M

FAUNA OF MANITOBA
FAUNA

(Mammals and Birds)

By ERNEST THOMPSON SETON,

Naturalist to the Government of Manitoba.

ANITOBA is 268 by 252 miles, or 74,448 square miles. It lies wholly within the great wheat belt of the north-west, but faunally speaking it is in the Temperate Region, partly in the Canadian Lifezone and partly in the Alleghanian portion of the Transition Zone. A line drawn from the south-east corner to the north-west corner would nearly demark these two zones. The Canadian area, north-east of this line, is nearly all forested. The prevailing trees being black spruce, white spruce and jack pine. The Alleghanian area, south-west of the line, comprises the prairies of the Province, and a considerable region of aspen forest. Riding, Duck and Porcupine Mountains may be considered Canadian islands in the Alleghanian region.

MAMMALS OF MANITOBA

(The nomenclature is that of the United States Biological Survey.)

1. Wapiti or Canadian Elk, Cervus canadensis Erxleben. Formerly found in all the Alleghanian region of the Province. Reduced to a few stragglers twenty years ago, but since then, owing to good game laws, they have speedily increased and now furnish a regular supply of game. The estimated number of Wapiti in Manitoba to-day is 5,000.

2. Northern White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus borealis Miller. Unknown in the Province until

about thirty years ago, since then it has greatly increased, following the settlers; now found wherever there are settlements adjoining woods.

3. Mule-deer, Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque). Formerly abundant in all the Alleghanian Region; greatly reduced some twenty years ago, but now once more abundant in its proper region, wherever there is cover combined with broken ground. 4. Moose, Alces americanus Jardine. Abundant in all the forested area of the Province; apparently in no danger of extinction, since reasonable game laws have come in force. Several thousand are killed each year in the Province. The estimated total head of Moose within our limits is between 20,000 and 30,000.

5. Woodland Caribou, Rangifer caribou (Gmelin). Found only in the Canadian region, and nowhere common. It is more or less migratory, coming fifty to one hundred miles farther south for the winter.

6. Prong-horned Antelope, Antilocapra americana (Ord). Formerly found in all the prairies of the south-west. Recorded once or twice in early days very near Winnipeg; last seen on the Souris about 1881. Now extinct in the Province.

7. American Bison or Buffalo, Bison bison (Linnaeus). Formerly found in great abundance on all the prairies of Manitoba. Last seen wild near Winnipeg in 1819. Last great wild herd on the Souris 1867; the last wild individual on the Souris 1883.

8. Red-squirrel, Sciuus hudsonicus Erxleben. Abundant in every timbered portion of Manitoba, and active the year round.

9. Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus griseus Mearns. Abundant in the woods of the south-eastern part of

the country and westward to Portage la Prairie. Hibernating during the winter.

10. Little Chipmunk, Eutamias quadrivittatus neglectus (Allen). Of general distribution in the southern half of the Province wherever there is timber and dry land. Exceedingly abundant, living like the preceding. Hibernating all winter.

11. Franklin Ground-squirrel, Citellus franklini (Sabine). Abundant in all the Alleghanian Region of Manitoba wherever there is woodland alternating with open sunny places. Like the rest of the Groundsquirrels it is quite omnivorous, but stores up only vegetable substances for bad weather supplies. It hibernates for six months of each year.

12. Richardson Ground-squirrel, Citellus richardsoni (Sabine). Exceedingly abundant on all the dry rolling prairies west of Pembina Mountain and south of Lake Manitoba extending up a little way in the Gilbert Plains country and the Upper Assiniboine. Hibernating all winter.

13. Striped Ground-squirrel, Citellus tridecemlineatus (Mitchill). Common on all the prairies of Manitoba, but much less so than in primitive times. Its burrow is so easily disturbed by the plow that cultivation is bound to exterminate it. It hibernates for six months of each year.

14. Woodchuck, Marmota monax canadensis (Erxleben). Found in all parts of the Province where there is dry woods, but nowhere abundant. More common probably about Duck Mountain than elsewhere. It hibernates for four or five months of the year. 15. Canadian Flying-squirrel, Sciuropterus sabrinus (Shaw). Common in all parts of the country. Some years very abundant, but rarely seen on account of its nocturnal habits. It is active all winter.

Formerly
Reduced

16. Canada Beaver, Castor canadensis Kuhl. very abundant in all parts of Manitoba. to very few some years ago, but owing to fostering laws it has since increased and may once more become plentiful.

17. Common House-mouse, Mus musculus Linnaeus. Introduced with settlers in 1882; now abundant in all towns.

18. Grasshopper-mouse, Onychomys leucogaster (Wied). Found only on the dry prairies at the extreme south-western corner of the Province.

19. Arctic Deermouse, Peromyscus maniculatus arcticus (Mearns). Abundant throughout the country wherever there is woods; especially fond of frequenting barns and outbuildings that are near the edge of the forest. Closely related to it, probably mere races, are the Prairie Deermouse (bairdi) found in the prairie regions and the plains, or Nebraska Deermouse (nebrascensis) found in the Souris country. True maniculatus should be found in western Manitoba.

20. Red-backed Vole, Evotomys gapperi (Vigors). Generally distributed throughout the Province, though nowhere abundant. It appears in two races, the bright colored, large prairie race (loringi) and the small dark race of the Canadian woods (gapperi). 21. Drummond Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus drummondi (Audubon and Bachman). Abundant in all sedgy regions of the Province. A harmless species when not in excessive numbers, confining itself to lowlands overgrown with tall grass.

22. Little Vole, Microtus minor (Merriam).

Generally distributed in the south-west or Alleghanian region, but nowhere very abundant.

23. Muskrat, Fiber zibethicus (Linnaeus). Found in great numbers wherever there is water throughout the Province. This animal is an important fur-bearer. Two million of its skins are shipped to London every year by the Hudson's Bay Company, representing of course the entire north-west. It lives in the water, and is rarely seen away from it except when forced to migrate.

24. Northern Bog-lemming, Synaptomys borealis (Richardson). Never actually taken in the Province, but recorded from surrounding localities which justify its inclusion. It is abundant in the far north, but not elsewhere common.

25. Gray Pocket-gopher, Thomomys talpoides (Richardson). Abundant on the high, dry prairies of Manitoba, but not extending very far into the woods. It is commonly called Mole by the residents, as it forced up mounds of earth in the fashion of the Mole. It is, however, a herbivorous rodent.

26. Jumping-mouse, Zapus hudsonius (Zimmermann). This extraordinary creature, famous for its long tail and its jumping habits, is found throughout Manitoba, except on the bare prairies. It appears in two forms. The typical Hudsonian, found in the Canadian forest, and the prairie form (campestris), a bright colored race peculiar to the woodland edges in the prairie portions of the south-west.

27. Canada Porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum (Linnaeus). Generally distributed in the Canadian area of Manitoba, but nowhere abundant. Its quills were formerly the favorite material for embroidery among the Indians, but in recent times the squaws have used glass beads in preference, so that the art is dying out.