A CANADIAN FOREST, WITH CHARACTERISTIC MAMMALIA.
A CANADIAN FOREST, WITH CHARACTERISTIC MAMMALIA.
Reptiles.—These are comparatively few and unimportant. There are however five snakes and three tortoises which are limited to Canada proper; while further north there are only Amphibia, represented by frogs and toads, and a salamander of the genusPlethodon.
Fishes.—Most of the groups of fresh-water fish of the Nearctic region are represented here, especially those of the perch, salmon, and pike families; but there seem to be few or no peculiar genera.
Insects.—These are far less numerous than in the more temperate districts, but are still tolerably abundant. In Canada there are 53 species of butterflies, viz., Papilionidæ, 4; Pieridæ, 2; Nymphalidæ, 21; Satyridæ, 3; Lycænidæ 16, and Hesperidæ 7. Most of these are, no doubt, found chiefly in the southern parts of Canada. That Coleoptera are pretty numerous is shown, by more than 800 species having been collected on theshores of Lake Superior; 177 being Geodephaga and 39 Longicorns.
Greenland.—This great arctic island must be considered as belonging to the Nearctic region, since of its six land mammals, three are exclusively American (Myodes torquatus,Lepus glacialis, andOvibos moschatus), while the other three (Vulpes lagopus,Ursus maritimus, andRangifer tarandus) are circumpolar. Only fourteen land-birds are either resident in, or regular migrants to the country; and of these two are European (Haliæetus albicilla, andFalco peregrinus), while three are American (Anthus ludovicianus,Zonotrichia leucophrys, andLagopus rupestris), the rest being arctic species common to both continents. The waders and aquatics (49 in number) are nearly equally divided between both continents; but the land-birds which visit Greenland as stragglers are mostly American. Yet although the Nearctic element somewhat preponderates, Greenland really belongs to that circumpolar debateable land, which is common to the two North Temperate regions.
Concluding remarks.—We have already discussed pretty fully, though somewhat incidentally, the status and relations of the Nearctic region; first in our chapter on Zoological regions, then in our review of extinct faunas, and lastly in the earlier part of this chapter. It will not therefore be necessary to go further into the question here; but we shall, in our next chapter, give a brief summary of the general conclusions we have reached as to the past history and mutual zoological relations of all the great divisions of the earth.
TABLES OF DISTRIBUTION.
In drawing up these tables, showing the distribution of various classes of animals in the Nearctic region, the following sources of information have been chiefly relied on, in addition to the general treatises, monographs, and catalogues used in the compilation of the 4th Part of this work.
Mammalia.—Professor Baird's Catalogue; Allen's List of the Bats; Mr. Lord's List for British Columbia; Brown, for Greenland; Packard for Labrador.
Birds.—Baird, Cassin, and Allen's Lists for United States; Richardson's Fauna Boreali Americana; Jones, for Bermudas; and papers by Brown, Coues, Lord, Packard, Dall, and Professor Newton.
TABLE I.
FAMILIES OF ANIMALS INHABITING THE NEARCTIC REGION.
Explanation.
Names initalicsshow the families which are peculiar to the region.Names inclosed thus (......) show families which barely enter the region, and are not considered properly to belong to it.Numbers correspond to the series of numbers to the families in Part IV.
Names initalicsshow the families which are peculiar to the region.
Names inclosed thus (......) show families which barely enter the region, and are not considered properly to belong to it.
Numbers correspond to the series of numbers to the families in Part IV.
62.Haploodontidæ
Accipitres.
AMPHIBIA.
8. Nymphalidæ
TABLE II.
LIST OF GENERA OF TERRESTRIAL MAMMALIA AND BIRDS INHABITING THE NEARCTIC REGION.
Explanation.
Names initalicsshow genera peculiar to the region.Names enclosed thus (...) indicate genera which barely enter the region, and are not considered properly to belong to it.Genera properly belonging to the region are numbered consecutively.
Names initalicsshow genera peculiar to the region.
Names enclosed thus (...) indicate genera which barely enter the region, and are not considered properly to belong to it.
Genera properly belonging to the region are numbered consecutively.
Canidæ.
47.
MARSUPIALIA.
Laniidæ.
57.
97.
GALLINÆ.
Strigidæ.