12 Birds op Massachusetts 



the south shore of the Cape, and the Toad of this region has been 

 by some considered as a distinct species under the name of Bufo 

 fowleri Put. The Garter Snake known as Thamnophis sirtalis 

 ordinata, a southern form, occurs at least as far as the islands to 

 the south of the Cape. Here too, on Martha's Vineyard, the Her- 

 mit Thrush is found in summer about Lake Tashmoo. In short 

 the entire region is one of the most interesting in the State and 

 needs a more careful study. 



Canadian : This zone includes the higher regions of Worcester 

 and Berkshire Counties, above an altitude of from 1,800 to 2,000 

 feet. A southerly exposure forces the lower boundary of the zone 

 upward, but it is carried down by a northern slope which does not 

 get so great an insolation, or by streams and deep ravines which 

 furnish a large supply of moisture and consequent coolness by 

 evaporation. Canadian " islands " are of frequent occurrence in 

 the midst of Transition territory. These areas in Massachusetts, 

 are usually cedar swamps and occur often about the larger bodies 

 of water, or in low damp situations. The extensive cedar swamps 

 of Plymouth and Bristol Counties are instances of such " islands." 

 In them the cedars stand in clumps of two or three, causing a 

 slight elevation of the ground about their roots. Their thick tops 

 cast a dense shade upon the sphagnum-carpeted surface beneath. 

 An undergrowth of bushes often makes difficult any attempt to 

 penetrate into the swamp, a hindrance which is increased by the 

 extreme treacherousness of the ground itself. Cranberry bogs 

 skirt such swamps, and here the pitcher plant {Sarracenia pur- 

 purea), the sundew {Drosera rotundifolid) and the orchids Pogonia 

 and Calapogon luxuriate. 



Apart from these islands, the Canadian zone of the uplands is 

 characterized by such trees as the Red Spruce {Ficea rubra) and 

 the White Pine {Pinus strobus) . This life zone in Massachusetts 

 belongs to the lower, rather than to the upper Canadian, and is 

 characterized by the following twenty-four breeding birds : — 



Bonasa umbellus togata^ Cryptoglaux acadica^ Sphyrapicus varius^ Dry- 

 ohates villosus^ Ceophlczus pileatus abteticola^ Nuttallornis borealis^ Vireo 

 solitarius, Regulus satrapa, Sitia canadensis, Certkia familiaris ameri- 

 cana, Anorthnru hie?nalis, Hylocichia ustulata siuainsonii, Hylocichla 

 guttata pallasii, Wilsonia canadensis, Geothlypis Philadelphia, Dendrceca 



