SEAL. diminished by both these circumstances, and it was the general opinion, that, when first caught, its weight was not less than 100 pounds. The teeth of this Panther were all perfectly sound and white, showing no marks of wear, and as the posterior molars in the upper jaw were not fully developed, there can be no doubt that it was a young animal, probably about two years old. WHITE BELLIED JUMPING MOUSE. Lower incisors quite small. Upper incisors larger, (the two outward ones largest,) overlapping the lower ones, when the mouth is shut. Canines rather large and hooking inward. The molars are placed obliquely in the jaw; that nearest the canines smallest, and increasing backward in size and in the number of their sharp pointed tubercles. Its dentition resembles very closely that of the common cat. Its hair was short, stiff, thick and even. Color of the hair brown olive and tawny white, forming a beautiful dark spotted marbling, lighter and more tawny on the Base of all the hairs on the hind The Panther, above described, is the last and the only one which has been, to my knowledge, killed in Vermont for many years; and as the animal is now exceedingly scarce, and there may never be another ob- belly. tained, within the state, for any of our feet brown olive, with the tips slightly museums, I have thought it advisable to be brushed with white, giving them a hoary thus minute in its description and history, appearance. Hair on the fore feet obscurely notwithstanding the full general account mottled. given in Part I-p. 37. SEAL. Phoca vitulina.-LINNAEUS. At the time the above mentioned seal was taken, the lake, with the exception of a few cracks, was entirely covered with ice. WHITE BELLIED JUMPING MOUSE. In Part I, page 38, of my History of Vermont, will be found some account of a Mus leucopus.-RICHARDSON. Seal captured on the ice on Lake Champlain in 1810. Another Seal was killed upon the with the nose pointed. Eyes medium size. DESCRIPTION-.Head moderately large, ice between Burlington and Port Kent, on Ears large, rounded above, and naked, the 23d of February, 1846. Mr. Tabor, of with the exception of a short down, which Keeseville, and Messrs. Morse and Field, of is whitish, along the margin. Auditory Peru, were crossing over in sleighs, when they discovered it crawling upon the ice, opening rather large. Whiskers turned and, attacking it with the but end of their backward, in part, longer than the head,. whips, they succeeded in killing it, and some of the hairs black and some white. brought it on shore at Burlington, where it Fore feet with four claws and a rudimentary was purchased by Morton Cole, Esq., and thumb, without nail. Hind feet with five presented to the University of Vermont, toes, having feeble curved claws, nearly where its skin and skeleton are now pre-der, and slightly tapering. Incisors yellow. concealed by long white hairs. Tail slenserved. Before it was skinned I noted Fur fine, and rather long. Color above down the following particulars: Total length of the Seal 50 inches; thick-reddish brown, darkest along the back. ness just behind the fore legs 12 inches; The reddish brown extends downward on weight 70 pounds. Length of the fore paw 7, nails 14, width 4; hind paw, length 8, thighs, forming a band. All the under nail 1, width 11, measured along the mar-parts, from the chin to the extremity of the gin of the web, with the foot spread. Tail tail, including the feet and nails, pure 3.5 inches long and 2 broad at the base; white, excepting a narrow band of reddish brown under the base of the tail. Color of hair on the tail reversed, forming a crown the fur, plumbeous, at its base. Length at the extremity. Nose truncated and of the specimen before me, which is a male, somewhat notched, being 2.5 inches across the extremity. Whiskers numerous, and measuring from the snout to the extremity nearly white; four erect, stiff and nearly of the tail, 7 inches; head 1, body 2.7, white bristles, situated above and a little tail 3.3, fore feet, 0.45, hind feet, 0.8, whisbehind each eye. Distance between the kers 1.5. eyes 24 inches." teats. The specimen was a female, having two abdominal mammæ situated thus (...) The teats appeared rather like cavities than protuberances, and she was doubtless a female which had never suckled young. Dental Formula-Incisors molars 34. 5---5 1-1 canines, the shoulders and on the outside of the HISTORY.