NARRATIVE. 99 



more under the lee of the point. It continued windy and rainy all 

 day, the wind going down at sunset. 



Aug. \st. Started at four o'clock. Hazy, but soon cleared off, 

 with Avesterly wind. We stopped to breakfast at a little sheltered 

 cove on St. Ignace. The water here was filled for many rods with 

 the larva-cases of a Phryganea, in such numbers that it was impossi- 

 ble to dip a cup of water without bringing up several of them. The 

 insects themselves were flying about in swarms. This was the only 

 time that we met any considerable number of these insects, which 

 abound about the muddy flats of the lower lakes ; the clear cold water 

 of Lake Superior, and the pebbly bottom, are probably unfavorable 

 to them. We continued coasting along St. Ignace, here a continu- 

 ous cliff of red sandstone occasionally showing through its covering 

 of forest. The wind was exceedingly variable to-day, shifting sud- 

 denly from one point of the compass to the opposite. I think we 

 might sometimes have counted ten distinct directions in as many 

 minutes. 



Neepigon is said to signify " dirty water," and to-day it certainly 

 deserved its name, being exceedingly turbid, and strongly in contrast 

 with our experience of the other parts of the lake. But whether 

 this is a constant phenomenon, or was an effect of the gale, I am 

 unable to say. The bottom, in several places where I could observe 

 it, was muddy, and the water unusually shallow. 



We now approached the northern shore of the bay, a majestic 

 line of rounded hills, the highest bare at the top, but in general cov- 

 'ered with vegetation. A rocky cove where we stopped had been 

 taken possession of by the Montreal Mining Co., who had made 

 their mark on one of the trees, but apparently had not been encour- 

 aged to proceed farther. At our camping-ground this evening we 

 found strawberries, still unripe. 



Aug. 2d. Hazy, wind east and strong, the Fates having seem- 

 ingly determined that we should have head winds in whichever direc- 

 tion we steer. 



At Turtle Island we looked for limestone, but were unable to find 

 any. At this place an immense trap-dyke, running east and west 

 across the point of the island, had tilted the sandstone 10 12, 

 and for some thirty feet on each side of it the rock was shivered into 



