[Pg 1]

Number 109February 25, 1922

OCCASIONAL PAPERS OF THE MUSEUM OF
ZOOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

NOTES ON THE MAMMALS OF GOGEBIC AND

ONTONAGON COUNTIES, MICHIGAN, 1920

By L. R. Dice and H. B. Sherman

The authors of this paper spent the summer of 1920 in
western Michigan studying the mammals of the region for
the Michigan Geological and Biological Survey. From June
25 to August 4 was spent in the Cisco Lake Region with
headquarters on Lindsley Lake; August 6 to August 20 a
camp was maintained in the woods four miles southeast of
Little Girl's Point; and from August 20 to September 6 was
spent working from a camp on the western shore of Lake
Gogebic, about three miles south of Lake Gogebic Station.
The first two camps were in Gogebic County, the third in
Ontonagon County.

The field work was performed jointly by the two authors,
under the direction of the senior author, who is responsible
for the identification of the species, the descriptions of the
general areas and of the habitats, and is jointly concerned in
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writing the annotated list.

In addition to our own records, we have secured many valuable
notes on the distribution of the larger species from J.
E. Fischer, of Merriweather, Ontonagon County, a trapper
of many years' experience; and from Benjamin J. Twombley,
of Bent's Resort, Wisconsin, who has made many observations
on the mammals of the Cisco Lake Region. We have also
added a number of records from J. E. Marshall, who trapped
for many years, beginning 1884, in Ontonagon and Gogebic
counties, and from Ole Petersen, at one time a trapper at
Gogebic Lake.

The habitats in which records of occurrence have been
obtained for the region under consideration are listed under
each species; and the number of individuals taken, or seen and
positively identified, in each habitat are given. From the
figures a rough estimate of the relative abundance of the
various species in the different habitats can be obtained, but
the various habitats were not trapped or studied equally intensively,
and for the larger and the rarer forms the numbers
give little dependable data on relative abundance.

Descriptions of the Regions Studied

Cisco Lake Region. In the Cisco Lake Region there are
many lakes, mostly small, but several of a length of one to
three miles. The water-level in the Cisco Lake chain has been
raised six or ten feet by a dam across the outlet, and this
change in water-level has killed the trees along the lake borders,
so that the lakes are fringed by a narrow line of dead
trees. The habitats of emerging vegetation and of aquatic
vegetation have been much altered by the change in water-level,
and these habitats cannot be well studied in these lakes.
However, the neighboring lakes in which the water-level has
not been changed show that the forests of the region originally
came down to the water's edge, and that there was little normal
[Pg 3]development of marsh or swamp.

The ridges between the lakes rise in general to heights of
twenty-five feet or more, though bluffs are not formed. These
ridges are mostly covered by mixed hardwood forest in which
the hard maple, yellow birch, hemlock, and linden are the
dominant trees. There are numerous small wet depressions,
some of them containing small black spruce bogs, while others
include a few arbor-vitae mixed with linden and other typical
trees of the wet hardwood forest. Small areas of nearly pure
hemlock occur on some slopes near the lake shores. A few
large tamarack bogs are present.

Though the pines formerly occurring have been taken out,
the region otherwise is in nearly its native condition. A few
former clearings along the lake shores have grown up to
brush or to white birch saplings or small trees.

Little Girl's Point Region. Much of the region in the near
vicinity of Little Girl's Point has been cleared or burned, but
a few miles to the east and southeast there are still considerable
areas of native forest. The high ridge running through
the region bears a splendid forest of maple, yellow birch, and
linden, with little if any hemlock. However, on the steeper
lower slopes hemlock occurs in nearly a pure stand. At one
place was found a nice grove of large white pines, mixed, on
the lower edge of the slope, with a few hemlocks. Black spruce-tamarack
bogs are extensive and arbor-vitae swamps occur
commonly. The extensive burned areas south of the point
have grown up to a thicket of aspen, birch, and various shrubs
and saplings. A few small areas are under cultivation.

Region at the north end of Gogebic Lake. Most of the
region about the north end of Gogebic Lake is low and wet.
A number of small black ash swamps occur near the lake, and
further back there are extensive black spruce bogs. The main[Pg 4]
forest is of a much mixed wet hardwood type, sugar maple,
linden, yellow birch, elm, and hemlock, being the dominant
species. The forest in most places reaches the edge of the
lake, though a few sandy beaches occur. However, the level
of the water in the lake has been raised a few feet by a dam
across the outlet, and beaches were probably more abundant
before this occurred. The lake is so large, about 13 miles long
by 1 to 2 miles broad, that wave action is quite pronounced.

One beaver meadow was studied, this meadow including
areas of grasses and of sedges, traversed by ditches, small
mud-flats covered with low rushes, and alder thickets.

Just north of Lake Gogebic Station there are some high hills
having bluffs on the southern exposures. These hills were
visited, but they had been extensively logged and burned over
and no attempt was made to trap for mammals on them.

Some large burned areas have grown up to sapling forests
of aspens. Near the towns of Lake Gogebic and Merriweather
nearly all the forests have been cleared away, but farther south
on the sides of the lake the woods are still in their natural
condition.

Habitats

The habitats studied in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties
may be listed as follows:

Exposed shores:

Open-water

Beach

Dirt-bluff

Forest—shore



Protected shores:

Water lily

Pondweed

Rush

Submerged-sedge

Cat-tail

Willow-thicket

Mud-flat



Meadow:

Ditch-border

Tall-sedge

Grassy-meadow

Alder-thicket



Swamps:

Black ash swamp

Arbor-vitae swamp



Bogs:

Leather leaf bog

Sphagnum bog

[Pg 5]Black spruce—tamarack bog



Forests:

Hemlock forest

White pine forest

Wet hardwood forest

Dry hardwood forest



Mountains:

Rock-bluff

Mountain-heath



Air:

Aerial



Burns and clearings:

Herbaceous stage

Shrub stage

Paper birch—aspen stage

Young hardwood forest stage



Artificial conditions:

Overflow swamp

Cultivated-field

Edificarian

This list of habitats is admittedly not complete for the
regions visited, but is intended to include those which we
studied. We had no opportunity of studying either the shores
of a large river or jack pine ridges, both of which situations
will undoubtedly have habitats not here recognized.

The habitats studied in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties
but every habitat has been listed which seems to form a distinct
type of mammal environment. We are firmly convinced
that it is better to describe a great number of habitats rather
than to lump different kinds of environments together. It is
infinitely easier for a later worker to combine several habitats,
which have been split too finely, than it is to separate the component
habitats which may have been lumped together under
one name.

No attempt is made to give complete lists of the plants
found in each habitat, but only the more conspicuous plants
or those of special importance to the mammals are mentioned.
The plant names used are mostly taken from Darlington's list
of Gogebic County plants.[1]

Exposed Shores

Open-water habitat: This habitat includes the areas of open
water with no rooted vegetation in the deeper parts of the
lakes and rivers. On Lake Superior at Little Girl's Point this[Pg 6]
habitat comes directly to the beach, for the wave action on this
exposed point is sufficient to prevent the growth of plants
along the shore. In Gogebic Lake and in the smaller lakes of
the Cisco Lake Region there are also many parts where there
is no rooted vegetation along shore. This habitat, therefore,
covers by far the larger part of the aquatic conditions of
northwestern Michigan. We secured no records of mammals
for this habitat, and, though some aquatic species must occasionally
occur in the open water along lake shores, they are
rare there, and are practically absent from the areas of open
water farther out in the lakes.

Beach habitat: The shore of Lake Superior at Little Girl's
Point is subjected to heavy pounding by the lake waves, leading
to the formation of a well-developed beach. To the east
of the point the beach for some distance is five to ten yards
wide, mostly of small gravel, with sand on the upper part; it
ends abruptly against a steep dirt bluff. On the beach no
vegetation grows and only a few scattered drift logs occur.
To the west of Little Girl's Point undetached masses of solid
rock are more prominent, though small patches of gravel occur
in partially protected places. The beach here in general is
narrow and rises steeply, so that the different beach zones,
lower, middle, and upper, are not well marked. On the shores
of Lake Gogebic are a few small sand beaches; but around this
lake, as well as around the smaller lakes of the region, the
forest comes, in general, directly to the edge of the water.
There was no opportunity to trap for mammals on a beach,
and no records for the habitat were obtained.

