ON THE NYARLING 



139 



its tail as it went down. Next night another splashed 

 by our boat. 



This morning as we paddled we saw a little stream, 

 very muddy, trickling into the river. Bezkya said, 

 "Beaver at work on his 

 dam there." Now that we 

 were really heading for 

 flour, our Indian showed 

 up well. He was a strong 

 paddler, silent but appar- 

 ently cheerful, ready at all 

 times to work. As a hunter 

 and guide he was of course 

 first class. 



About 10.30 we came on 

 a large Beaver sunning him- 

 self on a perch built of mud 

 just above the water. He 

 looked like a huge chest- 

 nut Muskrat. He plunged 

 at once but came up again 

 30 yards farther down, 

 took another look, and dived, to be seen no more. 



At noon we reached our old camp, the last where all 

 had been together. Here we put up a monument on 

 a tree, and were mortified to think we had not done so 

 at our farthest camp. 



There were numbers of Yellowlegs breeding here; 

 we were surprised to see them resting on trees or flying 

 from one branch to another. 



A Great Gray-owl sitting on a stump was a con- 



Ledum groenlandicum 



