286 THE ARCTIC PRAIRIES 



of birds migrating from the Athabaska Lake. Many 

 rough-legged Hawks, hundreds of small land birds, 

 thousands of Snow-birds in flocks of 20 to 200, myriads 

 of Ducks and Geese, passed over our heads going south- 

 ward before the frost. About 8.30 the Geese began to 

 pass in ever-increasing flocks; between 9.45 and 10 I 



Flocks of Snow-Geese passing southward 



counted 114 flocks averaging about 30 each (5 to 300) 

 and they kept on at this rate till 2 p. m. This would give 

 a total of nearly 100,000 Geese. It was a joyful thing 

 to see and hear them; their legions in flight array 

 went stringing high aloft, so high they looked not 

 like Geese, but threads across the sky, the cobwebs, 

 indeed, that Mother Carey was sweeping away with her 

 north-wind broom. I sketched and counted flock after 

 flock with a sense of thankfulness that so many were 

 left alive. Most were White Geese, but a twentieth, 

 perhaps, were Honkers. 



