Part 7

Eutamias caniceps Osgood, N. Amer. Fauna, 19:28, October 6, 1900. (Type from Lake Lebarge, Yukon Territory.)

Eutamias minimus caniceps A. H. Howell, Jour. Mamm., 3:184, August 4, 1922.

Specimens examined.--Total 36, as follows: Yukon Territory: 6 mi. SW Kluane, 2550 ft., 2; McIntyre Creek, 2250 ft., 3 mi. NW Whitehorse, 3; 2 mi. NNW Whitehorse, 2100 ft., 1; W side Lewes River, 2150 ft., 2 mi. S Whitehorse, 1; SW end Dezadeash Lake, 10; 5 mi. W Teslin River, 2400 ft., 16 mi. S and 53 mi. E Whitehorse, 1; W side Teslin River, 16 mi. S and 58 mi. E Whitehorse, 2; 11/2 mi. S and 3 mi. E Dalton Post, 2500 ft., 5. British Columbia: 1 mi. NW jct. Irons Creek and Liard River, 2; S side Toad River, 10 mi. S and 21 mi. E Muncho Lake, 6; Summit Pass, 4200 ft., 10 mi. S and 70 mi. W Fort Nelson, 3.

Remarks.--Some of the specimens taken between Summit Pass and Toad River show evidence of intergradation between the paler and grayer E. m. caniceps and the brighter and browner E. m. borealis. Rand (1944:41) also found evidence of intergradation between these two subspecies in this area.

Along the highway, Alcorn found this species to be somewhat more abundant in the Yukon Territory than in British Columbia. He often found the animals occupying abandoned road camps; seemingly they were more numerous in these areas than in undisturbed natural habitat.

Glaucomys sabrinus zaphaeus (Osgood)

Flying Squirrel

Sciuropterus alpinus zaphaeus Osgood, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 18:133, April 18, 1905. (Type from Helm Bay, Cleveland Peninsula, southeastern Alaska.)

Glaucomys sabrinus zaphaeus A. H. Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, 44:43, June 13, 1918.

Specimens examined.--One from Yukon Territory: 11/2 mi. S and 3 mi. E Dalton Post, 2500 ft.

Remarks.--Although comparative material is not available at this writing, descriptions in the literature indicate that this single adult female belongs to the coastal form, G. s. zaphaeus. In both color and in cranial and external measurements, this specimen appears to agree closely with descriptions given by Howell (1918:43) and by Cowan (1937:78 and 82), although its measurements are also in the range of those given for G. s. alpinus by Cowan (loc. cit.). It may be pointed out that Swarth (1936:402) regarded a specimen from 15 miles south of Atlin, British Columbia, as G. s. alpinus.

Measurements of Alcorn's specimen are as follows: total length, 331; tail, 143; hind foot, 42; ear from notch, 23; greatest length of skull, 41.7; zygomatic breadth, 25.7; mastoid breadth, 21.7; length of nasals, 12.2; length maxillary tooth-row, 8.2; interorbital constriction, 8.2; and postorbital constriction, 9.0.

Castor canadensis sagittatus Benson

Beaver

Castor canadensis sagittatus Benson, Jour. Mamm., 14:320, November 13, 1933. (Type from Indianpoint Creek, 3200 ft., 16 mi. NE Barkerville, British Columbia.)

Specimens examined.--Two from British Columbia: Fort Halkett, N side Liard River.

Remarks.--Two beaver skulls obtained by Alcorn from trapper Johnny Pie appear to be of this subspecies. Anderson (1947:133) records this subspecies from the Liard River, in the area from which these specimens were taken. The trapper told Alcorn that he shot these two beavers in the winter of 1947-48 and hung the skulls in a tree.

Peromyscus maniculatus algidus Osgood

White-footed Mouse

Peromyscus maniculatus algidus Osgood, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 28:56, April 17, 1909. (Type from head of Lake Bennett, site of old Bennett City, British Columbia.)

Specimens examined.--Total 93, as follows: Alaska: E side Chilkat River, 100 ft., 9 mi. W and 4 mi. N Haines, 20; 1 mi. W Haines, 5 ft., 7. Yukon Territory: 6 mi. SW Kluane, 2550 ft., 10; McIntyre Creek, 2250 ft., 3 mi. NW Whitehorse, 6; 2 mi. NNW Whitehorse, 2100 ft., 2; W side Lewes River, 2150 ft., 2 mi. S Whitehorse, 16; SW end Dezadeash Lake, 9; 11/2 mi. S and 3 mi. E Dalton Post, 15. British Columbia: Stonehouse Creek, 51/2 mi. W jct. Stonehouse Creek and Kelsall River, 8.

Remarks.--Specimens from the localities listed above are in the geographic range of P. m. algidus as outlined by Anderson (1947: 136). Specimens from the vicinity of Haines, Alaska, are slightly darker indicating intergradation with P. m. hylaeus; Osgood (1909a: 54 and 56) also noted that intergradation between P. m. algidus and P. m. hylaeus occurs in this area.

Peromyscus maniculatus borealis Mearns

White-footed Mouse

Peromyscus maniculatus borealis Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 24:102, May 15, 1911. Substitute name for P. m. arcticus Mearns. (Type from Fort Simpson, Mackenzie, Canada.)

Specimens examined.--Total 214, as follows: Yukon Territory: 2 mi. W Teslin River, 2400 ft., 16 mi. S and 56 mi. E Whitehorse, 8; W side Teslin River, 2300 ft., 16 mi. S and 58 mi. E Whitehorse, 24; E side Teslin River, 2300 ft., 16 mi. S and 59 mi. E Whitehorse, 7. British Columbia: 1 mi. NW jct. Irons Creek and Liard River, 10; Hot Springs, 3 mi. WNW jct. Trout River and Liard River, 6; N side Liard River, 1/2 mi. W jct. Trout River and Liard River, 13; 1/4 mi. S jct. Trout River and Liard River, 20; SE end Muncho Lake, 5; S side Toad River, 10 mi. S and 21 mi. E Muncho Lake, 45; N side Muskwa River, 1200 ft., 4 mi. W Fort Nelson, 9; North Fork Tetsa River, 3900 ft., 4 mi. ENE Summit Pass, 13; Summit Pass, 4200 ft., 10 mi. S and 70 mi. W Fort Nelson, 17; E side Minaker River, 1 mi. W Trutch, 18; Beatton River, 115 mi. S Fort Nelson, 2; 5 mi. W and 3 mi. N Fort St. John, 7. Alberta: Assineau River, 1920 ft., 10 mi. E and 1 mi. N Kinuso, 10.

Remarks.--Specimens from 2 miles west of Teslin River resemble P. m. borealis more than P. m. algidus both in size of skull and in color, although I find it difficult to distinguish the specimens by color.

Alcorn, like Rand (1945:43), found the mouse in almost every habitat along the Alaska Highway. On the east side of the Minaker River, one mile west of Trutch, Alcorn took 26 Peromyscus and four Microtus in 70 museum special traps baited with chewed rolled oats, set in a grassy area where there were birches and clumps of willows. Peromyscus was usually abundant in old construction camps along the highway; on July 27 in 50 traps set under abandoned buildings at Summit Pass, Alcorn took 21 Peromyscus. Apparently, as Swarth (1936:402) notes, the white-footed mouse makes itself at home in such buildings, and local populations probably increase as a result of the artificial environment that provides favorable conditions for existence.