270 SHOOTING GAME. Chap. XTY. 



Montreal Island that it must often be exposed 

 to a considerable sea, sucli as would effectually 

 remove everything not placed far above its 

 reach ; when looking over the smooth and frozen 

 expanse one is apt to forget this. 



Since our first landing upon King William's 

 Island we have not met with any heavy ice ; all 

 along its eastern and southern shore, together 

 with the estuary of this great river, is one vast 

 unbroken sheet formed in the early part of last 

 winter where no ice previously existed ; this I 

 fancy (from the accounts of Back and Anderson) 

 is unusual, and may have caused the Esquimaux 

 to vary their seal-hunting localities. Mr. Pe- 

 tersen suggested that they might have retired 

 into the various inlets after the seals ; and 

 therefore I determined to cross over into Bar- 

 row's Inlet as soon as we had examined the 

 Point Ogle Peninsula. 



Upon Montreal Island I shot a hare and a 

 brace of willow-grouse. Up to this date we 

 had shot during our journey only one bear and 

 a couple of ptarmigan. The first recent traces 

 of reindeer were met with here. 



On the 1 8th May crossed over to the main- 

 land near Point Duncan, but, Hampton again 

 complaining, I was obliged to encamp. When 

 away from my party, and exploring along the 