Dirt-bluff habitat: To the east of Little Girl's Point the
beach of Lake Superior runs along the base of a dirt bluff
about 35 feet high. The storm waves of winter evidently[Pg 7]
wash against this bluff, eroding it away and destroying the
forest, which is of the hemlock type, growing on the level
above. The bluff is quite steep, and along with small exposures
of bare clay bears a number of scattered herbs and a few
shrubs and small trees, such as alder, willow, arbor-vitae, yellow
birch, paper birch, and red maple. No collecting was
done in this habitat and no records of mammals were obtained
from it.

Forest—shore habitat: Along all the lakes of the region,
except Lake Superior, the forests in general come down to
the water's edge. The marginal forests are frequently dominated
by hemlock, though often a wet hardwood forest occurs
along the shores, and in a number of places along Gogebic
Lake black ash swamps border the water. Red maple (Acer
rubrum) and mountain ash (Sorbus americana) frequently
occur along the exposed shores of Gogebic Lake. Frequently
young forests of paper birch or quaking aspen have replaced
the original forests in the clearings and burned areas along the
lake borders. The shore beside a forest commonly rises
abruptly a few inches to a foot or more in a firm bank, and
in most cases the trees overhang the water to some extent.
These shores are the favorite promenade of the porcupine;
and the mink, muskrat, and otter are typical of the habitat.

Protected Shores

Water lily habitat: In shallow, protected parts of the lakes
and channels of the Cisco Lake chain there are extensive
growths of white and yellow water lilies (Castalia tuberosa
and Nymphaea advena). Water lilies also occur in many
places as a narrow border at the edge of deep water. Muskrats
were the only mammals noted in this habitat, but mink
and otter probably occur also.[Pg 8]

Pondweed habitat: A thick growth of pondweeds (Potamogeton
spp.) occurs in protected places along the shores in
many parts of the lakes of the Cisco Lake chain. Muskrats
were noted in this habitat. In Gogebic Lake the exposure to
wave action is in most places too great for a good development
of pondweeds, though in the northern end of the lake
there are a number of widely scattered plants of this type, but
not forming a very well marked habitat.

Rush habitat: On somewhat protected shoals, both in the
lakes of the Cisco Lake Region and in Gogebic Lake, there is
sometimes a growth of rushes (Juncus sp.). Along the lower
course of the Merriweather River, just before it enters Gogebic
Lake, rushes thickly cover numerous small areas. The plants
in both cases grow partly submerged in the water. No records
for mammals were obtained from this type of habitat, though
doubtless some of the amphibious forms frequently occur here.

Submerged-sedge habitat: Sedges in general do not occur
as a definite belt about the margins of the lakes in the region
studied. The only place where any considerable growth of
sedges was noted at the edge of the water was along the lower
course of Merriweather River, just before it enters Gogebic
Lake. Here there are considerable areas of sedges partially
submerged by the water. No records of mammals were
obtained from this habitat.

Cat-tail habitat: Under native conditions cat-tails (Typha
latifolia) apparently do not often form extensive habitats in
the region. Along the marshy borders of the lower Merriweather
River at Gogebic Lake a few small patches were seen.
Small patches were seen in other places along railroad tracks
where embankments had produced small areas of marshy
ground.[Pg 9]

In the Cisco Lake Region a few of the areas of timber
killed by the raising of the water-level have grown up to cat-tail
swamps. In these swamps there are many standing dead
trees and fallen logs as well as some areas of open water. The
cat-tails seem to occur mostly in those swamps having only
a small connection with the main body of the lake. In these
places the cat-tail is dominant, though numerous sedges occur,
and there is some sphagnum growing on the fallen logs and
along the shore. A few small black spruces are starting.
Along the edge of such a swamp a few deer-mice were taken,
but these were evidently stragglers from the adjacent forest.

Willow-thicket habitat: Willows do not occur commonly
along the water margins of the lakes of the region. The only
place, except in clearings, where willows were noted as a definite
growth is along the lower course of the Merriweather
River at Gogebic Lake. Along this part of the river there
are extensive growths of shrubby willows, growing (in early
September) in a foot or more of water. The indications were
that earlier in the summer the water about these plants must
have been at least a foot higher. Signs of muskrat were noted
at the edge of these willows.

Mud-flat habitat: Around the margin of a pond formed by
an old deserted beaver dam near Gogebic Lake, two miles
southwest of Merriweather, is a narrow strip of mud, very
wet and sparsely covered with a growth of low rushes. The
strip of muddy ground varies from about 1 to 4 meters in
width and extends a short distance up along the edge of the
small ditch draining into the pond. At the upper border of
the strip of muddy shore is a thick growth of sedges, meeting
the muddy shore at a fairly sharp line.

In this habitat meadow mice are common and four jumping
mice (Zapus hudsonius) were taken.[Pg 10]

Meadows

Ditch-border habitat: A number of small ditches run through
an old beaver meadow of considerable size near Gogebic Lake,
about two miles southwest of Merriweather. The borders of
the ditches are muddy and the banks are from 6 to 18 inches
high; in places the ditch borders are closely encroached upon
by the tall sedges of the adjacent meadow. A small amount
of water was present (in early September) in most of the
ditches. In mouse traps set at the edges of these ditches,
partly in the water, star-nosed moles and navigator shrews
were taken. In a larger trap a skunk was taken.

Tall-sedge habitat: In the beaver meadow studied near
Gogebic Lake, an area about 200 meters by 100 meters or
more is occupied by a heavy growth of high, coarse sedges,
reaching a height of about .75 to 1.00 meter. A few grasses
and some low herbs occur sparingly among the sedges. The
habitat had not been burned over and the ground is covered
with a thick mat of the decaying leaves and stems of the
sedges and grasses. In most places the ground is quite wet,
sometimes soggy to walk upon, and in a few places low hummocks
are numerous. A similar habitat was found in rather
a narrow strip at the edge of Mud Lake, one-fourth mile southwest
of Thousand Island Lake, Gogebic County. Here a small
area of meadow occurs along the inlet of a tiny stream. This
area apparently had been artificially cleared of its forest, but
the level of the lake had not been raised.

The habitat differs from the submerged-sedge habitat of
protected lake shores in being higher above the water and in
not being covered with water from July to September; probably
water does not stand to any depth on it at any time. The
Richardson shrew is apparently a characteristic mammal of
this habitat, though other shrews and mice were taken here
also.[Pg 11]

Grassy-meadow habitat: Part of the beaver meadow studied
near Gogebic Lake is covered by a thick growth of grasses
and sedges of a number of species. The ground of the habitat
was rather dry and had been burned over the previous year.
Grasses are also dominant over a few small areas near Mud
Lake in Gogebic County. On a small area of the clearing
near this lake a thick stand of bluegrass (Poa) is almost the
only plant present. This occurs on an area of fairly moist
mud. On the drier slope near the forest Poa also is abundant,
forming the dominant species over a strip about 5 to 10 meters
wide. Jumping mice are common in this habitat.

Alder-thicket habitat: On very wet ground just below an
old beaver dam near Gogebic Lake there is a heavy growth
of alder (Alnus incana) about 20 feet high. No other shrubs
were noted in the thicket. The ground under the alders is
mostly bare, there being only a few ferns, grasses, and other
herbs. On the ground are many dead sticks fallen from the
alders. This situation contained few mammals, only one
Blarina being taken in four days' trapping with 25 traps. At
the south end of the beaver meadow willows and alders are
invading the sedges in very wet ground. No trapping was
done in this situation.

