PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE MAMMALS OF NEW YORK 3II 



Type locality. Hunter mountain (Catskills) Greene co., New York. 



Fanual position. Canadian zone. 



Habitat. Forests. 



Distribution in New York. In New York this animal is found through- 

 out the great boreal area in the northern part of the state, and on the 

 numerous boreal " islands" south of this region. In many localities on the 

 border line between the transition zone and Canadian zone it is found 

 associated with the smaller species S. volajis but the two animals never 

 intergrade (see Merriam '&4<i, p. 108, and Bangs, '96c!, p. 163). 



Principal records. DeKay : See last species. Merriam: " The northern 

 flying squirrel is a common inhabitant of the elevated central area of the 

 Adirondacks and is not particularly rare about the outskirts of the region, 

 where I have found both varieties nesting in adjoining trees" ('84.6, p. 

 108) Mearns: "This species was found in spruce woods on the ridge 

 of Hunter mountain [Catskills], at the altitude of 3300 feet. Flying 

 squirrels are said to be common everywhere in the region. One seen on 

 August 7, 1896 near the base of East Kill mountain at 1800 feet altitude 

 may have been either the present species or Sciuropterus volans (Linn- 

 aeus)" ('98b, p. 354). 



I have taken the Canadian flying squirrels at Peterboro, Madison co., 

 and at Elizabethtown, Essex co. It is common at each locality. 



Castor canadensis Kuhl American beaver 

 1820 Castor canadensis Kuhl, Beitrage zur Zoologie und vergl. Anat. 



P- 64. 

 1842 Castor fiber DeKay, Zoology of New York, Mammalia, p. 72. 

 1884 Castor fiber canadensis Merriam, Linn. soc. New York. Trans. 



2:I 55- 

 1898 Castor canadensis Mearns, Am. mus. nat. hist. Bui. 9 Sep. 1898. 



10:351. 

 Type locality. Hudson bay. 



Faunal position. Partly on account of the animal's aquatic habits, and 

 partly on account of lack of definite knowledge of its geographic varia- 

 tions, it is impossible at present to assign the beaver a satisfactory faunal 

 position. Beaver are known to range from the southern part of the 

 lower austral zone in the south to the northern edge of the Hudsonian 

 zone in the north. Surprising as it may seem there is at present no 

 means for determining whether more than one race occurs in this area. a 



a Since this was written, Mr S. N. Rhoads has divided the beaver into two races, a boreal form, 

 true Castor canadensis and an austral form, C. canadensis carolinensis. (Trans. Am. phllos. soc, 

 NS., September 1898 19: 417-23). 



