INTKODUCTION. 



33 



Four I'lir traders liviug 'it Fort Yukon in 1875 or 187G told me that the weather was iatensely 

 cold there for two mouths, aud that for six weeks a small bottle of mercury hanging on a project- 

 ing log at the corner of the cabin was frozen solid most of the time. Mr. W. H. Dall once saw 

 the thermometer standing at +112° at Fort Yukon in summer. From this same explorer I quote 

 the following average temperatures for Nulato and Fort Yukon. Both these stations are in the 

 midst of this district, and Fort Yukon lies under the Arctic Circle : 



In a brief meteorological record kept for me in I'SSO-'Sl at Fort Eeliauce (the point where the 

 Yukon crosses the British boundary line), by Mr. L. N. McQuesteu, I find the lowest winter tem- 

 peratures were —6.5° and —07° ou the 19th and 20th of November, 1880, but the thermometer 

 recorded —50° and lower several times afterwards during that season, with long periods of minus 

 temperatures. On May IC, 1881, the temperature arose to +58° and the ice in the Yukon broke 

 up and began to move down. 



Among other plants recorded from the Yukon by Dall are mentioned red aud black currants, 

 gooseberries, cranberries, raspberries, thimbleberries, salmon-berries, killikiuik berries, blueberries, 

 bearberries, twinberries, dewberries, service-berries, mossberries, aud the fruit of Bosa cinnamomea; 

 certainly an abundance of small fruits. 



The species of birds and mammals found in this district, and distinguishing it from the other 

 faunal areas of Alaska, are numerous. 



The mammals having their Alaskan center of abundance here and occurring i-arely or very 

 much less numerously elsewhere in Alaska are — 



Lyn.r mnadcnt^is. 



Ciniis ovtiilnitnUs (the black variety). 

 Viilprs/iilnts argentatus (Black Fox). 

 Mustela americana. 

 Gulo luscus. 

 ' Lutra canadensis. 

 Ursus horribiliis. 

 Umus ricliardsoni. 

 Ursus americanus. 

 Sciurus hudsonius. 



Arctomys 2)ruinosus, 



Castor canadensis. 



Synaptomys cooperi. 



Urefhizon dorsatus epixantlms, 



Lepus americanus americanus. 



Lagomys princcps. 



Alces americana. 



Rangifer tarandus (a large dark variety). 



Oris viontana dalU. 



Among birds, the following species appear to have their center of abundance iu this district: 



Parus cinctus ohtectus. 

 Farus atricapillus turneri. 

 Parus hudsonicus. 



Perisorens canadensis fumifrons. 

 Picoidcs americamis alascensis. 



The birds common in other parts of the north, but not found in the other districts of 



Turdus aiicicc. 

 Merula migratoria. 

 Cinclus mexicana. 

 Helminthophaga celata. 

 Dendroica coronata. 

 Dendroica striata. 

 Seiurus novehoraccnsis. 

 Ampelis garrulns. 

 Clivicola riparia. 

 S. Mis. 15G 5 



Loxia curvirostra minor. 

 Loxia leucoptera. 

 Zonotrich ia intermedia. 

 Jiinco hyemalis. 

 Passerella iliaca. 

 Pica 2) tea Imdsonica. 

 Perisoreus canadensis. 

 Sayornis saya. 

 Contopus borealis. 