Swamps

Black ash swamp habitat: A number of black ash swamps
occur along the shores of Gogebic Lake, being apparently partially
flooded during periods of heavy rains and during stages
of high water. In a swamp of this type near the north end
of Gogebic Lake on the west side, black ash (Fraxinus nigra)
is the dominant tree, the trunks reaching diameters up to 2
feet. Elms (Ulmus americana) sometimes reaching a trunk
diameter of 3 feet are common, and yellow birches and hard
maples are common also. Black maples are rare, and lindens[Pg 12]
are few. The trees are high and the forest crown nearly
closed. Underbrush is common in the more open places, this
being mostly mountain maple (Acer spicatum) with a few
young firs, young arbor-vitae, and Virginia creepers (Parthenocissus
quinquefolia). There are numerous ferns, and herbs
are abundant. Under the more closed parts of the forest
canopy the ground is mostly bare, underbrush and herbs being
scanty. Smaller black ash swamps occur in the Cisco Lake
Region, and in the vicinity of Little Girl's Point a number of
small black ashes were noted in a swamp of mixed arbor-vitae
and black spruce.

Arbor-vitae swamp habitat: In the Cisco Lake Region
arbor-vitae (Thuja occidentalis) occurs commonly near the
edges of the lakes and in the wet depressions in the forest.
Near Gogebic Lake also the arbor-vitae grows commonly near
the shores of the lake and in wet places in the woods, especially
at the edges of swamps. But the trees in both these
areas, so far as seen, were small, and the arbor-vitae did not
form a dominant species, but occurred in a small percentage
mixed with the other types of forest. However, in part of
the region near Gogebic Lake extensive arbor-vitae swamps
are reported to occur. In the vicinity of Little Girl's Point
arbor-vitae swamps are common, occupying the wet lower
northern slopes of the high ridge.

In a swamp of this type three miles southeast of the point
arbor-vitae is the dominant tree, reaching trunk diameters of
two feet and more. Under the dense shade of the high forest
crown there are many young trees of the same species, and
the forest has evidently reached a temporary climax. Of other
trees, a few small yellow birch, a few young firs and hemlocks,
and one fallen white spruce (Picea canadensis) were noted.
The ground is very wet and there are numerous tiny streams,[Pg 13]
which frequently disappear under the ground. Fallen trees
and decaying logs on the ground make a thick tangle, very
difficult to penetrate. The underbrush is scanty; mountain
maple is rather common, and there are a few young black
ashes. Much moss grows on the ground and on the decaying
logs.

In a depression two miles south of Little Girl's Point is a
mixed growth of arbor-vitae, black spruce, with a few black
ashes. The trees are mostly small, none of them exceeding
about eight inches in trunk diameter. In August the ground
was very wet, there being standing water in some places, and
the ground was heavily covered with sphagnum. This situation
may be considered transitional between the black spruce
bog and the arbor-vitae swamp. No traps for mammals were
set in this situation.

Bogs

Leather leaf bog habitat: In the northwestern corner of
Fish-hawk Lake and at several places along the channel connecting
Lindsley and Cisco lakes a heavy growth of leather
leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) adjoins and overhangs the
water, a considerable portion of the growth actually floating
on the water. With the leather leaf is associated much sweet
gale (Myrica gale) and alders, and these plants form almost
the entire mat in some of the wetter areas. At other places
sphagnum becomes abundant and the conditions approach
those of a sphagnum bog. Other plants commonly found in
the leather leaf bog in the Cisco Lake Region are the Labrador
tea (Ledum groenlandicum), swamp laurel (Kalmia potifolia),
wild rosemary (Andromeda glaucophylla), small cranberry
(Oxycoccus oxycoccus), pitcher-plant (Sarracenia purpurea),
and small trees of black spruce and tamarack. In a
typical leather leaf bog on the Ontonagon River near the outlet[Pg 14]
from Thousand Island Lake a large beaver house is located.

Sphagnum bog habitat: In a restricted sense the name is
here applied to the part of a bog which is free from trees. It
differs from the leather leaf bog in having a greater amount
of sphagnum, for while the leather leaf bog when first developed
over the water has little or no sphagnum, the sphagnum
bog, as here considered, is almost entirely covered by sphagnum.
The shrubs found in the two situations are apparently
identical, except that the leather leaf is less abundant. A small
bog of this type borders the edge of Mud Lake in the Cisco
Lake Region, and small parts of many bogs are free from
trees. So far as was determined, the mammal fauna is the
same as that for the black spruce—tamarack bog, from which
the only difference is the absence of trees.

Black Spruce—Tamarack Bog habitat: The dominant bog
tree in this region is the black spruce (Picea mariana), which
is usually small and stunted. With the black spruces are a
lesser number of small tamaracks (Larix larcina), which in
places may be dominant. The ground is heavily covered with
sphagnum, which is normally soaked with water. Shrubs are
abundant, though usually not forming a closed mat. Of the
shrubs the leather leaf is the most abundant, though Kalmia,
Andromeda, Ledum, and blueberries are common. A few
young white pines and red maples were noted. Sedges occur
frequently, and the pitcher plant is very characteristic.

Forests

Hemlock forest habitat: In the Cisco Lake Region groves
of hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) frequently occupy the lower
parts of steep slopes adjoining the lakes. One such area studied
is made up of practically a pure stand of hemlocks, the trunks
being from about 6 to 18 inches in diameter. A few very old
yellow birches are present, and also a few young sugar maples[Pg 15]
and arbor-vitae, the latter chiefly near the water's edge.
Shrubs and herbs are nearly absent, and the forest floor is
covered by a thick carpet of dead needles. There are many
decaying logs, usually covered by a thin coat of moss. In the
Little Girl's Point Region nearly pure stands of large hemlocks
cover many of the lower parts of steep slopes and also
occur commonly on well-drained soil elsewhere. In the vicinity
of the north end of Gogebic Lake a few small groves of
hemlocks were noted, but the ground in general is so low and
swampy that the species mostly occurs as a part of the mixed
forest of the region. Animals are rare in the habitat.

White pine forest habitat: White pine (Pinus strobus),
which formerly was a common forest tree in northern Michigan,
has now been mostly removed for lumber. Near Little
Girl's Point a small natural grove of this species was studied,
occupying a moderate southerly slope above a black spruce
bog. The area is about 50 by 150 meters in size. White pines
are by far the most numerous and dominant tree, the trunks
measuring up to about five feet in diameter. In the grove
yellow birch, some of large size, are common; toward the
bottom of the slope hemlocks are also common; and near the
edge of the bog there are a few arbor-vitae. Shrubs are almost
absent, there being merely a few small seedlings of arbor-vitae,
hemlock, and fir, mostly toward the bottom of the slope.
A few scattered clumps of grass appear, but the forest floor
is mostly covered only by a thick carpet of dry pine needles.
Numerous dead limbs and sticks have fallen from the pines.

Wet hardwood forest habitat: The land adjoining much
of Gogebic Lake is low and poorly drained. Here is found
a mixed forest dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum),
black maple, hemlock, yellow birch (Betula lutea), linden,
elm (Ulmus americana), ash (not black ash), and ironwood[Pg 16]
(Ostrya virginiana). The hardwoods are decidedly dominant
over the conifers. The forest crown is high and closed, and
the trees are large. The underbrush in general is scanty,
though in some places there is a thick growth of mountain
maple (Acer spicatum) and of sugar maple seedlings. Leatherwood
(Dirca palustris), hazel, ferns, and a few young firs
(Abies balsamea) also occur.

Some of the lower forests in the Cisco Lake Region approach
the wet hardwood forest type, though none are extensive in
area, and they are usually surrounded and dominated by the
dry forest condition.

