Vol. 36, pp. 103-138 May 1, 1923 
PROCEEDINGS 
OF THE 
10LOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 
ft DEC 21 fc &jj 
yy MAMMALS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 
BY VERNON BAILEY. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The first formal list of the mammals of the District of Colum- 
bia/ comprising 38 species, was published in 1896. Since then 
nine additional species have been taken within the area, many 
interesting notes have accumulated, a number of technical names 
have been changed, and the old list has become quite inade- 
quate for the present growing interest in outdoor life. The 
long-felt need of brief untechnical descriptions of species to aid 
in the identification of the obscure or rare forms is now sup- 
plied. It is to be hoped that a closer study of our local fauna 
will add other species to the list and that fuller notes on habits 
will render a future revision still more satisfactory than the 
present. 
AREA INCLUDED. 
t As in the previous list a circular area with a radius of 20 
miles from the Capitol as a center is adopted. This seems to 
represent the original animal life of the District of Columbia 
better than does the area within the present restricted boundary 
lines of the District, much of which is now occupied by the city 
proper. All but a very few of the notes however refer to the 
inner half of this radius and most of them to the original 10 mile 
square formerly included within the District. The present 
area reaches well beyond the farthest corners of the Geological 
Survey quadrangle and includes many swamps, marshes, glens, 
cliffs, and forested areas, now not fully explored, that promise 
worthy discoveries. Not half and probably not a quarter of it 
has been carefully examined or trapped over for mammals. 
iList of Mammals of the District of Columbia, by Vernon Bailey. Proc. Biol. Soc. 
Washington, Vol. X, pp. 93-101, May 28, 1896. 
19— Pboc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 36,1923. (103) 
104 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
HISTORICAL. 
The early natural history of the District of Columbia, includ- 
ing records of mammals for the region about Washington has 
been well presented by W. L. McAtee, in Bulletin I., of the 
Biological Society in 1918, but there is still a rich field in old 
journals and manuscripts and in obscure publications which will 
eventually throw much light on the actual conditions of the 
animal fauna in its primitive state. 
Of the mammals known formerly to occur in or near the 
District of Columbia, but no longer found here, may be noted 
the buffalo, elk, white-tailed deer, beaver, panther, wolf, mar- 
ten, black bear, and the bottle-nosed dolphin, or porpoise. 
The porpoise was last seen in the river near Georgetown in 
1884, and was then common in the lower part of the Potomac, 
but has now become scarce. 1 Being more or less migratory in 
habits its reappearance is not improbable. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 
My own notes have been freely supplemented by those of 
other members of the Biological Survey and the Biological 
Society. So far as possible credit is given with each note, but 
for the preservation of specimens and the records that go with 
them it is obviously impossible to give full credit in all cases. 
Even a list of those who have actually contributed to the net 
results would include most of the local naturalists from Baird 
down to the present time, and include, besides mammalogists, 
a large number of ornithologists, entomologists, herpetologists, 
conchologists, botanists, and others with only the keen outdoor 
interest of the world in which we live. 
For more than the ordinary contributions of specimens and 
notes, however, I wish to express my indebtedness to Dr. C. 
Hart Merriam, Dr. E. W. Nelson, Dr. A. K. Fisher, Dr. T. S. 
Palmer, Dr. Wilfred H. Osgood, Mr. Morris M. Green, Mr. 
Edward A. Preble, Mr. A. H. Howell, Mr. N. Hollister, Major 
E. A. Goldman, Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., Dr. Charles W. Rich- 
mond, and Mr. J. H. Riley. 
FAtJNAL POSITION. 
The District of Columbia lies wholly within the Carolinian 
division of the Upper Austral Zone, but in a comparatively 
iThe Pastime, Vol. 3, No. 2, p. 16, Aug., 1884. 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 105 
narrow belt between the Austroriparian, which comes the up 
coast as far as Norfolk; and the Alleghanian, which follows down 
the mountains only a short distance to the westward. As a 
natural result of proximity a few Alleghanian species drift down 
the streams and find footholds on the cold slopes of high banks 
and cliffs, and in cold gulches, or in cold swamps and sphagnum 
bogs, where very local conditions afford more or less congenial 
environment. Microsorex from near the hemlock slopes on the 
west side of the Potomac above Plummer Island, and Synap- 
tomys from the sphagnum swamps near Hyattsville are good 
examples. The red squirrel is here on the edge of its zone, which 
is mainly Alleghanian. The red-backed mouse (Evotqmys) may 
yet be found on some of the cold slopes of the river bluffs. 
On the other hand the Austroriparian rice rat (Oryzomys 
palustris) reaches up from the south with the live oaks almost to 
the edge of the District (to near Colonial Beach, Virginia) and 
will probably be added to the District list when the Patuxent 
marshes are explored. There is one specimen of the southern 
shrew (Sorex longirostris) recorded for the District, and the 
Carolina shrew Blarina brevicauda carolinensis comes close to 
the southern border. The golden mouse (Peromyscus nuttallii) 
was recorded for the District in 1861 by Haley in Philp's 
" Washington Described/' but as no specimens are known to 
have been taken nearer than the Dismal Swamp, Virginia, this 
Austroriparian species is not included in the present list. A 
number of specimens of the Rafinesque bat (Nycticeius humer- 
alis), which is mainly an Austroriparian species, are merely the 
free wanderers of a winged species near the edge of its real zone. 
Class MAMMALIA: Warm-blooded animals that nurse their young. 
Order MARSUPIALIA: Pouched animals. 
Family DIDELPHIIDAE : Opossums, etc. 
OPOSSUM, VIRGINIA OPOSSUM. 
Didelphis virginiana virginiana Kerr, 
In size the opossum about equals the ordinary house cat. It has naked 
ears, long nearly naked, prehensile tail, and soft gray fur. The female has 
an external abdominal pouch, in which the young are carried and nursed 
for about 76 days after birth before they first emerge. The period of gesta- 
tion is about 16 days, and the young when born are very rudimentary, 
about the size of small navy beans, weighing about a fifth of a gram each. 
An adult male measures in total length 780, tail 298, hind foot 70 mm.; 
106 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
in inches, 30.7, 11.8, 2.75. A large male caught near Woodley Road in 
December, 1919, weighed 8 pounds. 
Opossums are common about Washington, where their tracks may be 
seen on the muddy or sandy shores of creeks and ponds, or sometimes in 
fresh snow. The print of the projecting thumb on the hind foot character- 
izes the track, as well as the pointed nose and little eyes do the face. Mainly 
nocturnal and great wanderers at night they are rarely seen in the daytime 
unless routed out of an old burrow, a hollow log or tree, from among the 
rocks, or under a brush heap. They are good climbers and when chased 
by the dogs will go to the tops of the tallest trees. In the spring of 1894 I 
found one fast asleep on a large branch of a white oak near the Adams Mill 
Road entrance to the Zoological Park, and since then others have been 
found in the trees in the heart of the city where they had wandered during 
the night. A few are usually kept in the Zoological Park, but are too 
sleepy to be of much interest to diurnal visitors. 
J. H. Riley tells me of a Negro who with the aid of a dog caught over 
seventy opossums in one fall and winter near Falls Church. 
A female notfyet fully grown was brought to me by Frederick Coville, in 
December, 1917, from a night hunt near Washington. I kept her in a box 
.most of the winter, feeding her scraps from the table. Any kind of meat 
was eagerly eaten, as were vegetables, cereals, fruit, milk, and a great 
variety of food.fHInffact anything edible was rarely refused. She was 
perfectly tame butfslow and stupid and would rather "play possum" than 
run away. 
In the spring she was sent to the Zoological Park, and on May 21, placed 
in a cage with a mate. On August 28 she was found to have seventeen 
young, probably several weeks old, which had just emerged from the pouch. 
Evidently the family was too large for one small mother to raise, nine to 
eleven being the usual number, and seven of these died. Thirteen and 
fourteen were the highest previous records I had known, but J. H. Riley 
reports a large female captured by a neighbor near Falls Church, which was 
said to have seventeen young. Riley himself found a female in a hollow 
log late in April, with nine very small young in the pouch, each fastened to 
a nipple. 
During the winter fat opossums are temptingly displayed in Center 
Market, where usually offered at the moderate prices of 50 cents to 
$1.50 each. When scalded and the hair removed they much resemble fat 
pigs and by many are considered a great delicacy. They are tender and of 
good flavor, but usually very rich and oily. Their light gray fur is long and 
soft, and when in prime condition is so attractive that in recent years it has 
been much worn as capes, collars, and muffs. 
Order GLIRES: Gnawers. 
Family SCIURIDAE: Squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, etc. 
RED SQUIRREL. 
Sciurus hudsonicus loquax Bangs. 
These are the smallest of our tree squirrels, about half the size of the gray 
squirrels. Their upperparts are bright reddish brown, brightest in winter 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 107 
and with a black stripe along each side in summer, and the lower parts are 
mainly white. Adults measure in total length about 340, tail 137, hind 
foot 50 mm.; in inches 13.4, 5.4, 2. 
From 1902 to 1906 red squirrels were common in the woods of the 
Zoological Park and about Washington, but in recent years they have 
become very scarce and are rarely seen near the city, though in 1918 Dr. 
Dearborn told me they were common near his place at Linden, Maryland, 
between the District line and Takoma Park, and Riley reports them still so 
common near Falls Church as to be something of a nuisance among culti- 
vated nuts. Specimens in the U. S. National Museum were collected near 
Washington in 1886, by Dr. C. Hart Merriam; in 1888 by M. M. Green; in 
1889 by Dr. A. K. Fisher; in 1896 by Vernon Bailey; at Laurel, Maryland, 
in 1886 by George Marshall; at Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, in 1888 by 
E. M. Hasbrouck; at Falls Church, Virginia, in 1896 by C. G. Rorebeck, 
and in 1897 by James H. Gaut; at Four Mile Run, Virginia, in 1897 by 
W. H. Osgood; at Marshall Hall, Maryland, in 1899 by Dr. Sylvester D. 
Judd, and at Plummer Island, Maryland, in 1908 by H. S. Barber. The 
same year Dr. A. K. Fisher reported one seen swimming across the Potomac 
near Plummer Island, and in 1914 another living near the cabin until caught 
and eaten by a Cooper hawk. He also reported them on the island in 1919 
and 1920. In December, 1906, W. L. McAtee saw one feeding on seeds of 
the tulip tree in Rock Creek Park. Some years ago they were common in 
the Soldiers Home grounds, and Preble tells me they were formerly common 
at Marshall Hall, and that one or two lived in a pine grove near Wisconsin 
Avenue and Fulton Street in 1919. I have seen a few in Rock Creek Park, 
near the Bureau of Standards, near Hyattsville, and in the woods west of 
the Potomac River, and occasionally have heard their cheery ch-r-r-r-r-r-r 
where they were not seen. 
Their bulky nests of grass, moss, and cedar bark fibers are sometimes seen 
in the branches of trees and usually can be distinguished from the gray 
squirrel nests by their smaller size and finer material, and from flying 
squirrel nests by larger size and coarser material. They also make their 
nests in the hollows of trees. 
Nuts and acorns generally furnish these squirrels an abundance of food 
but they have a wider range of diet than the gray squirrels and eat many 
seeds, berries, and mushrooms. 
They are beautiful and attractive little squirrels, and their decrease in 
abundance would be more regrettable but for the fact that they are known 
occasionally to rob the nests of birds. 
CAROLINA GRAY SQUIRREL. 
Sciurus carolinensis carolinensis Gmelin. 
The native gray squirrels are about twice as large as red squirrels, and a 
little more than half as large as fox squirrels. Their tails are large and puffy, 
the upperparts clear brownish gray and the lowerparts white. Total 
length 480, tail 220, hind foot 66 mm.; in inches 18.9, 8.7, 2.6. An old 
female that came to my windowsill for peanuts and sat on the scales to eat 
108 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
them weighed 1 pound and 7 ounces. Another female weighed 1 pound, 8 
ounces. 
