[Dec. 5, 1908. 
892 
the south of the Hudsoniari and is marked by 
birds and mammals of the Northern United 
States. 
Mr. Preble’s description of previous explora¬ 
tions and collections and of the routes traversed 
by his party are extremely useful and interest¬ 
ing, but enumeration of the mammals and birds 
will prove especially interesting to naturalists, 
because of the light that it throws on the dis¬ 
tribution of many forms. 
He learned that in recent years whitetail deer 
had been killed near Edmonton. The mule deer 
is found on the Athabaska 200 miles below Atha- 
baska Landing. The wapiti or elk is still found 
near Edmonton, and signs of it have been ob¬ 
served near Stony Rapids on the Athabaska. 
Formerly it ranged north on the plains of Peace 
River, occurring at least as far north as lati¬ 
tude 59; in that region it has long been extinct, 
though found near Jaspar House in 1896 and 
by Petitot on the Athabaska in 1879. The moose, 
of course, was frequently seen and “during the 
winter of 1903-4 upward of forty moose were 
killed within twenty-five miles of Fort Simpson, 
and moose meat comprised an important item of 
our food.” A summer record says: “While 
descending the Mackenzie during June, tracks 
of moose were frequently seen along the banks 
and several of the animals were observed. A 
female apparently pursued by wolves took to 
the water near our camp a few miles below Fort 
Simpson on the morning of June 2 and was 
killed for food. Tracks of moose were common 
along the lower Nahanni and two of the 
animals were started in the vicinity early in 
June. Though tracks were often observed, no 
more of the animals were seen until we reached 
the lower Mackenzie. During the evening of 
June 28, while paddling down the Mackenzie a 
few miles below the site of old Fort Good 
Hope, we saw three moose. Early in the even¬ 
ing a cow and her young calf were seen to take 
to the water at some distance below us and start 
across the river. We let them get well into the 
stream and then paddled swiftly after them. 
When they discovered us they first made sev¬ 
eral undecided moves and then attempted to re¬ 
gain the shore they had just quitted. The 
mother accommodated her speed to that of her 
calf, and did not leave it until we had ap¬ 
proached within thirty yards. She then started 
for the shore, and on reaching it, trotted away 
into the forest after a momentary survey of the 
situation. The little one was by this time nearly 
exhausted. We gently forced it ashore, and 
held it until it had somewhat recovered its 
strength and breath, then heading it back along 
the river bank, we left it to rejoin its mother. 
When we last saw it the little creature was 
trotting up the shore, occasionally uttering a 
querulous cry to attract her attention.” 
Though the woodlan'd caribou was not seen 
by any members of the party, it was ascertained 
that it occurs sparingly throughout most of the 
region. Woodland caribou still occur along the 
Saskatchewan near Edmonton, and the moun¬ 
tain caribou appears to be found in the high¬ 
land of western Alberta. 
The “deer” of the north, however, is the bar¬ 
ren ground caribou (Rangifer arcticus ) that 
species whose enormous numbers and migra¬ 
tions have been so often described. It is prob¬ 
able that within the great region treated of 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
there may be more than one race of this species, 
but this cannot as yet be determined. 
The wood bison, sole wild remnant of the 
buffalo once so widely extended over this coun¬ 
try, still ranges in small groups about Peace,. 
Hay and Salt Rivers, but their numbers are 
small. The observations of Ernest Thompson 
Seton and Inspector A. N. Jarvis, R.N.W.M.P., 
were given in Forest and Stream last summer. 
These animals are protected by law, but a sparse 
population of the country which they inhabit 
makes it difficult to enforce this law. 
On the other hand, the muskox is protected 
by its surroundings. Its country is very sparsely 
inhabited and is not easily accessible. It is not 
in danger of extermination. 
Mountain sheep, Stone sheep and Dali’s sheep 
are abundant enough in suitable localities, though 
apparently not seen by Mr. Preble’s party. 
The mountain goat is abundant in the moun¬ 
tains bordering the region on the west. 
[to be concluded.] 
The Swan Destruction at Niagara. 
All naturalists and many sportsmen will recall 
the great destruction of swans which took place 
last March at Niagara Falls. A great- flock of 
these large and beautiful birds was carried down 
the river and over the falls, and an authora- 
tative account of the occurrence recently ap¬ 
peared in a paper by James Savage, of Buffalo, 
N. Y., printed in the Bulletin of the Buffalo 
Society of Natural History. 