-This Mouse is a very delicate and beautiful little animal. It is exceedingly active, often leaping to considerable distances in the manner of the Deer-Mouse, but it has nothing of that Kangaroo form, or disproportion between the fore and hind legs, which exists in that species. It is most common in forests and wooded places, but frequents, also, meadows and cultivated fields, particularly where grain and grass 2 WHITE SQUIRREL. FOSSIL ELEPHANT. seed abound. It also enters barns and a large tree, near the railroad bridge, be houses in quest of food and shelter. Two tween Burlington and Colchester. There or three have been taken in a trap, in my were two of these white squirrels in compaown cellar, during the past year, and they ny, but only one of them was captured. are frequently brought in by cats, in the This one was a male, and, although its village of Burlington. It is found on both form was slender and delicate, it had every sides of the Green Mountains. I lately re- appearance of having been healthy and acceived two specimens from my friend, C. S. tive. Its entire length, from the nose to Paine, which were taken in Randolph. It the extremity of the hairs of the tail, 12.5 is found in all the northern states, and as inches-to the extremity of the vertebræ of far north as Hudson's Bay. the tail, 11, to the root of the tail, 6; length of the head 2. Color of the hair entirely of snowy whiteness. Nails white, with a slight carnation tinge. Eyes nearly transparent, with a slightly smoky aspect, but in the dead animal, they exhibited scarcely any of that redness, which is regarded as the characteristic of albinos. WHITE SQUIRREL. Sciurus hudsonius, (Albino).-P. I., p. 46. November 11, 1850, I obtained an individual of the species commonly called the Red Squirrel, or Chickaree, which was entirely white. It was shot, in the top of FOSSIL ELEPHANT. Elephas primogenius?-BLUMENBACH. It is a remarkable fact that, in making the Rutland and Burlington Rail Road, which extends from Burlington to Bellows Falls, two of the most interesting fossils ever found in New England, were brought to light. These were the remains of an Elephant and a Whale: the former were found in Mount Holly, in 1848, and the latter in Charlotte, in 1849. The Rutland and Burlington Railroad crosses the ridge of the Green Mountains, in the township of Mount Holly, at an elevation of 1415 feet above the level of the ocean, and the bones of the fossil Elephant were found at that height. In order that their true position may be understood, and a knowledge of it preserved, the accompanying rude map has been prepared. The map embraces an area of about 35 acres, lying at the summit level of the Green Mountains, over which the railroad passes. 4. Station House. 7. Division of water. More than half of this area consists of a muck, consisting of billets of wood, about solid mass of rock, elevated considerably 18 inches long, which had been cut off at above the ground on each side, and only both ends, drawn into the water and dislightly covered with soil, or earth, except- vested of the bark, by the beavers, for food. ing the cavities indicated, which are filled When first taken out, the marks of teeth with vegetable muck. The line on the map, upon the wood were as distinct as if they marked 5, denotes the ridge, which, previ- were the work of yesterday. At 3, the ous to making the railroad, divided the outlet of the basin, the beavers had conwaters flowing into Connecticut river from structed a regular dam for the purpose of those falling into Lake Champlain. The deepening the waters within. But at the cut, for the railroad, through this mass of time the excavation for the railroad was rock, (from 4 to 8 on the map,) is about 180 made, the basin had become entirely filled rods in length, and from 12 to 35 feet deep. with vegetable matter, which was in parts The muck beds are formed in basins exca- 15 feet deep, and its surface was a swamp, cavated out of the rock. The larger basin on which plants, shrubs, and small trees appears to have been originally filled with were growing. The billets of wood, which water, and to have been a favorite resort the beavers had brought in, were, many of for beaver, a large proportion of the mate- them, three inches in diameter, and were rials which formed the lower part of the of several kinds, as ash, willow and alder. FOSSIL ELEPHANT. FOSSIL WHALE. These, together with numerous cones of and its greatest circumference, 12 inches. black spruce and white pine, in a good The circumference has diminished very state of preservation, were embedded in a much since the tusk was taken from the thick vegetable mucilage, nearly resem- muck bed, on account of shrinkage in drybling clay in color, but which, when cut in ing, and several longitudinal cracks have cakes and taken in the hand, would shake been formed in it, extending through its and tremble like a mass of jelly. A cake whole length, and it was found necessary of this mucilage, when dried, was much to wind it with wire to prevent it from lighter than cork, and was