From the beginning of my own observations in the District in 1891 gray 
squirrels were common in the woods around Washington up to the edges of 
the city. They were frequently seen at the edges of Washington Heights, 
and on the hill around the old house since used as an office for the "(Zoological 
Park, and throughout the extensive areas of the Zoological, Rock Creek, 
and Woodley parks, the Soldiers Home, Marshall Hall, and Mount Vernon. 
They were also found in the extensive woods along both sides of the 
Potomac River above Georgetown, but in unprotected woods were exceed- 
ingly shy and rarely seen. The extensive areas of native forest with old 
hollow walnut, butternut, hickory, chestnut, beech, and oak trees afforded 
safe retreats and an abundance of choice food for the squirrels which lived 
in their hollows or built bulky nests of sticks and leaves in their branches. 
In 1894 E. A. Preble saw one in the Smithsonian grounds, but whether 
this was an escaped pet or a wanderer from the suburban parks was not 
known. Later several lots of squirrels were released in the parks. 
The late Dr. Wm. L. Ralph purchased many gray squirrels and 
liberated them in the Smithsonian grounds, where up to the time of his 
death in 1907, he fed and cared for them in both fair and stormy weather 
with keen interest and enjoyment, as recorded by Dr. A. K. Fisher in his 
biography. They soon became common in the Mall, in the fine old forest 
then stretching from the Capitol grounds to the Monument, and spread to 
the White House grounds, LaFayette Square, and other city parks. In 
1900 they were a common feature of the parks, and were occasionally seen 
along the tree-lined streets in town. Since hunting with guns and dogs was 
first prohibited in the District (in 1906), the squirrels have not only in- 
creased in numbers, but become comparatively tame in the woods as well 
as in the city parks. 
In 1909 an old squirrel took up her residence in a bird house in the hickory 
tree in my back yard at 1834 Kalorama Road, and on the 28th of the follow- 
ing February she had 4 young in the nest. They were not seen out of the 
box until April 2 when nearly half grown squirrels. They were soon able 
to take care of themselves and were apparently weaned about May 20. 
This was the earliest Utter noted, but others have been born early in March. 
Young have been raised in my yard every year since, and often an old 
squirrel raises a second litter of young which appear out of the nest in 
September or October. Four is the regular number of young, but there 
have been two litters of five. 
Alley cats catch some of the young squirrels and occasionally an old one, 
but for over twenty years I have managed to keep one or two families of 
squirrels around the place to the great delight of the neighborhood children 
and to our own constant enjoyment. 
In the parks the squirrels are a continual source of interest and pleasure 
to thousands of children and invalids, as well as to the general public who 
hurry by with a look, a word, or a peanut for greeting. During snowy 
weather the squirrels are sometimes fed by the District police, and with 
nuts and acorns from the trees and peanuts from passersby they generally 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 109 
fare well. In dry weather, however, they often have to go a long distance 
for water as they are thirsty animals, requiring water at least once a day 
and drinking several times a day if a supply is available. Often they are 
obliged to leave a locality where water is not to be had. 
At times, especially in spring, they are greatly pestered by fleas and mites. 
If noticed scratching or if they show rough and patchy coats, a teaspoonful 
of good flea powder (pyrethrum) mixed with a teaspoonful of powdered 
sulphur, thrown into their nests, will usually destroy both pests. The 
squirrels sometimes cause annoyance by digging up the freshly planted 
bulbs in our yards in winter, but will rarely disturb them when set down 
five inches below the surface of the ground where they are also safe from 
too early sprouting. 
The psychological value of a defenseless wild animal in our midst to be 
protected, fed and guarded by the people through interest rather than by 
force of law, can not be overestimated. 
BLACK SQUIRREL; NORTHERN GRAY SQUIRREL. 
Sciurus carolinensis leucotis (Gapper) . 
The northern squirrels are slightly larger than the Carolina. Their 
upperparts are clear light gray in winter, and brownish gray in summer in 
the gray phase, but they are more or less dichromatic, in some localities a 
few and in others half or nearly all of the individuals being black all over. 
Measurements, total length 500, tail 220, hind foot 70 mm.; in inches, 19.7, 
8.6, 2.7. 
Black individuals of these squirrels have been introduced and liberated 
in the National Zoological Park and evidently are increasing, spreading, 
and breeding true to color. Mr. N. Hollister, Superintendent of the Park, 
on March 11, 1919, contributed the following note: 
Two shipments of black squirrels have been received from Ontario and 
liberated in the Park. The first shipment of ten was from Rondeau 
Provincial Park, Morpeth, Ontario, May 18, 1906; and these squirrels were 
immediately liberated in the northwestern part of the Zoo where they were 
very much at home. They have since been constantly in the Park, especi- 
ally from the vicinity of the great flight cage to the Klingle Valley, and they 
have spread northward to Cleveland Park and nearly to Chevy Chase. 
During the winter of 1919 two appeared near the Park office and they are 
now frequently seen in the vicinity. 
FOX SQUIRREL. 
Sciurus niger neglectus (Gray). 
The fox squirrels are the largest of our squirrels, being nearly twice as 
heavy as the gray, with rich buffy or orange lowerparts, and buffy or yellow- 
ish gray upperparts, with crown and nose often blackish. Total length 
598, tail 289, hind foot 78 mm.; in inches 23.5, 11.4, 3.1. 
Fox squirrels are now rare in the vicinity of Washington, but apparently 
not entirely exterminated. In 1905 I saw one on the Virginia side of the 
Potomac just above Plummer Island; on October 22, 1916, Francis Harper 
110 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
saw one just above Great Falls on the Maryland side of the river; and in 
September, 1919, J. H. Riley reported one killed about 3 miles south of 
Falls Church. There are specimens in the U. S. National Museum from 
Maryland, taken at Laurel, Patuxent River at Priest Bridge, and North 
Chesapeake Beach, and from Virginia at Accotink, Hampstead, Clark 
County, and at Blumegrove, Bluemont, Osso, and Hightown. 
The squirrels brought into Center Market for sale every winter are said 
to come from Virginia, but no definite locality can be assigned to them by 
the dealers. They probably come from the foothills and mountains con- 
siderably west of Washington. In 1861 Haley in Philp's "Washington 
Described" says (p. 23), "The most interesting species is the cat squirrel 
(Sciurus cinereus), a very large, heavy kind occurring in different varieties 
of color, as red, gray, and black. It is confined to a limited area in Vir- 
ginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey." 
Highly prized game animals, these large and handsome squirrels have 
been persistently hunted until on the verge of extermination over much of 
their original range. But for their great intelligence and skill in hiding and 
keeping out of sight they would long since have vanished from our remnants 
of forest. If as vigorously protected as they have been persecuted they 
would soon increase and again we should see their long plumy leaps through 
the trees and hear their husky barking in our too-silent forests. They are 
superb squirrels, in size and beauty far surpassing the grays and just as 
easily tamed. In Ann Arbor, Detroit, Madison, and other cities they are 
as common and tame in the city parks and streets as our gray squirrels are 
here. 
Fox squirrels, some of which may be of southern forms, have been liber- 
ated at various times in the Zoological Park and have been observed from 
time to time during the past few years in Cleveland Park and adjoining 
wooded sections. Mr. N. Hollister, superintendent of the Park, reports 
importations of seven from Wichita, Kansas, in 1899; of one from South 
Carolina, in 1902; of eight from Arion, Iowa, in 1903; of one from Richmond, 
Virginia, in 1904; and one from Columbia, Tennessee, in 1916. 
CHIPMUNK. 
Tamias striatus striatus (Linnaeus). 
Chipmunks are considerably smaller than the red squirrels, with slender 
tails and shorter legs. The five black and two white or buffy stripes on the 
rusty brown back distinguish them from any other eastern mammal. An 
adult measures in total length 233, tail 88, hind foot 35 mm.; in inches 7.2, 
3.5, 1.4. 
These little striped ground squirrels are fairly common in many of the 
patches of woods around Washington, up to the very edge of the city, where 
cats are not too numerous. They are occasionally seen running over the 
ground and over logs or rocks, or even up the trunks of trees, for they are 
good climbers. They live in hollow trees, logs, or holes in the ground where 
they build soft nests and lay up stores of nuts, seeds, and grain for winter 
use, filling their capacious cheek pouches and emptying them in the storage 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. Ill 
chambers near their nests. They also become well covered with fat in the 
autumn, and during the cold weather of winter hibernate for a long or short 
period according to the weather. Farther north they hibernate for about 
five months, but here they may be seen out of their dens at any time of 
winter during a period of warm weather. They are generally sleepy and 
quiet until their breeding season begins in March or April. 
Late in summer and in autumn their rapid chipper of alarm is most often 
heard and occasionally also the slow chuck, chuck, chuck, of their call note. 
They feed on a great variety of nuts, acorns, seeds, berries, insects, 
lizards, and such small game as they can catch. As pets they will eat a 
great variety of scraps from the table and are gentle and full of bright 
interesting ways. 
SOUTHERN WOODCHUCK; GROUND HOG. 
Marmota monax monax (Linnaeus). 
The woodchuck is a heavy, short-legged animal with short ears and short 
bushy tail, in color grayish brown above and rusty below, with blackish 
tail and feet. When full grown it will measure in total length about 665, 
tail 153, hind foot 88 mm.; in inches 26, 6, 3.5, and weigh about 10 or 12 
pounds. 
Woodchucks are common on the bluffs on both sides of the Potomac 
River above Chain Bridge, and on High Island, Plummer Island, Scott 
Island, Cupids Bower, and other islands in the river. Riley reports a very 
few at Falls Church and they occur in some numbers in the farming country 
between there and the Potomac, as well as in other locations around the 
District. Hollister reports one seen in the Zoological Park in 1919. The 
abundance of rocks along the river bluffs afford them unusually safe retreats 
in which to escape dogs and other enemies. On Plummer Island where no 
dogs are allowed, a few woodchucks became quite tame and come out on the 
rocks close to the cabin where the club members can watch them feeding or 
sitting in the sunshine. They generally select rocky slopes, or steep hill- 
sides for their dens and burrows, but also make large and conspicuous 
burrows on level ground, in the woods, or occasionally out in fields. Their 
trails and burrows may often be found, but usually the animals are very 
shy and keep out of sight when people are around. Their loUd whistle is 
sometimes heard from a considerable distance, and it is generally a warning 
note to others of the family that danger is approaching. 
Woodchucks feed mainly on green vegetation, and are especially fond of 
clover and most farm crops, so it is necessary to keep their numbers well 
reduced in farming districts. In woods and wild land they do no harm and 
add much of interest to the quiet places. 
In autumn they become very fat and during the coldest part of winter 
hibernate deep down in their burrows. In this climate they may come 
out on warm days in winter, but farther north they hibernate securely for 
about five or six months. 
On March 26, 1917, Prof. D. E. Lantz noted thirty-eight woodchucks 
displayed in Center Market for food. Three days later thirty-six of them 
112 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
had been sold for a dollar a piece. By many they are highly prized as game 
animals. 
Family PETAURISTIDAE: Flying squirrels. 
FLYING SQUIRREL. 
Glaucomys volans volans (Linnaeus). 
The small flying squirrels of the Eastern States are scarcely as large as 
chipmunks, but when spread on their two broad membranes into a nearly 
square, flat gliding plane, steered by the wide, horizontally flattened tail, 
they look much larger than they really are. They have large black eyes, 
short ears, soft silky fur of a drab gray on the upperparts and creamy white 
below. Adults measure in total length 232; tail 101, hind foot 30 mm.; in 
inches, about 9.1, 4, 1.2. 
In the woods around Washington up to the very edges of the city they 
are fairly common, although rarely seen on account of their strictly noc- 
turnal habits. In 1888 and 1889 Morris M. Green found several pairs living 
in woodpecker holes in trees along Rock Creek, in the Soldiers Home 
Grounds, and along Eastern Branch. One day in 1893 Preble and Has- 
brouck found at least fifteen in woodpecker holes in two dead oak stubs near 
Mount Vernon, discovering them by pounding on the trees in which they 
lived. One got into a trap I had set for a wood rat at the west end of Chain 
Bridge, and I have often made them fly from a hollow tree just below the 
Connecticut Avenue Bridge, and in many places in Rock Creek Park. At 
Falls Church Riley reported finding twelve living in hollows in one tree, 
and one that he saw sail to a tree 90 feet from its starting point. Generally 
they live in hollow trees or old woodpecker nest holes, but in 1902, when 
trapping with Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., we found several of their nests in 
the dense evergreen tops of red cedar trees along Broad Branch where we 
could go at any time and tap on the trees and see the squirrels come out 
and fly away to the nearest trees. The nests were neat balls of finely 
shredded cedar bark with round holes at one side like marsh wrens' nests. 
