BIRDS AND MAMMALS OF THE STIKINE RIVER REGION OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA BY H. S. SWARTH University of California Publications in Zoology Voi: 24, No< 2, pp. 125-314. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 1922 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS Note. — The University of California Publications are offered in exchange for the publi- cations of learned societies and institutions, universities, and libraries. Complete lists of all the publications of the University will be sent upon request. For sample copies, lists of publications or other information, address the MANAGER OF THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A. All matter sent in exchange should be addressed to THE EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A. WILLIAM WESLEY & SONS, LONDON Agent for the series in American Archaeology and Ethnology, Botany, Geology, Physiology, and Zoology. ZOOLOGY. — C. A. Kofoid, S. J. Holmes, and J. Grinnell, Editors. 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Mitosis in Giardia microti, by William C. Boeck. Pp. 1-26, plate 1. October, 1917 . 36 2. An Unusual Extension of the Distribution of the Shipworm in San Francisco Bay, California, by Albert L. Barrows. Pp. 27-43. December, 1917 .20 3. Description of Some New Species of Polynoidae from the Coast of Cali- fornia, by Christine Essenberg. Pp. 45-60, plates 2-3. October, 1917 20 4. New Species of Amphinomidae from the Pacific Coast, by Christine Essen- berg. Pp. 61-74, plates 4-5. October, 1917 15 6. Crithidia euryopfithalmi, sp. nov., from the Hemipteran Bug, Euryophthaimus convivus St&l, by Irene McCulloch. Pp. 75-88, 35 figures in text. Decem- ber, 1917 - .15 6. On the Orientation of Erytlircpsis, by Charles Atwood Kofoid and Olive Swezy. Pp. 89-102, 12 figures in text. December, 1917 ...» 15 7. The Transmission of Nervous Impulses in Relation to Locomotion in the Earthworm, by John F. Eovard. Pp. 103-134, 14 figures in text. January, 1918 35 8. 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Pp. 337-396, plates 14-16. September, 1918 .. ...... ._ — .70 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 with funding from University of Toronto https://archive.org/details/birdsmammalsofstOOswar UNIV. CALIF. PUBL. ZOOL, VOL. 24 [ SWARTH ] PLATE 8 Young of the Bohemian waxwing (Bomby cilia garrula pallidiccps) just out of the nest. Figured from specimens collected near Telegraph Cfeek, July 5, 1919. Upper, female; lower, male. The young bird possesses the same wing and tail markings as does the adult, with the yellow areas more vivid; the inside of the mouth is brilliantly colored. BIRDS AND MAMMALS OF THE STIKINE RIVER REGION OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA H. S. SWARTH (Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California) University of California Publications in Zoology Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 125-314, plate 8, 34 figures in text Issued June 17, 1922 BIRDS AND MAMMALS OF THE STIKINE RIVER REGION OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA - :t BY H, S. SWARTH CONTENTS PAGE Introduction , . 126 Itinerary and descriptions of localities 130 Topography of the region and its bearing upon animal life 141 Zonal and faunal position of the Stikine Valley i 149 Check list of the mammals ’ Lll.-W. 157 General accounts of the mammals 158 Check list of the birds 194 General accounts of the birds 196 Literature cited 309 126 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 INTRODUCTION In years past the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology has conducted several expeditions to the coast of southeastern Alaska, covering in all a large part of that district, and one to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, nearby and of somewhat similar character.1 As one result of this field work the Museum has obtained a representative collection of the birds and mammals of this strongly characterized northwestern coast region of North America. Of the closely adjacent interior of British Columbia, however, the Museum contained no specimens whatever. In a general way it has been understood that the faunas of the coast and of the interior are markedly different, that the boundary between the two is sharply defined, and that this boundary lies very near to the coast. It is obvious that collections could be made over a relatively limited area and still include a strip of country extending from the one region to the other. Such an expedition would supply series of specimens of species new to the Museum collections or but scantily represented therein, and would also provide valuable data regarding distribution, especially with respect to the behavior of animal forms at the margins of their habitats. The valley of the Stikine River seemed to satisfy all requirements. It crosses the boundary between the two faunal areas, and, piercing the formidable barrier of mountains that intervenes, affords a feasible route from one region to the other. Furthermore, we already had extensive series of birds and mammals from the country about the mouth of the river, to supplement whatever collections might be made farther up stream. Dr. J. A. Allen (1903) had published a report upon a collection of mammals from the upper Stikine region, made by A. J. Stone and M. P. Anderson, but this collection had been gathered to the eastward of the debatable strip that we especially desired to explore. The expedition thus outlined was made possible through the gen- erous provision by Miss Annie M. Alexander, founder of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, of a sufficient sum to defray the cost, this in i Previous field work on the northwest coast has been prosecuted as follows : in 1906 on the Kenai Peninsula; in 1907 in the Sitkan district; in 1908 in the Prince William Sound region; in 1909 in the Sitkan district; and in 1910 on Vancouver Island. 19221 Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 127 addition to her regular yearly appropriation for the maintenance of the Museum. Miss Alexander had long been especially interested in the natural history of Alaska and British Columbia and had herself personally participated in previous field work carried on in those re- gions by this Museum. Our party consisted of two, the writer and Mr. Joseph Dixon, Economic Mammalogist of the Museum. Mr. Dixon collected most of the mammals and took entire charge of the photographic work, mak- ing this an important feature of the trip. He also supplied most of the notes regarding the nesting activities of various species of birds. The writer collected most of the birds, and worked with the mammals enough to enable him to better understand local conditions. The material collected consists of 534 mammals, 638 birds, 24 sets of birds ’ eggs (mostly with nests), 70 amphibians, 195 photographic negatives. The present report is concerned with the mammals and birds; the amphibians are not included. In treating the birds I have followed the nomenclature of the American Ornithologists' Union Check-List (1910) and its supple- ments (1912, 1920), with some modifications. I have made no attempt to be “up to date” in the adoption of the scores of changes proposed of recent years, not yet acted upon by the Committee and regarding which I have no new facts to offer or upon which I cannot form an independent opinion. There are certain cases, however, dealing mostly with matters of ornithology rather than nomenclature, where the pre- sentation of new facts or a new point of view, or the conviction of the correctness of the course of some previous writer, at variance with the Check-List, impels me to the use of names not included in that standard. This, it seems to me, is proper. These changes are thus formally presented for consideration, but their general adoption by others prior to action of the Committee is not expected, any more than I, myself, expect at once to adopt other changes regarding which I can have no personal knowledge. I have endeavored in every case at variance with the Check-List to indicate my reason for adopting the name in question. With mammals there is no such standard, and the opinion of the latest monographer of a group is usually accepted. My sincere acknowledgments are due to a number of institutions and individuals for aid of one sort or another. For the prosecution of the field work I was generously granted by the