472 
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 
the tide. Thus even the brine of the 
ocean had no restorative effect. 
In such bays, owing to the higher tem- 
perature and the greater buoyancy of the 
salt water, the dead and dying sahnon 
usually floated on the surface, and it was 
a gruesome sight to see hundreds of 
gulls, poised on wing, awaiting the mo- 
ment when they could alight safely upon 
the body of a fish and pluck out both its 
eyes, as it rolled over and over in the 
final struggle. 
That death should be the penalty of 
parentage for all the salmon of the Pa- 
cific is generally regarded as one of na- 
ture's mysteries, and deepened by the 
safe return of the North Atlantic salmon 
to the sea. 
But in this number of this Magazine 
appears an article by one of the leading 
fish experts of the country. Dr. Hugh 
M. Smith, Deputy Commissioner U. S. 
Bureau of Fisheries, and therein is ex- 
plained why the salmon of adjoining 
oceans meet a different fate in the rivers 
of the North. 
the; white; sheep of kenai peninsula 
Before taking up the narrative of the 
happenings in the sheep country, it may 
be wel' to state the plans arranged in 
advance. 
On examining game pictures from 
Alaska, I was struck by the scarcity of 
those representing the wh: •:" sheep, either 
singly or in flocks. As hundreds of the 
most experienced sportsmen, from nearly 
all countries, had pursued these animals, 
I had considerable doubt of success, even 
though having a marked advantage in a 
better equipment and in making my main 
object what in the case of the others was 
largely incidental. 
Therefore I decided to locate and study 
the animals first, with the purpose of 
securing information about their habits 
and then, if possible, making use of the 
knowledge thus acquired to get within 
photographic range. Otherwise it might 
happen that were I to immediately begin 
harassing the sheep with the camera at 
close range I would get neither pictures 
nor information. 
Ten days were spent in the mountains, 
four of which were entirely used in going 
and coming; and, while the six days de- 
voted to sheep, and incidentally to ptar- 
migan, resulted in a fair collection of 
pictures, the results, I think, fully justi- 
fied the procedure laid out in advance 
and mentioned now specifically with the 
view of aiding those who, in days to 
come, may wish to visit the scene of 
these brief but strenuous efforts. 
Several days before starting for the 
interior, my old Michigan guide, John 
Hammer, joined us. His long-continued 
trips into the wilderness, and in this 
instance reinforced by his Norwegian 
blood, made the call of the North irre- 
sistible. The addition of a third man, 
just as we were about to undertake the 
hardest part of the journey, proved for- 
tunate, and greater still when the swift 
waters of the Kenai River had to be 
overcome on our return to Seward. 
At 6 o'clock on the morning of August 
5 we were ready to leave Double-bay 
camp for a ten days' trip to the sheep 
country ; and, with Tom and John in the 
heavy skiff and Charlie and the author in 
the canoe, the start was made for the 
southeast corner of the lake, just oppo- 
site the bird islands. The weather was 
bright and the barometer still predicted a 
continuation of the fine weather, so ex- 
ceptional in weeks past. 
On rounding the point we saw, in the 
morning light, the black and frowning 
features of volcanic Redoubt, and, a little 
further seaward, Iliamna's snowy peaks, 
loo mile? distant and on the other side 
of Cook Inlet. Our immediate destina- 
tion, Cottonwood Creek, was reached in 
less than two hours, where, after placing 
our surplus outfit on a porcupine and 
bear-proof platform, made by Tom the 
previous season, a start was made up the 
mountain creek. This stream originates 
in a big snow field just beyond the divide, 
over which we had to pass on the way to 
Benjamin Creek, the location of Tom's 
cabin, where he lived during a long and 
vain search for gold. Though no valu- 
able metals were found, the locality is 
memorialized on the map by calling the 
creek Benjamin, the Christian name of 
his eldest brother. 
The ascent was a hard one, for the day 
was hot, the underbrush a nuisance, and 