On April 12, 1917, at our Boy Scout camp on the Virginia side of the river 
just above Plummer Island, E. A. Preble and Francis Harper found a 
family of young flying squirrels in a bark nest in the fork of a tree at the 
edge of camp. The young were examined very gently, but the following 
morning the old squirrel had removed them to safer quarters. A family of 
6 young reported by Prof. Lantz at Silver Spring, Maryland, left their nest 
about July 20, 1917. On Plummer Island in 1906 Dr. Fisher had five of 
his seventeen gourds, hung on trees on the island, occupied by flying 
squirrels, and on May 17, 1908, an old female was nursing her young in one 
of the gourds not far from the cabin. In the sixth story of the Ontario 
Apartments Mr. Henshaw for several winters has fed flying squirrels on his 
windowsill at night. They would come up the stucco walls and enter his 
room if the window was open, sometimes burying nuts under his sofa 
cushions and behind his books. 
In the still woods at night one often hears their fine shrill squeak or 
whistle, and occasionally a soft little pat as one alights on the side of a tree, 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 113 
but for such common animals they are little noticed. They may be found 
in the daytime by pounding with a hatchet on the base of an old tree that 
contains a hollow or an old woodpecker hole and watching to see if a little 
round head and black eyes appear at the door. If one does appear more 
vigorous pounding will generally send it off on wide spread membranes to 
the next tree and often to the next and the next. They are often caught by 
boys and tamed, and if taken young make delightfully gentle and interesting 
pets. The only trouble is they want to sleep all day and play all night. 
Family MURIDAE: Rats, mice, etc. 
NORWAY RAT. 
Rattus norvegicus (Erxleben). 
The common Norway, brown, wharf, or house rats with their pointed 
noses, small eyes and ears, nearly naked tails, and coarse brown fur are the 
embodiment of all that is offensive in the rodent family. Large individuals 
will measure in total length 415, tail 192, hind foot 43 mm.; in inches 16.3, 
7.5, 1.7, and weigh about a pound, rarely two pounds. Usually quarter or 
half grown individuals are seen, as fortunately few ever reach extreme old 
age. 
Natives of the Old World these rats came to America in ships about 1775, 
and have spread over a large part of the continent. They are numerous 
throughout Washington and the District of Columbia, not only in dwellings, 
stables, storehouses, markets, along the wharves, in the alleys and back 
yards where cover and food can be found, but in parks, fields, and gardens, 
and especially around dump heaps and trash deposits. In places they 
swarm on the river flats burrowing in dikes and banks, in dry weather living 
in the flat ground or among rocks or under cover of dense vegetation, brush, 
or logs. 
They eat almost anything that is edible and unlike most small mammals 
seem indifferent about cleanliness or sanitation. They run through mud 
and sewage and swim across streams and are often filthy and covered with 
sores and with the fleas that convey bubonic plague to human beings. 
They breed rapidly, beginning when half grown and producing 6 or 8 to 12 
or 13 young at frequent intervals throughout the year. They cause great 
loss of property, are a menace to health and should be destroyed at every 
opportunity. 1 Owls are their greatest enemies and should be carefully pro- 
tected. Dr. Fisher has taken 434 rat skulls from barn owl pellets found in 
the Smithsonian towers. 
BLACK RAT. 
Rattus rattus rattus (Linnaeus). 
The black rat is smaller and slenderer than the brown rat, with much 
longer, slenderer tail, larger ears and eyes, and generally of a dull or plumbe- 
ous black color all over. A medium sized adult measures in total length 
397, tail 223, foot 36, and ear (dry) 20 mm.; in inches approximately 15.6, 
8.8, 1.4, .8. __^^ 
lSee Bull. No. 33, Biological Survey, U. S. Pept. of Agr. Also more recent circulars. 
114 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
These rats are native in the islands of the western Pacific but have been 
carried in ships to ports all over the world. They were brought to America 
before the brown rats were known here, and at one time were the common 
rat of the Eastern States, but have gradually disappeared before the larger 
species, except along the shores or near shipping ports. Two specimens 
were taken in Center Market in January and February, 1912, supposed to 
have been brought in boxes of dates from Egypt. Another, apparently of 
this species, was taken alive April 20, 1923, on a river boat at the Seventh 
Street wharf, and others may be expected at any time along the Potomac 
water front. 
ROOF RAT. 
Rattus rattus alexandrinus (Geoffroy). 
The roof rat is very similar in proportions and general characters to the 
black rat, but is usually grayish brown above and white below. A fair 
sized individual measures in total length 435, tail 230, foot 37, and ear (dry) 
21 mm.; in inches approximately 17, 9, 1.4, .8. 
Native in the more southern islands of the western Pacific these rats have 
been carried in ships over much of the world. They rarely penetrate to a 
great distance from the coast and seem never to have been recorded from 
the vicinity of Washington until very recently when several were taken 
alive, in April, 1923, on one of the river freight boats at the Seventh Street 
wharf. They are evidently kept away from the cities and settlements by 
the larger and fiercer brown rats, but are occasionally found in the Southern 
States in the woods and along streams, where they climb trees and vines 
and make their nests when possible well above the ground and out of the 
reach of numerous enemies. 
HOUSE MOUSE. 
Mus musculus musculus Linnaeus. 
The common house mouse, with its sharp nose, small eyes, long, tapering 
tail, and mouse gray or mouse brown fur and rank mousey odor is too well 
known to most people. An adult specimen measures in total length 160, 
tail 80, hind foot 19 mm.; in inches 6.3, 3.1, .75; and weighs about 20 grams. 
There is no record of their first introduction from the Old World to 
America, but it may have been in the Mayflower. They are now almost all 
over the settled parts of the continent, and are usually most numerous in 
the cities, and in and around buildings, but in many places have become 
established in fields and waste places. In Washington they are numerous 
about buildings, in the alleys, under rubbish or any cover in back yards or 
vacant lots, in lumber piles, wood piles, and especially in weed patches or 
tall grass in parks or waste places. Potomac Park and the flats along the 
river and creeks were swarming with them before they were cleared and 
kept mowed and clean. They are found on almost every farm, not only in 
buildings, but in the fields and along fence rows from which they enter the 
grain fields and shocks and stacks. 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 115 
As their name indicates, they prefer to live indoors, in basements and 
cellars and attics, between walls, floors, and ceilings of houses, or in store- 
rooms, barns or granaries, where they occasion much annoyance and loss 
of property. They crowd into buildings during the first cold weather of 
winter, seeking protection, warmth and food. A few mouse traps well 
baited with rolled oats, bread, or bacon, or better with all three, will usually 
keep them caught out of any building. Dr. Richmond, a bird lover, who 
does not keep cats, finds that by trapping the mice thoroughly at the 
beginning of winter he has little trouble for the rest of the year. Dr. Fisher 
has taken 817 skulls from the pellets regurgitated by barn owls which 
formerly inhabited the towers of the Smithsonian building. 
WHITE-FOOTED MOUSE. 
Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis (Fischer). 
The white-footed mouse, woods mouse, or deer mouse, is about the size 
of the house mouse, but with larger eyes and ears, softer fur, and much 
brighter, prettier expression. The upperparts are buffy brown, and the 
feet and lowerparts and lower half of the tail pure white. The young are 
slaty gray. Adults measure in total length approximately 175, tail 73, 
hind foot 20 mm.; in inches 6.9, 2.8, .75. Weight about 20 to 24 grams. 
These bright little native mice are common in the woods up to the very 
edges of Washington, but are nocturnal and rarely seen except by naturalists 
and boys who take enough interest in the wild creatures around them to 
want to make their acquaintance. They are found in hollow trees or logs, 
or in walls, banks, or rock piles where they make soft nests in well hidden 
cavities from which they come out at night and gather seeds or grain and 
nuts for food. They climb trees and are as active, bright, and pretty as 
squirrels. Only rarely do they enter buildings, or do any serious mischief 
unless in grain fields, where they help themselves to a small amount of 
grain or dig up some of the planted seeds. 
They are too quick and nervous for good pets, but are extremely interest- 
ing in captivity, and very fond of spinning their hollow wheels or revolving 
disks at night. 
WOOD RAT. 
Neotoma pennsylvanica Stone. 
These native rats differ greatly in both appearance and habits from the 
house rats, although about the same size. They have large ears and eyes, 
very long mustaches, round hairy tails, and soft fur. The upperparts are 
buffy gray, lowerparts and feet pure white. An adult specimen measures 
in total length 388, tail 172, hind foot 42 mm.; in inches 15.2, 6.7, 1.6. 
Wood rats are common in cliffs, caves, and rock slides along the west side 
of the Potomac River from Chain Bridge to Great Falls, but no trace of 
them has been found on the east side of the river, even in the most ideal 
situations, and only recently have they appeared on Plummer Island. 
They live among the rocks and in places block the doorways of their little 
caves and clefts with sticks, chips, and bark and such other building 
material as they can find and carry. Scattered remains of food plants, nut 
116 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
and acorn shells, and sometimes dry or freshly cut green plants mark the 
entrances of their dens and their long black pellets scattered about near by 
are unmistakable evidence of their presence. They are mainly nocturnal 
but I have seen them running among the rocks when disturbed in the day- 
time. They have a musky odor but the flesh is white and delicate and 
better than that of squirrel or rabbit. 
The two to four young are raised in soft nests among the rocks. 
VIRGINIA MUSKRAT. 
Fiber zibethicus macrodon Merriam. 
Muskrats with their thin, naked, flattened, rudder tails, large webbed 
hind feet, short ears, and coats of dense soft fur are fitted for a life passed 
mainly in the water. In color they vary from a golden brown to dark brown 
and black, with paler lowerparts. Adults measure in average total length 
620, tail 274, hind foot 88 mm.; in inches 24.5, 10.7, 3.4. 
Muskrats are common in all suitable localities about Washington, in the 
marshes on both sides of the Potomac, as well as in Rock Creek and many 
other small tributary streams. E. A. Preble tells me they used to be 
common in natural ponds on the Potomac Flats near the present site of the 
Lincoln Memorial. Hollister in his "Synopsis of the Muskrats" lists 
specimens from Washington, Kensington, Forest Glen, Branchville, Laurel, 
Broadwater, and Arlington. They have been seen in broad daylight in the 
Zoological Park swimming in Rock Creek. In the marshes along both 
sides of Anacostia River muskrat houses are common and a few are usually 
seen from the railroad in the ponds and marshes just west of the bridge 
across the Potomac. The creek banks are in many places perforated by 
their burrows as along the streams muskrats generally live in bank dens 
rather than houses. 
Large numbers of skins are brought to the market by local trappers 
from the big marshes farther down the river, and during thefopen season 
muskrat meat is one of the standard articles of game in Center Market 
where it is usually sold under the name of "marsh rabbit." The meat is 
dark but of very good flavor and quite free from the musky odor that is 
often noticeable on the skins. 
MEADOW MOUSE; FIELD MOUSE. 
Microtus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus (Ord). 
These are heavy bodied, short eared, short tailed, short legged little field 
mice with small beady eyes and long soft, dark brown or blackish fur. They 
measure in total length about 171, tail 46, hind foot 21 or 22 mm.;|in inches 
6.7, 1.8, .76; and weigh from 35 to 45 grams, rarely 56 grams. 
