A WINTER IN THE WILDERNESS 123 



During the early part of the year 1867 the weather 

 was excessively cold, but there was but seldom a snow 

 shower, and, as a rule, the sun shone brightly, though 

 without perceptible power. From the beginning of 

 November last to the 18th of January in this year small 

 birds were not seen, except in one or two cases as stated 

 below. On the 18th a flock of about forty small finches, 

 or perching birds, flew across in front of the hut. They 

 were too far off to be fired at, and the species are there- 

 fore unknown. 



On the 11th December a pair of snow buntings, 

 Plectrophenax nivalis, were observed on the snow near the 

 hut. They were running about briskly, and examining 

 the refuse that had been thrown on the dust-heap, and 

 I saw them picking the fragments of meat from bones. 

 As there was no doubt about the species they were not 

 disturbed, and they appeared daily until the 8th of 

 January. Chopped venison fat and fragments of meat, &c., 

 were placed close to the door of the hut, and they came 

 constantly for it, and became tame enough to permit us 

 to come within three or four yards of them. They often 

 uttered a faint twittering cry, and a favourite time for 

 their appearing was about an hour before darkness set 

 in, though they came in the morning time too. On 

 the 7 th and 8 th January, one only appeared, and that 

 was the last we saw of them. It seems certain that 

 the solitary bird had lost its mate ; probably it had fallen 

 a victim to some small beast of prey. 



On the 22nd December the Indian brought in a pine 

 grosbeak, Finicola enucleator, which he had picked up 

 dead under a tree. Owing to the extreme coldness of the 

 weather, which had preserved it, it was impossible to tell 

 how long this bird had been dead, but it seemed quite 

 fresh. 



These instances seem to prove that birds which 

 undoubtedly migrate in this country, yet leave a few 

 odd members of their species behind, which may, or 



