TEE NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA i/i 



Habitat 



Some animals live, cither by preference or necessity, in the forest; 

 some live in meadows or prairies; some prefer uplands and some 

 swamps; others must live in the water. A few are adapted to life in 

 a variety of situations. 



By far the greater part of North America east of the Mississippi 

 "River was at one time forest clad. The trees have been cleared away 

 from this region until now they are limited to scattered tracts a frac- 

 tion of a square mile in area with a few larger forests still more widely 

 separated. 



The species that live chiefly in the forest include among the larger 

 kinds elk, moose, caribou, Virginia and western black-tailed deer, and 

 black and grizzly bears. Smaller forest-dwelling species include several 

 kinds of lynxes, the fisher, marten, Canada porcupine, several species 

 of squirrels, as well as many birds, snakes and lesser animals. Species 

 that live habitually in thfe open include the bison, antelope, coyote, 

 jack rabbit, prairie dog, many kinds of mice, birds, snakes and smaller 

 creatures. Among the species that get along equally well in the forest 

 and open country, we may notice the red fox, certain mice and birds, 

 woodchuck and chipmunk and there are many others. 



It will require no argument to show that all of the forest-inhabiting 

 species I have named are diminishing and if space permitted this could 

 be shown for nearly every forest-loving species concerning which we 

 have the data to form an opinion. 



Turning to the plains species, we find the bison and antelope have 

 diminished because of their large size, economic value and gregarious 

 habits. The jack rabbit is also diminishing in regions thickly settled 

 and the prairie dog has been found so destructive that measures have 

 been systematically undertaken to exterminate it. 



The animals mentioned above, although the most conspicuous ones 

 of the prairies, comprise only a fraction of one per cent, of the fauna 

 of that region, and when we consider the remainder we find many ani- 

 mals that, if not everywhere increasing, are at least extending their 

 range. There is abundant proof that the "cotton-tail" rabbit of the 

 prairies, which is a different species from that of the Atlantic Coast 

 states, has in recent times extended its range eastward to Ontario and 

 western New York. Some of the native field mice and ground-squir- 

 rels are working eastward. 



The Harris sparrow, a tj'pical bird of the western prairies, was re- 

 ported from Indiana a few years ago for the first time. The Dickcissel, 

 field sparrow, chipping sparrow and many others have certainly be- 

 come more widely distributed in the central states than they were 

 half a century ago. Some of the meadow butterflies are becoming more 



