Relation of the Canadian lynx cycle to a combination of weather variables: A stepwise multiple regression analysis.

The lynx fur harvest in the Mackenzie River region is taken as the dependent variable, and smoothed weather factors (temperature and precipitation) as the independent variables. A few linear combinations of three or four weather variables fit very well to the lynx population index. The critical variables belong to the periods of transition between summer and winter and act on the fur harvest with lags of up to two years. A biological interpretation is attempted.