he necessity of
leaving the Mountains altogether, and taking up our winter-quarters
about the end of December, on the Baptiste, a stream which falls into
the Red Deer River. During the journey, I collected a few specimens of
the birds that pass the winter in the country, and which belong
principally to the genera _tetrao_ and _strix_. I also obtained a few
mosses, and on Christmas day, I had the pleasure of finding a very
minute _gymnostomum_, hitherto undescribed."

"In the winter, I felt the inconvenience of the want of my tent, the
only shelter I had from the inclemency of the weather being a hut built
of the branches of trees. Soon after reaching our wintering ground,
provisions became very scarce, and the hunter and his family went off in
quest of animals, taking with them the man who had charge of my horses
to bring me a supply as soon as they could procure it. I remained alone
for the rest of the winter, except when my man occasionally visited me
with meat; and I found the time hang very heavy, as I had no books, and
nothing could be done in the way of collecting specimens of Natural
History. I took however, a walk every day in the woods to give me some
practice in the use of snow shoes. The winter was very severe, and much
snow fell until the end of March, when it averaged six feet in depth; in
consequence of this, I lost one of my horses, and the two remaining ones
became exceedingly poor. The hunter was still more unfortunate, ten of
his young colts having died."

[Sidenote: April 1826.] "In the beginning of April, 1826, setting out
for the Columbia Portage road, I reached it after a fatiguing march on
the sixth day, and two days afterwards, had the pleasure of meeting Mr.
M'Millan, who brought me letters from Dr. Richardson, informing me of
the welfare of the Expedition; and he also placed me in comparatively
comfortable circumstances by bringing my tent, a little tea and sugar,
and some more paper. [Sidenote: May, 6th.] I remained on the Portage
preparing specimens of birds until the 6th of May, when the brigade from
the Columbia arrived. On that day the _Anemone cuneifolia_, and
_Ludoviciana_ and _Saxifraga oppositifolia_, began to flower in
favourable situations. My hunter, who had, in the mean time, returned to
our late wintering ground, now sent me word that he had changed his
mind, and would not accompany me into the Mountains, as he had engaged
to do. His fickleness deranged my plans, and I had no alt