396 MICHIGAN SURVEY, 1908. 



4. Annotated List. 



1. Bangifer caribou (Gmelin). Woodland Caribou. 



MaLj- reports are in circulation concerning the occurrence of Caribou 

 upon isle Eoyale, and yet I have learned of but two records in the 

 literature, and these refer only to antlers. Baird ('57, p. 634) figures, 

 from the Smithsonian Collection, an antler from an adult Caribou from 

 Isle Royale (No. 900), and Gillman ('73, p. 751) gives the following 

 information: "During a recent visit (May, 1873) to Isle Royale, Mich- 

 igan (Lake Superior), interesting evidence of the former presence of 

 the Caribou {Rangifer caribou Aud. and Bach.), long extinct there, 

 was brought to my observation. .1 have now in my possession two relics 

 — the greater parts of the horns of this animal — -which were picked up 

 at different points on the island. The antlers are much decayed, one 

 being a mere shell, and besides, they had been gnawed by rodents. 

 Such specimens, often of gTeat size, are frequently discovered of late 

 at this isolated place." 



Mr. Gillman has recently written to me that these antlers were many 

 years ago presented to Columbia College. But upon inquiry, it seems 

 that it is not possible now to find them. 



Dr. A. C. Lane, State Geologist of Michigan, sends me the following 

 records from his Isle Eoyale note book : "Note book 115, p. 72, Septem- 

 ber 25, 1895. Forbes found a Caribou horn 2% feet long." 



On account of the limited information on this subject I was there- 

 fore pleased to secure the following observations from the men who 

 had only recently seen the live animals upon the island. Two trappers, 

 Victor Anderson and his son, John, spent the winter of 1903-1904 trap- 

 ping upon the isle. On March 27, 1904, John Anderson saw two 

 Caribou at Blake's Point, on the northeast end of the island, and on 

 the same day his father drove two Caribou, on the ice, from the head 

 of Rock Harbor eastward to the outlet of the Harbor near Middle 

 Islands. These two Caribou were very tame, so that Anderson, who 

 had no gun, was able to get within about 200 feet of them. Anderson 

 said that at this time the island was connected with the mainland, 

 on the north, by ice. On April IC, 1905, Anderson, his son and several 

 fishermen saw 9 Caribou on the ice in the channel near their fishing, 

 camp on Rock Harbor near the Light-house. At this time the lake was 

 open but Rock Harbor was still frozen over, as the ice remained in 

 the harbor for some little time after the ice broke up in the lake. These 

 facts clearly indicate that Caribou must have been upon the island 

 during the past summer, and the following observation tends to sub- 

 stantiate this inference. On September 9, 1905, Michael Hollinger, an 

 experienced trapper, and Max M. Peet, of this expedition, saw, about 

 four miles out from Washington Club, on the Desor trail (III, '04) 

 a small bunch of low maples which had been broken down, the branches, 

 bark and leaves stripped off, and the small branches eaten away. The 

 work was fresh, as the leaves were only wilted, and the exposed wood 

 was not discolored. Hollinger Avas confident that this was the work 

 (if the Caribou. 



The following information, which was reported to me by Mr. J. H. 

 Malone, Keeper of the Menagerie Island Light on Siskowit Bay, is 



