Journal 59 permafrost, which was less than a foot deep. Art & Rogers measured thaw depth today along a transect running from the river bluffs to the lake W of camp. The depth varied from 9cm to 10cm. The 9cm was in the river bluffs and the 10cm they found in places with a deep layer of peat. Later in the afternoon I hiked to a small round lake NW of camp, where I also found snail shells on the beach. Saw a few Pectorals and Red-backs and one or two pair of Golden Plovers. The former two feed in the marshy carex swamps, surrounded by the polygon ridges, while the plovers are found on the dry bluff top and dunes. Both the censuses today and this afternoon alike make me wonder where the brids are. Except for Pectorals and Plovers, it seems that the other shorebirds have independent young, and neither old nor young seems to be around any more. 21 July Two months have passed by and where has the time gone! Sunday, today. The weather this morning was very balmy with plenty of sunshine but with clouds on the W. horizon. We had a late breakfast, and after Art & Rogers had finished changing Thermograph records, Rodger and I started out on a hike which was to lead us to the large and pretty lake S. of here. However, we got side tracked and ended up in the creek bed that enters the Meade River ± 2 km S. of Camp. I took a few photographs there and we collected some plants. The vegetation in this small valley was very lush, with Carex spp. growing knee-deep, and with a species of grass with red blades growing in the stream itself. The only bird that seemed to