While the whistling swan occurs regularly 
along the Niagara River, it is always a rare 
migrant and would scarcely ever be captured 
were it not for the fact that it often floats down 
the river to injury or death at the great cataract. 
Observers declare that scarcely a year passes 
without one or more swans going over the falls. 
About twenty made the fatal plunge in March, 
1906, and five in the same month, 1907, but no 
such destruction of swans has been known as 
took place March 15, 1908, when more than 100 
were destroyed. 
During the greater part of that day a severe 
rain storm prevailed. “About 11 o’clock in the 
morning, between showers, William Leblond, of 
Niagara Falls, Ont., was engaged in removing 
from the ice bridge a temporary structure that 
had been used during the winter season as a 
souvenir and refreshment stand, when he was 
startled by a loud cry. Turning around, his 
attention was first attracted to a swan strug¬ 
gling in the water at the upper edge of the ice 
bridge, but on looking toward the falls he saw 
a great company of swans in distress coming 
toward the bridge. The scene that followed 
was a sad one for any bird lover to contemplate. 
“These splendid birds, helpless after their 
terrible plunge over the cataract, were dashed 
against the ice bridge by the swift current amid 
cakes of loose ice which were constantly com¬ 
ing down from the upper river. Some had been 
killed outright by the falls. Others, unable to 
fly, because of injury to their wings, attempted 
to stem the rushing waters, but here their won¬ 
derful swimming powers were of no avail. They 
were soon imprisoned in the ice where their piti¬ 
ful cries were heartrending. 
“The game laws of Ontario still permit the 
taking of geese and swan in the spring until 
April 30, and it was not long before men and 
boys, armed with guns and sticks, availed thei 
selves of the privilege and became the chi 
factors in the closing scene of nature’s grc 
tragedy—the sacrifice of the swans.” 
As soon as he learned of the occurrence, IV 
Savage visited Niagara Falls, and from his i 
vestigation concluded that the number of swa 
taken March 15 was 102. On the morning 
March 18, two more were taken at the i 
bridge and a third was picked up alive 1 
the shore. It was secured by Mr. Savage a; 
photographed. Placed in the Zoological colic 
tion in Delaware Park, Buffalo, it recoverc 
Eleven more swans were taken later, and sor 
others were seen which, though apparently ca 
ried over the falls, were still able to take wii 
and fly away. , 
Mr. Savage quotes J. L. Davison’s paper 1 
the “Birds of Niagara County,” published neai 
twenty years ago in Forest and Stream, whi 
contains reference to injured swans in wate 
near Niagara Falls. 
But swans are not the only waterfowl th 
are in danger from Niagara. On March 18, 19c 
M. Savage saw a handsome male canvasba 
come down against the ice bridge. It appear 
to be unable to fly. On the same day he st 
a goldeneye duck struggle out of the foamii 
water below the Horseshoe Falls and reach t 
shore. It made no attempt to escape wh' 
picked up, and seemed unable to walk or f 
Later, however, it recovered and did fly off. 
Of the swans which went over the falls, ma 
afterward appeared on the table. A numb 
were preserved by the taxidermists of Niaga 
Falls and Toronto. A group of five appears 
the Museum of the Buffalo Society of Natui 
Sciences. Mr. Savage saw not less than fif 
of these dead birds, and looked them over car 
fully, thinking that perhaps there might 
among them a trumpeter swan, but none w 
found. Mr. Savage believes that fully one-thi 
of the 116 swans taken would have survived 
given proper care, but the impulse to kill w 
stronger than the spirit to save, and not even 
pair of these unfortunate birds was rescued frc 
nature’s doom and restored to nature’s freedo: 
Starling Plague. 
There is a plague of starlings in eastern En 
land. The London Daily Mail says the easte 
counties are suffering, as the rest of the count 
will suffer, from such a plague of starlings 
has never been known. The long and stea< 
east wind, which has brought unusual hosts < 
migrants safe across the North Sea, has espe 
ially favored the short-winged starling, 
places in the neighborhood of King’s Lynn, fa 
mers are refraining from sowing their corn b 
cause they say it is useless before the onset < 
these hordes. Shooting them is useless. T 1 
flock at which you fire swings round and settlj 
close behind you, and however many are kill* 
the loss makes no apparent gap in the numbei 
and the birds are almost without the instinct 1 
self-preservation. 
Writing to the Fishing Gazette, G. E. I 
Skues says: 
“One evening last week the trees in the Ter 
pie at the back of my office were full of shrie 
ing thousands of them. It ought to be a gre 
opportunity for fly dressers to get in a stock 1 
wings of this most useful of the birds.” 