following authorities permission to collect specimens of birds and mammals: the United States Biological Survey and the Dominion Parks Branch, Department 128 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 of the Interior, Canada, for the taking of migratory birds ; the United States Department of Agriculture, for game mammals in Alaska ; the United States Department of Commerce, for fur-bearing mammals in Alaska; Mr. F. Kermode, Director of the Provincial Museum, Vic- toria British Columbia, for game and non-game birds and mammals in British Columbia. I am under obligations to the Bureau of Biological Survey of the United States Department of Agriculture, through its chief, Dr. E. W. Nelson, for the loan of specimens, for the identification of certain species, and for the determination of the contents of bird stomachs. In this connection particular mention should be made of the identifica- tion of the shrews of the genera Sorex and Microsorex by Dr. Hartley H. T. Jackson, who examined all my material except four specimens in alcohol ; and of the examination of a considerable number of birds ’ stomachs by Mr. Charles C. Sperry. From the Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa, through Mr. P. A. Taverner, and from the Provincial Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, through the director, Mr. F. Kermode, I received the loan of specimens of various species of birds. The plant names used in this report were supplied by Dr. F. J. Smiley, of the University of California Herbarium, based upon speci- mens collected on this expedition that have been deposited in the Herbarium. Advice and information was received from Mr. Ernest P. Walker, an employee of the United States Bureau of Fisheries who was sta- tioned at Wrangell, Alaska, at the time we were pursuing our field work in that region. Mr. Walker supplied data on certain species from the vicinity of Wrangell, and he has presented to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology specimens of birds and mammals from the same region that are desirable additions to the Museum collection. I take pleasure in expressing my gratitude to Mr. W. H. Dodd, government agent at Telegraph Creek, for assistance and advice during our stay in the region over which he has jurisdiction. 1922] Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 129 Fig. A. Map of the lower Stikine River, British Columbia and Alaska, showing stations from which collecting was carried on by the 1919 expedition from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. 130 University of California Publications in Zoology [Yol. 24 ITINERARY AND DESCRIPTIONS OF LOCALITIES From Berkeley we proceeded directly to Telegraph Creek, the head of navigation on the Stikine River. There we made arrange- ments with the Barrington Transportation Company whereby their river boat, running on fairly regular schedule, deposited us at various selected camp sites. Our collecting stations were carefully chosen, both with regard to their location on the river, and to the accessibility of stretches of surrounding territory. The last item is of importance in a wilderness as generally impenetrable as are the forests of the lower Stikine. Our itinerary, in detail, was as follows: left Berkeley, May 14; left Wrangell, Alaska, May 21 ; arrived Telegraph Creek, B. C., May 23; The Junction, May 25 to June 6; Telegraph Creek, June 6 to 26; Glenora, June 27 to July 8 ; Doch-da-on Creek, July 8 to 26 ; Flood Glacier, July 26 to August 8 ; Great Glacier, August 8 to 16 ; Sergief Island, August 17 to September 7 ; Mitkof Island, August 26 to 29 ; arrived Berkeley, September 15. TELEGRAPH CREEK The town of Telegraph Creek is on the north bank of the Stikine River, about 130 miles from, and 540 feet above, tidewater (Brooks, 1906, p. 49). It is about 160 miles from the general line of the coast at the mouth of the river, following the course of the stream; less than half that distance in an air line from the nearest point on the coast. Telegi'aph Creek, the stream, flowing from the north, empties into the river at this point. Near the town the river banks rise steeply on either side to a series of terraces beyond. At many points these enclosing walls are sheer cliffs of basaltic rock, several hundred feet high, with long steep taluses extending below, sometimes to the river ’s edge. Telegraph Creek, for the last mile or two of its course, flows along a narrow canon, the steep walls rising abruptly to the level terraces above. In its upper reaches it follows a canon the walls of which are not particularly steep. The stream has its source in a string of lakes at ‘ 1 the Summit, ’ ’ some twelve miles north of the point where it empties into the Stikine, at an altitude of about 2600 feet. The mountains rise to a much greater height on either side. About two miles northwest of the town of Telegraph Creek is Sawmill Lake, about a mile long. Four or five miles farther west lies the much larger Alkali Lake. l922] Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 131 In the Telegraph Creek region the principal feature of the vegeta- tion is the poplar woods. Poplars grow everywhere in the lowlands, sometimes in almost pure stands with but a sprinkling of other trees, and for miles in extent. In swampy places willow thickets form dense growths that are hard to penetrate. On some of the drier ridges these willows form open woods that are quite easy to traverse, com- posed of rather large trees, widely spaced and with little brush below. At some points there are stretches of dry, gravelly benches, with a sparse growth of small lodgepole pines ( Pinus contorta ) and here and there a few cottonwoods, birches, and poplars, with very little undergrowth and all together very park-like in appearance. Fig. B. Looking down the Stikine Biver from a point about a mile below Telegraph Creek, just above the junction of the First South Fork. The Stikine today follows the same general course to the sea as it did before the present coastal ranges were elevated; the river valley was cut deeper and deeper during the slow uplift of the mountain barrier. In the Telegraph Creek region, here shown, the valley consists of a series of sharply defined terraces, rising step by step from the river to the bases of the mountains on either side. These terraces presumably indicate the level of the river at different periods of its history. Photograph taken June 24, 1919. The valley on the north side of the river, extending west and south at least as far as Glenora, is relatively level with a few low hills and ridges here and there, stretching from the abrupt banks that border the river up to the higher mountains some miles to the northward. This rolling country is nearly all covered with forest of poplar, willow, cottonwood, and birch, and a few scattered pines. In places the woods are quite dense, sometimes fairly open ; some of the hills and ridges are 132 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 quite destitute of trees. There are occasional small lakes, and here and there marshes and small streams. On the drier slopes and ridges two species of juniper occur, Juni- perus communis var. sibirica and Juniperus horizontalis, both to be seen in abundance from the river bank up to the Summit. Both species grow as rather low, rounded bushes. On the higher mountain slopes are groves of spruce and balsam fir, extending downward in cool, shaded canons, as along Telegraph Creek, or occurring sometimes as Fig. C. East end of Sawmill Lake, near Telegraph Creek. Mammals that especially frequent the grass and bushes about the shores of the lake are shrews ( Sorex personatus personatus and S. obscurus obscurus), Drummond meadow mouse, and Stikine jumping mouse. Birds that nest amid the same surroundings are the spotted sandpiper, alder flycatcher, rusty blackbird, rusty song sparrow, and Forbush sparrow. The lesser yellowlegs was seen feeding about the shores of the lake, but apparently was not nesting there. Grebes, loons, and ducks were seen daily upon the lake during June and probably were nesting. Photograph taken June 20, 1919. small, isolated clumps on some north-facing slope well down in the poplar forest. Of low-growing shrubbery, a conspicuous plant of the drier slopes is Shepherdia canadensis (locally known as soapberry), which forms dense thickets of considerable extent. The berries are an important bird food. The wild cherry ( Prunus demissa) was another