_onlyfrom Kansas,

was

found innund)ers at HorseshoeI^ake,St. Charles County, Missouri, April ²¹and _22,

and

a goo<i series ofspecimens

was

secured.

A

_largecolony

had

_{occupied a}low

marshy meadow

closetothe Mississippi River.

At

the time of

my

^visit

tiie waterin theriver

was

_{very high,}

and

the

meadow was

overflowed to a deptli of 12 to IS inches.

The

mice

had

beendrivenfrom theirburrows

l)ythehighwater,

and

were hiding^aswellasthey couldontussocks

and

underjiatches of floating debris.

"When

disturbed theyranrather slowly over the

submerged

vegetation

and swam

freely, but were _easily over- taken. INLuiy

had

been killed by dogsor other predatory animals,

and

I

was

able toget ^as

many

specimens ^asIneeded

by

catching

them

in

my

hands.

The

burrows in this

meadow

were on the little hillocks, the entrances nearthe _top.

Thus

they are probably dry except ^{in timesof} very high ^water.

The

entrances are _perfectly open

and

not concealed under vegetation ^{as is} the hal)it of S'/naptomi/s cooper^{i in} the eastern States. Well-beaten

runways

^{extended out fromtlie burrows}

and

under the dead vegetation.

A

single specimen taken

June

5 in an old dry

meadow

^at Odin,Illinois,^isprovisionallyreferred to this form. Itagrees with (jossiin color, but itsskull istoo

young

^{to l^e}positively identified.

At the timethis species

was

described, only a few specimens were ⁱⁿ existence

and

noskins wereavailable. Sincethen the skinscollected at the_tyiielocalityby^(losshave

come

to light

and

the BiologicalSurvey^has received.si.xspecimens from ^FortLeavenworth, Kansas,^collected by ^Dr.

B. H.Dutcher. Inviewofthescarcity of thisspecies

and

the lack ofany description^ofitsexternal characters, the followingbrief synop.sishasbeen prepared^:

Specificcharacters.—_{Size large}

and

_stocky

—

the _{largest of} the genus;

skull massive,largerthanthatofJirJaletcs

(much

larger tlian coopcri) but with rostrum both actually

and

_relativelynarrower; colorsdark.

Color.

—

Adults infull pelage (Kansas, April

and

June): ^rich reddish

brown

above, with an admixture of black hairs; sides paler; underparts

Howell — _Mammals

_of the

Middle

Mississippi Valley.

31

grayish,sometimeswithasliojhtlinfFyorrufous tinge^{; feet}

and

tailclotlied with grayisli hairs.

A

_sHghtly

worn

_{Aprilspecimen} isconsiderably paler thantherest.

The

^series of V2 specimens (mostly ^adults) from Horseshoe. Lake, Missouri (April 21),average a ^little paler

and

lessreddisli than _tyi)ical

Kansas

_specimens, but_agreewith

them

insize

and

cranial characters.

Mensurements.

—

Five adults from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: ^total length, 132 (123-141)^;tailvertebrae,21.4; ⁽19-24); hind_foot,20 (19-21).

Skull ₍₃ adult males): occipito-nasal length, 29.9; zj'gomatic breadth, 17.9; interorbitalbreadth,3.4; breadthofrostrum,5.8; lengthof nasals, 8.2; maxillarytoothrow, ^7.5.

Nine

adults from Horseshoe Lake, Mis- souri: totallength, 134(131-138);^tailvertebrae, 20.7(20-22); hind font, 19.5 (19-20). Skull (10 adults): occii)ito-nasal length, 28.(1; zygiimatie breadth, 17.6; interorbital breadth,3.4; breadthof rostrum,0; length^of nasals, 7.6; maxillarytoothrow, ^7.8.

Qeomys

bursarius (Shaw).

I'OCKET(ioPIIKH.

Fllbrtswere

made

totracethesouthern limit of this species in^Illinois.

It

had

been previously recorded fromBelleville*

and was

found tooccur very sparingly at Coulterville,

Woodlawn, and

Odin,

and

a few miles north ofOlney. ^Itdoes)iotoccur

on

the_prairie about_Ducpioin, sothat Coultervilleisconsidered tobeaboutitssi>uthern limit intheState.

Sylvilagus aquaticus (F>achman).

SWAM

^I* KAHl'.IT.

This rabbitis

numerous

inthe

swampy

^bottomsofsoutheastern Missouri, westernKentucky,

and

southern Illinois. Itsupper^{limit in ]Mi.ssouriis} a few miles southof

Cape

^Girardeau. In Illinoisitrangesslightlyfarther northin anarrowbelt of

swamp

^closetothe]^.[ississippiI\iver, to within a few miles of

Grand

Tower. In the Ohio _Valley ^it is found in the

swamps ^on

^{both sides of theriver to a pointabout five miles below(iol-}

conda, Illinois,

and

_{Berry Ferry, Kentucky,}

and

is reported, also, from Gilbertsville, Kentucky, ^{in the}Teimessee _Valley. Careful_in(juiries were

made

in the lower

Wabash

_Valleyto ascertain ^if this species occurred there,

and

I

was

_positively assured by well-informe<l residents that it

neverwas

known

in that _region, ^\'ith the exception ^ofafewisolated areasof

swamp

^{land thereis}no country ^theresuited to their habits.

Sylvilagus floridanus alacer (Bangs).

SOUTHWESTERN

COTTONTAIL.

This form of thecottontail rangesnorth tosoutheastern ^lissouriand wt'stern Kentucky.

