TAO AOVEA OF THE REINDEER, 81 
might well be taken to be the remains of the embank- 
ments of ancient railways. Geologists, however, have 
another theory accounting for their origin, namely, that 
they were formed by fissures or splits in the ancient 
glaciers. . 
On the sheltered southerly slopes of these ridges 
many new varieties of plants were found, and some 
others which had been collected farther south were 
here seen for the last time on the journey. Notable 
among the latter was the aspen, of which several stunted, 
gnarled specimens were observed. When the storm had 
abated sufficiently. the traverse of the lake shore was 
resumed, when other notable features appeared. 
A large part of the country was now composed of 
frozen mossy bogs, sloping gently down towards the 
lake. In the higher portions of the bogs the moss was 
still growing, but elsewhere it was dead, and excepting 
a few inches, was imbedded in solid glaciers. In many 
instances these frozen bogs or glaciers were found to be 
breaking off into the lake, and in such places they pre- 
sented brown mossy vertical faces, from ten to twenty 
feet above the water. In examining these vertical sec- 
tions they were observed, as on top, to consist of frozen 
moss to within about a foot of the surface. The first 
of the moss glaciers, if I may call them such, were ob- 
served near the Height of Land, but towards the north 
end of Daly Lake they composed a large part of the 
country, and timber occurred only in scattered, isolated 
patches. 
According to our Indian information we, should now 
be near the outlet of the lake. During the morning of 
the 22nd, after a good deal of searching in many deep 
6 
