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WILD ANIMALS OF NORTH AMERICA

INTIMATE STUDIES OF BIG AND LITTLE CREATURES OF THE MAMMAL KINGDOM

BY

EDWARD W. NELSON

Natural-Color Portraits from Paintings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes

Track Sketches by Ernest Thompson Seton

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY WASHINGTON, D. C. U. S. A.

COPYRIGHT, 1918

BY THE

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

WASHINGTON, D. C.

PRESS OF JUDD & DETWEILER, INC.

INTRODUCTION

In offering this volume of “Wild Animals of North America” to members of the National Geographic Society, the Editor combines the text and illustrations of two entire numbers of the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE--that of November, 1916, devoted to the Larger Mammals of North America, and that of May, 1918, in which the Smaller Mammals of our continent were described and presented pictorially.

Edward W. Nelson, the author of both articles, is one of the foremost naturalists of our time. For forty years he has been the friend and student of North America’s wild-folk. He has made his home in forest and desert, on mountain side and plain, amid the snows of Alaska and the tropic heat of Central American jungles--wherever Nature’s creatures of infinite variety were to be observed, their habits noted, and their range defined.

In the whole realm of scientists, the GEOGRAPHIC could not have found a writer more admirably equipped for the authorship of a book such as “Wild Animals of North America” than Mr. Nelson, for, in addition to his exceptional scientific training and his standing as Chief of the unique U. S. Biological Survey, he possesses the rare quality of the born writer, able to visualize for the reader the things which he has seen and the experiences which he has undergone in seeing them. Each of his animal biographies, of which there are 119 in this volume, is a cameo brochure--concisely and entertainingly presented, yet never deviating from scientific accuracy.

In Mr. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the National Geographic Society has secured for Mr. Nelson the same gifted artist collaborator which it provided for Henry W. Henshaw, author of “Common Birds of Town and Country,” “The Warblers,” and “American Game Birds,” all of which were assembled in our “Book of Birds.” In the present instance Mr. Fuertes has produced a natural history gallery of paintings of the Larger and Smaller Mammals of North America which is a notable contribution to wild-animal portraiture, and the reproductions of these works of art are among the most effective and lifelike examples of color printing ever produced in this country.

Supplementing the work of Mr. Nelson and Mr. Fuertes is a series of drawings by the noted naturalist and nature-lover, Ernest Thompson Seton, showing the tracks of many of the most widely known mammals.

“Wild Animals of North America” provides in compact and permanent form a natural history for which the National Geographic Society expended $100,000 in the two issues of the Magazine in which the articles and illustrations originally appeared.

GILBERT GROSVENOR,

_Director and Editor_.

INDEX TO WILD ANIMALS OF NORTH AMERICA

(The articles and illustrations in this volume are reproduced from the November 1916, and May, 1918, National Geographic Magazine. The first page is numbered 385, as it originally appeared in the Magazine The following pages are numbered in sequence.)