They are probably the most abundant native mammals all around and up 
to the very edges of Washington, and even press into the city and have been 
taken in the city parks and on vacant lots. They fairly swarmed over the 
river flats and marshes, including Potomac Park, until the ground was 
cleared of weeds and wild grass, and seeded down and kept mowed and 
clean. Up to 1919 many places in Potomac Park were honeycombed with 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 117 
their burrows and runways. Soft clean nests are made of fine grass and 
leaves, either underground or on the surface, where the young are born and 
raised, and where much of their time is spent. From the burrows they 
make little roads or runways over the surface of the ground, under grass or 
weeds, or the cover of vegetation, and along these runways are strewn frag- 
ments of cut grass and plant stems from remains left from their food. They 
feed mainly on green vegetation, roots, and bark, but are also fond of seeds 
and grain and do considerable mischief in fields and orchards. They breed 
rapidly, producing four to eight young at a time at frequent intervals through- 
out the year, and if protected from their natural enemies increase at an 
astonishing rate. Owls and many hawks feed on them extensively and keep 
their numbers within bounds, without which no crops could be raised. 
From the barn owl pellets in the Smithsonian towers Dr. Fisher has taken 
the skulls of 3,730 meadow mice. 
PINE MOUSE. 
Microtus pinetonim scalopsoides (Audubon and Bachman). 
These little brown mice are smaller than the meadow mice with relatively 
shorter ears, tails, feet, and fur. The fur is more velvety in texture and 
the color is a dull chestnut brown above and buffy brown below. They 
measure in total length about 125, tail 20, hind foot 16 or 17 mm., in inches 
4.9, .75, .60. 
They are found all through the woods and fields and uplands around 
Washington up to the edges of the city and are often associated with the 
pine timber on dry, sandy ridges. They are by no means restricted to pine 
timber however, and may be found almost anywhere except on low, wet 
ground. They live in burrows that often take the form of ridges, the ground 
being pushed up from just below the surface in long ridges that may be 
traced for rods over mellow soil. These are usually not so high or large nor 
the tunnels so large as those of moles, but in many cases the mice use the 
mole runways. They also make surface runways under cover of leaves, 
grass, and weeds, and in the covered runs safely penetrate fields, gardens, 
and open ground. 
Pine mice live extensively on roots, tubers, bulbs, and the bark from roots 
and stems of many plants, including trees and shrubs. In orchards and 
yards they are especially mischievous, killing many fruit trees and flower- 
ing or ornamental shrubs, often taking all the bulbs from flower beds and 
destroying garden vegetables. They store bulbs and seeds in the burrows 
and at Falls Church, Virginia, J. H. Riley has found where they had stored 
seeds of the persimmon in underground cavities. They are among the 
most destructive of the native rodents in the Eastern States, and are so 
protected by their burrowing habits from their natural enemies that it 
becomes necessary to poison them for the protection of trees and crops. 1 
Their comparative immunity from predacious birds may be judged by the 
fact that only 73 of their skulls were found by Dr. Fisher in the barn owl 
pellets in the Smithsonian towers. 
iSee Farmers' Bull. No. 670, Field Mice as Farm and Orchard Pests, by David E 
Lantz, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Also later circulars. 
118 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
Their destruction by snakes and shrews which can readily enter their 
burrows and capture the occupants is probably greater than that by over- 
head enemies. 
COOPER LEMMING MOUSE. 
Synaptomys cooperi cooperi Baird. 
The Cooper lemming mice resemble meadow mice in general appearance 
but have grooved upper incisors and very short tails, and are more grayish 
in color. The upperparts are grayish brown, lowerparts buffy gray or 
whitish. An adult male measures in total length 130, tail 19, hind foot 
20 mm.; in inches 5.1, .75, .75. 
In 1888 Dr. A. K. Fisher examined some pellets of long-eared owls from 
Munson Hill, Virginia, and among 176 skulls of small mammals found three 
of this lemming mouse. Another skull was found in the stomach of a red- 
tailed hawk killed at Sandy Springs, Maryland, March 24, 1890. In 1896, 
I set a line of traps through a sphagnum swamp near Hyattsville, Maryland, 
and caught four of these rare mice, and the following year W. H. Osgood 
and A. H. Howell took specimens in the same swamp, while in 1899, Gerrit 
S. Miller, Jr., took three specimens 2^ miles west of Beltsville, Maryland. 
In this part of their range they take advantage of the coolness retained in 
the sphagnum swamps. At Hyattsville I found their runways common 
through the cool damp sphagnum moss, which keeps all below it cool and 
often protects the ice underneath from melting until long after the rest of 
the winter's ice has vanished. In this swamp the mice were able to live in 
comfort, as shown by their runways, nests of grass, and cut stems of grass 
along their runways. The Hyattsville swamp has since been drained and 
filled up but many others remain where these mice may be looked for. 
SMALL EARED HARVEST MOUSE. 
Reithrodontomys humilis impiger Bangs. 
Harvest mice are slender little animals with rather small ears and long 
tails. They most resemble the white-footed mice but are smaller and 
slenderer with deeply grooved upper incisors. From half grown house 
mice, which they most resemble, they differ in slender tails that do not 
taper appreciably. Their upperparts are russet brown, lowerparts buffy 
gray. Adults measure in total length about 125, tail 61, hind foot 16 mm. ; 
in inches 4.9, 2.4, .60. 
The little harvest mouse was first taken at Fort Myer on December 6, 
1896, by Louis di Zerega Mearns. Another was taken at Falls Church, 
May 7, 1897, by J. H. Riley, and on May 15, 1902, about a mile south of 
Alexandria a third was taken in a line of traps which I was showing Theo- 
dore Roosevelt, Jr., how to set for small mammals. 
One skull was found by Wetmore in a barn owl pellet from the Smith- 
sonian tower in 1916, and two more in 1917, while in 1920 Dr. Fisher reports 
a total of 15 skulls from the pellets of these owls. These are the only 
records so far for the vicinity of Washington, and the only others are from 
the type locality, at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Apparently 
it is not a common species anywhere. The one from Fort Myer was taken 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 119 
in a trap set under a fence between a cultivated field and a strip of woodland. 
The one from near Alexandria was caught in an out-of-sight trap baited 
with rolled oats in a little runway in the grass on the edge of a dry meadow. 
The one from Falls Church was taken in a trap set in a pine mouse runway. 
In habits they are somewhat like the field mice, living in open country 
under cover of grass, weeds, and grain, making little runways over the 
surface of the ground and probably building neat little nests on or above the 
surface in weeds or bushes as do other closely related species. So little is 
known of their distribution and habits that they offer a most attractive sub- 
ject of study for ambitious young naturalists. 
Family ZAPODIDAE: Jumping mice. 
CAROLINA JUMPING MOUSE. 
Zapus hudsonicus americanus (Barton). 
In size about like the white-footed mouse but with grooved upper incisors, 
very long hind legs and feet, long slender, nearly naked tails, and rather 
small ears. In color they are dull yellowish brown along the back, bright 
orange buff along the sides, and creamy white below. One caught at Chevy 
Chase measured in total length 202, tail 121, hind foot 29; in inches 8, 4.75, 
1.1. Weight of female 19.2 grams on July 26 ; 41 grams when fat on Novem- 
ber 26. 
In 1861 Washington was given as the southern limit of range of this mouse 
in Philp's "Washington Described" (p. 23). In 1886 George Marshall 
collected 3 specimens for Dr. Merriam at Laurel, Maryland, and the same 
year Dr. Merriam caught one in his hands on the Virginia side of the river 
just above the west end of Aqueduct Bridge. Henshaw collected one the 
same year that is labeled " Washington. " In 1888 Morris M. Green caught 
several at a point a quarter of a mile below the west end of the Old Long 
Bridge. They were caught in his hands in the daytime in the weeds 
aroundbrush heaps about fiftyfyards back from the river. In 1896 Rorebeck 
collected one at Falls Church, Virginia; in 1899 Geo. R. Bryan collected one 
at Marshall Hall, Maryland; in 1903 Kenneth Beale collected one at 
Branchville, Maryland; in 1906 Dr. Fisher took one at Sandy Springs, 
Maryland; in 1909 I caught one near Chevy Chase; and in 1913 Dr. E. W. 
Nelson took one near Cabin John Bridge. J. H. Riley found one in a barn 
owl's nest, April 1, 1917, at Falls Church. E. A. Preble has collected two, 
one at Chevy Chase, D. C, and one near the Bureau of Standards, August 
4, 1920, and A. H. Hardisty, one on the canal at the District line in 1921. 
Dr. Fisher reports fifty skulls taken from barn owl pellets from the towers 
of the Smithsonian. 
Apparently jumping mice are well distributed over the surrounding 
country but are never numerous or even common. They keep in grassy or 
weedy places, in open country, but leave no runways or signs except little 
heaps of cut grass stems 2 or 3 inches long, and their grassy nest balls on the 
surface of the ground. While mainly nocturnal they are occasionally 
startled from their nests and go bounding through the grass in long frog-like 
leaps, then stop and sit quietly unless followed up. 
120 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
If carefully approached they can be easily caught in the hands, and are 
very gentle and quiet if carefully held. They feed largely on seeds of 
grasses, cutting and drawing down the stems until the heads are reached. 
In autumn they become very fat and hibernate for the winter. One 
brought to the Biological Survey in December, 1899, was in the torpid stage 
of its winter's sleep, but evidently was not kept at the right temperature, 
for it died before waking up. 
Specimens taken on October 7, 10, and 25, and as late as November 2 
and others as early as April 23 indicate a longer period of activity than is 
enjoyed by more northern species. 
A female taken by Dr. Fisher at Sandy Springs, Maryland, May 19, 1906, 
contained six large fetuses. 
Order LAGOMORPHA: Rabbits and Rabbitlike animals. 
Family LEPORIDAE: Rabbits and hares. 
EASTERN COTTONTAIL. 
Sylvilagus floridanus mallurus (Thomas). 
The dark rusty gray fur, medium long ears, and short puffy, curled up 
cottony tail are familiar to all who go into the country about Washington. 
An adult cottontail will measure in total length approximately 446; tail 
65; hind foot 94; ear 59 mm.; in inches 17.5, 2.5, 3.7, 2.3. 
Cottontails are abundant about Washington, up to the edge of the city, 
even coming into the vacant lots and city parks. About February, 1904, 
one came under one of the windows of the Biological Survey in the red brick 
building now occupied by the Bureau of Entomology. After nibbling the 
grass and weeds for awhile, it snuggled down into a nestlike hollow of a 
grass plat and remained while Howell got his camera and took an excellent 
picture of it at about a 6-foot focus. 
In spite of constant persecution by boys and dogs by day and cats by 
night the cottontails hold their own surprisingly well and may be seen by 
the roadsides or in walking across the grassy fields and untrimmed wood lots 
as well as in all the surrounding woods and parks. They were still found in 
1919 in Potomac Park before the brush and weed patches had been cleared 
out near the lower point. They are skillful in hiding and dodging and 
taking advantage of safe retreats under brush-heaps, logs, stumps, or in 
rock piles and walls, but usually they do not get far from some safe cover. 
Great numbers are brought into the markets, and at the old price of 25 
cents each, they were cheap and excellent game. During the war, in 1918 
and 1919, with the advance in price of other meats, they went up to 75 
cents, and came into market in numbers greater than ever before. 1 
iNEW ENGLAND COTTONTAIL. 
Sylvilagus transitionalis (Bangs). 
These large, short eared cottontails with black crown patch and very coarse rusty 
brown and black fur over the back are readily distinguished from the common eastern 
cottontails by skull characters, but only vaguely by the darker rusty and more blackish 
upperparts. 
They have been recorded from the District (North American Fauna No. 29, p. 199, 
1909) and from Alexandria, but the record based on two young taken in a nest in the 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 121 
Order CARNIVORA: Flesh eaters. 
Family FELIDAE: Cats. 
HOUSE CAT. 
Felis domestica Gmelin. 
Variable in size, form, and color, and probably derived from several 
ancestors, some of which date back at least to early Egypt. A large indi- 
vidual will weigh about 10 pounds. 
