Mammals taken Along the Alaska Highway Part 7

Grizzly

_Specimens examined._--Total 5, as follows: _Yukon Territory_: E side Ais.h.i.+hik River, 17 mi. N Canyon, 1; Unahini River, 5 mi. N and 1 mi. E Dalton Post, 1; Unahini River, 3 mi. N and 1 mi. E Dalton Post, 2.

_British Columbia_: Buckinghorse River, 94 mi. S Fort Nelson, 1.

_Remarks._--Of three specimens obtained at the Unahini River, two males resemble each other closely, while the third, an old adult represented by an uns.e.xed skull with broken cranium, is markedly different, the skull being noticeably shorter with shorter rostrum and lower jaw and other distinctive features. It closely resembles the skull of an adult male taken at the Ais.h.i.+hik River. Furthermore, the first two animals show close relations.h.i.+ps with an uns.e.xed skull which Alcorn obtained at the Buckinghorse River in British Columbia.

Two males taken at the Unahini River in the Yukon Territory have the following external measurements: Total length, 1933, 1812; tail, 150, 96; hind foot, 262, 260; ear from notch, 129, 131. Other specimens, skulls only, obtained from native hunters, are partly broken. Alcorn writes that the local hunters always shoot a grizzly in the head to be certain that it is dead.

Mustela erminea arctica (Merriam)

Ermine

_Putorius arcticus_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:15, June 30, 1896.

(Type from Point Barrow, Alaska.)

_Mustela erminea arctica_ Ognev, The mammals of U. S. S. R. and adjacent countries, 3:31, 1935.

_Specimens examined._--Four from _Alaska_: N side Salcha River, 600 ft., 25 mi. S and 20 mi. E Fairbanks.

_Remarks._--One ermine was caught in a rat trap; the others were taken within 50 yards of the trapped animal by attracting them with squeaking calls to within shooting range. One of the weasels approached to within ten feet of Alcorn, while he was making the mentioned call.

Mustela erminea richardsonii Bonaparte

Ermine

_Mustela richardsonii_ Bonaparte, Charlesworth's Mag. Nat. Hist., 2:38, January, 1838. (Type from Fort Franklin, at western end of Great Bear Lake, Mackenzie district, Northwest Territories, Canada.)

_Mustela erminea richardsonii_ Hall, Jour. Mamm., 26:180, July 19, 1945.

_Specimens examined._--One from _Yukon Territory_: McIntyre Creek, 2250 ft., 3 mi. NW Whitehorse.

Mustela erminea alascensis (Merriam)

Ermine

_Putorius richardsonii alascensis_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:12, June 30, 1896. (Type from Juneau, Alaska.)

_Mustela erminea alascensis_ Hall, Jour. Mamm., 26:180, July 19, 1945.

_Specimens examined._--One from _Alaska_: E side Chilkat River, 100 ft., 9 mi. W and 4 mi. N Haines.

Mustela vison energumenos (Bangs)

Mink

_Putorius vison energumenos_ Bangs, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., 27:5, March, 1896. (Type from Sumas, British Columbia, Canada.)

_Mustela vison energumenos_ Miller, North Amer. Land Mamm. 1911, p. 101, December 31, 1912.

_Specimen examined._--One (broken and uns.e.xed skull) from _Yukon Territory_: Champagne, N side Dezadeash River.

_Remarks._--While studying moose at Medicine Lake, near Circle Hot Springs, Alaska, on August 9, 1947, Alcorn observed some mink concerning which he records the following: "After waiting about an hour a large mink was seen traveling northward on land at the edge of the lake. It continued and went out of sight. I waited about two minutes and then started a series of loud squeaks. To our surprise we soon saw what we judged was the same mink. In company with this mink were five others.... These mink were much interested in the squeaking noise and some came within 10 feet of me. They stayed on land most of the time but some of them made short swims a few feet out into the lake. One had a white chin, another had a white spot on its chest.

This group may have been an adult female with her young."

Martes pennanti columbiana Goldman

Fisher

_Martes pennanti columbiana_ Goldman, Proc. Biol. Soc. Was.h.i.+ngton, 48:176, November 15, 1935. (Type from Stuart Lake, near headwaters of Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada.)

_Specimens examined._--Total 2, as follows: _British Columbia_: 14 mi.

N Fort Halkett, W side Smith River, 1; N side Liard River, Fort Halkett, 1.

Martes americana actuosa (Osgood)

Marten

_Mustela americana actuosa_ Osgood, N. Amer. Fauna, 19:43, October 6, 1900. (Type from Fort Yukon, Alaska.)

_Martes americana actuosa_ Miller, N. Amer. Land Mamm. 1911, p. 93, December 31, 1912.

_Specimen examined._--One from _British Columbia_: N side Liard River Fort Halkett, 1.

Lynx canadensis canadensis Kerr

Canada Lynx

_Lynx canadensis_ Kerr, Anim. Kingd., vol. 1, systematic catalogue inserted between pages 32 and 33 (description, p. 157), 1792. (Type from Eastern Canada.)

_Specimens examined._--Total 4, as follows: _Yukon Territory_: Marshall Creek, 3 mi. N Dezadeash River, 1. _British Columbia_: 14 mi.

N Fort Halkett, W side Smith River, 2; Buckinghorse River, 94 mi. S Fort Nelson, 1.

Alces americana gigas Miller

Moose

_Alces gigas_ Miller, Proc. Biol. Soc. Was.h.i.+ngton, 13:57, May 29, 1899. (Type from North side Tustumena Lake, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.)

_Alces america.n.u.s gigas_ Osgood, N. Amer. Fauna, 24:29, November 23, 1904.