190S.] 



MAMMALS, 



199 



south of Henry House in July and secured a good series. During 

 the early autumn he secured sj^ecimens in the mountains at points 

 about 50 and GO miles north of Jasper House. He took a few also in 

 the mountains 10 and 25 miles west of Henry House, October IT and 

 18. The latter specimens are in fresh pelage, and above are yellowish 

 brown flecked with black, which in some cases becomes the pre- 

 dominating color posteriorly; beneath they are white, more or less 

 suffused with ochraceous. Among the skins taken 15 miles south of 

 Henry House in July, 1896, are some in a different pelage, being 

 much more grayish, but most of them are in process of transition from 

 this coat to the fall pelage referred to above. 



Ten adults of both sexes taken 15 miles south of Henry House 

 average : Total length 190.1. hind foot 30. 



Lepus americanus Erxleben. Hudson Bay Varying Hare. White 

 ' Rabbit. 



The varying hare or ral)bit is common and quite generally distrib- 

 uted throughout the Athabaska and Mackenzie regions north to the 

 limit of trees. As is well known, the species is subject to great fluc- 

 tuations in numbers, gradually becoming more and more common 

 during a period of years, and then becoming scarce again, the peri- 

 ods of greatest abundance occurring ever}' seven years, according to 

 general report, but in reality not recurring with absolute regularity 

 nor at the same time in all sections. 



During our flrst trip to the Athabaska region in 1901 we found 

 that tlie rabbits had begun to increase after one of their periods of 

 scarcity. We found them rather common at Fort Chipewyan late 

 in May. and secured a number of specimens, some of Avhich still re- 

 tained a few scattered white hairs of the winter pelage. Between that 

 point and Fort Smith we occasionally noted the animals. At Fort 

 Smith some of the Indians were living principally on rabbits, taking 

 them in snares. Alfred E. Preble secured several specimens at Fort 

 Eesolution during July, and I took a small series, comprising adults 

 and young, at Fort Rae dtu'ing the latter part of the same month. 



In 1903. when we again A^isitecl the region, we found that the ani- 

 mals had continued to increase during the interval, and were then 

 apparently at the height of abundance. While descending the Atha- 

 baska and Slave rivers we saw large numbers. In many places along 

 the banks the dense thickets of willows and other shrubs had been 

 oaten almost down to the ground. On the Smith Portage road their 

 ravages were especially noticeable, the young Banksian pines being 

 here the principal food. The many evidences of winter snaring and 

 the thousands of white rabbit skins which littered the neighborhood 

 of an occasional deserted Indian camp showed that this locality had 

 been a favorite resort for both rabbits and Indians during the pre- 



