Mr Foot's Account of the Dog Trains of the North- West. 155 



three individuals abreast. They left a detachment at the foot of their hil- 

 lock to defend it against any unlooked-for attack. The rest of the army 

 marched to battle, with its right wing supported by a solid corps of seve- 

 ral hundred individuals, and the left wing supported by a similar body of 

 more than a thousand. These groups advanced in the greatest order, and 

 without changing their positions. The two lateral corps took no part in 

 the principal action. That of the right wing made a halt and formed an 

 army of reserve ; whilst the corps which marched in column on the left 

 wing maneuvered so as to turn the hostile army, and advanced with a 

 hurried march to the hillock of the Formica rufa, and took it by assault. 



The two armies attacked each other and fought for a long time without 

 breaking their lines. At length disorder appeared in various points, and 

 the combat was maintained in detached groups ; and after a bloody battle, 

 which continued from three to four hours, the Formica rufa were put to 

 flight, and forced to abandon their two hillocks and go off to establish 

 themselves at some other point with the remains of their army. 



The most interesting part of this exhibition, says M. Hanhart, was to 

 see these insects reciprocally making prisoners, and transporting their own 

 wounded to their hillocks. Their devotedness to the wounded was carried 

 so far, that the Formica rufa, in conveying them to their nests, allowed 

 themselves to be killed by the little blacks without any resistance, rather 

 than abandon their precious charge. 



From the observations of M. Huber, it is known that when an ant hil- ' 

 lock is taken by the enemy, the vanquished are reduced to slavery, and 

 employed in the interior labours of their habitation. — Bull Univ. Mai 1826. 



4. Account of the Dog 1 Trains of the North-West. By Dr Lyman Foot. 



Thinking it might be some amusement to you, to see the mode of 

 travelling in the North-west, Mrs Foot has sketched a dog train which I 

 enclose you. Three dogs will carry a man and his provisions. The tra- 

 ders travel all over the wilderness with them, over unbeaten snow, gene- 

 rally following the course of rivers. 



As night approaches, the traveller seeks a thicket, to protect him as much 

 as possible from the wind. He then digs an elliptical hole in the snow, 

 with a snow shoe, at one end of which a fire is built. The bottom is co- 

 vered with evergreen boughs, on which he spreads a blanket, and wraps 

 himself up, with his feet to the fire. If the night is stormy, large evergreen 

 boughs are placed across the hole, supported by the walls of snow on each 

 side. Thus the traveller and his dogs sleep comfortably in the coldest 

 weather. 



The dogs are easily trained to turn, halt, and go by the word of com- 

 mand. The whip is only meant to crack at them, or give any one of them a 

 severe whipping if he is obstinate. When the traveller wishes his dogs to 

 turn to the left, he says " chuck" or " dutch," and cracks his little whip 

 on the right side of his train ; if to the right, he says " ge," and cracks 

 it on the left side. When they wish them to start or quicken their gate, 

 he says " march," or " avance," (avancez ;) when they wish to turn short 



