Zoological Survey

REPORTS OF THE COMMISSIONERS ON THE ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE STATE. Boston: DUTTON AND WENTWORTH, STATE PRINTERS 1838. To the Senate and House of Representatives : I transmit to the House of Representatives, for the information of the Legislature, a Report on Quadrupeds, by Professor Emmons, of Williams’ College; a Report on Birds, by Rev. W, O. B. Peabody, of Springfield; and a Report on Fishes, by D. Humphreys Storer, M. D., of Boston: Commissioners appointed to survey the Zoology of the State, under a Resolve of April 12th, 1837. EDWARD EVERETT. Council Chamber, 6th April, 1838, DR. EMMONS’ REPORT. To His Excellency, Edward Everett, Governor of the State ofMassachusetts : Sir,—The subscriber in fulfilment of the trust committed to him by the Executive, to make farther investigations in relation to the animals of this State, offers the following Report: In the first place, I deem it proper to state the difficulty I met with in satisfying myself as to the manner in which the work ought to be performed. The difficulty arose not from a deficiency of interest, nor a want of importance to a scientific public, but from a doubt how the work could be made of practical importance to the community at large ; the requirement that it should possess this character, being distinctly set forth in the commission. After some reflection on the subject, and consultation with the gentlemen associated in the enterprize, it was considered expedient to confine my investigations, in part at least, to the domestic animals. Though this field has been occupied more or less by members of our excellent Agricultural Societies, still, many facts, it was suppos- ed, might be gleaned, highly useful to the public. In addition to the above, as well as to what has been made public, concerning the animals of the state, in the preceding reports, I de- termined to figure and describe some of the rarer animals which had come under my particular notice. This part of the work seemed to be left discretionary, as no adequate provision had been made for its execution ; but no doubt could be entertained of its acceptability, if correctly performed. Another consideration which has induced me to undertake this difficult task, is the fact, that many of our animals are incorrectly described and badly figured. This is said without im- puting to any one of our naturalists, inattention or incompetency. The subject has inherent difficulties, and it cannot be expected that any individual can give a full and correct account even of the animals 6 DR. EMMONS’ REPORT. April, of a small district, without the labor of years ; and this is emphati- cally true, when a naturalist attempts to describe all the native animals of this country. In the first settlement of a country, where almost every thing is new, and all is to be learned, it cannot be expected, that correct descriptions of natural objects will be made immediately. Much time must necessarily be consumed in the collection of ma- terials, and their accumulation is slow ; and besides, it requires a certain degree of advancement towards affluence, or at least to be above want, before a community will turn its attention to subjects not recognized as being of immediate utility. The ultimate end however, of the study of zoology, is the discovery of facts which shall be beneficial to mankind. One reason why this result is questioned by any, is, that utility is confined by them within too narrow bounds. Another is, that the true method of study is not understood, and as it is not known that many things are to be learned which cannot be shown to be useful, unless they are links which will lead to the discovery of other important truths, so this class of facts, or this kind of knowledge may be set down for nothing. Every one admits the value of method in all pursuits, the value of a discriminating mind, or in other words, of a correct and sound judgment, and also, what must precede these, a talent and a habit for observation. Whatever therefore, serves todevelope this talent and form this habit, and secure the possession of a sound and correct judgment, or in other words, increase the accuracy of the power by exercise, will not fail to be appreciated in those studies and investigations which are acknowledged to produce these effects. These effects follow almost necessarily from investigation in natural history ; it is, in fact, impossible to advance a step without the adoption of method, or, which is much the same, without science ; for we cannot consider a subject according to a method, without also availing ourselves of some of the important principles of science. Nature, in conferring characters on the individuals of her works, has made such a subordination of them, that they may be included in certain groups or families, under a few common characters, and in the possession of these characters, there is a common resemblance which is confined to that group or family, and which is also exclusive of all others. The discrimination of character therefore, leads to the ex- 1838. HOUSE—No. 72. 7 ercise of the same powers as are employed in the detection of coun- terfeit bills, in estimating correctly the difference of value between two horses, or two farms, or of the degrees of guilt in two criminals arraigned at the bar of justice, or the shade of difference in the mean- ing of two words. The method of nature has another advantage over any other, in this, that though we may be obliged to stop in our inquiries at a certain point, and though we cannot now see that they bear on the arts of life, or the good of the world, yet hereafter they may be taken up and pursued from the point at which we leave them, without having to go over the previous ground ; they may subse- quently be carried out, after light has been shed on the path by some kindred science, to a most valuable purpose in civilized life. To pursue the preceding views a step farther, we may refer to the advantage of a scientific catalogue of animals, over one arranged alphabetically. If, in the former, the principle of resemblance has been employed to a legitimate extent, then the several groups contain individuals whose external as well as internal configurations are simi- lar in some of their most important features ; again, those groups or families, under some distinguishing name, will follow each other in some regular order, each family will be adjacent to those which it most resembles, while those whose resemblance is remote, will oc- cupy a remote station. A system is thus formed of the series, easy of reference, and in which we may see at a glance the affinities of a whole kingdom. In the latter case it is easy to see, that the alpha- betic arrangement is entirely deficient in information and value, ex- cept so far as names are concerned. It may be employed like a dictionary of words, and therefore may be employed occasionally for reference, but ought never to supersede the systematic arrangement. I shall now pass from these general and somewhat desultory re- marks, to the consideration of the subjects of this report. Of the domestic animals I have selected the ox as the first for description. The points on which I shall dwell at some length are, his natural history and anatomical structure, his diseases and mode of cure. The zoological characters of the class Mammalia, (the class of animals on which I am directed to report,) are the following, “ Animals having mammas or teats, or which suckle their young.” In this class 8 DR. EMMONS’ REPORT. April, and in the order mminantia, or animals which chew the cud, or chew their food a second time, is placed the ox.” He belongs to the tribe bovidce and genus bos ; characterized by the horns occupying the crest, and projecting sideways at first, and being cellular within. The domestic ox belongs to a sub genus, or bos taurus. As an individual of this sub genus, he furnishes the following distinguishing marks or characters : whole number of teeth, 30 ; incisors or cutting teeth six in the under jaw, none in the upper ; canine or tusks, none ; molars or grinders, twelve in each jaw. The whole is expressed . 0 . 0 6 6 „ more concisely as follows, incisors -g-, canines -g-, molars g-g total 30. The native country of the ox is not certainly known, but he was probably domesticated very soon after the flood, and perhaps before, as we have this passage in the 4th chapter of Genesis, “ Jabal was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.” The time therefore of his reclamation from the wilds of the forest, as well as his native country, is veiled in obscurity. The effect of domestication in this, as in all other instances, has been to diminish the size of the animal, and extinguish to a great extent the natural fe- rocity. According to tradition, the wild oxen of Britain belonged to a very large race, and were very ferocious. Besides this traditionary evidence, there are found, in almost every country of Europe, the skull bones of oxen much larger than those of any of the living races. There is some doubt whether the animals to which these fossil bones belonged, were the parents of the present domestic ox. In this country, also, we have indications of the former existence on this continent of at least two, if not three species which have be- come extinct.

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