Dry hardwood forest habitat: The highest development of
the dry hardwood type of forest was found on the upper parts
of the moderately high ridge near Little Girl's Point. The
slopes in general are very gentle, but well drained. The forest
here is dominated by the sugar maple (Acer saccharum), yellow
birch (Betula lutea), and linden (Tilia americana). Hemlocks
are rare, and only one elm was seen. The trees are
large, the trunks frequently reaching diameters of two feet
or more. The forest crown is high and heavy. Underbrush
is scanty and low, being mostly young seedlings of sugar
maple, though seedlings of linden are numerous. Other shrubs
and herbs noted were the leatherwood (Dirca palustris), hazel
(Corylus rostrata), yew (Taxus canadensis), gooseberry, ferns,
false Solomon's seal, and grass. On the ground are many
decaying leaves, these usually forming a heavy carpet; decaying
logs and freshly fallen sticks are common.

In the Cisco Lake Region the drainage is not so good as in
the vicinity of Little Girl's Point, and the forests of that district
are of a type somewhat intermediate between the wet
hardwood forest and the dry hardwood forest. In the Cisco
Lake Region the topography is much broken, there being many[Pg 17]
small hills and ridges, and many small depressions, often poorly
drained. In the damp depressions, if not wet enough for a
bog, arbor-vitae and hemlock are common, while on the ridges
sugar maple and linden are characteristic, though hemlock
occurs here sparingly also. There is accordingly much local
variation in tree forms, but the whole forest is decidedly of a
hardwood type.

The dry hardwood forests of the Little Girl's Point Region
are inhabited by many deer-mice, while only a few of this
species are found in the wet hardwood forests near Gogebic
Lake, bob-tailed shrews being there the most abundant mammal
and red-backed voles being common, both of which are
rare in the other districts. In the dry hardwood forest near
Little Girl's Point four woodland jumping mice (Napaeozapus)
were taken, while in the Cisco Lake Region only two were
taken in a period twice as long, and at Gogebic Lake none were
secured. These observations indicate that moisture conditions
in hardwood forests have an important influence on the mammal
fauna.

Mountains

Rock-bluff habitat: Rock exposures are rare in the region
studied. However there are several high hills with steep
exposures of rock a short distance north of Ironwood and
Bessemer. These hills could not be studied in the time available,
and the only cliff examined was on a small range of hills
northeast of the station of Lake Gogebic. On one of these
hills is a nearly perpendicular rock cliff about 200 feet high
and facing to the southward. The small talus slope at the
bottom is overgrown with shrubs and trees, and on the small
ledges and gullies of the face of the cliff a few small trees,
shrubs, and herbs are also growing. The most conspicuous
plants of the rock habitat are scrub oaks, aspens, and heaths.[Pg 18]
No trapping was done in the habitat, and no notes on mammals
were secured. Probably the mammal fauna is not very large.

Mountain-heath habitat: A narrow, poorly developed belt
of heath fringes the upper edge of the rock cliff examined
north of Lake Gogebic. Characteristic plants are the blueberry
and bearberry, mixed with creeping juniper and a few
scattered grasses. The habitat is very narrow and is closely
encroached upon by shrubs and trees, such as sumac, cherry,
white pine, jack pine, oaks, aspens, and paper birch. Signs
of fox were noted at the edge of the cliff, but no trapping was
carried on here.

Air

Aerial habitat: The only aerial mammals are the bats, of
which four species were taken during the summer. The flying
squirrel is not considered to be a true aerial form.

Burns and Clearings

Fires have been numerous throughout northern Michigan
and a large part of the region is covered by various stages
in the succession following fires or clearings. The areas
studied were selected as representative of the natural conditions
of the peninsula, but even in these districts there are
many burned areas.

Many large areas have been heavily logged over, sometimes
followed by fire, with a result similar to that of a fire. In the
region studied there are numerous small clearings, some of
which are in use as the residences of settlers, but most have
been allowed to revert to a wild condition. The stages in succession
on an abandoned clearing seem to be similar to those
following a fire, and they are here considered together.

Herbaceous stage: After a fire in a forest in this region
the first vegetation to spring up seems to be the herbs, of[Pg 19]
which the fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) is most
prominent. A number of areas dominated by this type of
vegetation were seen, but the type seems to be short-lived, and
is probably quickly replaced by shrubs and tree seedlings. The
stages in succession following a fire in swampy areas may be
somewhat different from that in a hardwood region, but no
data was obtained. No opportunity presented itself to study
the mammals of the herbaceous stage, and I have no records
for the species found there.

Shrub stage: Following a fire or clearing in a hardwood
area the herbaceous stage is apparently quickly followed by
a thick growth of shrubs and young trees. The characters of
the shrub growth vary considerably with the texture of the
soil, amount of soil moisture, slope, and completeness of
burning. The growth is usually quite thick, though in some
clearings where the growth has been kept down for some time
there may be open grassy patches. In small clearings near
Fish-hawk Lake the raspberry (Rubus strigosus) is a characteristic
species, but near Little Girl's Point it is much less
common. A large area of shrub studied near Little Girl's
Point is on a rather steep slope facing to the north, though
part is at the bottom of the hill on a very gentle slope. There
are no large trees, but saplings up to 2-1/2-inch trunks occur;
most, however, are smaller. The quaking and large-toothed
aspens (Populus tremuloides and P. grandidentata), paper
and yellow birches (Betula papyrifera and B. lutea), sugar
maple, and linden are common seedlings. Shrubs, such as the
sumac (Rhus hirta), wild cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica),
raspberry, willows (Salix spp.), mountain maple, red-berried
elder (Sambucus racemosa), and hazel are common. A few
herbs, like the fireweed, golden-rod, and pearly everlasting,
occur in open places.[Pg 20]

A number of mammals are found in the shrub stage, but
they are far less abundant than in mature hardwood forest.

Paper birch—aspen stage: The continued growth of the
young trees in the shrub stage leads to the production of a
sapling forest of the more quickly growing species, the paper
birches and aspens. Often one or other of these species
becomes dominant to the practical exclusion of the other, but
sometimes both occur together. On the slopes near the lakes
of the Cisco Lake chain aspens are rare, and the sapling forests
on the clearings and burns are almost a pure stand of
paper birch. Near Watersmeet, however, the aspen seems to
be the dominant form, and few paper birches were seen. Near
Gogebic Lake, also, the quaking aspen is the dominant form,
though paper birches are common in the sapling forests. The
growth in these sapling forests is very thick, and the ground
is nearly bare of vegetation, though it is heavily covered with
dead sticks and small logs. In a thick growth of quaking
aspens, on wet ground studied near Gogebic Lake, a number
of alders and paper birches, a few young trees of sugar maple
and arbor-vitae, and a rare elm occur. A scanty undergrowth
of mountain maple and numerous sugar maple seedlings is
present. Few mammals are found in this stage of the forest.

On the western slope of Birch Point on Cisco Lake there is
a good stand of paper birches, growing in an open stand with
much grass in the spaces between the trees. This place has
been much used for camping and it may be that the development
of the grass is the result of opening the forest by clearing
out some of the trees. Among the birches are numerous
young firs and white pines, with a few young sugar maples,
and a rare arbor-vitae. The birches show many signs of age,
and would evidently, if undisturbed, soon give way to a forest
dominated by the pines and firs. In the grass among these[Pg 21]
trees deer-mice, red-backed voles, and jumping mice (Zapus)
were taken. Signs of snowshoe hare were seen.

Young hardwood forest stage: On the eastern slope of a
low ridge at Birch Point, Cisco Lake, a young hardwood forest
is rapidly replacing a former growth of paper birches which
has followed a fire. In this growth numerous old paper
birches still persist, but they are being strongly crowded by a
thick growth of vigorous young sugar maples, some of which
have trunk diameters up to about eight inches, and which
form a dense shade. Among the maples are numerous young
firs and a few young hemlocks and arbor-vitae. The ground
is mostly bare, being scantily covered by leaves. The soil is
moist, but there is no grass and little brush. In this habitat
deer-mice were taken, and one red squirrel was seen.