noticeable plant, forming dense thickets along the banks of the stream near the town, the bushes from three to six feet high and, by the middle of June, a mass of white flowers. The service berry ( Amelanchier florida) grows abundantly, forming bushes from four to ten feet high, l922] Swarth : Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 133 and also blooms before the middle of June. Wherever land had been cleared and allowed to go back to a wild state, there were dense growths of lupine. THE JUNCTION Years ago a road led from Glenora, skirting the base of the hills and joining the trail from Telegraph Creek at the Junction, four miles from the Stikine, up Telegraph Creek. The old road has long been in disuse, and most of it is now a poorly defined trail, used by moose Fig. D. Type of country seen in the lowlands of the Telegraph Creek region. The terraces extending from the Stikine River northward to the mountains are covered mostly with poplar woods. Here and there clumps of spruce occur, with occasional groves of lodgepole pine. At the time this photograph was taken, May 26, 1919, and at the point shown, near the base of the hills, the poplars had not yet leaved out, though four miles to the westward, near the river, the trees were green with foliage. Telegraph Creek, the stream, flows along the bottom of the narrow canon in the foreground. This is the habitat of moose, bear, and red squirrel, among mammals, of Hammond flycatcher, Cassiar junco, robin, hermit thrush, and long-tailed chick- adee, among birds. and other wild animals, but seldom by man. At the Junction there is a small meadow by the side of the stream, and there we camped. Just above this point the hills begin to rise rather abruptly. The Junction was our first collecting station. In some respects we would have done better to have stayed near the river, for though the distance was short and the altitude at the Junction but little higher, there was an appreciable difference in temperature between the two places, which was reflected in the ffiant life and in the birds. While 134 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 the air was warm on the Stikine, and most of the trees and bnshes well leaved out, at the Junction the temperature was below freezing each night, and the deciduous trees and shrubbery were all bare or just beginning to show bursting leaf buds. Still higher, at the Summit, the lakes were almost entirely ice covered, and there were deep snow- drifts on all sides. The snow was melting in the daytime, however, and the meadows as a result were nearly all flooded. Fig. E. Looking up the river from Glenora, fifteen miles below Telegraph Creek. Here there are extensive tracts of open meadow land, much of it cov- ered with grass and wild strawberries, parts of it densely grown up with lupine and fireweed. Bordering river and meadows are rows of tall cottonwoods rising above thickets of alder and willow. Poplar is the predominant tree of the drier ground. The mountains immediately to the eastward are low and rounded, in striking contrast to the high, jagged peaks of the coast range, which rise but a short distance west of this point. Photograph taken July 6, 1919. GLENORA Fifteen miles down stream from Telegraph Creek, on the west side of the river, lies Glenora, a deserted village. Years ago this was the metropolis of the region, but circumstances caused the entire population to move to Telegraph Creek. The houses were mostly of logs, material that could not be moved, and they stand there today, slowly succumbing to decay, a refuge for white-footed mice and bushy- tailed wood rats. Glenora occupies a strip of flat ground several hundred yards in width, extending for perhaps a mile along the river, the stream in front, steep banks behind, two or three hundred feet high, rising to a 19221 Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 135 series of terraces above. This low-lying strip is but slightly above the normal high water mark of the river. There are extensive tracts of open meadow land, some of it grass covered, other parts densely grown with lupine and fireweed ( Epilo - bium angustifolium) . The fireweed in particular grows densely and to a great height everywhere about the houses. There are places acres in extent covered solidly with wild strawberry plants. Bordering the meadows and along the river banks are rows of tall cottonwoods Fig. F. The Stikine River just above Grand Rapids, about fifty miles below Telegraph Creek and about 110 miles from the mouth of the river. Here the Stikine begins its passage through the Coast Range, the mountains rising steeply and to great heights on either side. Coastal conditons begin to be apparent, more in the character and density of the vegetation than in the animal life. On the west bank of the river, shown in the photograph, coniferous woods extend down to the water’s edge. On the east side poplar and birch prevail, trees that do not extend much farther down stream. Photograph taken July 20, 1919. ( Populus trichocarpa) , in the wet places are thickets of alder, and elsewhere mixed woods, just as about Telegraph Creek. Glenora Mountain lies north of the town, rising abruptly from the terraces bordering the river. It is a long ridge, rather than a peak, much of the summit ascending well above timber line. DOCH-DA-ON CREEK Some thirty miles south of Glenora is Doch-da-on Creek, flowing into the Stikine from the southeast, just above Grand Rapids. Here is the ranch of Mr. and Mrs. Prank Jackson, where we made our camp. Doch-da-on Creek emerges abruptly from steep rocky walls at the base of a mountain, then, before reaching the river, flows for about a 136 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 mile along a broad, gravelly, rock-strewn wash. Half a mile to the northward, a branch of the Stikine nearly as wide as the main stream enters from the east. This branch is the outlet of a slough that begins some miles farther north and passes behind a series of islands. The Jackson ranch thus occupies a peninsula between the creek and the slough, a low-lying flood plain resulting from the deposits of the creek. Fig. G Fig. H Fig. G. Poplar woods along shore of Sawmill Lake, near Telegraph Creek. Poplars grow quite densely and sometimes in nearly pure stands, though there is often an admixture of willow. Bird species that particularly frequent this type of woods are the ruffed grouse, northern flicker, western warbling vireo, yellow warbler, Tolmie warbler, American redstart, and olive-backed thrush. Photograph taken June 19, 1919. Fig. H. The spruce woods of the middle altitudes on the mountain sides are made up of large sized trees and occupy a well defined area above an alti- tude of about 1500 feet. In the woods here shown we saw the goshawk, western winter wren, short-tailed chickadee, ruby-crowned kinglet, Alaska hermit thrush, and northern varied thrush. At the upper edge of the timber the Fleming grouse was seen. Photograph taken on mountain above Doch-da-on Creek, July 23, 1919. On the east side of the river the mountains lie back a mile or more from the stream, rising by alternate stretches of rather gentle slopes and much steeper pitches, to ridges far above timber line, probably 4000 feet altitude and higher. On the west side of the Stikine, just 1922] Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 137 opposite, rocky walls rise abruptly from the water ’s edge ; exposed granite cliffs and steep, forested slopes reach to a height of perhaps 1500 feet, then a stretch of gentler slopes ascends to the base of the higher mountains beyond. Vegetation here is of the interior, but the underbrush is much denser than we found it farther up the river. Alder thickets cover large areas of the bottom lands and poplar groves the lower slopes of the hills. Fir ( Abies amabilis) grows in abundance down to the level of the river, forming groves of considerable extent, mixed with Fig. I. Stikine Valley from Flood Glacier; view toward the river from the front of the glacier. The opening in the foreground, the present terminal moraine, owes its snowy appearance to the white, glacier-polished rocks with which the ground is strewn; there was no snow at that level. The ridge in the middle distance is on the far (east) side of the Stikine. On the upper slopes of the distant mountains there is a series of hanging glaciers, with running streams descending from each one. Photograph taken August 1, 1919. some spruce. There are also cottonwood, willow, and birch, all grow- ing to large size, and, of smaller trees, mountain ash ( Sorbus sit- chensis ) and maple (Acer douglasii) . On the mountainside above we found a well defined belt of spruce timber of large size, above that a belt of scrubby and prostrate balsam (Abies lasiocarpa), and still higher an area that is destitute of any trees or bushes, given over to heather, moss, and grasses. 