J.P. Myers 1975 Journal Umiat, Colville River Valley, Alaska 4 July Schlechterger persisted in hunting for the Luscinia cernua ~ 2045 - everyone else by that time had gotten quite angry, but he seemed oblivious. In fact more than half of the party had remained by the voligon or bucket at the airport. The ones who remained at the voligon suffered most, as they were stuck in mosquitoes. Serious mosquitoes. Whereas we on the ridge were in the wind, and, although suffering, could manage to keep them off our eyelids. Flight: Umiat to Barrow We left Umiat ~ 2100. The heather and tussock grass hills run on indeterminably, ceeding to the polygonated areas only near the coastal plain and its isolated meadows. We flew ~ 200' above the ground, under flitting low clouds nearly when the pilots which clouds, too, ducked to under 100, while they kept up all the way to Barrow. It is a bit disconcerting to see a tundra ridge - as low as the face - actually rising to meet the plane. I was able to identify even some Phalacrocorax fulicarius, we were so low. Many caribou - but quite patchily distributed. Snowy owls, and jays were also frequent. A few moose just as we left Umiat, still within the river valley. Flight: Barrow to Cape Lisburne. (Conquabell, the same party as yesterday) Left Barrow ~ 10 a.m. Flight was almost entirely over ice, lead, or barrier island. However, the first hour was spent at such a high altitude (72000') that we discerned almost nothing. Then Underwood asked the pilot to fly lower, and we went down to 200'. Again, the most common bird was Somateria mollissima - flocks numbering up to 500-800 birds could occasionally be seen. Kittiwake, two possible (but not probable) slaty backed gulls. Many arctic loons. Occasional groups of seal. Off-shore from Wainwright we followed endless outlets of barrier island - mud and gravel eventually with some driftwood piled up. A few islands had patches of tundra, and one even sported a cemetery (near Wainwright.) From the air it appeared as if Wainwright had a large system of fluvial slough, lots of mud both exposed and slightly under water. In fact in