1908.] 



PREVIOUS EXPLORATIONS LORING. 



79 



weeks in that vicinity he proceeded to San Francisco on the whaling 

 steamer Jeannette. His report was published by the University of 

 Iowa. 



During the latter part of the winter of 1894-95, Caspar Whitney 

 made a journey to the Barren Grounds north of Great Slave Lake to 

 hunt musk-oxen. He left Edmonton about the last of December, 1894, 

 and traveled by sleigh to Lac La Biche and from there by snowshoe 

 and dog sled to Fort Smith. From here he made an unsuccessful trip 

 to the westward after wood bison. On his return he went on to Fort 

 Resolution and accompanied a party of Indians to their camp in the 

 Avoods to the eastward of Fort Rae. From this place they traveled 

 into the Barren Grounds to the northward of Point Lake, finding- 

 musk-oxen at several points. On his return he reached Fort Resolu- 

 tion on the snow, but was obliged to complete his journey by canoe. 

 Leaving Great Slave Lake early in May, he ascended Little Buffalo 

 River, made a portage to Salt River, and thence following the usual 

 route, reached Edmonton about the middle of June. 



During the seasons of 1894, 1895, and 1896, J. Alden Loring, of the 

 Biological Survey, spent in the aggregate about nine months in field 

 work in central and w^estern Alberta. Though considerable work was 

 done on birds, the time was devoted mainly to mammals. Large 

 series were collected and many observations regarding their habits 

 were made. He spent most of the month of September, 1894, at 

 Edmonton. His immediate field of operations was on the south side 

 of the Saskatchewan about South Edmonton, now" Strathcona. For 

 convenience this locality has been referred to as Edmonton, the dif- 

 ference in position not being essential. 



During the seasons of 1895 and 1896 he made two trips to the moun- 

 tains in the Jasper and Henry House region, working much of the 

 ground covered by Drummond, and obtaining specimens from the 

 type region of most of the species described, mainly by Richardson, 

 from Drummond's collection. From Edmonton he traveled over 

 the old Government trail, which follows in a general way the course 

 laid out in 1876 as a possible route for the Canadian Pacific Railway. 

 Following the road northwestward to St. Albert, the trail takes a 

 general westerly direction for about 200 miles, making allowance 

 for its irregular course, to Athabaska River. Beyond here the trail 

 has a southwesterly direction to Jasper House and then follows the 

 Athabaska to Henry House, about 15 miles distant in a direct line, 

 but much farther by the river and trail. From here, running south- 

 ward and then westward, it passes through the celebrated Yellow 

 Head Pass, which leads to the headwaters of the Eraser. 



On his first trip Loring left Edmonton August 10, 1895, and travel- 

 ing with a pack train, followed the trail westward to Jasper House. 

 During the first 100 miles of this course the countr}^ is described 



