Explorations in the Far North

&«Htt£ PPM A '•, . ':« J? KJR! T Birds EXPLORATIONS I N THE FAR NORTH B Y FRANK RUSSELL BEING THE REPORT OF AN EXPEDITION UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA DURING THE YEARS 1892, '93, AND '94 e^H PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY/f ^THSONI^V MAY 1 5 1987 COPYRIGHT, 1898, By Wm. J. Haddock, .Secretary of the Board of Regents of the State University of Iowa, for the STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA. PREFACE EARLY in 1891, Professor Arthur G. Smith and the writer planned to undertake a journey, during the summer months, to the northern shores of Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, for the purpose of collecting ornithological specimens. Just before our departure in June, we were joined by Professor C. C. Nutting, who, eminently fitted by his experience as a naturalist, became the leader of the expedition, which was thereafter conducted in the interests of the Museum of the State University of Iowa. During the summer two stations were occupied; the first, near Lake Winnipeg, at the Grand Rapids of the Saskatchewan River; the second, sixty miles above, where the River debouches into Cedar Lake. The results of our explorations have been embodied in a report by Professor Nutting. 1 While at the mouth of the Saskatchewan I met Mr. R. Mac- Farlane, the ornithologist, who, during a residence in the Fur Country of nearly half a century, had made extensive and very valuable collections of natural history specimens. His enthusiastic descriptions of the field, as yet almost unex- plored, roused in me a strong desire to visit the Far North. Professor Nutting, also becoming interested, after our return laid the matter before the Board of Regents of the University and eventually secured their approval of the plan to send me northward to obtain specimens of the larger arctic mammals, especially musk-ox, and, incidentally, "to pick up everything else that I could lay my hands on." 1 Natural History Bulletin, State University of Iowa, Vol. II, No. 3. IV PREFACE Through some oversight no money was appropriated to carry on the work and the project must have been abandoned, had not President Chas. A. Schaeffer generously advanced the necessary amount to meet the expenses incurred during the first year. It was my desire to go at once to the Great Slave Lake region, but it seemed best to the promoters of the enterprise that I should become accustomed to the life of the natives before going so far beyond the limits of civilization. Mr. MacFarlane, then chief factor in charge of Cumberland Dis- trict, the Hudson's Bay Company's southernmost division of the Fur Country, thought it advisable for me to spend the first winter at Grand Rapids in order to become acclimated and to become accustomed to the northern mode of winter travel, before I should attempt to enter the Barren Ground. Grand Rapids is not a good station for a collecting naturalist. Water birds are not numerous, land birds do not differ from those more easily accessible in Manitoba. The fur-bearing mammals have been nearly exterminated. The customs and traditions of the Crees, who inhabit the country, have been so modified by contact with the whites during a period of over a hundred years, that their interest to the ethnologist has been greatly lessened. However, the work already done at that post would be enhanced in value if the collection was con- tinued through a winter season, and it was finally fixed upon as my headquarters for the winter of 1892-3. As it was not desirable that I should begin collecting at Grand Rapids before autumn, at the close of the University in June, I went with Professor Smith to the Pacific Coast where we were to collect natural history specimens for our own cabinets until it was necessary for me to go to Winnipeg to secure passage on the last trip of the lake steamers. Our first station was upon the shores of Puget Sound, near Tacoma, where we devoted most of our attention to the marine PREFACE V invertebrates. Several hundred starfishes were boiled and dried, thus preserving their form and color. The most abundant species, Asterias s/>., was noticeably larger than the A. vul- garis of the Atlantic Coast. The sea urchin, Echinarachnius excentricus, was a common species in shore, fifteen hundred being obtained in a few minutes dredging. A full series of the alcoholic material collected has since been presented to the University. We were surprised to find so few water birds in that locality, the pigeon guillemot, Cepphus columba Pall., was the only species which was at all common. When we attempted to collect land birds we more fully realized the great height of the forest trees, in whose towering tops they flitted safely