S|)ecimens were taken attbe followinglocalities:

Missouri: Cushion Lake.

Kentucki/: BerryFerry.

•N.Am.Fiuma, No.^S.p.12i). isiir,.

o2 Howell — _Mammals

_{of the}

_Middle

Mississipjn Vallcii.

Sylvilagus ^floridanus

mearnsi

(Allen).

NORTH

WESTKItX ^('<(TTOXTAIL.

Spt'ciiiu'ii^ of thisform were takenatthefollowiiiirlncahties:

Misaoxi-i: Horseshoe Lake, ^St. CharlesConnty; ^{.Ahirhlc Hill.}

Illiiioift: Kansas; ^Olive I>ranch.

Urocyon

cinereoargenteus (Schreber).

(iRAY VOX.

(Jray ^{foxe.-^}were_reportedto

me

as occurrinif at

Midway,

Kentneky, and Liek Creek, ^Illinois.

Vulpes

^{fulvus (}Desman'st).

RKD

FOX.

This_specieswasreportc^d tooccurat thefollnwinLj: localities:

Kenlnckij: ^Midway; Bi<?Black Mountain, Harlan

County

(IDOS).

IIHiKils: Wolf Lake; ^Lick Creek _{(denof youuij:}foundaliout _.Afay20).

Canis _sp.?

WOLF.

A

few wolves arerei)orted in the ri\i:;ion aboutClushion Lake, .Missoiu'i,

and

one was ^killed near therein thewinterof]()0.S-5).

Canis latrans Say.

COVOTF.

I was informed by ^{a resident of} Kansas, Illinois, that several prairie wolves had l)eenseen and one killed a few niiU-ssouth of Kansas twoor thre(!yearsii^o.

Spilogale putorius (Linuieus).

ALLKcillFNIA.N SI'OTTFD

SKCXK.

The

Spotted skuidcsundoubtedly range^{north as far assouthernIllinois.}

They

^werereported^tobe fairly

conunon

atGolconda, Illinois,

and

_Berry Ferry, Kentucky.

Hahn

gives a record from

Knox

_County, Indiana,*

and

_{they are} said tooccurat

New _Harmony.

Putorius noveboracensis Lnunons.

XFW YORK

WFASFL.

Thisweasel ^isfairly

conunon

in S()utheru Illinois

and

_Kentucky. Rec- ordsweresecured ^ofitsoccurrenceatthe followinglocalities:

flUnifis: (iolconda C! s{)eciniens)^; Lick Creek.

Keiitnckii: Hawesville (1 specimen); ^lidway ⁽¹ specimen); Jackson.

Blarina brevicauda carolinensis(liachman).

CAKOLINIA.N ItLARINA.

Specimens ^{of this}form were takenat thef(jllo\\ing localities:

Illinois: Olive P>rancli, L'; (!ypre.ssJunction, near

Shawneetown,

1; (Jol-

couda,

L

Kentucky: ^{Jack.son, I.}

MiUiiin. ofIiidiaiia,loc. cif., ijp. 57.')-577.

Howell — _Mammah

_of Ihc

Middle

Missisaijyin Vcdley.

33

Scalopus aquaticus

machrinus

⁽Ralinesque).

PRAIRIE MOLE.

Molesare quite generally distributed ⁱⁿthe Mississippi Valley,

and

in

some

sectionsareabundant. Records orspecimens were^{obtainedat tlie} following localities:

Missouri: St. Francis River, west ^of Senatli (a few occur); rortageville

(common);

^{Marble Hill}

(common;

¹ specimen).

Illinois: Riehl _Station,nearAlton

(common;

¹si)eciinen); Olive

Branch (common); Woodlawn

(numerous); Olney (numerous; ¹ specimen);

Golconda

(

numerous

).

Kentucky:

Mammoth Cave

(scarce); Hawesville (

uncommon

);

Midway

(abundant; ^)] specimens).

Pipistrellus subflavus (F. Cuvier).

GEORGIAN

BAT.

Generally distributed in tlie Mississippi Valley^; very

numerous

in soutliern Illinois. Four small caves near Lick _{Creek, Illinois,} were ex^- jilored on _-May '2'2, but _only about six bats of this species were found

all told, ^allhanging singly.

They

^weresluggish, cold,

and

_{very loath} to move, even ^afterbeing^{handled. All} weremales.

No

bats of

any

^kind were found in ]\Iammotb

Cave

at the time of

my

^visit, although large

numbers

_{of Mijotis}lucifugus are

known

to livethereinthe winter.

Nor

were

any

^{of the}latter speciesshotinthevicinity.

Specimens^{ofP. sid^flavus}were collected atthe followinglocalities:

Illinois:

OHve

Branch, ²

(May

^{14); Lick} Creek, 4 (?,Iay 22); Olney, ¹

(JuneS);

Reevesville, ¹ (June_22).

Kentucky:

Mammoth

Cave, ¹ (JuneiiO).

Lasiurus borealis _(Miiller).

RED

BAT.

Not

_very

common

; specimens were taken ^{as follows:} Illinois: OliveBranch, ¹

(May

14).

Kentucky:

Mammoth

Cave, ¹ (July ^];

two

seen).

Nycticeius

humeralis

(Ratinesque).

RAFINESQUE

BAT.

Sj)ecimensof thissouthern_specieswere takenatthe followinglocalities:

Missouri: Cushion Lake,

New Madrid

_County, 1

(May

^(>).

Illinois: OliveBranch, ⁴

(May

17, 18).

Kentucky:

Mammoth

Cave, ¹ (June30).