NORTHERN OCEAN, 
with feathers. Inthe latter end of September 
and beginning of October they gather in flocks 
of fome hundreds, and proceed from. the open 
plains and barren grounds, (where they ufually 
breed,) to the woods and brufh-willows, where 
they bord together in a ftate of fociety, till dif- 
perfed by their common enemies, the hawks, or 
hunters. hey are by far the moft numerous of 
any of the groufe {pecies that are found in Hud- 
fon’s Bay; and in fome places when. permitted to 
remain undifturbed for a confiderable time, their 
number is frequently fo great, as almoft to ex- 
_ceed credibility. I fhall by no'means exceed truth, 
if I affert that | have feen upward of four hun- 
dred in one flock near Churchill River; but the 
greateft number I ever faw was on the North tide 
of Port Nelfon River, when returning with a pack- 
et in March one thoufand feven hundred and 
fixty-eight: at that time I faw thoufands flying 
to the North, and the whole furface of the fnow 
feemed to be in motion by thofe that were feed- 
ing on the tops of the fhort willows. Sir Tho- 
mas Button mentions, that when he wintered in 
Port Nelfon River in one thoufand fix hundred 
and twelve, his crew killed eighteen hundred 
dozen of thofe birds, which I have no reafon to 
doubt; and Mr. Jeremie, formerly Governor at 
York Fort, when that place was in the poffeffion 
of the French, and then called Fort Bourbon, 
aflerts, that he and feventy-nine others eat no 
lefs 
4X3 
