Diary, 1903-1904, of trips with A. F. Camsell, Merritt Cary, and Alfred Emerson Preble to the Athabaska-Mackenzie region
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Transcription
Thursday Sept 3 McKinlay and the Indian commenced away drying the meat I took only and Meat was in my traps and spent most of the day hunting specimens taking a number of birds found for small lunches of Ptarmigan and collected some also saw a number of birds which I supposed had gone south. I travelled over a large extent of the barren country to the west of our camp but found no traces of Barrow found mammals. The Ptarmigan undoubtedly bred here as I found a family of young with the old bird. The males are found in small companies by themselves. Saw a number of returns and an old nest. Showing they breed here. Only a few golden plovers seen today and no sandlilings. Rusty gackles very Common and I saw a large flock of Lapland Longspurs. Jungers Ptarmigan observed. The day was rather fine Friday Sept 4 I am still alone in Camp. Took some Ptarmigan and albin specimens in the morning as then spent the rest of this day smoking on specimens as considerable smoke had accumulated made up a fine lot of Ptarmigan. The day was cloudy with a little rain, but the wind had abated considerably and had no meat ready so could continue our journey. The evening is cloudy with wide cations I am. Saturday Sept 5 I spent much of the day packing specimens and giving Things up generally. Took a black- belied plover from a girk if Sickers It was quite lean while the golden plovers are generally got more. It rained a good deal during the day. In the evening McKinlay and the Indian arrived with a load of meat and have to return tomorrow for the rest. The horse was killed about 10 miles off and through a very rough rocky