178 EXTINCT -AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



Henry records a total of 1,118 skins brought in from the sur- 

 rounding region during the years 1801-7. In 1833 Maximilian 

 zu Wied stated that the approximate number of skins annually 

 brought in to Fort Union (now Buford), N. Dak., was 500 or 

 600, but a large part of these doubtless came from still farther 

 west. "At the present time, " Bailey says, "there are certainly 

 no fishers within the State and there seem to be no authentic 

 records of their occurrence since the early trapping days. " 



In eastern Canada the numbers of fishers have been sadly 

 depleted in recent years. Although formerly found in Nova 

 Scotia, there seems to be no evidence of its presence there since 

 Gilpin's time (1868) when he included it among the mammals 

 of that province. In New Brunswick a few are found in re- 

 moter parts, as in the mountains of the Gaspe region, whence 

 Goodwin in 1924 records a few taken by local trappers. In 

 Quebec it is now "one of the most rare and valuable fur-bearing 

 mammals of Canada . . . According to Low (1889) the 

 fisher does not occur east of Mingan nor north of Mistassini 

 [central Labrador]. It is still found in small numbers around 

 the southern end of James Bay but is extremely rare near any 

 white settlements. With a consistently high price paid for its 

 fur, the fisher is pursued relentlessly and has steadily decreased 

 in numbers in all parts of its former range" (Anderson, 1939a). 

 West of Hudson Bay Preble (1902) found it "sparingly through- 

 out the southern part" of Keewatin and saw many skins at 

 Norway House and Oxford House. Near York Factory it was 

 rare, but "farther south more are taken; about thirty or forty 

 are annually traded at Trout Lake and a few at Severn River. " 



The same author (Preble, 1908) states that in the Athabaska 

 and Mackenzie region it is found throughout the country north 

 to Great Slave Lake and Liard River. "It seems to be no- 

 where abundant, and becomes rare toward the northern limits 

 of its range. Along the Athabaska and Slave rivers a limited 

 number of skins are collected at all the posts north to Fort Reso- 

 lution, and I was informed that the animal was rather common 

 in the region about the mouth of Peace River." Although 

 according to Osgood (1900), "there is little doubt that the 

 animal occurs along the upper Yukon" no Alaskan specimens 

 could be adduced in proof, nor does Coues (1877) mention any 

 localities in his statement that its range includes Alaska. 



Fishers apparently are present in some numbers in the forests 



