352 APPENDIX F 



shoulder, 28 inches; weight, 88 pounds; the color, a nearly 

 uniform creamy white. He had been seen sneaking away from 

 our camp at dark the evening before, and had probably remained 

 about all night, attracted by our caribou meat. 



The wolves of the Barrens are very subject to mange which 

 kills them by leaving them naked in winter; it is supposed to be 

 from eating too much reindeer flesh. At times also epidemic of 

 rabies break out among them. 



Canis latrans Say. Coyote. 



The coyote has recently extended its range northward from the 

 prairie country well into the woods. Ten years ago we were told 

 that there were none of the species near Fort McKay. Five or 

 six years ago they first appeared, and now are abundant along 

 the Athabaska nearly down to Athabaska Lake, and extend in 

 less numbers for some distance farther north. E. Nagle got one 

 coyote from Fort Simpson last year, and one from Fort Liard. 

 Inspector A. M. Jarvis of the R.N.W.M. Police, got one at 

 Grand Detour, Great Slave River, and saw another on Salt 

 River ten miles west of Smith Landing. It is usually called the 

 "brush wolf." During our northward trip we collected a num- 

 ber of skulls from trappers' cabins along the Athabaska, and 

 while returning up the river we saw its tracks almost daily, and 

 frequently caught sight of the animals themselves. Signs ob- 

 served along this part of the Athabaska showed that the animals 

 had been feeding on the berries of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Rosa, 

 sarsaparilla, and water insects. 



Vulpes alascensis abietorum Merriam. British Columbia Red Fox. 

 The red fox with its colour phases, the cross, silver and black 

 varieties, is found throughout the region north to the tree limit, 

 being most common probably about the lower Athabaska and 

 along Slave River. We frequently saw the tracks of foxes, and 

 several times caught sight of one on the river banks. Besides a 

 number of skulls we collected a fine red fox, which was swimming 

 the Slave, below Fort Smith, on October 4. It did not see us 



