154 



NORTH AMEEICAN FAUNA. 



[NO. 27. 



Dubawnt. He refers to the animars habitat in that region as fol- 

 lows : 



Ou the main Ark-i-liiiik River there is a stretch of country about 80 miles in 

 length into which no human being enters. The Eskimo do not hunt so far west, 

 iind Yellow Knives and Dog Ribs from Slave Lake do not go so far east. 



* * Thus there remains one spot in the Great Barren Northland which is 

 sacred to the musk-ox. Here the animals remain in their primeval state, ex- 

 hibiting no fear, only curiosity. I approached several herds within 30 yards, 

 photographed them at my leisure, moving them around as I wished, and then 

 retired, leaving them still stupidly staring at me as if in wonder. 



A fair-sized full-grown male shot by Hanbury Aveighed 579 

 pounds." He mentions a solitary bull shot near the north end of 

 Artillery Lake in 1901, and states that, w^hile the animal was common 

 about the lake a few years since, it is now practically exterminated 

 in its vicinity.^ On May 19, 1902, while traveling along the Arctic 

 coast, he ascertained that the Eskimo had seen musk-oxen on the pre- 

 ceding day near AATiite Bear Point, Ogclen Bay.^ He reports the 

 animal fairly numerous a short distance inland from Melville Sound ; ^ 

 and he killed a large bull near the head of Dease Kiver on August 7. 

 The paunch of this animal contained nothing but willows.^ Hubert 

 Darrell, who accompanied Hanbury through this region in 1901-2, 

 informs me by letter that the musk-ox ranges south to latitude 63° in 

 the neighborhood of Dubawnt Lake, thence westerly to Campbell 

 Lake and to Walmsley Lake. Lie thinks a line drawn from this point 

 to the eastern end of Great Bear Lake would mark in a general way 

 their limit in that quarter. 



J. M. Bell, who made explorations in this region in 1900, informs 

 me that when traveling eastward along the north shore of Great Bear 

 Lake he first met with the species about 10 miles east of Fort Con- 

 fidence. 



MacFarlane states that the musk-ox was only fairly common in the 

 Anderson River region, comparatively few being seen during his 

 winter and summer journeys there. During the winter the animals 

 entered the outer section of the forest and frequently were found at 

 a distance of 50 and occasionally 100 miles from the Barren Grounds. 

 As spring advanced they moved northward. He mentions meeting 

 with herds several times near the crossing of Wilmot Horton River. 

 The animal is said to produce usually one and sometimes two at a 

 birth. He states : 



The company's posts at which skins are usually traded are Fort McPherson 

 (from the eastern coast Eskimo), Forts Good Hope and Norman (from the 



« Sport and Travel in Northland of Canada, p. 13, 1904. 

 »Ibid., p. 31, 1904. 

 ^Ibid., p. 148, 1904. 

 ^ Ibid., p. 165, 1904. 

 «Ibid., p. 225, 1904. 



