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MAMMALS OF NORTHERN CANADA 245
sales winds up with seven good years, varying between
437,121 skins in 1877 and 767,896 skins i n 1873, which
was the best of the series.
The musquash abounds in a l l suitable localities throughout
the entire North- West Territories of Canada. It is abundant
i n marshy tracts on both sides of the Rocky Mountains.
It is also very common on the Lower Mackenzie River, and
less so on the same portion of the Anderson River, to their
outlets i n the polar sea. Albino examples are occasionally
met with, but i n a l l sections of the country formerly ruled
by the Hudson's B a y Company a few skins of a fine dark-variety
of this species are annually secured by the native
and other hunters. Seasons of high water, however, are a
necessary factor i n the propagation of the muskrat, while
summers of drought and continued low water curtail expansion
and also cause many deaths during the succeeding
winters. In corroboration of this view I would offer a few
remarks. The outfit 1889 was my first of five years'
charge of the Cumberland District, Lower Saskatchewan.
The stage of water that autumn was f a i r l y good i n the many
marshy streams, small lakes, and ponds i n this musquash
country ( probably the best in western Canada), and the
returns therefore quadrupled those of the preceding season.
The following year was dry, and both water and the musquash
catch shrank considerably, while many thousands of
l i e animals perished miserably under the ice and i n their
frozen up " washes," or winter houses. This unfortunate
occurrence adversely affected results for two or three years,
but in the meantime water conditions improved and have
been very favourable for the last decade, so much so, indeed,
that the annual catch of musquash therefore has more than
doubled that of any of the previous ten years i n the district's
history. In fact, I believe it turned out about 450,000
skins for outfit 1900. When very numerous, epidemic liver
disease appears and carries off many thousands of musquash.
Last year's Cumberland returns declined nearly two- thirds,
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| Title | Page 269 |
| OCR | MAMMALS OF NORTHERN CANADA 245 sales winds up with seven good years, varying between 437,121 skins in 1877 and 767,896 skins i n 1873, which was the best of the series. The musquash abounds in a l l suitable localities throughout the entire North- West Territories of Canada. It is abundant i n marshy tracts on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. It is also very common on the Lower Mackenzie River, and less so on the same portion of the Anderson River, to their outlets i n the polar sea. Albino examples are occasionally met with, but i n a l l sections of the country formerly ruled by the Hudson's B a y Company a few skins of a fine dark-variety of this species are annually secured by the native and other hunters. Seasons of high water, however, are a necessary factor i n the propagation of the muskrat, while summers of drought and continued low water curtail expansion and also cause many deaths during the succeeding winters. In corroboration of this view I would offer a few remarks. The outfit 1889 was my first of five years' charge of the Cumberland District, Lower Saskatchewan. The stage of water that autumn was f a i r l y good i n the many marshy streams, small lakes, and ponds i n this musquash country ( probably the best in western Canada), and the returns therefore quadrupled those of the preceding season. The following year was dry, and both water and the musquash catch shrank considerably, while many thousands of l i e animals perished miserably under the ice and i n their frozen up " washes," or winter houses. This unfortunate occurrence adversely affected results for two or three years, but in the meantime water conditions improved and have been very favourable for the last decade, so much so, indeed, that the annual catch of musquash therefore has more than doubled that of any of the previous ten years i n the district's history. In fact, I believe it turned out about 450,000 skins for outfit 1900. When very numerous, epidemic liver disease appears and carries off many thousands of musquash. Last year's Cumberland returns declined nearly two- thirds, |
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