Mammals taken Along the Alaska Highway Part 3

Castor canadensis sagittatus Benson

Beaver

_Castor canadensis sagittatus_ Benson, Jour. Mamm., 14:320, November 13, 1933. (Type from Indianpoint Creek, 3200 ft., 16 mi.

NE Barkerville, British Columbia.)

_Specimens examined._--Two from _British Columbia_: Fort Halkett, N side Liard River.

_Remarks._--Two beaver skulls obtained by Alcorn from trapper Johnny Pie appear to be of this subspecies. Anderson (1947:133) records this subspecies from the Liard River, in the area from which these specimens were taken. The trapper told Alcorn that he shot these two beavers in the winter of 1947-48 and hung the skulls in a tree.

Peromyscus maniculatus algidus Osgood

White-footed Mouse

_Peromyscus maniculatus algidus_ Osgood, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 28:56, April 17, 1909. (Type from head of Lake Bennett, site of old Bennett City, British Columbia.)

_Specimens examined._--Total 93, as follows: _Alaska_: E side Chilkat River, 100 ft., 9 mi. W and 4 mi. N Haines, 20; 1 mi. W Haines, 5 ft., 7. _Yukon Territory_: 6 mi. SW Kluane, 2550 ft., 10; McIntyre Creek, 2250 ft., 3 mi. NW Whitehorse, 6; 2 mi. NNW Whitehorse, 2100 ft., 2; W side Lewes River, 2150 ft., 2 mi. S Whitehorse, 16; SW end Dezadeash Lake, 9; 1 mi. S and 3 mi. E Dalton Post, 15. _British Columbia_: Stonehouse Creek, 5 mi. W jct. Stonehouse Creek and Kelsall River, 8.

_Remarks._--Specimens from the localities listed above are in the geographic range of _P. m. algidus_ as outlined by Anderson (1947: 136). Specimens from the vicinity of Haines, Alaska, are slightly darker indicating intergradation with _P. m. hylaeus_; Osgood (1909a: 54 and 56) also noted that intergradation between _P. m. algidus_ and _P. m. hylaeus_ occurs in this area.

Peromyscus maniculatus borealis Mearns

White-footed Mouse

_Peromyscus maniculatus borealis_ Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 24:102, May 15, 1911. Subst.i.tute name for _P. m. arcticus_ Mearns. (Type from Fort Simpson, Mackenzie, Canada.)

_Specimens examined._--Total 214, as follows: _Yukon Territory_: 2 mi.

W Teslin River, 2400 ft., 16 mi. S and 56 mi. E Whitehorse, 8; W side Teslin River, 2300 ft., 16 mi. S and 58 mi. E Whitehorse, 24; E side Teslin River, 2300 ft., 16 mi. S and 59 mi. E Whitehorse, 7. _British Columbia_: 1 mi. NW jct. Irons Creek and Liard River, 10; Hot Springs, 3 mi. WNW jct. Trout River and Liard River, 6; N side Liard River, mi. W jct. Trout River and Liard River, 13; mi. S jct. Trout River and Liard River, 20; SE end Muncho Lake, 5; S side Toad River, 10 mi.

S and 21 mi. E Muncho Lake, 45; N side Muskwa River, 1200 ft., 4 mi. W Fort Nelson, 9; North Fork Tetsa River, 3900 ft., 4 mi. ENE Summit Pa.s.s, 13; Summit Pa.s.s, 4200 ft., 10 mi. S and 70 mi. W Fort Nelson, 17; E side Minaker River, 1 mi. W Trutch, 18; Beatton River, 115 mi. S Fort Nelson, 2; 5 mi. W and 3 mi. N Fort St. John, 7. _Alberta_: a.s.sineau River, 1920 ft., 10 mi. E and 1 mi. N Kinuso, 10.

_Remarks._--Specimens from 2 miles west of Teslin River resemble _P.

m. borealis_ more than _P. m. algidus_ both in size of skull and in color, although I find it difficult to distinguish the specimens by color.

Alcorn, like Rand (1945:43), found the mouse in almost every habitat along the Alaska Highway. On the east side of the Minaker River, one mile west of Trutch, Alcorn took 26 _Peromyscus_ and four _Microtus_ in 70 museum special traps baited with chewed rolled oats, set in a gra.s.sy area where there were birches and clumps of willows.

_Peromyscus_ was usually abundant in old construction camps along the highway; on July 27 in 50 traps set under abandoned buildings at Summit Pa.s.s, Alcorn took 21 _Peromyscus_. Apparently, as Swarth (1936:402) notes, the white-footed mouse makes itself at home in such buildings, and local populations probably increase as a result of the artificial environment that provides favorable conditions for existence.

Neotoma cinerea drummondii (Richardson)

Bushy-tailed Wood Rat

_Myoxus drummondii_ Richardson, Zool. Jour., 3:517, 1828. (Type probably from near Jasper House, Alberta, Canada.)

_Neotoma cinerea drummondii_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Was.h.i.+ngton, 7:25, April 13, 1892.

