HALL AND ST. MATTHEW ISLANDS II3 



ocean, and Tennyson's line came to mind as accurately 

 descriptive of the scene: 



" The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls." 



Another curious effect was the bottom of the sea visible 

 a long way out from shore. The water seemed suddenly 

 to become shallow or else to take on a strange transpar- 

 ency; the color and configuration of the rocky floor were 

 surprisingly distinct. 



A new species of small blue fox was found and killed 

 upon the island, and a sorry apology for a fox it was. 1 It 

 looked as if it might have been singed or else skinned 

 once and this was the second growth of fur. The polar 

 bears which our sportsmen had hoped for were not found, 

 though the deep broad unused trails leading back from 

 the cliffs had doubtless been made by them. Nothing is 

 plainer than that one cannot go to Alaska, or probably to 

 any other country and say: "Come, now, we will kill a 

 bear," and kill it, except as a rare streak of luck. It is a 

 game at which two can play, and the bear plays his part 

 extremely well. All large game has its beat or range. 

 The first thing to be done is to find this beat, which may 

 take days or weeks, then the trial of strategy begins. If 

 you outgeneral the bear you may carry off his pelt. 



We found the snowbunting nesting in crevices of the 

 rocks. It was probably compelled to this course to 

 escape the foxes. This was the type locality for this bird 

 and it was very . .,,._. ;-.-, : . v __„,_.. 



abundant. The 

 rosy finch also 

 was seen along ^~'-4r-^^-^—- 



1 i-nr- mi CAPE UPRIGHT, ST. MATTHEW ISLAND. 



the cliffs. There 



were snowbanks on the beach by the sea, and piles of 



driftwood, most of the large tree trunks doubtless brought 



^his was the Hall Island Arctic fox ( Vulfies hallensis Merriam) in worn sum- 

 mer dress : in winter it is snow white. — Ed. 



