150 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



variety of it ; Sabine's gull, Xema sdbinei ; and at least 

 three or four other gulls, which were not identified. It 

 will thus be seen that this part, at least, of James Bay is 

 bountifully supplied with gulls; and as all these were 

 recognised hi a three days' canoe voyage, there are pro- 

 bably many others which were not seen or noticed. 



A sharp lookout for seals and other animals was kept, 

 but none were seen. I do not know if seals are found 

 about here, but if so they had probably been pretty well 

 worried by the hunters from the Company's posts. We 

 also kept lines to whig behind the canoe, but no fish were 

 caught. Some small finch-like birds were seen flitting 

 about the rocks of the mainland, but they did not come 

 near enough to enable me to secure a specimen; and a 

 small mammal like a rat was seen to enter a hole half-way 

 up the face of the cliffs. 



At places the cliffs were much broken and jagged, and 

 of great height three or four hundred feet, I should con- 

 jecture. As far as I could see, I should think that there 

 are but few places where they could be successfully, or at 

 all events safely, climbed. The most broken and access- 

 ible places were where streams ran into .the sea, and there 

 were also spots in which the cliffs sank down to a mode- 

 rate height ; but nowhere did we succeed in getting a 

 glimpse into the interior of the country until we arrived 

 at Moose Factory, which is situated at the junction of the 

 Moose and Abbitibbe, on the left bank of the former. It 

 is the chief or depot post of the " Southern Department " 

 of the Company's territory. 



We were how probably within three hundred miles of 

 home, but having reached this point in such good time I 

 was in no haste to hurry over the last stage of the journey. 

 As a matter of fact I should have liked to see a little more 

 of James Bay, but my companions had not much liking 

 for sea travelling, objecting that the canoe was badly 

 qualified for encountering rough water. To a certain 

 extent this might be true, but I have proved that a 



