Their Sickness
At This Time Was Particularly Felt By The Traders, This Being The Season
Of The Year When The Exertion Of Every Hunter Is Required To Procure
Their Winter's Stock Of Geese, Which Resort In Immense Flocks To The
Extensive Flats In This Neighbourhood.
These birds during the summer
retire far to the north and breed in security; but when the approach of
Winter compels them to seek a more southern climate they generally alight
on the marshes of this bay and fatten there for three weeks or a month
before they take their final departure from the country. They also make a
short halt at the same spots in their progress northwards in the spring.
Their arrival is welcomed with joy, and the goose hunt is one of the most
plentiful seasons of the year. The ducks frequent the swamps all the
summer.
The weather was extremely unfavourable for celestial observations during
our stay, and it was only by watching the momentary appearances of the
sun that we were enabled to obtain fresh rates for the chronometers and
allow for their errors from Greenwich time. The dip of the needle was
observed to be 79 degrees 29 minutes 07 seconds, and the difference
produced by reversing the face of the instrument was 11 degrees 3 minutes
40 seconds. A succession of fresh breezes prevented our ascertaining the
intensity of the magnetic force. The position of York Factory by our
observations is in latitude 57 degrees 00 minutes 03 seconds North,
longitude 92 degrees 26 minutes West.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 43 of 649
Words from 11561 to 11818
of 176017
