BEGINS CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS 285 



asked me if I would not report on the Klondike for them for their 

 exhibition in 1904. In other words, they wished to pass off our 

 products for theirs, and I officially declined to be a party to the 

 transaction. Since then, we have heard no more of the bareness 

 of the country in the vicinity of Dawson and the Yukon stock has 

 risen enormously in the writings and opinions of promoters 

 generally. My trip to Dawson was an eye-opener to me and I 

 felt that we, at that time, were far from realising the value of the 

 enormous country that we had in our possession. 



In the winter of 1902-03, we passed the time much as usual 

 but I arranged for my son, J. M., to go and explore the Peace 

 River and I remained for the first time in thirty years in Ottawa. 

 I spent the most of the summer at Wakefield on the Gatineau and 

 lived with my wife and family in the village. I had a very plea- 

 sant summer and made many new friends and, amongst others, a 

 large number of parliamentarians. There were many discussions 

 that summer by these men at Wakefield, as it was the year that 

 the Transcontinental was launched by the Laurier Government. 

 As I had been a prominent figure at the time the C.P.R. was 

 being launched, I paid particular attention to what was going on 

 and found that the lies that were told at the time of the beginning 

 of the C.P.R. were a mere bagatelle to the lies that were now told 

 about the wonderful undertaking that the Liberals were going to 

 hoist on the country. I heard Laurier say, myself, that the whole 

 undertaking would not cost more than $13,000,000.00 to Canada 

 as the Grand Trunk Pacific was going to take over the whole 

 work as soon as it was finished. The people now realize what 

 governments mean when they try to exploit any project that 

 may be brought forward by their supporters. The statement is 

 made and it is backed up by all the lies that can be invented and 

 covered up properly by the powers which be. My experience is 

 that all politicians are liars because honest statements never 

 benefit any individuals, but only the country generally. 



Early in the spring of 1904, I left Ottawa with Mrs. Macoun 

 and went to Calgary, where she remained for the summer, while 

 I went to Laggan, in the Rocky Mountains, where Mr. A. O. 

 Wheeler, my son-in-law, had his survey camp that spring. It 