138 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 FLOOD GLACIER Flood Glacier is on the west side of the Stikine, approximately fifteen miles below the Little Canon, and about seventy miles from the coast. Its terminal moraine is about two miles hack from the river. Our camp here was below the southern end of the glacier, on a knoll by the river frequently used as a camp site and locally known as “the barley cache.” We found ourselves here amid conditions very similar to those on the seacoast, in a dense forest of spruce and hem- lock, with thickets of alder and devil ’s-club in the wet places and of Fig. J Fig. K Fig. J. Clearing through the forest below Flood Glacier. The woods here are so dense as to be all but impassable. Immediately below the glacier, how- ever, there are several straight, open .lanes, extending down nearly to the river’s edge, apparently ploughed through the woods by descending masses of ice or rocks. These lanes are used as avenues of travel by moose and bear, as indi- cated by the tracks. We also found far more small birds in such openings than in the surrounding woods. Photograph taken August 1, 1919. Fig. K. Mountain opposite Great Glacier at its southern extremity. This point, some thirty miles from the sea, is in the heart of the Coast Mountains; the peaks and ridges here seen form the very backbone of the range. The higher crests, jagged and unworn, apparently never were glacier-covered. The sheet of ice may be seen today, below the summit of the range, extending for many miles as a series of disconnected hanging glaciers, all at about the same level. (See also fig. I.) According to Indian legend, an ice bridge extended across the Stikine at the point here shown at a not very remote time. Photo- graph taken August 9, 1919. 1922] Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 139 huckleberry in the drier woods. The only open ground was found in some long, narrow lanes extending down from below the glacier, where apparently strips of forest had been swept away by avalanches of ice or rocks. The moraine consists of huge, angular rocks massed in ridges and is largely hidden by forest growth, which extends close to the glacier. Large spruce and hemlock trees grow between the rocks, and devil ’s- club, salmonberry, and other shrubbery cover the surface of the boulders. Most of the depressions were flooded by beaver ponds, with surrounding borders of alder. Fig. L. Mouth of Stikine River at low tide. The ocean tides ascend many miles up stream. At low water extensive sand bars are exposed at the river’s mouth; the channel is then broken up into numerous small, shallow passages, impassable to even a very small boat. Photograph taken at Sergief Island, Alaska, September 5, 1919. GREAT GLACIER The fanlike front of the Great Glacier, four or five miles across, issues from the mountains on the west side of the Stikine about fifteen miles above the British Columbia- Alaska boundary line. Our camp site was below the southern end of the Glacier. The river bank at that point is rather high and abrupt, cut through a deep layer of gravel that extends back to the terminal moraine of the glacier. This dry, well drained strip is not of a nature to support such forest growths as we found below Flood Glacier, and the woods were fairly open. There are extensive areas grown with scattered thickets of alder and a few scattered spruce and cottonwoods, the open ground between being 140 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 covered everywhere with thick, soft lichens, carpet-like in their effect. On strips of damper ground nearby the spruce forest had secured a foothold, with the accompanying tangle of devirs-club and alder underneath. Immediately below the glacier, fed by the melting ice, a string of little ponds extends, barren of vegetation and surrounded by low, rounded hills of gravel and rocks. Streams issuing from these ponds flow over gravelly beds to the river, a mile or more distant. SERGIEF ISLAND This islet lies at the mouth of the Stikine, about eight miles north of the town of Wrangell. The main rocky mass of the island is about a mile in its greatest diameter. On the north and east sides, toward the river, there is a flat belt of sandy soil, half a mile or more across, that lies at a level above even the highest stage of river or tide at the present time. This strip has some timber upon it, cottonwood, spruce, alder, and willow, but is mostly grown with tall grass and pea vines. The river flows close to the island. There are no mud flats on the east side, but extensive sand bars are exposed at low tide. The rocky backbone of the island rises abruptly from the surrounding marsh, and is covered with the . dense forest growth characteristic of the Sitkan district. Spruce is predominant in the woods, with tangled undergrowth beneath, in which devirs-club is most prominent. At the edge of the woods is a fringe of alder, these bushes diminishing in size and density as salt water is approached. At the upper edge of the tidal flats the alders give way to scrubby willows, which extend far out on the marshes, over much of the ground that is not regularly inundated by the tides. Alders and willows together form a relatively narrow strip surrounding the island, and beyond the last straggling bush the grass-covered marsh land extends. Part of this marsh land is covered by salt water every day, part of it only by the highest tides. Large areas are covered by the marsh grass to the exclusion of all other vegetation; in places it grows taller than a man’s head. Toward the higher ground, where there is much fresh water, this tall, coarse grass is absent, and there is a covering of shorter growths, composed of a number of different plants. This higher area is dotted with small ponds, some surrounded by reeds. Beyond the margin of the marsh grass are the bare mud flats, exposed only at low tide. The marshes throughout are intersected by numerous channels, of varying depth and width, extending upward from the low water mark in many cases clear to the rocky center of the island. 1922i Swartk: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 141 Sergief Island is the home of Mr. W. E. Parrott, who has cleared a small tract of land and for some years has successfully raised garden vegetables and ginseng. We established our camp in a cabin in the woods about a mile from his place. From Sergief Island, Dixon, in company with Mr. Parrott, made a four days’ trip to Blind Slough, Mitkof Island, ten or twelve miles to the westward. Fig. M. Sand flat at eastern end of Sergief Island, Alaska. On that side of the island, deposition of sediment from the Stikine has resulted in the build- ing up of a strip of sandy soil that now lies above the level of the highest stage of river or tide. This strip is grown up with tall grass and pea vines. At the landward margin there are bordering thickets of alder and willow, and groves of cottonwood. Beyond, steep slopes arise, covered with spruce. The tall grass was the haunt of the rusty song sparrows. The bordering thickets at the time of our visit harbored numbers of migrants, such as the golden-crowned sparrow, Oregon junco, lutescent and Townsend warblers, dwarf hermit thrush, north- western robin, and varied thrush. Photograph taken August 20, 1919. TOPOGRAPHY OF THE REGION AND ITS BEARING UPON ANIMAL LIFE The Stikine River rises in northern British Columbia east of the Coast Range and flows southerly and westerly to the Pacific. Its head- waters interlock with those of the Liard and with streams that flow into the Yukon. Thus, the height of land that traverses northern British Columbia serves as a divide between several great river systems. The Liard flows northeastward through the Rocky Mountains to the Mackenzie, which flows into the Arctic Ocean ; the Yukon flows north- 142 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 westward to Bering Sea; on the west, the Taku, Stikine, and Skeena rivers follow parallel courses westward through