The common house cats, introduced from the Old World countries, 
turned into the alleys at night to forage from garbage cans, then to wander 
to the woods, and fields, have become common and feral in all sheltered 
places throughout the District. Supposedly mousers, they much prefer 
birds and prey heavily upon many of the native species, especially the 
ground dwelling sparrows and low nesting robins, catbirds, thrushes, and 
even quail and woodcock. I have never known one to catch an English 
sparrow, but on several occasions when a song sparrow has taken up its 
residence in our back yard, a few mornings later the feathers have been 
found scattered on the ground. On several occasions I have found cats 
eating my gray squirrels in the back yard, in spite of cat proof fences and 
all efforts to protect the squirrels and birds. Except as kept within bounds 
as house pets cats quickly revert to most destructive predatory animals, and 
at present are a great check on the abundance of small game in this part of 
the country. 
EASTERN BOBCAT; WILD CAT. 
Lynx ruffus ruffus (Gueldenstaedt). 
These large, short-tailed, spotted, dark-gray cats with tasseled ears and 
crested cheeks are about twice the size and weight of the house cat. An 
adult male from Virginia measures in total length 889, tail 153, hind foot 
172 mm.; in inches 35, 6, 6.75. A female 712, 140, 165; in inches 28, 
5.5, 6.5. 
A. H. Hardisty tells me that two bobcats were caught near the Patuxent 
River near Upper Marlboro in the winter of 1918-19, and another was seen 
near there in September, 1919. This brings their present range barely 
within the twenty mile radius, but it is not improbable that they come 
nearer to the Capitol. They were recently and probably are still common 
in the Dismal Swamp and along the Alleghany Mountains in Virginia, and 
they have been reported from the Blue Ridge country still nearer. In 1775 
they were reported here by Andrew Burnaby. 1 
Soldiers Home grounds by Dr. C. W. Richmond on June 20, 1886, was erroneously included 
under this species, and a specimen which I bought on January 1, 1904, of a colored man 
on the street, who said he killed it at Alexandria, probably came from West Virginia 
where they are common and are often included in shipments of rabbits to market. At 
that time I did not know that men posing as hunters went about the streets selling game 
from the market stalls and, recognizing an interesting specimen, I saved it and innocently 
labeled it as coming from Alexandria. These cottontails belong to the Transition Zone 
of the Allegheny Mountains, and there is no unquestionable record of their occurrence 
nearer Washington than White Sulphur Springs and Travellers Repose, West Virginia. 
i Burnaby, Andrew, Travels through the Middle Settlements in North America in the 
years 1759 and 1760, London, 1775. 
122 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
In 1861 Haley, in Philp's "Washington Described," p. 22, reported 
them as formerly roaming over the District of Columbia but not found at 
that time, although, he continues, it is even quite possible they still exist as 
stragglers. 
Family CANIDAE: Wolves, dogs, foxes, etc. 
RED FOX; EASTERN RED FOX. 
Vulpes fulvus fulvus (Desmarest). 
In form the red foxes are slender and graceful, with long legs, long tail, 
prominent ears. When in full long fur they appear almost as large as a 
small collie dog but their body is very light and slender. The usual 
color is orange rufous, with belly and tip of tail white; legs and back of ears 
black. The various color forms called cross fox, silver gray, and black fox 
are darker phases running to complete melanism. An adult male from 
Wilmington, Massachusetts, measures in total length 1053, tail 403, hind 
foot 169 mm.; in inches 41, 16, 6.6. 
Red foxes are not uncommon about Washington and extend considerably 
farther south, although there seems to be a general idea that they originally 
ranged farther north and came to the vicinity of Washington about 1800. 
During the years from 1768 to 1775, George Washington did a great deal of 
fox hunting in the vicinity of Mount Vernon and Washington, most of the 
foxes being of this species, as shown by their making long runs before the 
hounds and occasionally taking refuge in holes in the ground. D. B. 
Warden in writing of the District of Columbia in 1816 says "the gray and 
red fox frequent this region and sometimes carry off pigs, lambs, and 
poultry." 1 
. In 1889 Morris M. Green saw a red fox on the west bank of the Potomac 
River opposite Washington. A specimen in the National Museum collec- 
tion from the Zoological Park is labeled Virginia and was received October 
5, 1894. Another specimen is a young only a few weeks old taken near 
Rockville, Maryland, by Cecil Allnut, April 2, 1913. In 1917, Dr. Fisher 
reported the tracks of two red foxes on Plummer Island in the Potomac, 
where they had been hunting cottontail rabbits on a fresh snow. He and 
Wetmore saw one on the Virginia shore opposite the Island in 1922. 
In November, 1917, N. Hollister told me that a red fox had recently been 
seen several times in Rock Creek Park and the Zoological Park, and in 
January, 1920, 1 saw their unmistakable tracks along Rock Creek above the 
Joaquin Miller Cabin. In the spring of 1922 young were seen by Smith 
Riley that had evidently been raised in Rock Creek Park. 
It is perhaps well for small game and poultry that they are not abundant, 
but their considerable value for fur and the chase keeps them under control 
in any settled region. Still it is to be hoped that they may never entirely 
disappear from our local fauna. 
iChorographical and Statistical Description of the District of Columbia, p. 159, Paris, 
1816. 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 123 
GRAY FOX; TREE FOX; SWAMP FOX. 
Urocyon cinereoargenteus cinereoargenteus (Schreber). 
The gray fox is about the size of the red, but seems smaller because of 
shorter legs and tail, and shorter fur. Its tail instead of being cylindrical is 
laterally compressed, with a black dorsal crest and black tip. The general 
color of the upperparts is coarse gray; sides of belly, legs, and throat, and 
under surface of tail rich rufous; feet and back of ears and sides of nose 
black; part of belly and throat white. An adult male from Big Sandy, 
Tennessee, measures in total length 1,005, tail 372, hind foot 135 mm. ; in 
inches 39, 14.5, 5.5. Weight of one 10 pounds, 2 ounces. 
During the years from 1768 to 1775 George Washington recorded in his 
diary frequent fox hunts in the vicinity of Mount Vernon and about Wash- 
ington. In 1785, after the Revolution and before his presidency, he again 
took up fox hunting as a sport. In the very brief entries in his diaries, now 
on file in the Library of Congress, he does not distinguish the kind of foxes, 
but as many were quickly treed by the dogs, it is evident that such were of 
this tree climbing species. 
In writing of Bladensburg, Maryland, in 1816, D. B. Warden says, "the 
gray and red fox frequent this region and sometimes carry off pigs, lambs, 
and poultry." 1 
Specimens labeled Washington, 1852, were listed by Baird in his Mam- 
mals of North America. 
In 1889 Morris M. Green was told by a farmer on the Virginia side of the 
Potomac opposite Washington that gray foxes were sometimes seen there. 
In 1895 Dr. A. K. Fisher saw tracks of gray foxes at Munson Hill and other 
places in Virginia. On June 9, 1916, foxes were reported killing chickens 
at the Experiment Station near Beltsville, Maryland. An old male and a 
couple of half grown young were trapped from a family that were visiting 
the poultry yard at night, and as usual the old male was the first to be 
caught. One of the young had a few chicken feathers in its stomach. On 
May 15, 1919, I saw their tracks along the cliffs on Cupid's Bower in the 
Potomac, and Preble tells me that a few still range the valley of Bullneck 
Run. 
Usually these foxes are kept away from farms by the dogs as they are not 
very swift and are easily treed. They live and breed in hollow trees or logs, 
or among rocks, are mainly nocturnal in habits, and are rarely seen, even 
where common, unless caught in traps or driven to refuge by dogs. Their 
fur is rather coarse and harsh but prettily colored and in recent years of 
considerable value. 
Family PROCYONIDAE: Raccoons, etc. 
RACCOON. 
Procyon lotor lotor (Linnaeus). 
The raccoons have been called the little brothers of the bear and even 
Linnaeus described them under the genus Ursus, but the resemblance to 
iChorographical and Statistical Description of the District of Columbia, Paris, p. 159, 
1816. 
124 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
bears is only slight and superficial. They have heavy bodies, long furry 
tails, naked soles, and full soft coats of fur. They are yellowish or silvery 
gray with a black mask across the face and eyes, and five black rings around 
the tail. A male from Dismal Swamp, Virginia, measures in total length 
860, tail 285, hind foot 110 mm.; in inches 34, 11.3, 4.4, respectively. A 
very large and fat individual in Minnesota weighed 303^ pounds, but half 
that would come near the usual weight when not very fat. 
Raccoons are still common about Washington and their long babylike 
tracks may be seen along Rock Creek in the Park, as well as along the banks 
of the Potomac and Eastern Branch scarcely beyond the edges of the city. 
In June, 1914, on the bank of Rock Creek opposite the mouth of Piney 
Branch, I saw the brown gray fur of a coon's back in a hollow, high up in a 
big tulip tree. Their tracks are found on muddy or sandy shores along the 
Potomac River. Coons frequent streams and ponds where frogs, crawfish, 
and mussels are to be found, and in the autumn they fatten on nuts, acorns, 
and green corn. 
After more than a century of unrestricted hunting they still afford con- 
siderable sport for those who care for the all-night coon hunt with dogs and 
lanterns. A few skins are brought into the markets for fur and at Christ- 
mas time nicely dressed fat raccoons may be bought in Center Market by 
those fond of their rather rich oily meat. If they hibernate at all in this 
climate it is only for short periods of unusually cold weather. Their 
tracks are seen at all times of winter in mild weather, and winter food of 
acorns and nuts seem to be generally abundant. 
Family MUSTELIDAE: Weasels, minks, otters, skunks, etc. 
EASTERN SKUNK. 
Mephitis putida Boitard. 
The skunk is a heavy-bodied, short-legged, bushy-tailed little animal, with 
short ears, small eyes, and naked-soled plantigrade feet. The color is 
normally shiny black, except for a narrow white stripe between the eyes, a 
broad white stripe from the back of the head diverging into two side stripes 
along the back, and usually a white tip to the long bushy tail. Measure- 
ments of average adults are, total length 575, tail 229, hind foot, 60 mm.; 
in inches 22.6, 9, 2.3. 
In 1894, a skunk was found under a house in the middle of Georgetown. 
It was treated with carbon bisulphide and made into a specimen for the 
Biological Survey collection. There are several other specimens from the 
District, and the animals are fairly common along the Potomac River above 
Georgetown, where their tracks may be seen in the dusty roads along the 
canal, almost any morning. I have found both tracks and burrows on the 
west side of the Potomac above Chain Bridge, and they have been seen on 
Plummer Island. Tracks are occasionally seen still nearer the city and 
sometimes an unmistakable skunk odor blows into town. In 1861, Haley, 
in Philp's "Washington Described," says, "The skunk is almost as much 
a nuisance as ever. " 
It is probable that skunks will never entirely disappear from any exten- 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 125 
sive part of their original range, as they seem able to adapt themselves to 
settlement in spite of dogs and traps. Their fur has considerable value, 
and the skins with narrow white stripes, and excess of black bring the 
highest price. Skunk skins are often brought to the fur buyers in Washing- 
ton, and next to the muskrat are one of the commonest furs of the region. 
OTTER. 
Lutra canadensis canadensis (Schreber). 
The body of the otter is long and slender, the tail tapering, the legs short, 
the feet webbed, the ears short and sharp, the eyes are small, and the fur 
dense and glossy. The color is dark umber or liver brown, slightly paler 
below and grayish on throat and cheeks. The measurements of a large 
male from Louisiana show a total length of 1,170, tail 372, hind foot 135 
mm.; in inches 46, 14.6, 5.3. 
Otters are still found along the Potomac River and most of the streams 
in and around the District of Columbia. Almost every winter tracks are 
seen or some of the animals captured. In the National Museum collection 
are specimens labeled Washington, D. C, No. 4929, J. C. McGuire, without 
date; one taken at Eastern Branch, near Bennings, by E. S. Schmid in 
1895; one killed at Seven Locks on the Canal above Glen Echo, by C. S. 
Scheffer, in 1907, and a skin of an immature individual from the Zoological 
Park labeled Virginia, 1902, W. H. Spangler. In 1909, Kenneth Beale saw 
a fresh skin at a local fur store, said to have come from Virginia only three 
miles from Washington, D. C. J. H. Riley remembers one killed in a creek 
near Falls Church when he was a boy. A. B. Baker reported an otter 
killed on the ice at Bennings in 1900; tracks were seen at Seven Locks on the 
Canal in 1909, and on Plummer Island in 1910 and 1922. Major W. A. 
