December. 1919] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



105 



"now over now under these trees." The ways in 

 which the astrolabe may have been lost are of 

 course numberless, but there is at least a strong 

 probability that this windfall occurred around Green 

 lake, and that in climbing through the confusion of 

 trees, the instrument was dropped unnoticed in the 

 tangle. 



Near Muskrat lake they found a settlement of 

 Indians who received them kindly, and fitted out 



what sterile soil. Neither the site of this village 

 nor the extensive cemetery nearby, described at 

 length by Champlain, has ever been discovered. A 

 rich find awaits some lucky archeologist on AUu- 

 mette island. 



For our present purpose it is important to notice 

 what Champlain says about the latitude of this place. 

 The text of the 1632 edition of his journal reads: 

 "Elle est par les 47 degrez." In "Voyages of 



Champlain's Astrolabe: actual size is .5% in. in diameter. From photograph kindly 



supplied by Mr. Samuel V. Hoffman. 



two canoes to convey them on their way. From the 

 foot of the lake they portaged once more, this time 

 to the Ottawa, where they were met by the Chief 

 Tessouat, and with him crossed to Allumette island. 

 Protected by the long portages and numerous rapids, 

 the Algonquins, feeling comparatively safe from the 

 dread Iroquois, had established here a considerable 

 village of wigwams and were cultivating the some- 



Samuel de Champlain," edited by W. L. Grant 

 (New York, 1907), the translator, missing the point 

 of this expression, renders it simply as: "It is in 

 latitude 47." The real meaning of the phrase is 

 perhaps best expressed in colloquial form: "It is 

 somewhere around 47 degrees." Champlain says 

 nothing of the loss of his astrolabe, but it is clear 

 that he made no observation here presumably be- 