Color Track Text illustration illustration Antelope, Prong-horn 452 451 611 Armadillo, Nine-banded 584 559 .. Badger 420 419 601 Bat, Big-eared desert 603 567 .. Bat, Hoary 598 566 .. Bat, Mexican 599 567 .. Bat, Red 596 566 .. Bear, Alaskan Brown (frontispiece) 441 .. .. Bear, Black 437 439 608 Bear, Cinnamon, or Black 437 439 .. Bear, Glacier 437 439 .. Bear, Grizzly 440 442 608 Bear, Polar 436 438 .. Beaver, American 441 443 .. Beaver, Mountain 529 534 .. Beluga, or White Whale 468 470 .. Bison, American, or Buffalo 461 463 .. Blarina 593 566 595 Bobcat, or Bay Lynx 409 411 .. Bowhead 469 471 .. Buffalo, or American Bison 461 463 .. Cachalot, or Sperm Whale 472 471 .. Caribou, Barren Ground 460 422 610 Caribou, Peary 460 422 .. Caribou, Woodland 460 459 .. Cat, Common .. .. 487 Cat, Jaguarundi, or Eyra 413 415 .. Cat, Ring-tailed 586 562 .. Chipmunk, Antelope 545 539 .. Chipmunk, Eastern 549 542 580 Chipmunk, Golden 545 542 .. Chipmunk, Oregon 552 543 .. Chipmunk, Painted 553 543 .. Cony, or Little Chief Hare 494 511 .. Cougar, or Mountain Lion 412 414 605 Cow, Common .. .. 594 Coyote, Arizona, or Mearns 424 423 .. Coyote, Mearns, or Arizona 424 423 .. Coyote, Plains 424 423 599 Deer, Arizona White-tailed 457 458 .. Deer, Black-tailed 456 455 611 Deer, Mule 453 455 607 Deer, Virginia 456 458 .. Deer, White-tailed 456, 457 458 606 Dog .. .. 596, 597 Elk, American 453 454 607 Eyra, or Jaguarundi Cat 413 415 .. Ferret, Black-footed 571 551 .. Fisher, or Pekan 444 446 .. Footprints, wild folk .. .. 485 Fox .. .. 575 Fox, Alaska Red 417 418 .. Fox, Arctic, or White 425 426 .. Fox, Cross 417 418 .. Fox, Desert 420 419 .. Fox, Gray 417 419 .. Fox, Pribilof Blue 425 426 .. Fox, Red 416 418 .. Fox, Silver 417 418 .. Fox, White, or Arctic 425 426 .. Goat, Bighorn .. .. 604 Goat, Rocky Mountain 452 451 604 Gopher, Pocket 500 515 .. Hare, Arctic 491 510 .. Hare, Little Chief 494 511 .. Hare, Varying 489 507 490 Horse .. .. 610 Human footprints .. .. 609 Jaguar 413 414 .. Kangaroo Rat 502 518 .. Lemming, Banded 503 519 .. Lemming, Brown 504 519 .. Lion, Mountain 412 414 605 Lynx, Bay 409 411 .. Lynx, Canada 409 411 612 Manati, Florida 465 467 .. Marmot, American 533 534 578 Marmot, Hoary, or Whistler 536 535 .. Marten, or American Sable 576 555 .. Mink, American 575 555 586, 587 Mole, Oregon 588 563 .. Mole, Star-nosed 589 563 .. Moose 461 462 602 Mouse, Beach 524 530 .. Mouse, Big-eared Rock 525 531 .. Mouse Field, or Meadow 505 522 495 Mouse, Grasshopper 520 527 570 Mouse, Harvest 517 527 .. Mouse, House 529 531 .. Mouse, Jumping 496 514 .. Mouse, Pine 508 522 .. Mouse, Red-backed 509 523 .. Mouse, Rufous Tree 512 523 .. Mouse, Silky Pocket 497 515 .. Mouse, Spiny Pocket 498 515 .. Mouse, White-footed 521 530 572 Muskhog, or Peccary 448 447 .. Musk-ox 464 466 600 Muskrat 513 526 569 Ocelots, or Tiger-cats 416 415 .. Opossum, Virginia 408 410 588 Otter 445 446 .. Otter, Sea 432 434 .. Peccary, Collared 448 447 .. Pekan, or Fisher 444 446 .. Pig, Common .. .. 571 Pika, or Little Chief Hare 494 511 .. Polecat, or Spilogale .. .. 593 Porcupine 495 514 .. Prairie-dog 536 538 .. Quadruped, with biped track: Common cat .. .. 487 Rabbit, Antelope Jack 486 506 .. Rabbit, California Jack 487 507 .. Rabbit, Cottontail 492 510 492 Rabbit, Jack .. .. 488 Rabbit, Marsh 493 511 .. Rabbit, Snowshoe 489 507 490 Raccoon 408 410 590 Rat, Brown 525 531 574 Rat, Kangaroo 502 518 .. Sable, American, or Marten 576 555 .. Sea-elephant, Northern 432 434 .. Sea-lion, Steller 429 431 .. Seal, Alaska Fur 429 431 .. Seal, Elephant 432 434 .. Seal, Greenland 433 435 .. Seal, Harbor 433 435 .. Seal, Harp, or Saddle-back 433 435 .. Seal, Leopard 433 435 .. Seal, Ribbon 436 438 .. Seal, Saddle-back 433 435 .. Sheep, Dall Mountain 449 450 .. Sheep, Rocky Mountain 448 447 .. Sheep, Stone Mountain 449 450 .. Shrew, Common 591 566 .. Shrew, Short-tailed 593 566 595 Skunk, Common 580 558 592 Skunk, Hog-nosed 582 559 .. Skunk, Little, or Polecat .. .. 593 Skunk, Little Spotted 577 558 .. Squirrel, Abert 564 550 .. Squirrel, California Ground 541 539 .. Squirrel, Douglas 557 546 .. Squirrel, Flying 568 551 .. Squirrel, Fox 561 547 581, 582 Squirrel, Gray 560 547 .. Squirrel, Kaibab 564 550 .. Squirrel, Red 556 546 .. Squirrel, Rusty Fox 561 547 581 Squirrel, Striped Ground 540 538 .. Spilogale, or Polecat .. .. 593 Stoat, or Large Weasel 572 554 .. Tiger-cats, or Ocelots 416 415 .. Walrus, Pacific 428 430 .. Wapiti, or American Elk 453 454 .. Weasel .. .. 584 Weasel, Large, or Stoat 572 554 .. Weasel, Least 573 554 .. Whale, Greenland Right 469 471 .. Whale, Killer 468 470 .. Whale, Sperm, or Cachalot 472 471 .. Whale, White, or Beluga 468 470 .. Whistler, or Hoary Marmot 536 535 .. Wildcat, Texan .. .. 612 Wolf, Arctic White 421 422 .. Wolf, Black .. 423 .. Wolf, Gray, or Timber 421 423 605 Wolf, Prairie 424 423 .. Wolf, Timber, or Gray 421 423 .. Wolverine 428 427 583 Woodchuck, Common 533 534 578 Woodrat 516 526 ..

