S54 Faiaia Boreali-Americana, 



formed within the Barren Grounds by the traders, and a few wretched 

 families of Chipewyans, termed from their mode of subsistence * Caribou- 

 eaters,' are the only human beings who reside constantly upon them. Were 

 any one to penetrate into their lands, they might address him with pro- 

 priety in the words used by the Lapland woman to Linnaeus, when he 

 reached her hut, exhausted by hunger and the fatigue of travelling through 

 interminable marshes, " O, thou poor man ! what hard destiny can have 

 brought thee hither to a place never visited by any one before ? This 

 is the first time I ever beheld a stranger. Thou miserable creature ! how 

 didst thou come, and whither wilt thou go ?" (Introd. p. xxiv.) This in- 

 hospitable tract furnishes 9 species of Carnlvora, including bears and foxes, 

 9 gnawers, a variety of the reindeer, and the musk ox. 



3. The Eastern District, lying between the western border of a range of 

 low primitive rocks, which skirt the Barren Grounds, and the coast of Hud- 

 son's Bay, contains 2 cr 3 bats, 3 shrews, 1 7 Carnivora, including a few 

 Jkfustelae, 1 2 Rod^ntia, among which are the the flying squirrels, the elk and 

 reindeer. 



4. The Limestone Tract, in which, being well wooded and well watered, 

 fur-bearing animals are abundant, is inhabited by 1 bat, 3 Insectlvora, 17 

 Carnivora, 15 Rod^ntia, including the Canada porcupine, the elk, rein- 

 deer, and bison. 



5. Prairie Land, situated between the Limestone District and the Rocky 

 Mountains. This " is in general level, the slight inequalities of surface 

 being imperceptible when viewed from a distance ; and the traveller, in 

 crossing it, must direct his course by the compass or the heavenly bodies, 

 in the same way as if he were journeying over the Deserts of Arabia. The 

 soil is mostly dry and sandy, but tolerably fertile ; and it supports a pretty 

 thick sward of grass, which furnishes food to immense herds of bisons. The 

 abundance of pasture renders these plains the favourite resort of various; 

 ruminating animals. They are frequented throughout their whole extent 

 by buffalo and wapiti. The prong-horned antelope is common on the 

 Assinaboyn, or Red River, and the southern branch of the Saskatchewan, 

 and extends its range in the summer to the northern branch of the latter 

 river. The black-tailed deer, the long-tailed deer, and the grisly bear, are 

 also inhabitants of the plains, but do not wander further to the eastward." 

 (p. xxviii. et seq.) 



^ The quadrupeds found in the Prairies are 3 species of Carnfvora, con- 

 sisting of the genera ZJ'rsus and Clmis; 7 Rod^ntia; the horse, in herds, 

 having wandered from the neighbourhood of Mexico ; 4 deer ; the prong- 

 horned antelope ; and the bison. 



The species described in the work are 92 in number, of which 22 were 

 nearly unknown to science prior to Dr. Richardson's examination of them, 

 Mr. Sabine and himself having, with the greatest care and accuracy, com- 

 pared the specimens with the description and figures of former travellers 

 and scientific writers, in many instances confirming and amplifying the slight 

 notices of them by Lewis and Clarke, Ord, Say, &c., and in others either 

 demonstrating their entire novelty, or fixing, as far as the present state of 

 zoological knowledge will allow, their situations in a natural system. To 

 attempt the further compression of so condensed a work, would be a hope- 

 less labour ; we can therefore present our readers with little more than a 

 few notices of the rarer animals, and very limited extracts from the inter- 

 esting anecdotes and judicious observations of the author. 



The two bats described by Dr. Richardson have both been named by Say. 

 Of the three shrews, two are new, but are uninteresting, except for their 

 novelty. Of the shrew-mole (Scalops canadensis), the following history is 

 given : — " The shrew-mole resembles the common European mole in its 

 habits, in leading a subterraneous life, forming galleries, throwing up little 

 mounds of earth, and in feeding principally on earthworms and grubs. Dr, 



