40 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. [No. 22, 



Baj% on the north side of Southampton Island," and at other points in 

 the upper part of Hudson Bay. 



Delphinapterus catodon (Linn.). White Whale. Beluga. 



Common all along the coast and seen daily whenever we were on 

 the water. On July 13, while returning from Beacon Point, I saw a 

 school of about a dozen white whales in Hayes Eiver hsiliwdy between 

 the mouth of the riyer and York Factorj'. They were passing out 

 with the ebbing tide, having ascended the river a short distance dur- 

 ing the ilow, as is their custom, and were emitting a variety of sounds 

 from a shrill scream to a hoarse snort or grunt. 



The mouth of Churchill Eiver is a favorite place for these whales, 

 and at the time of our visit the Hudson's Bay Company kept several 

 men constantly at work capturing them. The method generally 

 employed is as follows: A lai'ge net is sunk to the bed of the river — 

 usually at the mouth of some natural basin — and after a school has 

 passed over it into the inclosed area it is raised, imprisoning some 

 of the animals, so that when the tide falls thej- are at the mercj- 

 of their captors. The oil is extracted for export and the meat is used 

 for food for the dogs. In former years white whales were shot from 

 'whale stands' maintained at the mouth of the Haj'es and other 

 rivers, but this method seems to be less in vogue at present. 



A number of the animals, the largest about 14 feet in length, were 

 rather hurriedly examined at the ' whale fishery ' near the mouth of 

 the Churchill July 30. Their color ranged from a deep blue-black to 

 silvery white. It is usually stated that the dark ones are the young, 

 but this is not invariably the case, since some, at least half grown, 

 were nearly black, and others, 3 or 4 feet in length, were as white as 

 the largest. An embrj^o about 7 inches long and nearly pure white 

 was obtained at Churchill. 



This species seems to abound in all parts of Hudson Bay, and has 

 also been recorded from several localities to the northward. 



Southwell reports that the whaling ship Balaena took 820 white 

 whales in Elwin Bay, Prince Regent Inlet, during the month of 

 August, 1894.* 



Rangifer caribou (Gmel.). Woodland Caribou. 



The woodland caribou is found throughout the region traversed 

 between Norwaj' House and Hudson Bay. It seems to be more com- 

 mon toward the Bay, but is occasionally killed (usually in the winter) 

 near Norway House. Mr. William Campbell, of Oxford House, 

 reported the species much less common than formerly; it is said to 

 have become scarcer in some localities, as the moose extends its range, 

 apparently being dri\en out h\ that animal. On our way to the Bay 



«Lyon's Private Journal, p. 44, 1824. 



6The Zoologist (Third Series), XIX, p. 94, 1895. 



