PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE MAMMALS OF NEW YORK 285, 
activity in the Canadian zone covers slightly more than half the year. 
~The season is therefore too short to allow this region to assume much 
agricultural importance. “In favored spots particularly along the 
southern border white potatoes, turnips, beets and the more hardy Russian 
apples and cereals may be cultivated with moderate success.” (Merriam 
798, p. 20) . 
Transition zone. The transition zone, which covers the greater 
part of New York state, is as its name suggests a region of intergrada- 
tion between the boreal and austral life areas. More strictly speaking it 
is an area in which the extreme southern limit of a small but considerable 
number of boreal species overlaps the extreme northern limit of a large 
number of austral species. Its fauna and flora are therefore not readily 
susceptible of positive characterization, specially since few species are 
strictly confined to its limits. It may perhaps be best recognized 
negatively, that is by the absence of strictly boreal and strictly austral 
forms of life. 
In New York at least two mammals are peculiar to the transition 
zone. ‘Theseare both races of cottontail, Lepus floridanus transitionalis 
in the east and Z. foridanus mearnsi in the west. A race of white-footed 
mouse Leromyscus leucopus noveboracensis 1s also supposed to be confined 
to the transition zone, but the status of this subspecies is still open to 
question and it may eventually be shown that the animal is not separable 
from the typical upper austral form of the species. These three animals 
are of distinct southern affinities. At least six other austral mammals 
find their northern limit in the transition zone. They are: 
Sciurus hudsonicus loquax southeastern red squirrel 
Sciuropterus volans southern flying squirrel 
Microtus pinetorum scalopsoides northern pine mouse 
Putorius vison lutreocephalus southeastern mink 
Scalops aquaticus naked-tailed mole 
Vespertilio fuscus brown bat 
On the other hand only the three following northern species range 
into this zone without passing south of it. These are: 
Tamias striatus lysteri northeastern chipmunk 
futorius richardsoni cicognani Bonaparte’s weasel 
Farascalops breweri hairy-tailed mole 
The occurrence of this assemblage of mammals, together with the 
absence of the species mentioned in the lists of Canadian and upper austral 
species, will serve to identify any part of the transition zone in New York. 
