224 



NOKTH AMEEICAN FAUNA. 



[NO. 27. 



three were killed by his party. These had been feeding on blue-' 

 berries {Vaccinium) . In many places the animals had been digging 

 for roots and spermophiles, or overturning rotten logs in search of 

 insects. In 1^96 he found traces of the animals in Rodent Valley, and 

 ascertained the fact of their occurrence in the higher parts of the 

 mountains between Jasper House and Smoky Eiver. 



Ursus richardsoni Swainson. Barren Ground Bear. 



This famous bear occurs in various parts of the Barren Grounds, 

 but seems to be rare over the greater part of its range and is still very 

 imperfectly known. Though constantly on the lookout for this 

 species while traveling along the south shore of the great lake named 

 for it, I failed to see either bears or their tracks. The Indians, hov/- 

 ever, informed me that many occur on the large eminence usually 

 called Grizzly Bear Mountain, west of McVicar Bay, and that they 

 are found less frequently about the outlet of the lake. Mr. Peter 

 McCallum, who has spent some years about Great Bear Lake, in- 

 formed me that the region of the Scented Grass Mountains, locally 

 known as the ' Big Point,' is a favorite locality for the animals. 

 Skins from Great Bear Lake, seen at Fort Norman, were of a nearly 

 uniform dark brown throughout. Others seen at Fort Good Hope, 

 said to be from the Barren Grounds, were similar in color, but in 

 some cases the under fur was overlaid with long yellowish hair. 



This species was first reported by Samuel Hearne, who saw the skin 

 of an enormous grizzled bear at the tents of the Eskimo at the Bloody 

 Fall, Coppermine River.*^ During Franklin's first northern journey 

 this bear was several times observed, and is mentioned in the narrative 

 from Grizzly Bear Lake, a short distance south of Fort Enterprise ;^ 

 from the Coppermine near Fairy Lake River and Bloody Fall ; from 

 the mouth of Hood River ; and from several points on Bathurst Inlet. | 

 On one occasion a female with three cubs was seen.^ In the stomach 

 of one killed on the Arctic coast (near Gordon Bay, Bathurst Inlet) 

 were the remains of a seal, a marmot, some roots of plants, some 

 berries, and grass.^ Richardson recognized this species as distinct 

 from other American bears, but not being certain of its distinctness 

 from Ursus arctos^ on several occasions treated it under that name. 

 Thomas Simpson observed a Barren Ground bear, accompanied by 

 two cubs, on Barry Island, Bathurst Inlet, on August 3, 1838.^ 



During the explorations conducted by J. W. Tyrrell in the region 

 betAveen Great Slave Lake and Hudson Bay in the summer of 1900, 



<^ Journey to the Northern Ocean, p. 372, 1795. 

 ^ Narrative Journey to Polar Sea, p. 220, 1823. 

 ^'Ibid., pp. 334, 342, 377, 378, 1823. 

 ^ Fauna Boreali-Americana, I, p. 23, 1829. 



^ Narrative Discoveries on North Coast of America, p. 281, 1843. 



