Notes on the Mammals of Gogebic and Ontonagon Counties, Michigan, 1920 Part 3

Aerial, 1.

The only specimen secured was shot at 7:55 p. m., August 9, while it was flying over the road through the dry hardwood forest near Little Girl's Point.

_Ursus america.n.u.s america.n.u.s._ Black Bear.

Wet hardwood forest, 1.

Dry hardwood forest, 1.

Reported by residents as being rather common. July 10 a large black bear was seen to cross the railroad track and enter the hardwood forest not over a quarter-mile from Cisco Lake Station. Tracks of a large individual were seen in the mud bordering a small brook in maple-birch-hemlock forest about three miles southeast of the station July 17 and August 15. At dusk, August 28, while Mr. Sherman was setting up a camera and flashgun along a deer trail about 100 yards from the camp on Gogebic Lake, a small bear pa.s.sed within twenty-five paces of him, apparently but little concerned with his presence or that of the nearby camp and fire, except that it sniffed the air occasionally.

_Canis lycaon._ Timber Wolf.

Mud-flat, signs.

Tall-sedge, tracks.

Dry hardwood forest, reported.

Residents reported it common in all the districts visited by us. We saw signs and tracks in several habitats; and residents saw a wolf in the dry hardwood forest near our camp in the Little Girl's Point district.

_Canis latrans._ Coyote.

J. E. Fischer reported in 1920 that coyotes had appeared and become numerous in the region at the north end of Lake Gogebic within the last few years. We have secured several skulls and skeletons taken by him in 1920-21.

_Vulpes fulva._ Red Fox.

Mountain-heath, signs.

Signs of fox were found in late August in a narrow growth of heath at the top of a cliff about a mile north of Lake Gogebic Station. J. E.

Fischer has sent us a fox taken in January, 1921, in Gogebic County near Gogebic Lake. Benjamin J. Twombley reports that a few occur in the Cisco Lake Region. J. E. Marshall, in 1911, reported that a few occurred around Gogebic Lake.

_Urocyon cinereoargenteus._ Gray Fox.

J. E. Marshall reported in 1911 that it was rare, but that he had trapped two near Gogebic Lake.

_Martes america.n.u.s america.n.u.s._ Marten.

J. E. Marshall reported in 1911 that it was getting scarce in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties. He trapped a number near Gogebic Lake in the winter of 1884-1885, and took 15 in the winter of 1889-90. In 1920 J.

E. Fischer reported marten rare near Gogebic Lake.

_Martes pennantii pennantii._ Fisher.

In 1911 J. E. Marshall reported that it was getting scarce near Gogebic Lake; he trapped four in the winter of 1889-90 and two in 1890-91. J.

E. Fischer took one in Ontonagon County near Gogebic Lake in the winter of 1919-20. Ole Petersen in 1911 reported it rare near Gogebic Lake.

_Mustela cicognanii cicognanii._ Bonaparte Weasel.

Black spruce--tamarack bog, 1.

Dry hardwood forest, 4.

Trappers report it common throughout the areas visited. We took five specimens near Little Girl's Point. Several specimens taken in the Cisco Lake Region during the winter of 1920-21 were presented to us by Benjamin J. Twombley, and J. E. Fischer sent us a specimen taken in December, 1920, near Gogebic Lake.

_Mustela vison letifera._ Mink.

Forest--sh.o.r.e, 6.

Wet hardwood forest, den.

Reported by trappers as common throughout the area studied. In the Cisco Lake Region two were trapped at the water's edge beside a growth of paper birch saplings; and another was shot as it was running along the bank of the Ontonagon River at the edge of a stand of hemlocks.

Three others were seen swimming near the latter locality July 29. Upon the approach of the canoe they swam rapidly to an old hollow log in wet hardwood forest on sh.o.r.e. Around and through the log well-worn runways showed evidence of the presence of a den.

_Mephitis hudsonica._ Skunk.

Ditch-border, 1.

Dry hardwood forest, 5.

Four skunks were taken in the dry hardwood forest of the Cisco Lake Region, one in the same type of habitat near the Little Girl's Point camp, and another in a trap set in the bottom of a muddy ditch in the beaver meadow near Gogebic Lake.

An adult male, trapped July 14 in the Cisco Lake Region, was badly infested with tapeworms in the middle part of the small intestine. An adult female, taken July 19, was found to have many tapeworms in the intestine, many nematodes in the lung tissue, an infested liver, and a large number of nematodes in a cavity in the top of the skull.

While we were photographing a captive juvenile August 2 at Lindsley Lake a horsefly (identified as _Taba.n.u.s atratus_ by J. S. Rogers) burrowed into the fur on the rump of the skunk and began sucking blood.

_Taxidea taxus taxus._ Badger.

J. E. Marshall reports that he trapped one in the winter of 1889-90 between Gogebic Lake and Lake Superior.

_Lutra canadensis canadensis._ Otter.

In 1911 J. E. Marshall reported that quite a few remained around Gogebic Lake; he took quite a number in the winter of 1884 and several in the winters of 1889 to 1891. J. E. Fischer took two in Ontonagon County in January, 1921.

_Lynx canadensis._ Canada Lynx.

J. E. Marshall reports that it was not very plentiful near Gogebic Lake in 1884. He took one in the winter of 1890-91; in 1911 it had almost or entirely disappeared.

_Lynx ruffus ruffus._ Bob-cat.

J. E. Marshall reports that he took three or four near Gogebic Lake in the winter of 1890-91; in 1891-92 it had become quite numerous; and it continued to increase until 1911 at least. In 1920 residents reported that a few occurred in all the regions visited by us.

_Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis._ Deer-mouse.

Tall-sedge, 4.

Black ash swamp, 5.

Arbor-vitae swamp, 11.

Black spruce--tamarack bog, 4.

Hemlock forest, 16.

White pine forest, 5.

Wet hardwood forest, 78.

Dry hardwood forest, 143.

Shrub stage, 19.

Paper birch--aspen, 15.

Young hardwood forest stage, 2.