174 THE LABKADOE PENINSULA. CHAP. xi. 



Height of Land Lake, at the foot of a subordinate water 



& 



]0f 



parting. 



In crossing the portage Pierre saw a partridge, or 

 Canada grouse, sitting on the branch of a tree. He 

 stopped with his load, and said that if I fired I might 

 frighten any larger game which it was not improbable we 

 might see, as he had just observed fresh caribou tracks. 

 He then cut a stick eight feet long, and made a noose 

 of twine, and cautiously approached the bird, which, ac- 

 cording to its habit, quietly waited until the noose was 

 placed before it, when it thrust its head in and was 

 caught ; but as Pierre was triumphantly carrying his prize 

 towards me, with the bird struggling in the air, the 

 noose gave way and off it flew, after short but very 

 embarrassing gyrations on the ground, during which we 

 vainly endeavoured to catch it. This mode of snaring the 

 partridge, or Canada grouse as it ought to be called, is 

 usually practised by the Indians, as well as by settlers in 

 the inhabited parts of Canada, where the bird is common. 

 Mr. Bell, of the Canadian Geological Survey, took large 

 numbers of this bird in the same manner. His description 

 is given in Sir William Logans' Eeport for 1857. 



On the way we killed a number of Canada grouse every day, 

 but other game was rather scarce. The grouse were always 

 very tame, and we generally killed them in a way that would 

 surprise most people. When we came upon a covey we gave 

 it a sudden start, which made the birds fly up into the sur- 

 rounding trees. A rod was then cut, to the end of which was 

 fastened a noose. This was held up close in front of the nearest 

 bird, which generally darted its head into the noose ; but if it 

 did not do so, then the noose was gently passed over the head, 

 and by a sudden jerk the bird was brought to the ground. 

 In this way we went from one bird to another, and usually 