the Coast Range to the Pacific. Headwaters of all these streams rise from nearby points in northern British Columbia. For some distance from its source the Stikine flows from east to west, following fairly closely the 58th parallel of latitude, and receiv- ing from time to time tributaries of considerable size. In the Tele- graph Creek region the river gradually turns, first toward the south- west, then almost due south. Some twenty miles from the coast, about at the British Columbia- Alaska boundary, it bends sharply to the westward once more, and reaches salt water near the town of Wrangell, amid the network of islands forming the Alexander Archipelago. A tributary of importance to the upper Stikine is Clearwater Creek, entering from the northwest some thirty miles below Telegraph Creek. Near the Boundary there is a small stream that is locally called “ Clearwater Creek,” and there is apt to be confusion between the two if the facts are not known. Our work did not take us above the middle Stikine Valley, with its uppermost limit at Telegraph Creek. In this section, from Telegraph Creek down stream nearly to Doch-da-on Creek, the valley is rather broad, the mountains rising at a distance on either side. Just south of Doch-da-on Creek the Stikine begins its passage through the Coast Range. The valley, already much narrowed, becomes still more con- stricted ; some five miles below Doch-da-on Creek the river is hemmed in between the rocky walls of Kloochman Canon, the uppermost of the two narrow gorges through which the Stikine passes in the lower part of its course. The mountains from this point on become much higher and more precipitous. From Doch-da-on Creek looking northward and eastward the valley is broad in extent and the mountains are relatively low and rounded. Many of the summits are bare of snow during the summer months. To the southward and westward a jumbled mass of jagged peaks and ridges arises, forbidding in the extreme, and pressing closely in upon either side of the river. Where the Stikine passes through the mountains, the river valley is exceedingly rough and covered with a forest that is virtually im- penetrable. In this connection it is of interest to quote some state- ments of Emmons (1911, pp. 9-10) in his description of the country of the Tahltan Indians, who occupy the region of the upper Stikine. The lower valley of the Stikine from just below Glenora to the coast, a direct distance of about eighty miles, is included within the coastal range and consti- tutes a region of great humidity, with leaden skies and an annual precipitation 1922J Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 143 equalling if not exceeding that of the coast which reaches a mean of eighty-six inches. The snowfall thereabouts is excessive, and accounts for the extensive glaciers that fill the valleys ; and long after spring has opened in the colder interior the lower river flats are covered with their burden of snow and ice Forests of spruce, fir, cedar and hemlock cover the mountain slopes to the limit of tree growth, while in the river valleys cottonwoods grow to considerable size, and groves of alder and willow, with the devil’s club and berry bushes, form an almost impenetrable barrier It may be pertinent to remark here, that this region which may be characterized as the wet belt has never been inhabited by either Tahltan or Tlingit in the sense that they have permanently occupied it and it is scarcely more popular as a hunting ground owing to its poverty and inaccessibility. At the month of the river and in the channel beyond there are numerous small rocky islands. Surrounding these centers there are miles of meadow, marsh land, and mud flats, resulting from the deposi- tion of silt by the river. During the period of high water in mid- summer the stream is gray and opaque with silt carried in suspension, and this silt has been dropped in the channels immediately beyond the river’s mouth until they are well-nigh filled. A conspicuous forest tree of the lower Stikine is the cottonwood. This tree covers all the low ground near the water, grows densely and to a large size. It finds a foothold on sand bars and aids in the building up of such areas into more stable bottom land. Consequently, there are hundreds of acres of cottonwood in almost pure stands but slightly above the level of the river or even submerged at the highest water. East of the Coast Range, cottonwood is much less conspicuous than along the lower river, though still persisting in considerable numbers. In the country in general at the mouth of the Stikine, the Sitka spruce is the dominant tree. This tree, with other associated conifers, extends some distance up stream, forming an evergreen forest that covers all but the unstable bottom land where the quick-growing cottonwoods occur. Where rocky slopes rise abruptly from the river’s bank, the conifers range down to the water ’s edge. The higher ground back from the first bottom is covered densely with woods of spruce and hemlock, and with undergrowth of devil ’s-club, alder, and huckle- berry. Such woods extend with but slight breaks to a point a little above the Little Canon. Farther inland the spruce woods ascend higher and higher on the mountain sides, until at Doch-da-on Creek the lower limit of this belt lies at an altitude of about 2000 feet. Somewhere below Doch-da-on Creek the Sitka spruce of the coast gives way to other conifers of the interior, but just where this happens we did not ascertain. On the upper Stikine, poplar becomes the dominant growth of the valley, mixed, here and there, with groves of conifers or of cottonwood. 144 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 The Sitkan district of southeastern Alaska is characterized by excessive humidity and by relatively equable temperature. The annual rainfall at many points is 100 inches or more, the number of rainy days per year around 200. There is a great deal of foggy and cloudy weather. The winters are not extremely cold nor are the summers very warm. The vegetation of this region is comprised mostly of an extremely dense growth of coniferous forest trees, and, beneath the trees, underbrush almost tropical in its luxuriance. The Sitkan dis- trict is here considered as including the islands between Cross Sound and Dixon Entrance, together with a narrow strip of the adjacent mainland coast. Its eastward limits are sharply defined by the tower- ing and precipitous range of mountains that, rising abruptly from the shore, parallels the coast. To the eastward of this Coast Range, in the interior of British Columbia and Alaska, is a region of widely different character. I have not exact meteorologic data for this section, but certain general facts are obvious. Dawson (1889, pp. 585-59 b) remarks on this subject as follows : It may be stated here, as showing the broad general contrast, that while the annual precipitation at Wrangell, at the mouth of the Stikine, is over sixty inches, that in the vicinity of Telegraph Creek on the inland side of the mountains, is so small that it is necessary to irrigate cultivated land. Nor does this comparison of rain-fall sufficiently mark the great diversity which actually obtains between the two climates, the prevalence of clouded skies in the coast region being accom- panied by a saturated state of the atmosphere, while precisely opposite conditions are found on the eastern side of the mountain belt, at not more than eighty miles inland from the general line of the coast. The country east of the mountains is subject to far greater extremes of temperature than the coast region, with hot summers and with ex- tremely cold winters. The forest covering includes a considerable pro- portion of conifers, but there is also a still larger proportion of de- ciduous timber. The animal life in these two regions, the Sitkan district of the coast and the adjacent interior, is widely different. The valley of the Stikine forms a highway between the two faunal areas, otherwise separated by physical barriers and sharply contrasted in nearly all particulars, though lying in close juxtaposition. The presence of this channel of communication affords excellent oppor- tunity for observation of the geographic behavior of the many animal species that by this means are permitted an outlet in either direction. Certain contrasted species and subspecies occupying comparable posi- tions in each of the two faunal areas are brought together, and thus into competition ; others with no such direct rival in the adjacent area are brought into contact with climatic conditions, adverse in that they are unaccustomed. 