Artificial Conditions

Overflow swamp habitat: Due to the rise in water-level
of the lakes of the Cisco Lake chain many low areas of forest
have been flooded and killed. Many of the dead trunks of
these trees still remain standing, mixed with fallen and decaying
logs in the water. Locally these habitats are called "overflow
swamps," a name here adopted for the habitat. There
is little living vegetation in these swamps, an occasional water
lily being almost the only plant present. Porcupines commonly
walk out on the logs of the swamp to secure the water lily
leaves, and probably the mink occasionally runs over the logs
in its movements along the waterways.

Cultivated-field habitat: Cleared fields occur only sparingly
in the regions visited, and these fields are small in size. No
study of their inhabitants was made, though silver-haired bats
were collected while they were flying over a small clearing in
the Little Girl's Point Region.[Pg 22]

Edificarian habitat: Towns and buildings are not very common
in northern Michigan. In and around a cabin on Lindsley
Lake a number of deer-mice were trapped, and signs that porcupines
had invaded the cabin were noted.

Annotated List of Mammals

Condylura cristata. Star-nosed Mole.

Tall-sedge, 2.

Two were trapped September 3 and 5, 1920, in a short,
open runway in very moist soil at the edge of a small ditch
running through tall sedges in a beaver meadow near Gogebic
Lake, Ontonagon County.

Sorex personatus personatus. Masked Shrew.

Grassy-meadow, 2.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 2.

Wet hardwood forest, 3.

Dry hardwood forest, 3.

Shrub stage, 2.

In the Cisco Lake Region in July, one was taken in a small
black spruce bog, two in a narrow tongue of grass between
tall sedges and sphagnum bordering Mud Lake, three in the
wetter parts of the hardwood forest, and three in the upland,
well-drained hardwood forest. Near Little Girl's Point in
August, two were taken in a growth of shrubs in a burn.
Near Gogebic Lake, Ontonagon County, one was taken September
4 in a black spruce bog.

Sorex richardsonii. Richardson Shrew.

Tall-sedge, 15.

Grassy-meadow, 1.

Sphagnum bog, 1.

This species was found only in or near tall sedges growing
in moist or marshy situations. In the Cisco Lake Region six
were taken near Mud Lake in July. Four of these were taken
in tall sedges, one in grass alongside the sedges, and one in
sphagnum between the sedges and the lake. August 30 to[Pg 23]
September 5, eleven were taken in tall sedges in a beaver
meadow near Gogebic Lake, Ontonagon County.

An adult female trapped at Mud Lake, July 30, contained
five large embryos. There were two pairs of inguinal and one
pair of abdominal mammae. Another adult female trapped in
the same place, July 22, had two pairs of inguinal mammae,
but no abdominal mammae were found.

The latter individual was moulting, patches of new fur
having replaced the old on the top of the head midway between
the ears and eyes, between the shoulders, and on the rump.
The other female mentioned above, taken July 30, had nearly
completed her moult.

Only two specimens have been previously recorded from
Michigan, one from Alger County and the other from Chippewa
County.[2]

Neosorex palustris palustris. Marsh Shrew, Water Shrew.

Tall-sedge, 1.

Ditch-border, 3.

September 1 a marsh shrew was trapped in the tall sedges
of a beaver meadow near Gogebic Lake, Ontonagon County.
Most of the body had been eaten by some carnivore. Other
specimens were taken on each of the two succeeding days,
and a fourth on September 5.

The first specimen taken was trapped eight feet from a tiny
stream which flowed through the marshy sedges. Two of the
others were taken on the muddy bank of the stream near the
water's edge, and the fourth about 35 feet from the water.
All were secured within a radius of 35 feet.

This species has been recorded but once previously from
Michigan, from Chippewa County.[3][Pg 24]

Microsorex hoyi. Hoy Shrew.

Black spruce-tamarack bog, 1.

Wet hardwood forest, 1.

One specimen was taken July 17 at Fish-hawk Lake in a
moderately wet part of the hardwood forest. Another was
taken July 29 at the edge of a small black spruce bog.

Blarina brevicauda talpoides. Bob-tailed Shrew.

Tall-sedge, 8.

Grassy-meadow, 6.

Alder-thicket, 1.

Black ash swamp, 6.

Arbor-vitae swamp, 4.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 1.

Wet hardwood forest, 32.

Dry hardwood forest, 8.

Shrub stage, 1.

Paper birch—aspen stage, 6.

The species is rather generally distributed, but is by far
the most common in moist woods. In the Cisco Lake Region
11 were secured; in the Little Girl's Point district, 10; and
near Gogebic Lake in Ontonagon County, 52. In the latter
district it was the most abundant mammal species, even exceeding
Peromyscus in numbers; indeed, Peromyscus was relatively
uncommon in the partly swampy woods of the region,
and it might be that the abundance of the bob-tailed shrews
accounts for the scarcity of the deer-mice, for the shrews
undoubtedly at times prey upon the mice. The specimen
recorded above from the black spruce-tamarack bog was
taken near Gogebic Lake in a boggy swamp, which, while
dominated by black spruces, yet contained a considerable number
of arbor-vitae and hemlocks.

In the wet hardwood forest near Gogebic Lake Blarina runways
are exceedingly abundant, usually running along or
under sticks or logs. Commonly they are just under the
leaves, but sometimes for a short distance are without covering.
One old log examined was found to be honey-combed
with these tunnels. The deeper runways nearly always follow
down just under a tree root.[Pg 25]

The uterus of a female taken July 10, at Fish-hawk Lake,
showed a few small swellings which were identified in the
field as embryos. Unfortunately, the uterus was not preserved.
No embryos were found in 26 other females taken between
July 15 and September 4. In the latter part of the season
fewer immature specimens were taken than earlier in the
summer. These facts show that in this region the species
breeds in the spring or early summer and does not usually
breed again during July and August.

Myotis lucifugus lucifugus. Little Brown Bat.

Aerial, 15.

Nine individuals were shot while they were flying over the
lakes in the Cisco Lake Region. These were taken between
8:00 and 9:00 p. m. from July 1 to August 2; but on moonlight
nights bats, believed to be of this species, were seen
flying as late as 10:00 p. m. At the camp near Little Girl's
Point one was shot at 7:55 p. m., August 11, as it flew about
over the road through the dry hardwood forest. Five others
were shot at the Gogebic Lake camp as they flitted through
an opening in the wet hardwood forest. These were taken
between 7:30 and 7:55 p. m., August 23 to September 2; but
bats almost certainly of this species appeared regularly in the
evenings about 7:10 p. m.

Lasionycteris noctivagans. Silver-haired Bat.

Aerial, 3.

Near the Little Girl's Point camp one was shot at 7:50 p. m.,
August 9, and two more in the same region about 7:45 p. m.,
August 17. One was flying along a road through the dry
hardwood forest at a height about equal to that of the tree-tops,
and the others were taken in a small clearing in the same
forest.[Pg 26]

Nycteris borealis borealis. Red Bat.

Aerial, 2.

Two were secured near the Little Girl's Point camp at
about 7:45 p. m., one August 9 and the other August 14, as
they flew about over the road through the dry hardwood forest.

Nycteris cinerea. Hoary Bat.

Aerial, 1.

The only specimen secured was shot at 7:55 p. m., August
9, while it was flying over the road through the dry hardwood
forest near Little Girl's Point.

Ursus americanus americanus. Black Bear.

Wet hardwood forest, 1.

Dry hardwood forest, 1.

Reported by residents as being rather common. July 10 a
large black bear was seen to cross the railroad track and enter
the hardwood forest not over a quarter-mile from Cisco Lake
Station. Tracks of a large individual were seen in the mud
bordering a small brook in maple-birch-hemlock forest about
three miles southeast of the station July 17 and August 15.
At dusk, August 28, while Mr. Sherman was setting up a
camera and flashgun along a deer trail about 100 yards from
the camp on Gogebic Lake, a small bear passed within twenty-five
paces of him, apparently but little concerned with his
presence or that of the nearby camp and fire, except that it
sniffed the air occasionally.

Canis lycaon. Timber Wolf.

Mud-flat, signs.

Tall-sedge, tracks.

Dry hardwood forest, reported.

