In the official report of his exploratory trip from Great Slave lake to Chesterfield inlet via Thelon river in 1900 Mr. J. W. Tyrrell states that his party first encountered musk-oxen among the lakes in the vicinity of the height of land between the basin of Great Slave lake, and that of the Thelon. He thus refers to this event:—“Whilst sailing northward into Sifton lake we encountered a gale, which drove us ashore at the focus of the four arms. Thus finding a little leisure time thrust upon us, Mr. Fairchild and I, providing ourselves with compasses and field glasses, made an exploratory tramp of a few miles. The season had now advanced to June 27, and at such time in our latitude (63° 44′), we had no darkness, although the sun dipped below the horizon for a short time. The hours of night were, therefore, as suitable for travel as those of day, and hence it was ten p.m. when, scanning the valleys and hillsides with my powerful stereoscopic field glasses, I observed a band of musk-oxen feeding a mile or two to the northward. Fifteen of them were counted in all, and this with genuine surprise, as we had not expected to see any of these animals for some time to come. They were none the less welcome, for our camp was much in need of fresh meat, and stimulated by this knowledge we procured two rifles from camp and set off in one of the canoes with two Indians, on a midnight hunt. The lake had now become quite calm, and the northern sky a glow of lurid light, making the scene a most enchanting picture, such as can only be seen within the shadow of the Arctic. For three miles our light canoe glided over the glassy surface of the lake in perfect silence, excepting for the faint rippling of the water against its sides, until when near the shore there suddenly appeared over the adjoining ridge the huge black forms of nine musk-oxen.”
Musk-Oxen in Thelon Valley.
The following paragraph from Mr. Tyrrell’s report is also interesting under this head:—“As we glided quickly and quietly down Thelon river, one of the most interesting features met with was the occurrence of numerous bands of musk-oxen feeding upon the luxuriant grass or sleeping on the river bank. Attempts were made to obtain photographs of some of these noble brutes, but such were not very successful for two reasons; first, because of the wariness of the animals, and second, because of the weariness of the photographers.
“It was observed that when bands of cows with their young were met with, they were usually very timid and fled at first approach of danger, but in the case of straggling bulls, which were frequently seen, they were much more fearless and allowed us to approach as closely as prudence and their defiant attitudes would permit. On one occasion, when Mr. Fairchild climbed the river bank in order to photograph a fine specimen, he had no sooner snapped his camera and turned his back, than the brute charged and followed him to the bank. He was at once covered by our rifles, but as Fairchild stepped safely into the canoe, no shots were fired. Indeed day after day we passed numbers of musk-oxen, without molesting them in any way except by trying to photograph them. A notable fact in regard to the musk-oxen was that every one seen was on the north side of the Thelon, or on islands on the river. On one occasion when three musk-oxen were met with on an island they immediately plunged into the water and swam rapidly to the north shore, after gaining which they could be seen galloping across the plains for miles.”
In his report Mr. J. W. Tyrrell classes the herds of musk-oxen as among the resources of the country “which are of great value to Canada.” He adds:—“For the preservation of the musk-oxen—which may be so easily slaughtered—and are already rapidly diminishing in numbers, I would suggest that the territory between Thelon and Backs rivers, be set apart by the Government as a game preserve.”
Appearance of the Musk-Ox.
In his interesting volume “Through the Sub-Arctics of Canada,” Mr. Tyrrell writes:—
“The musk-oxen are claimed as relatives both by the sheep and ox families, though they perhaps more properly represent a distinct family by themselves.
“In general appearance they may be said to somewhat resemble a huge brown, horned sheep, but in size and weight they much more nearly resemble the ox, or better still, the buffalo, the monarch of the prairies a generation ago.
“Like the buffalo, the musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus) is gregarious in its habits, but where the former existed in thousands the latter is found only in tens—a band of twenty or thirty being as many as are commonly found together. The above comparison of numbers may also be taken as approximately representing the whole existing musk-ox family as compared with that of the buffalo in his palmy days.