1908.] 



MAMMALS. 



183 



the presence of the animal on Prince Albert Land near Princess 

 Koyal Islands, October 10, 1850/' Rae mentions lemmings as migra- 

 ting northward near the mouth of the Coppermine early in June, 

 1851.^ In a later paper he refers to the circumstance as follows: 



I am not aware if it is generally known that the lemmings {My odes hud- 

 fionicus, etc.) of North America migrate much in the same manner as do those 

 of Norway and Sweden. When traveling in June 1S51 southward from the 

 Arctic Coast along the west bank of Coppermine River, and north of the Arctic 

 Circle, we met with thousands of these lemmings speeding northward, and as 

 the ice on some of the smaller streams had broken up, it was amusing to see 

 these little creatures running backward and forward along the banks looking 

 for a smooth place with slow current at which to swim across. Having found 

 this, they at once jumped in, swam very fast, and on reaching the opposite side 

 gave themselves a good shake as a dog would, and continued their journey as if 

 nothing had happened.^ 



Under the name Cuniculus torquahis^ Coues records specimens 

 from the Rocky Mountains near Peel River; mouth of Mackenzie 

 River ; 'Arctic Coast ' ; Anderson River ; and Fort Anderson.^ Allen 

 has recorded specimens of Dicrostonyx^ probably of this form, ob- 

 tained by A. J. Stone on Herschel Island."^ 



MacFarlane, referring particularly to the Anderson River region, 

 states that this species was more abundant than Lemmiis trimucrona- 

 tus. He mentions specimens from Fort Anderson, lower Anderson 

 River, and shores of Liverpool and Franklin bays. Two females se- 

 cured in the ' Barrens ' on June 26, 1865, each contained 5 embryos.^ 



Synaptomys (Mictomys) borealis (Richardson). Northern Lemming- 

 Vole. 



Arvicola borealis Richardson, Zool. Journ., Ill, No. 12, p. 517, 1828. Fauna 

 Boreali-Americana, I, p. 127, 1829. (From [Fort Franklin] Great Bear 

 Lake.) 



Synaptomys (Mictotny.s) hiiUaius Preble, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XV, p. 

 181, August G, 1902. (From Trout Rock, near Fort Rae, Mackenzie.) 



Our investigations show that this vole inhabits the region from the 

 Athabaska north to the vicinity of Great Bear Lake. 



Richardson first described Arvicola horealis in 1828, giving a short 

 description of a specimen from Great Bear Lake (loc. cit.). A 

 year later he gave a detailed description of the animal, which he 

 says was found in abundance at Great Bear Lake (loc. cit.). Though 

 Richardson does not particularly mention Fort Franklin, it is reason- 

 ably certain that the specimens, which he says were taken in spring 



Narr. Discovery Northwest Passage, p. 254, 1857. 

 ^ Journ. Roy. Geog. Soc, XXII, p. 81, 1852. 

 ^' Journ. Linn. Soc. London, Zool., XX, p. 143, 1890. 



Monographs N. A. Rodentia, pp. 250, 251, 1877. 

 ''Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist, XIII, p. 61 (in footnote), 1900. 

 1 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXVIII, p. 736, 1905. 



