October, 1902.] ACCOUNT OF BEGION TRAVERSED. 21 



Leaving on the afternoon of August 8, I pushed northward, accom- 

 panied by an Eskimo (PI. XIII, fig. 2) who had promised to guide 

 me to a place where ground squirrels could be secured. After a great 

 deal of hard work and exposure we landed, on the evening of August 

 9, in a small, shallow bay at the mouth of a stream about 25 miles 

 south of Cape Eskimo (PI. XIII, tig: 1). Here I remained until 

 August 13. 



The countrj' was similar to that farther south and supported a 

 similar flora, but wet ground was less common and sandy ridges were 

 more frequent. The Barren Ground caribou had commenced their 

 southward movement and one was secured. Some of the shore birds 

 had departed, and the daily lessening numbers of other species had an 

 obvious significance. On the sandy ridges and hillocks were scatter- 

 ing burrows of ground squirrels, but the absence of colonies indicated 

 that I had reached only the border of their range. Two polar bears 

 were seen in the vicinitj^, but we were unable to secure either. 



The distance to be covered and the difficulties of navigation to be 

 overcome admonished me that my return journey must be begun, and 

 on the morning of August 13 I started southward. The wind was 

 against us the first day, and at the close of the second we had pro- 

 gressed no farther than mj^ former camp, about 25 miles. Two more 

 days of very laborious work took us a few miles below Hubbart 

 Point. Here willows attain a respectable size, and on the boulder- 

 covered ridges the buffalo-berry (Lefargyrsea canadensis) is a con- 

 spicuous shrub. A few Arctic hai'es were found here, and on the 

 morning of August 17 two were secured. 



On August 17 and 18 slow progress was made, and we were only 

 able to reach a point about 15 miles above Seal River, the high mound 

 near its mouth being visible from the ridges close to camp. Tama- 

 racks grew in the more sheltered places, and the edge of the forest 

 was only a few miles back from the coast. 



On the morning of August 19 a fair, strong wind that lasted until 

 noon carried us within sight of the Beacon and the high rocks near 

 Fort Churchill, which we reached that evening. During my absence 

 my brother had made a good collection, and we left Fort Churchill on 

 the afternoon of August 21, arriving at York Factory on the evening 

 of August 26. In the course of this uneventful voyage we spent a 

 few hours ashore on the afternoon of August 24 about 20 miles below 

 Cape Churchill, where the conditions were somewhat similar to those 

 between Stony and Owl livers (see p. 18). Lemmings (Dicrostonyx) 

 inhabited the sandy ridges near the shore. 



We left York Factory on the afternoon of August 28 in our canoe,- 

 which was loaded with the outfit and the entire summer's collection, 

 and, making further collections on the way, arrived at Norway House 

 September 16, after a very laborious but pleasant trip. 



