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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



turn to the high barrens in April and 

 May. 



Three distinct herds browse over the 

 north part of the peninsula. One, on 

 the Atlantic coast occupies in summer 

 the mountainous area between the 

 56th and 59th parallels, and migrates 

 almost as a unit southwestward toward 

 the semi-barrens of the inland valleys 

 and forested lowlands beyond Lake 

 Michikimau. Hundreds are killed by 

 the Indians while crossing the George 

 River about 100 mi. below the lake. 

 The spring migration is more desultory 

 in small bands. Another of the herds 

 frequents in summer the point of the 

 peninsula between Ungava Bay and the 

 Atlantic, and migrates to the point 

 west of Ungava Bay and Hudson Strait, 

 crossing the lower regions of Koksoak 

 River. The third herd winters about 

 Clearwater Lake, and migrates north- 

 ward for summer pasturage to the high- 

 lands along the divide of the north- 

 western part of the peninsula. 



With irregular periodicity the caribou 

 remain on the barrens throughout the 

 winter, not migrating back to the for- 

 ested inland valleys and lake shore 

 tracts. Whenever this happens the 

 Indians are likely to face stress and 

 starvation and death. 



With diminution in number of the 

 Indian hunters, there is a corresponding 

 increase in the number of furbearing 

 animals. Of these the most abundant 

 are the pine marten {Maries) ranging 

 through the forested regions, but not 

 found on the semi-barrens of the high- 

 lands, or north of the tree-limit; the 

 wolverine (Gulo) common throughout 

 the entire extent of Labrador to its 

 northernmost point; the otter (Lutra) 

 common throughout the wooded regions 

 and ranging northward into the barren 

 grounds; the beaver (Castor), numerous 

 throughout the forested lands, and rang- 

 ing into the semi-barrens wherever 

 the food-supply permits; the weasel 

 [Mustela), distributed throughout the 

 wooded regions; the mink [Mustela 

 vison), rare even in the southernmost 

 portion of the peninsula; the red fox 



(Vulpes) and its variant color phases, 

 relatively abundant throughout the 

 peninsula; and the arctic fox (Alopex) — 

 both blue and white forms — found most 

 abundantly in the barren ground to the 

 north, and ranging farther south along 

 the coast to the 52nd parallel. 



The arctic hare {Lepus arcticus) is 

 confined to the barren and semi-barren 

 lands, but the common rabbit (Lepus 

 americanus) is found in great numbers 

 throughout the wooded regions, except 

 that periodically it is almost extermi- 

 nated by an epidemic infection that 

 rages through the species. This rabbit 

 is an essential element in the Labrador 

 fauna, for many of the carnivoran species 

 depend upon it for their basic food 

 supply. The Canada lynx (Lynx cana- 

 densis), the gray wolf, and many of the 

 fur-bearing carnivores find the rabbit 

 the ultimate source of sustenance. It 

 is said that whenever the rabbits die 

 from disease, the lynx faces such difficult 

 food conditions that it does not breed 

 during the shortage of rabbits. The 

 gray wolf (Cams lycaon) preys chiefly 

 upon the caribou (Rangifer spp.), and 

 since the woodland form has become 

 almost extinct, the range of the gray 

 wolf has been largely limited to the 

 barrens and semi-barrens, the haunts 

 of the barren-ground caribou. The 

 arctic wolf (Canis tundrarum) is rare, 

 and found only in the barrens and along 

 the coast. 



Three species of bears are found in 

 Labrador, the barren-ground bear, the 

 black bear, and the polar bear. The 

 barren-ground bear (Ursus sp.), as its 

 name implies, is northerly in its range, 

 and is very rare. The black bear (Ursus 

 americanus group) is common through- 

 out the wooded country, frequenting 

 the coast when the great shoals of caplin 

 are swept in on the beaches; the rapids 

 and falls of the streams when the salmon 

 and other fish are "shoaling;" and the 

 burnt-over areas in the fall when the 

 berries are ripe. The polar bear (Tha- 

 larctos) is common along all the coast 

 of Labrador, but most abundant in the 

 northern portion where it finds seals in 



