THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ALASKA. 9 



wandering bands of prospectors, it is surprising how little the 

 Americans of the East know about the valuable territory which 

 they possess in the far North-West. 



As a happy hunting-ground for the geologist, I venture to say 

 the country has no equal. The remains of mammoths and other 

 gigantic prehistoric animals, which are daily unearthed near the 

 surface by mining prospectors throughout the country, have 

 convinced me that any geologist who undertakes a trip to 

 Alaska will return well satisfied with the results of his expedition. 

 For the botanist also the field of research is unlimited, as, 

 although the Alaskan summer is of short duration, when once 

 the flowers and grasses have commenced to grow, they spring up 

 in such variety and profusion that the whole country is soon 

 covered with a vegetation of almost tropical luxuriance. 



Indeed, the field of natural history is so vast that it is hard for 

 me, as a mere sportsman, to state much definitely regarding 

 these matters after spending only one season there. My sole 

 qualification for briefly attempting the task perhaps lies in the 

 fact that during my trip in 1903 I covered a larger area of 

 ground than has yet been traversed by any other sportsman from 

 the old country. During this expedition I travelled along the 

 coast from Southern Alaska, some 2,000 miles, to the westward of 

 the Alaska Peninsula, crossing the Peninsula on foot from the 

 Pacific to the Behring Sea, and coasting the inhospitable shores 

 of the latter ocean in native canoes and small open boats. Our 

 expedition consisted of my friend, Mr. R. F. Glyn, myself, and a 

 taxidermist from Victoria, B.C., and our object was to collect 

 specimens of the larger kinds of big game found in Alaska. 

 Chief in importance may be reckoned the enormous brown 

 bears, which are, beyond all doubt, the largest bears in the 

 world. They were formerly considered to be similar in all 

 respects to the N. American bear (Ursus horrtbilis'), which ranges 

 as far south as Southern California and as far north as B. 

 Columbia. Careful study of the brown bears from Alaska during 

 the past few years has proved the fact that four distinct species 

 of brown bears exist in that country, which differ considerably 



