110 REPORT— 1869. 



rather to the peculiar assemblag-e of forms included in the region to the west of 

 that range. This region is not so wooded as the one to the west of the Cascades, 

 and possesses a climate cold in winter and hot in summer. North of the limit of 

 trees, certain piu-ely Arctic species (such as the white fox, the polar bear, and tlie 

 musk ox find a home. These species never come within the tree limit (which 

 is about Kotzebue Sound). 



a. North-eastern Didrict. — The species characteristic of it are : Vulpes macroiirus 

 Tar. decussatus, Ercthizon epuant/ms, Hangifer caribou, Alces Americana (rare), 

 Fiber ooogensis, Arctomys okana(/anus, Latjoniys minimus, and Gidus luscus. The 

 Columbia River may be said to be about the dividing line between it and the next, 

 though their zoo-geographical lines can be but vaguely drawn. 



/3. South-eastern or Californian Distiict. — The mammalian fauna here partakes 

 more of the Californian type*. The species characteristic are : — Lutra Californica, 

 Lepus artetnesia, Cervus macrotus, Atitilocapra Americana, with many other species 

 common to it and California. 



II. Heffion West of the Cascade Mountains. 



Most of this province is densely wooded (the northern portion more especially), 

 with a greater rainfall than the country to the east, the rainfall at Sitka some- 

 times extending to 89 inches per annum. The southern portion of the region is 

 more open, and a break occurring in the range, where it joins the SieiTa Nevadas, 

 some of the eastern species come over, but still the difference between the two 

 faimas is suiHciently well-marked to be divided into : — 



a. The North-ioestern District. — The characteristic species are all mammals of a 

 wooded country, and among typically representative species comprise — Sure.v Suck- 

 leyi, S. Trowbridc/ii, Sculops Townsendii, Lynx fasciatus, Mejihitis occidentalis, Aplo- 

 dontia leporina, and various species of squirrels. 



/3. Sottth-tvestern District. — Lepus Washingtonii, L. campestris, Cams latrans, &c. 



III. Montane Hegion. 



After ascending to an elevation, varying according to latitude from .3000 to 5000 

 feet on the whole of the higher mountain-ranges throughout N.W. America, 

 a new group of plants and animals make their appearance. They constitute the 

 Alpine fauna and flora of North-west America. Though there is a slight tendency 

 to form a northern and a southern type of mammalian montane fauna, yet the species 

 are very uniform in their distribution throughout this vast region. These are : — 

 Aplocerus montanus, Ovis montana, Lagomys princeps, Arctomys (Jlaviventer ?) and 

 Neosorex navigator. 



IV. The Littoral Region. 



We know too little of the marine mammalian fauna of this part of the world to 

 make any classification more than merely tentatiie. However, the author considered 

 the following geographical arrangement of the fauna tolerably near the truth : — 



a. The Arctic District, represented hy Bahena mysticetus, Delphinapterns Inicas, and 

 Trichechus rosmarus. They are almost wholly 'confined vidthin the Arctic circle, 

 being only stragglers outside that limit. 



/3. The Stdmrctic District is represented by the now extinct (?) Hhytina gigas, 

 which at one time abundantly characterized tliis district. It is, however, distin- 

 guished by the presence of other animals, so that the division is still retained. 



y. The Northern District, represented by Callorhimis ursinus, JIalicyon Bich- 

 ardsi, a species of Orca, and a Phocana, closely allied to, if not identical with the 

 Bhoccma communis of the Atlantic. 



^. The southern t^-pe of marine mammalian fauna may be said to commence 

 about the Mid Oregon coast-line. It is represented by the sea-lions of San Fran- 

 cisco (Otaria, sp.), Arctocephalus montericnsis, Arctocephalus {Zilophus) Gillicspii, 

 A. Califor7iicus, Macrorldmis angustirostris, and various species of Cetacea. The 

 littoral fauna, like the flora of North-west America, partakes of a Japanese type. 

 There are certain cosmopolitan species, — e.g., within the littoral fauna, Enhydra 

 marina ; in the land fauna, Vrsus horrihilis, Cervus columbianus, C. canmlcnsis, Vrsui 



* See Dr. Cooper's List of the fauna in Kronises' 'Natural Kesources of Cahfornia,' and 

 in Proc. Cal. Acad. Sciences subsequently. 