about, quite beyond the reach of small shot. We left Washington, late in July, for the second station, which we were to occupy in the mountains of Central British Columbia. When we crossed the international boundary at Huntington, the person acting as collector of customs for the Dominion insisted on the payment of duty on our effects with the assurance that it would be refunded when we recrossed the line. Let me here extend a warning to any too-confiding naturalist who may meet that over-zealous functionary—if you wait until you reach the boundary again you will never recover your money. Some premonition of this fact induced Professor Smith to request in person at the Winnipeg office that the money be refunded, and even then the money was only returned after months of persistent correspondence. We take pleasure in acknowledging our obligation to Mr. A. Campbell Reddie, Deputy Provincial Secretary of British Columbia, for the license granted us to hunt animals pro- tected by the provincial game laws. We had intended to descend the Big Bend of the Columbia, but this plan was abandoned when we found that there was no suitable boat at Donald. We then engaged an old hunter and v i PREFACE prospector as guide at "gold prices" and set off on foot to ascend a spur of the Rocky Mountains, seven miles from the village, where mountain goats were said to be found. There was no trail for pack horses, so we packed our outfit on our backs. After two days of hard climbing, a part of the way through an almost impenetrable jungle, we reached the timber line and encamped on the sharp crest of a long ridge which was covered in places with banks of perpetual snow. From our camp seven glaciers were visible on neighboring peaks. The mountains bounded the horizon on every side. The broad valley of the Columbia between us and the Selkirks was some- times obscured by clouds that frequently rose and enveloped us in mist, rain, or snow. The grandeur and magnificence of the situation hardly compensated for the discomforts of a shelterless camp. We remained there until our provision was exhausted. We secured, during that fortnight, specimens of the mountain goat, Haploceros montanus, woodchuck, porcupine, Erethizo?i dorsatus, etc. Woodchucks were very abundant above the timber line. On one occasion I saw fifteen in a single group. The timid squeak of the little chief hare was often heard, but, owing to its wariness only one specimen was obtained. We reached Winnipeg August 15th, whence Professor Smith returned to Iowa, and where I spent several days awaiting the arrival of my collecting outfit from Iowa City. I am indebted to many friends for assistance. I wish especially to render grateful acknowledgment of the kindness shown me by President Chas. A. Schaeffer, and Professor C. C. Nutting, without whose substantial aid and encouraging letters the expedition must have been a failure. I must thank the many students and members of the faculty who contributed toward the fund which was so greatly needed for the purchase of additional supplies for the second year; and the citizens of Iowa City and members of the University for the warm recep- PREFACE v ii tion tendered me on my return. For kindly assistance in the field I am indebted to Mr. R. MacFarlane, Mr. Joseph Hodg- son, Mr. William Mackinlay, of Resolution, Captain J. W. Mills, of the Steamer " Wrigley," and man)- other officers of the Hudson's Bay Company; to the officers of the Herschel Island whaling fleet: Captains H. H. Norwood, E. C. Murray, and E. W. Newth, all of whom either gave specimens to our museum or assisted in their transportation. Frank Russell. Cambridge, Mass., December, i8q6. —— TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER . PAGE I Grand Rapids i II The Saskatchewan Natives 21 III Alberta 41 IV Athabasca District 57 V— Fort Rae 6S VI Winter Travel 88 VII The Musk-ox Hunt 10S VIII Down the Mackenzie 125 IX Ethnographic Notes on the Northern Athabascans . 158 X Ethnological Material Secured in the Hudson's Bay Company's Territory 168 XI Ethnological Material Secured from the Eskimos . 187 XII Myths of the Wood Crees 201 Natural History—Mammals 223 B 'R»s 253 Fish 271 Insects 276 Fossils 2S1 EXPLORATIONS IN THE FAR NORTH CHAPTER I GRAND RAPIDS ON the 24th of August, 1892, I left Selkirk, Manitoba, bound for Grand Rapids, on the "Colville." The "Colville" had been engaged for many years in carrying freight to the Saskatchewan River, and, of late, has brought frozen white-fish from the stations along the northwestern shore of Lake Winni- peg to Selkirk, the present southern limit of navigation on the Red River of the North. On the following day, we ran into the harbor at Swampy Island to escape a northeast gale which delayed us for twenty- four hours.

Load more