﻿320 GEESE. Sept. 



perfection until the ground begins to dry up 

 under the influence of the hot summer suns, and 

 the new flowers are expanding. In the month of 

 September the snow-geese (Anser hyperhoreus)^^ 

 and Hutchin's geese {Anser Hutchinsii), feed much 

 on the crow-berries, which render them fat and 

 well-flavoured. The first-named geese breed in 

 Wollaston Land, to which they cross in the begin- 

 ning of June. We had noticed, while on the 

 coast of Dolphin and Union Straits, the earliest 

 bands travelling southwards again in the middle 

 of August, so that their stay in their native 

 place falls short of three months. The Hutchin's 

 geese and brent geese breed on the coasts of the 

 Arctic Sea, and the laughing geese (A7ias albifrons) 

 resort to the country north of the Yukon, beyond 

 the arctic circle. The Canada geese, or " bus- 

 tards" of the Canadians {les outardes), breed 

 throughout the woody districts, but do not reach the 

 vicinity of the Arctic Sea, except on the banks of 

 some of the large rivers. The most northern loca- 

 lities in which we observed them were the chan- 

 nels between the alluvial islands which form the 

 delta of the Mackenzie. 



On the 6th we had clear weather with a hard 

 frost, and gladly welcomed the face of the sun, 

 which had been a stranger to us for more than a 

 fortnight. The swamps being frozen over so as 



