Collection: Books and Periodicals

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Title: A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Publisher: Lewis Publishing Company Published: 1891 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Source(s): Google Books # of Pages: 713 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-22 00:25:09 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:11:29 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 06:30:36

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 713  

86 HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. belly, and elsewhere a brownish-yellow, mottled with dark tips on all the hairs. The panther is a cowardly animal, and, except when driven by some extraordinary motive, never attacks man. The panther is nocturnal in his habits, and always prefers the night as a time for attacking colts, which are a favorite prey with him. The California, mountain or silver lion is still occasionally met with in the wildest mountain fastnesses. The American wild-cat (Lynx rufus) is common here. The gray wolf (Canis occidentalis) iv found here, but is not abundant. The coyote nsed to be very common, and occupied the same place here with that occupied in the Mississippi Valley by the prairie-wolf. Dr. Newberry thinks the two belong to the same species (Canis latrans). The color of the coyote has a reddish tinge. His food consists chiefly of rabbits, grouse, small birds, mice, lizzards and frogs; and in time of scarcity he will eat carrion, grasshoppers, and bugs. He is very fond of poultry, pigs, and lambs, and will destroy almost as many of them as would a fox. He is one of the worst enemies and most troublesome pests of the farmer. The gray fox (Vulpes Virginianus) is the only animal of that species we know to exist in Northern California, although many years ago, we heard that there were some black foxes. “Silver” and “cross” foxes have been found. The American badger (Zazidea Americuna) used to be common here, but they are now nearly extinct. The black-footed raccoon (Procyon hernandezit) is very common in the forests and along the water courses. Of the yellow-haired porcupine (Z’rethizon epixanthus), a few have been found in some sections, but they are very rare. The mountain-cat, or striped bassaris (Bassaris astuta), is occasionally found here, but are not numerous. The body is about the size of that of the domestic cat, but the nose is very long and sharp, and the tail very long and large. The color of the animal is dark gray, with rings of black on the tail. The miners call it the “ mountain cat,” and frequently tame it. It is a favorite pet with them, becomes very playful and familiar, and is far more affectionate than the common cat, which it might replace, for it is very good at catching mice. The fisher (Mustela Pennantz) is found in some localities; also the chipmunk, woodchuck, otter, raccoon, porcupine, etc. The yellow-cheeked weasel (Putorius xanthogenys) is found here, but are not numerous. The common mink (Putorius vison) has a skin as valuable as that of the beaver; the fur is of adark, brownish chestnut color, with a white spot on the end of the chin. They exist here, but are very rare. California has two skunks (Mephitis occidentalis and Mephitis bicolor), very common animals. The Mephitis bicolor, or little striped skunk, is chiefly found south of latitude 39°; the other in the northern and central parts of the State. The colors of both are black and white. The Squirrel Family.—The California gray squirrel (Sciturus fossor), the most beautiful and one of the largest of the squirrel genus, inhabits all the pine forests of the State. Its color on the back is a finely-grizzled bluish gray, and white, beneath. At the base of the ear is a little woolly tuft, of a chestnut color. The sides of the feet are covered with hair in the winter, but are bare in the summer; the body is more slender and delicate in shape than that of the Atlantic gray squirrel. It sometimes grows to be twelve inches long in the head and body, and fifteen inches in the tail, making the entire length twenty-seven inches. Dr. Newberry says: “The California gray squirrel is eminently a tree-squirrel, scarcely descending to the ground but for food and water, and it subsists almost exclusively on the seeds of the largest and loftiest pine known (Pinus lambertiana), the ‘sugar-pine’ of the Western coast. These squirrels inhabit the forests.”