x 3 2 
Nelson on the Black Brant. 
of Alaska and even beyond to unknown regions far to the north. 
Of this I am assured by Captain E. E. Smith, who tells me that 
while whaling in the autumn, to the eastward of Wrangel Land, 
in 70° N. latitude, he has seen, flocks of these Geese coming from 
the north and steering straight for the coast of Alaska several 
hundred miles to the southward. The presence of this and other 
species of birds in that part of the Arctic Ocean argues favorably 
for the presence of a body of land to the northward of Alaska, 
but whether it is an eastern continuation of Wrangel Land or not 
is, of course, uncertain. However, let us return to a safer field. 
The following notes were mainly taken during the spring of 1880, 
for although I had seen the Brant plentiful the two preceding 
years, their extraordinary abundance the past spring was sur- 
prising, not only to the few white men here but to the natives as 
well. 
The 2 2d of May a native came in bringing a lot of Geese and 
reporting plenty of Black Brant up the “Canal.” For the benefit 
of the unfortunate few who have not been at St. Michaels I may 
explain that the “ Canal” is a narrow and shallow tidal channel 
which separates St. Michael’s Island from the main land and is 
bordered on either side by a stretch of low, flat land abundantly 
dotted with brackish ponds and intersected by numerous small 
tide creeks. As would be surmised, this forms a favorite haunt 
for various kinds of waterfowl. 
Preparing the tent and other paraphernalia two of us, accompa- 
nied by a couple of natives, started out the next morning with a 
sled and team of five large dogs, driven tandem, just as the sun 
gilded the distant hill-tops and gave a still deeper tint to the pur- 
ple haze enveloping their bases. The sharp, frosty air and the 
pleasurable excitement of the prospective hunt, after months of 
inactivity, causes an unusual elation of spirits and with merry 
jests we speed along until, in a short time, we approach a low, 
mound-like knoll rising in the midst of innumerable lakelets. A 
strange humming, for which we were at first unable to account, 
now becomes more distinct and we perceive its origin in the 
united notes of scores of flocks of Brant which are dispersed 
here and there over the half bare ground. Some sit along the 
edges of the snow banks or upon the ground, still sleeping, while 
others walk carelessly about or plume themselves in preparation 
for the work before them. Their low, harsh, gutteral gr-r-r-r, 