Residents reported it common in all the districts visited
by us. We saw signs and tracks in several habitats; and residents
saw a wolf in the dry hardwood forest near our camp
in the Little Girl's Point district.[Pg 27]

Canis latrans. Coyote.

J. E. Fischer reported in 1920 that coyotes had appeared
and become numerous in the region at the north end of Lake
Gogebic within the last few years. We have secured several
skulls and skeletons taken by him in 1920-21.

Vulpes fulva. Red Fox.

Mountain-heath, signs.

Signs of fox were found in late August in a narrow growth
of heath at the top of a cliff about a mile north of Lake
Gogebic Station. J. E. Fischer has sent us a fox taken in
January, 1921, in Gogebic County near Gogebic Lake. Benjamin
J. Twombley reports that a few occur in the Cisco Lake
Region. J. E. Marshall, in 1911, reported that a few occurred
around Gogebic Lake.

Urocyon cinereoargenteus. Gray Fox.

J. E. Marshall reported in 1911 that it was rare, but that
he had trapped two near Gogebic Lake.

Martes americanus americanus. Marten.

J. E. Marshall reported in 1911 that it was getting scarce
in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties. He trapped a number
near Gogebic Lake in the winter of 1884-1885, and took 15
in the winter of 1889-90. In 1920 J. E. Fischer reported
marten rare near Gogebic Lake.

Martes pennantii pennantii. Fisher.

In 1911 J. E. Marshall reported that it was getting scarce
near Gogebic Lake; he trapped four in the winter of 1889-90
and two in 1890-91. J. E. Fischer took one in Ontonagon
County near Gogebic Lake in the winter of 1919-20. Ole
Petersen in 1911 reported it rare near Gogebic Lake.[Pg 28]

Mustela cicognanii cicognanii. Bonaparte Weasel.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 1.

Dry hardwood forest, 4.

Trappers report it common throughout the areas visited.
We took five specimens near Little Girl's Point. Several
specimens taken in the Cisco Lake Region during the winter
of 1920-21 were presented to us by Benjamin J. Twombley,
and J. E. Fischer sent us a specimen taken in December, 1920,
near Gogebic Lake.

Mustela vison letifera. Mink.

Forest—shore, 6.

Wet hardwood forest, den.

Reported by trappers as common throughout the area
studied. In the Cisco Lake Region two were trapped at the
water's edge beside a growth of paper birch saplings; and
another was shot as it was running along the bank of the
Ontonagon River at the edge of a stand of hemlocks. Three
others were seen swimming near the latter locality July 29.
Upon the approach of the canoe they swam rapidly to an old
hollow log in wet hardwood forest on shore. Around and
through the log well-worn runways showed evidence of the
presence of a den.

Mephitis hudsonica. Skunk.

Ditch-border, 1.

Dry hardwood forest, 5.

Four skunks were taken in the dry hardwood forest of the
Cisco Lake Region, one in the same type of habitat near the
Little Girl's Point camp, and another in a trap set in the
bottom of a muddy ditch in the beaver meadow near Gogebic
Lake.

An adult male, trapped July 14 in the Cisco Lake Region,
was badly infested with tapeworms in the middle part of the
small intestine. An adult female, taken July 19, was found
to have many tapeworms in the intestine, many nematodes in[Pg 29]
the lung tissue, an infested liver, and a large number of nematodes
in a cavity in the top of the skull.

While we were photographing a captive juvenile August 2
at Lindsley Lake a horsefly (identified as Tabanus atratus by
J. S. Rogers) burrowed into the fur on the rump of the skunk
and began sucking blood.

Taxidea taxus taxus. Badger.

J. E. Marshall reports that he trapped one in the winter of
1889-90 between Gogebic Lake and Lake Superior.

Lutra canadensis canadensis. Otter.

In 1911 J. E. Marshall reported that quite a few remained
around Gogebic Lake; he took quite a number in the winter
of 1884 and several in the winters of 1889 to 1891. J. E.
Fischer took two in Ontonagon County in January, 1921.

Lynx canadensis. Canada Lynx.

J. E. Marshall reports that it was not very plentiful near
Gogebic Lake in 1884. He took one in the winter of 1890-91;
in 1911 it had almost or entirely disappeared.

Lynx ruffus ruffus. Bob-cat.

J. E. Marshall reports that he took three or four near
Gogebic Lake in the winter of 1890-91; in 1891-92 it had
become quite numerous; and it continued to increase until
1911 at least. In 1920 residents reported that a few occurred
in all the regions visited by us.

Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis. Deer-mouse.

Tall-sedge, 4.

Black ash swamp, 5.

Arbor-vitae swamp, 11.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 4.

Hemlock forest, 16.

White pine forest, 5.

Wet hardwood forest, 78.

Dry hardwood forest, 143.

Shrub stage, 19.

Paper birch—aspen, 15.

Young hardwood forest stage, 2.

Edificarian, 6.

In the Cisco Lake Region and in the vicinity of Little Girl's[Pg 30]
Point this species is the most abundant mammal, but in the
wet woods at the Gogebic Lake camp it is much less abundant,
being exceeded in numbers by the bob-tailed shrew. A
total of 308 deer-mice were taken during the summer. It was
found in a variety of forest habitats, but it is most abundant
in the dry upland woods of the Little Girl's Point Region.
The individuals taken in the tall sedges at Mud Lake were
probably stragglers from the nearby shrubs and forest, for
no deer-mice were taken in the extensive sedges of the large
beaver meadow studied near Gogebic Lake. Probably most
of those taken in the black spruce bogs were stragglers also,
though one individual taken in a large black spruce bog was
50 yards from the nearest deciduous woods.

When we arrived in the Cisco Lake Region in late June
young and subadults were abundant, many of the female subadults,
as well as the adults, carrying embryos. Embryos were
found throughout the summer up to August 25. Of females
containing embryos, five had 4 embryos each, ten females 5
embryos each, nine females 6 embryos each, and one female 8
embryos.

Synaptomys cooperi fatuus. Lemming-vole.

Tall-sedge, 1.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 2.

Wet hardwood forest, 1.

Dry hardwood forest, 1.

In the Cisco Lake Region an adult female was taken in dry
hardwood forest near Fish-hawk Lake June 28, 1920. It contained
6 embryos each 21 mm. long. A juvenile was trapped
July 26 on top a log in the tall sedges at Mud Lake. The log
bridged over a particularly wet part of the marshy sedges and
was at the edge of the hardwood forest. Two other juveniles
were taken the next day, one in a small black spruce log, and
the other in wet hardwood forest at the edge of the same bog.[Pg 31]
In Ontonagon County near Gogebic Lake a subadult male was
taken September 5 in a large black spruce bog.

Evotomys gapperi gapperi. Red-backed vole.

Black ash swamp, 2.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 6.

Arbor-vitae swamp, 2.

Hemlock forest, 5.

White pine forest, 2.

Wet hardwood forest, 18.

Dry hardwood forest, 17.

Shrub stage, 5.

Paper birch—aspen stage, 3.

Thirty were taken in the Cisco Lake Region, 10 at the Little
Girl's Point camp, and 20 near Gogebic Lake in Ontonagon
County. It was most common in the forests. Two individuals
recorded from the arbor-vitae swamp were taken in a mixed
swamp of small arbor-vitae, black spruce, and hemlock with
many alders, this situation probably forming a stage in the
succession following a beaver meadow. Also, one of the specimens
recorded from the paper birch—aspen stage was taken in
an open stand of old paper birches with a forest floor of grass,
conditions not typical of the stage.

Of 13 females examined from June to August, two contained
4 embryos each, two 5 embryos each, and two 6 embryos
each. August 14, at Little Girl's Point, was the last date on
which embryos were found.

The species is somewhat diurnal. Several times one was
seen in daylight about the camp in the Cisco Lake Region, and
several were trapped during daylight hours.

A captive was fond of tender grass blades, but refused the
harder stems. In eating he sat up on the hind feet and handled
the food with the fore feet.

