No. 4.] SEEWTN — THE NOYTH-WEST TERRITORY. 199 



can only say cross the Saskatchewan plains in August. Even the 

 sharp frosts of September, though they lessened the activity of the 

 mosquitoes, had no apparent effect upon that of the black-flies ; 

 directly the sun rose, even though the ground was covered with 

 snow, they were as virulent as in the hottest day in summer ; 

 and I was credibly informed that horses have frequently died 

 from the result of their attacks ; there is no doubt that they suf- 

 fer frightfully from this cause, and if measures are not taken to 

 protect them, rapidly become so poor and weak as to be unable to 

 travel. 



Not many years ago, the region we traversed was swarming 

 with buffaloes ; now their skulls whitening on the plain, and the 

 deep worn and grass-grown tracks which traverse the prairies in 

 all directions are the only evidence of their former existence. 

 Not a single buffalo was seen during the journey, and very little 

 large game of any kind, — only a few antelopes or cabri, one 

 moose and one red deer. Foxes, wolves, badgers, skunks, minks 

 and beavers were seen or heard occasionally. Muskrats are very 

 abundant and swarm in the delta of the Saskatchewan. The 

 officer in charoe at Cumberland House informed me that he had 

 last year collected and sent away 240,000 skins of these animals. 

 On the prairies, the little gopher or ground squirrel is almost 

 equally abundant. It is about the same size as the Canadian 

 chipmunk, and its habits appear to be similar to those of the 

 prairie-dog of the southern prairies. Ijike them, they live in colo- 

 nies underground on the open treeless prairies, and are generally 

 seen sitting erect and motionless on their hind quarters either 

 perched on the hillocks or in the grass near their burrows into 

 which they quickly disappear at the least alarm. Their skin is 

 of no value, and, except foxes, they have few enemies to contend 

 with in the 'struggle for life.' Moles, judging from the large 

 earth-mounds thrown up by them over extensive areas, though 

 we did not see any, must be almost as numerous as the gophers. 

 The moles seem invariably to select the tracts of deep, rich, black 

 soil, and the gophers and badgers the intervening dry, sandy and 

 gravelly ridges, so that between them the greater part of the sur- 

 face is more or less burrowed, ridged and furrowed ; and where 

 this is the case, the prairie, which would otherwise be as smooth 

 and even as a lawn, becomes not only exceedingly rough and 

 unpleasant to travel over on wheels, but also very dangerous to 

 horsemen, and often fatal to the wooden cart axles. 



