PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE MAMMALS OF NEW YORK 285 



activity in the Canadian zone covers slightly more than half the year. 

 The season is therefore too short to allow this region to assume much 

 agricultural importance. " In. favored spots particularly along the 

 southern border white potatoes, turnips, beets and the more hardy Russian 

 apples and cereals may be cultivated with moderate success." (Merriam 

 '98, p. 20) 



Transition zone. The transition zone, which covers the greater 

 part of New York state, is as its name suggests a region of intergrada- 

 tion between the boreal and austral life areas. More strictly speaking it 

 is an area in which the extreme southern limit of a small but considerable 

 number of boreal species overlaps the extreme northern limit of a large 

 number of austral species. Its fauna and flora are therefore not readily 

 susceptible of positive characterization, specially since few species are 

 strictly confined to its limits. It may perhaps be best recognized 

 negatively, that is by the absence of strictly boreal and strictly austral 

 forms of life. 



In New York at least two mammals are peculiar to the transition 

 zone. These are both races of cottontail, Lepus floridanus transitionalis 

 in the east and L.florida7ius mearnsi in the west. A race of white-footed 

 mouse, Peromyscus leacopus noveboracensis is also supposed to be confined 

 to the transition zone, but the status of this subspecies is still open to 

 question and it may eventually be shown that the animal is not separable 

 from the typical upper austral form of the species. These three animals 

 are of distinct southern affinities. At least six other austral mammals 

 find their northern limit in the transition zone. They are : 

 Sciurus hudsonicus loquax southeastern red squirrel 



Sciuroptems volans southern flying squirrel 



Microtus pinetorum scalopsoides northern pine mouse 



Putorius vison lutreocephalus southeastern mink 



Scalops aquaticus naked-tailed mole 



Vespertilio fits ens brown bat 



On the other hand only the three following northern species range 

 into this zone without passing south of it. These are : 

 Tamias striatns lysteri northeastern chipmunk 



Putorius richardsoni cicog?ia?ii Bonaparte's weasel 



Parascalops breweri hairy-tailed mole 



The occurrence of this assemblage of mammals, together with the 

 absence of the species mentioned in the lists of Canadian and upper austral 

 species, will serve to identify any part of the transition zone in New York. 



