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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



Canada jays, spruce grouse, owls and 

 woodpeckers of several species. The 

 lakes and lagoons are highly favorable 

 for summer homes for bitterns several 

 species of ducks, grebes and loons. 



Among the mammals of these ever- 

 green forests and waters are the Moose 

 (Alces americanus) , formerly abundant, 

 but now reduced below the danger line 

 of abundance. Canada lynx (Lynx 

 canadensis), fisher {Martes pennanti), 

 marten {Martes americana), mink {Mus- 

 ela vison), porcupine (Erethizon dorsa- 

 tum), beaver {Castor canadensis), red 

 squirrel {Sci^irus hudsonicus gymnicus), 

 and snowshoe hare {Lepus americanus 

 virginianus), Martens and fishers have 

 become very rare; beaver, though once 

 threatened with extermination, are 

 again increasing through perpetual pro- 

 tection and their great success in 

 reproduction. 



Caribou {Rangifer caribou) in some 

 numbers were formerly found from 

 the Appalachian Spur throughout the 

 Penobscot Basin to tide water at Bangor, 

 and east of the Penobscot to the coast. 

 These animals have all been eliminated 

 from the state. 



Deer {Odocoileus virginianus borealis), 

 black bear {Ursus americanus), bobcat 

 {Lynx rufus), weasel {Mustela cicogna- 

 nii), wolf {Cams lycaon), red fox {Vulpes 

 fulva, raccoon {Procyon lotor), muskrat 

 {Ondatra zibethica), formerly abundant, 

 ranged the entire state. The wolf 

 has long since been exterminated, while 

 the other species hold the greater part 

 of their range in more or less reduced 

 numbers. 



The inland waters of the state for- 

 merly abounded in fish, especially such 

 choice game fish as salmon, togue, and 

 brook trout. Salmon and trout are of 

 very general distribution but the togue 

 is more restricted. Through the prac- 

 tice of experimenting in the introduction 

 of every popular fish that has been 

 available for many years, natural fish- 

 ing conditions are to be found only in 

 the more distant lakes and in the streams 

 far from civilization. 



II. NATURAL AREAS (a. O. G.) 



1. Shores and islands 



*Lafayette National Park {Mt. Desert 

 Island). (B2.) Mt. Desert Island is 

 the largest island on the coast of Maine. 

 It is about 15 mi. long by 12 mi. wide. 

 A range of granite mountains, 1532 ft. 

 at the highest point, runs through the 

 southern part of the island. The slopes 

 have for the most part been swept bare 

 by the ice, the predominant soil being a 

 brown, stony, glacial till. 



The Lafayette National Park includes 

 approximately 6000 acres, covering most 

 of the mountain summits which form the 

 backbone of the island, most of the 

 gaps, and extending north and south 

 part way down the ridges. Much of the 

 island outside of the park is still in its 

 natural condition and likely to remain 

 so for a considerable length of time. 

 Within the park there are representa- 

 tives of all the associations of vegeta- 

 tion found on the island. Much of the 

 park has been burned at one time or 

 another but there are still bodies of 

 virgin forest, notably spruce, white pine, 

 northern hardwoods, and pitch pine 

 (1, 2, 3, and 5 below). 



The flora of the Lafayette National 

 Park is of northern relationship, but 

 southern species are well represented. 

 Five principal forest associations can be 

 distinguished. (1) Spruce: red spruce, 

 white spruce, with small amounts of 

 balsam fir and scattering paper birch 

 {Betula papyrifera) ; (2) white pine : some 

 nearly pure stands, but mostly in mix- 

 ture with red spruce, balsam fir, arbor 

 vitae {Thuja occidentalis), red pine, 

 red oak, paper birch, grey birch {Betula 

 populifolia) and aspen {Populus tremu- 

 loides and P. grandidentata) ; (3) spruce 

 and northern hardwoods: red spruce, 

 beech {Fagus grandifolia) , yellow birch 

 {Betula lutea) and sugar maple {Acer 

 saccharum) ; (4) white cedar or arbor 

 vitae swamp; (5) pitch pine in pure 

 stands with stratal societies of huckle- 

 berry {Gaylussacia baccata) and bear- 

 berry {Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), similar 



