104 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 



[Vol. XXXV. 



a, vast burying ground for that departing 

 race ; here and there about tlie country- 

 relics are frequently found, and in two in- 

 stances in fact, I have knowledge of their 

 discovery. Both specimens I have in my 

 possession. The one is a stone-hammer, 

 three pounds in weight and in perfect 

 condition (with the exception of a single 

 chip out of one side), which I found near 

 the Twin Hills. The other is a round stone 

 ball, three inches in diameter and one 

 pound in weight, picked up in a locality 

 a few miles south of Islay where many 

 others similar in weight and identical in 

 appearance have been formerly found. 



The panorama from the crest of the 

 Ridge is a memorable one. The majestic 

 prairies, alternating with aspen woods 

 and terminating in the distant blue hills 

 of the Saskatchewan, seem so peaceful and 

 primeval that only a rugged column of 

 buffalo is required to complete the circum- 

 ference of one's reflection. Nearing the 

 Saskatchewan, the woods become denser 

 and more continuous, until, entering the 

 valley system itself, the balsam poplars 

 thrive in vigorous groves ; the aspens 

 crowd thicker and thicker and attain to 

 grea'^er height, and a few birch silhouet- 

 ted here and there foreshadow the genuine 

 borean forests. A peculiarity of these 

 woods, and doubtless remarked by anyone 

 passing them, is the exhalation of a mildly 

 pungent and sour aroma that character- 

 izes them, particularly during the fall, 

 with the decadence of the leaves, and es- 

 pecially towards sun-down. It is neither 

 fragrant nor wholly disagreeable, but re- 

 markable for an illusive quality that in- 

 spires a really unmistakable tingle of ad- 

 venture. It is but one of the many odors 

 of the autumn woods, that make of a trip 

 there a thing of rare enjoyment. 



Ferrying across the muddy Saskatche- 

 wan with its surrounding wilderness of 

 forested hills was not the least of the 

 day's attractions; nor was the ascent by 

 the winding wooded trail beyond. A pro- 

 per panoramic view of this valley long 

 lingers in the recollection. On a jutting 

 sand-bar at the bend of the river, deer 

 trails were in evidence ; and the bar was 

 said by the government ferryman here to 

 be a regular resort to which they came 

 from the woods to drink. Although it 

 was merely fortuitous, we noted no 



rjffed grouse until nor h cf the river, 

 but now they frequently rose at our ap- 

 proach and bulleted through the woods. 

 More often, however, as is their usual cus- 

 torn in the west, they merely walked slowly 

 and pertly from view, Avhimsieally cluck- 

 ing and spreading ruff and tail. 



All along the route the prairie rose still 

 bloomed, and occasional sequestered hol- 

 lows were blue with violets even at this 

 advanced date. Four species of fungi were 

 noted all along the way, being, or most 

 resembling, Fsaihijrella disseminata ; Le- 

 piota naucinoides; Caluatia canifonnis; 

 and Caluatia (jigantiea. It is of further 

 interest to note that neither the common 

 raspberry nor hazel bush was observed 

 until north of the river, becoming then of 

 common occurrence. 



The lakes are a particularly interesting 

 locality. The conditions are so diversi- 

 fied that doubtless an equally divergent 

 series of small mammals could be taken 

 there consistent with it. My stay, unhap- 

 pily, was of short duration, or much of 

 the wistful speculation which I secretly 

 bo'e to the woods would liave become an 

 instructive reality. In theoiy one has all 

 the small mammals possible to the region, 

 each in its own peculiar situation, from 

 Evotomys gapperi in the mossy spruce 

 swamps, to Peromyscus boreal is on the as- 

 pen ridges, besides all the intermediates. 

 The jumping deer are residents here, for 

 numerous trails belonging to them were 

 observed on the sandy beach at Laurier 

 Lake. The latter is a fine body of water 

 of considerable size, and yields several 

 species of fish, some of which attain to 

 very respectable dimensions. Whitney 

 Lake, its sister, about a mile distant, is 

 neither so large nor becoming, but its 

 tortuous shore-line, with numerous se- 

 cluded bays hemmed in darkly by the 

 woods, creates aJ resort among the water- 

 fowl that is quite unknown to the other. 

 The day we were fhere, a single duck, a 

 horned grebe, and two herring gulls, so 

 far as I remember, were the only fowl we 

 saw on Laurier, while on Whitney some 

 coves were fairly black with them. Both 

 lakes are surrounded by heavy coniferous 

 woods, consisting of white spruce (Picea 

 canadensis), tamarack, {Larix caricena), 

 paper birch {Betida edha), balsam poplar 

 (Popidus halsaniife a), and the trembling 



