CANADA'S NATURAL HISTORY IN PHILATELY

Natura1ist may prefer to conduct their studies in the fie1d but for a sma11 group of phi1ate1ists (stamp co11ectors), an interest

in natura1 history can be fo11owed through their favourite hobby. Canada usua11y issues stamps to conmemorate peop1e and events,

but a considerabTe number of post- age stamps are issued to promote conservation or wi1d1ife themes.

The first postage stamp iSSued

in 1851 bv Canada featured a beaver, and whi1e we had to wait c10$e to 100 years for the second wi1d1ife stamp, many have been issued since the second wor1d war era. The modern era began with

a stamp showing another of Canada's symboTs, the Canada goose. It

was featured on a 7 cent airmai1 stamp in 1948, again in 1952 on

a regu1ar 7 cent stamp and fina11y in 1963 on a 15 cent stamp. '

The 1952 Canada goose stamp was issued to ce1ebrate Nationa1 Wi1d- 1ife Week. For the next five years, unti1 1957, Canada's wi1d- 1ife was portrayed on one or more

sparrow, and hermit thrush. The gray jay stamp caused some contro- versy among naturaTists since many fe1t it to be a variant of the ' Oregon jay and hence more of an American bird than Canadian. Between these issues and todays stamps, most stamps concerned with natura1 history featured

p1ants, some showing provinciaT f1owers, others showing map1es

in the various seasons but animaTS were repersented by the narwha1e, po1ar bear and mountain sheep.

Stamps pub1icizing endangered wi1d- 1ife in Canada have been issued each year since 1977. Cougar, peregrin fa1con, spiny soft-she11ed turt1e, bowhead whaTe, At1antic

white fish,and prairie chicken have

been featured and it is p1anned to issued two such stamps each year for.sometime into the fUture.

’ Distribution and migratory patterns of birds make it difficuTt to ca11

many 1oca11y occuring birds Canadian. As a resu1t NewfoundTand, St. Pierre et MiqueTon, GreenTand,

IceTand, Russia, and many Centra1

American and Carrabean countries have issued stamps i11ustrating 10ca1 birds. A150 the U.S. has issued many wi1d1ife conservation stamps, one of which in 1978 showed the IsTand's avian emb1em, the

b1ue jay. A ye110w shafted f1icker and a ye11ow warbTer were recent1y on stamps from the Canary IsTands. St. Vincent stamps have shown barn ow15 whi1e other ow1s such as

stamps. The 1953 stamps featured the poTar bear, moose, and big horn sheep. These were in denom- nations of 2,3,and 4 cents when the regu1ar postage per first c1ass was 4 cents. The fo110wing year wa1rus, bear and gannets

were shown and in 1955 the musk ox and whooping crane. The whooping crane stamp was particu1ar1y at- tractive being done in 1ight b1ue _ and showing two cranes f1ying over grear grey, saw-WhEt, barrEd, and

a Northern Canada swamp, The great horned ow1s have been on

1ast NdeTife Week stamp was of a U-S- Stamps-

100n issued in 1957. _ I

Bird watching and stamp c011ecting

are two of the most popuTar hobbies

to issue mu1t1-coiored stamps we have and they can be successfu11y rather than using drawings of each C0mb1n9d, espicaiiy 0“ a C01d winter's particu1ar bird or animaT. Four daY- bird stamps were issued in 1968

to 1969 which featured gray jay.

white throated sparrow! Ipswich

Ten years Tater Canada Post began

Winston Johnston 63 New1and Cr. Char10ttetown

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