110 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. V. 



land, making it the most enjoyable part of the year. By August 19th,. 

 1896, all the ice in the Strait had disappeared, excepting an occasional 

 small Fox Channel berg, which continued to pass slowly to the eastward 

 until winter again set in. These bergs, being very deep in the water, are 

 doubtless carried eastward by a steady undercurrent which apparently 

 affects the surface ice but little, and is probably quite of secondary 

 importance in considering the navigability of the Strait. 



Upon several days in August when the the temperature rose to 60° or 

 65°, it was rather amusing to see the Eskimo thoroughly exhausted with 

 the heat, the perspiration pouring down their faces, and presenting much 

 the appearance of people in Ontario when the temperature is up in the 

 nineties ; they could not understand how we could appear so cool under 

 the circumstances. These happy days for us when it was possible to sit 

 watching the bright blue sea, the many sea-birds, the green valleys,, 

 dotted with flowers, and hear the busy bumble bee as it circled round two 

 or three times and then went buzzing away, did not last long. By the 

 15th day nearly all insect life had passed away, and by about the 25th 

 summer was over and autumn had begun. 



Autumn. — The first sign of this season of decay and probably the 

 saddest, is the drooping of the dying plants ; in this region, however, it is 

 soon all over. On August 20th two or three species had succumbed, ten 

 days later a large number had assumed their autumnal tints and were 

 withering, and by September 12th, nearly every plant noted had ceased 

 to show life or was quickly withering. Nevertheless, in spite of frequent 

 light frosts, the temperature often rose during this period to about 50°, 

 although it was more often from 40° to 45° during the day and somewhat 

 lower at night. The highest recorded in September, 1895 (to which }'ear 

 we have to refer from this onward), was 47°, and the lowest 5^", the aver- 

 age for the month being 33°, or 26° less than the average in Toronto. 

 There was but little difference in temperature at other points in the 

 Strait, Cape Chudleigh only being slightly higher. 



On September 2nd wild geese were flying southward ; on the 7th the 

 ground was frozen ; on the 14th snow fell, and a few days later there was 

 ice on the small lakes a quarter of an inch in thickness ; dates and obser- 

 vations agreeing with those at other points within two or three days. 

 These uncomfortable signs of approaching winter, were only signs, how- 

 ever, for during the greater part of September there were many enjoyable 

 days when the snow would completely disappear and the air would 

 feel comparatively warm. The frosty mornings that now so often 

 occurred had a stimulating effect upon the Eskimo, and those who had 



