Occasional Papers of the Aliisciun of Zoology 7 



wash against this bluff, eroding it away and destroying the 

 forest, which is of the hemlock type, growing on the level 

 above. The bluff" is quite steep, and along with small exposures 

 of bare clay bears a number of scattered herbs and a few 

 shrubs and small trees, such as alder, willow, arbor-vitae, yel- 

 low birch, paper birch, and red maple. No collecting was 

 done in this habitat and no records of mammals were obtained 

 from it. 



Forest — sJiore habitat: Along all the lakes of the re.gion, 

 except Lake Superior, the forests in general come down to 

 the water's edge. The marginal forests are frequently dom- 

 inated by hemlock, though often a wet hardwood forest occurs 

 along the shores, and in a number of places along Gogebic 

 Lake black ash swamps border the water. Red maple (Acer 

 rubruin) and mountain ash (Sorbus americana) frequently 

 occur along the exposed shores of Gogebic Lake. Frequently 

 young forests of paper birch or quaking aspen have replaced 

 the original forests in the clearings and burned areas along the 

 lake borders. The shore beside a forest commonly rises 

 abruptly a few inches to a foot or more in a firm bank, and 

 in most cases the trees overhang the water to some extent. 

 These shores are the favorite promenade of the porcupine; 

 and the mink, muskrat, and otter are typical of the habitat. 



Protected Sliores 

 Water lily habitat: In shallow, protected parts of the lakes 

 and channels of the Cisco Lake chain there are extensive 

 growths of white and yellow water lilies {Cast alia tuber osa 

 and Nymphaea advena). Water lilies also occur in many 

 places as a narrow border at the edge of deep water. Musk- 

 rats were the only mammals noted in this habitat, but mink 

 and otter probably occur also. 