19221 Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 145 The Stikine is one of several large rivers of the northwest that break through the Coast Range at right angles to the lines of those mountains, their valleys thus lying transverse to the main lines of the range. In a published report upon the geology of Alaska, A. H. Brooks (1906) makes the following statement regarding the Copper, Alsek, Taku, and Stikine rivers: “ These, together with the other large rivers of British Columbia, seem to traverse the coastal moun- tain barrier along valleys determined by antecedent conditions. Their lower valleys at least have the same direction as before the present coastal mountains were elevated, and the streams maintained their courses across the barrier during the slow uplift” (p. 286). Again: “The valleys of the Stikine and Taku rivers, .... which lie trans- verse to the Coast Range, have probably inherited their courses from a former mature drainage system which was developed on the old peneplain” (loc. cit p. 287). In this connection it is worth while to note the appearance of the river valley of the upper Stikine in the Telegraph Creek region. There, and for many miles down stream from that point, the stream is bord- ered by series of terraces, rising step by step to the base of the moun- tains beyond. Viewed from some overlooking height the course of any one of these terraces may be traced for a long distance. It seems obvious that they represent the level of the river valley at different periods of its history. (See fig. B.) The evidence of the geologist goes to show that, diverse as the coast region and the interior are, as regards fauna and flora, the two have not been absolutely separated by the Coast Range at all times in the past any more than they are at present. A channel of communication through the mountains has been there continuously from very remote geologic times, save for a period when it must have been blocked by ice. Presumably all animal life was swept from both regions when the whole country was glacier-covered. Presumably, too, conditions in the areas on either side of the Coast Range permitted the return of animals and plants from the southward when the mountains between were still mostly ice. Even now the range is glacier-covered over a large portion of its area. The higher peaks and ridges protrude, steep and serrated, far above the ice. Prom the jagged, unworn appearance of these higher crests they apparently never were covered. The sheet of ice as seen today lies below the summit of the range, and can be traced as a series of hanging glaciers appearing and re-appearing for many miles at about the same level, visible from the river below. In certain canons and valleys, tongues of this glacial covering extend downward 146 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 far below the general level, some of them to within a mile or two of the river. It cannot be such a very long period of time since ice blocked the entire valley. In fact, there are today legends among the Tahltan Indians of a time when an ice bridge still extended across the Stikine at the Great Glacier, connecting ice masses that are now perhaps four or five miles apart. Of course, as remarked by Dawson (1889, p. 53b) about this same tale, it is impossible to determine whether “this is a remembered fact or a fancied inference.” (In this connection see also Emmons, 1911, p. 15.) The hypothesis of a glacial blockade of communication between the interior and the coast would imply the separate derivation of the animal life of each. That is, that there was invasion from the south- ward on either side of the coast range, of the same or of different species, as the case might be. Doubtless, at a still later period, there was invasion of certain species from the northward as well. Among birds in particular detailed comparisons may be made (see fig P), and upon comparing the avifauna of the interior and of the coast in the Stikine region, it will be seen that not only are comparable ecologic niches on either side of the mountains usually filled by different species rather than subspecies, but that frequently the species are not espe- cially closely related. Furthermore, among the few cases where two subspecies of a species do occur abundantly on either side of the moun- tains, there is hardly an instance where we were able to trace inter- gradation along the connecting valley of the Stikine. In some few cases where the birds were abundant enough for us to ascertain the fact, it was evident that certain subspecies, at this particular point, met as distinct species. All this argues for invasion from the south- ward, on either side of the Coast Range, of bird species and subspecies that met at a much later period along such channels as the Stikine Valley. The intrusion of a range of high mountains was productive of diverse climatic conditions in the two regions. This, in turn, resulted in differences in the reestablished plant and animal life to a far greater extent than would follow from the mere presence of a physical barrier such as a mountain mass. Differences of temperature and of humidity arose, so that at the present time the two areas, east and west of the Coast Range, respectively, form strongly contrasted faunal areas (de- pendent upon relative humidity), and they are somewhat different zonally (dependent upon temperatures). At a considerably later period than that at which the regions on either side of the mountains became habitable, conditions in certain 19221 Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 147 of the river valleys traversing the harrier (as the Stikine) became such as to permit the existence of animal and plant life, and various species extended their ranges np or down such channels of communica- tion, as circumstances permitted. One factor that may he of present importance in limiting the use of the Stikine Valley as such a channel, so far as birds are concerned, is the late advent of summer conditions on the lower Stikine compared with the regions on either side, a seasonal tardiness that unquestionably prevents the nesting of many species in this intermediate strip at the time of their arrival from the south. (In this connection see Dawson, 1889, p. 595 ; Emmons, 1911, pp. 9-10.) The general hypothesis outlined seems to accord with conditions as we now see them. Among birds it may be pointed out that it is consistent with the manner of occurrence of forms like Hylocichla ustulata ustulata and H. u. swainsoni, closely related subspecies of one species but behaving at this point like two distinct species. It is con- sistent with the extension inland a certain distance of forms like Sphyrapicus varius ruber and Passer ella iliaca fuliginosa , and toward the coast of Piranga ludoviciana (see Swarth, 1911, p. 95) and Empi- donax trailli alnorum, and it is consistent with the restriction on one side or the other of such distinct and sharply delimited forms as Bombycilla garrula pallidiceps and Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri. In this connection, certain facts regarding the present-day migra- tion of birds in the region should be considered. If there were any general travel between the interior and the coast such river valleys as the Stikine would be the highways most generally followed. Our work in the region shows pretty clearly that such is not the case. It seems evident that the birds of the interior travel north and south almost entirely east of the coast ranges. Some of them, it is well known, even pass east of the Rocky Mountains as they get farther south. Birds of the coastal region remain west of the mountains. We found many characteristic inland species of birds, some breed- ing, others, perhaps, merely migrants, as far down stream as Great Glacier, some thirty miles from the coast. The species seen there include Penthestes atricapillus septentrionalis, Setophaga ruticilla, Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni, and Vireosylva gilva swainsoni, none of which has been taken on the coast. Dendroica aestiva was an abun- dant migrant, though almost entirely absent at the mouth of the river. The Stikine in its passage through the Coast Range travels almost due south, and it is natural that birds from the