Rollin H. Baker

“ 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. ”

“ The Pennsylvania meadow mouse is an abundant mammal along the Alaska Highway. Alcorn obtained specimens at most of his trapping stations, frequently in company with Microtus oeconomus at the more northern localities. A preferred habitat was grassy areas and willow clumps along streams or at the edges of lakes. ”

“ It closely resembles the skull of an adult male taken at the Aishihik River. Furthermore, the first two animals show close relationships with an unsexed skull which Alcorn obtained at the Buckinghorse River in British Columbia.
Two males taken at the Unahini River in the Yukon Territory have the following external measurements: Total length, 1933, 1812; tail, 150, 96; hind foot, 262, 260; ear from notch, 129, 131. Other specimens, skulls only, obtained from native hunters, are partly broken. Alcorn writes that the local hunters always shoot a grizzly in the head to be certain that it is dead. ”

“ Averaging larger in all measurements taken; color of upper parts more gray and less brown, underparts darker.
Remarks.—Microtus p. alcorni is a well-defined subspecies differing markedly from adjacent subspecies by a larger and heavier skull and broader, more rounded and heavier zygomatic arches. Characters examined in the specimens available are constant. Specimens from Haines are slightly darker than those from Kluane. An adult (No. 21534, UKMNH) from Northway has slightly more inflated auditory bullae than those from Kluane. ”

“ To our surprise we soon saw what we judged was the same mink. In company with this mink were five others.... These mink were much interested in the squeaking noise and some came within 10 feet of me. They stayed on land most of the time but some of them made short swims a few feet out into the lake. One had a white chin, another had a white spot on its chest. ”

“ Alaska: 1 mi. S Haines, 5 ft., 2. Yukon Territory: SW end Dezadeash Lake, 1; 11⁄2 mi. E Tatshenshini River, 11⁄2mi. S and 3 mi. E Dalton Post, 4.
Remarks.—Specimens from extreme southwestern Yukon Territory appear to be referable to this subspecies. The one adult female (skull only, with body measurements) from the southwestern end of Dezadeash Lake has a shorter skull than does any adult female of T. h. columbiensis. No skins of adults are in the series, but the skins of three subadults have darker upper parts, a darker tail and less olivaceous sides than T. h. ”

“ A number of specimens were taken adjacent to and within abandoned road camps, where second growth vegetation was rank. As in the case of C. gapperi, he found C. rutilus in varied habitats.
[Pg 104]
Clethrionomys gapperi athabascae (Preble)
Red-backed Mouse
Evotomys gapperi athabascae Preble, N. Amer. Fauna, 27:178, October 26, 1908. (Type from Fort Smith, Slave Lake, Mackenzie District, Northwest Territories, Canada.) ”

“ Remarks.—For the most part the material available of this subspecies consisted of subadults; however, comparison of adults with those of adjacent subspecies indicates that this subspecies can be distinguished by color of the upper parts, cranial measurements, and size of the zygomatic arches and the auditory bullae. Specimens from 14 miles east and 25 miles north of Fairbanks are especially dark. One subadult (No. 21467, UKMNH) has blackish hair on the feet and a blackish unicolored tail. No. 241696, USBS, an old adult female, from Ketchumstock, is larger. ”

“ These specimens are less gray and more brown than specimens more typical of M. l. vellerosus from the Liard River area.
Alcorn found the long-tailed meadow mouse in widely separated areas. Most specimens were obtained in grassy situations near water or on moist ground. The single male from Summit Pass in British Columbia was taken above timberline.
Microtus longicaudus littoralis Swarth
Long-tailed Meadow Mouse
Microtus mordax littoralis Swarth, Proc. ”

“ Even so, the male from Fish Creek is less gray than M. andersoni and as seen from measurements of the type, an adult male (Rand, 1945:42) , is larger with longer tail and has a shorter and narrower skull and is judged to be taxonomically separable. M. cantator was named from two specimens; both the paratype (seen by me) and seemingly the type are too young to show clearly subspecific characters. Alcorn's specimen is tentatively referred to M. cantator until some adult topotypes can be obtained. Measurements of the male, No. ”

“ Glave) show evidence of intergradation with the coastal subspecies, S. o. alascensis, in length of hind foot. These individuals have a long hind foot (14 and 15) ; the hind feet of specimens from the other localities listed measure 13 and 14.
Alcorn, like Rand (1944:35) , found the dusky shrew to be less common than the cinereous shrew; both were taken in the same trap lines. The dusky shrew was taken at a higher altitude (4000 feet, on Mt. Glave) than the cinereous shrew.
Sorex obscurus shumaginensis Merriam
Dusky Shrew
Sorex alascensis shumaginensis Merriam, Proc. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Chitina River Glacier (Nat. Mus. Canada) , 3. Yukon Territory: McMillan Pass, Canol Road, mile 282 (Nat. Mus. Canada) , 2; Rose River, Canol Road, mile 95 (Nat. Mus. Canada) , 8; Tepee Lake (Nat. Mus. Canada) , 1; Conrad (Nat. Mus. Canada) , 1; near Teslin Lake (Nat. Mus. Canada) , 1. Northwest Territories: headwaters of Caracajou River, Canol Road, mile 111E (Nat. Mus. Canada) , 1. British Columbia: White Mt., Moose Arm, Tagish Lake, Atlin (Prov. Mus., Victoria, B.C.) , 2.
Lepus americanus macfarlani Merriam
Varying Hare ”

“ 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 [Pg 101] 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. ”

“ Alaska: 1 mi. NE Anchorage, 100 ft., 2. Yukon Territory: McIntyre Creek, 2259 ft., 3 mi. NW Whitehorse, 2; 2 mi. NNW Whitehorse, 2100 ft., 1. Alberta: Assineau River, 1920 ft., 10 mi. E and 1 mi. N Kinuso, 1.
Remarks.—Alcorn took house mice in and near areas inhabited by man. One mouse was taken near Whitehorse on July 10 under a building which had not been occupied for one year. Another was taken at the Whitehorse city dump. Near Kinuso, one specimen was obtained at the site of an old sawmill.
Zapus hudsonius hudsonius (Zimmermann)
Meadow Jumping Mouse
Dipus hudsonius Zimmermann, Geogr. ”

“ Revision of the American flying squirrels. N. Amer. Fauna, 44:1-64, 7 pls., 4 figs., June 13.
1924. Revision of the American pikas. N. Amer. Fauna, 47:1-57, 6 pls., 4 figs., August 21.
Jackson, H. H. T.
1928. A taxonomic review of the American long-tailed shrews. N. Amer. Fauna, 51:i-vi+1-238, 13 pls., 24 figs., July.
Orr, R. T.
1945. A study of the Clethrionomys dawsoni group of red-backed mice. Jour. Mamm., 26:67-74, February 27.
Osgood, W. H.
1900. ”