Frankland saw a large otter in Rock Creek above the bridge at the northern 
end of Rock Creek Park, on April 10, 1920, and A. H. Hardisty saw one 
swimming across the Potomac near Seneca the same month. 
In habits the otters are largely aquatic, being powerful, rapid swimmers 
but rather clumsy on land. In winter they travel long distances under the 
ice, but occasionally come out and run over the ice or slide on the snow. 
Most of their food is taken under water and consists largely of fish, crusta- 
ceans, and frogs . They are usually wary and not easily trapped, and as they 
have practically no enemies but man they hold their own fairly well over 
even the settled parts of the country. Their skins are valuable, ranging 
generally from $10 to $20 for good pelts. The unplucked fur is dark brown, 
glossy and durable, and the plucked fur is very fine and soft, of a golden 
brown color. 
MINK. 
Lutreola vison lutreocephala (Harlan). 
The mink has a long slender body, short legs, fuzzy tail, short wide ears, 
and small beady eyes. Its fur when prime is full and soft, with a loose 
covering of glossy outer hairs. The color, mink-brown, varies from liver 
brown to dark umber; the tail is blackish toward the end, usually the chin 
126 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
and sometimes the throat have a few irregular white spots. The measure- 
ments of an adult male from Branchville, Maryland, show total length 640, 
tail 229, hind foot, 81 mm.; in inches 25.2, 9, 3.2. The female is much 
smaller, 525, 182, 64 mm.; in inches 20.6, 7.2, 2.5. A fair-sized male taken 
at Chain Bridge, November 27, 1920, measured 610, 225, 68, and weighed 
2)4, pounds. 
Mink are still fairly common about Washington, and their tracks may 
be seen in the snow, or on muddy or sandy shores along almost any stream 
about the city. They follow down Rock Creek into the Park, and some- 
times into the Zoological Park, and below under Connecticut Avenue 
Bridge. They are found along Eastern Branch, and all along the Potomac 
River. The high price of fur for the several years past has stimulated 
trapping and the number of mink caught around Washington each winter 
keeps them down to a minimum of abundance. They are wary and secre- 
tive in habits, not easily caught in traps except by the use of scented bait, 
and great care is necessary in placing and concealing the traps. They are 
largely nocturnal in habits, living in holes or hollow banks, under drift wood, 
or in hollow logs or trees. They swim and dive with much freedom and 
skill, and climb trees readily, so they have as many means of escape from 
enemies as they have resources in capturing their prey. They live on fish, 
frogs, crustaceans, mice, and small rodents, birds, poultry, or almost any 
small game they can capture. At times they do considerable damage in 
the poultry yards, but their value for fur partly pays for their occasional 
depredations while it keeps their numbers well reduced. 
J. H. Riley tells me of an old trapper who caught six minks in one trap 
inside of two weeks in the town of Falls Church, Virginia, and also of 
an old mink that visited his hen house and killed 22 chickens one night, 
returned the next night and killed 16 chickens, and the next day was caught 
by a dog as it returned for more. 
NEW YORK WEASEL; ERMINE. 
Mustela noveboracensis noveboracensis (Emmons). 
The weasel is a slender-bodied little animal, with short legs, long slender 
tail, short ears, beady eyes, sharp nose, and keen expression of face. Its 
color in summer is dark brown, darkest on face, and black on the outer two 
inches of tail; the lowerparts are rich yellow. In winter at Washington it 
is usually lighter brown with the belly pale yellow or nearly white. Farther 
north and in the mountains the species becomes pure white in winter except 
for the tip of the tail, which is always black. Two taken in winter at Sandy 
Spring and Gaithersburg, Maryland, were in the white winter coat. An 
adult male measures in total length 390, tail 132, hind foot 43 mm.; in 
inches 15.4, 5.2, 1.7. A female 315, 95, 35 mm.; in inches 12.4, 3.7, 1.4. A 
breeding female from Mount Vernon measured 305, 100, 34, and weighed 
3*4 ounces. 
Weasels are by no means rare about Washington. Their tracks are 
occasionally seen in the snow or along the shores of streams. In the 
National Museum collection are a number of skins labeled Washington and 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 127 
caught near the city. One of these I caught in April, 1896, a short distance 
above Chain Bridge on the west side of the Potomac River in a trap set 
among broken rocks for wood rats. J. H. Riley has taken a number at 
Falls Church, Virginia. Dr. C. W. Richmond tells me that a weasel was 
caught about 1887 near the old Central High School on 7th and P Streets 
Northwest. An old female and a nearly full-grown young one were ob- 
tained from a farmer's boy near Mount Vernon by E. A. Preble, May 11, 
1920, the stomach of the old one containing remains of a mouse and a 
lizard, that of the young one the remains of a meadow mouse. Preble tells 
me that he occasionally sees their tracks in the valley of Bullneck Run, 
Virginia. 
Weasels are bold and inquisitive hunters, often coming about buildings, 
or even into towns in pursuit of their principal prey, mice and rats and other 
small rodents. Occasionally they do some mischief in poultry yards, killing 
considerable numbers of young and old birds, thus making a bad reputation 
which is generally remembered longer than the great amount of good they 
do in destroying rodent pests. They are cruel, bloodthirsty little savages 
with nothing lovable in their natures, but their fearless self-confidence often 
compels our admiration. In the north their white fur with the black tipped 
tail is of some value as ermine, but in this latitude their plain brown skins 
are rarely saved even when they get into the traps set for minks and other 
fur bearers. 
Order INSECTIVORA: Insect eaters. 
Family TALPIDAE: Moles. 
EASTERN MOLE. 
Scalopus aquaticus aquaticus (Linnaeus). 
The mole is a compact little animal with no functional eyes or ears, a 
beaklike, naked nose, large spadelike front feet with five rigid claws, small 
hind feet, no visible legs, short, nearly naked tail, and dense plushlike fur 
of a brassy brown color. An average adult measures in total length 163, 
tail 28, hind foot 20 mm.; in inches 6.4, 1.1, .74. 
Moles are abundant around Washington up to the edges of the city and 
on the vacant lots next to the woods. Their characteristic ridges are seen 
on open lots, even among the paved streets, but in old fields and pastures 
are most conspicuous. 
Moles are great burrowers and with their large front feet, worked by 
powerful muscles, push up ridges along the surface of the ground by main 
strength, working so rapidly that a new ridge may be seen rising at the rate 
of about a foot a minute. They also make deep and elaborate burrows in 
the earth, and push up mounds of earth from below, but are best known by 
their tunnels near the surface, which are their feeding grounds, where earth- 
worms and numerous insects and small animal forms are encountered and 
greedily devoured. Generally their stomachs contain mainly earthworms 
or insect remains, but sometimes they contain a little vegetable matter. 
Moles are often accused of destroying bulbs, plants, and crops, but the 
128 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
real culprits are usually the pine mice or meadow mice, which follow their 
runways or make similar, but slightly smaller, tunnels of their own. 
STAR-NOSED MOLE. 
Condylura cristata (Linnaeus). 
The star-nosed mole is almost as large as the common mole with a much 
longer and at times much swollen tail, and a radiating disc of delicate pink, 
fleshy tentacles surrounding the flattened end of the nose. The minute 
and sightless eyes are buried under the skin, and the ears are mere openings 
under the fur. The front feet are short and spadelike, but not so wide as 
those of the mole. The fur is dense and soft, of a brownish black color. 
Adults measure in total length 192, tail 72, hind foot 28 mm. ; in inches 7.5, 
2.8, 1.1. 
Star-nosed moles are not common about Washington, but occasionally 
one is found and usually saved for a specimen. Haley in Philp's "Wash- 
ington Described," p. 22, 1861, reports the star-nosed mole as finding its 
southern limit here. An old specimen in the National Museum is labeled 
Corcoran Branch, July, 1858, Elliott Coues. On May 22, 1888, Morris 
M. Green found a nest of five about half grown young under an old log on 
the flats between the canal and the river about a mile above Georgetown. 
In 1889 Dr. Fisher found the skull of one in the stomach of a screech owl, 
taken near Washington on June 2, 1 and later found 12 skulls in the pellets 
of barn owls from the Smithsonian tower. 
At Falls Church, about 1892, Riley saw one that had been drawn up alive 
in a bucket of water from a well, and in 1899 he secured one that was dug 
out by a dog and was mounted for the National Museum collection. On 
May 1, 1898, W. G. Johnson found a quarter-grown young at College Park, 
Maryland, and sent it to the Biological Survey collection. On November 
3, 1907, one was found dead in a road near Branchville, Maryland, by Prof. 
F. E. L. Beal. On May 20, 1910, one was caught by a cat a mile south of 
Glendale, Maryland, and brought to the Biological Survey by Dr. Rodney 
H. True. On February 1, 1913, an adult male was caught by T. H. Scheffer 
near a small stream in a marsh near Brookland, D. C. It had the greatly 
swollen tail and sexual glands of the breeding season. Another male 
caught near the same place on March 3 in a mole trap showed less sexual 
development and a less swollen tail. Others have been taken near Chevy 
Chase, Brightwood, Woodside, Cabin John Bridge, Lanham, Laurel, and 
MarshaU Hall. 
These moles are not easily caught in traps and may be much more com- 
mon than is generally supposed. They burrow in the damp soil of marshes 
and low lands, in places making ridges like those of the common mole, but 
usually pushing up little hills of black earth in disposing of the material 
from their deeper burrows. 2 They rarely come above the surface of the 
ground unless by accident or in the exictement of the breeding season in late 
lHawks and Owls of the United States, Bull. 3, Div. Orn. & Mamm., U. S. Dept. Agr., 
p. 171, 1893. 
2Merriam, C. Hart, Mammals of the Adirondack Region, p. 146, 1884. 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 129 
winter or early spring. In life the delicate fleshy, fingerlike filaments 
radiating from the end of the nose are in constant motion apparently in the 
effort to touch, feel, and recognize objects with which they come in contact 
in their subterranean life, so taking the place of the functionless rudiments 
of eyes in the search for earthworms and insect food. 
Family SORICIDAE: Shrews. 
SHORT-TAILED SHREW. 
Blarina brevicauda brevicauda (Say). 
These are the largest of our shrews, with heavy bodies, short legs, short 
tails, pointed noses, minute eyes, concealed ears, and velvety fur. Their 
color is plumbeous or sooty black, with a metallic luster when the fur is 
smoothed down. The teeth as in other shrews are tipped with dark brown. 
A Washington specimen measures, total length 112, tail 23, hind foot 15 
mm.; in inches 4.4, .9, .6. This is smaller than the typical form farther 
west and north, but not quite small enough for Blarina brevicauda carolin- 
ensis farther south. A specimen from the Rappahannock River near War- 
saw, Virginia, can, however, be referred to carolinensis. 
The short-tailed shrews are among the commonest small mammals of the 
district, being found in the woods and fields, and in brushy or weedy places 
up to the very edges of the city, and even on vacant lots where there is 
sufficient cover of old grass, weeds, boards, or suitable protection from the 
light of day and overhead enemies. Like other shrews their eyes are very 
small and probably of less use to them than the pointed, flexible nose in 
finding the insects and other small animal life on which they feed. 
They burrow mainly near the surface, in rich mellow soil, make roadways 
over the surface of the ground under cover of old vegetation, or follow the 
roadways and tunnels of the meadow mice and pine mice. At the lower 
end of the Zoological Park in 1893, in a Schuyler mouse trap, I caught one 
of these shrews by the neck and a meadow mouse by the hips. The trap 
was set across a runway and evidently the shrew was pursuing or had hold 
of the back part of the mouse when they ran through my trap and were 
both caught. 
They are very fond of meat and eat any mice or small animals or even 
their own kind when found in traps and are of great value in keeping down 
the abundance of small rodents, as well as insects, bugs, worms and snails. 1 
While savage little brutes in their own small world they are practically 
harmless and very useful animals in their relations to human economy. 
