THE ROSE MOUNTAINS 285 



for a reasonable shot, they were swimming the river and 

 soon a third one followed them. Arriving on the opposite 

 bank, all three trotted along until lost to sight. 



During the day thousands of little brown cranes, in 

 large flocks, passed over, all going south. I noticed that 

 each flock on arriving at a point just below us, became con- 

 fused and paused in its flight, circling higher and higher, 

 until at last, when high in the heavens, almost lost to 

 sight, it found its course and filed away in a V-shaped 

 wedge to the south-west. Large flocks of geese also 

 passed over, and several flocks of ducks. 



We dragged the carcass of the bear well below the 

 cabin in the hope of later finding a wolf feeding upon it. 

 All along close to the Pelly great horned owls were very 

 common, and rabbits were at their maximum of abun- 

 dance. The next three days were boisterous, the equi- 

 noctial storm having descended, and we could not start 

 for the mountains; fog, snow, and rain held us prisoners 

 in the cabin. We craved meat, and, walking through the 

 dripping brush in the morning, killed six rabbits. In 

 September rabbits are very fat, and after hanging for a 

 few days are excellent to eat. Ravens, gulls, and Alaska 

 jays feasted on the bear carcass, but no larger animal 

 came to it while we were there. The ravens first picked 

 holes through the belly and pulled out the entrails to get 

 at the fat attached to them. Several large flocks of her- 

 ring gulls were seen flying down the river, and numerous 

 flocks of migrating birds passed through the fog and rain. 



