OF THE POLAR SEA. 295 
famine, and every other concomitant of an inhos- 
pitable climate, must yield the pre-eminence to it, 
It chases the buffalo to the plains, irritating him 
to madness; and the rein-deer to the sea-shore, 
from which ian do not return till the scourge 
has ceased. 
On the 6th the thermometer was 106° in the 
sun, and onthe 7th 110°. The musquitoes sought 
the shade in the heat of the day. It was 
some satisfaction to us to see the havoc made 
among them by a large and beautiful species 
of dragon-fly, called the musquito hawk. — 
wheeled through their retreats, sv : 
prey without-a momentary diminution of. . 
speed. But the temporary relief that we had 
hoped for was only an exchange of tormentors : 
our new assailant, the horse-fly, or bull-dog, 
ranged in the hottest glare of the sun, and carried 
off a portion of flesh at each attack. Another 
noxious insect, the smallest, but not the least for- 
midable, was the sand-fly known in Canada by 
the name of the brulot, To such annoyance all 
travellers must submit, and it would be unworthy 
to complain of that grievance in the pursuit of 
knowledge, which is endured for. the sake of 
profit. This detail of it has only been as an ex- 
— cuse for the scantiness of our observations on the 