LEAST SHORT-TAILED SHREW. 
Blarina parva (Say) . 
These are the smallest of our short-tailed shrews, but with heavier bodies 
than the small species of Sorex. Their feet are small, tails short, noses 
iSee Merriam, C. Hart, Mammals of the Adirondack Region, pp. 164-173, 1884; and 
Shull, A. Franklin, Habits of the Short-tailed Shrews, Amer. Naturalist, Vol. XLI, pp. 
449-522, 1907. 
130 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
pointed, eyes minute, ears hidden, and fur soft and velvety. Their upper- 
parts are sepia brown, the lowerparts ashy gray. An adult male from 
Brightwood, D. C, measures in total length 78, tail 18, hind foot 10 mm. ; 
in inches 3.1, .7, .4. 
Although widely distributed from New Jersey to Nebraska, Texas, and 
Georgia, these little shrews seem always scarce or so obscure in habits as to 
be rarely found except by owls. In 2,262 pellets of barn owls from the 
Smithsonian tower, Dr. Fisher took 61 of their skulls, and in pellets from 
long-eared owls from Munson Hill, Virginia, there were 23 of their skulls 
among 176 of other small mammals. 1 
In 1890 Prof. W. B. Barrows, then a member of the Biological Survey, 
picked up one of these little shrews in Brookland and brought it to the 
office. In 1896 I caught one near Brightwood in an old grassy field where 
the Military Road enters Rock Creek Park, and the same year J. H. Riley 
caught one in an old stump in a field at Falls Church. In 1913, 1914, and 
1915, A. H. Howell collected four specimens near his place at Woodridge, a 
suburb in the northeastern quarter of Washington. A number of speci- 
mens have been taken by George Marshall at Laurel, Maryland. 
Little is known of the habits of these shrews, except that specimens are 
occasionally taken in traps set in field mice runways or in tiny runways 
under old grass that seem to be made by the shrews themselves for their 
convenience in getting about over the surface of the ground and catching 
their insect food. 
BACHMAN SHREW; CAROLINA SHREW; SOUTHERN SHREW. 
Sorex longirostris Bachman. 
This is the only eastern Sorex, except fisheri from the Dismal Swamp, that 
has the third unicuspid tooth smaller than the fourth. Its size is very 
small, the ears rather conspicuous, the nose not longer than in other shrews. 
The color of the upperparts is chestnut brown, of the underparts ashy gray. 
Measurements of a series of specimens from North Carolina show a total 
length of 86, tail 32, hind foot 10.7 mm.; in inches 3.4, 1.3, .45. 
Hollister reports a specimen of this rare little southern shrew in the 
National Museum, collected by C. Girard, labeled Washington, D. C, and 
entered in the museum catalogue April 19, 1855, as No. 637. There seems 
to be no clue to the exact locality where it was collected or to the exact 
date of collection, but Bachman' s type of the species described in 1837 was 
taken in the swamps of the Santee River, South Carolina, and others have 
been taken on dry uplands. The only other specimen from the vicinity of 
Washington was collected by C. K. Rorebeck, at Falls Church, Virginia, 
January 3, 1897, and is now in the National Museum collection. One taken 
by Dr. M. W. Lyon at Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, July 3, 1908, is the 
next nearest to Washington. Other specimens have been taken in Georgia, 
South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Indiana, and Illinois. 2 
l Hawks and Owls, Bull. 3, p. 141, 1893. 
2Hollister, N., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 40, p. 379, 1911. 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 131 
MARYLAND SHREW. 
Sorex fontinalis Hollister. 
This tiny shrew is one of the smallest known species of its genus and 
probably next to the smallest known mammal of North America. It is 
very slender and delicate with long sharp nose, minute eyes and relatively 
long tail. Its color is sepia brown above, brownish gray below. Measure- 
ments, total length 90, tail 31, hind foot 10 mm.; 1 in inches 3.51, 1.4, .4. 
In February, 1896, I caught three of these little shrews in mouse traps 
set under logs, and in runways through the sphagnum moss in a cold swamp 
near Hyattsville, in the same locality and situations with the lemming 
mouse (Synaptomys) , and later two other specimens were taken there by 
Dr. Fisher. 
On November 6, 1898, Gerrit S. Miller, Jr. caught one in a cold spring 
swamp near Beltsville, Maryland, and the three from Laurel, Maryland, 
were caught by George and E. B. Marshall. The one from Sandy Springs 
was found dead in a path so no idea of habits or habitat were obtained. 
In 1920 only 13 specimens of Sorex fontinalis were known. These were 
all collected near the District of Columbia, in Maryland, at localities as fol- 
lows: Beltsville, 2; Hyattsville, 5; Hollywood, 1 ; Laurel, 4; Sandy Springs, 1. 
The fact that none have been taken in the great amount of trapping on 
the uplands indicates a mainly swamp habitat for the species. Nothing is 
known of their habits except the little gained through specimens caught. 
They live under cover of moss, logs, and marsh vegetation, through and 
under which they make tiny burrows and roadways. Some of those caught 
were in meadow mouse or lemming mouse runways. They take meat bait 
and, like other shrews, probably live mainly on insects and other forms of 
small animal life found on or under the surface of the ground. 
LEAST SHREW. 
Microsorex winnemana Preble. 
In size, as its name indicates, this is the smallest of all the shrews and 
therefore the smallest known mammal in North America, being very slender 
and delicate, with its tail about three times as long as its hind foot. In 
color the upperparts are grayish brown, the lowerparts ashy gray. Meas- 
urements of type: total length, 78, tail 28, hind foot 9 nm.; in inches 
3.08, 1.1, .35. 
This rare species was discovered and described by Edward A. Preble of 
the Biological Survey, who says, "On April 25, 1903, while searching for 
salamanders * * * on the Virginia shore of the Potomac above 
Plummer Island [near Stubblefield Rapids] I dislodged from the decayed 
interior of a large fallen log a tiny shrew. The rarity of any species of long- 
tailed shrew in the vicinity of Washington caused me to take special pains 
in preserving the specimen. Later, when I examined it carefully, I was 
surprised to find that it belonged to the genus Microsorex, hitherto unknown 
iFor detailed characters see original description by N. Hollister, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 
vol. 40, p. 378, 1911. 
132 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 
to occur south of Ohio and New York. It was apparent that the specimen 
represented an undescribed form, but its characterization was deferred in 
the hope that other specimens would be detected. This did not occur until 
January 24 of the present year [1910] when William Fink of Berwyn, Mary- 
land, found a second specimen in the decayed heart of a dead chestnut tree 
which he cut from a dry hillside at some distance from water." The 
detailed description then follows 1 and under Remarks he adds " Microsorex 
winnemana is the smallest species of shrew (and therefore the smallest 
mammal) thus far discovered in America. The specific name winnemana 
(beautiful island) is in allusion to Plummer Island, the home of the Wash- 
ington Biologists' Field Club, near which the type specimen was taken. " 
Here is a field to inspire any energetic young naturalist, a remarkable 
species with only two specimens known, and a fair clue given to habits and 
habitat. Who will be the next to bring in specimens, dead or alive, and add 
something to our meager fund of knowledge of the wild life about us? 
Order CHIROPTERA: Bats. 
Family VESPERTILIONIDAE : Northern Bats. 
HOARY BAT. 
Nycteris cinerea (Beauvois). 
The hoary bat has 32 teeth, is the largest of our eastern bats, with ears 
short and rounded, the top of the feet and tail membranes well furred, and 
the fur full and soft. Its color is yellowish brown frosted with white, its 
throat and wing linings buffy. Average adults measure in total length 
135, tail 58, hind foot, 11 mm.; in inches 5.2, 2.26, .45. Spread of wings 15 
to 16 inches. 
A specimen taken October 2, 1892, at Laurel, Maryland, one taken Octo- 
ber 20, 1897, and another May 26, 1904, at Chain Bridge, seem to be the 
only records for the vicinity of the District of Columbia; but other records 
from Baltimore, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania, 
bring its range on all sides of the District. It is a wide-ranging migratory 
species, and evidently covers the whole area. With a boreal breeding range 
across the continent, and a migratory range in winter from Canada to at 
least the southern border of the United States, it may be looked for at 
Washington in the fall and spring migrations. Its size readily distinguishes 
it on the wing from the smaller bats, but it is a late and rapid flyer and not 
easily secured for specimens. Dr. Fisher tells me that this is the only bat 
known to the District fauna that has not been taken in the cabin at Plum- 
mer Island. 
RED BAT. 
Nycteris borealis borealis (Muller). 
The red bat has 32 teeth, is medium sized, with short, rounded ears, 
mainly naked inside and on rims, and with the top of tail membranes and 
iProc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 23, p. 101, 1910. 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 133 
feet well furred. Its color is bright rusty or pinkish yellow, with a slight 
frosting of white-tipped hairs over back and breast. In total length it 
measures 117, tail 52, hind foot 10, spread of wings 330 mm.; in inches 4.5, 
2.1, .4, 13. 
This is one of the commonest bats to be seen flying about in the evenings, 
either in the open places in the woods, or about the houses in the city. It 
often comes out so early in the evening that its bright colors are easily 
recognizable as it flies softly about in search of flying insects. Apparently 
it is in part resident here, although a migratory species in at least the 
northern part of its range. Specimens collected about Washington bear 
dates of April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and Novem- 
ber. At Arlington on March 1, 1919, I saw several flying about on a 
warm evening soon after sundown, while it was so light that their unmistak- 
able colors could be recognized. The evening was warm and still, but the 
nights had been frosty for a week past, and very cold only two weeks 
before. Wetmore saw half a dozen of these bats flying about before dusk 
at the border of the woods near Lorton, Virginia, on November 17, 1917, 
and collected one of them. Prof. Cooke saw one near his "Wickiup" at 
Viresco on the Virginia side of the Potomac at midday January 1, 1913. It 
lit on the ground near him and its bright red fox color was very striking. A 
warm and springlike day had probably brought the bat out of its hibernat- 
ing quarters. 
An old female collected near Falls Church, Virginia, by Riley, June 3, 
1905, contained 3 large embryos nearly ready for birth. A female shot by 
A. H. Hardisty near the northwest corner of Rock Creek Park, May 11, 
1918, contained 3 embryos. 
In a paper on the number 1 of young of this bat Dr. Marcus Ward Lyon, 
Jr., records an adult female nursing four young brought into the National 
Museum alive by Mr. C. J. Lawson of Washington, D. C, on June 18, 
1902. Photographs of the family were secured and shown in a plate, a 
young one at each of the adult's nipples, where they held on with great 
tenacity, each having in its mouth a good deal of its mother's hair in which 
its hooked milk teeth firmly caught. The young were less than a third 
grown, but their combined weight, alive, was 12.7 grams, while that of the 
mother was but 11 grams. 
In the Merriam collection is a female taken June 22, 1889, with two young 
clinging to her. On July 11, 1908, a half grown red bat was picked up on 
Seventeenth Street near the Corcoran Art Gallery, where it had probably 
fallen while learning to fly. Another young apparently just able to fly was 
collected at Plummer Island July 15, and another near Washington, July 
24. Two to four young are the usual numbers. Little is known of the 
breeding habits or whether the young always cling to the mother until old 
enough to fly or whether they hang up part of the time in the leafy tips of 
branches, heads downward, where their parents spend the daylight hours. 
As with other bats their food consists of a great variety of flying insects 
caught on the wing. 
iLyon, Dr. Marcus Ward, Jr., Observations on the Number of Young of the Lasiurine 
Bats. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 26, p. 425, 1903. 
134 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
SILVER-HAIRED BAT. 
Lasionycteris noctivagans (LeConte). 
These bats have 36 teeth; are medium in size, with wide, naked, some- 
what quadrate ears; upper surface of tail membrane hairy near the base; fur 
long and soft. Color black or dusky brown with silvery tips to the hairs 
over back and belly; ears, feet, and membranes black or blackish. Measure- 
ments, total length 116, tail 47, hind foot 10, expanse 298 mm. ; in inches 4.5, 
1.85, .4, 11.7. 
