456 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. XI. 



march very fatiguing, and what with the woods and 

 swamps the horses became useless before they got 

 half way. About the end of December he took up 

 his winter quarters on the Baptiste, a stream which 

 flows into the Red Deer River. On the journey he 

 says he obtained a few mosses, " and on Christmas- 

 day I had the pleasure of finding a very minute 

 Gi/mnostomum hitherto undescribed : — 



' ' In the winter I felt the inconvenience of the want of my 

 tent, the only shelter I had from the inclemency of the 

 weather being a hut built of the branches of trees. Soon 

 after reaching our wintering-ground, provisions became very 

 scarce, and the hunter and his family went off in quest of 

 animals, taking with them the man who had charge of my 

 horses, to bring me a supply as soon as they could procure 

 it. / remained alone for the rest of the zcinter, except iclien 

 my man occasionally visited me with meat ; and I found the 

 time hang very heavy, as I had no books, and nothing could 

 be done in the ivay of collecting specimens of natural history. 

 I took, however, a walk every day in the woods, to give me 

 some practice in the use of snow-shoes. The winter was 

 very severe, and much snow fell until the end of March, 

 when it averaged six feet in depth ; in consequence of this 

 I lost one of my horses, and the two remaining ones became 

 exceedingly poor. The hunter was still more unfortunate, 

 ten of his young colts having died." — p. 310. 



In the beginning of April, 1826, a fatiguing 

 march brought him to the Columbia portage in six 

 days, and here he received letters from Dr. Richard- 

 son, accompanied with his tent, a little tea and 

 sugar, and some more paper for his plants. About 



