ARCTIC ALASKA. 379 



noticed. A great many were also seen swimming sluggishly upon 

 the surface of the water, with their dorsal fins well out, and ap- 

 parently little life left. Their fins and tails all presented a stringy 

 appearance, and were sloughing ofi:. The natives say that these 

 fish ascend the river but never go down; they go to the head- 

 waters, spawn, and swim ashore to die. In our own experience, 

 the salmon were constantly ascending the river ; the later the sea- 

 son, the higher up they were found, and none were known to pass 

 down. In the spring the young salmon go down and out to sea. 



The valley of the Coobuck or Putnam River is about thirty 

 miles in width. For half a mile on either bank is a heavy growth 

 of spruce, cottonwood, and birch trees. Between this and the 

 mountains is rolling tundra-land. The first forty-five miles of the 

 river from the coast is the delta, with numerous lakes and marshes 

 of various sizes, all connected by small streams, running in every 

 direction, and communicating with numerous arms leading to the 

 main stream. Most of the channels are too intricate to be fol- 

 lowed. There are thirteen mouths to the river ; the smallest and 

 shoalest empties into Selewik Lake ; all the others empty into 

 Hotham Inlet. The main and most easily navigated entrance lies 

 about one mile west of Selewik Lake. It is about fifty yards wide 

 with twelve feet of water on the bar. Seven miles from this en- 

 trance it is eleven hundred yards wide and thirty feet deep ; forty 

 miles beyond it leads into the river proper. 



The general direction of the river is westward. Its width varies 

 from fifty to twelve hundred yards, according to the nature of the 

 country. It is extremely tortuous, and at no place can be seen a 

 straight course of two miles. Traces in the valley show that it 

 has often changed its course. The current varies from three to 

 five miles, according to the width and height of the river. Near 

 the head- waters are rapids. The banks in places rise so gradually 

 as to be barely noticeable, while in other places are foot-hills one 

 hundred and fifty feet high. The river is filled with islands and 

 has numerous tributaries. 



The river freezes in October and opens in June. During the 

 month of February the maximum thickness of ice made in twenty- 

 four hours was four inches ; the minimum, one half inch ; and 

 for the month, six feet. There is a hot spring near the river's 

 bank about four hundred miles from its mouth. This was visited 

 in midwinter, and its temperature found to be 100° above zero, 

 the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere being 50° below 

 zero. The natives state that it is so hot at times that meat can be 

 cooked in it. 



Winter is the only season in which one can travel in the in- 

 terior of northern Alaska. The marshy tundra is then frozen and 

 covered with snow, making it possible to cross. The natives kill 