headwaters should migrate in numbers along this valley. It is not so clear why 148 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 they should not arrive at the mouth. However, a short distance below the Great Glacier, about at the boundary, the stream turns sharply to the westward. Just above this bend is the mouth of the Iskut, a tributary of the Stikine that is nearly as large as the main stream. At the point of junction the broad valley of the Iskut enters from the southeast and its course is east and west for some distance. A per- fectly feasible outlet is thus afforded for migrating birds from the northward at just the point where the Stikine Valley would lead them astray. I do not know that this is the course that is actually followed, but it may very well be, and if so it serves to explain the absence at the mouth of the river of species that were migrating south- ward in numbers at a point some thirty miles up stream. There are, however, certain inland species that appear to migrate regularly coastward, though doubtless in lesser numbers than go directly south. Dendroica coronata hooveri has been taken in the fall near the mouth of the Taku Eiver (Swarth, 1911, p. 99), and we obtained it at the mouth of the Stikine, each time in sufficient numbers to appear to be of regular occurrence. Sialia currucoides has been found near the mouth of the Taku under similar circumstances (Swarth, loc cit p. 112), and while we, ourselves, did not meet with this species at the mouth of the Stikine, specimens have been taken there. The question arises as to the migration of such species as Melospiza melodia rufina and Passerella iliaca fuliginosa, coastal forms primarily but breeding far inland up the Stikine. Whether or not they ascend and descend the river in their travels is not clear, and the facts will be difficult to ascertain. The casual occurrence at the mouth of the Stikine in the spring of such species as Myadestes townsendti and Sialm currucoides (see pp. 301, 309) is noteworthy. Such wanderers in the fall might be ex- plained as individuals that had mistakenly followed the river to its mouth. In the spring, they can not be regarded as having gone astray. The fact that they had reached this point is evidence that they were confidently traveling to a definite goal, though along a path not usually followed by their kind. At high water, quantities of drift are carried down the river. It is probable that small mammals living in the bottom lands often take refuge in fallen trees or in masses of brush that are suddenly floated away, and are thus transported far down the river. This may be one factor tending toward the more general extension coastward of inland species as compared with the sharper restriction of coastal forms (see fig. Q). 1922] Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 149 Thus there are certain species of birds and mammals for which the valley of the Stikine River acts as a channel of communication between interior and coast. There are none to which it acts in the opposite role, as a barrier to farther distribution, north or south. It would not to birds, of course, in any event. As regards mammals, conditions here are very different from what, for example, they are in the valley of a stream like the Colorado River, of the southwestern United States. In that region, not only the river itself but also the wide strips of adjacent bottom lands absolutely prevent the passage of certain desert mammals, so that there are a number of species and subspecies restricted to one side or the other (cf. Grinnell, 1914). In the Stikine Valley no local conditions (“associations”) exist that tend to keep certain groups of animals either close to or far dis- tant from the river banks, and the same forms range unhindered from the water’s edge well up the mountain sides. For a period of months the river is frozen over quite to its mouth, and there is no doubt that at that season individuals of many species of mammals cross from one side to the other. ZONAL AND FAUNAL POSITION OF THE STIKINE VALLEY The Sitkan district of southeastern Alaska has been generally considered to be mostly of the Canadian life zone. The areas that extend above timber on the higher mountains afford a strip of Alpine Arctic of considerable extent, and a drawback to the recognition of the lower altitudes as Canadian is the absence of any well defined intervening strip of Hudsonian. Some birds and mammals that occur elsewhere in the Canadian zone do occur in the lowlands of the Sitkan district, but on the other hand species generally regarded as indicative of the Hudsonian zone are found throughout the whole region. Alto- gether it seems as though all the Sitkan district below Alpine-Arctic should be considered as of the Hudsonian zone, with a strong infusion of Canadian in the southern part at least. Certainly this coastal strip is of a higher life zone than the adjacent interior. In the country immediately east of the Coast Range there has not been sufficient work to permit detailed mapping of the life zones. The most recent zonal map covering that section is the one published in the A. 0. U. Check-List (1910, pi. 1) and is on too small a scale to permit of much detail. On that map the Hudsonian zone covers practically all of northern British Columbia, extending considerably farther southward there than in southern Alaska, to the westward, or 150 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 in northern Alberta, to the eastward. The adjacent coastal strip of southeastern Alaska is indicated as Canadian, and there are narrow strips of Canadian extending inland along certain river valleys, of which the Stikine is one. The interior is thus regarded as of a higher zone than the coast. This is not in accordance with our own findings. One of the rules upon which life zones are based is as follows: “The northward distribution of terrestrial animals and plants is governed by the sum of the positive temperatures for the entire season of growth and reproduction” (Merriam, 1898, p. 54). Exact figures are lacking for the region we visited, but there can be no doubt that the summer temperature of the country immediately east of the mountains is appreciably higher than on the coast. In further illustration of the relative zonal positions of the two regions, the following lists of some characteristic summer birds of the lowlands should be considered. COAST Dendragapus obscurus sitkensis Oyanoeitta stelleri stelleri Nannus hiemalis pacificus Regains satrapa olivaceus Regulus calendula grinnelli Ixoreus naevius naevius INTERIOR Bonasa umbellus umbelloides Buteo swainsoni Nuttallornis borealis Spizella passerina passerina Yireosylva gilva swainsoni Setophaga ruticdlla Furthermore, in the course of our work the interesting fact was developed that certain species of birds that occur commonly at sea level on the coast occur inland at constantly increasing elevations. Ascending the Stikine it is noticeable, at a point about a hundred miles inland, that the characteristic spruce forest found at sea level on the coast and on the banks along the lower reaches of the river, here begins to ascend the mountain sides, its place in the valley being taken by the poplar woods. In the Telegraph Creek region we found the spruce belt at an altitude of perhaps 1500 to 2000 feet, and found therein the bird species to which reference is made. It is an additional complica- tion that whereas certain subspecies extend unchanged from the coast to the interior as inhabitants of this spruce belt, some species are repre- sented by different subspecies at the two extremes. Nannus hiemalis pacificus and Regulus satrapa olivaceus belong in the first mentioned category. In the second, Dendragapus obscurus sitkensis , Regulus calendula grinnelli , and Ixoreus naevius naevius , of the coast, appear to be replaced in the interior by Dendragapus obscurus flemingi, Regulus calendula calendula, and Ixoreus naevius meruloides. Among mammals, Marmota caligata is one conspicuous species that occurs at sea level on the coast (M. c. caUgata) and at high elevations inland {M. c. oxytona). It is a matter for regret that we were unable to give 1922J Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 151 more study than we did to the fauna of the spruce belt of the interior mountains, for our data are admittedly scanty ; but at any rate it is evident that the bird population, at least, of that region contains a