NO. 1405. MAM3fAL>S OF NORTHWEST TERRITORIES— MACFARLANE. 715 



were purchased from Indians resorting to Isle a la Crosse and Green 

 Lake. Portage La Loche had but II and 14 skins, respectively, for 

 those outtits. At Fort St. James, Stuart Lake, British Columbia, 

 the company traded 6 skunks in 1S87, 23 in 1888, and 61 in 1889. 

 Frazer Lake post contributed about one-half of the number. It is said 

 that tlie sexes come together in the months of February and March, and 

 that the female produces from four to seven young, which for a time 

 are blind and rather weak and helpless. In May, 1885, I sent the skins 

 of two young skunks, secured shortly l)efore by an Indian near Fort 

 Chipewyan, Lake Athabasca, and captured south of the place, to Dr. 

 Kobert Bell, of the Canada geological survey at Ottawa. 



BADGER. 



Taxi(.h'<i tdX'Hs (Sclircber). 



Sir John Richardson gives latitude 55'^ north as the limit of this 

 animal's northern range. It used to l)e fairly abundant in the prairie 

 regions, Init as these are settled, it is gradually diminishing in numbers. 

 If it ever extended as far as the Peace River it nuist have l)een many 

 years ago, as not a single example has been traded l)y the compan}" 

 in tliat(iuarter since 1858 (I have no earlier data), but elsewhere to the 

 south, they collected a total of 39,579 skins l)etween 1853 and 1877. 

 The best three years were 1870 with 2,115, 1873 with 2,705, and 1876 

 with 2,271 skins, and the three lowest, 1851 with SSi?, 1857 with 871, 

 and 1867 with only 597 skins. In 1902 and 1903, respectively, the 

 London sales amounted to 1,111 and 821 skins. 



The female badger has from three to five at a birth, and they ai'e 

 said to be like most mammals, born blind and helpless. Mr. Donald 

 Gunn of the Red River Settlement, Manitoba, was misinformed when 

 he wrote that the Indian name for badger was Wee7iusk. This, I 

 believe, is the native (Cree) name for Arctomys uionnx and Mistunusk 

 for the badger. In 1889, Isle fi la Crosse and Green Lake each traded 

 one badger skin, and the latter one also in 1890. 



RACCOON. 



I'roriju)! lulor (Linua'us). 



According to the company's twenty-tive years' statement (1853-1877), 

 they sold a total of 99,179 raccoon skins in the London market. During 

 that period, there were only six j^ears when the annual sales exceeded 

 the average (3,967), and they varied between 1,011 in 1872 and 11,678 in 

 1867, with 21,321 for 1868 as the maxinmm. The remaining nineteen 

 years ranged from the mininunn (1,012) in 1877 to 3,883 in 1863, the 

 maximum. Strange to sa}', there is not one raccoon entered in the Do- 

 minion senatorial report of the Lampson's and Hudson's Ba}- Company's 

 fur catalogues for the year 1887. In the latter's catalogue for 1902, 

 however, we have 1,967 and in that for 1903, 1,021 skins. I understand 



