1779' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 315 



seeing one alive. I must, therefore, refer the reader 

 for a particular description of this beautiful animal 

 (for such it is said to be), to the Memoirs of the 

 Academy of Petersburg, torn. iv. tab. xiii. 



I have already observed, that the dogs of this 

 country are, in shape and mien, exceedingly like the 

 Pomeranian, with this difference, that they are a great 

 deal larger, and the hair somewhat coarser. They 

 are of a variety of colours ; but the most general is 

 a light dun, or dirty cream colour. Toward the end 

 of May they are all turned loose, and left to provide 

 for themselves through the summer, being sure to 

 return to their respective homes when the snow begins 

 to fall. Their food in the winter consists entirely of 

 the head, entrails, and back bones of salmon, which 

 are put aside, and dried for that purpose ; and with 

 this diet they are fed but sparingly. The number of 

 dogs must needs be very great, since five are yoked 

 to a sledge, and a sledge carries but one person ; so 

 that, on our journey to Bolcheretsk, we required no 

 fewer than an hundred and thirty-nine, at the two 

 stages of Karatchin and Natchikin. It is also to be 

 remarked, that they never make use of bitches for 

 the draft, nor dogs but those that are cut. The 

 whelps are trained to this business, by being tied to 

 stakes with light leathern thongs, which arc made to 

 stretch, and having their victuals placed at a proper 

 distance out of their reach ; so that, by constantly 

 pulling and labouring, in order to come at their food, 

 they acquire both the strength of limbs and the 

 habit of drawing, that are necessary for their future 

 destination. 



The coast and bays of this country are frequented 

 by almost every kind of northern sea-fowl ; and 

 amongst the rest are the sea-eagles, but not, as at 

 Oonalashka, in great numbers. The rivers inland 

 (if I may judge from what I saw in our journey to 

 Bolcheretsk), are stored with numerous flocks of 

 wild-ducks, of various species ; one kind of which, 