This is a wide ranging boreal species over the northern and mountainous 
parts of the continent, and a few specimens have been taken about Washing- 
ton during their migrations southward. On November 12, 1885, Dr. Fisher 
shot one between Arlington and Rosslyn, Virginia, and in the National Mu- 
seum collection are skins labeled Washington, D. C, January, 1893, and 
another Smiths Island, Virginia, September 3, 1893. Dr. Fisher collected 
another at Plummer Island, October 6, 1906, and Hardisty one near George- 
town October 17, 1918. On November 12, 1905, Preble saw five or six bats 
on an open hillside in the woods north of Piney Branch and west of 
Eighteenth Street, some of which were recognized as almost certainly of this 
species. All of these dates indicate migratory records. 
In northern New York Dr. Merriam records the silver-haired as the most 
abundant breeding species of bat, and says the two young are born about 
the first of July. 1 At Ossining, New York, where the species is abundant, 
Doctor Fisher took 28 out of the siding of a house in June, which would 
indicate a breeding record. 
LARGE BROWN BAT. 
Eptesicus fuscus fuscus (Beauvois). 
Total number of teeth 32; size rather large; ears of medium length, 
pointed, and wholly naked; wing and tail membranes mainly naked; fur 
glossy. Color bright hazel or hair brown, paler on belly; ears and mem- 
branes dark brown or blackish. Measurements, total length 112, tail 42, 
hind foot 11, expanse 300 mm.; in inches 4.4, 1.6, .45, 11.8. Weight of 
adult male 15.2 grams, of female 14.2 grams. 
These large brown bats are common residents about Washington and may 
be recognized on the wing by their size and brown color. They fly 
at evening about our front doors and along the streets and alleys, as well 
as in open spaces in the woods, with a strong, rapid, but very erratic flight 
as they pursue their winged prey. They are resident throughout the year, 
breeding in summer and hibernating in nooks and corners of the houses 
in winter either in the same dark recesses where they spend the daylight 
hours or in special cavities selected for warmth and protection. They often 
enter open doors and windows and fly about the rooms, catching insects and 
lighting on the ceilings or walls. Open and vacant buildings are favorite 
hunting grounds for them. They live also in hollow trees, and in caves 
and clefts among the rocks, and have been found hibernating in rolled-up 
i Merriam, C. Hart, Mammals of the Adirondack Region, p. 190, 1884. 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 135 
awnings. In the cabin on Plummer Island Dr. Fisher caught one in a 
mouse trap set on the window sill, January 21, 1907. Almost every winter 
during the coldest weather of January specimens are brought in from apart- 
ment houses or private residences where found flying about the rooms, 
awakened from their hibernation by the heat. These are always found to 
be excessively fat, but with empty stomachs, showing that they have been 
for a long time dormant. 
The earliest seen flying outside were reported by Dr. T. S. Palmer on 
March 22, 1911, on Biltmore Street. They were large, brown bats and 
probably of this species. The evening was warm, and maples, elms, and 
poplars were in blossom, but there were no leaves on the trees, and few 
summer birds had arrived. On March 26, 1919, they were seen flying about 
my front door at 1834 Kalorama Road, while it was light enough to recog- 
nize the species. The forsythia, Japanese quince, and hyacinths were then 
in full bloom. These bats remain active in autumn up to October. 
Usually in the West but one young is raised in a season, but there are 
records of two. On July 31, 1919, I found a pair dead in front of Stone- 
leigh Court on Connecticut Avenue, where they had evidently been knocked 
down and killed, or caught in the building and thrown out. The female 
contained two minute embryos the size of No. 8 shot, that would have been 
born in May or June of the next year. Another was taken August 7 in the 
same condition. Riley obtained a young with eyes not yet open on June 
14, 1899, from a colony in an old church in Falls Church, Virginia. 
From their habit of hunting about houses they are presumably one of the 
most useful species of bats as insect destroyers. 
EVENING BAT; RAFINESQUE BAT. 
Nycticeius humeralis (Rafinesque). 
Total number of teeth 30, only one upper incisor and one upper premolar 
on each side. Size small, ears small, pointed, and with short tragus, tip of 
tail free of membrane. Color dark brown with very black ears and mem- 
branes. An adult specimen measures in total length 95, tail 35, hind foot 
9 mm.; in inches 3.7, 1.4, .35. Weight of adult female, 9.5 grams. 
This is an abundant southern bat, occurring but rarely as far north as 
Washington. Two specimens taken near Washington by Wm. H. Rhees, 
May 22, 1882, are in the National Museum collection. A female was taken 
at Linden, Maryland, August 11, 1896, and one taken at Oxon Hill, June 2, 
1903. A female in the Biological Survey collection, U. S. National Museum, 
was taken at Plummer Island, September 7, 1910, by H. S. Barber. At 
Falls Church, Virginia, J. H. Riley reports specimens taken July 28, 1898, 
July 9, 1902, July 28, 1906, and July 29, 1914. A female taken by A. H. 
Hardisty, July 9, 1918, in Prince George County, Maryland, near the 
District Line, apparently had young, as the single pair of subaxillary 
mammae showed signs of being used. 
On May 17, 1919, one of my Boy Scouts brought me a bat of this species 
that he had found in a crack near the top of a telephone pole at the north 
end of Connecticut Avenue Bridge. This also was a female and later 
136 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
when it died in captivity was made into a specimen and turned in to the 
Biological Survey collection. 
On May 20, 1920, Alex. Wetmore brought me a specimen taken in his 
house the previous evening at 1819 Hamline Street, Northeast. It was a 
female containing two small embryos. 
While specimens have been taken as far north as Riverton, Virginia, and 
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the main range of the species is in the lower Austral 
Zone west to Texas. With all the collecting done about Washington the 
number of specimens is so small that the only conclusion is that we are 
beyond the edge of its main range. 
GEORGIAN BAT. 
Pipistrellus subflavus (F. Cuvier). 
Total number of teeth 34; size small; ears small, pointed, nearly naked; 
tragus short and wide; fur short and woolly; color pale russet or yellowish 
brown above, lighter and brighter below; ears and membranes light brown. 
Measurements, total length 84, tail 37, hind foot 8 mm.; in inches 3.2, 1.45, 
.32. 
This is generally the most abundant small bat in and around Washington. 
Specimens have been taken during every month and at frequent intervals 
from April 29 to October 17. They may be seen every warm summer 
evening, flitting softly between the trees in the parks, or along the streets 
with irregular zigzag flight as they catch their food of flying insects. Often 
their pale colors can be recognized when they first appear in the early dusk 
of evening, their small size distinguishing them from the brighter-yellow 
red bat. During the day they sleep in some dark retreats in buildings, or 
in hollow trees, or under bark. 
In the Merriam collection, now in the U. S. National Museum, are 16 
specimens taken by Dr. Richmond May 14, 1887, under the roof of a barn 
near the Soldiers Home. They were part of a colony suspended in a cluster 
in somewhat the form of a hornets' nest from the roof in one corner of the 
building. Those taken were captured after the colony was dislodged. On 
May 3, 1896, Dr. F. V. Coville found one hanging in a bunch of elm leaves 
low over the water at High Island and gave it to me for a specimen. On 
August 18, 1904, J. H. Riley caught one in the bird gallery in the Smith- 
sonian building. On April 29, 1914, Dr. T. S. Palmer brought me one that 
he had caught in his house on Biltmore Street, where it may have entered 
through a window, or come out of some hibernating retreat. 
A specimen taken by A. H. Hardisty near Brookland on June 1, 1918, 
contained two embryos and had the usual arrangement of mammae, one 
on each side of the breast, more nearly subaxillary than pectoral. Another 
taken by Preble near Washington, June 3, 1899, contained two embryos, 
and in the Merriam collection in the U. S. National Museum is a female 
taken July 3, 1888, that was nursing young. 
DUSKY GEORGIAN BAT. 
Pipistrellus subflavus obscurus Miller. 
In size and proportions about the same as subflavus but color duller and 
Bailey — Mammals of the District of Columbia. 137 
darker, less yellowish and with dark tips of hairs on back more conspicuous. 
This dark colored northern form described by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., from 
Lake George, New York, is probably not a resident of the District. Two 
specimens taken as they were flying over the river near Plummer Island, 
September 9, 1905, are typical in color. They may have migrated from 
their northern habitat, or merely wandered out of their regular range after 
the breeding season was over. 
LITTLE BROWN BAT. 
Myotis lucifugus Iucifugus (LeConte). 
Total number of teeth 38, 2 upper incisors, and 3 upper premolars to 
each side. Size small; ears short, not reaching tip of nose, narrow and 
pointed with slender tragus; membranes mainly naked; fur smooth and 
glossy. Color, dull hazel brown above, buffy below, ears and membranes 
dusky brown. Measurements, total length 86, tail 37, hind foot 9, forearm 
38.8 expanse of wings 260 mm.; in inches 3.4, 1.45, .35, 1.5, 10.2. 
This is the common little brown bat of Washington and vicinity, and 
many specimens have been taken in May, June, July, and August. In 
1888 and 1889, Morris M. Green and Dr. C. W. Richmond collected large 
numbers of them in the crevices between the timbers of the Old Long 
Bridge across the Potomac. Of these 10 adults and 15 young taken June 
16, and a nursing female taken July 3, are in the Merriam collection, now a 
part of the U. S. National Museum collection. An old male and female and 
two half -grown young were collected at Plummer Island, August 1, 1897, by 
Dr. W. H. Osgood, and two males were collected August 24 and 31, by Dr. 
A. K. Fisher. 
While common breeding summer bats, their winter habits and their 
places of hibernation are little known. In 1920, the first small bats seen, 
apparently of this species, were flying about in the woods on the evening of 
March 19, but some of the Boy Scouts reported small bats seen a week 
earlier. 
At Falls Church, Virginia, J. H. Riley shot two females, each containing 
one large embryo, one on June 26, 1906, and the other on June 21, 1907. 
SAY BAT. 
Myotis subulatus subulatus (Say). 
Total number of teeth 38; size small; ears long and narrow, reaching 
beyond tip of nose; fur soft and glossy. Color bright hazel brown above, 
buffy brown below; ears and membranes light brownish. Measurements, 
total length 95, tail 41, foot 9, forearm 35, expanse 247 mm.; in inches 
3.7, 1.6, .35, 1.4, 9.7. 
The Say bat closely resembles the little brown bat, but specimens are 
readily distinguished by longer ears, which laid forward reach well beyond 
the tip of the nose. It seems not to be very common, but occasionally one 
is taken near Washington. In the National Museum collection is a speci- 
men taken by P. L. Jouy, at Alexandria, Virginia, in August, 1875. Gerrit 
S. Miller, Jr., took two at Forest Glen on May 10 and 26, 1896. Another 
138 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
was taken in the Smithsonian grounds by John J. Veit, September 23, 1919. 
In the Biological Survey collection are five taken at Plummer Island, 
March 27 and 31, May 28, August 17, and September 14, from 1902-1910, 
by Fisher, Osgood, McAtee, Maxon, and Barber. 
LEAST BROWN BAT. 
Myotis winnemana Nelson. 
From Myotis lucifugus, which it resembles, this tiny bat may be distin- 
guished by its smaller size, smaller ears, and shorter forearm and blackish 
face. The color is bright chestnut-brown above, grayish brown below, 
muzzle and sides of head dusky, ears and membranes black. Measurements 
of type specimen, total length 82, tail 39, hind foot 8, forearm 30.5, expanse 
of wings 225 mm.; in inches 3.2, 1.5, .3, 1.2, 8.8. 
This smallest of our eastern bats was described in 1913, by Dr. E. W. 
Nelson, from three specimens taken on Plummer Island in the Potomac 
River, 10 miles above Washington. The type and one topotype are adult 
males collected by Dr. A. K. Fisher, August 24 and 31, 1907, as they flew 
about in the cabin after dark. The only other specimen then known was 
a female taken from a hibernating colony of bats in a cave at Rutland, 
Vermont, by George L. Kirk, on April 10, 1913. Apparently it is a rare 
species or more would have been taken. Dr. Nelson considered it our 
eastern representative of the M. californicus group.