IN THE LAND OF THE GREAT SPIRIT 131 



reaching a knoll crowned by a few stunted oak-trees, 

 we go into our first camp. 



Snowy Owls and Moose. 



Even off-days in camp-life pass very pleasantly. 

 When actually on the hunt the excitement and con- 

 centration of attention on the one object leave small 

 room for other studies ; but an off-day now and then 

 is absolutely necessary, or the camp would go to 

 pieces. And then, when there is nothing more to be 

 done — when you have finished skinning, mended 

 moccasins, looked to the horses, cleaned up the camp 

 — then is the time to go quietly out among the birds 

 and beasts. 



There is no want of animal life in these wild 

 parts. Along the lake-side one morning went flying 

 five white geese with black-tipped wings. The guns 

 were in the tent; but they were probably, like 

 two that we shot later, the smaller snow-goose.* For 

 this bird breeds on the Alaskan peninsula, and as 

 winter approaches moves eastwards across the 

 continent ; while the larger species — the " wavy " t — 

 seems rather to follow the coast-line. / 



* Chen hypobonus (Pal.). 1 Chen albatus. 



