NARRATIVE. 107 



nearly fledged. It is remarkable that this bird which with us affects 

 dry situations, about the lake seems, as far as our experience went, to 

 prefer swamps; the spruce-partridge (Tetrao canadensis,*) being 

 found rather on the high ground. But this apparent anomaly is ex- 

 plained when we remember that in the White Mountains, for instance, 

 where both species are also found, the spruce-partridge is met with 

 only at considerable elevations, among the spruces or " black growth." 

 from which its popular name is derived, and the other bird in the 

 valleys or lower slopes. But here, where the spruces come down to 

 the general level of the country, the difference of distribution is still 

 expressed, though less distinctly, notwithstanding it necessitates a 

 change in what would seem a more important point. In this instance 

 a very decided habit of the bird is sacrificed to what many natural- 

 ists would call a mere abstraction. 



In the night we were disturbed by the dogs, who swarmed as usual 

 about the Indian lodges, and as usual were half-starved and depen- 

 dent solely on their own exertions for support. A camp-kettle left 

 outside of the tents attracted them into our neighborhood, and they 

 made a great noise in rolling it over in their endeavors to get the 

 cover off. Among this vagrant crew I was astonished to see Mr. 

 Beggs' Esquimaux dog, who might be supposed to be too well fed to 

 be tempted into such ways. This dog was said to be of the pure 

 breed. He was of a yellowish-white color, of moderate size, with a 

 small head, the nose pointed and the face rather wolf-like, though 

 not at all savage in its expression. Round the neck was a ruff of 

 hair, and the tail was bushy and curled upon itself, as we see in the 

 representations of this species. 



Any. tith. Mr. Ballenden stopped here at sunrise this morning, 

 on his way to the Red River settlement, of which we understood he 

 had been appointed governor. He had come all the way from Otter 

 Head this morning, a distance of forty or fifty miles, running before 

 a strong S.E. breeze in his large two-sailed boat. But this wind 

 which was so favorable to him was quite the reverse to us, and kept 

 us degrades here until six P.M., when, there being a slight lull, we 

 embarked. 



Mr. Swanston had promised to send us up some provisions hither 

 from Michipicotin, but they had not arrived, and the stock in the 