An immature male taken August 8 near Little Girl's Point
had a considerable infestation of seed ticks on the posterior
lobes of both ears.[Pg 32]

Microtus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus. Meadow vole.

Mud-flat, 6.

Tall-sedge, 28.

Grassy-meadow, 6.

Black ash swamp, 1.

Arbor-vitae swamp, 1.

Leather leaf bog, 15.

Sphagnum bog, 9.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 1.

Shrub stage, 17.

Sixty-five were taken in the Cisco Lake Region and 19 in
Ontonagon County, near Gogebic Lake. It is most abundant
in grassy and sedgy meadows and in open bogs, though it is
found rarely in swamps and tree-covered bogs. The individual
listed from the arbor-vitae swamp was taken in a young growth
of arbor-vitae, black spruce, hemlock, and many alders, and
not in typical arbor-vitae swamp habitat. Of the 17 listed from
the shrub stage, one was taken in a wet, sedgy part of a shrub-covered
burn at Poor Lake, and the others were secured in
the shrub and grass clearing around the camp house on Lindsley
Lake.

Of ten females examined, July 10 to September 5, one contained
3 embryos, one 4 embryos, and two 5 embryos each.
September 5 was the last date on which embryos were found.
The three embryos found on the last date were each 23 mm.
in length and together they weighed 8.5 grams, which was
26 per cent of the weight of the mother with the embryos
removed.

Both adults and immature young were seen moving about,
and were also trapped in broad daylight, but it is more active
in the evening just before sunset.

A captive juvenile was placed July 19 in a large tub with
an adult female, which might have been its mother, for both
were taken on succeeding days in the same trap. The young
one immediately tried to nurse, but was severely bitten and
driven away, though it made numerous unsuccessful attempts
later. When approaching the old female the baby frequently[Pg 33]
gave a high-pitched squeak, and the old female replied by a
hoarse squeak, evidently of warning, for the young one was
bitten when it approached in defiance of the warning note and
threatening attitude of the adult. The baby evidently had been
weaned, and the old female was found to contain five large
embryos.

Ondatra zibethica zibethica. Muskrat.

Forest—shore, 5.

Water lily, 1.

Pondweed, 2.

Willow-thicket, signs.

Muskrats are numerous in the Cisco Lake Region, and five
specimens were taken. Near Little Girl's Point one was seen
swimming in a small stream. At the mouth of Merriweather
Creek on Gogebic Lake signs were noted in a willow thicket,
and muskrats were reported numerous in the region.

An adult female trapped July 6 at Fish-hawk Lake contained
six large embryos; another female taken July 10 contained no
embryos, but the mammae were filled with milk; and two
females taken July 26 contained no embryos.

In the Cisco Lake Region broken mussel shells were abundant
in the muskrat runways along the shores. Remains of
pondweeds were also frequently found in the runways, and a
quantity of leaves with a few heads containing flowers and
seeds collected July 8 were identified by E. A. Bessey as Potamogeton
richardsonii.

Zapus hudsonius hudsonius. Jumping-mouse.

Mud-flat, 4.

Tall-sedge, 12.

Grassy-meadow, 8,

Arbor-vitae swamp, 1.

Sphagnum bog, 1.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 1.

Wet hardwood forest, 2.

Dry hardwood forest, 1.

Shrub stage, 10.

Paper birch—aspen stage, 2.

Numerous in suitable habitats in the Cisco Lake Region,
at Little Girl's Point, and at Gogebic Lake. Most common in
open grasses and sedges. Five of those recorded above from[Pg 34]
the shrub stage were taken in open shrubs and grass in the
clearing around the camp house on Lindsley Lake; and the
two recorded from the paper birch—aspen stage were taken
at Cisco Lake in an open stand of old paper birch with a
forest floor of grass.

Juveniles were taken throughout the summer, but no one
of seven adult or nearly adult females examined between July
7 and September 4 contained embryos.

A captive taken July 18, after feeding ravenously on a cooky,
retired to a corner and went to sleep. The position taken in
this case was a sitting one, the animal resting on the widely
spread feet as far as the heels, and on the tail. The head was
bent far over, the nose extending between the hind legs. The
long tail was curled around the body, it resting on the ground
for its whole length. The operation of cleaning the tail was
observed two days later. The animal worked from the base
of the tail toward the tip, using the fore feet to present the
tail to the mouth, where it was licked off. During the process
the head was held over on one side, nearly touching the
ground.

Napaeozapus insignis fructectanus. Woodland Jumping Mouse.

Wet hardwood forest, 1.

Dry hardwood forest, 6.

Three were taken in the Cisco Lake Region and four in the
Little Girl's Point Region, all in heavy forest.

Neither of two adult females taken August 8 and 10 contained
embryos.

Erethizon dorsatum dorsatum. Porcupine.

Forest—shore, 13.

Wet hardwood forest, 10.

Dry hardwood forest, 17.

Shrub stage, 5.

Paper birch—aspen stage, 10.

Overflow swamp, 5.

Edificarian, 1.

Common at all camps. Many were taken in traps set for
carnivores. Well-marked trails at the edges of lakes and[Pg 35]
streams through the forests are evidently made mostly by
these animals. It is detested by the inhabitants of the region,
chiefly for the damage done to any woodwork which contains
the least amount of salt.

Porcupines spend a considerable amount of time inside hollow
linden, yellow birch, and hemlock trees, as shown by the
large piles of droppings noted at the lower openings of numerous
such hollow trees.

June 30, and again on July 2, young individuals were closely
observed while feeding on the leaves of the yellow water lily.
These individuals were on the logs in an overflow swamp, and
they reached down with a fore foot into the water to secure
the food, which was then presented to the mouth with the
same foot. One of these porcupines seemed to be very disinclined
to wet his feet, except the fore feet in reaching for
food; the other individual waded out on a log which was submerged
several inches, but he showed a ludicrous determination
to hold the tail up out of the water.

A juvenile weighing only 914 grams was taken as late as
July 21 at Fish-hawk Lake, but no embryos were found in
the period between June 29 and September 3. It is often
active throughout the day as well as in the night.

A young individual taken in a trap July 3 was found surrounded
by a swarm of mosquitoes, which seemed to annoy
him considerably, for he shook his skin frequently to dislodge
them. One mosquito settled on a lower eyelid as we watched,
and others kept alighting on his nose. When he raised his
quills on our approach many mosquitoes attacked the skin
exposed on the back.

Marmota monax canadensis. Canada Woodchuck.

Hemlock forest, 5.

Shrub stage, 9.

A few occur in the Cisco Lake Region, where they are most[Pg 36]
common in the shrubby clearings. Several adults fed commonly
on the refuse from the camp. The stomach of a captured
individual contained a considerable quantity of cooked
corn, spaghetti, and boiled ham. Three woodchucks were
noted at different times in hemlock forest along the lake shores.

A half-grown juvenile was seen to swim the Ontonagon
River near its entrance to Cisco Lake. This was on July 10,
near noon, with bright sunshine. The river here is at least
75 yards in width, but has no perceptible current.

Juveniles taken in traps were observed to extrude scent
glands from the anus when approached. These glands are
three in number, one on each side of the anus and one beneath.
They are small, whitish, and cup-shaped. Normally they lie
just inside the anus, but on excitement they are everted and
the fold of skin forming the edge of the anus is rolled outward
so that the glands lie outside. We detected a faint
musky odor which might have come from these glands.

In the Little Girl's Point district several inhabited a woodpile
in hemlock forest at the edge of a wide road. None were
found near Gogebic Lake.

Eutamias borealis neglectus. Lake Superior Chipmunk.

Tall-sedge, 1.

Grassy-meadow, 3.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 1.

Hemlock forest, 1.

Wet hardwood forest, 1.

Shrub stage, 20.

Paper birch—aspen stage, 2.

