1908.] 



MAMMALS. 



148 



J. W. Tyrrell, while descending Hanbury River, ,to the eastward of 

 Great Slave Lake, during the early part of July, 1900, reported only 

 an occasional straggling caribou.® On July 23, however, on the upper 

 Thelon, he observed a large band moving southward.'^ Hanbury 

 found large bands, comprising adults of both sexes and young, pro- 

 ceeding southward along Hanbury River about the last of July, 

 1901.^ He was later informed by the Eskimo of Ogden Bay tluit the 

 animals are found on Kent Peninsula, at Cape Barrow, and near the 

 coast of Victoria Land, throughout the winter, but that none re- 

 mained during that season between Cape Barrow and the Copper- 

 mine, or near Ogden Bay.^ J. M. Bell informs me that on his trip 

 eastward along the north shore of Great Bear Lake in 1900, he first 

 met with caribou 60 miles west of Fort Confidence late in July, and 

 later found them fairly numerous between Fort Confidence and the 

 lower Coppermine. 



MacFa^'lane states that during his residence in the Anderson River 

 region large numbers Avere killed by the Eskimo of the lower Ander- 

 son, mainly during the spring and fall migrations. A few remained 

 during winter close to the Arctic coast, though the bulk of the herds 

 moved southward. He gives in tabular form the dates of the ar- 

 rival of caribou from the north in the autumn, and their return 

 thereto in the spring, as observed at Lac du Brochet Post, at the north 

 end of Reindeer Lake,^ the neighborhood of Avhich is a wintering 

 ground for great numbers. These dates may be found in a table of 

 occurrences given on page 22 of the present report. 



Bison bison athabascse Rhoads. Wood Bison. 



This animal formerly ranged over immense areas north to Great 

 Slave Lake and Liard River, but is now restricted to a few small 

 herds inhabiting the region north of Peace River. (Fig. 12.) 



The bison was first recorded from this region by Samuel Hearne, 

 the first traveler to penetrate its unknown wilds. After crossing- 

 Great Slave Lake (his 'Athapuscow Lake ') from the north, in Janu- 

 ary, 1T72, he entered the level country to the eastward of Slave River, 

 and there found butfaloes very plentiful." ^ He traveled southward 

 for some days and then left Slave River and proceeded to the east- 

 ward, still finding the animals abundant until he reached a point near 

 the longitude of the eastern end of Great Slave Lake.^^ During 



«Ann. Kept. Dept. Int. (Canada), 1900-1901, p. 120, 1902. 

 & Ibid., p. 126, 1902. 



^ Sport and Travel in Northland of Canada, p. 34, 1904. 

 ^ Ibid., p. 139, 1904. 



^ Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXVIII, pp. 682-684, 1905. 

 f Journey to the Northern Ocean, p. 250, 1795. 

 9 Ibid., p, 272, 1795. 



