510 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



At present, it is idle to speculate whence Newfoundland derived its 

 meagre mammalian fauna. Two facts, however, are perfectly clear: — 

 1st, that there has been no land connection between the island and the 

 Labrador peninsula; and 2nd, that most of the indigenous mammals 

 of Newfoundland have been there for an enormously long space of 

 time. The first being proved by the array of genera, common in 

 the opposite mainland, unrepresented in Newfoundland; and the 

 second by the marked characters, cranial and otherwise, shown by 

 most of the island species. 



The following sixteen genera (and subgenera used here in the same 

 sense) are found in the Labrador peninsula and are unknown in New- 

 foundland : — Condylura ; Sorex ; Gulo ; Lutreola ; Mephitis ; Pero- 

 myscus; Mictomys; Dicrostonyx; Phenacomys; Evotomys; Zapus; 

 Napaeozapus; Erethizon; Marmota; Tamiasciurus ; Sciuropterus. 



Full references to the names here used can be found in the List of 

 North American land mammals in the United States national mu- 

 seum, 1911. By Gerrit S. Miller, Jr. Bull. 79, U. S. nat. mus., 

 1912. 



The Indigenous Mammals of Newfoundland. 



The Black bear is not uncommon in the island, and in view of the 

 differences the other indigenous species show, will probably prove to 

 be an insular form. Our series of six skulls is wholly inadequate, five 

 of them are females, and the sixth is young. Individual variation 

 is very great in the Black bear, and a long series of skulls of old males 

 is necessary before it can be determined whether the Newfoundland 

 animal is separable from the mainland form. 



The Wolf is now exceedingly rare in Newfoundland and I have 

 never seen a specimen. One was killed during the time Doane was 

 collecting, but he was unable to procure it. Another was shot about 

 two years ago, which Dr. Phillips hoped he had secured, but in 

 some unaccountable way it was lost to us. All who have seen the 

 animal in life report it as being a pale colored wolf. What it is re- 

 mains for some one fortunate enough to get a specimen to decide. 



The Newfoundland red fox, Vulpes deletrix Bangs, is a well differ- 

 entiated island species, very pale and yellowish in color, and with 

 very large hind feet and claws. It is common. 



