y8 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



of procuring some good specimens of brown bears on 



the mainland. 



The mighty forests were a thing of the past, and 

 from now onwards we saw nothing but beautifully 

 green slopes, dotted with infinitesimal patches of alder 

 or stunted willows in the valleys, and sheltered 

 grounds, varied by the rolling tundras of the barren 

 lands. 



Here at Sand Point the familiar magpie was very 

 much en evidence. The old Nursery rhymes about 

 him were useless the " One for sorrow, two for 

 mirth " because the magpies were so numerous there 

 were not enough verses to meet the case. Bald-headed 

 eagles sat on the rocks, silently meditating with that 

 air of profound reflection which dominates the genus. 



As soon as the storm abated we set sail for Un- 

 alaska, and though the sea was still troubled the atmo- 

 spheric conditions were ideal, a delightful piece of 

 luck, for we were thereby enabled to obtain a much 

 more comprehensive view of the Pavlof volcanic peaks 

 than is often the case. Indeed, our skipper told us 

 that he had never before seen the peaks so clearly. 

 Weird and majestic cones, about eight thousand feet 

 high, with snow-clad sides blackened with the smoke, 

 which belched forth, from one of the peaks, as though 

 from a mill chimney in Lancashire. All the Alaska 

 Peninsula and its islands are of volcanic origin, and 

 everywhere one notes the typical " transition periods" 

 of volcanic architecture. 



Beating against a head wind we remained in sight 

 of the Aghileen Pinnacles for hours. So needle- 