The Larger North American Mammals

BY E. W. NELSON

_Chief, U. S. Biological Survey_

With Illustrations from Paintings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes

At the time of its discovery and occupation by Europeans, North America and the bordering seas teemed with an almost incredible profusion of large mammalian life. The hordes of game animals which roamed the primeval forests and plains of this continent were the marvel of early explorers and have been equaled in historic times only in Africa.

Even beyond the limit of trees, on the desolate Arctic barrens, vast herds containing hundreds of thousands of caribou drifted from one feeding ground to another, sharing their range with numberless smaller companies of musk-oxen. Despite the dwarfed and scanty vegetation of this bleak region, the fierce winter storms and long arctic nights, and the harrying by packs of white wolves, these hardy animals continued to hold their own until the fatal influence of civilized man was thrown against them.

Southward from the Arctic barrens, in the neighboring forests of spruce, tamarack, birches, and aspens, were multitudes of woodland caribou and moose. Still farther south, in the superb forests of eastern North America, and ranging thence over the limitless open plains of the West, were untold millions of buffalo, elk, and white-tailed deer, with the prong-horned antelope replacing the white-tails on the western plains.

With this profusion of large game, which afforded a superabundance of food, there was a corresponding abundance of large carnivores, as wolves, coyotes, black and grizzly bears, mountain lions, and lynxes. Black bears were everywhere except on the open plains, and numerous species of grizzlies occupied all the mountainous western part of the continent.

Fur-bearers, including beavers, muskrats, land-otters, sea-otters, fishers, martens, minks, foxes, and others, were so plentiful in the New World that immediately after the colonization of the United States and Canada a large part of the world’s supply of furs was obtained here.

Trade with the Indians laid the foundations of many fortunes, and later developed almost imperial organizations, like the Hudson’s Bay Company and its rivals. Many adventurous white men became trappers and traders, and through their energy, and the rivalry of the trading companies, we owe much of the first exploration of the northwestern and northern wilderness. The stockaded fur-trading stations were the outposts of civilization across the continent to the shores of Oregon and north to the Arctic coast. At the same time the presence of the sea-otter brought the Russians to occupy the Aleutian Islands, Sitka, and even northern California.

The wealth of mammal life in the seas along the shores of North America almost equaled that on the land. On the east coast there were many millions of harp and hooded seals and walruses, while the Greenland right and other whales were extremely abundant. On the west coast were millions of fur seals, sea-lions, sea-elephants, and walruses, with an equal abundance of whales and hundreds of thousands of sea otters.

Many of the chroniclers dealing with explorations and life on the frontier during the early period of the occupation of America gave interesting details concerning the game animals. Allouez says that in 1680, between Lake Erie and Lake Michigan the prairies were filled with an incredible number of bears, wapiti, white-tailed deer, and turkeys, on which the wolves made fierce war. He adds that on a number of occasions this game was so little wild that it was necessary to fire shots to protect the party from it. Perrot states that during the winter of 1670-1671, 2,400 moose were snared on the Great Manitoulin Island, at the head of Lake Huron. Other travelers, even down to the last century, give similar accounts of the abundance of game.

TRAINS HELD UP BY BUFFALO

The original buffalo herds have been estimated to have contained from 30,000,000 to 60,000,000 animals, and in 1870 it was estimated that about 5,500,000 still survived. A number of men now living were privileged to see some of the great herds of the West before they were finally destroyed. Dr. George Bird Grinnell writes:

“In 1870, I happened to be on a train that was stopped for three hours to let a herd of buffalo pass. We supposed they would soon pass by, but they kept coming. On a number of occasions in earlier days the engineers thought that they could run through the herds, and that, seeing the locomotive, the buffalo would stop or turn aside; but after a few locomotives had been ditched by the animals the engineers got in the way of respecting the buffaloes’ idiosyncrasies....

“Up to within a few years, in northern Montana and southern Alberta, old buffalo trails have been very readily traceable by the eye, even as one passed on a railroad train. These trails, fertilized by the buffalo and deeply cut so as to long hold moisture, may still be seen in summer as green lines winding up and down the hills to and from the water-courses.”

Concerning the former abundance of antelope, Dr. Grinnell says: “For many years I have held the opinion that in early days on the plains, as I saw them, antelope were much more abundant than buffalo. Buffalo, of course, being big and black, were impressive if seen in masses and were visible a long way off. Antelope, smaller and less conspicuous in color, were often passed unnoticed, except by a person of experience, who might recognize that distant white dots might be antelope and not buffalo bones or puff balls. I used to talk on this subject with men who were on the plains in the ’60’s and ’70’s, and all agreed that, so far as their judgment went, there were more antelope than buffalo. Often the buffalo were bunched up into thick herds and gave the impression of vast numbers. The antelope were scattered, and, except in winter, when I have seen herds of thousands, they were pretty evenly distributed over the prairie.