Z1^ AVOYAGETO 



1778. 



May. 



As to the animals of this part of the continent, the fame 

 muft be underftood as of thofe at Nootka j that is, that the 

 knowledge we have of them is entirely taken from the 

 fkins which the natives brought to fell. Thefe were chiefly 

 of feals ; a few foxes; the whitifli cat, or lynx-, common 

 and pine martins ; fmall ermines ; bears ; racoons ; and 

 fea-otters. Of thefe, the moft common were the martin, 

 racoon, and fea-otter fkins, which compofed the ordinary 

 drcfs of the natives ; but the Ikins of the firft, which in ge- 

 neral were of a much lighter brown than thofe at Nootka, 

 were far fuperior to them in finenefs ; whereas the laft, 

 which, as well as the martins, were far more plentiful than 

 at Nootka, fecmed greatly inferior in the finenefs and thick- 

 nefs of their fur, though they greatly exceeded them in 

 fizc ; and were almoft all of the gloffy black fort, which is 

 doubtlcfs the colour moft cfteemed in thofe fkins. Bear and 

 feal fkins were alfo pretty common ; and the laft were in 

 general white, very beautifully fpotted with black; or fome- 

 timcs fimply white; and many of the bears Iicrc were of a 

 brown, or footy colour. 



Befides thefe animals, which were all fccn at Nootka, 

 there are fome others in this place wiiich we did not find 

 there ; fuch as, the white bear; of whofe flvins the natives 



* With regard to thefe numerals, Mr. Anderfon obfervcs, that the words corrc- 

 fponding to our.', :ire not ccrt.iia after pafiiii^ /Ar« ; and therefore he marks thofe, 

 about whofe pofitioii he is doubtful, with a jjoint of ijiterrogalion. 



brought 



