60 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



[no. 27. 



weeks here in making collections, until Richardson left for Cumber- 

 land Honse, where he was joined by Franklin, as before indicated. 

 Franklin and Eichardson left almost immediately, and, voyaging 

 by way of Lake Winnipeg and the Great Lakes, returned to England 

 by nearly the same route which they had followed when entering the 

 countr}^ Drummond remained in the neighborhood of Carlton 

 House for the purpose of making further collections, since Back's 

 detachment, which he was to accompany to England, would not 

 arrive at Cumberland House from the interior for about two months. 

 When Back arrived he was joined by Drummond, and the party, 

 accompanied by David Douglas, who was returning from a collecting 

 trip of three jenrs to northern California and the banks of the Co- 

 lumbia, and had crossed the Eocky Mountains by the Columbia 

 portage road (Jasper Pass), returned to England by way of Oxford 

 Lake and York Factory. 



In order to com^Dlete the account of this important expedition it is 

 necessary to refer briefly to the itinerary of Thomas Drummond 

 from the time of the departure of the main expedition from Cumber- 

 land House in the summer of 1825 to the time when he joined Eich- 

 ardson at Carlton House. He remained at Cumberland House until 

 about August 1, when he accompanied the Hudson's Bay Company's 

 brigade to Carlton House, and leaving there September 1, reached 

 Edmonton September 20. After two days' delay here he accompanied 

 the brigade overland to Fort Assiniboine, on the Athabaska, near the 

 mouth of the McLeod. Leaving here October 2, the party reached 

 the mountains October 14. Drummond traveled mainly on foot and, 

 as snow fell on the third day after they started, found this portion 

 of the journey very disagreeable. After proceeding about 50 miles 

 on the Columbia portage road he left the brigade, in company with a 

 hunter who had been engaged to supply him with food during the 

 winter, intending to pass that season on the ' Smoking ' Eiver, so 

 called from the burning beds of coal on its banks. The snow became 

 so deep, however, that they had to give up the attempt to reach their 

 proposed destination, and leaving the mountains, went into winter 

 quarters on Baptiste Eiver, a tributary of the Athabaska. Here 

 Drummond passed the winter mainly alone, his only shelter being a 

 hut built of branches. About April 10, 1826, he left this place for the 

 Columbia portage road, where he remained until August 10, when, in 

 company with another hunter, he traveled along the mountains to the 

 northward, reaching ' Smoking ' Eiver on September 10 and the 

 " headwaters of the Peace " * on September 24. He then set out on his 

 return, and desiring to cross the portage to Columbia Eiver, he com- 

 menced drying provisions for the journey. Soon after reaching the 

 portage, on October 9, however, he received instructions from Cap- 



« Referring, probably, to one of the southern tributaries of the upper Peace. 



