and stopping up the entrance with the same material; he enters it
in October, and comes out in the month of April. He passes the winter
alone, in a state of morbid drowsiness, from which he is roused
with difficulty; and neither eats nor drinks, but seems to derive
nourishment from sucking his paws. He makes his exit in spring
apparently in as good condition as when he entered; but a few days'
exposure to the air reduces him to skin and bone.

The natives pay particular attention to the appearance presented by
the unoccupied dens they may discover in summer: if bruin has removed
his litter of the preceding winter, he intends to reoccupy the same
quarters; if he allows it to remain, he never returns; and the hunter
takes his measures accordingly.

The black bear shuns the presence of man, and is by no means
a dangerous animal; the grisly bear, on the contrary, commands
considerable respect from the "lord of the creation," whom he attacks
without hesitation. By the natives, the paw of a grisly bear is
considered as honourable a trophy as the scalp of a human enemy.

The reports I have had, both from natives and white trappers, confirm
the opinion that certain varieties of the fox belong to the same
species,--such as the black, silver, cross, and red; all of which have
been found in the same nest, but never any of the white or blue. The
former, too, are distinguished for their cunning and sagacity; while
the latter are very stupid, and fall an easy prey to the trapper; a
circumstance of itself sufficient to prove a difference of species.

There are two varieties of the rein-deer,--the migratory, and the
stationary or wood-deer: the latter is a much larger animal, but not
abundant; the former are extremely numerous, migrating in herds at
particular seasons, and observing certain laws on their march, from
which they seldom deviate. The does make their appearance at Ungava
River generally in the beginning of March, coming from the west, and
directing their course over the barren grounds near the coast, until
they reach George's River, where they halt to bring forth their young,
in the month of June. Meantime the bucks, being divided into separate
herds, pursue a direct course through the interior, for the same
river, and remain scattered about on the upper parts of it until the
month of September, when they assemble, and proceed slowly towards
the coast. By this time the does move onward towards the interior, the
fawns h