It has been supposed that the picture that I posted of the Kamoshika is actually that of a Japanese Snow Kangaroo. This is decidedly not the case. Snow kangaroos are somewhat taller with large pontoon like feet to help them jump through the drifts of often powdery, deep snow that coat the mountains and hills around Nagano and elsewhere in Japan. Snow Kangaroos are most closely related to the Yeti-dog of inner Mongolia and are recognisable by their dog like canines which they use to root for grubs and tubers. The Kamoshika, on the other hand is also known as the Japanese Serow and is related more to the goaty-llama type animals that so frequently inhabit petting zoos around the world.

In other news, I just finished Eric Larson's "The Devil in the White City" a true historical account of H.H. Holmes, the first known serial killer in the US as well as the trials and tribulations of the World Columbian Exibition in 1893. Let me start out by saying that i'm a little biased of course because I'm really an urban planner at heart and also as a one time resident of Hyde Park in Chicago, I have a soft spot for Chicago based literature and since I was only a 5 minute walk from where the Exibition was held, more than a passing familiarity with the grounds. All the same, it's history that reads like fiction. It was so good that I found myself cringing at the thought of such rabble rousers as Eugene Debs spoiling the progress of the honorable architect and builder Daniel Burnham.

This, along with The Jungle is a "should read" for anyone who has stepped into Chicago for more than a passing glimpse at the airport.