﻿162 Mackenzie's river. Jui.t, 



becomes rare before it ceases altogether to be 

 seen, and we have not noticed it in flocks since 

 leaving the Saskatchewan. In its gregarious habits 

 on the latter river it resembles the European rook, 

 but differs from that bird in the care with which 

 it conceals its nest. In the evening we landed 

 to cook supper, and afterwards re-embarked to drift 

 with the stream. At midnight, having come 

 to the Little Lake, where there is no current, 

 we could no longer drive ; we therefore anchored 

 under a small sandy island, and at 4 a.m. on 



July 2I5?, resumed our voyage. Four hours 

 afterwards we landed at the outlet of the lake to 

 cook breakfast. The morning was close and hazy, 

 with distant thunder; and at 10 a.m. the storm 

 approaching us, we were driven to take shelter for 

 a time under the bank of the river. When the 

 squall abated, we continued our voyage, notwith- 

 standing that the rain fell throughout the day ; 

 and during the night we again drifted with the 

 stream, the crews sleeping in the boats. 



We made sail on the 22nd, at a quarter before 

 3 A.M., with a fair wind, which soon afterwards 

 chopped round against us, and increased to a 

 fresh breeze. At an early hour we passed the 

 mouth of Trout River ; and after breakfast de- 

 scended the westerly reach below the site of the 

 old fort. An hour later we passed the River La 



