860 A JOURNEY TO THE 



this kind, caught in the depth of Winter, I found those little 

 vermin so numerous about it, that almost every hair was 

 covered with them as thick as ropes with onions, and when 

 they approached near the ends of the hair they may be said to 

 change the mouse from white to a faint brown. At that time 

 I had an excellent microscope, and endeavoured to examine 

 them, and to ascertain their form, but the weather was so 

 exceedingly cold, that the glasses became damp with the mois- 

 ture of my breath before I could get a single sight. The 

 hind-feet of these Mice are exactly like those of a Bear, and 

 the [388] fore-feet are armed with a horny substance, (that I 

 never saw in any other species of the Mouse,) which is wonder- 

 fully adapted for scraping away the ground where they wish 

 to take up their abode. They are plentiful on some of the 

 stony ridges near Churchill Factory, but never approach the 

 house, or any of the out-offices. From appearances they are 

 very local, and seldom stray far from their habitations even in 

 Summer, and in Winter they are seldom seen on the surface of 

 the snow ; a great proof of their being provident in Summer 

 to lay by a stock for that season. 



Pinnated duadrupeds. 



With respect to the Pinnated Quadrupeds with fin-like 

 feet, there are but few species in Hudson's Bay. The Walrus, 

 or Sea-Horse, and Seals, are the only ones that I know. 

 The Walrus. The Walrus ^ are numerous about Merry and Jones's 



Islands, but more so on a small island called Sea-Horse 

 Island, that lies in the fair way going to Whale Cove. In 

 July one thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven, when on 

 my voyage to the North of Churchill River, in passing Sea- 

 Horse Island, we saw such numbers of those animals lying 



[* Odobcenus rosmarus (Linn.). This animal was formerly abundant in 

 Hudson Bay, but is now far from common, and is confined to the northern 

 and north-eastern parts.] 



