"Game is not now as abundant as before mining began, and it is difficult, in fact, impossible, to get any close to the river. A boom in mining would soon exterminate the game in the district along the river.
"There are two species of caribou in the country, one, the ordinary kind found in most parts of the North-west, and said to much resemble the reindeer; the other, called the wood caribou, a much larger and more beautiful animal. Except that the antlers are much smaller it appears to me to resemble the elk or wapiti. The ordinary caribou runs in herds often numbering hundreds.
"There are four species of bear found in the district—the grisly, brown, black, and a small kind locally known as the silver-tip, the last being gray in color, with a white throat and beard, whence its name. It is said to be fierce and not to wait to be attacked, but to attack on sight. I had not the pleasure of seeing any, but heard many 'yarns' about them, some of which I think were 'hunters' tales.' It appears, however, that miners and Indians, unless traveling in numbers, or especially well armed, give them as wide a berth as they conveniently can.
"Wolves are not plentiful. A few of the common gray species only are killed, the black being very scarce.
"The Arctic rabbit or hare is sometimes found, but they are not numerous. There is a curious fact in connection with the ordinary hare or rabbit, which I have observed, but of which I have never yet seen any satisfactory explanation. Their numbers vary from the very few to myriads in periods of seven years.
"The Alaskan birds include the grouse, ptarmigan, snipe, mallard and teal duck, goose, loon, gray and bald eagle, sea parrot, gulls, auks and many other sea fowls. The sea birds supply the Indians with a profitable pursuit, gathering their eggs from the rocks. The eggs are a staple article of diet with the natives.
"The food fishes are numerous, but the salmon easily leads them all in importance, and the canning and drying of this dainty fish make the third industry of this territory, gold being now the first, of course, and furs the second."
No account of the animal life of the Klondike district would be complete without mention of the insects, which make life a burden during the summer in the interior. In the summer season when the days are sometimes really hot there are swarms of mosquitoes and gnats which have not their equal in the world, and which are enough alone to discourage most men. The horse fly is larger than the insect of the same name in the United States. In a preceding chapter Schwatka reports that one of his party, bitten by a horse fly, was completely disabled for a week. He adds, "At the moments of infliction it was hard to believe that one was not disabled for life.
"The mosquitoes are equally distressing. According to the general terms of the survival of the fittest and the growth of muscles most used to the detriment of others, a band of cattle inhabiting this district in the far future, would be all tail and no body, unless the mosquitoes should experience a change of numbers.