April. 1920] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



69 



be seen almost any day until the beginning of the 

 last week of October. Previous to that time I saw 

 nine individuals and secured a young bull. As cold 

 weather approaches they retire to the higher woods. 

 On traversing this same general region on about a 

 forty-mile canoe trip commencing Oct. 22, 1917, we 

 failed to see a single animal and attributed it to the 

 very early formation of thin shore ice, which caused 

 the moose to leave for higher situations. 



Although individuals of americanus from north- 

 ern Ontario are not recognized as the largest variety, 

 some attain a very respectable size. Some heads 

 taken out of that country I was told, had an antler 

 spread of from fifty to sixty-two inches. Two 

 bulls observed at fairly close range from the canoe 

 could I believe closely approximate those figures. 



Mr. Visser and I were afforded a splendid oppor- 

 tunity for hearing a cow "call" during the after- 

 noon of Oct. 8. The canoe had just silently round- 

 ed a bend in the nver when we noticed indistinctly, 

 a cow, standing among low growth upon the bank; 

 first revealed by the whitish lining of the ears. 

 Meanwhile the canoe with scarcely a ripple drifted 

 nearer and nearer but she made no move, apparently 

 overcome by curiosity. With ears cocked forward 

 and long pendant muzzle slightly projected, she 

 surveyed perhaps the first human being in her life. 

 When within a distance of about thirty yards she 

 lifted her muzzle slightly and called softly; the 



effect was peculiarly pleasing — low, lender, pleading, 

 a single syllabled bleat of strange, but soft quality, 

 quaveringly inflected, that seemed vaguely in keeping 

 with the vast hush of the solitude. The next 

 moment a young bull was seen slipping silently away 

 among the spruces, where until this time he had re- 

 mained discreetly hidden. Even then the cow 

 seemed in no hurry to depart. 



Woodland Caribou, Rangifer caribou (Aud. & 

 Bach). 



The woodland caribou is only a straggler at 

 Ridout according to all I could learn. Mr. Visser 

 told me of one killed in the vicinity a few years 

 ago but says they are rare. The great number of 

 moose in the country has a tendency, I believe, to 

 drive the caribou from this range. Preble' alludes 

 to similar circumstances on information received 

 during his Hudson Bay expedition. 



The range of the moose and caribou seems to be 

 gradually shifting of late years. Miller- says of 

 the caribou "very abundant on the north shore of 

 Lake Superior" and regarding the moose "occasion- 

 ally found, but as a straggler only." In respect to 

 this and information received from different parties 

 in the north, the condition now seems to be exactly 

 reversed. 



(1) Preble, E. A., N.A. Fauna, No. 22, p. 40, 1909. 



(2) Miller, G. S., .Jr., Mam. of Ont.. Vol. 28, No. 1. 



p. 40, 1S!(6. 



CANADIAN SPHAERIIDAE. 

 By The Hon. Mr. Justice Latchford. _ 



(Continued from Volume XXXIV, p. 34.) 



12. Sphaerium MODESTUM Prime has been con- 

 sidered by Prime himself to be a synonym of 5. 

 sfriaiimum. Monograph Am. Corbiculidae, 1865. 



p. 37. 



The rapids in the Rideau above Billings' Bridge, 

 along the right bank, contain in no small numbers a 

 shell which Dr. Sterki regards as S. modestum or 

 distinct. He says: "It is certainly not identical 

 with 5. strialimum Lamarck. Annals Carng. Mis. 

 Vol. X. p. 436. 



If the sphaerium which occurs so abundantly at 

 Duck Island is Lamarck's siriaiinum, the Rideau 

 shell is not that species. The latter is shorter, more 

 robust, more inflated, and higher at the umbones. 

 The average of ten full grown shells is 10.4 x 8.33 

 X 6.38—100: 81.62. 



The only member of the family found associated 

 with 5. modestum in the Rideau is the much longer 

 MuscuUum transversum. 



13. Sphaerium tumidum Baird was described 

 from specimens found by John K. Lord in the Eraser 

 at Sumas Prairie, British Columbia. It is stated to 

 be dark olive in color externally and strongly 

 ribbed. "Within the shell is bluish: long, half an 

 inch; lat. rather more than half an inch." 



14. Sphaerium SpokanI Baird is another of the 

 shells found by Lord. It is said to be smaller than 

 tumidum ; more rounded, and with less distinct 

 striae or riblcts; color pale horn, shining; white 

 within. Habitat, "Rivers Spokane and Kootanie." 



Referring to Osoyoos Lake, Lord says: '"The 

 shore is sandy like a sea beach, and strewn thickly 

 with fresh water shells along the ripple line, has^ 

 quite a tidewater aspect." 



(9) The Naturalist in Vancouver Island and British 

 Columbia, by John Keast Lord, Vol. II., p. 75. 