diminished to splitting to pieces. about one-eighth of its original bulk. The These are believed to be the only fossil mucilage was undoubtedly produced by the remains ever found in New England, which solution of leaves and wood, which had have been, with certainty, ascertained to steeped for ages in that basin of cold water, belong to an Elephant. Remains of Elefrom which there was not a sufficient flow phants have been found in several of the to carry it off. The billets of wood, when southern and western states, and very retaken out from the bottom of the muck, cently some fine specimens have been dug appeared plump and fresh, as if they had up in Ohio. been recently pealed, but were very soft, and in drying, they lost full five-sixths of their bulk. I have prefixed to this account the specific name of the Mammoth, or fossil Elephant of Europe, but have little doubt that ours is a distinct species, and I am happy in knowing that one of our best comparative anatomists is now investigating this In making the excavation for the railroad, through the muck-bed above described, in the latter part of the summer of 1848, the workmen found, at the bottom of very subject. the bed, resting upon gravel, which sepa-j rated it from the rock below, a huge tooth, the place of which is indicated on the map and Cut by 1. The depth of the muck at that place was 11 feet. Soon afterwards, one of the tusks was found, at 2, about 80 feet from the place of the tooth, above mention FOSSIL WHALE. Beluga vermontana.-THOMPSON. valueless by the want of an accurate knowlAs many rare fossils are rendered nearly ed, which was a grinder. Subsequently edge of their localities, and of the circumthe other tusk, and several of the bones of deemed the above mentioned fossil, which is stances in which they were found, I have the animal were found near the same place. undoubtedly the most interesting of the These bones and teeth were submitted to the inspection of Prof. Agassiz, of Cam- organic remains yet found in Vermont, of bridge University, who pronounced them sufficient importance to justify a minute to be the remains of an extinct species of history of its discovery and position, and Elephant. The Directors of the Rutland the introduction of a small map of the localand Burlington Rail Road, to whom they belong, design to have them placed in the Museum of the University of Vermont, for preservation, and for the illustration of our fossil geology. The form of the cut through the rocks and the muck, and the position of the fossils, may be seen in the accompanying section. 3 2 1 ity. The discovery of this fossil took place in August, 1849. While widening an exRail Way, in the township of Charlotte, the cavation for the Rutland and Burlington workmen struck upon a quantity of bones, which were embedded in the clay at the depth of about eight feet below the natural surface of the ground. Some of the Irishmen remarked that they were the bones of a dead horse buried there; but little notice, however, was taken of them, till the overseers observed something peculiar in the 3. Original dividing ridge. form of several of the bones, and were, 4. Present division of water. thereby, induced to examine them more The grinder is in an excellent state of carefully. It was soon found that the preservation, and weighed 8 pounds, and bones discovered, belonged to the anterior the length of its grinding surface is about portion of the skeleton of some unknown 8 inches. The tusks are somewhat decayed, animal, the head of which had already been and one of them badly broken. The chord, broken into fragments, by the workmen, drawn in a straight line from the base to and many of the fragments carried away the point, of the most perfect tusk, meas with the earth, which had been removed. ures 60 inches, and the longest perpen- On carefully removing more of the clay, a dicular, let fall from that to the inner number of vertebræ were found, extending curve, of the tusk, measures 19 inches. in a line obliquely into the bank, and, apThe length of the tusk, measured along the parently arranged in the order in which curve on the outer surface, is 80 inches, they existed in the living animal. These 1. Grinder. 2. Tusks. FOSSIL WHALE. vertebræ were taken out, and, together with the sternum, fragments of the head, ribs, &c., were forwarded to Burlington, and, by the kindness of Messrs. Jackson & Boardman, engineers on the railroad, were placed in my hands. BONES DESCRIBED. figures in that work, it was found to resemble the living rather than the extinct types, and that the osteology of the head was very like that of the Beluga leucas, or small northern White Whale.