Common in shrubby clearings and burns in the Cisco Lake
and Little Girl's Point regions. A few were taken in tall
sedges and grass not far from shrubs; one was taken in a
small black spruce bog, about five yards from the surrounding
wet hardwood forest; one was taken in hemlock forest near
the lake shore; and one was seen in wet hardwood forest near
the lake shore. Not seen near Gogebic Lake.[Pg 37]

These chipmunks were several times observed feeding on
ripe raspberries. August 5, near Watersmeet, one was seen
sitting on a rail fence beside a pasture, eating a grasshopper,
the remains of which have been identified by T. H. Hubbell
as Melanoplus sp. probably bivittatus.

Tamias striatus griseus. Gray Chipmunk.

Black ash swamp, 1.

Hemlock forest, 1.

Wet hardwood forest, 10.

Dry hardwood forest, 8.

Shrub stage, 2.

Five records were obtained in the Cisco Lake Region; 9
near Little Girl's Point, and 8 near Gogebic Lake. It is most
numerous in hardwood forest.

An adult male taken July 5 had in its cheek-pouches numerous
seeds of Carex and a fruit capsule of Viola, the identification
being by E. A. Bessey. Of eight adult or nearly adult
females examined between July 5 and September 1, one taken
July 15 in the Cisco Lake Region contained eight large
embryos.

Sciurus hudsonicus loquax. Southeastern Red-squirrel.

Black ash swamp, 1.

Arbor-vitae swamp, 3.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 2.

Hemlock forest, 1.

White pine forest, 1.

Wet hardwood forest, 9.

Dry hardwood forest, 7.

Shrub stage, 1.

Paper birch—aspen stage, 3.

Early hardwood forest stage, 1.

Edificarian, 1.

Seventeen records from the Cisco Lake Region; 6 from
Little Girl's Point; and 7 from Gogebic Lake. None were
noted more than a few yards from the protection of a forest.

In a grove of white pines near Little Girl's Point cut pine
scales were numerous August 13 on the ground and on logs,
and one red-squirrel taken had much pitch on the fur around
the mouth. August 24, cut-open fir cones were numerous
around the small fir trees in a paper birch—aspen growth near[Pg 38]
Gogebic Lake, and were certainly the work of this species.
July 2 a young red-squirrel which had frequently been seen
around the camp in the Cisco Lake Region was found ravenously
feeding on the kidney of a recently skinned woodchuck.
After feeding it showed no fear, and allowed itself to be
picked up; it seemed very sleepy and slept for about a half-hour
before running away. This individual was badly infested
with fleas. Another juvenile taken July 1 in the same region
was infested with small patches of red seed ticks around the
anus, anterior to the genital opening, on the belly, on the thigh,
and at the base of one ear.

Six small embryos were found in an adult female taken in
the Cisco Lake Region July 16.

Sciurus carolinensis leucotis. Gray-squirrel.

In 1911, J. E. Marshall reported that a few occurred near
Gogebic Lake.

Glaucomys sabrinus macrotis. Mearns Flying-squirrel.

Black ash swamp, 1.

Hemlock forest, 1.

Wet hardwood forest, 2.

Dry hardwood forest, 1.

Two were taken in the Cisco Lake Region and three near
Gogebic Lake in Ontonagon County. A female taken July 4
near Fish-hawk Lake was still suckling young, and contained
no embryos, but a female taken July 6 in the same region contained
five small embryos. An immature female taken August
27 near Gogebic Lake was without embryos.

Castor canadensis michiganensis. Woods Beaver.

Leather leaf bog, house.

Two houses were found in the Cisco Lake Region, both
being in leather leaf bogs near deep water. Around the house
studied there was an incomplete moat connected with a channel
leading to deep water, and canals and tunnels radiated out[Pg 39]
through the bog. No beavers were observed nor secured, but
fresh cuttings were noted at the edges of some of the "forms"
in the bog.

A few beaver are reported to occur near Little Girl's Point
and near Gogebic Lake. E. E. Brewster in 1895 wrote Dr.
Gibbs that it was not uncommon in Gogebic County and in
probably all the counties of the Upper Peninsula where trapping
and lumbering had been discontinued; he stated that
beaver were appearing again even in localities where formerly
most sought. In 1911, J. E. Marshall reported it scarce near
Gogebic Lake.

Lepus americanus phæonotus. Snowshoe Hare.

Forest—shore, 1.

Arbor-vitae swamp, signs.

Leather leaf bog, signs.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, 1.

Wet hardwood forest, signs.

Dry hardwood forest, 1.

Shrub stage, 7.

Paper birch—aspen stage, 1.

Cultivated-field, 1.

Edificarian, 1.

Rare during the season of 1920 in the areas visited. In the
Cisco Lake Region an adult female was taken in a trap set for
muskrat under water on a brushy point. Other hares were
occasionally seen in the evenings in the shrubby clearing around
the camp house; and one was even seen on the porch. Droppings
were found in a leather leaf bog, and a hare was seen
at the edge of a black spruce—tamarack bog. Near Little Girl's
Point a juvenile was taken August 13 in the upland hardwood
forest, but was partly eaten in the trap by some carnivore;
several were seen in shrubby clearings; and a young one was
reported captured in an oat field by a farmer. Droppings were
found in an arbor-vitae swamp. Near Gogebic Lake in
Ontonagon County droppings were found in wet hardwood
forest, in a thick growth of aspen and white birch saplings,
and in an extensive tamarack bog.

An adult female taken July 4 at Fish-hawk Lake had much[Pg 40]
milk in the mammae. At the camp on Lindsley Lake June 27
one was seen to eat some wood ashes; and June 30 one was
seen to feed on the blades of quack grass (Agropyron repens),
which was identified by E. A. Bessey.

Odocoileus virginianus borealis. Northern White-tailed Deer.

Forest—shore, 1.

Mud-flat, signs.

Tall-sedge, 1.

Grassy-meadow, 1.

Alder-thicket, signs.

Black ash swamp, signs.

Arbor-vitae swamp, signs.

Black spruce—tamarack bog, signs.

Hemlock forest, signs.

Wet hardwood forest, 10.

Dry hardwood forest, 7.

Shrub stage, 8.

Paper birch—aspen stage, 1.

Deer are abundant in the Cisco Lake Region; they are less
common near Lake Gogebic; and only a few were seen near
Little Girl's Point. Most of those seen were in the hardwood
forest and in the brushy clearings, but trails and signs were
common in many habitats.

Wolves were reported to prey extensively on deer in the
region, and wolf dung examined August 7 near Little Girl's
Point contained much deer hair and some deer bones.

Alces americanus. Moose.

J. E. Marshall reports that a moose was seen near Gogebic
Lake in the winter of 1885, and an individual, perhaps the
same one, was killed on Flambeau Reservation that year.

[Pg 42]

Northern Michigan Mammals         Plate I

Fig. 1. Beach of Lake Superior just east of Little
Girl's Point. A dirt bluff at the right of the picture. August 10,
1920.

[Pg 43]

Fig. 2. Tall-sedge habitat in a beaver meadow on the
west side of Gogebic Lake, Ontonagon County. September 1, 1920.

[Pg 44]

Northern Michigan Mammals         Plate II

Fig. 1. Leather leaf bog invaded by tamaracks, Ontonagon
River near Cisco Lake. August 3, 1920.

[Pg 45]

Fig. 2. Arbor-vitae swamp four miles southeast of Little
Girl's Point. The ground is very moist. August 16, 1920.

[Pg 46]

Northern Michigan Mammals         Plate III

Fig. 1. Dry hardwood on a ridge four miles southeast of
Little Girl's Point. Sugar maple, yellow birch, and linden are
dominant. Undergrowth low. August 16, 1920.

[Pg 47]

Fig. 2. Virgin white pine grove, Gogebic County. Trunks
up to four feet in diameter. Little undergrowth. August 17, 1920.

FOOTNOTES:

Transcriber's Notes

Page 35: Changed "porcppines" to "porcupines".

Originally: One of these porcppines seemed to be very disinclined



Pages 42-47: Combined figure captions and images.

Originally: Images were on pages following their captions.