_Specimens examined._--Total 4, as follows: _British Columbia_: Summit Pa.s.s, 4500 ft., 10 mi. S and 70 mi. W of Fort Nelson, 1; 5 mi. W and 3 mi. N Fort St. John, 3.

_Remarks._--Wood rats were obtained at only two locations, Alcorn's field notes indicating that the animals were rare and spotty in distribution. Rand (1944:44) comments that the rats were "scarce north of the Lower Liard Crossing."

At both localities where specimens were taken, Alcorn noted first their characteristic droppings. At Summit Pa.s.s, droppings were found in a rock slide at the upper limit of timber line; one rat was taken.

At the trapping station five miles west and three miles north of Fort St. John, droppings were found in and under an old abandoned building; four young (two prepared) and one adult were obtained.

Synaptomys borealis dalli Merriam

Northern Bog Lemming

_Synaptomys_ (_Mictomys_) _dalli_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 10:62, March 19, 1896. (Type from Nulato, Alaska.)

_Synaptomys borealis dalli_ A. B. Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, 50:24, (June 30) August 5, 1927.

_Specimens examined._--Total 6, as follows: _Alaska_: E side Deadman Lake, 1800 ft., 15 mi. SE Northway, 1. _Yukon Territory_: McIntyre Creek, 2250 ft., 3 mi. NW Whitehorse, 5.

_Remarks._--The northern bog lemming is evidently not generally distributed along the Alaska Highway but may be locally numerous in cover of gra.s.s and sedge especially in marsh and bog habitat. Five specimens were obtained in a gra.s.sy area 30 feet wide by 60 feet long which was approximately 50 feet from McIntyre Creek in the Yukon Territory. In 22 mouse traps set the first night in this locality, three _Synaptomys_, six _Microtus_ and one _Sorex_ were taken. One additional _Synaptomys_ was taken on each of the following two nights in the same area. At Deadman Lake, Alaska, one _Synaptomys_ was taken in heavy sedge bordering a small pond.

Clethrionomys rutilus dawsoni (Merriam)

Dawson Red-backed Mouse

_Evotomys dawsoni_ Merriam, Amer. Nat., 22:650, July, 1888.

(Type from Finlayson River, a northern source of the Liard River, lat. 61 30' N, long. 129 30' W, Yukon, Canada.)

_Clethrionomys rutilus dawsoni_ Rausch, Jour. Was.h.i.+ngton Acad. Sci., 40:135, April 21, 1950.

_Specimens examined._--Total 126, as follows: _Alaska_: Chatanika River, 700 ft., 14 mi. E and 25 mi. N Fairbanks, 17; 1 mi. SW Fairbanks, 440 ft., 1; N side Salcha River, 600 ft., 25 mi. S and 20 mi. E Fairbanks, 15; 25 mi. S and 20 mi. E Fairbanks, 3; Yerrick Creek, 21 mi. W and 4 mi. N Tok Junction, 32; Tok Junction, 1600 ft., 1; E side Deadman Lake, 1800 ft., 15 mi. SE Northway, 9; 1 mi. NE Anchorage, 100 ft., 9; Glenn Highway, 6 mi. WSW Snowshoe Lake, 1; E side Chilkat River, 100 ft., 9 mi. W and 4 mi. N Haines, 2; 1 mi. S Haines, 5 ft., 2. _Yukon Territory_: Jct. Grafe Creek and Edith Creek, 2; 6 mi. SW Kluane, 2250 ft., 4; 2 mi. NNW Whitehorse, 2100 ft., 2; W side Lewes River, 2150 ft., 2 mi. S Whitehorse, 6; SW end Desadeash Lake, 15. _British Columbia_: Stonehouse Creek, 5 mi. W jct.

Stonehouse Creek and Kelsall River, 1; S side Toad River, 10 mi. S and 21 mi. E Muncho Lake, 2; Summit Pa.s.s, 4500 ft., 10 mi. S and 70 mi. W Fort Nelson, 2.

_Remarks._--Specimens from one mile northeast of Anchorage show little tendency toward _C. r. orca_ from the Prince William Sound area (see Orr, 1945:73). One specimen from this locality is slightly darker than the others.

Red-backed mice were numerous in most localities where Alcorn trapped.

A number of specimens were taken adjacent to and within abandoned road camps, where second growth vegetation was rank. As in the case of _C.

gapperi_, he found _C. rutilus_ in varied habitats.

Clethrionomys gapperi athabascae (Preble)

Red-backed Mouse

_Evotomys gapperi athabascae_ Preble, N. Amer. Fauna, 27:178, October 26, 1908. (Type from Fort Smith, Slave Lake, Mackenzie District, Northwest Territories, Canada.)

_Clethrionomys gapperi athabascae_ Harper, Jour. Mamm., 13:28, February 9, 1932.

_Specimens examined._--Total 14, as follows: _British Columbia_: N side Muska River, 1200 ft., 4 mi. W Fort Nelson, 1; E side Minaker River, 1 mi. W Trutch, 3; 5 mi. W and 3 mi. N Fort St. John, 4.