* Hav Having collected together all the bones By a careful examination of these bones, and fragments of the Fossil, within my I found that they belonged to some animal, reach, I proceeded with them to Cambridge, with whose skeleton I was not acquainted, Mass., and submitted them to the inspection and that there were wanting, in order to of Prof. Agassiz, who confirmed the opinion complete the skeleton, the greater part of I had formed respecting them, and, for two the head, all of the teeth, a considerable days, very kindly lent me his aid, and his number of vertebræ and ribs, and the bones great skill and knowledge of the subject, in of the limbs. I was at first in some doubt, their collocation and arrangement. whether the animal belonged to the whale ing, all together, more than four-fifths of family or to the saurian; but this doubt the bones of the skeleton, he was able, from was soon removed, by a careful examination the number, position and size of these, to of the caudal vertebra. These were found determine the number, position and size of to have their articulating surfaces convex, those, which were missing, and thus to deand rounded in such a manner as to allow termine the size and form of the whole of a very extensive vertical motion of the animal. tail, but of a very limited lateral motion. This arrangement plainly indicated that the movements of the animal in the water, were effected by means of a horizontal caudal fin, and that it, therefore, belonged to the family of Cetacea, or Whales. The manner in which these caudal vertebræ move upon each other may be seen in the cut, where Fig. 1 represents the 13th, 14th and 15th vertebræ of the tail,-a, as they appear viewed from above-b, as seen laterally*. The head of the skeleton, as already remarked, was broken into a great number of pieces, and only a portion of the fragments recovered; but enough to determine its entire length and general form. Fig. 2 represents the head, as reconstructed out of the fragments, viewed from above; and fig. 3, a side view, with the lower jaw dropped a little below its true place. The entire length of the head is 21.2 inches. The maxillary bone on the left side is mostly wanting, but on the right side, it is entire, After having carefully removed from the so far as to embrace the alveolar margin, bones, I had received, the adhesive clay, in which is 6.85 inches in length, and perfoorder to prevent their crumbling by expo- rated for 8 teeth. The corresponding alvesure to the air, and secure their preserva-olar margin of the lower jaw measures 5.5 tion, I saturated them with a thin solution inches, and is perforated for 7 teeth. Hence of animal glue, and then proceeded to it appears that there were 16 teeth in the Charlotte in order to recover, if possible, upper jaw and 14 in the lower, making 30 the bones, which were missing. By spend- in the whole. ing several days in the search, I succeeded The teeth are all of one kind, being coniin obtaining most of the anterior portion of cal, with flat or rounded crowns, much the head, nine of the teeth, and thirteen worn, but, in their substance, very dense additional vertebræ, together with the bones and firm. They are from one to two inches of one forearm, several chevron bones, and in length, with a diameter of half an inch. portions of ribs. From the portions of the Fig. 4 represents their different forms and head, which I obtained, and the fragments sizes. Only nine of the teeth were recovpreviously received, I was able to recon-ered, and none of those were in their places struct so much of the upper and anterior when found; but, that they were in their portion of the head, as to exhibit distinctly places, up to the time the bones were first its spiracles, or blow-holes, showing un- discovered, is evident, from the fact, that, equivocally that it belonged to the Whale while every other cavity in the bones was family. My next object was to ascertain, filled with clay, the alveoli were all empty. if possible, whether it was a living, or an Of the vertebræ, 41 were secured, of extinct, species of this family. Being which four were cervical, eleven dorsal, without specimens for comparison, my only ten lumbar, and sixteen caudal. Three reliance for aid was Cuvier's great work on Fossil Bones. By a comparison of the Fossil Whale with the descriptions and The fractions after the number of the figure, when introduced in the accompanying cuts, denote the linear proportion of the cut to the object, which it represents. cervical vertebræ, the first, fifth and sixth, are evidently missing, which, with the four obtained, make seven, the usual number. These vertebræ are all free, not being soldered together, as in the common dolphin, * Cuvier's Osse. Foss., Vol. V, page 299 and Plate XXII, fig. 5 and 6,-Paris edition, 1825. |