NORTHERN OCEAN 169 



may probably have been the work of the bears, as we could 1771. 

 discover visible marks that some of those beasts had been there ■'"^' 

 that Spring. This, though deemed very curious by some of my 

 companions, did not appear so to me, as it neither engaged my 

 attention, nor raised my [141] surprise, half so much as the sight 

 of the many hills and dry ridges on the East side of the marsh, 

 which are turned over like ploughed land by those animals, in 

 searching for ground-squirrels,^ and perhaps mice, which con- 

 stitute a favourite part of their food. It is surprising to see 

 the extent of their researches in quest of those animals, and 

 still more to view the enormous stones rolled out of their 

 beds by the bears on those occasions. At first I thought these 

 long and deep furrows had been effected by lightning ; but the 

 natives assured me they never knew anything of the kind 

 happen in those parts, and that it was entirely the work of the 

 bears seeking for their prey. 



On the ninth, the weather was moderate and cloudy, with 9th. 

 some flying showers of rain. We set out early in the morning, 

 and walked about forty miles to the North and North by East. 

 In our way we saw plenty of deer and musk-oxen : several of 

 the former the Indians killed, but a smart shower of rain coming 

 on just as we were going to put up, made the moss so wet 

 as to render it impracticable to light a fire. The next day loth. 

 proving fine and clear, we set out in the morning, and walked 

 twenty miles to the North by West and North North West; 

 but about noon the weather became so hot and sultry as to 

 render walking very disagreeable ; we therefore put up on the 

 top of a high hill, and as the moss was then dry, lighted a fire, 

 and should have made a comfortable meal, and been otherwise 

 tolerably happy, had it not been [142] for the muskettoes, which 

 were uncommonly numerous, and their stings almost insuffer- 

 able. The same day Matonabbee sent several Indians a-head, 

 with orders to proceed to the Copper-mine River as fast as 



[^ Citellus parryi Richardson. — E. A. P.] 