large proportion of forms that are characteristic of lower levels at the coast. The presence of the several animal and plant species noted serves for the recognition of a strip of Hudsonian zone on the mountain Fig. N Fig. O Fig. N. Ascending the mountains, the poplar woods are gradually left be- hind while spruce and fir, appearing first as scattered thickets on north-facing slopes or in cool canon beds, gradually become the dominant forest growths. This, the Hudsonian zone, is the home of the Canada jay, pine grosbeak, golden- crowned sparrow, and golden-crowned kinglet. Photograph taken in the upper reaches of Telegraph Creek, looking toward the Summit, June 28, 1919. Fig. O. Above the spruce woods is a strip of dwarfed and prostrate balsam fir; still higher, Alpine-Arctic slopes and ridges extend that are bare of trees but well covered with grass, heather and moss. This timberless area is the home of the mountain goat and marmot, among mammals; of white-tailed ptar- migan, pallid horned lark, Hepburn rosy finch and pipit, among birds. Photo- graph taken on the mountain above Doch-da-on Creek, July 23, 1919. sides, as distinguished from the Canadian zone of the valley below. There are certain birds, apparently all of high altitudes inland, of which we learned regrettably little regarding their relationship to the coast fauna. They are as follows : Canachites canadensis osgoodi is believed to be mainly a bird of the spruce belt on the mountains. 152 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 Perisoreus canadensis canadensis was quite through nesting when we reached the region, but presumably does not breed in the valley near the river. Pinicola e. flammula appeared to belong to the spruce belt, but this is doubtful. Zonotrickia coronata is in this latitude unques- tionably a high mountain species, reaching its greatest abundance in the scrubby balsam at timber line. The unsettled question concerns its extension coastward. In the coast region it does not occur in the lowlands, but may occur on the mountains. Spizella monticola ockracea is a high mountain bird in the Telegraph Creek region, probably near the southern limit of the bird’s distribution. We ourselves did not get far back from the Stikine Valley at any point, and it might be argued that our finding there of certain species not extending into the Hudsonian is no more than corroborative of the narrow line of Canadian extending along the Stikine Valley, shown in the zone map cited. However, recent work has been done in the interior at Hazelton and at Atlin, which shows the general distribution of the bird species to which reference is made ; on this basis it seems altogether likely that northern British Columbia should be regarded as predominantly of the Canadian life zone rather than of the Hud- sonian. It seems worth while to make such comparisons as are possible of the results attained by the other ornithological work recently done in northern British Columbia. Taverner (1919) has reported upon a collection of birds from Hazelton, and E. M. Anderson (1915u) upon a collection from Atlin. The three points, Atlin, Telegraph Creek, and Hazelton, are about the same distance inland. Atlin is about 150 miles north of Telegraph Creek, near the head of the Taku drainage, Hazelton about 225 to the southward, on the upper Skeena. The three localities are thus very similarly placed as regards their relation to the coast. Species common to Atlin, Telegraph Creek, and Hazelton : 1. Bonasa umbellus umbelloides 2. Falco sparverius sparverius 3. Colaptes auratus borealis 4. Chordeiles virginianus virginianus 5. Selasphorus rufus 6. Nuttallornis borealis 7. Myiochanes richardsoni ricbardsoni 8. Empidonax hammondi 9. Empidonax wrighti 10. Perisoreus canadensis canadensis 11. Euphagus carol inus 12. Spinus pinus pinus 1922] Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Stikine Region 153 13. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli 14. Spizella passerina passerina 15. Tachycineta thalassina lepida 16. Dendroica aestiva aestiva 17. Penthestes atricapillus septentrionalis 18. Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni 19. Hylocichla guttata guttata 20. Planesticus migratorius migratorius 21. Sialia currucoides Species common to Atlin and Telegraph Creek, probably finding their southern limit near Telegraph Creek: 1. Spizella monticola ochracea 2. Junco hyemalis connectens 3. Dendroica coronata hooveri Species common to Hazelton and Telegraph Creek, probably finding their northern limit near Telegraph Creek: 1. Dryobates villosus monticola 2. Cypseloides niger borealis 3. Chaetura vauxi 4. Melospiza melodia rufina 5. Piranga ludoviciana 6. Vireosylva gilva swainsoni 7. Oporornis tolmiei 8. Setophaga ruticilla Species found at Atlin and not at Telegraph Creek, probably find- ing their southern limit between these points : 1. Surnia ulula caparoch 2. Dendroica striata 3. Penthestes hudsonicus hudsonicus Species found at Hazelton and not at Telegraph Creek, probably finding thteir northern limit between these points : 1. Cyanocitta stelleri annectens 2. Junco oreganus shufeldti 3. Stelgidopteryx serripennis 4. Vireosylva olivacea 5. Dendroica auduboni auduboni 6. Dendroica magnolia 7. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis In this discussion of the life zones of the regions involved, so much more information was forthcoming from the birds than from the mam- mals that more stress is necessarily given to evidence derived from them. A large percentage of the mammals of the interior are of species of which it is difficult to obtain specimens, especially in summer. A number of species we failed to meet with at all, though possibly they 154 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 24 occur in fair abundance, and of others but an unsatisfactory repre- sentation was obtained. As faunal areas, the Sitkan district and the country east of the mountains are strongly contrasted. Differences of humidity are as striking as those of temperature, and these differences are reflected in the mammal, bird, and plant life of the two regions. The peculiarities of the Sitkan district are well known, and the accepted boundaries well defined. Of the country east of the mountains, as typified in the Telegraph Creek region, the peculiarities are equally well marked. This district, of undetermined extent, save where it impinges upon the Sitkan district, appears worthy of a name as a recognizable faunal area, for the sake of convenient reference, at least, and I would sug- gest the adoption of Cassiar district, a name applied to it as a political division. The birds of the two regions are more widely different than are the mammals, that is, there are more distinct types in each region. The two mammal faunas are distinct enough, and there are certain con- spicuous species in each district that are not found in the other, but in many cases closely related species or subspecies replace one another on either side of the dividing line. Certain species of which a large representation was obtained ( Peromyscus and Microtus) exhibit inter- gradation between related forms along the river to an extent far be- yond anything found among the birds. The two accompanying tables (figs. P, Q) serve to show the rela- tionships of the bird and mammal faunas of the two regions, and the nature of the occurrence of the various species in the Stikine Yalley, as observed by us. Certain generalizations may be drawn from these tables. (1) There are, as previously remarked, more distinct types of birds in the two contrasted regions than there are of mammals. (2) There are more bird forms in the interior than on the coast. (In addition, it may be said that bird life, as regards number of indi- viduals, is far more abundant in the interior than on the coast.) (3) In the Stikine Yalley, at least, there are a number of species of the interior that extend far toward the coast, while very few coastal races extend any distance inland ; the fauna of the Sitkan district is closely confined to the region west of the Coast Range. In certain respects these tables are imperfect. It would take many seasons of field work to fill in gaps in our knowledge that are here apparent. Also, in the case of some species there are differences of altitude concerned (im- plying zonal differences) as well as those of linear distance, and such distinctions could not be made in this table. Miles from coast H-I ' tH Pi