THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIS 



VOL. XXXIV. 



OTTAWA. ONT., NOVEMBER, 1920. 



No. 8. 



THE VERTEBRATES OF THE OTTER LAKE REGION. DORSET, ONTARIO. 



By a. H. Wright and S. E. R. Simpson. 



I. GENERAL ACCOUNT. 

 By a. H. Wright. 



The district covered by these notes might well be 

 termed the Lake of Bays region. More strictly 

 they pertain to the extreme eastern part of Mus- 

 koka from the longitude of Portage (between Pen- 



insula Lake and Lake of Bays) to that of Hollow large' toothed poplar and'somrbaliam'^opUr 

 lake (Lake Kawagama. or Kahweambelewgamal 



red pines, and common juniper (Juniperus com- 

 munis). Back of camp in the deeper woods or un- 

 disturbed areas occur plenty of yellow and paper 

 birches, sugar maples, mountain ash with under- 

 growth of mountain and striped maples, hobble- 

 bush, beaked hazel nut and hoary alder (A. in- 

 cana). In the more open places are quaking aspen, 



or Kahweamhegewagamag) in northwestern Hali- 

 burton. In latitude they relate of the region from 

 Dorset on Trading lake (the eastern end of Lake 

 of Bays navigation) northward to Algonquin Park 

 Station in southwestern Nipissing. The center of 

 activity is at Camp Otter (Professor C. V. P. 

 Young, Cornell '99, Director) on Otter lake which 

 is two miles north of Dorset. The waters and 

 woodlands of the above roughly outlined district 

 are more or less traversed each summer by coun- 

 cillors of this camp. 



Camp Otter is now in its eleventh season. From 

 its beginning Prof, and Mrs. C. V. P. Young, its 

 directors, have been interested in various phases of 

 animal and plant life. Early associated with them 

 were Dr; and Mrs. S. A. Munford and later Dr. 

 and Mrs. Abram T. Kerr, of Ithaca, N.Y. Be- 

 sides those who have encouraged the study of natur- 

 al history in this region, have been several students 

 or associates of the senior author. Some of these 

 resident naturalists have been Prof. Asa C. Chand- 

 ler, Mr. Frank M. Kilburn, Prof. E. L. Palmer, 

 Mr. G. M. O'Connell (several seasons). Dr. H. 

 G. Bull, Mr. D. C. Gamble and Mr. S. E. R. 

 Simpson. We have added some observations of Mrs. elder, glaucous willow, shining willow, meadow 

 Julia Moesel Haber (Prof, of Zoology in Elmira sweet and black ash. 



Along the road southward to Dorset and Lake 

 of Bays where sparse settlement begins, occur a few 

 basswood, American elm, white ash, black birch, 

 staghorn sumac, scarlet oak, choke cherry, alter- 

 nate-leaved dogwccd, thorn apple (Crataegus sp.^, 

 and (Diennlla Lonicera), unmistakable signs of 

 the Transition Zone. No black walnuts, butter- 

 nuts, nor hickories were recorded. On Rock Island 

 of Otter lake and along some roads occur red oak, 

 wild red cherry, June berry, Bebb's willow. 



Along the road to Hardwood lake and at Hard- 

 wood lake a similar element we have, in some 

 beeches among many maples and birches, plenty of 

 wild black and red cherries, staghorn sumac, black 

 ciders, alternate-leaved dogwood and white ash. 



Around or in peat bogs occur: leather leaf, bog 

 rosemary, withe rod (Viburnum cassinoidcs), blue- 

 berries (Vaccinium penns^lvanicum, V. p. nigrum, 

 V. canadense), black alder (Ilex verticillata), 

 skunk currant (Rihes prosiralum) and mountain 

 holly (Nemopanlhus mucronata) the last being 

 rare. 



Around some of the lakes or in swampy edges 

 were found sweet gale (Myrica Cale) red berried 



College, Elmira, N.Y.) for Fox Point (1911). 

 Several summers Mr. L. A. Fuertes, the bird artist, 

 has spent varying periods in the camp. 



These lists are presented with the idea of start- 

 ing a permanent catalogue of animal and plant 

 forms of the region. 



Other trees and shrubs which proved uncommon 

 about camp were red-osier dogwood, sheep laurel 

 (Kalmia angustifolia), American fly honeysuckle, 

 hop hornbean (Oslrya virginiana). 



The herbaceous flora reveals a strong Canadian 

 cast. Around the camp site are twin-flower 



Otter Lake is distinctly in the Canadian life (Linnaea borealis), dwarf cornel (C. canadensis), 

 zone. The coniferous evergreens are: larch, black common wood sorrel (Oxalis acelosella), pale cory- 

 spruce, balsam fir, arbor vitae, hemlock, white and dalis (Corydalis sempervirens), bristly sarsaparilla. 



